Canyon Lands

by T J Reeder

  A Long Lonely Road

  A Dark Wind Brings No Good

  Book 10

  By TJ Reeder

  We were planning to head up to Shiprock to see about a horse for Beth when the Commo lady came running up all breathless saying a call had come in that Charley was in bad trouble in a small town just over the Arizona line. No other information was given, we just needed weapons. If Charley was in trouble we were gonna need weapons!

  I sent a runner for Ralph and when he arrived I told him what was going on and to get the bird warming up and get the armory dudes to mount the guns, He took off at a run. I gathered Willy and Joe and told them what we knew and told them to get some shooters loaded up and to get drivers for the Dodge and the Jeep.

  In thirty minutes we were lifting off, loaded for bears, lots of bears. We were landing in Shiprock before I got the damn seatbelt tight, I never could get them hooked up right. I think it was because of seeing a Marine who’s belt jammed when the bird got hit and we watched him burning before we could help, Well one of the troops shot him in the head before it got too bad but still. It’s a memory that stays.

  We unassed the bird and were met by Old Woman and Charleys brother and got the story. Word had come to them that one of their People was in jail in a small town just over the line in Arizona for stealing gas and was gonna be hanged for it. Charley had taken off with two other elders to try to get him out of jail and word was the Sheriff had locked the three of them up too.

  I asked where this place was for sure and told Old Woman we would bring Charley back or we wouldn’t be back, harsh words but I was pissed. I could hear Sandy’s jaw popping and May was just stroking the butt of her 45. Beth was calm and serene looking but I could feel the heat coming off her as we took off.

  We located the place and avoided getting too close but seeing a truck on the highway we landed in front of it and scared the shit out of an Asian couple with three kids.

  I held my empty hands up and I walked to them followed by the girls, I think seeing the women helped to calm their fears.

  I introduced myself and found there name was Lee, not a big surprise but they all spoke perfect English.

  Their story was that they had topped a small rise and saw a road block ahead and armed men were dragging people out of their vehicle, they were so busy they never noticed Mr. lee backing up his truck and turning off on a dirt road that took them way out of the way and around the town listed on their map as Good Water, nice name for a shit hole! I didn’t even get warned about my language.

  I asked them where they were going and was told they were in fact heading for our area because they heard race meant nothing in our area. I was torn because of the plague issues and asked them if they had seen it, they hadn’t but had heard the same and headed out a month back, working for fuel as they went.

  I thought for a moment and said, “Ok, here’s the deal, I’ll have the chopper take you to our place if you let us use your truck, which was a nice crew cab four door job, to go into the town and look things over.”

  Mr. Lee was gonna think it over, probably worried about losing the truck, but his wife said, “Yes! Kids unload!” And with not a word of protest the kids bailed out and started grabbing their packs, “BOB’s,” their mom said with a smile. I was thinking these folks were gonna fit right in with us.

  We got them and their gear into the bird and after giving Ralph some orders we piled into the truck and turned around and started driving along like we had not a worry in the world. We could see the road block a mile away. They were so stupid about where they placed it. As we got closer I could see several rough looking men standing in a line waiting for us.

  I told the girls that if they made one move out of line we were gonna smoke them and then go on into town.

  I stopped a good 30 yards away from the five men and stepped right out to stand behind the door, Sandy did the same on the right. May and Beth stayed inside but had their doors open.

  One of the men yelled out for us to all step out away from the truck and to kneel down with our hands on our heads.

  I said, “You’re kinda a stupid son of a bitch ain’t ya?” He looked like he swallowed his chaw but we wanted to go into the town so I said, “Really, we ain’t gonna do that, we are just heading to Flagstaff to be with family.

  I knew that wasn’t gonna work when one of the others said, “Well hell, then y’all just let us check yer truck for any non-whites and you can head on down the road.

  Sandy said, “Y’all don’t like folks of color?” The talker said, “Nope we don’t and we got a jail full we plan to hang Saturday night before the dance.” Sandy said, “OH a dance? Can we stay for the dance daddy? Please?” May joined in with her. I said, “Well I don’t know, these folks don’t seem too friendly.” The first dude said, “Well I’m sorry but we have an unpleasant job and sometimes we get too touchy. Y’all go on in to town but check in at the Sheriff’s office.” I said, “Well ok, since ya put it that a-way. And thanks! My girls shore love to dance.” I grinned and they grinned and Sandy smiled with her lips but her eyes looked like two black holes in the door to hell. I swear she is gonna be hard to handle I just know it.

  We started driving and Sandy mocked me. “My girls “shore” likes them sum dancing?”

  Beth was laughing and May was smiling real big, then Sandy started laughing so hell we all did. She scooted over and kissed me in the ear then shoved her tongue in it causing me to run off the road. I hate that shit! “Stop cussing!” Sigh.

  We had about three miles to plan our play but I figured we could do it. But I had no intentions of going right to the Sheriff’s office. We rolled into the town and I saw a café right away so we pulled in and piled out and went on in like we lived here.

  A young girl came to wait on us and said, “Y’all sit where ya want and I’ll bring water.” So we sat where we could see the truck and looked at the paper menu. Looked like not much so I settled for coffee the girls wanted pie and coffee.

  When the girl brought the coffee I asked what the town was like. She got a scared look and glanced at the kitchen and lowered her voice and said, “You’re strangers here so get out while you can!” I asked, “Why?” She said, “Since the new Sheriff and his men took over things have got real bad!” She said her dad would skin her for talking to us. I said, “Well ask your dad to come out here, please.” She took off like a scared deer. In a couple of minutes a man came out carrying our pie and looking like he, too, wanted to run.

  I asked him to sit down which he did but he was scared to death. I decided to be right up front. I told him my name and his eyes got big, then he looked at the girls then at me again and said, “God I hope you’re here to help us out.” Then he started talking so fast it was hard to keep up.

  The so called Sheriff had showed up one day and just took over, said he had a decree from the Governor saying he was to keep the peace and to keep the area pure for the white folks. He said that same night most of the Mexican and Indian folks headed out of town as fast as they could go and nothing was ever heard about them again. The girls were getting pissed, I already was. The man’s name was Jasper and he told us all about how things were. The Sheriff and his men took what they wanted when they wanted it including women and of late had started in on the older girls. Same old song and dance, I was so tired of this crap.

  He said he kept his daughter out of sight when any of them was here and so far had gotten away with it. I asked about the Indians in the jail, he said that on Saturday evening they hung any non-whites, as they called em that was caught during the week but things had been slim of late and then in a matter of days there was four of them.

  The deputies were all laughing about how they was gonna do a rope dance and it might rain. I asked why
they didn’t fight back, he said the first day the deputies had rounded up all the guns in town and the few they didn’t find weren’t enough.

  I was thinking that one good man with a good rifle could have killed Hitler in the very beginning but it never happened.

  Nobody wants to be the one who lets it all hang out and pay a price. I asked how many deputies there were, he said about twenty five and that there had been more but some folks coming thru had fought back and took out the entire road block crew and escaped. Them we needed, but they were long gone. So we would do it our way, hard, cold and fast.

  We had our coffee and pie and watched a truck with five men in it drive up, I saw the badges on their shirts and said, “Girls, bathrooms.” Beth and May got up and headed for the cans. Sandy scooted her chair back and took her 45 out and held it in her lap out of sight.

  They came in like they owned the place and looking around spotted us and headed right for us.

  The one in charge said. “You was told to report to the jail house!” I just looked at him and waited, he blinked first. He said, “You’re under arrest!”

  “For what?” I asked. “For not doin what ya was told.” I had to laugh, it sounded like my mom saying, “You just wait till yer dad gets home!” Only she never said that and dad never came home, Iwo Jima was a place a lot of Marines didn’t come home from.

  He was working up to it and since they were used to being the big dogs on the block they never thought to look close. When somebody ain’t afraid of you there has to be a reason, and it usually ain’t gonna be good for you!

  Before he did ‘the stupid thing’ he looked around and said, “Where at’s them other bitches?” Sandy shot him. Just like that, she never uncrossed her legs, just shot him then the one next to him. I may have got one of them, I know May and Beth did.

  I looked at Sandy and said, “Well shit! I wasn’t done talking to the asshole!” She smiled and said, “Oops.”

  I swear sometimes I think she takes after me god forbid. Beth and May were at the door waiting for reinforcements to charge in but none came.

  Jasper said, “Well if I had doubts I guess I don’t now, yawlz are who ya say you are.”

  I told him I hated to make a mess and leave but we needed to get to the jail right away, he asked if I was crazy. May said, “Yeah, we wonder ‘bout that a lot!” No respect.

  We headed right down the road and spotted the sheriff’s office and got out and went in. The big hoodo was sitting in the chair behind the desk with his feet up; several of his so called deputies were sprawled around the room.

  I said, “Howdy! Yer road block crew said to check in.” He looked at his watch and said, “Yeah, damn near an hour ago, where you been?” It was easy to see he was pretty well impressed with himself. All dressed up in a black suit with a very white shirt and a string tie, polished stove pipe boots and a cute gun fighter mustache, what is with these assholes? They all watch the same cowboy movie? He said, “Well?” I blinked and said, “Excuse me, what was the question?” He was already getting mad, short fuse I guess. I said, “OH!! Where was we? Well I got lost.” “Lost?” He yelled! “The fkn town has one street and you got lost?” I shrugged looked down toward the floor for just a second and said, “Well, I don’t do good in cities.”

  Now his crew was laughing and that was making him ever madder, he stood up, all of five feet with 4 inch heels on his boots of him. I smiled and said, “I bet those are hard to walk in huh?”

  I was tired of the whole thing so I simply pulled my gun from under my jacket and heard the girls do the same. The bunch stopped laughing. The so called sheriff said, “You won’t make it ten feet I have five deputies just down the road and they will be here in seconds.”

  I said, “Well then, I guess we need to get to business so drop all your weapons first, which they did. The pretty boy was last and I could see he loved his gun rig because he gently set it down. It was pretty, all tooled black hollyweird gunfighter style holding two real looking colts. Sandy said, “Kick it over here.” He said, “Go fuck yourself,” so she shot him in the foot. Then she picked up the rig and passed it to Beth.

  I got the keys and headed for the cells where I found Charley and his people plus several others who it turned out were folks who stood up against the Sheriffs take-over. They all trooped out and in the light of the main office it was easy to see the results of the beatings handed out by this bunch.

  I told them to gather all the guns and anything else they wanted and to head outside. We backed to the door where Sandy said, “Get Beth away from here.”

  I didn’t ask, I just took Beth’s hand and high stepped away down the street. Sandy and May smiled and holstered their guns and with economy of movement each tossed two grenades thru the door, shut it and took off running away from the building which about 4 seconds later blew all to hell! I didn’t know what they had in mind but that wasn’t what I was thinking, abrupt, always abrupt.

  We got set and waited and sure ‘nuff here come the posse, riding to the sound of the cannons, well ok grenades but WTF.

  They rolled right into a bad day, Charley and his People shot the shit out of them, and then shot them some more.

  I counted, five in the café, seven in the office and six in the street, that was eighteen and five at the road block we stopped at, I had no idea about the other roadblock. I figured some of them had some smarts and were heading away post haste. The locals slowly came out looking stunned then started yelling and acting like it was a good day. I guess it was for them.

  Jasper come running up all out of breath and said he saw some leaving town in an old truck, just hauling ass. I figure the road block fools went too and someplace down the road they will meet their end as all of their type seem to be doing since they can’t lawyer up.

  We waited in town for another hour and at last heard Ralph coming, he flew over the town and landed in an empty lot.

  Sandy asked Jasper what kind of truck the asshats were driving; he said it was an old red Ford. She ran to the chopper followed by May and jumped in, make go motions to Ralph who looked at me and shrugged. I pointed up and he was gone.

  Jasper said, “Was them Pigs in the door of that bird?” I smiled and said, “Where did you serve, Jasper?” He said, “Same place you did John, door gunner.”

  We shook hands and I could see the longing in his eyes, I said, “When they get back if you want I’ll have Ralph take you up and see if your skills are still good.” I swear he almost cried!

  Thirty minutes later they were back, Ralph made a thumbs up gesture. I pointed at Jasper and pointed up, he got it and smiled.

  Off they went and a ways out I could hear the 60 working and I could tell there was an expert on the gun. Sandy and May will hose a whole belt non-stop so Ralph makes short belts to give the barrel time to cool before they burn it out. Door gunning is an art and apparently one never forgotten!

  When they landed Jasper was smiling so big we could see his back teeth. He came over and started shaking my hand and saying, “Thank you, thank you!!”

  His daughter was looking at her Dad like she didn’t know him at all. Beth hugged her and said. “It’s ok honey they never grow up.”

  I asked Jasper if he would like to move to the canyons and be our door gunner and train another one.

  He just said, “Come on honey we have to pack, we’re moving.”

  Well it has been a day and we still don’t have a horse for Beth. Charley and his people were fine, just a few bruises but ready to go home. I sent them with Ralph and we headed home in the borrowed truck.

  We got to Shiprock and headed in to see how the men were. Charley was there but the others had headed home. Charley looked at me and the girls and just nodded, that was all that needed saying. He knew, we knew.

  We spent the night and the next morning we went with Charley to the horse area. His wranglers had several in the corral waiting for Beth. She had heard May’s story so she walked to the fence and stood quietly.

&n
bsp; Nothing, the boys ran those out and brought on the next batch, nothing, Beth was getting down but Charley said to relax it would come when it was time and sure enough when the next bunch were run in, and after a bit of milling around a really pretty mare walked right up to Beth and nuzzled her. Beth put her arms around the horse’s neck and put her face down by the horse’s nose and they breathed each other’s air. Now I don’t have a damn clue about this stuff, it’s like the girls and their witchcraft or whatever it is. I just know it is and that’s that. Take it or leave it.

  The mare was a really pretty Sorrel with almost white mane and tail. It was love at first sight. Charley smiled and said, “I knew it!” I looked at him and he said he told the boys to run this one in a ways back he wanted to see if he was right.

  I asked, “Right about what?” He said the boys had said this mare was standing at the fence looking off in the direction of the canyons since yesterday morning when we headed out but then we got the call about Charley being in trouble. As I said, I don’t know, I don’t have to know, the horse and Beth know and that’s enough.