Sawbones

by William W. Johnstone

  Ben nodded. He took a quick drink to steady his nerves. His heart threatened to explode in his chest. “I never thought I’d see you again, Milo.”

  “Things change all the time, Ben. Sit. And put the bottle where I can get to it. You are offering me a drink, aren’t you?” He slid the gun to one side and made room for the bottle between them on the table.

  “Sure thing, Milo.” Ben pulled up a rickety chair across from the gang’s leader. With a shaking hand, he pushed the bottle closer. Hannigan made no move to drink, so Ben took a long swig to steady his nerves. It didn’t help.

  “Is Sam here? In Buffalo Springs? That’s the name of this dusty hellhole, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” Ben made no effort to keep the contempt and outright anger from his voice. The single word came out more like a cussword than a simple answer.

  “Well, well, you two have had a falling-out? Is that it?”

  “We don’t see eye to eye on some things.” Fury that Knight had taken up with Amelia Parker when he’d seen her first burned away some of the drunkenness. He took another drink and lowered the level in the bottle by a finger.

  “Would you see eye to eye with coming back to my gang?”

  “All of you? Nott, Lattimer, and Porkchop?” Ben looked around, expecting them to pop up like Hannigan had.

  “I came into town by myself. A scouting expedition. They’re outside of town. We’ve got regular jobs now working for Gerald Donnelly.”

  “The carpetbagger? How’d that happen?”

  “We got into a mess in Pine Knob, and he vouched for us, let’s say. In return for not locking us up, we work for him. Like Hector Alton.”

  “Alton?”

  “He’s dead, Ben. Your good friend Sam cut him down.”

  “Yeah, right, I knew that.” The alcoholic haze made thinking—remembering—hard. “It’s somethin’ he’d do. Did he shoot him in the back?”

  “Might as well have. Tell me about Buffalo Springs and everything that’s going on here.”

  “For Donnelly?”

  “For me, Ben. For us. For all of us. That bank looks attractive, but half of Buffalo Springs has turned into a ghost town.”

  “There’s plenny of money in the bank, Milo.” Ben Lunsford gushed out what he had just heard from Jacob Stevenson. “And word is that the army’s puttin’ in a post not far out of town. They’ll keep their payroll here until they finish buildin’ their fort.”

  “It’s a fool’s errand robbing an army post,” Hannigan said. “They have sentries with rifles and enough firepower to make it downright dangerous if anything went wrong. No, I prefer to grab the money before it reaches the quartermaster’s hands.”

  “It’ll be months ’fore they get troops moved in, but the money Stevenson inherited. That’s in the bank.”

  “How much?”

  “Can’t rightly say, but it’s enough to start a horse ranch. Breedin’ stock and land and all.”

  “You’re winning me over to thinking you can fit back into the gang, Ben. What more is there if we swooped down on a town all unexpectedlike? Other businesses with money to steal?”

  “I think the Golden Gate’s owner has a stack of greenbacks hidden somewhere. She must. Business is terrible, but she always has money to buy supplies. She musta made it ’fore most of the men hied off to find gold.”

  “A bank brimming with money, a saloon where there must be sacks of money, a town without many men. Ben, I’m beginning to feel a plan forming. Let’s drink to a profitable reunion, you and me and the rest of the boys.” Milo Hannigan took the bottle from Ben’s hands and sampled the liquor. He made an appreciative nod and handed the bottle back.

  Ben’s thirst required him to drink twice what Hannigan had. He wiped his lips on his sleeve, then started to speak. He caught himself. Hannigan saw the hesitation.

  “Spit it out, Ben. If we’re riding together again, we’re partners. Partners share whatever’s on their mind.”

  “I want Seth to get back with you. And the rest of the gang.”

  “Just your brother? Not Sam, too? It’s good to have a doctor along to patch us up when we run into a bullet or two.”

  “If you want him. But Seth’s my brother. I gotta take care of him.”

  “How noble of you. Of course you can invite him to ride with us again. Just be sure he doesn’t go blabbin’ to the law. There is a marshal in town, isn’t there?”

  “He’s old and crippled up with arthritis.”

  “I’m liking what I hear more by the minute. You talk to Seth. Then the two of you meet up with us south of town a couple miles. There’s a stock pond near the road. We’re camping there. You come on out before dawn and then we’ll take this town apart.”

  “Take it apart,” Ben whispered. He liked the sound of that. He owed nobody nothing in Buffalo Springs.

  “And you be sure Sam rides out with you. There’s no call to tell him you and Seth have joined up with us again. He might not believe you. Tell him whatever it takes, but bring him to camp and let me convince him it’s the right thing to do to ride with the Hannigan gang again.”

  “Right, Milo.” Ben took another stiff drink. He pushed the bottle toward Hannigan, but the outlaw leader pushed it back.

  “I’ve got to tell the others what’s happening. Dawn tomorrow. And get Sam to join you.” Hannigan grabbed his gun with impressive speed, spun it around, finger in the trigger guard, and slid the six-gun into his holster as he stood. He touched the brim of his hat in a mocking salute and left through the back door.

  Ben sat shaking as he worked on the bottle. Hannigan had been the last man on earth he’d expected to see in Buffalo Springs. Knight had promised that nobody was on their trail, not the army and certainly not Milo Hannigan and his gang. Ben snorted in disgust. That showed what Dr. Samuel Knight knew. Nothing. He didn’t know squat.

  Purpose came back to him. He had drifted along, not going anywhere and seeing no future working as barkeep in Hattie Malone’s saloon. Riding with a smart man like Milo Hannigan changed things. They’d crack this town like a walnut. They’d ride out of Buffalo Springs with saddlebags crammed full of money.

  And maybe he could sample a bit of what Knight did with Amelia Parker. That’d be retribution for her getting stolen away. It’d show her what she missed by taking up with Knight. Hannigan was all het up to get Knight to rejoin the gang, but Ben had other ideas. If he forced Knight to watch while him and Amelia—

  “Ben! Ben! I was lookin’ for you and I saw Hannigan. Milo Hannigan. He was ridin’ out of town like he owned the place.” Seth Lunsford stood outlined in the doorway. “Are you all right?”

  “Come on in and have a drink. I got a proposition for you, Seth. It’s what we’ve been waitin’ for ever since we blowed into this town.”

  “You talked with Milo? Ben, he’s poison. You know what Doc said about him.”

  “Have a drink, and I’ll explain it all to you, boy. You’ve got enough wrong to confuse you. I’ll set you straight about the way it’s gonna be.”

  Seth silently entered and sank into the chair Hannigan had occupied only minutes earlier. It took Ben longer to lay it all out because his words slurred, but he sobered as he talked. Excitement burned away the fog. And determination grew, along with plans of his own. Plans for Dr. Samuel Knight.

  CHAPTER 29

  “That’ll fix you up,” Samuel Knight said, wiping the blood off his hands. “I’ve sewed up the cut. Keep it washed now and then with whiskey and you’ll be right as rain in a week or two.”

  The cowboy pushed up off the table at the rear of the Golden Gate saloon, winced, and put his hand over the sutures. “Poured on the stitches or poured down my gullet to kill the pain?”

  Knight laughed. It was too common a sentiment when he finished.

  “If you ask real sweet, Hattie will give you a discount. For a week.”

  “Doc, you ought to get a cut of all the booze sold here. Everybody I know likes the idea of you per-scribblin’ whisk
ey for what ails us.” The cowboy gingerly took a step. The next came with more confidence. He smiled. “This ain’t so bad. I’ll be back in the saddle ’fore I know it.”

  “You tell your boss I want you with both feet on the ground for a week. Don’t go riding or the wound’ll rip open and your guts will spill out.”

  “That’d prove I got guts. Some of the others on the spread don’t think I do.”

  “Is that why you got gored by a bull? You tried to show them you weren’t afraid and waved a red flag in front of a mountain of gristle and mean?”

  The cowboy looked sheepish and nodded.

  “Get on out of here. And don’t ride until this time next week.”

  The cowboy shuffled away. Knight settled down into a chair. The saloon was empty except for him and Ben Lunsford.

  “Hey, Ben, can I have a beer? Doing all this doctoring has given me quite a thirst.”

  “Sure, Doc, why not? You ought to get paid something, and that deadbeat ain’t gonna pay you a dime.”

  “I’ll get a cow from his boss. Maybe a few steaks to keep me going this winter.”

  Ben Lunsford sat beside Knight and slid a beer across the bloodstained table used for his operations. Knight wondered what was eating his friend. He asked. “You look like someone’s walking on your grave. What’s wrong?”

  “Everything, Doc. Ever damned thing in this town. Look, I need for you to come with me tonight.”

  “What’s up?” Knight saw a subtle change in the man’s demeanor. Ben had gone from nervous to cagey.

  “I got something to show you. It’ll be worth your time.”

  “Should I bring my medical bag?”

  That took Ben by surprise. He opened his mouth, closed it, then said, “That’d be a good idea, I reckon. Your doctoring skills won’t be needed, leastways I don’t think so. But you will enjoy it. Meet me outside the livery after I close up here.”

  “All right, Ben. I have to admit you’re piquing my curiosity.”

  “Yeah, I’m pickin’ it, Doc.” He stood abruptly and almost ran back behind the bar as if he was a little boy caught doing something naughty.

  Knight had no idea what was going on, but he’d find out soon enough. The saloon would close in a couple hours. He had time to make a quick circuit of town to see if anyone else needed medical attention. He finished his beer, bid Ben good-bye, and stepped out into the cool afternoon.

  Sometimes he only helped the town’s residents with small chores, just to keep busy. They appreciated it, and it gave him a sense of belonging to the community, no matter that he had just arrived. He sauntered along, greeting those out and about. As he walked past the gunsmith shop, Seth Lunsford waved to him to come in.

  “Evening, Seth. How’s everything?”

  “Fine, Doc. Just fine.”

  “You did a good job cleaning and oiling my Colt. I’ve never felt it work better. With the ammo and powder you gave me, all of it right here in my bag, I can go plink at cans to keep my marksmanship sharp when I get a break.”

  “Doc, has Ben said anything to you about . . . about him?”

  “Him? You mean Ben or someone else? I just left your brother over at the saloon and when he closes up, we’re riding out.”

  Seth turned white. “Doc, I don’t want to go.”

  “What are you talking about? What’s anybody talking about? Ben wouldn’t say where we were going, just that it was a surprise I would enjoy.”

  “I don’t think so, Doc. I really don’t think you will enjoy it. If he didn’t tell you, that means they’re layin’ an ambush for you.”

  Knight pulled up a chair and sank into it. He had never seen Seth Lunsford this agitated. “Give it all to me. The whole story. Where don’t you want to go and how’s this tie in with Ben and me going off to some secret rendezvous?”

  “Ben talked with him, and they want me to ride with them again. I like Buffalo Springs, Doc. I got a good job, and then there’s me and . . .”

  “The boss’s daughter.” Knight had to smile. He understood how this anchored Seth to the town. He felt the same weight with Amelia Parker holding him, and he found himself enjoying it.

  “Yeah, that. I don’t want to leave.”

  “Then don’t.” Knight went cold inside when he finally understood Seth’s dilemma. “It’s loyalty to your brother and—”

  “And Milo Hannigan. Him and Ben got together. I saw them in a deserted house on the edge of town sharin’ a bottle and talkin’ like they were partners and he’d never rode off without so much as a fare-thee-well.”

  “Hannigan’s in town?”

  “Down the road a few miles at a stock pond. I didn’t hear what he said to Ben, but gettin’ you to ride with him again isn’t what he wants. Ben hinted that Hannigan is workin’ for that carpetbagger back in Pine Knob. Donnelly has sent Hannigan and his entire gang out to catch you and take you back.”

  Knight’s mind spun in crazy circles. He had always thought it was possible for Donnelly to send a posse after him, but it had been long enough that even the carpetbagger should have given up. Cutting his Achilles tendon and shooting off his finger ought to have alerted Knight that Donnelly would never quit hunting for him. After he’d shot down Hector Alton the doctor foolishly thought he was safe and that Donnelly would creep away in fear and shame.

  “All of them are after my scalp?”

  “Doc, it must be worse than that.”

  Knight had no idea how it could get worse. Everything he had done in Buffalo Springs lay in jeopardy of being destroyed.

  “They’re goin’ to hurrah the town. I heard rumors that Jacob Stevenson’s got a pile of money sittin’ in the bank. If Ben mentioned that, Hannigan won’t be able to keep his hands off it.” Seth Lunsford picked up an oily rag and began twisting it around his hand, first in one direction and then in the other. His agitation was contagious.

  Knight began fidgeting as he tried to work out something that preserved the good work he had done so far and didn’t endanger anyone in town.

  That included Amelia Parker.

  “Do you think Hannigan has told Donnelly he’s found me? Us?” He saw that Seth had no idea. Everything Seth had learned came from his brother, and Knight doubted Hannigan trusted Ben anymore. He played on Ben’s discontent to do Donnelly’s bidding.

  If Hannigan had stumbled across Buffalo Springs and found where Knight had gone to ground, he would be safe if Hannigan died—Hannigan and the rest of his gang. That was a tall order and one Knight wasn’t sure he cared to consider as a solution.

  “Have you told anyone else?”

  “No one, Doc. Nary a soul. What are we goin’ to do? If Ben’s throwed in with Hannigan again, nothin’ either of us say will sway him.”

  “I can go along with him and maybe get the drop on Hannigan.” Knight experienced a second’s dizziness. That was no solution. He had to kill not only Hannigan and the three riding with him but also Ben Lunsford to keep them from reporting back to Donnelly where his pigeon had come to roost. Ben turning on him cut Knight to the quick. Seth might be wrong about his brother’s intentions, but the setup smacked of betrayal. Ben had sold him out to Hannigan. And Gerald Donnelly.

  “What if I try to talk him out of it? He’s my brother. He should listen to me.”

  Knight doubted that would happen, but Seth’s idea was the best of any he came up with.

  “I’ll stay out of sight and back you up. If he tries to hurt you, I’ll—” Knight thought what he would do but his lips refused to put the rest of it into words. Shoot him down like a mad dog.

  “Strap on your six-shooter, Doc. Catch up.”

  “Wait, Seth. Don’t go on alone.” Knight tried to grab the boy, but he slipped through his fingers like a greased pig and looked around. Somehow he knew his brother waited at the stables and took off at a run.

  Knight pulled his gun belt from the medical bag, closed the bag, and stashed it under the table Seth had used to work on the six-shooter. He settled the gun belt
around his waist, tied down the holster with a rawhide thong, and went after Seth. His steps faltered when he passed the bank. If Ben Lunsford was stopped, there’d be no need for anyone in the bank to know the danger they might have faced. When Ben never showed, Hannigan had to realize his plans had fallen apart and leave.

  Knight knew he kidded himself. Hannigan didn’t have sense enough to ride away. Besides, with the object of Donnelly’s hatred still in Buffalo Springs, Hannigan had a mission beyond robbing the bank and shooting up the town.

  Knight pushed open the door and looked around the small lobby. Amelia Parker looked up from her desk, smiled, and motioned him over. Time pressed in on him. He had to be sure Ben’s anger didn’t overflow and drown his brother. But he went in.

  “Are you coming out to the farm tonight for dinner? Papa wants . . . What’s wrong, Samuel?” Even worried, Amelia Parker was beautiful.

  “Close and lock the vault. Tell everyone you can find there’s likely to be a raid on Buffalo Springs. It’s the Hannigan gang. The marshal won’t have wanted posters on them, but that doesn’t mean they’re not all vicious killers.”

  “Wait, Samuel, where are you going? You put on your gun. You’re not taking them on all by yourself!”

  “Amelia, spread the word. Barricade everything and then get to safety. Leave right away for the farm and keep your pa safe.”

  “You want me out of the way. Who are these men, Samuel? Who?”

  He grabbed her, pulled her close, and planted a frantic kiss on her ruby lips. She gasped for air and started to ask more questions. He left before she had the chance. Twilight moved swiftly through the streets, turning every alley into a potential ambush and sending ghosts flitting about behind unlit windows. Here and there oil lamps flared, but he worried that Amelia’s alert would go unheeded. Buffalo Springs was too peaceable a town for its own good, and it was going to pay for that.

  Turning the corner, he saw the corral behind the livery stable. Several horses swayed, preparing to go to sleep. He approached slowly, hand on his six-shooter. Loud voices echoed from inside. Pressing against the wall, he slipped his six-gun out, cocked it, and spun through the opening, hunting for a target.