Vigilante Dawn

by Ralph Compton

  “Occasionally. If it makes you feel any better, these are the first partners I ever killed.”

  “Somehow I doubt that.”

  “You talking about what happened between me and Paxton back in Flat Pass?” Lem asked.

  The image of Lem shooting the man who’d stormed into the bathroom at that fancy hotel was still burned into Jarrett’s head. “Yeah,” he said. “I was.”

  Lem nodded. “I knew someone was there watching us. Since I wasn’t grabbed up and tossed into jail, I figured it wasn’t a lawman. There were no screams, so it probably wasn’t a fainthearted girl or young fella. I’d ask how you knew to look for me there, but I suppose it really doesn’t matter now.”

  “What matters is that issue of trust that keeps cropping up.”

  “I suppose so.” Lem stopped and turned to face Jarrett. Holding open his jacket to reveal the holster that now held the gun that had once belonged to Dave, he said, “If it makes you feel better, you can take this gun as well.”

  “When you met that man outside Annie’s, the two of you spoke for a short spell.”

  “Damn, you were standing there longer than I thought. Ain’t too many men can sneak up on me like that.”

  Ignoring the peculiar compliment, Jarrett asked, “What were you two really talking about?”

  “It was a short conversation and the first bit was pretty much the same as what you heard from Dave. Where did I go? Why am I such a traitorous dog? That sort of thing. The rest was what I already told to Dave as well as me trying to find out where Clay and the rest had gotten to. He didn’t tell me much, but he never was very bright, so he let a few things slip. Told me that if I wanted him to help me I might as well shoot him. After that,” Lem said without a hint of emotion, “you know the rest.”

  “That’s why you killed him?”

  “I had to make certain he didn’t get around to letting anyone know I was riding on this posse.”

  “So I didn’t find out?” Jarrett asked.

  “Partly,” Lem replied. “But mostly I wanted that to be a surprise for the others that we rounded up. Catch them off guard and such. Seems to be working out pretty good so far, wouldn’t you say?”

  Just then, Jarrett didn’t quite know what to think. Although Lem had most definitely lied to him, the reasons he gave as an explanation made fairly good sense. Also, with two more of Clay’s men sent to meet their Maker, the arrangement definitely was working out pretty well. If Lem had been sent as a spy or to get in close enough to eradicate the posse coming after Clay and his gang, the effort was so poorly executed that it was no threat at all.

  Only one question remained. It was an obvious one, but Jarrett needed to see Lem’s eyes when it was answered.

  “Should I expect the same treatment as what you gave to your other partners?” Jarrett asked. “Not right now, but after this job is finished.”

  “We’ve still got a ways to go before this job is done,” Lem said good-naturedly. “Even so, I doubt you’ll pose the same problem as my former associates did.”

  “Which is?”

  “Being an obnoxious ass.”

  Jarrett reached for the pieced-together pistol he’d taken from Lem earlier and handed it back to its owner. “Here you go,” he said. “I need to keep my sights set on the task at hand instead of fussing with details.”

  “The possibility of being gunned down is more than a detail,” Lem said as he took his pistol and holstered it.

  “Even so, considering what’s ahead of us, the odds are we’ll both be killed within the next day or two anyway.”

  “What’s worse, after what happened here and at Annie’s, we won’t be able to show our faces near any cathouse in the county for quite a while.”

  Chapter 31

  Not only did MacGrearey’s serve a hearty breakfast, but it was brought to Lem and Jarrett’s table by some of the most attractive servers either man had ever seen. Not long after their steak and eggs were placed in front of them, they were joined by Roland Gein, who looked just as alert as he had when they last met only a scant number of hours ago.

  “I trust you two had an eventful night,” Gein said.

  Using his fork to stab some steak, Jarrett asked, “You heard about what happened?”

  “I did. This meal and anything else you might need for the remainder of your ride is on me.”

  “That’s mighty generous.”

  “Generous, my ass,” Gein said. “Having two men gunned down on that place’s front porch will scare away their customers for at least a couple days. Customers, I am pleased to add, that will come here. That profit is because of you.”

  “Surely,” Lem said, “something like that is worth more than a few meals and some supplies?”

  Before Gein could give voice to whatever had caused his brow to furrow, Jarrett said, “The meal and supplies will be just fine. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” Gein said. “Is there anything else you might need?”

  “Not that I can think of. We plan on riding out as soon as our food settles, so we’ll let you know if anything comes to mind.”

  “You do that.” Gein shifted as if he was about to stand up, but then settled back into his chair. Leaning forward, he folded his hands on top of the table and said, “That just leaves the small matter of our arrangement. Since those two won’t be leaving town, I doubt the rest of those rustlers will be coming by. At least, not with the herd anyway.”

  “I suppose not,” Jarrett said.

  Lem winced. “One or two may come around looking for the men that we got last night. They may come straight to you since you’re the one they were dealing with.”

  “I can handle a few rustlers trying to assert themselves,” Gein said. “If not, I would’ve been out of this line of work a long time ago. I was thinking more along the lines of that herd. Our previous arrangement was for me to keep it. Since I am one of the largest buyers of what I like to call . . . creatively acquired cattle, they still may come my way. What shall I do in that event?”

  “Whatever cattle come here will most likely be stragglers or less than a dozen head that were skimmed from the rest,” Jarrett said. “Do with them as you please. From what I gather, you’re the one who delivered Sol to us.”

  “You are correct,” Gein said.

  “Then keep whatever you get from the Lazy J. It’s worth it to me not to have to come here again and collect them. No offense, of course.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Gein replied. “Muriel may suit my purposes, but it’s a wart on the back of Wyoming and I’ll be pulling up stakes at the soonest opportunity myself.” He got to his feet this time and extended a hand across the table. After Jarrett shook it, Gein said, “Pleasure doing business with you.”

  “Likewise.”

  As for Lem, he and Gein merely nodded to each other to represent a civil, if not amicable, parting.

  There was one more hunk of steak on Jarrett’s plate, which he cut in half and dipped into the spilt yolk of his fried eggs. “You two barely seem to tolerate each other.”

  Eventually Lem said, “He’s a broker. I don’t like brokers. They get fat off the sweat of other men and profit from the work they do. Brokers are just a bunch of damn leeches.”

  “I understand,” Jarrett said. “Although I found Gein to be much more agreeable than I expected, there are plenty of men like him who make their profit by shaving off pieces of ranches like mine.”

  “Just don’t get too comfortable on account of Gein being so agreeable,” Lem warned. “Men like him pat someone on the back just to look for a good spot to sink a knife.”

  “Which is why we’re leaving here as quickly as possible. Let’s get our supplies, saddle the horses, and get on with it.”

  “No arguments here.”

  Leaving Muriel was just as simple as that. One of Gein’s men rushed
over to their table as soon as they stood up to leave and told them where to pick up the supplies they’d been promised. The horses were ready to go and so were their riders. Lem and Jarrett put the cow town behind them and were well on their way to meeting up with Sheriff Rubin after less than five hours of galloping over a whole lot of flat terrain.

  As they rode, Jarrett’s thoughts cleared considerably. While his spirit was still scarred by the fire that he could still smell and hear as if the embers were still hot, he’d taken several steps away from being a helpless prisoner. He knew what needed to be done and who was left to do it to, and he had a good idea of where to find them. That day, all there was for him was to ride. And so he rode.

  The sun had spent the better part of the day lost behind a bank of clouds that stretched in the sky for as far as the eye could see. Sometime between late afternoon and early evening, Lem pulled back on his reins, which prompted Jarrett to follow suit. Pointing to the north, Lem said, “Looks like someone’s taken an interest in us.”

  Jarrett squinted to see a shape in the distance that hadn’t quite caught his attention yet. It had all but blended in with a staggered row of trees and a few boulders wedged in between some low hills. He dug into his saddlebag for his field glasses and placed them to his eyes.

  “Whoever it is, they’re headed this way,” Lem said without the need of any lenses to magnify what he saw.

  After gazing through the field glasses for a moment, Jarrett said, “I think it’s Ackerman.”

  “How can you tell from here?”

  “Whether it’s up close or from a distance, that gangly kid looks like a scarecrow tied to his saddle,” Jarrett said as he dropped the field glasses back into his bag. “We should meet him before he starts hollering at us like a damn fool.”

  Both of them snapped their reins and rode straight at the oncoming horseman. Ackerman pulled back on his reins when he was about thirty yards away from crossing paths with the other two men and shouted, “Come along! This way!”

  Lem chuckled at Jarrett’s prophetic statement and soon the three of them were all headed back along the trail from which Ackerman had come.

  “Where’s Sol?” Jarrett asked once the three of them fell into a quick and steady pace.

  “He’s with the sheriff,” Ackerman replied. “Safe and sound.”

  “Pity,” Lem grunted. “Would’ve been easier if he’d fallen from his horse.”

  The deputy had his hand on his holstered pistol and tightened his grip on the weapon as he said, “Considering what he had to say about you, I’m not surprised to hear that.”

  “Relax, kid,” Jarrett said. “I know all about it.”

  “You know that Lem used to ride with Clay Haskel and those rustlers?”

  “Yeah.”

  Ackerman first looked over to Lem and then to Jarrett. Settling back into his saddle with his eyes facing front, he said, “And here I thought breaking that news was going to be messy.”

  “You don’t seem very happy that it wasn’t,” Jarrett said.

  It was obvious that Ackerman was uncomfortable. He gnashed his teeth and continued to tighten his grip on his pistol as if he was engaging in a silent tug-of-war between keeping it holstered and drawing it. “I . . . it’s just . . . ,” the deputy stammered.

  Before the young lawman squirmed out of his skin, Jarrett said, “Lem, why don’t you ride on ahead?”

  Lem looked over to Ackerman and said, “I take it the others aren’t far from here.”

  “Right,” the deputy replied. “Just follow that trail about a mile or two. You won’t be able to miss them.”

  After Lem had gone, Jarrett asked, “What’s bothering you, kid?”

  “First of all, I’m not a kid.”

  “Fine. What’s bothering you, Deputy?”

  Straightening up like any kid who felt he’d just proven himself, Ackerman said, “How can you still want him around, knowing who he is?”

  “Lem’s proven to be a valuable man to have along. Considering the animals we’re after, he may also be the best man to have along.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I’m guessing the sheriff doesn’t share my opinion.”

  “He’s on the fence,” Ackerman said. “When he first heard about who he was, there was talk about stringing him up right along with the others.”

  “Sol told him?”

  “Him and anyone else who’d listen. We had to stuff another bandanna in his mouth just to get some peace and quiet.”

  “Sounds about right. What’s the sheriff thinking now?”

  “He’s in a much better mood after the easy victory we had today.”

  “Easy victory?” Jarrett asked. “You caught up with the herd?”

  Ackerman nodded. “Just like you said, it wasn’t much of a chore to track a herd of cattle. Sheriff Rubin and Tom caught sight of them the day after we split off to go to Muriel. Took a bit of time to scout them out and see how many gunmen had to be dealt with, and we rode in on them at first light this morning.”

  “Sounds like it went well.”

  “There were hardly any shots fired. One of the rustlers got anxious and tried to take a run at the sheriff, but he didn’t make it very far. The rest gave up real quick after that.”

  “How many were there?” Jarrett asked.

  “Four,” the deputy said. “It was barely enough to keep the herd in line. Then again, rustlers aren’t as concerned about rounding up strays as someone who paid for the cattle properly. The whole bunch is tied up and being dragged back to Flat Pass along with Sol. Your herd is on its way back to your land. Sheriff Rubin meant to ask if you’d rather it was steered somewhere else.”

  “Let’s send half to Muriel for Roland Gein. The rest can keep going back to my property.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Yeah,” Jarrett replied. “Gein earned that much.”

  “Shouldn’t be a problem. We might lose a few head along the way, but you don’t seem overly concerned about that either.”

  “I’m not.” Jarrett sighed. “Think I’m out of the ranching business for now.”

  “I suppose this job is mostly done, then,” Ackerman said proudly.

  “Not yet,” Jarrett said. “Between the two men killed in Muriel, the one that was captured there, the one that was killed in Flat Pass, the ones captured along with the herd, and the ones I got the night of the fire, there can’t be many more to contend with. Clay himself wasn’t with the herd, was he?”

  “No.”

  “Actually I’m surprised there were as many men as you say guarding them cattle.”

  Ackerman shrugged. “Sheriff Rubin thinks one or two of the men we caught were brought on along the way. Probably hired by the rustlers for a few dollars just to wrangle the herd as best they could since they were so shorthanded and all.”

  “Still,” Jarrett said, “job well done.”

  “The sheriff is happy with how things went, but he won’t much like it when Lem comes back. He’ll ask some questions and he may not like the answers.”

  “How much did you tell him about what Sol said back in Muriel?”

  “Not a lot,” Ackerman replied. “Sol was a handful, even with all the ropes that were tied around him. When I got him back, he did all that talking about Lem and then I had to do some explaining myself.”

  “What have you got to explain?” Jarrett asked.

  “Sheriff Rubin just wanted to know my impressions of Lem and you as for how well you handled those rustlers we found in Muriel.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “The truth. Not like there was anything to hide. There wasn’t much time before we had to scout ahead to find the herd. Once we found it, we had our work cut out for us.”

  “And after that was done, I’m guessing nobody cared about much el
se other than celebrating,” Jarrett said.

  “More or less. Now that I think about it,” Ackerman said, “it doesn’t seem as impressive as it was before.”

  “Oh, it’s worth a celebration.”

  “You did a good amount of work yourself, Mr. Pekoe. You and Lem.”

  “That’s right and there’s more ahead of us.”

  “You going to tell the sheriff about the rest of what Sol had to say back in Muriel?” the deputy asked. “I mean, as far as what was said about that Canadian fella goes?”

  “No point,” Jarrett replied. “It seems they’re all too busy patting each other on the backs.”

  “I was gonna tell him myself and I’m not about to keep anything from Sheriff Rubin. I’m surely not going to lie to him either. It just seemed proper to wait until you got back.”

  “I wouldn’t think of asking you to hide anything from the sheriff. Something tells me I know exactly what he’s going to say, though.”

  Chapter 32

  “Canada?” Sheriff Rubin said after Ackerman led Jarrett and Lem back to the rest of the posse members. “That’s a long ways from my jurisdiction.”

  Jarrett stood near the spot where Twitch and a few other horses were drinking from a stream. The herd was a stone’s throw away being tended by Tom and one other posse member. When the deputy looked to him out of frustration, Jarrett gave Ackerman a shrug that screamed I told you so without actually saying it. The deputy wasn’t happy to see it from him and was even more annoyed when he saw a similar look from Lem. Turning to Rubin, Ackerman said, “But Clay is the leader of the gang we’re after. Isn’t this posse supposed to go after the entire gang?”

  “Not if it involves crossing jurisdictional boundaries,” Rubin said. “Especially not if we have to ride out of our own country! Besides, we can’t stay away from Flat Pass for much longer. We’re already taking the time to drop off some of them cows to that friend of yours in Muriel. We’ll keep our eyes open and if any of them remaining rustlers show their faces near us again, we’ll make them wish they hadn’t.”