Wanted: A Western Story Collection

by Robert J. Thomas

  Juanita walked back over to Jess’s table. “Would you like that last piece of pie now?” she asked.

  “I sure would,” he told her. She patted his shoulder and chuckled as she went to get the pie.

  Chapter ten

  After Bodine locked Burke up, he returned to the café and saw the remnants of apple pie on Jess’s plate.

  “You ate that last piece of pie?” he asked.

  “I sure did.”

  “But I wanted it.”

  “You didn’t need it.”

  “Are you gonna act like my mother the whole time I’m here?”

  “Someone has to. Now let me change my shirt, get some food supplies at the store and then we’ll ride out to my new house.”

  Jess changed his shirt at the general store as Bodine packed all the supplies in their saddlebags. When they reached the ranch house, Bodine whistled in approval and Gabriel came running out.

  “You okay?” he asked Jess.

  “It hurts some, but I’ll be fine,” he replied as Lida walked out with a worrisome look on her face.

  “Who is this?” she asked as she smiled at Bodine and noticed the badge on his shirt.

  “This is my good friend, John Bodine,” Jess told her. “He’s the sheriff of Stratton, Texas, but he works as a United States Marshal when called upon.”

  “A real U.S. Marshal?” asked Buster as he appeared behind Lida.

  “Yes, sir,” said Bodine.

  “Well, come on in,” said Lida.

  Jess looked at the boy. “Gabriel, we have saddlebags full of food,” he told him. “Unload them and carry the stuff inside for your ma.” Gabriel ran down the steps and started unloading the saddlebags. Bodine and Jess walked inside and Bodine looked around the place.

  “This is one fine house,” he said. “You gonna settle down here?” Jess shook his head.

  “No, I’m letting the Roddys stay here to take care of the house and property,” Jess told him. “I plan to sell off some of the land to one of the other ranchers eventually and get most of my investment back. I paid a lot less than the place is worth.”

  “So, where am I staying?”

  “There are plenty of bedrooms left upstairs. Pick whichever one you want.”

  “I’ll have supper ready in a little bit,” announced Lida as she headed back to the kitchen.

  Buster shook hands with Bodine. “I’ll bet Sheriff Burke ain’t happy about you being here,” he said.

  “I’ll agree on that, since I locked him up in his own jail earlier,” chuckled Bodine.

  “You locked him up?”

  “Sure did.”

  “The cattle ranchers ain’t gonna like that one bit,” cautioned Buster.

  “I need the names of all the other cattle ranchers in the area so I can pay them a visit,” said Bodine. “I need to warn them to stay out of my way and that things are going to change around here.” Buster took Bodine into the office off the hallway and made a list of the other ranchers. Bodine tucked it into his pocket.

  Gabriel showed up at the door. “Supper is ready,” he said.

  “Good, ‘cause I’m hungry,” said Bodine as he stood up and followed Gabriel into the kitchen.

  The table was long and had twenty chairs to go with it. Lida set plates of food on the table and everyone dug in. Bodine noticed that Lida, Buster and Gabriel fixed small plates and that his was overflowing. Jess grinned at him knowingly and John started putting a few things back.

  Lida watched him and smiled. “Your friend has quiet the appetite,” she said.

  “You have no idea,” Jess told her as he watched John put another potato back on the platter.

  Jess turned to Buster. “Did Malvern’s men come and get his cattle today?” Jess asked.

  Buster had a mouthful and bobbed his head up and down before he swallowed and replied. “He sure did. They came and ran those longhorns across the property line.”

  “I think we should go and pay Mr. Malvern a visit tomorrow,” said Bodine between bites of lamb stew. “He might as well know there’s federal law in town now.”

  “I’ll go with you,” offered Jess.

  “You gonna shoot anybody?” asked Bodine.

  “Only if I have to.”

  Buster looked anxiously up at Jess. “So, how’d you get a United States Marshal to come here?” he asked.

  “We’ve worked together many times,” explained Bodine. “Marshal Frank Reedy might show up if he finishes what he was doing in Stratton. He was doing some checking on Mr. Malvern when I left. No telling what he might find.”

  “I’m just glad you’re here,” said Lida. “I feel a little more comfortable.”

  They finished eating and Lida started cleaning up. Gabriel turned in early and Jess retrieved a bottle of good whiskey from his saddlebags after he and Bodine stabled their horses. Bodine and Jess walked into the office where Buster was scribbling on a piece of paper. He saw the whiskey and smiled.

  “I need that after I did some adding,” he said. “I can’t make my next payment on my old place unless I sell a large part of my herd and that would just about wipe me out.”

  “How much do you owe the bank right now?” Jess asked as he poured whiskey into three glasses that sat on a table full of fancy lead crystal.

  “Seventy dollars,” he muttered.

  “I’ll talk to the banker and get him to give you more time,” Jess told him.

  “You think you can do that?”

  “I’m sure of it.”

  “And if he doesn’t, I’ll threaten to go through all his books at the bank,” interjected Bodine. “He won’t want that even if there ain’t a thing out of place.”

  “Why would you do that for me? You just met me a few hours ago.”

  “If you’re a friend of Jess Williams, you’re a friend of mine,” John told him.

  “Well, let’s turn in and go out to Malvern’s place tomorrow morning,” said Jess. “I can’t wait to see his face when you ride up wearing that badge.”

  The next morning found Jess and Bodine in the barn saddling up their horses. Bodine finished first and helped Jess saddle Sharps.

  “I think it’s best if you let me do the talking when we get there,” suggested Bodine.

  “That’s fine, but he’s a stubborn cuss,” said Jess.

  “I’m used to that.”

  “And what does that mean?”

  “You know what it means.”

  “I’m not stubborn. I just know how I want to do things.”

  “You want to go out and shoot him because he sent two men to ambush your ass.”

  “The thought had crossed my mind.”

  “Which is why I’m doing all the talking. Unless you want to pin on that badge you’re hiding in that shirt pocket.”

  Jess felt the badge and frowned. “I don’t like wearing it unless I absolutely have to.”

  “Then I’ll do all the talking,” Bodine said firmly. They climbed up in the saddle and rode out of the barn, heading straight west. When they ran into the fence, they saw a few dozen longhorn steers on the wrong side.

  “I suppose these are Malvern’s beef?” asked Bodine.

  “Yeah, and I think we might have steaks tonight,” said Jess.

  Chapter eleven

  Jess and Bodine reined in their horses when they saw the greeting party heading their way. Jess pulled out his large-bore and Bodine slid his Winchester out and racked a shell into it. He turned to Jess with a firm expression on his face.

  “Remember, I do all the talking,” said Bodine.

  When the two men got close enough to see the badge on Bodine’s shirt, they slowed down to a walk. Shade Reid was on the right. Reid got close enough to make out the United States Marshal’s badge and frowned at it.

  “What the hell…” muttered Reid.

  Jess leaned over to Bodine. “That’s Shade Reid on the right,” he told him.

  Bodine looked directly at Reid. “I’m here to speak with Mr. Malvern.”
<
br />   “But he won’t listen…” Reid started to say when Bodine cut him off abruptly.

  “Mr. Reid, do you know what this badge allows me to do?”

  “No, not exactly.”

  “Any damn thing I want to do. Like arresting you because I don’t like the way you’re acting.”

  “How am I acting?”

  “Suspiciously.”

  “I’m not acting suspiciously,” he argued. Bodine reached into his saddlebags and removed a pair of manacles. He handed them to Jess.

  “Mr. Reid, I’m arresting you on the charge of acting suspiciously,” he said as he pointed the rifle at him. “Jess, lock his hands behind his back.” Jess slid from the saddle, reached up and manacled Reid’s hands behind his back.

  “You can’t do this. I haven’t done anything,” complained Reid.

  “I’m adding resisting arrest to the charges,” Bodine said sharply.

  “What other charges?”

  “Withholding evidence of a crime.”

  “What crime?”

  “You mean that Mr. Malvern didn’t tell you about the two men who tried to ambush Mr. Williams yesterday?”

  “He didn’t tell me about that.”

  “I choose not to believe you,” said Bodine.

  “This ain’t right,” wailed Reid. The other man stayed silent, not wanting to be arrested.

  Bodine looked at Reid. “You two ride in front of us and if you veer off I’ll plug you without warning,” he said with meaning.

  “You’d shoot a man in the back?”

  “Yeah, if that’s the way he was running when he was trying to escape. Now get moving.”

  “This is bull,” Reid complained as he heeled his horse into a slow gallop.

  When they arrived at the house and the other men saw Reid manacled, they all started whispering to one another. When they saw the U.S. marshal’s badge, they became silent as Malvern walked out to see what the commotion was about.

  “What is the meaning of this?” demanded Malvern. “Why do you have one of my men manacled?”

  “Because I arrested him,” replied Bodine.

  “For what exactly?”

  “None of your damn business,” said Bodine.

  Malvern looked angrily at Jess. “I suppose this is your doing?”

  “Yeah, and if you’re looking for the other two men you sent to ambush me, you can find them at the undertaker’s.”

  “You killed them both?”

  “Yeah, but not before they took a chunk of meat from my back. I should put a slug in you for that.”

  “Is that an admission of guilt?” queried Bodine as he grinned at Malvern.

  “Those men acted on their own. So, what the hell do you want now?”

  “I’m here to inform you that I’m taking over the duties of law enforcement until further notice,” explained Bodine.

  “But what about Sheriff Burke?”

  “He’s locked up in jail, right where this one is going next.”

  “You can’t do that. He works for the ranchers in the area.”

  “Yeah, we’re looking into that too.”

  “We?”

  “United States Marshal Frank Reedy is looking into all your dealings, here and in Montana, where you originally came from.”

  “This is ridiculous,” Malvern laughed nervously. “I haven’t broken any laws.”

  “Attempted murder is an offense.”

  “You can’t prove that,” Malvern said defiantly as he glared at Jess. “He killed all the witnesses.”

  “I don’t have to prove it, I just have to believe it. After I lock this one up, I’ll be paying a visit to the other cattle ranchers involved in this mess. They’ll be getting the same message I’m giving you. Your days of pushing other people off public grazing lands are over. You might as well make peace with the sheep herder and be done with it. Otherwise, you’re going to lose everything you have: this ranch, your cattle, everything, including your freedom. You’d best take me serious because I’m not going to say it again. And if you’re thinking about trying to kill me, just know that killing a federal lawman will bring down the dogs of hell and they won’t care much about the law when they do, if you get my meaning.”

  Bodine turned his horse around and Jess backed his up, keeping the shotgun trained on Malvern, who looked like he was angry enough to swallow a horned toad backward. When they got far enough, Jess turned his horses around and caught up to Bodine.

  “I think that went well,” Jess told him.

  “You don’t know Mr. Malvern then,” said Reid.

  “Nobody asked you your opinion,” Bodine told him.

  They rode into town and up to the jail. Bodine hauled Reid out of the saddle and pushed him up the steps of the jail. After unlocking the door, he put Reid into the cell next to Burke, who slowly stood up yawning.

  “What’d you arrest him for?” he asked.

  “Because I wanted to send a message to Malvern’s men,” replied Bodine as he removed the manacles from Reid’s hands.

  Reid turned around and rubbed his wrists. “I have information that I can give you if you’ll let me out of here when this is all over with.”

  Bodine eyeballed Reid suspiciously. “What kind of information?”

  “Mr. Malvern had me send a message to Heath Morgan offering him a job.”

  “Heath Morgan, the gunfighter from Wichita?” asked Bodine as he glanced at Jess.

  “None other. Malvern is offering him five thousand dollars to kill Williams.”

  “Did he take the job?”

  “He said he was coming and expected to collect his fee when he got here.”

  “Thanks for the warning, but I’m not sure how that really helps. Morgan ain’t a back shooter and when he comes to town, he’ll announce it to Jess and face him fair and square. And Jess won’t pick him off on his way in. He’ll wait for him and face him.”

  “But I ain’t really done anything wrong,” said Reid.

  “I’ve got information that’s really worth something,” said Burke.

  “Yeah, like what?” asked Bodine.

  “Do I get a deal?”

  “What do you want?”

  “When this is over with, you let me out and let me leave town.”

  “And why would I do that?”

  “Because Mr. McBee didn’t just die. He was murdered and I know who done it,” Burke said with a knowing smile.

  Chapter twelve

  The next several days were uneventful. Gabriel and Buster worked the herd, keeping them on the east side of the river. Bodine made arrangements for Juanita at the hotel café to make sure the prisoners had three meals a day. Jess and Buster rode out to the fence line and shot one of Malvern’s longhorns that was grazing on his side of the fence for a supply of beef. Jess left a twenty-dollar gold coin on the head of the steer as payment.

  Lida happily cleaned each room in the house. Jess sent Gabriel and Buster into town with a list of things to buy including food, boots for Buster and shoes for Lida. He also had him purchase her a few new dresses. The house had a deep well inside the kitchen in the corner. It was fifty feet deep and had a rope and pulley attached to a round wooden platform that kept milk and other items cool. They were sitting down to a supper of steaks from the freshly slaughtered steer. Lida had platters of food on the table before she put the steaks on the stove top. Jess was scooping some carrots onto his plate as he looked down at Bodine.

  “So, when are you going to arrest Malvern?” he asked. Gabriel, Buster and Lida all stopped what they were doing and looked at both of them.

  Bodine just smiled. “After I hear back from Frank,” he told Jess. “I sent him the information that Burke gave us and he’s doing some checking first. Malvern ain’t going anywhere. He has no idea that we know.”

  “Know what?” asked Buster. Jess shook his head at Bodine.

  “Just legal stuff,” Bodine told Buster. “Nothing you’d be interested in.”

  “I hope you lock
him up,” said Gabriel. “He’s a mean man.” After they ate, Jess and Bodine walked out to the barn to check on their horses and talk privately.

  “I’m holding off on arresting Malvern because we have no proof yet except for the word of a crooked sheriff,” explained Bodine.

  “I don’t think he was lying about it.”

  “We can’t be sure of it and I don’t want to go digging up the backyard of the house yet. If he found out we were doing that, he’d make a run for the hills.”

  “Well, we can’t wait much longer.”

  “Let’s ride into town tomorrow and see if I have a response from Reedy yet.”

  “Okay, that sounds good to me.”

  ***

  The lone figure sat tall in the saddle. He was dressed in a light gray, pinstriped suit with a cream-colored shirt that was buttoned all the way up to his neck. The black, flat-brimmed Stetson covered his penetrating green eyes. He wore expensive thin black leather gloves. Not for style, but mostly to protect his right hand.

  On his right hip rode a shiny Navy Colt. The wooden handles had seven notches carved into them. The notches served two purposes. One, it gave him a better grip on his gun when he drew it; and two, it announced that he had killed seven men in a gunfight. Not just any men, but men who fancied themselves as gunslingers good enough to go up against the best. Heath Morgan was known far and wide as the best.

  When the men rode out to see who he was, he ignored them completely. He kept riding his horse toward the house. The men reined in their horses and let him pass between them. They knew who it was and they weren’t about to stop or ask him anything. They spurred their horses and rode way around him and back to the house to inform Malvern that Heath Morgan was about to arrive. Malvern was standing on the porch when Morgan stopped his horse.

  “Mr. Morgan, thanks for taking me up on my offer,” said Malvern.

  Morgan eyed each of the men standing around gawking at him. “I assume you have an office where we can speak privately?” he asked.

  “Oh sure, please follow me. My men will take care of your horse for you.”