Apache Gunhawk
Page 14
They were a weary, water soaked lot as the Noonan’s topped the ridge, overlooking the narrow valley below. They guided their horses beneath a stand of trees, seeking what shelter they could. Water streamed down their slickers and poured off the brims of their hats. Julie had her slicker hood up and tied about her head. Wet locks of hair fell below it on her forehead and water dripped irritatingly into her eyes. As she dabbed at them, she suddenly sat erect in the saddle almost as if startled. “Did you see that?” She said.
“See what?” Little Bill answered for the group, but with annoyance.
“I thought I saw a flash of light down there.” She nodded toward the valley.
“You’re seeing things,” Little Bill protested, then caught himself and became attentive. “Dang! If I don’t think she’s right. I see it too.”
The wind was blowing through the trees, below, in the valley. As they swayed to and fro, light from a house or cabin winked through the branches. “Well let’s go see if we can make ourselves to home,” Bill Noonan said and rode out from under the trees leading the way.
“Won’t the barn catch on fire?” Julie Hadley asked as Little Bill cleared a spot on the floor to start a fire.
“I know what I’m doing,” Little Bill answered without looking at her. He had pulled a few floorboards loose and created an opening about four feet square. He had broken up the wood into small pieces for kindling as well as larger pieces for burning, and had placed them in the hole on the earth below. He was in the process of lighting the kindling. “We need a hot flame to cauterize Sid’s wound after that slug comes out.
They had ridden into the valley and followed the light until they found the farmhouse and barn. The barn set back from the house about a hundred yards and the riders had come to it before reaching the house itself. Not wanting to draw any more attention than necessary, Bill decided to settle in the barn and hoped that the occupants of the house would not realize they were there. They just needed to spend the night, wait out the storm and attend to wounds. Hopefully, they could ride out before dawn and no one would be the wiser.
They had stabled their horses inside and closed the barn door before lighting the lantern they found on a stall post. There were no windows in the barn, so the light should not give them away.
Sid lay sprawled on the barn floor. His saddle had been placed beneath his head for a pillow and he was sweating profusely. Tom was working at cleaning the wound and Sid winced with pain at every touch. The wound was badly festered and his leg was swollen. “Just hang on, Sid,” Tom said reassuringly. “We’ll have you fixed up in no time.”
“Sure. Sure.” Sid said. “I’ve had mosquiter bites worse than this.” His forced smile turned to a grimace.
The fire was blazing up now. Tom turned toward it, holding the blade of his knife in the dancing flame.
“Pa,” Elly Kemp said, turning away from the front window. “I thought I heard something, out by the barn.” She was young, about seventeen, had blue eyes, blond hair tied up in pig tails, and a mess of freckles on both cheeks.
“Just the wind and the rain, daughter,” Silas Kemp said, coming out of his wife’s bedroom, carrying a wash basin and some wet towels. He set them down in the sink. He levered the water pump handle and filled the basin.
“I don’t know,” she said lifting the curtain and peering out once more. “I think there’s someone out there.”
“Why would anyone be out and about on a night like this?” He said, stepping to the window and peering out into the darkness. He stared for several seconds and saw nothing at first, then for a moment he thought he saw the flicker of light. It was faint and just a sliver, almost as if shining through a crack in the barn walls. At first, he told himself, he was seeing things, but the faint sliver winked again. He chewed on the corner of his gray drooping mustache, in consternation. As if he didn’t already have too much to worry about, with his wife Hilda, sick and all, he thought.
He was not a man who would turn away anyone who would be seeking refuge from the storm on a night like this, but if someone was in the barn, why didn’t they come to the house and ask permission first? Something seemed mighty wrong here, and as much as he hated going out into the pouring rain, he knew he had to check it out. Besides, it was probably all imagination, anyhow, he told himself. But still.
He reached for his slicker and put it on. “Wait here, girl,” he said to Elly. “I’ll be right back as soon as I check everything out.”
“But Pa,” she started and he held up a hand to interrupt her.
“Just look after your Ma. Everything’s gonna be just fine. Don’t worry.” He lifted his shotgun from the rack over the door and hurried out into the storm.
Sid was breathing easier now and sitting up, his back propped against a support post. Tom was just finishing tying the bandage in place around the old outlaw’s leg. Julie swabbed what was left of the sweat from his brow, for him. His temperature seemed to be coming down.
“I’ll bet you boys had a lot of fun carving and burning me. I only screamed so you’d think you was really hurting me, but you two got to go some to get to old Sid,” he boasted jokingly as the only way he knew how to say thanks.
All eyes suddenly turned toward the barn door as it burst open, slamming against the wall on each side. The flames of the fire danced high into the air as the whoosh of blowing wind sailed through the opening. The dark shape of a man, stepped out of the darkness into the light of the fire and lantern. He was thin and stooped shouldered and he held a double-barreled shotgun, chest high, as he took long careful steps toward the intruders around the fire. “Who the hell are you? And what are you doing in my barn?” He eared back the hammers of both barrels, and even with the whining wind, the clicks sounded ominous.
Tom stood up, taking Julie’s arms and lifting her with him, hoping that the man would be less suspicious seeing a woman with them. They took a cautious step forward and halted. “We didn’t mean no harm, Mister. We were caught in the storm and sought refuge here.”
“Why didn’t you just come up to the house and ask?”
Tom shrugged. “We just didn’t want to bother nobody. We just needed to get dry and warm. Didn’t mean to do you no harm.”
“No harm,” Kemp spat it out. “You’ve torn up my barn and dang near set fire to it. You call that no harm?” The old man stepped forward closer to them. He could see Sid sitting on the floor and another man standing just to the left of him. Kemp squinted into the gloom, the brightness of the flames killing his night vision and making it difficult to see.
“Who’s that with you?” The old man said, waving the barrels toward Bill Noonan in the background.
“Just my father and uncle,” Tom said innocently. A woman and family should be harmless. “We were on our way to Alkalai Flats and this was the first shelter we found after the storm hit.” Little Bill and Charlie had been lying in the hay, back in a darkened corner and had rolled backward and out of sight before Kemp stepped forward. Little Bill motioned to Charlie to stay put, while he crawled off, circling behind the farm owner.
“We’ll be glad to pay you for any damages,” Tom Noonan continued.
“Durn right, you will,” Kemp fumed. “Now put that fire out, before you burn the hull dang barn down.”
Bill Noonan nodded acquiescence, lifted a blanket and put it over the fire to smother it. The inside of the barn went dark with only the glow of the lantern left. In that instant, Little Bill who had circled around and came up behind the old man, struck out with both arms, wrapping them around Kemp’s body, pulling his arms close to his body and falling backwards, taking the old man with him. Both barrels went off almost simultaneously, the shot flying through the roof, tearing a gaping hole and letting the rain in. Charlie leaped in front of the old man, twisting the discharged weapon from his bony hands and tossing it aside. With his hands gripping the inside of Kemp’s collar, he pulled him off Little Bill, spun him around and threw him back to the floor in the circle of light provided by the lanter
n.
Little Bill and Charlie stood over the fallen man, their feet spread apart and gazing down menacingly at Silas Kemp. “Now old man,” Little Bill hissed through clenched teeth. “You’re going to tell us who else is up there in the house with you.”
“Just..just my wife. She’s sick. And..and my daughter. They’ll be worried about me,” he chattered nervously.
“Well, then maybe we ought to go see them.” Little Bill grinned.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN