the Rider Of Lost Creek (1976) (16 page)

Rusty Gates was lounging on the boardwalk in front of the Trail House.

"If you swing a loop over the three of them it'll go a long way in the direction of makin' peace in the Live Oak. At least this piece of it."

"Yes
... Kilkenny said, "after we find who is doing all the killing, and round up that outfit at Apple Canyon."

Gates nodded. He touched his tongue to the edge of the cigarette paper and deftly rolled his smoke.

"May not be so hard. You've been makin' friends, partner. Lots of the local people have been talking to me.

Frame, Winston, Doc Clyde, torn Hollins, and others. They all want peace, and they want some law in Botalla. They intend to show up at your peace conference, and they say if you need a posse, they'll be ready."

"That's good news, the best news. They should carry some weight with both Lord and Steele."

"Think they'll try to break
up your
peace meeting?"

"They might, at that, but I've been thinking and I've got a little plan "still Morning sunlight bathed the dusty street when the riders came in from the Steele ranch.
Webb was in the lead, riding with Tana, Jim Weston and two Steele riders. One of them was Shorty Lewis.

Rusty and Kilkenny were standing in front of the Trail House when they rode in. "She's sure pretty
... Rusty said, staring at Tana.

"Prettier'n a button."

"Why not marry the gal"..."...
said
Lance. "Old Webb needs a bright, cow-wise son-in-law, and Tana's quite a girl. She's a mite spoiled, but a good steady hand on the bridle and she'd hold her gait."

"Marry her"..."... Rusty shook his head. "You must be out of your mind. She wouldn't even look at the likes of me. Anyway, I thought you were firing to put your brand on her."

"Not me
...
said
Lance. "Tana's all right, but a man with my reputation had better stay clear of women. Marriage isn't for me, Rusty, although there's nothing I'd like better than a place of my own and the right woman. But sooner or later
I'll
be too slow on the draw and she'd be a widow.

"No, I've been riding alone for a long time now, and Til not break any woman's heart by getting myself killed. Right now there's nobody.

I'm a man alone."

Lance paused. "If I was to change, it wouldn't be Tana. I like to tease her a little, because she's had it too easy with men and everything else, but that's all.

If I ever find a woman to tie to, she'll have to be one with staying quality, the kind who can ride where I go, live as I live, and stay right with me through it all.

"It would be no life for a woman, Rusty. There's loneliness and change and moving all the time, roosting no place, and always the chance of a shot in the back by somebody hunting a reputation, or some brother or friend of a1 man who took cards in the game and drew too slow at the finish."

Webb Steele had rounded his horse to the hitching rail and swung down. Kilkenny looked at him with amused appreciation. Webb rode like a king, dismounted like one, and walked into the Trail House as one who commands, whose rights have never been questioned.

There were many such, and they had not come to it at once, for men who walked that way had won the right to do so. They knew what they could do and they did it A few minutes later, Chet Lord came in with Steve. Then the door opened and Mort Davis stood there. He stared bleakly at Steele and Lord, then crossed to the fireplace and stood with his back to it, his thumbs hooked in his belt, prepared for whatever might come.

Kilkenny sat down at the head of the table.

"Guess we should call this meeting to order, gentlemen
... He said, quietly. "The way I hear it Lord and Steele are disputing about who fences hi Lost Creek, and Mort here is holding Lost Creek."

"He's holdin" it
... Steele said, "but he's got no right to it"

"Easy now
... Davis said imperturbable. "How'd you get your range, Steele? You just rode in an' squatted. Well, that's what I done. I'd been figurin' on settlin' Lost Creek for fifteen years. I come west with Jack Halloran's wagon train and saw Lost Creek then."

"Huh"..."... Webb Steele turned sharply around. "You rode with Halloran? Why, Tana's mother was Jack Halloran's sister!"

Davis stared at him. "You're not foolin'? You all from Jackson County?"

"We sure are! Why, you old coot! Why didn't you tell me you was that Davis? Jack used to tell us how you an' him"

Webb stopped suddenly, looking embarrassed.

"Go right ahead, Steele
... Kilkenny said, smiling.

"I always knew if I could get you two together you'd be friends. Same thing with Lord here. You're all good men. Each one of you has a good outfit and you can build it into something better.

"You, Steele, are importing some fine stock. So is Lord. Mort doesn't have the money for that but he does have Lost Creek and he's got a few head of cattle and the start of a herd. I don't see why Lost Creek should be fenced. Fence out the upper Live Oak country if you like, but you three can get along and work well together.

"Somebody has moved into Apple Canyon and organized a bunch of rustlers. They've got to be cleared out, lock, stock an' barrel. I'm taking on that job myself."

"We need some law here
... Steele declared. "How about you becoming marshal?"

"No
... Kilkenny looked around at their faces.

"Lee Hall dropped by my camp the other night, and deputized me, so I'm already an officer of the State of Texas.

"Before I ride out of this country I've got two things to do. I'm going to clean up Apple Canyon and I'm going to get the man who has been doing those killings."

His eyes touched Chet Lord's and the big rancher's face was ashen.

Steve Lord spoke suddenly. "You make that sound as if you believed there's no connection between those shootings and the cattle war."

"There may be no connection. That remains to be discovered. But I think the person who killed WJ-LKINS and Carter is the same person who killed Des King and the others. I think we have an ugly, vicious murderer loose on the range, and I intend to find him.

"And when I find him
... Lance added quietly;

"hell hang!"

Chapter
XV

Chet Lord slumped in Ms chair, looking old and tired.

Tana Steele had an odd look in her eyes, her cheeks pale and drawn.

"I think
... Kilkenny said, "that Des King knew who the killer was. He was killed partly to keep him from exposing the killer but in part because the killer hated him."

"If he knew who the killer was
... Steve protested, "why didn't he tell anyone?"

Kilkenny looked up at Steve, smiling slightly. "Maybe he did
... He said slowly.

"Maybe he actually did."

"What do you mean by that"..."... Webb Steele demanded.

"If he told anybody, I never heard of it!"

Tana's face was tense, and Chet Lord closed his eyes tiredly, and said nothing. Steve glanced at his father, his own face stiff and hard.

"Des
... Kilkenny said slowly, "had him a little hangout in a box canyon west of Apple Canyon, and he kept a diary, an account of his search for die killer. He had an idea there might be an effort to kill him, so he dropped a line to tell Lee Hall, and Lee told me. Tomorrow I'm going to that cabin in the canyon and get that diary, if Lee hasn't already got it Then we'll have the whole story."

"I think"... Tana got up abruptly, but whatever she was about to say was lost hi a burst of gunfire, a wild yell from the street and then a roll of heavy firing.

Kilkenny left his chair with a lunge and kicked the door open. There was a burst of firing just as he emerged and started down the steps. His foot caught on a broken step and he fell headlong, his head striking a rock lying at the foot of the steps.

Rusty and the others rushed after him and were just in time to see two big men running for their horses, while rifles and pistols began to bark from all over town.

One of the big men threw up his pistol and blazed away at the group on the porch. Rusty had just the time to grab Tana and thrust her to the floor, as bullets spattered the hotel wall.

Kilkenny, his head throbbing from the fall, crawled blindly to his feet with the instinctive drive of the fighting man to continue the battle.

There was a pound of charging hoofs, then horses charged by him. One caught him a glancing blow with its shoulder and he was again knocked flat. Another rattle of gunfire, and it was over.

Kilkenny got to his feet, wiping the dust from his eyes. There was a trickle of blood from a slight cut where his head had hit the rock.

"What was it? What happened?"

Old Joe Frame came running along the street from the general store carrying an old Sharps buffalo gun.

"The Brockmans! That's who it was! Come to bust up your meetin' and wipe you out! Jim Weston, Shorty and the other Steele rider tried to stop "em."

Webb Steele came down the steps, gun hi hand, eyes hot with anger. "Damn* near killed Tana! Boy
... He grabbed Rusty by the shoulder, "you've got a head on you! Saved her life! You can ride for me any time! Anytime at all!"

"Western's hurt bad
... Joe Frame said, "and Lewis is hurt. The other
boy O'Connor
, his name
is, he's
shot up. By now he may be gone.

O'Connor never had a chance. He dropped his hand for his gun and Cain Brockman drilled him dead center. The boy was still alive... I don't know how he did it.

"Abel took Lewis and they both lowered guns on Jim Weston. It was short and bloody, but I don't think either one got a scratch."

"This time they've gone too far
... Steele shouted angrily. "We'll go out there to Apple Canyon and burn 'em out!"

Tana Steele, white-faced and shocked, got up shakily, helped by Rusty. "You saved my life
... She pointed at the wall behind her, where now there was a spattered line of
bullet holes
. "I would have been killed!"

Kilkenny saw blood on Rusty's shirt.

"You'd better take him inside, Tana. He's been shot."

"Oh
... Tana gasped. "You're hurt!"

"It ain't nothin"! Shucks, I"... He slumped against the wall.

Helped by Steele and Frame, Tana got Rusty Gates inside, and stretched him out on a sofa.

Kilkenny watched them go, then turned, as behind him he heard a board creak.

It was Bert Polti. "All right, Mr. Lance Kilkenny, here's where you cash in your chips!"

Fold had a gun in his hand, and the gun flamed as Kilkenny turned. Lance felt the hot breath of the bullet, and then he fired.

Polti staggered, but caught himself. His head thrust forward sharply and his teeth bared in a kind of ugly snarl. He wanted desperately to get off another shot but his gun wouldn't come up.

He tried. Bracing his feet he took both hands and attempted to lift the gun, but slowly lowered the muzzle, he took a staggering step and fell, all in one piece.

Steele came charging to the door, gun in hand. He took one look, then bolstered his gun.

"Polti, is it? He's had it comin' for a long time."

Steele looked thoughtfully at Kilkenny.

"Polti was a bad one. You must be just as good as they say."

"Steele
... Kilkenny said, "you and Lord get your men and stand by. I'm going after the Brockmans myself, and when I come back we're going to clean up Apple Canyon. Right now, the Brockmans come first."

"You're going after them alone?"

"I am. If you'll see that Rusty is cared for."

Steele chuckled. "Tana's doin' that He's quite a man, that Gates is."

A half hour later, with a three-day supply of grub, Kilkenny hit the trail. For the first half mile the Brockmans had ridden hard, Then they had slowed down to save their horses, when they noticed no pursui
t
. They were shrewd riders and they could save their horses by confusing their trail.

Three miles out, they took to the rough country, crossing an outcropping of rock, weaving through clusters of boulders, and around clumps of oak brush and trees.

They used every trick of wilderness men to hide their trail, and they were as good at it as any Apache. The trouble was that the man behind them was better. Nonetheless, it slowed him down.

Soon it was evident that the Brockmans were traveling in a wide circle. Picturing the country in his mind, Kilkenny decided they were headed for Cottonwood.

Buy why Cottonwood?

Could they by chance know of the wires he had sent? were they afraid of what the answers might mean to them? Or were they watching the station on orders from the man in the cliff house?