A shaken Cal Becker emerged from the coach, looking around at the bodies as though in a daze. “Lord, did any of them get a chance to shoot back?” he asked.
“I prefer not to give them the chance,” Chris told him. He looked at Callie. “Remember that.”
“Yes, sir,” she answered meekly. She’d picked the right man for the job, all right.
Chapter Nine
Callie gawked at the first real town she’d ever seen besides Rawlins. Lander was as big as Rawlins, even though there was no railroad leading to it, but it was more rugged, some buildings nothing more than tents with wooden fronts on them. Yet two buildings down was a two-story brick building called the Golden Rule Store. She supposed that was where she and Chris would get more supplies for their trip, since the awning on the store read DRY GOODS, MILLINERY, CLOTHING, SHOES, FURNISHINGS, NOTIONS, ETC. Apparently the Golden Rule sold just about anything a person needed.
Due to another hard rain just before they arrived, the street was a mixture of churned mud and horse dung. Their coach passed two wagons piled high with large pine logs, the wagons hitched together and drawn by the biggest team of mules Callie had ever seen. She counted eighteen, shaking her head in wonder at how a man drove so many mules at once.
The mud wagon pulled up in front of a building that simply read HOTEL and came to a halt, and Callie gladly disembarked, never happier to leave something in her life. She vowed that if something happened where she needed transportation for a long distance again, she’d walk before she’d ride in a mud wagon. Maybe the fancier stagecoaches were better, but they were more expensive, and right now she didn’t like the thought of being in anything on wheels.
“We’ll get a room, then go see about some horses and supplies,” Chris told her matter-of-factly when he climbed out of the wagon. “You can clean up and get some rest. I want to leave early morning.” He reached up to grab his saddle as Stumpy handed it down. He set it on the ground, then took down Callie’s saddle. Then Stumpy handed him Callie’s carpetbag, all the while relating the stage holdup to a group of men already gathered around the wagon. Cal Becker joined in the story, both men carrying on about how fast Chris was with a gun.
Chris didn’t look at any of them or say a thing, and Callie could tell he was a little embarrassed by the attention, as Stumpy went on to tell about him bringing three murderers to Rawlins for a hanging.
Chris handed Callie her carpetbag, then reached for his repeating rifle as Stumpy handed that down. He handed that to Callie too.
“Hold that a minute.”
“A bounty hunter,” someone said. “I’ll be damned.”
Chris made no acknowledgment of the man or his remark. He took down his own carpetbag and another smaller bag Callie had brought along. He placed that under his arm and grabbed his bedroll, placing that, too, under his arm. He picked up his saddle with his other hand.
“Leave your saddle for a minute and bring my rifle and your carpetbag,” he ordered her. He headed through the crowd, still refusing to acknowledge any of them.
Callie hurried after him, following him into the hotel, where he was already seeing about a room.
“One room?” she asked warily.
“I’ll be staying someplace else.”
“Oh? Where?”
“I thought you weren’t going to ask so many questions.”
Callie frowned, waiting while he set down his gear and went back out to get her saddle. He came back in and paid the clerk for a room.
“I can pay for it,” she objected.
“I’ll get this one.” He grabbed the key after signing the clerk’s guest book, then left his bedroll, carpetbag, and saddle, as well as her saddle, on the floor and laid his rifle on the counter. “Watch this stuff for me,” he told the clerk.
The older man, whose balding head looked pink against his white hair, glanced down through his spectacles at the gun. He cleared his throat. “Yes, sir, Mr. Mercy. You staying long this time?”
“Just tonight.” Chris headed upstairs.
“He knows you?”
“I’ve been in Lander before.”
“Lordy, is there anyplace you haven’t been?”
“A few.”
Callie followed him up a stairway to Room Five. He opened the door, and she moved inside the small room, which consisted of a bed, a table, and a washbowl. That was it. A picture of flowers hung crooked on a wall covered with wallpaper that showed even more flowers. She threw her two bags on the bed and faced Chris.
“I think I have a right to know where you’re staying, seeing as how I’ve never been here before and don’t know another soul in town. Besides, what if you go disappearing on me? I wouldn’t know where to start looking for you.”
Chris rubbed at his eyes. “I won’t go disappearing on you, as you put it. Just get some sleep and plan on hearing me knock at your door in the morning. Right now you can follow me over to the livery and we’ll look at some horses.”
“You going to go around asking questions about the men who killed my mother? Maybe see if you can get some kind of lead?”
He left the room, and Callie again had to hurry to keep up.
“When you need to know something, I’ll tell you,” he told her on the way down the stairs. “We’ll ask ol’ Luke at the livery. If anybody has seen them, he would, since every man ends up taking his horse there to put up. Luke has a good memory.” He told the clerk to keep watching his things, and that he’d return soon. He hurried out the door, where a crowd still lingered, listening to Stumpy. Callie felt their stares as she practically ran to keep up with Chris.
“Why are you in such an all-fired hurry?” Callie asked.
“Because I want to buy some horses and supplies and have time left to play some cards and still get a good night’s sleep. We have a damn long trip ahead of us and no time to waste.”
They kept mostly to the boardwalk as Callie followed him down the street to a stable, where Chris greeted a crusty old man named Luke. “Need some horses, at least four,” he told the man. “And maybe a couple of mules.”
“Sure thing,” Luke answered. “How you doin’, Chris? Take in any wanted men lately?”
“Three train robbers who murdered some passengers. They were hanged a few days ago in Rawlins.”
Luke chuckled. “You’re the best.”
“I don’t know about that. I guess it’s more determination than anything else.”
Luke shook his head. “You stayin’ at Lisa’s tonight?”
Chris glanced at Callie. “Well, that’s not something to talk about in front of this young lady here.”
“Hmm?” Luke walked over and took a closer look at Callie. “Well, I’ll be damned. I thought you was a boy. I mean…I’m sorry, miss. I didn’t mean no insult. I just wasn’t really lookin’, you know? And you wearin’ them pants and all—”
“It’s all right,” Callie answered, wanting to crawl into a hole. “I prefer pants. More comfortable. And me and Mr. Mercy have a lot of riding to do.”
“You and Chris?” Luke turned to Chris. “You on another hunt?”
Chris took a cigarette paper from his shirt pocket and opened the small pouch of tobacco tied to his belt. “Well, now, I am, Luke. In fact, I’ll let the little lady here describe the men we’re looking for. I told her that if anybody had seen them around here, it would be you. The lady here is called Callie Hobbs. She’s hired me to find the men who killed her mother, after raping her. They also stole her best horses.”
Luke squinted as he returned his gaze to Callie. “I see. I’m right sorry, ma’am, for your loss.” He motioned for her to follow him. “Come on out back with me, where my horses for rent or sale are kept. You describe the men to me while Chris here looks over the horses. I got a good memory, especially for faces.”
Callie followed him through the stables, which she noticed were swept, and the stalls in it cleaned properly. It was obvious Luke was a man who respected horses. A young boy was forking hay into fe
eders, and the water troughs were full.
“The only name I heard was Terrence,” she told Luke. “He seemed to be kind of the leader. He was a big guy with a deep white scar across his right cheek, really nasty. Somebody must have cut him good in a fight. And he had a deep, ugly laugh.”
They exited the building into a corral where horses ran loose.
“There they are. Take your pick,” Luke told Chris. “You lookin’ to buy or rent?”
“Depends.” Chris reached out and ran his hand over the flanks of a gray-spotted Appaloosa.
Luke turned back to Callie. “Go on, girl.”
Callie hated talking about the incident, but she had no choice. “Well, sir, another one was just a regular-looking man, brown hair, kind of pleasant looks but not really handsome. I can’t think of anything special about his looks or dress. I’d know him if I saw him though.”
“Mmm-hmm. Go on.”
“The third man was about as tall as Terrence but a lot skinnier, with a mole on his right cheek and thinning hair. From what was left of his hair, it looked like it was mostly blond, but it was so dirty, it was hard to tell.”
Luke shook his head. “Sorry, but I ain’t seen anybody fits the descriptions you give me so far. ’Course the second one you described could fit a lot of men, and as far as the third one goes, Lord knows there ain’t many men around here who keeps their hair clean enough to suit a woman. But I’d remember the mole.” He scratched at the bristles of hair on his unshaven face. “What about the other two?”
Callie glanced at Chris, who had walked over to lean against a fence post and listen. He quietly smoked his cigarette. She looked back at Luke. “One was built about like Mr. Mercy there, big shoulders and arms but from muscle, not fat. He had little scars on his face, like from fistfights, maybe. His hair was real dark and curly, and his skin was dark. I think he was maybe Mexican. He never…” She looked away from them both. “He never joined the others in…doing what they did to my poor mother. He just watched…and laughed.” She blinked back tears. “The fifth one was a skinny little runt of a man, more boy than man, I expect. I think he was maybe only about my age, seventeen or eighteen. He had long blond hair that he wore tied back, and I don’t think he was any taller than me. I don’t remember any scars or anything. I just remember he had pale blue eyes, and that hair, and how scrawny he was.”
She wiped a quick tear. “It was the big one called Terrence, who…shot my ma when they were done with her.” She shook her head. “No reason, except she could identify them.” She felt renewed rage well up in her soul. “But they didn’t know I saw them, and I can identify them! They never knew I was there hiding.” She sniffed. “I want every last one of them dead, and I hope they suffer first!”
Luke shook his head in sympathy. “Lordy, girl, that’s an awful thing to witness. How’d you see all this without them men findin’ you?”
“She hid in the wood box,” Chris told him. “Her mother told her to stay there no matter what happened.”
Luke nodded. “She told you right. It’s good you never came out. Your ma went to her peace knowin’ you’d be okay.” He looked over at Chris. “Sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you, Chris. Them five could be scattered in every direction.”
Chris kept the cigarette between his lips as he spoke. “Could be. But they also could be the kind that run together in a pack.” He drew on the cigarette, then took it from his mouth. “The good part is they don’t know Callie. Never saw her. She could walk right up to one of them and he’d never know who she is. That’s my ace in the hole. She can identify them for me, and I’ll take over from there.”
Luke chuckled. “And Lord have mercy on their souls.”
Chris walked out among the horses again, looking over a red mare with black mane and tail.
“I don’t expect the Lord will have any mercy for those men,” Callie told Luke. “I hope they burn in hell for all eternity!”
“Well, now, I don’t blame you there.” Luke scratched the back of his neck. It seemed to Callie he was always scratching something. “Wish I could help you, missy, but men of that particular description ain’t been around here. Maybe they decided to avoid civilization for a while, after what they did. Lots of horse thieves head straight for the Outlaw Trail to hide, but you’re talkin’ a lot of territory there.”
Callie felt renewed hope. “I figured the same thing, that we might find them somewhere on the trail. That’s where we’re headed. Mr. Mercy is going to help me find those men.”
Luke turned to Chris. “She serious?”
Chris was checking the teeth on a sleek black gelding. “She is.”
“You crazy?”
“Could be,” Chris answered, throwing down his cigarette stub and stepping it out.
Luke shook his head, turning back to Callie. “Well, girl, you picked the right man for the job, but the Outlaw Trail—that’s a lot of land to cover. Sure you’ve got the spunk for it?”
“She’s got the spunk,” Chris answered for her. He walked back to Callie and Luke, casting Callie an unusually friendly grin before addressing Luke. “I wouldn’t have agreed to help her otherwise.”
Callie felt a spark of pride at the words.
“We’ll take the Appaloosa gelding and that roan mare over there,” Chris said then. “And I like the looks of the black gelding. They all look sturdy, like they wouldn’t get easily winded. I guess we’ll buy them outright. It will probably be a long trip, too long to just rent them. Besides, we could end up all the way down in Texas. It wouldn’t be easy getting them back to you.”
“Well, you picked some good ones. Them three are real good stock. I’ve rode them all myself. They handle easy, real obedient. Got them from a trader come through here just a few weeks ago. I’ve dealt with him before, so he can be trusted.”
“So can you.” Chris removed his hat and wiped at perspiration on his forehead with the back of his hand. “If I didn’t know you so well, I’d check them over better, ride them first for a few days. But I got Sundance from you, and he’s the best horse I’ve ever owned. When it comes to horseflesh, you definitely know your business, so name your price, Luke. Callie and I have to go and get some supplies.”
“Well, the black one there, I’ll give him to you for eighty bucks. That’s a damn bargain. He’s only three years old, and fast as lightnin’. In fact, the breeder named him Night Wind. You’re the only one I’d give a deal to like this.”
Chris smiled and shook his head. “I happen to believe you on that one, but you’re a sharp horse trader, Luke Winston, so don’t bullshit me.”
Luke let out a high-pitched laugh. “I ain’t bullshittin’ you, Chris. You’re too damn smart for that.”
Chris put his hat back on. “How about the other two?”
“Well, the red mare, she’s six. Her name’s Betsy, and she ain’t especially fast, but she’s damn strong and has the nicest temperament of any horse I’ve been around. You can have her for fifty. The Appaloosa gelding, he’s called Breeze. Sixty bucks. He’ll balk at you once in a while but always comes around. You just have to be firm with him. What about saddles?”
“We have our own. How about a couple of pack mules? I don’t want to put our supplies on the horses and tire them out any more than necessary.”
“I’ve got mules. They’re in a pasture a little ways from town. Twenty-five each.”
“Sold. I’ll pay you in the morning when we pick them up. We’ll be by around seven A.M. I’ll come around later and bring our supplies so you can have them loaded onto the mules for us in the morning.”
“Sure enough.”
The two men shook hands. “See you later,” Chris told Luke.
“Yes, sir.” Luke turned to Callie. “Good luck findin’ them men, little lady. You just be careful about it.”
“Yes, sir, I will. Thank you for the fine horses, and for listening to me describe the men.”
“I just wish I could be more help.” Luke turned to Ch
ris. “Hey, you have a right pleasant evening, friend.”
Chris grinned again. “I’m sure I will.”
Callie wondered at the look the two men exchanged. Chris took her arm and led her back through the stables. “Let’s go stock up at the Golden Rule. The sooner we get that done, the better. After that, you might as well go straight to the hotel.”
Again Callie hurried to keep up. “I ought to pay for one of those horses, Mr. Mercy. So far you haven’t let me pay for anything.”
“You can pay for one of them after we’ve been on the trail a while and you decide which one suits you best. I expect it will be the red mare, but certain horses take to certain people, and it’s the same the other way around. Right now, though, you can pay for your own supplies.”
Callie wondered at the way he could be so aloof and silent one minute, friendly and talkative the next. He started across the street, and she quickly followed. “If I go back to the hotel too early, I won’t be able to sleep,” she told him.
“There is a little place next to the hotel where you can get a good meal. The lady who runs it is a good cook. Maybe a hot meal will help you sleep. I’ll come for you in the morning.”
“You still haven’t told me where you’ll be staying. And who’s Lisa? Is that who you’ll be with? Will she feed you, too?” Why did she feel a pang of jealousy? There was no call for it.
“Lisa isn’t anybody you’d care to know. And whether or not I’m staying with her or eating with her is none of your business.”
“Yes it is.” Callie hurried to keep up as they headed down the boardwalk to the Golden Rule. “I have to know where to find you.”
Chris stopped and turned, looking irritated. “Okay. Lisa serves drinks two blocks down at the Watering Hole Saloon. She also sings and dances. Now are you satisfied?”
Callie felt heat come into her cheeks. “You’re gonna sleep there?”
“Yes.” He started walking again.
“With her?”
“Probably.”
“She’s a whore, isn’t she?”
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