“What, what are you talking about?” LaRue said, suddenly anxious.
He could see the Laredo woman was as well.
“Any who drink of this will be unable to lie. They will find themselves compelled to tell the truth. Nothing can stop its effect!”
Dunleavy broke out laughing. "Bullshit! This is 1873, the modern age! You expect me to believe this ancient mumbo-jumbo?"
Crow Woman looked at him menacingly, “If you do not believe, then you have nothing to lose.”
"Yes, drink up all of you, and let the guilty man be revealed so he might face justice and we can stop this bloodshed before it begins," Lijuan said as she walked around casually, positioning herself so that the group of suspects was now between her and the counter.
LaRue felt his stomach flip on him, but outwardly he continued to maintain his control. He didn’t like this, not one bit. He didn’t believe in magic, but who knew what could be in the herb and what it might do to a man. He had seen people strung out on opium and laudanum in his life, so there was no telling what some plant these redskins had growing up on a mountain could do. There was too much at stake to gamble.
Still laughing, Dunleavy grabbed the closest glass, “What do you say, folks? Ready to swallow a little injun mysticism?”
The peddler took one for himself. “Fine by me. You folks?” he said looking at the man and wife. The woman took two of the glasses holding one out to her husband who looked at it warily. “I murdered no one,” she said, “So I have nothing to fear. Go ahead, Charles. I know you’re not the murderer, but maybe there are other truths you might be afraid of.”
“You are being silly, Margaret.”
"Then take this glass and swallow it along with the rest of us! Or are you afraid once you are compelled to tell the truth I might ask you if you've been sleeping with my sister because I am sure of it!"
“Hogwash!” the man from Laredo shouted as he snatched the drink from her hand.
LaRue tensed, this was getting out of hand. If there was any remote chance some unknown herb in these mysterious lands could loosen the tongue, he wasn’t going to take any chance.
“Don’t drink those! Any of you! This is preposterous. We are civilized people! We don’t have to subject ourselves to the whims of some heathen and a Chinese!”
Lijuan folded her arms and cocked her head to one side, “Interesting that everyone else is willing to drink—except you. Could it be because you murdered Charging Bear?”
"She's got a point, sir! Come on, everyone, partake of our drinks and be done with this whole thing!" the salesman said, and the others nodded, and as one they all swallowed their drinks—all but LaRue.
“I can get some of the men at the barricade to force you to enjoy a sip,” Lijuan said coolly as her eyes cut into him.
LaRue's own eyes were frantic as they fell onto the jug on the counter and his empty glass, and next to it was—the China woman's gun. Without a second thought, he leaped for it knocking Dunleavy out of the way. With the gun in his hand, he spun around to face the others.
"Stand back! All of you! The sun hasn't risen on a day when anyone is going to force me to do anything I don't want to do!I don't need to swallow your voodoo drink, yes, I killed that worthless savage, and I'll kill the rest of you if you try to stop me from leaving!"
Dunleavy threw his glass against the wall and shattering it as he let loose with a belly laugh. "Goddamn, stuff was just lemonade. Best damn lemonade I ever had but still lemonade!"
“I’ll send your compliments to its maker, Mrs. Chow, but as for you Mister LaRue, time for you to surrender and maybe we can stop this attack!”
“Go to hell, you yellow witch!”
Backing up to the door, he cracked it open and looked out. Tatum and some other armed men were standing nearby. They weren't looking at him, but the minute he tried to make his escape, they would be on him. They far outnumbered him, unlike the people still with him. His sweaty hand tightened the grip on the six-shooter.
"I'm getting out the back way, and I'll shoot my way through all of you to do it!" he said in a voice as loud as he dared, worried those outside might hear him. He took a quick glance out the window of the hotel door before looking back at the group just in time to see the oriental woman pluck an object that had been resting unseen in a chair. LaRue blinked at the sight of a blacksmith’s hammer now in her hand.
“It’s over, LaRue! We can do this the easy way or the hard way!”
Sneering, he looked at her derisively. "A hammer versus this gun! I'm terrified! Here I surrender," he started to motion as if he were about to toss the gun down, but instead, cold laughter flowed from his mouth as he brought it up and began shooting, first at Lijuan and then at the others. Four shots rang out from the gun before the chambers emptied to the screams of Margaret from Laredo.
Sheer astonishment swept over everyone in the room except for Lijuan and Crow Woman. He looked on agape as the terrified people checked their bodies in a state of shock that gave way to delight as they realized they had not been hit.
“Impossible! I couldn’t have missed all of you!”
"It was a gun loaded with blanks. Leftover from pulling a con on a pair of criminals that tried to frame an innocent man for their murder back home. Glad I kept it now. Figured if it worked in that situation it might work here too as a final nail in the coffin for who the killer was. I knew the guilty person wouldn't be able to fight the temptation to go for it if I left it out. Time to give it back!" the petite woman said with a snarl as she leaped into the air, her right leg sweeping around, and LaRue felt his hand erupt in pain as her foot knocked the gun away from his still outstretched hand. Before the gun even finished clattering across the floor, he watched as the woman crouched into a position that reminded him of a spring ready to uncoil.
“Last chance to surrender! I’m perfectly happy to do this the hard way!”
He didn't have a chance to answer as the men from outside came racing in. In desperation, he attempted to flee past Lijuan to escape into the back office and out the rear of the hotel. She let him sweep past her and hurled the hammer knocking him in his left shoulder. LaRue cried out from the impact as it spun him around, his body crashing into the closed door to the back office.
Though his left arm throbbed and was useless to him, the assault sparked fury within him, and he launched himself forward, and with his still good right hand, he swung hard at the small woman's jaw. She was light on her feet and jumped back, but still, he managed a glancing blow to his satisfaction. Lijuan staggered back and over the shouts of the men in the room that prepared to charge at LaRue she thrust up an arm signaling them to back off.
“He’s mine!”
Pain exploded in his chest as he felt the breath knocked out of him as she jumped up once more using her leg and foot as a weapon, driving it into his stomach, pushing him back into the door until he pitched forward and collapsed on the floor. As he lay there fighting for his breath, he heard shouts and screams rising into a dull roar from outside The Gossamer.
The Mescalero war party had arrived.
CHAPTER 28
PALMAREZ, MEXICO
On the second story of the Hotel Franco, the impromptu party was in full swing as the quartet gathered around a table in Salazar’s room. He and Tess were smoking, and Dutch had a bottle of clear liquid near his hand. They all were laughing and getting along. When Dutch spoke, it came out slightly slurred.
“Another shot, Yellow, Yellow Bird?” he asked.
"About time!" Bright Feather said. Dutch poured her a shot and she tossed it down without a care. Across the table, Salazar was drinking straight from the whiskey bottle. Tess was doing the same with a bottle of Corderro Crest Red Wine. Dutch's plan was working perfectly. He was glad neither Salazar nor Tess was interested in the "vodka." If they had he would have had to “accidently” break the bottle. Instead Dutch said a silent prayer of thanks that Cassandra's trick worked for him again. Bright Feather had stopped at their r
oom on the way in and had picked up a vodka bottle, telling the others it was their drink of choice. In reality, it was filled with water. It had seemed so simple when Cassandra had explained it to him, yet it worked every time. They could appear to drink as much as everyone else without actually doing so.
“By the way, that’s a nice fancy gun you got there! You wanna sell? I’d have a matching set then,” Salazar said with a drunken smile.
Dutch was inwardly embarrassed for his misstep. He was wearing his standard issue cavalry pistol. He had briefly thought about switching to a more standard gun, yet he had been distracted and not done it. Between being polite to Tess when they first met, tipping the owner’s granddaughter and then forgetting to switch his gun, he was disgusted with his performance.
Again, he knew his distraction had been the guilt he was still obsessing over. He couldn’t get his feelings about what he had done to Lijuan at the party out of his mind. He knew he had to stop his obsession before it further hurt his job performance. Getting Salazar back over the border had been his priority, and now the man had fallen for his lure. All that mattered now was seeing it through to the end, so a rope could be placed around the man’s neck and the trap door under his feet sprung. He would make his apologies as soon as he got back to Cedar Ledge. Right now, he had to find a way to cover his use of a cavalry pistol.
"No can do, my friend. I had to, uh, remove it from an Army officer. He was, shall we say, getting in my way when he had the misfortune of walking into that bank in Flagstaff to deposit his pay the same time I was robbing the place!" Dutch told the desperado with a show of glee. "I told you, I have plugged my fair share of soldiers, but the one I buried, in this case, was the first officer I've ever killed."
“An officer, huh? You and I have a lot in common. Like I said, I got one myself the other day. Blew half this blue coat’s head right off, and his gun went flying and landed right in my wagon. A gift from God, eh, hombre?” Salazar said.
“Hell yeah!” Dutch said with enthusiasm.
"You're alright, Bill, that's for damn sure. I like you! Gonna like you even more after tomorrow," he said, and Dutch smiled.
“Likewise,” Dutch returned as Salazar pivoted in his seat in the direction of Bright Feather.
“I gotta say, that’s a mighty fine squaw you got there. Almost as lovely as my own lady,” Salazar finished by taking a long pull off his bottle. Bright Feather raised an eyebrow.
“Almost?” she asked.
“Quiet you! Don’t pay her no mind. She got a tart tongue on her. Yeah, she’s fine. Captured her on a raid some time back. Then I wound up marrying her, go figure,” Dutch told him faking drunkenness.
“I bet she got one fine figure under that dress, I’m sure, eh, hombre?” Salazar said.
“I reckon so,” Dutch answered, eyeing the man wondering what kind of path Salazar was suddenly on. The outlaw picked up the deck of cards, shuffling them. “Funny, all these years, and I never had no injun. I hear they is good at pleasing a man,” Salazar added eyeing Bright Feather.
“No complaints,” Dutch responded carefully. He didn’t like the sound of this on many different levels including this piece of scum talking about the woman he loved in this manner as well as worrying about their upcoming partnership being placed in jeopardy almost as soon as it had begun.
“I’d be mighty curious to find out …” Salazar trailed off.
Dutch leaned into the table towards the desperado.
“Where are you going with this, amigo?” Dutch asked.
“I knows,” Tess said.
“How about a little wager. We draw for the high card. If I get it, then we trade women for the night,” Salazar said, his gaze shifting to Bright Feather again. Her face remained impassive.
“And if I get it?” Dutch asked softly. Salazar laughed and swayed in his chair.
"Since I owe ya for keepin that polecat from back shooting me and paying off my bill, well if you get the high card, you get Tess for the night along with your woman and I get my hand," Salazar managed to say with a grin on his face highlighting several missing teeth. He was getting drunker exponentially as the minutes passed. "I just might want to watch, of course …" He trailed off laughing. Dutch felt a rage build and gripped the table with both hands, almost ready to go across the table at him. It took everything he had not to. There was just too much at stake. Still, he was glad when Bright Feather put a hand on his to stop him.
“Deal!” Bright Feather said.
“Yellow Bird!” Dutch managed to choke out in surprise.
“Deal the cards,” she said with a nod.
“You heard, heard the lady.” Tess urged as she downed more wine as her eyes wandered over Dutch’s frame.
“Your wish is my, command, command!” Salazar stammered and shuffled one last time. “Draw!” he said holding the cards out to Dutch. They both drew one each.
“Lay ‘em down, boys!” Tess said happily.
Dutch flipped his two of clubs down with a frown. Salazar laid an ace of diamonds and he cheered.
“Hot damn, I win!! I finally got luck going my way. Been on the run for weeks, held up a worthless stage, failed at killing the damn colored driver and then nearly got caught just shy of Mexico. Even had to cut my hair and shave my beard off thanks to having left behind a witness to try and throw off anyone looking for me after that. Yep, about damn time something went my way!” Salazar crowed. Tess rose to her feet and moved to stand behind Dutch and put her hands on his shoulders.
“Works for me. Come on, hon, let’s head back to your room. I got a feeling you ain’t nothing like Hardcastle, no sir!” Tess exclaimed. She leaned down and nuzzled his neck. Salazar leaped unsteadily to his feet. He swayed as he moved, knocking over the whiskey bottle. He made it to Bright Feather and took her hand.
"Let's get this going!" Salazar exclaimed. He tugged her to her feet, yanking her towards the bed. Dutch bolted to his feet, knocking Tess back slightly. Salazar tried to move Bright Feather further towards the bed and then pitched forward across the mattress unconscious. Bright Feather turned and smiled.
“Tess, help me with him,” she said.
“Okay, but then me and, me and your man still got some business,” Tess finished looking at Dutch.
She stumbled over to the bed and helped Bright Feather heave Salazar straight on the bed. Tess stood up straight and promptly fell backward onto the bed next to Salazar, unconscious as well, eliciting laughter from Bright Feather as she shook her head.
“It looks like the party is over,” Dutch moved to her side nervously. “Why would you agree to that gamble? Especially since we ended up losing,” he asked her, feeling just as flushed as when she had first agreed to it.
“I was never worried, you remember after my father was killed in battle, my mother became his brother’s woman?” she asked.
“Black Hawk’s woman you mean,” Dutch said bitterly.
"Yes, Black Hawk. During the years my uncle raised me was when he first developed his love of the white man's firewater. I saw him drunk enough to learn when he was going to pass out. I could tell these two were not long for the land of the conscious. I guess Black Hawk was good for that knowledge anyway,” she said with a slight smile.
“It’s a shame he kicked his love for liquor. He might have drunk himself to death instead of going on to lead his war against the whites in Arizona,” Dutch said.
"Enough about him; I saw you before. You were nearly ready to pick a fight with him, and after you got him to agree to go along with you tomorrow, so we could trap him. Are you alright? You haven't been yourself since that party," she asked her love concerned.
“I’m fine,” he answered attempting to deflect.
“No, you are not. You are making mistakes that Dutch Wilde would never make. Maybe, ‘David’ would though.” His ears easily picked up the way she said the name David derisively.
"What are you saying?" he asked already knowing. Earlier in front of the general store, he h
ad a feeling she was about to speak of his sister, and he knew whatever the next few words that came out of his lover's mouth, one of them would be Lijuan.
"Did Lijuan say something about me when you were dancing with her? Is that it? She must have said something that really, really upset you, because I could see things weren't right between you. What did she say about me?" Bright Feather asked with a fit of anger he had rarely seen from her, let along directed at him.
“Nothing, my love, she said not a word,” Dutch said lying to his beloved and feeling as guilty as hell for doing it.
“Yes, she did! Your sister is always making little digs at me. Doing stuff like trying to embarrass me for not knowing how to waltz. She hates me! She hates me for no reason! You know it, Dutch! Now whatever she said about me must have truly upset you,” Bright Feather continued to hammer home.
“Lijuan does not hate you,” Dutch said shifting his eyes away towards the two inert forms on the bed for a moment, knowing it was true no matter how much he tried to deny it to himself. Bright Feather put her hands on her hips and tilted her head back. It was a look that silently shouted, Really?
“Dutch …” She stopped and held up her hands. “This isn’t the time for us to be doing this, is it?” she said. He didn’t answer but walked over to the bed and looked down again at the two passed out drunks.
“No, we have to decide what to do here,” he said then.
“Perhaps we don’t have to go through the subterfuge to get him to Arizona. It would be easy to tie him up right now while he is in this state,” she said regaining her composure.
“True but getting him trussed up and out of town is another thing. We know who one of his enemies is: Hardcastle. But we don’t know who his friends are. There is no way we could get him out of town with no one seeing. I think it would be suicide to try,” he said, disgusted with the predicament they were in. “Do you agree?” he asked.
The Town 0f No Return: Special Edition (Half Breed Haven Book 11) Page 18
