“Alright, then,” Josh said. “I’ll let Sheriff Hyso know that you gave me some information about a murderer and he can tell the Judge. It might be enough to keep you from gettin’ hung.”
Rufus Richards woke up the old sheriff and brought him downstairs. “This is Sheriff Bernie Hyso,” he said, introducing the sheriff to Josh.
“Sheriff Hyso, this is the man who kidnapped Billy Richards,” Josh said. “I’ll turn him over to you, but I’ll check back to make sure a Judge comes in here and that he gets what’s comin’ to him. By the way, for what it’s worth, he gave me some valuable information about the whereabouts of Duke Barrett, one of the Wolf Gang outlaws.
“I’ll handle it,” Sheriff Hyso said, shoving the man toward a cell.
“Fine. You do that, Sheriff,” Josh said.
Sheriff Hyso just slightly nodded. “I may put up with a lot of hell-raisin’ here in Papalote,” he said. “But I don’t allow no kidnapping.”
“Sheriff Hyso,” Josh said, with a worried look. “I telegraphed Sheriff Burley Dawson up at Austin, askin’ him to relay a message to my girl Ana. I thought I’d be here longer, but with news of Duke Barrett bein’ at Blanconia, I need to go on up there. So, if I get an answer from Sheriff Dawson, would you send it to the sheriff in Blanconia for me?”
“I sure will, Josh,” Sheriff Hyso said.
As first light appeared over the trees east of Papalote, Josh was well on his way to Blanconia, some thirty miles to the northeast. In the beginning the town was named Kymo, and had nicknames which included Pull Tight and Dark Corners, but was later renamed Blanconia, after Blanco Creek. It was a busy little town with five saloons, a diner, a small church, a hotel, a livery stable, a feed store, a bank, and a blacksmith shop.
He stopped at the livery stable, led his horse inside, and unsaddled him. The caretaker had just cleaned out a stall so he motioned for Josh to bring his horse in there.
“This is the only empty stall I have,” he said, as he stuck out his hand. “I’m William Wadsworth Hendricks, but folks just call me Waco. I don’t know why, but they do.”
“Josh nodded and shook hands. “I’m Josh Logan. Who’s the sheriff here in Blanconia?”
“Buster Martin.”
“Is he honest?”
“Yeah, he is,” Waco said. “Why’d you ask that?”
“I always ask the livery stable operator about the sheriff when I go to a different town,” Josh said. “I’ve known a few sheriffs that were not honest, but I’ve knows a lot of livery stable caretakers that were.”
“Well, this sheriff is an honest one,” Waco said. “You’ll find out, when you meet him.”
“Are you a native of Blanconia?” Josh asked.
“I guess I am,” Waco said. “I been here since it was first built, some fifty years ago.”
“Do you know Duke Barrett?” Josh asked.
“You’re about the most inquisitive feller I ever met,” Waco said. “You must be a law man?”
“I ain’t no lawman,” Josh said. “I just like to know a little bit about a town and it’s people when I get to one.”
“No harm in that,” Waco said, with a wide smile. “Hell,” he added, “I’d probably do the same thing if I ever went to a different town. I aint been nowhere but here, my whole damn life.”
“Just so you won’t wonder about it,” Josh said, with a smile of his own. “I ain’t no travelin’ salesman, either.”
Waco laughed out loud. “Josh,” he said. “I believe you and me is gonna get along just fine.”
“Alright, then,” Josh said. “What about Duke Barrett, the feller I asked you about. Do you know him, or not?”
“Hell yeah, I know him,” Waco said. “He was raised here. His dad was a drunkard and his mother was a rounder. He ran away from home when he was about fifteen and only recently started comin’ back. The talk is he only did that after he’d learned his folks had passed on.”
“Are you aware that he’s an outlaw?” Josh said.
“No, I ain’t,” Waco said. “I ain’t never heard nothin’ like that before. Are you sure?”
“No doubt about it,” Josh said. “That’s why I’m in Blanconia. I’m on his trail. He was a member of the Wolf Gang that robbed and killed all over south Texas and I got a wanted poster to prove it.”
“I heard of the Wolf Gang,” Waco said. “But I sure ain’t never heard nothin’ about Duke Barrett bein’ mixed up in somethin’ like that.”
“Then Sheriff Martin might not know about it, either,” Josh said. “Most towns I ever been in, the livery stable operator knows and hears more than the average citizen.”
“I doubt if Sheriff Martin knows anything about it,” Waco said. “At least, he ain’t ever said nothin’ about Duke bein’ in no gang.”
“Well, the only reason I even mentioned it is because I could tell right off that you’re an honest man,” Josh said. “Do you know if Barrett’s in town?”
“I am an honest man,” Waco said. “And, yeah, Duke is here. That’s his stockin’ legged sorrel back there in that last stall. He rode in here a few days ago with his horse
all lathered up. But I ain’t seen him since he got here.”
Josh looked at the sorrel. “He sure is gaunt.”
“Yeah, he is,” Waco said. “I’ve been feedin’ him grain and keepin’ his manger full of good fresh hay. I never owned a horse in my life,” he added, “but if I had one like him, I’d never treat him like that.”
“That horse over there looks like he came in here all lathered up too,” Josh said, looking in the stall at a tall, long-legged bay. “Who owns him?”
“That’s Lem Olsen’s horse,” Waco said. “He about ruined him ridin’ him so hard. He left him here and never came back for him”
“Waco,” Josh said. “For your information, Lem Olsen and Duke Barrett are both members of the Wolf Gang. I’m after both of ‘em.”
“That’s all new to me,” Waco said. “I’ve seen Duke a few times since he got here, but ain’t seen Lem once.”
“There’s word goin’ around that Duke Barrett has a woman here in Blanconia,” Josh said. “Do you know anything about that?”
“I guess I do,” Waco said. “It’s my sister.”
“Would her name be Sara?”
“Yeah, it is,” Waco said. “But if I didn’t know Duke Barrett was an outlaw, I doubt that she would, either. Me and her is real close and she never mentioned nothin’ like that to me.”
“Can I count on you to keep our little conversation to yourself?” Josh said.
“Sure you can,” Waco said with a nod. “Don’t worry about me sayin nothin’ to nobody.”
“I appreciate that,” Josh said. “But I’ve got another question.”
Waco stared hard at Josh. “And what would that be?”
“Where does Sara live?”
“Right up there above Thirsty’s Place.”
“What’s her room number?”
“Fourteen.”
“Who’s the bartender in over there?” Josh asked.
“Shifty Conner.”
“Is he a local?”
“Yeah,” Waco said. “He’s been here about as long as I have.”
“I assure you I have Sara best interest in mind, and I don’t want to see her get hurt,” Josh said. “But Duke Barrett will walk away and leave her without lookin’ back if he thinks it’s best for him. He don’t care about nobody but himself. I mean, “hell, he might even take her hostage if he thought it’d keep him from gettin’ arrested and tried for murder.”
“I swear,” Waco said. “I never thought of nothin’ like that.”
“I don’t mean to alarm you, but I’ve been thinkin’ hard all night,” Josh said. “This is a bad situation. And since Sara is involved, you need to know who we’re dealin’ with here. Duke Barrett is a bad man.”
“Well, that’s Duke’s doings,” Waco said. “And like I said, I don’t think Sara knows nothin’ about him bein’ a crook
.”
“Let’s hope not,” Josh said.
“Are you goin’ up to Sheriff Martin’s office?”
“Not right now,” Josh said as he turned and headed for Thirsty’s Place, one of five saloons in Blanconia. He intended to find Duke Barrett and take him back to Victoria to face charges, or shoot him if he chose to fight. One way or the other, it had gone on long enough.
Ana had stopped writing, and it worried Josh that she might have given up on him even returning. And as bad as he wanted to go back to Austin and be with her, revenge still weighed heavy on his mind. Tom Burch and his outlaw gang had robbed and killed so many people he knew, he couldn’t stop without bringing it to an end.
“Whiskey,” he said when he stepped up to the bar.
Shifty Conner, a quiet little man with thinning hair and a wispy mustache, nodded silently and placed a glass on the bar and poured him a shot.
“Do you know Duke Barrett?” Josh asked as he looked in the mirror behind the bar and scanned the crowd.
“Never heard of him,” Shifty said.
“You been here fifty years and have never heard of Duke Barrett?”
“How do you know I been here fifty years?” Shifty said.
“Waco told me,” Josh said. “He’s a friend of friends, ain’t he? You callin’ him a liar?”
“No, I ain’t doin’ no such a thing,” Shifty said.
“Then talk straight with me,” Josh said. “Do you know Duke Barrett, or not?”
Shifty could hear the urgency in Josh’s voice and see the determination in his eyes. And he’d been around long enough to notice how Josh carried his revolver. A shooter’s style, for sure.
“I was just joshin’ you,” he said. “Yeah, I know him.”
“I know him, too,” Josh said. “And I don’t see him in here. So, do you know where he might be?”
Shifty’s eyes took a sideways glance at the stairway. “I might know,” he said quietly. “But he’s a tough hombre and I don’t want no trouble in here.”
“You won’t have no trouble in here if you tell me which room is Sara’s,” Josh said. “Otherwise, what happens will just have to happen. It’s that simple.”
“I see you’re set on findin’ him,” Shifty said. “Mind if I ask what for?”
“I’ve a score to settle with him,” Josh said. “It’s up to him if it’s settled peacefully.”
“I’ll go tell him someone wants to see him out front,” Shifty said. “I ain’t had no fights in here in along damn time and I don’t want to have one now, so would that be alright?”
Josh answered with a question of his own. “Does her room have a back door and a stairway?”
“No, it don’t,” Shifty said.
“Alright then,” Josh said. “But tell him Waco wants to see him down at the livery stable.”
“Waco?”
“Yeah, Waco.”
“Damn,” Shifty said. “What’s this all about?”
“Look, Shifty,” Josh said. “I already know she’s in number fourteen. I just wanted to see if you’d talk straight with me. I didn’t want to just barge in there and her get in the middle of it. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do, and I appreciate you for not goin’ up there without tellin’ me,” Shifty said. “So, go on outside, and I’ll go tell Duke that Waco wants to see him down at the livery stable.”
“Alright, fine,” Josh said. “But know one thing. If he won’t come out, I’ll go up them stairs and drag him out.”
“You sure talk a lot,” Shifty said with a frown.
“Yeah, well, it’s a trick an old Texas Ranger taught me,” Josh said. “The more you talk, the more others talk, and the more they talk, the more you learn.”
“You mean business, don’t you?”
“No doubt at all,” Josh said as he turned and walked out through the swinging doors.
Shifty hurried up the stairs and just as he disappeared down the hall, Josh stepped back inside the saloon and strode across the room to the back door and stepped outside. He took the chance that Barrett wouldn’t go out through the front.
In less than a minute, Duke Barrett stormed down the stairs and ran out the back door, only to see Josh standing in the middle of the alley with his feet spread apart and his hand near his gun.
Their eyes met and held. “I been lookin’ for you, Barrett,” Josh said.
Barrett’s mouth was cotton dry. “Well, you found me,” he said. “Now what are you gonna do about it?”
“Where’s Lem Olsen?” Josh said.
“He headed West,” Barrett said, and went for his gun.
Both drew and fired at the same time with Barrett’s shot buzzing over Josh’s head, and Josh’s shot striking Barrett in the neck, and it was over in a few seconds. Smoke filled the alley as people ran out the back door of the saloon with their guns drawn.
Sara followed Barrett outside, but was a few steps behind and missed the gunfight. Seeing him sprawled out on the ground in a pool of blood, she dropped to her knees beside him.
“How could you do that?” she screamed as Josh walked toward her.
“I have a warrant for his arrest,” Josh said. “He’s a thief and a murderer.”
“He is not!” she yelled as she picked up Barrett’s gun.
Josh grabbed it and twisted it out of her hand. “I’m sorry, Sara,” he said. “I really am. Not for him, but for you.”
Waco Hendricks heard the shooting and came running up the alley. When he saw Sara sitting on the ground holding Barrett’s head in her lap, he flopped down on the ground beside her.
“It’s true, Sara,” he said, taking her hand. “There is indeed a warrant out on Duke. I saw it.”
Sheriff Buster Martin came through the saloon and out the back door with his gun in his hand. “Alright everybody, get back inside,” he yelled, as he turned toward Josh. “Stay right where you are, Mister.”
Josh holstered his revolver. “Sheriff Martin,” he said, as he pulled the wanted poster out of his shirt pocket. “I’m Josh Logan. I’ve a warrant here for Duke Barrett’s arrest. I gave him a chance to surrender, but he chose to get into it with me and I got the best of him.”
“Let me see that,” Sheriff Martin said. “I didn’t get no warrant on Duke Barrett.”
“You got one on the Wolf Gang, didn’t you?” Josh said.
“Yeah, I did,” Martin said. “Every sheriff I know got one on that bunch.”
“Well, Duke Barrett was a member of the Wolf Gang,” Josh said. “I have a letter from Sheriff Riley down at Victoria that verifies it.”
Sheriff Martin ordered two men to carry Duke Barrett’s body over to the coroner’s office then headed for his office and motioned for Josh to follow.
“I didn’t want to say no more out there ‘cause Duke Barrett has lots of friends in that crowd,” he said. “But I know who you are. You’re the man that’s been after the Wolf Gang all this time. Hell,” he added, “you pretty well got ‘em all killed off by now, ain’t you?”
“All but one,” Josh said.
“Which one is that?” Sheriff Martin said.
“Lem Olsen,” Josh said. “Do you know him?”
“Yeah, I know him. He came here with Duke several times,” Martin said. “He’s rough and rowdy and caused me more trouble than anyone else in Blanconia ever has.”
Sheriff Martin picked up the wanted poster for the Wolf Gang from his desk and began to read. “This here poster says there’s a thousand dollar reward for each one of the Wolf Gang members, so you’ll get it for Duke Barrett. What do you want me to say in my report?”
“Just say Josh Logan shot and killed Duke Barrett. If there is a reward, send it to the bank in Victoria.”
“One more thing,” Sheriff Martin said. “What about Barrett’s sorrel horse? I have enough horses to feed without addin’ another one, so do you want him?”
“I’d rather you give him to Waco,” Josh said. “He’s been takin’ better care o
f him than Duke Barrett ever did.”
“That’s a good idea,” the sheriff said. “I never thought of about that.”
“He’s a good old fellow,” Josh said. “So how about givin’ him him Barrett’s saddle and rifle, too?”
“I will,” Sheriff Martin said. “I don’t know nothin’ else to do.”
“Thanks, Sheriff,” Josh said, and turned to go.
“Hold on a minute, Josh,” Martin said, handing him a telegram. “I didn’t know you was in town, and what with all this excitement, I forgot all about it. But Sheriff Hyso down in Papalote sent this telegram for you.”
Josh took the telegram and stepped outside and leaned against the hitching rail. Sheriff Hyso’s message was short …
Josh
Sheriff Dawson sent you a message that said Ana had moved away.
Sheriff Hyso
He dropped the telegram to the ground and leaned on his elbows across the hitching rail, staring at Sheriff Hyso’s message lying at his feet. He just couldn’t figure out why she would move away without letting him know.
But, understanding the ways of the female heart was not one of Josh’s strengths. Later, several minutes later, Sheriff Martin looked out the door of his office, only to see Josh still standing next to the hitching rail, staring at the ground.
“Josh,” he said, quietly. “Are you alright?”
“Hell, no, I ain’t alright,” Josh blurted out, then immediately apologized. “I’m sorry Sheriff. I never was one to handle bad news very good.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Martin asked.
“There’s nothin’ nobody can do,” Josh said. “My girl Ana gave up on me and moved away. I can’t do nothin’ about it right now,” he added. “But one thing I can do, and that’s to get back on Lem Olsen’s trail. And he better hope I don’t find him.”
He stopped by the telegraph office and sent a message to Sheriff Burley Dawson up in Austin.
Sheriff Dawson
I am in Blanconia. I do not know how long I will be here. If you hear anything about Ana, message Sheriff Martin here in Blanconia, or Sheriff Guthrie in San Antonio, and they will find me.
Josh Logan
Josh Logan's Revenge Page 14
