Ralph Compton Sixguns and Double Eagles (36 page)

“We aimed to do just that,” said Wes, “even if we had to tie you belly-down over the saddle.”

“I think I prefer to ride sittin' up,” Silver said. Then he became serious. “Have either of you been shot at lately?”

“No,” said Wes. “For whatever it's worth, I think we killed the Dragon's dealings here in San Francisco.”

“I think so, too,” Silver said, “and I reckon it'll take some time before they surface somewhere else. That'll give me a chance to get my head on straight and maybe come up with some idea as to what I must do next.”

“We'll continue to do what we can,” said Wes, “but we need to spend some time with our women in El Paso, if they'll still have us.”

“I think you need to return to El Paso and stay there,” Silver said. “You've seen just how ruthless the forces of the Dragon can be, so you'd better get out while you can.”

“I reckon we'll wait and see,” said Wes. “We may already be in so deep they'll come after us, wherever we are. They're not a forgiving bunch, and I'd bet my saddle there's still some of them in and around El Paso.”

Silver said no more, for at that moment Dr. Hanover entered.

“Mr. Silver, I'm prepared to release you tomorrow,” Hanover said, “as long as you do not attempt anything foolish.”

“Maybe you'd better define that,” said Silver. “Would it include riding?”

“I suppose not,” Hanover replied, “if you don't take it to extremes.”

“Then we'll see you tomorrow,” said Wes when the doctor had gone. “We still have some business to attend to.”

“I'll be ready,” Silver said. “I'm due for a change of scenery.”

Wes and El Lobo rode to the bank where they had deposited their gold, withdrawing it all. From there they returned to the stable where Silver had gotten the livery horse, and for two hundred dollars bought the animal and the saddle.

“We'll leave him here overnight,” said Wes to the hostler, “and pick him up sometime in the morning.”

From there they returned to the hotel, where they rested until near sundown.

“I think we ought to visit Jim and Amanda McCall before we leave San Francisco,” Wes said. “We may never come this way again.”

“
Sí
,” said El Lobo.

Careful that they weren't followed, Wes and El Lobo rode to the back of the little house where Jim and Amanda McCall lived. Empty was well ahead of them, already on the back porch before they dismounted. But there was no sign of life within the house, and no light shone through the windows. Curtainless, they had the look of the eyes of the dead after the departure of the soul.

“They be gone,” said El Lobo.

“Yeah,” said Wes. “I wonder why and where? If we can, let's look inside.”

The back door opened easily, and other doors within the dwelling were open, revealing empty rooms. Wes was relieved to find no sign of violence.

“Maybe they came up with something—a way to invest their stake—that meant they had to move,” Wes said. “Whatever their reasons, they had no way of letting us know.”

Wes and El Lobo mounted and rode away, somewhat saddened because they had been unable to say good-bye to Jim and Amanda McCall. They stopped at a café and had supper. From there they returned to their hotel.

Wes and El Lobo, leading Silver's horse, reached the hospital shortly after ten o‘clock and found Silver ready to leave.

“What about the cost of your stay?” Wes asked.

“The government will take care of it,” said Silver. “One of the few benefits of gettin' shot while employed by the federals.”

“Is there anything more you need to do before we ride out?” Wes asked.

“Yes,” said Silver. “Somewhere between where I was shot and the hospital I lost my hat. A Texan's three-quarters naked without his Stetson hat, and I must have another. Then I'd like to visit Tom Rigger's grave, if you'll take me there.”

“We will,” Wes said. “Now let's go looking for the hat.”

They took their time, for Silver obviously was stiff and sore from his ordeal. When at last they found a mercantile, Silver bought a gray Stetson, a new Winchester, and a supply of shells. From there, they rode to a little church not far from the bay.

“Tom's there in the churchyard,” said Wes. “We'll wait for you.”

Wes and El Lobo dismounted, allowing their horses to rest. There were few graves in the little cemetery, and Tom Rigger's was the most recent. Silver stood before the lonely mound and removed his hat, while tears crept down his weathered cheeks. He spoke softly.

“You'll be restin' here where warm winds always blow, pardner, and part of me and old Texas will always be with you.
Vaya con Dios.”

Silver returned to his horse, mounting without a word, and after a long silence it was Wes who spoke.

“How far you reckon it is to El Paso?”

“Near a thousand miles, I'd say,” Silver replied. “We'll have to cross most of California, all of Arizona, and part of New Mexico.”

“We'll be ridin' south for a ways, then,” said Wes.

“Southern California's pretty well settled,” Silver said. “There should be small villages with hotels and cafés. We'll enjoy town grub and soft beds while we can. There may not be much of either as we cross Arizona and New Mexico.”

“Belton and Wilks won't be talking,” said Gandy Franks, “but the rest of the assignment didn't go well. Silver was only wounded, and the other two—Stone and Elfego—got off without a scratch.”

“That's about what I expected,” Drade Hogan replied, “but there'll be other times and other places. I have it on good authority that Stone and Elfego will be returning to El Paso and we're preparing a trap for them. What of the men who were part of our operation in San Francisco?”

“I found only sixteen of them,” said Franks, “and I paid them what was owing them for the month. I advanced railroad fare to the dozen who promised to join us here, but I'd not be surprised if they keep the money and never show. Not more than three or four of them showed any interest in the bounty on Silver, Stone, and Elfego.”

“You did the best you could,” Drade said, “and that's all I expect. As far as the men were concerned, we lost much of our credibility when Belton and Wilks were arrested. We are about to build a whole new organization here, better and stronger than ever. We'll be ready when Mr. Silver comes calling.”

Later that same day, Rance Stringfield entered Hogan's office.

“I have located the women in question,” said Stringfield. “They're in El Paso. How do you want me to proceed?”

“I want them abducted but not harmed,” Hogan replied. “I want a trail left that Stone and Elfego will have no trouble following, and when they follow, I want their heads on a platter. Be careful of the men you choose. Can you handle it from here?”

“I doubt it,” said Stringfield. “The men will have to be paid and the trail must be laid carefully. I believe it will be worth our while for me to ride to El Paso.”

“So do I,” Hogan said. “This troublesome pair is cautious and hard to kill, so pull out all the stops. You'll need money. Will ten thousand be enough?”

“More than enough,” said Stringfield.

“Over and above the expense, the rest is yours,” Hogan said. “I want results, and I am willing to pay. When will you be leaving?”

“Today,” said Stringfield.

“Return here in an hour,” Hogan said, “and I'll have the money waiting for you.”

Taking their time, Silver, Wes, and El Lobo rode south, never so far from the coast that they couldn't feel the cooling winds from the distant Pacific.

“We're goin' to miss this warm climate,” Wes said. “I'm bettin' it'll be cold in El Paso, and maybe long before we get there.”

“I don't care,” said Silver. “There's somethin' unnatural about a place where the leaves never fall and it's summer all the time. Think of all those poor souls in California who'll never know the changing of colors in the fall, or the budding of the trees and the greening of the grass, come spring.”

“Or the blizzards blowin' in off the Rocky Mountains in winter,” Wes said.

“Well, hell,” said Silver. “I'm not claiming Texas has it all. Just most of it.”

Wes, El Lobo, and Silver crossed the Colorado just north of the border town of Yuma.

“We'll follow the river south,” Silver said. “Yuma will be a good place to spend the night and get some town-cooked grub.”

“I've never been here,” said Wes.

“I've only been here a couple of times,” Silver said. “In the past, Yuma's had its share of outlaw trouble. From there, you can practically throw a stone into Mexico.”

“
Sí
,” said El Lobo.
“Malo.”

“I reckon it's gettin' some better,” Silver said. “It's been a while since we've had to fight any brush fires along the border. Especially since you and Wes crippled the Sandlin gang in Mexico.”

“Dragon still be there,” said El Lobo.

“Some of the men are,” Silver said, “because they're wanted by the law in Texas and elsewhere, but I doubt that the Dragon exists as an organization. You
hombres
raised so much hell that the Mexican militia has been forced to oust most of the government insiders who had sold out to thieves and outlaws.”

“I hope the worst of them haven't slipped across the border into El Paso,” said Wes.

“I intend to justify my visit there by nosing around some,” Silver said. “The Dragon may have been fatally wounded in Mexico, but there's always a possibility the remnants of it may have moved across the border and reorganized.”

Just west of Tucson, Silver, Wes, and El Lobo rode through a veritable forest of organ pipe cactus. They reined up to rest the horses, admiring their unusual surroundings.

“Tarnation,” said Wes, “I've never seen the like. There must be millions of them.”

“It looks that way,” Silver said, “and I've never seen them anywhere in the west except here in southern Arizona.”
¹⁰

They rode on to Tucson, spending the night there.

“How far El Paso?” El Lobo asked.

“Maybe two hundred and seventy-five miles,” said Silver. “Another five days. It'll be almighty cold by the time we reach New Mexico. I reckon we'd better go lookin' for some sheepskin-lined coats and gloves.”

Entering New Mexico, the weather turned much colder. Thankfully the trio donned the newly purchased coats and gloves. They rode through part of the territory where there were few villages, and as a result, most of the journey from Tucson saw them preparing their own meals over an open fire and rolling in their blankets at night.

“God,” said Wes as they reined up just before crossing the Rio Grande to El Paso, “it seems like years since we left here.”

“It never seems to change,” Silver said.

They rode on, Wes and El Lobo becoming more anxious by the minute, for they knew not how they would be received by Renita and Tamara. Silver picked up on their feelings.

“Come on,” said Silver, laughing. “They won't gut-shoot you, will they?”

“Per‘ap,” El Lobo said gloomily.

“We've been gone half a year,” said Wes. “Who knows what direction a woman's mind will take?”

“I reckon we'll soon know,” Silver said.

Eventually they reined up within sight of Granny Boudleaux's boardinghouse.

“That's Granny Boudleaux's place,” said Wes. “My father's buried in back of it.”

“I'll want to visit his grave before I leave,” Silver said.

The three of them dismounted in front of the house, Wes and El Lobo feeling like condemned men. Their approach hadn't gone unnoticed. The door opened and there, with a look of surprise, stood Molly Horrel. But the look of surprise quickly vanished, replaced with what Wes and El Lobo believed was fear and dread.
¹¹

“Molly,” said Wes, “what's wrong?”

“Oh,” Molly cried, “I can't tell you. I can't.”

“Yes you can,” said Wes, taking her by the shoulders.

Stunned by the possibility of catastrophe, Silver and El Lobo said nothing. Molly began sobbing, and since there seemed no avoiding it, Wes put his arms around her. Finally she dried her eyes and spoke in a broken voice.

“Tamara and Renita have been taken away.”

“When?” Wes cried, “and who took them?”

“A week ago,” said Molly, “and there were four men. We don't know who they were. I was gone to town, and Granny was here alone.”

“Where's Granny now?” Wes demanded.

“She hasn't been well,” said Molly, “and she's gone to see the doctor. You'll need to talk to her. Why don't you come on in?”

Wes nodded to Silver and El Lobo, and silently they followed him into the house.

“Silver,” said Wes, “this is Molly Horrel. Molly, meet Bryan Silver, the best friend my father ever had.”

Silver took Molly's hand, and despite the terrible circumstances confronting them all, she viewed Silver with more than a little interest, for there was much about him reminding her of Nathan. An uneasy silence ensued as they waited for the return of Granny. When she eventually arrived in a hack, it seemed they had been waiting for hours. Quickly, Wes and El Lobo got to their feet. But they were silenced when Granny Boudleaux entered the room, for she looked more haggard and frail than they remembered. But her old face was lighted with a smile and she took one of their hands in each of her own. Just as quickly her smile was gone.