“I saw it,” Rance said. “Tommy, see if there’s any water left in your goat bag and give it to that horse. I’ll share mine with you.”
Tommy grabbed the bag off his horse and shook it. “Some,” he said and headed for the horse. The horse smelled the water and his ears went up. Tommy took the cap off, held his head back and poured what was left of the water in his mouth.
“I know what you’re thinking, B.W. See if they have any of the money,” Rance said. “I’ll pick up the weapons.”
B.W. sat the shotgun down and checked the saddle bags of the still-standing horse, nothing. He rolled the dead man over and searched him. He had twenty or thirty dollars in gold coins in his pockets.
“Not sure I want to do this one,” he said, looking at the splattered horse’s guts and what was left of the bloody faces of the two men.
“Suit yourself,” Rance said.
B.W. frowned and pulled the saddle bags off the dead horse, blood and guts dripping from them. “Same as the other, empty,” he said and quickly dropped the saddle bags. The two men had about the same amount of coins in their pockets. No more than a hundred dollars between all of them.
“Not much,” B.W. said. “Nothin’ to say to say it came from the robbery.”
“Not surprised,” Rance said. “Unger and his boys probably got the money off the dead.”
“You don’t want me to bury them, do you?” B.W. asked.
“Nope, we’ll take the weapons and there won’t be nothin’ left but the saddles by sundown.”
“You’re learnin,’ major. In time you might even be realistic,” B.W. said. “Wasn’t goin’ to anyway.”
Rance gave him a smirk, didn’t say anything.
“We’re not goin’ to leave the horse are we?” Tommy said.
“No,” Rance said. “Coyotes would have him in an hour. Unsaddle him.”
“Good saddle,” Tommy said.
“Don’t need it,” Rance said. “Get him some oats.”
They gathered up their things and rode away.
Further down the trail B.W. pulled up his horse and looked at the surroundings. “Getting into some territory I remember on the way out,” B.W. said. “That water hole we came by shouldn’t be more than two or three miles from here.”
B.W. kept turning back and forth in his saddle. “Yep, this is right,” he said.
“Hope it’s still got water in it,” Rance said, as an afterthought.
In the distance behind them they could see the buzzards gathering over the dead.
At high noon on the fourth day, they were sitting on their horses under the shade of a big cider on a ridge overlooking Traversville, Tommy hanging on to the desperado horse.
“You were right, B.W., four days and we’re here. Maybe you really are an Indian,” Rance said.
Tommy smiled. “I knew he was right all along,” he said.
“Of course you did,” B.W. said and smiled. “You have a plan, major, or do we make one up as we go?”
“We’ll go to the livery first and go from there.”
“Then you don’t have a plan,” B.W. said.
“Not exactly,” Rance said.
“Think Riley will be alright with us being in his livery stable?” B.W. said.
“Hope so. Don’t have any other place to go,” Rance said.
“I hate my Pa,” Tommy said.
“Hate is a powerful thing boy,” B.W. said. “Can keep a man from seein’ the truth.”
“Let’s go find out what the truth is.” Rance spurred his horse and took off, B.W. and Tommy right behind him.
Riley Jones was having supper in the livery with his two boys when they rode into the stable and dismounted.
Riley dropped a chicken leg onto his plate and stood up. The boys took a quick look and went right on eating the fried chicken.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Riley said. “You did come back.”
“Told you,” B.W. said.
“You get the money?”
“Nope,” Rance said, “someone beat us to it and roasted the culprits we were after.”
“Indians,” Riley said.
“Mixed.” Rance said. “Looks like you’re doing okay,” and pointed at the fried chicken.
“Miss Julie brought that over for the boys and I horned in on it.”
“Julie,” Rance said, surprised.
“Your friend, Julie Stryker. Thought you would be back all along. I had my doubts.”
“Where is she?” Rance asked.
“Stayin’ at the boarding house with that colored girl and the boy.”
“What boy?” Rance said.
“Not sure, best you go talk to her,” Riley said.
“I’ll do that,” he said, placed his foot in the stirrup and pulled himself up on Buck with his good hand by the saddle horn and rode away.
B.W. and Tommy watched Rance ride away
“Saw Fannie with a little boy, thought it was hers,” Tommy said. “Come to think of it, he was kinda white lookin.’”
“Boy’s white,” Riley said, “about three or four.”
“I’ll be,” B.W. said. “Guess we’ll know all about it when the major gets back.”
“Want some chicken? Got plenty. Miss Julie brought enough to feed twenty people,” Riley said.
Riley’s oldest boy stopped eating long enough to give a testimonial. “It’s really good,” Riley Junior said and went back to eating.
B.W. looked at Tommy, he smiled and licked his lips. “Thanks,” B W. said. “Don’t mind if we do. Been a while since we had a good meal. Was afraid we might have worn out our welcome last time.”
“Nope. You need a place to bed down you can stay here,” Riley said. “Might have to watch out for Travers and his bunch. They been pickin’ on Miss Julie, tryin’ to get her to leave town. She told me Travers’ main gun hand, Booker Church, killed Tommy’s mama. They don’t want her telling anybody else, don’t think they know she told me or they would be comin’ for me, too.”
“Where is this Church guy?” Tommy asked, opening up his saddle bags for the Navy Colt. “I’m goin’ to kill him.”
“Slow down, boy,” B.W. said. “We need to know more about this first. No need runnin’ off half-cocked.”
“Don’t care ‘bout nothing else,” Tommy said. “If he killed my mama, I’m goin’ to kill him. The sooner the better.”
“He might not want to be dead,” B.W. said. “You think of that? He sees a gun, you’re the one that will be dead. Calm down and let’s wait for the major to get back and go from there.”
“Better be soon,” Tommy said.
“Eat some chicken and wait,” B.W. said. “You can think better on a full stomach.”
28
Rance rode up to the hitching post at the boarding house and dismounted, tied Buck and walked up to the door and knocked.
The pretty lady he had talked to before opened the door, holding the white cat.
“You Rance Allison?” she said.
“Yes ma’am,” he said and took off his hat. “Is Julie Stryker staying here?”
“Yes, she spoke of you. Told her you had been here. That arm kind of makes you stand out. She’s on the back porch. Follow the hall until you come to the screen door, that’s the porch.” She stepped back for him to come in, closed the door and walked away with the cat.
Rance hung his hat on the rack beside the door and walked down the hall and opened the screen door. Julie was sitting on a swing, Mitchell on the floor holding a toy horse.
“Julie,” he said. “What…what are you doing here?”
She looked at Rance and stood up on wobbly legs. It took her a moment to find her voice. “Waitin’ for you,” she said.
”How did you know where I was?”
“A friend of Tommy’s mama told me.”
“Whose boy is that?” Rance asked, pointing at the child on the floor.
“He’s yours, Rance,” she said, her eyes getting moist. “His name’s Mitchell.”
“Mine!?…This is my son?” He stared at the little boy on the floor, his mouth open in disbelief.
“Should have told you a long time ago, was afraid you wouldn’t believe me.”
“Why should I now?”
“You think I would have come all this way if he wasn’t?”
“Don’t know,” Rance said. “We spent one night together greivin’ over Paige and my daughter and somehow wound up together. How could that happen?”
“It only takes once at the right time,” she said.
“Unbelievable.”
“Yeah that’s what I thought,” she said. “But there he is. You’re the only one. He’s yours.”
“You should have told me ‘fore I left Milberg.”
“I know that now,” she said. “A lot changed after you left. Colonel Hitch thought I was a bad influence on the locals and thought you were plannin’ on startin’ another war and I was in on it. He demanded I sell out and leave. Told him I would if he dropped the charges against you, he did and I left to find you.”
“That’s the craziest thing I ever heard,” Rance said.
“That’s what I thought,” she said. “Riley told me ‘bout the money and what the men looked like.”
“Preston and Charlie, they wound up dead, and someone else got the money.”
“Where did you get it?”
“We stumbled on to it,” he said. “Left by bank robbers.”
“A lot?” she asked.
“Twenty-thousand dollars. I’m still in shock over the boy.”
“I wouldn’t lie to you,” she said.
“I believe you. I’m just trying to get a handle on everything. How long have you been here?”
“Since right after you took off after Preston. A prostitute from Whiskey Gulch came to see me. She worked with Tommy’s mama, that’s how I knew where to find you. She said she spent the night with a man named Booker Church that confessed when he was drunk to killing Tommy’s mama. He works for Travers. Church knows I know and has been stalkin’ me. I been expectin’ him to shoot us at any time.”
“This guy have two pearl-handled pistols and fancy boots?” Rance asked.
“He does,” she said.
“That’s the man Tommy saw the day his mama was murdered runnin’ from her room.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you ‘bout Mitchell,” she said and sat down in the swing, placed her head in her hands and began to cry. Mitchell jumped up and ran over to her, giving Rance the evil eye.
“Leave my mommy alone,” he said with a devilish look.
Rance didn’t know what to say and sat down beside her, Mitchell trying to get in her lap. She picked him up and brushed the tears from her face.
“I have a secret, too,” Rance said and put his arm around her. Mitchell pushed it off.
“That night we spent together was more than you knew. I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since. One of the reasons I came back to Milberg was to see you. I thought about stayin’ but I decided you didn’t need a cripple and moved on.”
“It doesn’t matter ‘bout your arm,” she said. “Paige was buried 'fore we bedded together. Do you want us or not?”
“I do,” he said.
The screen door opened and the land lady poked her head in. “Everything all right in here?”
“Yes,” Julie said, “I think so.”
Rance looked at Mitchell. “I have a son,” he said and held out his arms for Mitchel. He looked at Rance’s missing hand and started crying.
“Didn’t mean to frighten him.”
“He’ll be all right,” Julie said.
The screen door opened again and it was Fannie. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Rance.
“Well Lordy me, Mr. Allison, I told Julie you would come back.”
“She did,” Julie said. “I was ready to give up.”
“Thanks, Fannie, for believing,” he said.
“Julie tell you the trouble we’re havin?’”
“Yes,” Rance said. “B.W. and Tommy are at Riley’s stable. Think we should join them as soon as possible.”
“I’ll get our things together,” Fannie said. “Mitchell, you come with me. You can help me pack.”
Mitchell looked at Rance suspiciously. “I want to stay with you, mama,” he said.
“It’s okay, baby, go with Fannie, I’ll be there soon.”
He slid off the swing, eyeing Rance and took Fannie’s hand. She opened the screen door and led him away.
Rance placed his hand in hers. She threw both arms around him and pressed her lips to his and they kissed passionately.
“I’m very happy to find out I have a son.”
“You’ve made me very happy.”
“We’ve got a lot of catchin’ up to do but we better get to the stable before some of Travers’ men show up here,” Rance said.
29
B.W. was sitting on a bench with a pile of chicken bones on a plate on the ground beside the bench, Riley gathering up the pots and pans, his two boys and Tommy washing them. Julie drove her buggy in the livery stable with three trunks on the back, Fannie and Mitchell on the buggy seat beside her and Rance on Buck.
Tommy walked over to the buggy. He stared at Mitchell then Rance. “Well, we know who his daddy is.”
Julie blushed and Rance grinned.
“Dead ringer,” B.W. said.
“Is, ain’t he?” Rance said and climbed down off of Buck and held out his hand for Mitchell.
Mitchell scooted up close to his mama. “It’s alright, Mitchell, he’s your papa,” she said.
Mitchell looked at his mama, then Rance, and shook his head no. Everyone laughed.
“Looks like he’s got his concerns,” B.W. said with a big smile.
Rance took Fannie’s hand and helped her down, then Julie, Mitchell sitting on the seat.
“See, it’s okay,” Rance said and held out his hand to him and he slid over on the seat away from him.
“Maybe you better get him down, Julie. Looks like I got a lot to make up for.” Julie held out her arms and Mitchell slid back over on the seat and jumped into her arms and she sat him down.
“Looks like our problems are getting bigger,” B.W. said.
“Yeah, hell of a surprise. Better keep a lookout for Travers and figure out what we’re goin’ to do. Julie‘s changed my thinkin,’ got to take care of her and the baby now. Don’t tell Tommy yet, but Julie said a whore that worked with Tommy’s mama knew who killed her and it’s that guy Tommy saw, and he’s here.”
“He already knows, Riley told him,” B.W. said. “Been havin’ a hard time keepin’ him under control.”
Rance nodded and noticed Tommy had disappeared. “Where’d Tommy go?”
“Was here a minute ago…oh no,” B.W. said, shaking his head. He checked Tommy’s saddle bags. The Colt was gone. “That crazy kid has gone lookin’ for Church.”
“Riley, you know where Church might be this time of day?” Rance asked.
“Most likely killin’ somebody or in Big Sally’s Saloon.”
“How many gun hands Travers got?” B.W. asked Riley.
“The sheriff, maybe two or three bodyguards that stay with him all the time,” Riley said. “A lot more with the railroad men but most of them wouldn’t care whether he got killed or not. Church is the main one, the others more like bullies than gun hands. Kill you, though, if they get the chance. You take down Church first, the rest might give it up. Keep an eye on Church’s left hand. Most people assume a man’s right-handed and watch the right hand. That split-second gives him an advantage and then you’re dead.”
“We’ll remember that,” Rance said.
“Stay with the women and kids, Riley, me and B.W. have to find Church ‘fore Tommy does,” Rance said.
B.W. picked up his double-barrel and loaded it. Rance checked his extra Colt and the double-action and walked over to Julie and Mitchell. “Sorry, you know I have to do this,” he said.
“Ye
ah, I know,” she said. “I’ve waited a long time, so come back to me.”
“I plan to. If, for some reason I don’t, head for Austin and find the sheriff and tell him ‘bout Church and what went on here.”
Julie nodded, kissed him and whispered in his ear, “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said and returned the kiss and squatted down and looked at Mitchell. “Could I have a hug if it’s alright with mommy?” he asked.
Mitchell looked up at Julie. She nodded yes and he took a step toward Rance and hugged his neck and Rance kissed him on the cheek.
“Bye son,” he said and stood up. “Fannie, take care of them for me.”
“I will, I surely will,” she said. “You take care of yourself and that big Indian. I think me and him will have to have a long talk when you get back,” she said and smiled at B.W.
B.W. smiled back at Fannie and blew her a kiss. “Got to come back now,” he said. “You ready, major?”
“Yes,” Rance said. “Lock the doors, Riley.”
Riley nodded, they walked out on the street and Riley closed the doors behind them.
“You know there’s a very good chance we won’t come back,” B.W. said.
“I do,” Rance said, “but you have to do what you have to do. We got the boy into this, we have to get him out.”
“We do. It might change Travers mind some, too.”
“B.W., I think you had the right idea to start with. Let’s go kill that sonofabitch.”
30
A door with Travers Southern Railway painted on it across the street from Big Sally’s Saloon opened and Church walked out, fancy guns, boots and all. Then Robert Travers, with his white Stetson on and a black string tie around the collar of his starched white shirt.
Rance nudged B.W. in the alley and they watched Church and Travers cross the street and go in Big Sally’s Saloon. Rance and B.W. stepped back out on the street and Tommy suddenly appeared and ran into Big Sally’s, the Colt in his hand, before they could call out to him.
“Looks like it’s goin’ to be now or never,” Rance said and they followed in after him.
Church and Travers were at the bar, their backs to Tommy, who was standing in the middle of the floor with the Colt pointed at Church. Church and Travers looked at them in the mirror behind the bar, Big Sally looking puzzled by it all. The men and whores in the saloon began to ease away toward the swinging doors except for a little whore not much bigger than Tommy that crouched down behind the piano.
The Last Good Day Page 17
