Sunlight streamed through the front door and glazed Felicity’s body with a sheen of golden light. Her dark hair, spread out like a fan, glistened like a raven’s wing, and the blood on the floor began to congeal and turn a rusty black.
Flies zizzed in from the outside and landed on the fresh blood and peppered her slashed neck in a feeding frenzy.
Later, the three men drove the horses up the slash on the bluff and vanished into the thick timber of the Rocky Mountains.
THREE
Shadows inched down the clapboard walls of the houses and buildings in Leadville as the sun cleared the eastern horizon. There was a chill in the air borne on the breeze that swept down from the high snow-mantled peaks to the west. Brad Storm and his foreman, Julio Aragon, rode down the dirt street, huddled in their sheepskin jackets, their horses blowing steamy mist through their rubbery nostrils.
“Why do we meet this man so early in the morning?” Julio asked.
“Because he sold his herd in Denver and offered to show me a few head before he goes back to Wyoming.”
“I have never heard of this breed of cattle,” Julio said.
“Hardly anybody has,” Brad said. “But I’ve seen a few head, and I think we can do some mixed breeding and get a better price for bigger cattle.”
“Our cattle are big enough,” Julio said.
“The ones we’re going to look at are bigger.”
“So is the buffalo.”
Brad laughed. “We might try that someday, too,” he said.
They rode through the small town to the edge where there were a few fenced stockyards. In one of the pens, they saw some gray cattle at the watering trough. Two men leaned against the fence watching the cattle drink. The cattle had humps on their backs and large floppy ears.
One of the men turned around when Brad and Julio rode up. He wore a battered felt hat, was short and lean, with a three-day beard shadow and a smile that was missing a couple of teeth.
“Howdy,” he said. “You Storm?”
Brad swung out of the saddle.
“I’m Brad Storm. You must be Dale Gentry.”
“I am. This is my segundo, Fred Nowicki.”
Nowicki was a shade taller than his boss, with arms that bulged muscles, clear blue eyes and the same three-day beard that looked like embedded pieces of iron. He had a bulbous nose that appeared to have been broken at least twice in his lifetime. He had a stalk of hay in his mouth that left a green stain on the corners of his lips.
Julio stepped out of the saddle and walked over to the men.
“This is Julio Aragon, my ranch foreman,” Brad said.
Julio shook hands with Gentry and Nowicki. He could not avert his gaze from the cattle in the pen.
Dale noticed Julio’s fascination with the cattle. “Ever seen Brahman cattle before, Julio?” he asked.
Julio shook his head.
“They’re from India,” Dale said. “And over there, they are considered sacred, almost like gods. They are protected. But a few years ago, some people here in the United States had some shipped over here.”
“I’ve seen ’em before,” Brad said, “but never this close.”
“The bulls can weigh anywhere from a thousand pounds to over a ton,” Dale said. “That big one over there that I brought down weighs better’n fifteen hundred pounds and ain’t yet fully growed. He’ll make a fine breeder. I call him Caesar.”
“You brought one bull and two cows,” Brad said.
“The cows are Eloise and Minerva. In case you want to put your whitefaces with a cow or two.”
Brad noticed a man standing on the other side of the corral. His horse’s reins were wrapped around the bottom pole. He was staring at them but tried to appear to be just a casual observer.
“That man over there,” Brad said, his voice pitched low, “is he one of your hands?”
Dale turned around to look at the man.
“No, but he rode down with us. He wants to talk to you as soon as our business is concluded.”
Brad felt a wave of suspicion float like a small comber in his mind.
“Who is he?”
“Says his name is Joe Blaine. Ever hear of him?”
Brad shook his head. “Name don’t ring no bell,” he said. “What’s he want with me?”
“He didn’t say. I think he’s with some detective outfit in Denver, though. I got that much out of him. I hope you’re not in some kind of trouble.”
Brad smiled.
“No, not that I know of. But I’m pretty sure I know who sent him. If he wants to talk to me, it’ll be a real short conversation.”
“Now, about that bull, Storm. You interested?”
“Sure,” Brad said. “He’s homely as a mud fence, but I think I can use him.”
“What about the cows?” Dale asked.
“I’ll take those, too. Anything I should know about them before I pay you?”
“Well, they’re easy to raise. With that smooth hide they don’t have no problem with ticks and flies so much. They can stand a lot of heat but not much cold. They’ll eat grass and hay and whatever fodder you feed ’em.”
“Julio and I will drive ’em up and put ’em to pasture.”
Brad pulled out a roll of bills. He counted them as he placed them in Dale’s palm as Fred looked on. Julio still stared at the ungainly cattle with the pale gray hides and the humps, the long droopy ears.
Fred pulled some folded papers from his pocket. He lifted one leg to write on and wrote the terms of the sale and signed it. He handed the paper to Dale, who signed it and handed it to Brad.
“Here’s your bill of sale, Brad,” Dale said. “You want to find a notary?”
“No, I’ll have Julio sign as witness.”
“Fair enough,” Dale said. Fred put the other papers back in his pocket and spit out the hay stalk.
“Who bought your cattle, Dale?” Brad asked after Dale stuffed the role in his left front pocket.
“Ray Barnes. Owns the Lucky Day ranch north of Denver. Know him?”
“Met him once. He raises good horses and I bought a couple of geldings from him.”
“He does have a fine string of horses, mixed Arabs and Morgans, I think.”
“Yep. What’s he going to do with Brahman?”
“They’re callin’ ’em Bramers, now. Ray is going to do what you aim to do, mix ’em in with Herefords and maybe Black Angus. He’s got a large spread.”
“I know. Besides his ranch near Denver he has another one up near the mountains west of town.”
“Well, good luck, Brad,” Dale said. “Fred and I got to be gettin’ back. Stop by whenever you’re up to Cheyenne. My spread is the Two Bar Six.”
“I’ll do that,” Brad said.
The two men shook hands again. Dale and Fred walked over to another pen where their horses were tethered to a corner pole. They mounted up, waved, and set out for the road to Denver.
Brad looked at the cattle he had bought.
“I say rope that one cow and maybe the bull and the other cow will follow us back to the ranch.”
“Or rope the bull,” Julio said.
“Cow always leads the herd,” Brad said.
“Whiteface cow.”
“Maybe the Bramers do the same.”
“All right.”
“I want to get out of here,” Brad said. “Quick as we can.”
“What about that hombre over there who wants to talk to you?”
“I don’t want to talk to him, Julio.”
“It’s too late,” Julio said as he looked over Brad’s shoulder. “He is walking this way.”
Brad turned around.
“Hold on there, Mr. Storm,” the man said. “I’d like a word with you.”
“Not interested, stranger,” Brad said
.
“Only take a minute.”
“Make it quick, then.”
The man who approached them was almost as tall as Brad, with wide shoulders, a push-broom moustache with a rusty tint, sharp features, and pale blue eyes that were as cold and frosted as pond ice. He wore a pistol on his hip, a sheepskin-lined denim jacket, a neatly blocked Stetson, and shiny snakeskin boots.
“A minute’s all I got,” Brad said when the man was six feet away. “Less if you work for Harry Pendergast.”
“I believe you work for Harry yourself,” the man said.
“Not anymore. I quit some time ago.”
The man stopped and looked Brad square in the eyes. “My name’s Joe Blaine and I do work for the Denver Detective Agency. Harry sends his regards.”
“All right. I send mine back.”
“Hold on, Mr. Storm. I haven’t used up my minute yet.”
Brad studied Blaine’s face. The man didn’t blink. His stare was as hard as twenty-penny nails. He did not look like a man who would back down from anything. He didn’t look much like a detective, either. He looked like a city slicker in a western outfit who summered at a dude ranch. Still, if you looked closer, there was something about him that belied his neat appearance. He looked like a man who could bulldog a steer and hogtie a yearling calf before you could say “Jack Robinson.”
“I’ll hear you out, but I just bought three head of Bramers and I’m headin’ back into the mountains.”
“Fair enough,” Blaine said.
Then he reached into a shirt pocket and pulled out a sheaf of folded greenbacks.
Julio’s eyes widened as he stared at the bills. The one that was on top was a hundred-dollar bill.
Blaine held the stack of greenbacks shoulder high and flashed Brad a wan smile.
“This,” he said softly, “is a bribe, Mr. Storm.”
The sun rose in the morning sky, and one of the Brahman moaned as it swung its head to look at the three men standing outside the stock pen. Its mournful eyes seemed full of a sadness that told a tale of long journeys and a longing for a lost homeland in India. Julio felt all this as he waited for Blaine to drop the other shoe.
FOUR
Brad looked at the money in Blaine’s hand and felt something squirm in his stomach. Money was something he was often short of and now was no exception. But a bribe? A bribe for what? Or was this just one of Harry Pendergast’s wicked jokes? Or Blaine’s?
“A bribe,” Brad said, “usually means there are a lot of strings attached. Are you really trying to bribe me for something?”
Blaine’s hard stare never faltered.
“Harry told me you had a hard head and were stubborn as a Missouri mule, so I thought if I waved some greenbacks at you, you might be inclined to listen to what I have to say. Money talks.”
“Well, you got my attention, Blaine, but unless I know why you’re offering me money right upfront, I guess my attention span is about as short as a jackrabbit’s tail.”
“Harry also said you talked straight, so I’ll get to the point.”
“Make it short,” Brad said.
Blaine continued to hold the money up in the air as if it were a temptation to hold Brad’s interest.
“Harry wants you to come to Denver. He’s got a case that’s baffled him and me.”
“That’s his problem. I told Harry that I quit the detective business. I’m a cattle rancher, not a detective.”
“He told me you might say that. He knows you no longer want to work for him, but he says this is urgent. And, it is.”
“Well, he has you working for him. You take the case.”
“Actually, I’m a horse breeder. I belong to an outfit called the Colorado Horse Breeders Association. I was hired by them to retrieve some stolen horses and capture the horse thieves. But the situation got worse and I took our case to Pendergast. He put me on retainer. So, I work for both my association and Harry’s detective agency.”
“A man can’t serve two masters, Blaine.”
“Which is similar to your situation, isn’t it?”
“My situation?”
“You’re a cattle rancher and have worked as a detective for Pendergast.”
“Yeah, I did. But I quit the agency. Now I’m just a cattle rancher.”
“Maybe I can appeal to your sympathy, if not your wallet,” Blaine said.
“Sympathy?”
“We, and by that I mean myself and members of my association, are losing good horseflesh to a gang of organized thieves. And we don’t know why. If your cattle were rustled, you’d want to catch the rustlers, right?”
“Sure,” Brad said. “And horse thieving is a hanging offense anywhere in this country.”
“If you’ll come to Denver, I’ll give you each five hundred dollars right now, on the spot. Just talk to Harry, that’s all I ask. If you don’t want to take on the job, the money’s yours to keep. Now, how’s that for an offer?”
There was a long silence among the three men. Julio stared at the money, and the figure of five hundred dollars loomed huge in his mind. It was more money than he had ever seen at one time. He swallowed hard and it was all he could do not to salivate.
Brad ran the amount over in his mind. He had just laid out cash for three head of Brahman cattle and that put him in some jeopardy. He had hands to feed and not enough cattle to sell in the Kansas markets. He was just starting out and had payrolls to meet. The cattle would pay off, eventually, but the honest truth was that he was short of cash. Still, he was afraid of being roped in by Harry and forced to do a job while his ranch went to pot. Besides, he had promised Felicity that he wouldn’t leave her alone again.
“It’s a mighty tempting offer, Blaine, but I can’t leave my ranch right now. I just bought these cattle and have a lot to do, matching my cows with this Bramer bull and those cows with my Hereford bull. I got to find new pasture and build fences and grow hay for the winter. I have a lot of responsibility.”
“I know that, Brad, and so does Harry. All I’m asking is that you come to Denver and talk to us. Harry is willing to pay for your time. You’d stay only a day or so and if you turn us down, you can come back and tend to your ranch with money in your pocket.”
“Why do they want to hire me?” Julio asked.
“It’s a big job. Fact is, Harry thinks it’s going to take three of us to track down these horse thieves and shut them down.”
“Three?” Brad asked.
“You, Julio, and me,” Joe said.
Brad was struck dumb. For several seconds he was speechless.
“Harry’s been drinking too much peach cordial,” Brad said finally. “I work alone. He knows that.”
“Not on this case. It’s too big.”
“How big?” Brad asked.
“These thieves aren’t just stealing one or two or three horses. They’re cleaning out entire stables.”
“You check with the U.S. Army?” Brad asked. “They buy horses.”
“Those horses aren’t going to the military,” Joe said.
“Where, then?”
Blaine shrugged. “We don’t know. That’s why Harry is making this offer. Five hundred apiece for you and Julio, just to listen to him for five minutes in Denver.”
“I will go there, Brad,” Julio said. “That is a lot of money.”
“It is a lot of money,” Brad agreed. “But it’s money that stinks to high heaven. I know how persuasive Harry is, and I just don’t want to do any more detective work for him.”
“I will do any kind of work for five hundred dollars,” Julio said.
“It has to be both you and Brad,” Blaine said. “Look, gents, I’m not just the messenger here. I have a stake in finding these horse thieves. I had a dozen of my best horses stolen out of my stables. Fine horses. Horses I can’t replace.”
<
br /> “That may be so,” Brad said. “But I don’t have a stake in this. I’m a cowman. That’s it.”
“Do you own horses?” Blaine dropped his hand but held on to the money.
“A few. Enough for a remuda once we make our first trail drive up to Salina.”
“If you have horses, then you’re a target for these thieves.”
“I doubt it,” Brad said. “Look, Joe, I appreciate Harry’s offer, but I’m turning it down. Julio and I are going to drive these Bramers up to the ranch and get to work breeding new stock. I wish you luck. Tell Harry I said howdy.”
Blaine stuffed the bills back in his shirt pocket. It appeared to Brad that he had given up and was accepting the fact that he and Julio would not go to Denver to see Pendergast.
“All right,” Blaine said. “I won’t push you no more, Brad. Mind if I ride back to your ranch with you? I’d like to see your spread, maybe take a look at your horses.”
Brad was taken aback by the offer.
“You’re wasting your time. I’m not going to change my mind.”
“I know. I promise I won’t bring up the subject again. I’d just like to ride up with you and get to know you better.”
Brad felt a worm of suspicion begin to crawl through his brain. But he shrugged and looked at Julio.
“I reckon you can ride up with us. Ain’t much to see, but we can put you up and feed you.”
“Good,” Blaine said. “I’m tired of hardtack and jerky. It’ll be a pleasure to meet your missus.”
Brad looked at Julio again.
“I guess we can use some help driving these Bramers up, can’t we, Julio?”
Julio frowned. “I would rather go to Denver and make five hundred dollars,” he said.
“Joe, go get your horse,” Brad said. “We’ll see how good you are at driving cattle.”
Blaine laughed.
“I’m better with horses,” he said. “But, I’m ready to try my hand at wrangling cattle.”
Fifteen minutes later, Julio was leading the roped cow while Brad and Joe drove the bull and other cow through the sunlit town and headed for the road to Brad’s ranch.
It seemed to Brad that Julio was jerking on the rope more than was necessary.
Nest of Vipers (9781101613283) Page 2
