Thousand Mile Case (9781101619520)

by Roberts, J. R.

  “Just try to stay out of trouble while you’re here,” the sheriff suggested.

  “I can do that,” Angel said, “if I’m left alone.”

  “I’m just askin’ you to watch yerself, that’s all,” the lawman said.

  Angel opened the door and before he went out said, “I guess I can do that.”

  FOUR

  Clint entered the Ace High. At this time of the afternoon it was not busy. He went to the bar and the bartender approached him, asking, “What can I get ya?”

  “Cold beer.”

  “Comin’ up.”

  Clint looked around. There were about half a dozen men in the place and none of them were paying any attention to him.

  “There ya go,” the bartender said, setting a cold one in front of him.

  “Thanks.”

  Clint picked it up and drank half of it down. The inner man immediately felt a lot better. He nursed the rest and then ordered a second. While he was drinking that one, Tom Angel walked in.

  “Bring my friend a beer,” Clint said to the bartender.

  “I’m buyin, remember?” Angel said.

  “Next one,” Clint said.

  Angel drank half of his down, heaved a large sigh.

  “How’d it go with the sheriff?”

  “Not sure he believed me,” Angel said.

  “I can talk to him if you like.”

  “He didn’t exactly call me a liar,” Angel said. “He just couldn’t wrap his head around why six men would try to kill me if I wasn’t wanted for something. I’m sure he’s going through his posters now.”

  “Well, he won’t find anything, right?”

  “Right.”

  “So there’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Unless those six show up here, lookin’ for me.”

  “Which could happen,” Clint said, “this being the closest town.”

  Angel finished his beer, put the empty mug down, noticed that Clint’s was empty as well.

  “Bring us another,” he called to the bartender. “Let me buy you this one, and then I’ll go and check on my horse.”

  “You looking to ride out if he’s fine?”

  “I dunno,” Angel said with a shrug. “Might be stupid of me to wait here for those six to arrive. Movin’ on might be the right thing to do.”

  “Sounds right to me,” Clint said.

  “Yeah,” Angel said as the bartender put down two more beers.

  * * *

  A few miles outside of town, six men gathered in a field, five of them looking to their boss, Big Ed Callahan.

  “Ed, what do we do?” one of them asked.

  “He ain’t anyplace,” another said.

  Callahan’s number one man, Kenny Hunt, looked at him and said, “I don’t like that all those horses got loose at the same time, Ed.”

  “I know,” Callahan said, “he must’ve had help. Somebody snuck up behind us and let them horses go.”

  “So what do we do?” the first man asked. “Keep lookin’?”

  Callahan gazed off into the distance.

  “Tucson’s over that way,” he said.

  “Closest town,” Hunt said, agreeing.

  “Okay,” Callahan said, “then we’ll go there. Maybe he needs a doctor.”

  “His horse went down,” Hunt said, “then got up and ran off.”

  “So maybe the horse needs treatment,” Callahan said. “Either way he’d go to Tucson.”

  “Kinda obvious,” Hunt said.

  “Whataya mean?” Callahan asked.

  “I mean it’s the closest town, so maybe he’ll skip it.”

  “If he’s hurt, or his horse is, he’ll need treatment quick,” Callahan said. “He’s gotta go to Tucson.”

  “Okay,” Hunt said, “so we go to Tucson.”

  “Good,” one of the men said. “I could use a drink.”

  “You’ll get your drink,” Callahan said, “when I say so. Not before.”

  “Sure, boss.”

  The men looked at Hunt, who just shook his head at them then followed his boss.

  * * *

  “It’s not too bad,” the liveryman told Angel. “I put some poultice on it and wrapped it up. I’d say give him a couple of days.”

  “A couple of days?”

  “Unless you wanna take a chance on him hurtin’ himself by favorin’ it.”

  “Yeah, I get it,” Angel said. “Okay. Take good care of ’im.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Angel left the livery. It looked like he was definitely going to need a hotel room. This wouldn’t make the sheriff very happy, but then he wasn’t exactly excited about it either.

  FIVE

  Clint was still in the Ace High Saloon when Tom Angel reappeared.

  “You don’t look like you got good news,” he said as the man joined him at the bar.

  “I didn’t,” Angel said. “Man says my horse needs a coupla days.”

  “So you’re stuck here, unless you want to sell your horse and buy a new one.”

  “I’m kinda partial to that sorrel,” Angel said. “I’d like to keep ’im.”

  “Well,” Clint said, “maybe those six won’t come to Tucson.”

  “I guess that depends on how smart they are,” Angel said. “And I didn’t get to know them long enough to tell.”

  “No, neither did I.”

  “I think I could use another beer,” Angel said, waving to the bartender, “and a whiskey. You?”

  “I’m good,” Clint said, looking down at his half-filled mug of beer. It was his third, and he hadn’t planned on having any more.

  “Yeah, well,” Angel said, accepting his drinks from the bartender, “these will be my last, too. You want to get somethin’ to eat after this?”

  “Sounds good,” Clint said. “I could use a steak.”

  * * *

  The six men came riding into Tucson, raking the street and boardwalks with their eyes, looking for Tom Angel.

  “If he’s here,” Callahan said, “he’s gonna be in a saloon, the whorehouse, or a café.”

  “Or a hotel,” Hunt said.

  “Maybe he went to the sheriff,” one of the other men said.

  “Naw, he wouldn’t do that,” Callahan said.

  The others didn’t comment because their boss knew Angel the best.

  “Okay, look,” Callahan said, “we’re gonna split up into twos. If you see him, don’t brace him. Come and find me. We’re gonna take him together. Understand?”

  “Yeah, we understand,” Hunt said.

  “Kenny, take Tino with you,” Callahan said. “Lumpy, you’re with me. Joe, you and Vinnie stay together—and keep him out of trouble.”

  “I don’t start trouble,” Vinnie said.

  “First time you see a pretty girl, you’re lookin’ for trouble,” Callahan said. “If you cause trouble this time because of a girl, I’ll shoot you myself. You got it?”

  “I got it, boss.”

  “Okay. Split up here. I don’t want all the horses in the same place. It’ll be too noticeable.”

  They broke off into their three groups. Callahan and Lumpy rode past the sheriff’s office, but Callahan hardly gave it a look.

  Hunt and Kenny rode past the bank and the hardware store, then came to the mercantile.

  “Let’s dismount here,” Hunt said. “We’ll check inside the store, and then go on foot.”

  Joe and Vinnie rode past a few stores and then came to a saloon.

  “Let’s get a drink,” Vinnie said.

  “You heard what the boss said,” Joe responded.

  “Come on, one drink,” Vinnie said. “I’m parched. I’m not gonna cause no trouble. Come on.”

  Vinnie—” Joe started, but the man had already turned his horse toward the saloon. Joe hurried after him. They both stopped in front of the saloon and dismounted.

  “One beer,” Joe said as they went into the Ace High Saloon. “Just one.”

  “Don’t worry,” Vinnie said.


  “I’m not,” Joe said. “You’re the one the boss said he was gonna shoot.”

  * * *

  Clint and Angel walked a few blocks, then came to a small café that had steaks and chops stenciled on the front window.

  “This is the place,” Angel said.

  “Fine with me. Let’s go.”

  They went inside and were seated near the back of the small room. Only a couple of the other tables were occupied, and those people were paying attention to their food.

  “We’re beatin’ the crowd,” Angel said.

  The waiter came over and Clint ordered a steak with everything.

  “I’ll have the same,” Angel said.

  “With everything?” the waiter asked.

  “Everything that I can get.”

  “Right away.”

  “And a pot of coffee,” Clint said.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I could eat my horse right now,” Angel said.

  “If you did that, you’d be able to buy another one, and then leave.”

  “Ha, ha,” Angel said.

  * * *

  Joe and Vinnie had a beer in the Ace High and then Joe practically dragged the other man out of the saloon.

  “Come on,” Vinnie complained, “one more—”

  “No, that’s it!” Joe said outside. “I ain’t gettin’ shot by the boss because of you. Let’s walk and look.”

  “Fine, walk,” Vinnie said. “Maybe we’ll come to another saloon.”

  “No saloons, Vinnie!”

  * * *

  Clint and Angel were working on their steaks when Angel looked out the window and saw two men going by.

  “Oh, great,” he said.

  “I’ve had better,” Clint said. “This is kind of tough—”

  “No, outside,” Angel said. “Out the window.”

  “What?”

  “Two of the men who were shootin’ at me just went by.”

  Clint put down his knife and fork and looked out the window. He didn’t see anybody.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I recognized them,” Angel said.

  “Did they look in and see you?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Well,” Clint said, “if they’re here, the others must be here, too.”

  “So what do I do now?” Angel asked.

  “Finish your steak,” Clint said, “and I’ll finish mine.” Clint picked up his knife and fork. “If they didn’t see you, this is the best place for you right now.”

  SIX

  “Did you see him?” Joe asked.

  “See who?”

  “The guy. Angel.”

  “Where?”

  “Back there, as we passed that café. I looked in the window and saw him.”

  “What was he doin’?”

  “He’s in a restaurant,” Joe said. “Whataya think he’s doin’? He’s eatin’.”

  “I’m kinda hungry myself,” Vinnie said. “If he’s in there, let’s go in and eat.”

  “And let him see us?”

  “What’s he gonna do?” Vinnie asked. “We’re in a restaurant.”

  “Yeah, well, he wasn’t alone.”

  “Who was he with?”

  “I don’t know,” Joe said impatiently. “Look, the boss said if we saw him, not to go near him.”

  “We ain’t gonna go near him,” Vinnie said. “We’re just gonna get us a steak.”

  “No, we ain’t,” Joe said. “We’re gonna go find the boss.”

  “Ah, geez,” Vinnie said, following Joe. “I didn’t even see ’im…”

  * * *

  Callahan and Lumpy had checked two saloons and three restaurants without finding Tom Angel.

  “Let’s check some hotels,” Callahan said.

  “Why don’t we split up, boss?”

  “No, we stay together,” Callahan said. “I don’t want anybody bein’ caught alone by Angel.”

  They were about to cross the street when they saw Joe and Vinnie running toward them.

  “We found ’im, boss,” Joe said, out of breath.

  “Where?”

  “He’s at a steak and chop house a few streets over.” Joe looked behind him. “I think it’s a few streets. We been runnin’…”

  “I didn’t see him,” Vinnie said.

  “That don’t surprise me, Vinnie,” Callahan said. “Okay, let’s find Kenny and Tino and then we’ll take him.”

  “What about the law?” Lumpy asked.

  “Don’t worry about the law,” Callahan said. “We’re gonna do what we came here to do. I’ll deal with the law later. Come on.”

  * * *

  Clint and Angel finished their steaks, followed them with pie and coffee. Angel kept looking out the window.

  “Relax,” Clint said. “They won’t come in here.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “There’s no room in here,” Clint said. “They’d be in each other’s way. No, they’ll wait for you to come out.”

  “Maybe I should go out the back.”

  “They’ll have the back covered.”

  “Yeah, but most of them will be in the front,” Angel said. “I’ll have a better chance in the back.”

  “Finish your pie and coffee,” Clint said, “and then I’ll go out the front and see what’s going on.”

  “Why?” Angel asked. “I mean, why would you risk your life like that?”

  “Well,” Clint said, “it’s my fault you’re in this mess.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  “Without me,” Clint said, “they would’ve killed you out there in that field.”

  SEVEN

  Clint and Angel walked to the front of the café and looked out the window. Between the words steak and chops, they saw six men standing across the street.

  “They’re all out front,” Angel said. “Come on, we can go out the back.”

  “We could,” Clint said, “but then they’ll keep chasing you. And how far are you going to get without your horse?”

  “Okay, so I’ll sell the horse and buy another one.”

  “You don’t strike me as the type of man who wants to be on the run, Tom.”

  “Who wants to be on the run, Clint?” Angel asked. “But what choice do I have? I can’t stand against six men. I’m not you.”

  “I wouldn’t want to face six men either,” Clint said, “but maybe neither of us will have to.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll go out and talk to them,” Clint said. “Maybe I can convince them to give up.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Maybe I can keep somebody from getting killed,” Clint said. “Wait here, and watch.”

  “I’ll watch your back,” Angel said. “If any of them makes a move for his gun, I’m comin’ out.”

  “Okay, Tom,” Clint said. “That sounds good.”

  * * *

  “Who’s the guy in there with him?” Callahan asked Joe and Vinnie.

  “I didn’t see nothin’,” Vinnie said.

  “I saw them,” Joe said, “but I don’t know who the other fella is.”

  “Well,” Callahan said, “he must be some friend or partner of Angel’s. That means he dies, too, if he gets in the way.”

  “Hey, boss,” Lumpy said.

  They all looked across the street, saw a man step out of the café.

  “That him?” Callahan asked. “That the other fella?”

  “That’s him,” Joe said.

  “Well, here he comes…”

  * * *

  Clint stepped into the street and started across. He didn’t know if he was doing the right thing. Maybe he should have let Angel go out the back door and run. Tom Angel wasn’t the Gunsmith. Clint would never be able to use the back door, because then word would get around and he’d be an even bigger target than he already was. But Angel couldn’t keep running. Nobody could.

  * * *

  “Nobody move unless I do,” Ca
llahan said to his men. “Get it?”

  Nobody answered until Hunt said, “We got it.”

  * * *

  “Gentlemen,” Clint said, stopping in front of the men. Not too close, just enough room to move if he had to.

  “The name’s Callahan,” the older man said. “They call me Big Ed.”

  “Is that a fact?” Clint asked. “And why do they do that?” Clint didn’t find the man to be particularly big.

  “What’s your name, friend, and why are you poking your nose in my business?”

  “My name is Clint Adams,” Clint said.

  Callahan stared at him, then a look of doubt appeared on his face.

  “You’re lyin’.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “So I won’t kill you and your friend.”

  “Why do you want to kill my friend?”

  “He hasn’t told you?”

  “No.”

  “Well,” Callahan said, “that’s his business. Maybe I’ll give him time to tell you before you both die.”

  “I’m thinking nobody has to die.”

  “And why’s that?”

  “You and your boys can just ride out.”

  “Let’s say you are who you say you are,” Callahan replied. “Why would you stand with him?”

  Clint looked at all six men, then said, “I hate six-to-one odds. It’s just not fair.”

  “I’ll tell you what,” Callahan said. “I’ll give you the same chance. Mount up and ride out. Leave him to me.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Then go back and talk to him,” Callahan said. “Maybe he’ll save your life by comin’ out by himself. Either way, I’ll be waitin’.”

  “I can’t talk you out of this?” Clint asked.

  “Even if you are the Gunsmith,” Callahan said, “no, you can’t talk me out of it.”

  Clint looked at Callahan, the other five men, then turned and walked back across the street.

  EIGHT

  “What’d he say?” Angel asked.

  “I guess I should have let you go out the back door,” Clint said.

  “Nah,” Angel said. “You’re right. If I run, they’ll just chase me.”

  Clint looked out the window. The six men were still there. Then he looked around the restaurant. It was empty. It seemed the citizens of Tucson knew when trouble was brewing. Even the street out front was deserted.