Turnback Creek (Widowmaker)

by Robert J. Randisi

  FORTY

  All five men froze, two of them staring at Dale Cooper, the other three at John Locke. Cooper looked at the handful of gold Cal Nieves had.

  “You got a lot of money in gold in your hand, son,” Cooper said to him. “What do you want to do about it?”

  Cal stared into Cooper’s eyes. His left hand was filled with gold, so his right hand was free to go for his gun if he wanted to. “Del?” he said.

  Locke noticed one of the men move his head and figured this was Del, the leader. “Don’t make any mistakes, boy,” he said.

  Del looked over at Locke. His mistake had already been made. He’d let them all ride down to the buckboard, and now they were faced with their moment of truth. Five against two for all the gold on the buckboard.

  “There’s a lot of gold here,” Del said to Locke and Cooper. “Plenty for all of us.”

  The looks in all of their eyes were unmistakable to Locke. They were going to make a mistake that they would all have to pay for.

  “Don’t do it, boy,” Cooper said, reading Del’s body language from behind.

  “Shit—” Cal said.

  Cal went for his gun, too impatient for Del to call the play. Also, the weight of the gold in his left hand convinced him it was worth it.

  Locke moved the muzzle of his rifle a fraction of an inch and shot him dead. Cal was thrown from the buckboard, the gold in his left hand flying through the air like a shower of gold. Clete Cloninger went for his own weapon. Cooper fired once. The bullet hit Cloninger in the chest and drove him to the ground, where he lay still.

  “Don’t—” Malcolm Turner said, but Cooper fired again and took him from his saddle.

  That left Del Morgan and Red Sinclair, both of whom were scrambling for their weapons. Morgan, never a hand with a gun, had his go flying from his grip even before Cooper’s bullet struck him. Sinclair was such a huge target that both Locke and Cooper put bullets in him. The big man sat on his saddle for a few moments, looking puzzled, before he slumped and fell to the ground.

  Locke walked over to the bodies, checked them, then turned to look at Cooper. “They’re all dead.”

  “Their choice,” the ex-marshal said, thumbing fresh rounds into his rifle. “These two,” he said, pointing to the last two he and Cooper had gunned down, “might have given up, given another choice.”

  “We couldn’t take the chance.”

  Locke looked around. Three shots from Cooper’s rifle, three kills. The older man was sure shooting better than he had in town. Looking at him now, there was no sign of the shakes.

  Locke reloaded his own rifle, then walked to his horse and slid the rifle into its scabbard.

  “We’ll have to bury them,” he said.

  “Why?” Cooper asked. “There could be more comin’.”

  “There probably are,” Locke said, “but we just can’t leave them out here.”

  “We don’t have a shovel,” Cooper said. “How are we gonna dig five graves?”

  Locke was stuck for an answer.

  “And we can’t turn around and take them back to town,” Cooper went on. “We got a job to do.”

  Locke looked down at the five dead men. He was willing to bet at least two of them had never stolen anything in their lives. The lure of the gold had brought them out there to die.

  “We can cover their bodies with rocks,” he said. “That’s the least we can do.”

  “Fine,” Cooper said. “We’ll put them all together and do it, and then we can get out of here. Somebody might come along and find them.” He put his rifle on the front seat of the buckboard. “Come on,” he said. “We’ll carry them behind them rocks you were hidin’ behind.”

  “They put their rifles down,” Turpin said. “Why don’t we go down and take the gold now?”

  “Shut up, Roy,” Rome said.

  “You see that?” Eli asked. “They gunned them just as easy as you please.”

  “I saw,” Hoke said. “Come on, let’s get to the horses.”

  “We gonna take ’em?” Turpin asked.

  “No,” Hoke said before Rome could tell the man to shut up again. “We’re gonna get more men.”

  Locke and Cooper dumped the men behind the rocks and then covered them with as many stones as they could find and stack. They were sweating heavily by the time they were done, despite the fact that it was cool. Clouds were rolling in, and it would be raining probably within the hour.

  They donned their slickers in anticipation of the rain, then Locke mounted his horse, and Cooper climbed aboard the buckboard.

  “You sayin’ I overreacted?” Cooper asked before they started.

  “I’m not saying that.”

  “Then what are you sayin’?”

  “Just that they might’ve given up,” Locke said, “given the chance. That’s all.”

  “And then they would have gone and got more men and came back for the gold.”

  “You might be right.”

  Cooper looked at the sky. “Let’s see how many miles we can cover before the sky opens up.”

  FORTY-ONE

  They continued on despite the rain, as it came down in a sort of mist rather than a downpour. But eventually they had to stop because of darkness. When they made camp, the rain had let up, so they were able to build a fire and make some coffee. They made a meal of dry beef jerky and canned peaches.

  “I’m sorry if you don’t agree with what we did back there,” Cooper said from across the fire.

  “Forget it,” Locke said. “It’s the first action you’ve seen like that in a while, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” Cooper said. “First in a while.” They sat in silence for a moment. “I did okay, though, didn’t I?”

  “You did better than okay, Coop,” Locke said. “You were as steady as a rock.”

  “Was I?” Cooper asked. “Not inside. I could use a drink.”

  “We didn’t bring any whiskey.”

  Cooper looked away.

  “Coop, did you bring a bottle?”

  Cooper hesitated, then said, “In my saddlebag.”

  Locke thought about getting the bottle and smashing it, then decided not to. Might be better for Cooper to be resisting it. “Have a cigarette instead.”

  “Think I will.”

  Locke watched the man roll a cigarette with steady hands, then light it with a twig from the fire.

  “I’ll take the first watch,” Locke offered.

  “I’ll turn in after this cigarette.”

  Locke had another cup of coffee, noticed that Cooper was staring into the fire, breaking a cardinal rule. If anyone had hit them at that moment, Cooper would have had no night vision for several minutes—long enough to get them both killed. He’d have to remind the man when he woke him not to look into the fire.

  Cooper flicked the remainder of his cigarette into the fire and got to his feet with a groan. “Wake me whenever you like,” he said. “I haven’t stood watch in a long time, either. I’m lookin’ forward to it.”

  “It has been a long time, hasn’t it?” Locke said.

  Cooper rolled himself up in his bedroll underneath the buckboard in case it rained again. He was keeping his slicker between himself and the wet ground in the hopes of staying dry while he slept.

  Locke turned to the fire and prepared another pot of coffee.

  Hoke Benson and his men were back in Kingdom Junction when it started to rain.

  “Rome, you come with me,” Hoke said. “The rest of you, get to your hotel rooms. We’ll be leaving at first light.”

  “We’re letting them get ahead of us,” Eli said.

  “We know where they’re goin’, Eli,” Hoke said. “It’s no secret, after all.”

  “What about a drink?” Turpin said.

  “Hotel,” Rome said. “No drinkin’ tonight, Roy.”

  “Right.”

  Hoke gave the reins of his horse to Bailey, as did Rome, and the two men walked away together.

  Hoke and Rome went to Lu
cky Lil’s and got a beer each.

  “They worked well together,” Rome said. “That ain’t good news.”

  “They’re supposed to be past it,” Hoke said. “The old man’s a drunk.”

  “He didn’t look like a drunk to me,” Rome said.

  “No, he didn’t. That’s why we need more men. Do you know anyone who’d be interested?”

  “Plenty of ’em, once they hear about the gold.”

  “What if they don’t hear about the gold?”

  Rome swallowed some beer and asked, “Whaddaya mean?”

  “What if we just hire a few more guns?”

  “And not cut them in for equal shares?”

  “Right.”

  “And how do we keep them from knowing about the gold?” Rome asked.

  Hoke stared at Rome. “We don’t tell them.”

  “What if they want to know what Locke and Cooper are delivering?” the other man asked.

  “They’re just being hired for a job, that’s it,” Hoke said. “We’ll pay them well, but they’re hired help.”

  “Like me?”

  “You’re gettin’ an equal share, Rome,” Hoke said.

  “All right,” Rome said. “I’ll get … two more men?”

  “Yeah, two,” Hoke said. “We need them tonight. Have them meet us at the livery at first light.”

  “Okay,” Rome said. He looked around the room. “I see a couple here I can ask.”

  “I’m turnin’ in,” Hoke said. “You see who you can recruit and I’ll see you in the mornin’.”

  “Right.”

  Hoke left the saloon, and Rome went to get another beer.

  FORTY-TWO

  Locke and Cooper got an early start the next morning. When Locke had awakened Cooper for his turn on watch he made himself tell his friend about looking into the fire …

  “I know that, John,” Cooper said, irritably. “I haven’t completely lost my mind.”

  “It’s just that … earlier last night you were—”

  “I was what?”

  “Looking into the fire.”

  “Was I?” Cooper paused to think. “Well, all right. I’ll be sure not to while I’m on watch. Satisfied?”

  “Okay,” Locke said. “Okay.”

  When Cooper woke Locke in the morning he handed him a fresh cup of coffee.

  “Sorry I snapped at you this morning,” he said. “You’re right, I was lookin’ into the fire. Won’t happen again.”

  “Thanks for the coffee …”

  Hoke arrived at the livery and found six men waiting for him there. Eli nervously pulled him aside.

  “Who are these other two?” he asked.

  “Just hired guns, Eli.”

  “They gettin’ an equal share?”

  “No,” Hoke said, “and shut up about it.”

  They returned to the other men, and Rome said, “Hoke, this is Joe Bently and Stan Sharp.”

  Two men, tall and lean, in their forties. To Hoke Benson, they were just extra guns. He forgot their names moments later.

  “Fine,” Hoke said. “Let’s just mount up and get going. We’re probably going to have to take them on the mountain now.”

  “They’re hauling a heavy load,” Eli said. “Why not catch up to them and take them before then?”

  “They’ll reach the mountain before we can reach them,” Hoke said. “There’s no point in pushing the horses.”

  “What’s so heavy about a mining payroll?” Sharp wanted to know.

  Hoke gave Eli a hard look and said, “Nothing. Forget it. Let’s just get mounted and move out.”

  Locke and Cooper made good time and were only two hours late—plus two days—meeting Molly Shillstone by Turnback Creek, where she was camped. She was wearing men’s clothes—shirt, jeans, boots, and a hat—but she looked very elegant nonetheless.

  “How about some coffee?” she asked as they dismounted.

  “Sorry we’re late,” Cooper said. “We got hit on the trail, and the rain slowed us down.”

  “Wait, wait,” Molly said, handing them each a cup of coffee. “Somebody tried for my gold already?”

  Cooper told her the story of the five men on the road, then added the two in Kingdom Junction who tried for Locke.

  “And you killed them all?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m impressed,” she said. “Good job.” She looked at Locke. “I guess I hired the right men for the job, after all.”

  “I guess so,” Locke said.

  “Will you be camping here overnight?” she asked.

  “That’s up to Marshal Cooper,” Locke told her. “He’s still in charge of this job.”

  “We’ve still got an hour or two of daylight,” Cooper started. “We really should keep—”

  “I’m staying here tonight and heading back in the morning,” Molly said, interrupting. “I really could use the company. I’ve been here for two days alone. I like being alone, but now I’m done with it.”

  Cooper looked over at Locke, who simply shrugged. “Well, all right,” Cooper said, “but you have to do the cooking.”

  Molly smiled, looked over at Locke, and said, “Agreed.”

  She prepared bacon and beans, which was a feast compared with the jerky they’d been eating. They sat around the fire as it started to get dark and ate. Behind them, they could hear the creek running.

  Molly wanted to hear more about the men who tried to steal the gold, and Locke left it to Cooper to tell her—and he did so, with a flourish. He made the gun battle sound much more dangerous than it was. In truth, he and Locke had so outclassed the four men that they didn’t have a chance. It sounded to Locke as if his old friend had enjoyed gunning them down.

  When Cooper turned in—out in the open, because the rain seemed to have let up for a while—Molly poured Locke another cup of coffee and sat across the fire from him.

  “Marshal Cooper sounds as if the events of yesterday excited him,” she said.

  “I’m afraid they did.”

  “You didn’t find it exciting?”

  He looked across the fire at her. “I don’t find anything particularly exciting about killing men, Mrs. Shillstone,” he replied.

  “Never?” she asked. “You never have?”

  “No.”

  “A man of your reputation?”

  “What do you know about my reputation?” he asked.

  “Well … only what I’ve heard.”

  “That I’m a cold-blooded killer?” he asked. “Have you ever heard that about me?”

  “Well …”

  “Maybe you have,” he said, not waiting for her to find an answer. “Maybe that’s been said about me, but a reputation is not a man, Molly. It hardly ever describes a man at all, not truly.”

  After a moment, she said, “I’m sorry. I was just trying to make conversation. I was stupid—”

  “Never mind,” Locke said. “It doesn’t matter. At this point in my life, it doesn’t make much difference. I’ve had to play the cards I was dealt for so many years …”

  “Why do men do that?”

  “What?”

  “Use gambling terms to describe their lives?”

  “Do we?”

  “Yes, you do,” she said. “All of you. My father did it all the time, and he wasn’t even a gambler.”

  “Wasn’t he?” he asked. “Aren’t you?”

  “Maybe,” she said. “Maybe he was, and maybe I am, but if so, then we only ever bet on sure things.”

  “Ah,” Locke said, “but the first thing you learn as a gambler is that there’s no such thing as a sure thing.”

  “Mines,” she said.

  “What?”

  She stood up and looked toward the mountain. “My father knew from a look, a smell, that a mine was a sure thing,” she said, “and he taught me how to do it.” She pointed. “This mine was a sure thing from the beginning, and it still is.”

  “As long as you can pay your men,” Locke said.

  �
�That’s right.”

  “And if you can’t?”

  She turned and came back to the fire, hunkered down by it, and looked across at him. “I’ll lose it.”

  “Why?”

  “I have notes to pay,” she said. “If I can’t pay them, the bank will take the mine.”

  “Who knows that?”

  She shrugged. “Me, George, the bank … and now you.”

  “No one else?”

  “No one else should,” she said. “Why are you asking?”

  “Just making conversation.”

  “You think someone is stealing my payroll to make me miss my loan payments?”

  “I don’t know, Molly,” he said. “It’s a possibility, I guess.”

  She sat back on her haunches and gave it some thought.

  “I never considered …” she said with wonder. “I thought it was just robbers after the money, and now the gold. But maybe what you’re saying makes sense …”

  “I don’t know if it does or doesn’t, Molly,” Locke replied. “Like I said, I was just talking.”

  “No, no,” she said. “You’re making sense—this makes sense.” She got to her feet, started to pace. “This makes perfect sense. Son of a bitch! Why didn’t I see this before?”

  “Molly,” Locke said, standing up, “calm down. This is your business, not mine. I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.”

  “But maybe you do, don’t you see?” she asked.

  He took hold of her shoulders to stop her from pacing. “I’m just saying, don’t go off half cocked,” he told her. “Think about this awhile before you do anything too foolish.”

  “Foolish?” she asked. “What makes you think I’m going to do anything foolish?”

  “The look on your face,” he said. “I’ve seen it before, mostly on men—and mostly just before they went and did something that got them killed.”

  She stared at him for a few moments, then nodded and said, “Yes, all right, you’re right. I can see that.” He dropped his hands, and she stepped back, out of his reach. “I’ll give it some more thought. I’m, uh, going to turn in now.”