The Valerons--Retribution!

by Terrell L Bowers

  ‘Well, that was a bust,’ Shane griped. ‘You can bet they hurried the process as much as they could so there wouldn’t be any evidence.’

  ‘It’s why we had to check it out tonight, rather than make the trip out to the ranch. I had hoped we could get a few branded hides as proof against the tannery and slaughterhouse. I’m guessing someone realized where these cattle came from. If they know we Valerons are involved, they will destroy all of the evidence as quickly as possible.’

  ‘How could they know we are on their trail?’

  ‘They might not,’ Jared answered. ‘If they didn’t know the Double B was tied to our ranch, then this could have been a hurried job due to the fact the Barrett spread is not more than twenty-five to thirty miles away. Pretty brassy of them to peddle rustled cattle so close to the victim’s ranch.’

  ‘What’s our next move?’

  ‘I need to send a telegraph message to Pa. I have an idea that Wendy can lend us a hand with.’

  ‘Wendy? You afraid someone will recognize you?’ Shane asked.

  ‘Wyatt and I made quite an impression on the townspeople when we brought in those outlaws. There was even a photograph of us in the newspaper.’

  ‘Right. It means we will have to be careful with our questioning too. Them at the slaughterhouse or tannery won’t want to talk to us at all.’

  ‘That’s where Wendy comes in. You and me are going to speak to some of the local markets, although we’ll try not to arouse any suspicion. I’d guess our best approach will be to pretend to be looking for the most inexpensive place to buy beef – claim we have a work gang laying some narrow-gauge tracks.’

  ‘To do what?”

  ‘Mining,’ Jared replied. ‘The narrow-gauge cars can go right into the mines, then deliver the ore to the railroad.’

  ‘Maybe we ought to get Faro,’ Shane mentioned their cousin. ‘He’s in charge of our family’s mining.’

  ‘No store owner is going to want to know the details. Their interest is in selling their merchandise. Besides, we are looking for a good deal, not just someone to provide the beef.’

  ‘I see what you’re saying,’ Shane told him. ‘What about your sister? How do we contact Wendy when she arrives?’

  ‘We’ll meet at the hotel. She will know to check in at the same one as we stayed at last time.’

  ‘Then you and me are going to head into town and get a room for the night?’

  Jared shrugged. ‘Not if you’d prefer the fresh air and open sky over your head.’

  ‘After being rained on, treading through an ocean of mud, crossing a river, then sleeping on a pile of rocks last night – I’ll take a room. I don’t care if it’s a closet and a single blanket!’

  ‘Hot dang! You’re getting to be as soft as a daisy. Good thing you spend most of your time on the ranch.’

  ‘Yeah, tell me about it, Jer. Tell me how you want to save a few dollars by sleeping in some hollow, then using creek water to wash and shave. And let’s not forget we’re down to a couple of tins of beans for breakfast.’

  ‘Like I said, Shane. We deserve to spoil ourselves a little. Let’s head for town.’

  Locke entered the main sitting room, where Wendy was seated at a large desk in the corner. Reb had kept the records up to date, so she had been able to manage the books with little effort. She looked up at his entrance.

  ‘Hi, Dad!’ she said, thinking how much younger he looked. Taking charge of a small ranch was much easier on him than running the massive Valeron empire. Even the gray above his ears was less noticeable. ‘Any word on Dodge today?’

  ‘Just what Reb told us yesterday in his telegraph message. It sounded quite optimistic.’

  She laughed. ‘There’s a word I never heard you say before.’

  ‘Yes, well, you and Jared still live at home,’ he reparteed. ‘And with Cliff and the little muffin always around too, I sometimes lack optimism.’

  He left the words hanging, so Wendy said: ‘I for one am always optimistic.’

  ‘Yes, you don’t think there isn’t anything you can’t do. Jared gives me the same headache.’

  ‘If Dodge gets back on his feet, he’ll probably be returning to the ranch soon,’ she opined. ‘I imagine that will end our part of this adventure.’

  Locke noticed the words were spoken with a hint of disappointment on his daughter’s face. He deduced she didn’t wish to pack up and return home, and that regret could be summed up in a single name – July Colby!

  ‘Is that a telegraph message you’re carrying?’

  Locke nodded. ‘Max ran over to the way station this morning to pick up the mail. He just got back.’

  ‘But nothing from Reb?’

  ‘No, but there is something else,’ he informed Wendy. He pulled around an extra chair and sat down across from her. ‘The wire is from Jared.’

  ‘Did he locate the rustlers?’ she asked eagerly.

  ‘It’s what the telegraph message is about,’ he replied. Then he paused to study his daughter. She was a very similar image to his wife, Wanetta, at the same age. Same dazzling sparkle in the depths of her eyes, same petite sculpturing of her features, even the kindred enchanting lips and mouth. He loved Scarlet dearly, who was a little prettier than Wendy, but Scarlet had always been a proper lady – although strong in spirit and will. Wendy, contrarily, was like a forest nymph, darting this way and that, going here and there. She had wit and a knack for finding trouble – similar to her favorite brother, Jared. She deserved so much more than a wandering down-on-his-luck orphan cowhand.

  ‘You were saying? About the telegram?’ Wendy prompted him, curious when he didn’t continue.

  He almost laughed. That was so like her. Scarlet would have sat patiently and let him take his time. But Wendy – she always had things to do – in and out, busy, busy, busy. He idly wondered if any man would ever be able to keep up with her.

  ‘Jared has asked for you to join him in Denver. He has a job for you.’

  It was rare to see Wendy struck speechless, even for a moment. Locke could not even remember such a time.

  ‘Uh,’ Wendy’s recovery was swift, her nimble mind already working on a thousand avenues at one time. ‘Jer must have a special kind of problem if he’s asking for me.’

  ‘He didn’t put too much into the cable, in case the telegrapher happened to be friends with the wrong sort of people.’ Locke removed the message from his pocket and looked at it. ‘The message reads: Regards from Denver to Wendy and July . . . Stop. Inform Freddy of party . . . Stop. Will see cousins soon . . . Stop. And it’s signed Jared.’

  Wendy shook her head in utter bewilderment. ‘Regards to me and Mr Colby? Party? What on earth is he up to?’

  Locke rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘It’s pretty straightforward, when you consider he couldn’t be sure who might see the wire.’

  She frowned. ‘You and I have a completely different idea as to the meaning of straightforward!’

  ‘Jared wants you and July to join him in Denver.’

  Wendy skewed her expression and uttered an uncertain, ‘Uh, OK.’

  Locke continued. ‘Freddy obviously means Governor Frederick Pitkin. I’m to contact him and have him support whatever scheme Jared has come up with.’

  ‘Well, of course,’ Wendy said, sarcastically. ‘Everyone calls the Governor of the State of Colorado by his childhood nickname!’

  ‘And the part about the cousins means he wants me to have some help ready at hand.’

  ‘All right, so the men in this family all talk in some kind of code. I get that. But what about me and July? What could he possibly want with our new hired man?’

  ‘My guess,’ Locke mused, ‘he needs someone who is not connected with either our ranch or the Barrett ranch.’

  Wendy gave an unladylike snort. ‘Now I know why you and Jerry should never be partners when we’re playing Pinochle! I’ll bet you both know what cards the other is holding before the bids even start!’

  ‘My dear, y
ou don’t think your brother and I would stoop to – as you put it – use some sort of secret code to win at a game of cards.’

  ‘I darn well do!’

  Locke cast aside the banter. ‘I sent Max back to telegraph Reb. He needs to come to the ranch tonight. Dutch is going to inform young Mr Colby to also join us when he comes in from the range. We’ll get this thing organized.’

  ‘Where did Jerry send the message from?’

  ‘Denver, of course.’

  She frowned. ‘He’s twenty miles away and sends us a telegraph message instead of coming to the ranch?’

  ‘I suspect he will explain his reasons when he sees you.’

  ‘But why me and July? What can we do that he can’t?’

  ‘Your brother must have a plan, Wendy.’ Then, with a touch of the Valeron wit: ‘Without sitting across from him at the card table, I can hardly be expected to know what is in his mind.’

  She shook her head, mystified. ‘It’s only a four-hour ride. It makes no sense to contact us by telegraph.’

  ‘Like I said, you can ask him when you see him.’

  ‘I darn well will!’

  Pegg arrived home to find his mother had a stew warming on the stove. No matter how she felt, the woman refused to be waited on, or allow anyone else to do what she considered to be her job.

  ‘Mom, you didn’t have to fix my supper. I’ve told you before, I can always get by with some bread and fruit or whatever.’

  ‘You and Bing have worked so very hard lately,’ she argued. ‘I mean, you let him come home at a decent hour, then sometimes you don’t come home at all.’

  ‘I’ve got an old couch in the storage room. When it gets too late, I simply don’t make the trip.’ Pegg shrugged. ‘And I always keep some food around. After all, we process meat for a living.’

  ‘Oh, I’m sure you can use the pot-bellied stove in the office to fry up a piece of raw meat. What a fine meal that is!’

  He didn’t reply, but walked over and gave his mother a hug. ‘How you feeling today?’

  ‘It helps when the nights are cooler. I swear, I sometimes think women who die young are doing it out of cowardice. It’s like constantly running a fever, and the headaches and other ailments . . .’ She sighed. ‘Good thing I have your father. I’d hate to go through something like this on my own.’

  ‘Pa in bed already?’

  ‘You worked him until he about fell asleep at the dinner table. He’s not as young as he used to be.’

  ‘I’m beat too,’ Pegg admitted. ‘But we got the job done and, hopefully, we won’t have a rush order like that again.’

  ‘Sit down and I’ll dish you up some stew. I made some of you favorite cookies for dessert.’

  ‘You’re too good to me, Mom.’

  ‘Better wash your hands,’ she ordered. ‘I don’t want you thinking those cookies smell like dried blood or something.’

  ‘I wish you would let me have Miss Devonshire come in more than once a week to do laundry. She could help with the housework or cooking. It’s got to be hard on you, when you’re feeling poorly.’

  ‘Don’t you worry about me, Singeon.’ Then with a twinkle in her eye, ‘If you want to get me someone to share the work, find yourself a wife. Bing and I wouldn’t mind becoming grandparents.’

  He laughed, as if her suggestion was a joke, and wandered over to the washbasin. He knew she was serious, but Pegg was no prize. Quite overweight, with a receding hairline – thanks to his grandparents on Lajetta’s side – and he was forced to wear spectacles when reading or doing paperwork. He also looked part bulldog, with a wide, flat nose, sagging jowls, and had more facial hair than most women cared for. When you consider he was dogmatic and short-tempered – only a woman who wanted his money would take him for a husband.

  The idea struck him as funny. When he had enough money to buy a wife, he would rather spend it on a dozen different parlor girls. At least them he could pay and be done with.

  Squint and Rocco entered the small ranch house. Pierce Mantee was still up, smoking a cigar and sitting in a creaky rocking chair, with a pillow to support his back. While only in his thirties, a life on the move, so many hours in the saddle or sleeping on the cold, damp ground aged a man quick and caused numerous aches and pains.

  Squint was the one to speak. ‘Watching the slaughterhouse paid off. A pair of shadows showed up last night sniffing around. They sure ’nuff tracked them beef all the way to Pegg’s. Reckon they seen they was too late, ’cause they next headed over to the tannery.’

  Rocco bobbed his head. ‘Can’t be no doubt. They looked to have been on the trail at least a week or so. They didn’t spend no time at Pegg’s, but they were more thorough at the tannery. We seen them sneak in for a look around, but they only stayed for a few minutes.’

  ‘Trying to find evidence of the Double B beef,’ Mantee surmised. ‘Did they come out with any hides?’

  ‘Not a thing,’ Rocco assured him. ‘Hank did like he was told – didn’t leave nothing lying about to tie him to those cattle.’

  ‘Where are the two men now?’

  Squint answered: ‘They went into town and got a room at the Dead-End hotel. We took turns keeping watch the rest of the night, but they never left. Come daylight we headed back here to report in.’

  ‘They could go to the law?’ Rocco suggested.

  ‘Pegg has a man who will let him know if anything comes up,’ Mantee vowed with confidence. ‘He pays a handsome sum each month to keep any badges from snooping around his operation.’

  ‘You want we should arrange an accident for them two trackers?’

  ‘Not yet. Pegg worked his men long hours to see there was no trail to follow. And like you said, Hank Grubber is good at his job over at the tannery too. You can bet there will be no trail to follow.’

  ‘What do you want us to do?’ Rocco asked.

  ‘Rex and Dekay worked at the Barrett ranch. Have them keep an eye on the two bloodhounds and see if they recognize them. I’d like to know who is doing the tracking . . . just in case we have to deal with them.’

  ‘I’ll ride with them to Denver and point out the two trackers for the boys,’ Rocco said. ‘I got better eyesight than Squint.’

  ‘What fer do you think I squints for?’ the man complained. ‘I kin see close-up, just not off in the distance.’

  ‘Rocco, you handle it, but tell Dekay and Rex not to be seen.’ Mantee leaned forward in his chair and frowned. ‘We want to be darn certain we don’t draw any suspicion on us.’

  ‘You think one of them might be a Valeron?’ Squint asked, his voice little more than a whisper, as if he was afraid the name would make one of them appear in the flesh.

  ‘That’s why I want Rex and Dekay to have a look at them. Both of them claimed to have seen a couple of the Valerons when the ranch changed hands.’

  ‘We maybe ought to skedaddle from these parts,’ Squint said. ‘I don’t much favor the idea of butting heads with the Valerons.’

  ‘The Dead-End hotel is the cheapest place to stay in Denver,’ Rocco said. ‘With the money that family has, I can’t see them staying there instead of one of the better places.’

  ‘Might be trying to stay concealed, keep anyone from knowing they are around,’ Mantee surmised.

  ‘Damn,’ Rocco sighed. ‘Who could have known the Valerons would be part of this? Rex said the Barrett gal got the ranch back after her stepmother and Robby were out of the picture. He and Dekay were both fired for having helped the son sell cattle on the side. We had no way of knowing the Valerons still had an interest in the Barrett ranch.’

  ‘It’s a little late to worry about that end of things now,’ Mantee said. ‘One thing’s certain, we’re not going after any more of their cattle. And I don’t care what those two meatheads have to say about it!’

  Chapter Six

  It was after dinner when everyone gathered for the meeting. July, Wendy, Locke and Reb were seated round the family room. Reb was in a good mood, as Dodge h
ad sat up and shared a meal with him. The outlook was good and the doctor recommended only another couple days before he could start exercising and take short walks. If everything went to schedule, he would be going home in two weeks or less.

  ‘About the rustlers,’ Reb spoke, after everyone was settled. ‘Dodge and me have done some serious contemplation.’ He squinted about at the others, but spoke to Locke. ‘And we done reached a conclusion, boss.’

  ‘I’m not your boss at this ranch,’ Locke told him.

  Reb grinned. ‘Mr Valeron, long as I live, you’ll always be the Boss to me.’

  Locke chuckled. ‘What were you saying about a conclusion?’

  ‘When we took over this here ranch, Miss Barrett had Max and a decent cowhand or two. There were also a couple jokers who had supported and worked with that conniving old witch and her misbegotten son. We up and fired them both ’cause we didn’t trust them no more’n a bee-stung mule. Rex and Dekay were sorry excuses for ranch hands, and Max told Dodge he reckoned they had been in on every shady deal Rob and his mother were mixed up in.’

  ‘Is this leading someplace?’ Locke encouraged him to get to the point.

  ‘We got a notion them two might be mixed up in this rustling,’ Reb explained. ‘They knew when we would gather the steers for roundup, when they were to be sold, and where the holding pasture was. Add to that, they done shot Dodge and young Lonnie. They could have jumped them and tied them up or something, but they started shooting, intending to kill them right off.’

  ‘Because Dodge would have recognized them,’ Locke reasoned.

  ‘That’s our thinking.’

  ‘Which is all the more reason Jared and Shane have to stay in the shadows,’ Wendy suggested. ‘Those men could be watching for them.’

  ‘I can only guess why Jared would send a wire when he could have ridden here in a matter of hours,’ Locke determined. ‘But he could be acting on that very assumption – someone might be watching.’

  ‘So why include me?’ July asked. ‘I mean, your boy didn’t say ten words to me on the way here. Any idea what my part is supposed to be in this?’