Lijuan and the others felt grave concern at the revelation that Crazy Elk intended to use the situation to attempt a coup and install himself as the new leader by murdering the chief during the heat of the coming battle. To Lijuan this Crazy Elk sounded more and more like the Wilde's mortal enemy Black Hawk in his fervent desire to wage war on the whites. The best hope to keep peace among the two factions in the Horseshoe basin was to keep the chief in power by presenting him the killer, denying Crazy Elk his opportunity.
Blue River, however, was taking no chances. He said he had spent the ride back to town trying to think of the best way to stop Crazy Elk from making a move.He had come up with a plan and had soon taken his leave of the town after securing what he needed from the local undertaker. Now Lijuan leaned against a building with her arms extended, her head hanging down as she fruitlessly tried to think of how they could expose the killer. Ross Tatum stood by watching her but said nothing, seeing she was in deep concentration.
There was one option of course, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. There had been more than one occasion in the past when she had used the threat of violence usually centering around her hammer, to make someone talk. But this was different. In those other cases, the sisters had the bad guys dead to rights but needed more information out of them. Here there were four sets of suspects but only one the guilty party. As hard a woman as she could be, she couldn't bring herself to threaten innocent people to flush out the killer.
In frustration, she banged her fist against the wall and straightened up just as Crow Woman approached her and Tatum. It was the first time Lijuan had seen her since her return to the town as the woman had been helping Rosalee make the meals for the men from the stage.
The exiled Mescalero woman put her hands on her hips and nodded approvingly. "I can see why you were successful. From a distance, you pass well, China woman."
She smiled slightly, "I was even more convincing when I had the berry juice on me, but it washed off during my escape. Thank you again. Without your information, none of it would have been possible."
“The spilling of those men’s blood would lead to the destruction of my people. I have no love for a chief who would believe that his closest friend guilty of something he did not do, but the people are not to blame.”
“From what my brother said, this Crazy Elk is the poison behind everything bad that has happened and is happening now.”
“He is. The snake makes me wish The Sacred Drink of Truth was more than a legend. I would have seen it forced through the lips of Crazy Elk when he first accused my brother. Then the Chief would have known the truth that Crazy Elk is a liar!” she snarled, her nostrils flaring as she envisioned the scene.
“Excuse me, Crow Woman. What now is this Sacred Drink of Truth?” Ross inquired with his eyes constricting. Lijuan, who had been looking at the men manning the barricade at the end of the street, turned her attention fully to Crow Woman, curious as well.
“Long ago it was said a special herb grew in the forest from which the Sacred Drink of Truth could be made. Anyone who drank of it would be compelled to tell the truth, no matter what. Growing up I heard the shamans speak of its use in times past to settle disputes and deliver justice to evildoers in the tribe. The legend ends with a great forest fire consuming all of the herb ending its use forever.”
"How convenient." Lijuan caught herself as she was about to further comment derisively but she didn't want to appear rude to Crow Woman. She wasn't altogether certain that her new friends believed in this legend, but she didn't wish to disparage it. Besides, could she completely rule out the possibility that the natives of this land possessed at one time some type of truth—truth serum? Many a white man who came to the West believed the Indians to be a very mystical people and there was a reason for that, as the natives knew things that the settlers did not know or had encountered before.
Whether this herb and its mystical properties ever existed or not, Lijuan shrugged it off, as there was no point in wasting time thinking about a fantasy potion that they didn't have anyway. What was real, was a swarm of warriors on their way and blood would soon paint the land red. Bitterly she thought how great it would be if there were such a thing as the Drink of Truth, watching whoever the guilty party was sweating it out as they knew they would be caught once they had to tell the truth.
Suddenly her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes widened. Perhaps the entire legend of the herb was a load of bunk, most likely was in her opinion, but what if … what if …"
Lijuan squared her shoulders and looked at her companions.
"You two head back to The Gossamer. I have got to fetch some things from our coach, and I'll meet you there. Tell everyone to keep their guard up, but I think I have a way to smoke out our murderer!"
Without offering any explanation, she began to stride away from the clapboard sidewalk they had been standing on when she suddenly looked back and said, “Crow Woman, I sure hope you can act!”
CHAPTER 26
PALMAREZ, MEXICO
Following a greasy meal, Dutch, Bright Feather, the outlaw, and his woman entered the Franco’s lobby, but they didn’t get very far as the grizzled old Mexican woman behind the desk demanded an audience with Salazar. Annoyed, the bandit urged them to go on up to the room without him. The women continued with Bright Feather saying she wanted to make a quick stop at their room to gather up some additional spirits, but Dutch stayed behind with the lie that he had business with the clerk as well. This appeared it would be an excellent opportunity to make the pitch that he, Bright Feather, Colonel Anders, and Vellaneau had come up with back at Fort Campbell as a means to lure the criminal back across the border.
“Look, I told you I would have the money for you tomorrow!” Salazar grumbled but with a look of apprehension on his face. Dutch couldn’t but help feel a touch of awe. Just how dangerous was this woman that even a man like Salazar appeared guarded around her? He was just glad they were speaking in English as his Spanish had its limits and most of what he had learned had been from Catalina.
“Tomorrow’s not soon enough, Señor!” The little woman said looking up at Salazar. It was obvious she was not intimidated in the slightest by the desperado.
"I ought to …" Salazar began angrily, but he trailed off, unable to make his threat.
"Remember, Señor; I have many friends in this town. If you threaten me, I warn you that you will not ride out of here alive. Hear me true, amigo, you have a better chance of fighting the law than my friends," She coolly explained to him with a slight cock of an eyebrow. Dutch saw the perfect opening to ingratiate himself further with Salazar before making his pitch. He stepped forward with a generous smile.
"I'll take care of it. He's a friend of mine," Dutch said and reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a roll of bills. Making a show of it, he peeled off several and tossed it over on the counter in front of the woman. The speed of which she made it vanish made him think of one of Honor Elizabeth's favorite sentiments— most impressive.
“I’m guessing that’s enough to cover what my new friends owes, and then some putting him ahead, yes?”
“Si. It covers the room, but he is not ahead. The ‘and then some’ will cover my aggravation of being kept waiting.”
With that, she disappeared behind the ratty curtain separating the back office with the lobby. Finding another target, apparently her granddaughter, the young woman who had drawn his bath earlier, they could hear her yelling something in Spanish.
“That’s two I owe you, Señor,” Salazar said looking at him with a slight smile. “That’s one heckuva bundle of cash you got there! I reckon you didn’t come by that in any above the board manner?”
“You reckon right. Courtesy of a bank way up in Flagstaff. This here though is a drop in the bucket compared to what’s coming my way next. That’s if I can partner up with someone. That’s what brings me down south of the Arizona territory.”
“Sounds interesting,” The big man sai
d, and Dutch liked how the man’s small eyes seemed to narrow with interest. He pointed towards two chairs in one corner of the dusty lobby.
"Let's talk before we meet up with the women. I'm sure they will understand if we keep them waiting a bit," Dutch said. It was time to implement the plan. Both men dropped down into the chairs, and Salazar's creaked under the man's weight.
“Don’t rightly care if they do or they don’t. Don’t know how you feel about Yellow Bird or Flower or whatever moniker she goes by, but as far as I’m concerned, women are just a pair of tits with a nice sweet spot below their waist!” Salazar laughed as he pulled out another smoke, this time a cigar that he puffed to life.
“I’m with you on that. Don’t forget to throw in a nice ass. That’s just a bonus!” Dutch added, feeling sickened inside. If he’d ever heard any man disrespecting his Bright Feather or his cherished sisters like that he would drop the man where he stood, but now he had no choice but to play his role.
“So then, what’s on your mind?” Salazar asked calmly, watching him through the cigar smoke.
“Money, a lot of it, and judging by the sound of it, you’re running short yourself,” Dutch said getting down to his business.
"You judge right, amigo," Salazar remarked.
“Does a quarter million in army gold interest you?” Dutch asked. It was a shiny piece of bait, he knew.
"Does living interest me?" Salazar said sarcastically as he leaned forward through the blue haze of his smoke.
“There’s a shipment due for Fort Campbell late tomorrow afternoon. I have everything planned. It’ll just take two men to pull it off,” Dutch said. Salazar frowned in thought.
“Two men for an army gold shipment?” he queried. “Don’t sound likely to me. They’ll be guards on that like flies on shit.”
"They're not sending an escort so that they can avoid attention. It's just three men and a small wagon. It'll be easy," Dutch said, his brilliant blue eyes sparkling conspiratorially.
“There is one problem with this, hombre. I’ve got big trouble across the border. Those soldier boys are waiting for me to step foot on the other side.” Salazar explained. “Planted a few of them below ground recently. Dutch nodded understandingly, masking his fury.
“I get it. I’m constantly on the run, too. Smoked a few of them blue boys myself, I'll tell you what. Now, why do you think I'm on this side of the border for? I sure didn't come to this town for my health. The heat was on too much up that way for me to try and land me a partner for this job,” Dutch said with a slight sneer. “What do you say? You and I can take three men in our sleep.”
“I dunno, Bill …” Salazar said thinking it over.
“It’s up to you, but either way I am going to try for it even if I have to go it alone. That much coin is worth the risk,” Dutch said gruffly as he ran his hand through his short goldenrod hair.
“Why me? A man like you must have friends,” Salazar asked reasonably.
“You’ve got a reputation, plus given what you just told me about your run-in with Union troops, you’d be perfect!” Dutch chuckled, “Better than any of the gun dogs I’ve seen around here since we rode in today,” Dutch finished leaving Salazar surprised.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I spent two days in an army cell. Not only did I overhear about the gold, but before I escaped I heard them talking about you more than the president. A lot of boys like I’ve seen around here would get weak in the knees when they have to go up against a soldier instead of some ancient sheriff or some wet behind the ears deputy. You’re not like that. You’ve got gravel in your guts and cajones to spare.”Dutch heaped it on, feeding the outlaw’s ego. It wasn’t lost on him that the man’s chest seemed to swell with pride at the flattery.
“You really think we can pull it off?” Salazar questioned with a glimmer in his eyes.
"I know we can, partner! We've got the toughness for the job, you and me. Then we'll be rich for the rest of our lives! A big score like this is always a risk, but we could retire to a nice villa somewhere and laugh at the law from there," Dutch said as an added enticement.
Salazar thought about it for a moment and then smiled leaving Dutch feeling victorious. The final gilding of the lily appeared to have worked.
“Okay, I am with you. A villa would be a nice way to retire with Tess or some other pair of knockers, surrounded with nice-looking maids as extra pussy,” Salazar said with a laugh. Dutch joined him in laughter keeping his revulsion of the man hidden.
“We’ll go over the details in the morning before we leave. That way we can be over the border, intercept the gold and be back by this time tomorrow night. Then we will be living the life of Midas!”
“Yeah, thanks for cutting me in, Bill! Now come on! Let’s go celebrate with the bitches we’ve got waiting for us upstairs!” Salazar said rising from his chair, followed by Dutch.
Salazar held out his hand and Dutch shook it. The outlaw slapped him on the back and turned towards the stairs.
“Glad to have you,” he said to the man’s back, as a disgusted Dutch wiped his hand on his britches before following the man up the groaning stairs.
CHAPTER 27
TOWN OF HORSESHOE
Arizona Territory
Apprehensively Francis LaRue took his place at the end of the procession making their way down to the lobby of the hotel. A few moments ago, the proprietor Tatum had called out from the hallway that everyone needed to assemble below and that for three of them the ordeal would be coming to an end.
He didn’t know what was going on, but he was sure the hotelier was bluffing. The man might know how to check in a guest, but he was no detective. Also, he had resented being grilled earlier by a China woman, no less, who for some reason, the yokels in this town were listening to. Still, he had played things close to the vest, and there was nothing connecting him to the murder, absolutely nothing. So just what were they up to?
In the lobby, the group was met by the bewildering sight of the China woman in a damp buckskin dress pacing back and forth in front of the reception desk. In her hand, a gun dangled loosely. Tatum was now nowhere to be seen or the woman's Indian brother for that matter. His gaze fell on the desk itself now and saw five glasses lined up.
“If you all will form a line please, shoulder to shoulder.”
There was some grumbling, but the four men and the one woman complied. All of them stared at her with expectation. Suddenly she brought the gun up causing the woman from Laredo to gasp, and then she made a show of putting the gun down on the counter.
“I’m not going to need this. Originally, I was going to use it to threaten you until the killer talked but there is no need. We’re going to find out just which one of you murdered that Indian, setting into motion the threat we’re all living under now!”
The group murmured amongst themselves as Lijuan called out to someone. A moment later Crow Woman entered from the back office. She carried with her a jug of pale yellow liquid and set it down next to the glasses and remained silent.
“Why is this Indian woman here? Aren’t her people preparing to attack this town?” the peddler from Denver asked in alarm.
“Some of you may have seen Crow Woman around earlier. She works here. In fact, she helped Miss Tatum prepare the meals you’ve been having as guests here.”
“Prisoners are what you mean, Oriental!” snorted the stockyard man Dunleavy. LaRue watched as the beautiful Asian seemed to ignore the contempt he had for her race that was practically oozing off from him.
"It is true she was once with the tribe that is threatening us at this moment. She left it long ago, but when she was there, she was wife to the medicine man. Many of his secrets did she learn giving her a window into the mystic!”
The wife of the man from Laredo, who stood next to LaRue, gave a short gasp at this revelation. He couldn't blame her though. Growing up he had heard stories about the strange people of these lands. Some stories were terrifying and others fa
ntastic. He had no way of knowing how much of what he heard was true and how much was stories. He had never known any personally, and Charging Bear was the first Indian he had ever even spoken with.
“Now, I know one of you killed Charging Bear. Now you’re going to confess to your crime.”
Keeping a poker face, LaRue laughed inside, momentarily forgetting about this medicine woman standing there with Lijuan Wilde. She was a brainless beauty if she thought he was just going to give himself up.
“We are running out of time! This whole town is facing a battle in which there can be no winner. Innocents will die on both sides. Whoever murdered Charging Bear lit the fuse that’s going to explode this whole powder keg unless I can stop it by finding out which one of you did it!”
LaRue’s eyes betrayed none of the coldness that he felt. Yes, scalps would be taken, and many would die, but once the word got out the cavalry would come in and clean up the perpetrators. When the dust settled, he would claim the lode of silver as he always intended. All he had to do was stay alive, and he had a plan for that. The previous day he had inquired about some fruit as a snack, and he had accompanied Rosalee to a root cellar underneath the hotel where they fetched a basket of apples. Now, this knowledge of the basement was going to be the thing that saved him. When the fighting started, he would hole up in there until it was all over.
"If anyone wants to confess voluntarily the time is now," The woman was saying to the group, but LaRue or none of the others said a word.
"I figured it would come to this. Crow Woman, fill them up!" she said, and without hesitation, the woman behind the desk lifted the jug and began pouring into each of the glasses.
“I’ve had Crow Woman hard at work preparing The Drink of Truth. It’s a sacred beverage passed down from generation to generation in her tribe since the dawn of time itself. Made from a sacred herb that only blooms once every hundred years up in the shadows of a remote gully on one of the mountains ringing this basin.”
The Town 0f No Return: Special Edition (Half Breed Haven Book 11) Page 17
