by Bill Sheehy
He’d probably been mistaken by not taking a room at the hotel. If he was to keep an eye on the lawyer he would have to stick as close to the man as he could. Well, he decided, sipping the cooling coffee, he’d make that change next. Meanwhile he’d listen and maybe learn something.
Careful not to be caught, he glanced over at the pair. Whoever the woman was, Stewart thought, she appeared to be quite taken with the lawyer, hanging on his every word. They were about finished with their meal when the front door slammed open and another man came bounding in. The deputy was sure from the look on the man’s face there was going to be fireworks. Maybe the woman was his wife and he’d shoot Drazen. Wouldn’t Marshal Adkins like that.
Chapter 15
Going into the restaurant, Drazen had taken Marcy’s elbow and led her to a table, and being a gentleman, pulled a chair out for her. Marcy couldn’t remember anyone ever doing that for her before. Thinking about the warm feeling she had at being treated like a lady, she smiled at the man.
‘I’m afraid our menu isn’t the kind you’re used to. We’re not a very big city,’ she said deprecatingly, ‘and I doubt Baynes Spring ever will be.’
‘Well, yes, it is a bit different than what is available in Kansas City. Do you ever get over to the city? I’ll be more than happy to treat you to a fine meal there.’
Marcy looked away, letting her smile fade. ‘Hm, not often. Mostly it’s Martin who takes care of business outside of here. The bank isn’t as important as the Circle B. All I’ve got is one clerk and there’s a couple dozen men on the ranch payroll.’
Drazen nodded as if agreeing. ‘But I’d think the bank was pretty vital to the ranch. A bank is usually the heart of any community. More people may be working at the ranch, but the financial part must center on the bank. But,’ he said, holding up his hands in surrender, ‘let’s not talk business. Let’s enjoy our lunch.’
The young woman’s smile returned. She could get used to being treated this way, she thought. Looking up, her smile disappeared when she saw her brother come through the door.
Half rising, she held up her hand as if to stop him. ‘Now, Martin, don’t be foolish. Mr Drazen and I were just having lunch.’
Drazen eased himself back from the table, ready for anything the other man would do. Putting a big smile on his face, he nodded toward an empty chair. ‘Yes, do join us. I’m Jackson Drazen, representing the Kansas City Insurance Company. I was hoping to meet you later today,’ he went on hurriedly, not giving the younger man a chance to react, ‘but your sister warned me you might be out of town a little longer. I do hope your cattle drive to the railhead was successful?’
Marcy, afraid of Martin’s reaction, jumped right in to quickly explain. ‘Yes, please join us for lunch. Mr Drazen brought bad news. The loan money from the Federal Bank is not coming. It was lost in a train robbery and he’s here as part of the investigation into that.’
Martin hesitated, but still glaring at the other man pulled a chair over and sat down.
‘Yes,’ said Drazen, ‘as your sister explained, my visit is to begin my investigation into the recent robbery of cash money requested by your bank from the US Federal Bank.’
‘The investigation? Are you a lawman?’
‘No,’ said Drazen, chuckling, ‘I merely represent the insurance company covering that federal loan. Until the local bank officially took possession of the money, it was insured by the government’s Federal Bank.’
‘According to Mr Drazen,’ Marcy explained, obviously trying to gentle her brother, ‘there are others involved with the actual robbery, agents from the Pinkerton Detective Company. Isn’t that right, Mr Drazen?’
Drazen nodded. ‘I’m told the Pinkertons have a lead on the gang that robbed the train. I was directed to come here to both inform Miss Baynes of the robbery and to see what I could discover about that event.’
‘What,’ asked Martin, finally relaxing a bit, ‘would anyone here have to do with any train holdup? This is the first I’ve heard of such a thing and I know Marcy’s been waiting for the money getting here.’
‘Well, I admit it is unlikely that there is anything from this end. But my directors sent me to make sure.’ Looking directly at Martin he smiled. ‘You can never be too sure, you know. The outlaw gang is reportedly led by a very smart man, Morgan Runkle by name. Somehow he learned of the shipment and, well, knew enough to be able to take advantage of it.’
Neither of the twins had anything to say to that.
Relaxing, Jackson Drazen soon excused himself, saying he had some paperwork to catch up on. He shook their hands and after paying the bill went out the door, leaving the twins an opportunity to talk.
‘How long,’ demanded Martin as soon as they were alone, ‘has he been hanging around?’
Chapter 16
Marcy sat back and frowned at her brother. ‘You scared me, Martin, busting in here, looking all hard and dangerous. I’ve seen that look before. Whenever you think some man is getting too familiar with me you stop thinking and, well, your face gets all hard. You have to stop doing that. I’ve warned you before, you have to let me live my life here in town. It’s important for me and the bank.’
‘Ah, Marcy, I just can’t help myself. Yeah, but you’re right. Now, tell me about this train robbery. All I know is what that fool, Ivor, had to say, which wasn’t much, and what I heard here.’
‘There’s nothing more to tell you. Apparently the holdup gang killed the two guards and stole the money. Mr Drazen is sure the Pinkertons will be successful in capturing the gang and returning the money.’
‘What does he know about that? Did he tell you?’
‘Yes, something about how the gang got into the car with the money. He said that bunch had used the same method when they held up a stage coach a while back. I don’t understand anything more about it than that. He didn’t say any more.’ Nothing was said for a moment as they both focused on their thoughts. ‘Well, how did the sale of the herd go? Did you bring back enough to make the month’s payroll?’
Martin looked down at his hands and shook his head. ‘No. The market on beef is down right now. That’s what the cattle buyers said anyhow. It wasn’t like in the fall when ranches usually ship. Trying to sell a herd now, well, it’s the wrong time of the year. I knew the beeves weren’t carrying enough weight but I had to do something.’
‘Tony’s herd was smaller that yours. How’d he do?’
Frowning, Martin cussed. ‘Damn him. He’s been cross-breeding his longhorns with Devon shorthorns. They put on more muscle and fat quicker than our longhorns and our new herd of Herefords just aren’t filling out as fast as I expected. I didn’t want to send any of the stock I’ve been breeding with those bulls I bought. Not yet, anyway. Another year or so and we’ll have cattle that’ll be as big and will bring a better price.’
‘So he was able to put more money into the Frying Pan account? Martin, you’re going to have to talk to him. Get him to loan you some of that money.’
‘No, dammit. I can’t go begging. Not to him.’
‘You see what happens when you let your temper go and don’t think? It’s the same thing I thought you were going to do when you came rushing in here today. I was sure you were going to make an enemy of Mr Drazen and we need him.’ Holding up a hand to stop him, she went on. ‘Yes we do. He’s our link to the Federal Bank and its money. And we both need that money. The bank can’t keep operating unless we replace the cash that’s gone to keep the ranch afloat. We have to keep that man happy. At least until something can be done with the Federal Bank or with the recovery of the stolen money. That means to keep the ranch alive you’re going to have to talk Tony into making a loan. Do it. Whatever it takes, do it.’
Looking at her brother directly she left little room for argument. ‘Hear me? Whatever it takes.’
Chapter 17
Making up a herd for market hadn’t been what Tony Rodriquez had had in mind but when Martin came over with the proposal he let himself b
e talked into it. The dry spell had gone on a lot longer than normal. While there was still water flowing in the creek separating the two ranches, it was only about half what it should have been for this time of year. Winter snowfall up in the high country hadn’t been very much either. That was Martin’s argument, lack of water and the drying up of much of the grasslands would have an impact on the herds. Better, he said, to make a gather and drive them over to the railhead.
Tony wasn’t fooled. He was out on the range enough to know there was still a fairly good crop of hay to be cut. Talking it over with Mr Allen, though, the decision was made to go along with Martin’s plan.
His mother had always called her boss Mister and Tony grew up calling him that too. Fact is, it was quite a few years before the boy learned that mister wasn’t the boss’s front name. Even then he would never think of calling the rancher by his front name, George. No, it was Mr Allen. As far back as Tony could remember he had always been treated almost like the son the older man didn’t have, teaching him how to be a cowboy, showing him how to be a man. Growing up he worked right alongside the hired hands, learning to be a top-notch rider.
It was when the ranch foreman, Big Al Annerly was killed, gored by a bull, that things started changing. Shortly after the burying of Big Al, Mr Allen told the men that he’d be thinking about how to replace Big Al as foreman. Until he found the right man, he thought Tony would fill in that job. The next year or so was a hard time for the young man. While he was part of the crew the men treated him like one of their own but when he became the strawboss that all disappeared. A couple even drew their time and rode off saying they couldn’t work for someone still wet behind the ears.
Tony tried not to let it bother him and went about his work as if it didn’t. But when Mr Allen asked if he’d like to go east to college he jumped at it. A few years away would have to be easier than the on-the-job learning to be the foreman. A good hand, the men thought but never said, but the boy wasn’t no Big Al.
It was Frank Baynes who came up with the idea, Allen told Tony. Sending Martin off to get a college education would likely be a good thing for the ranch. The days of open range with longhorn cattle running wild only to be gathered up and driven to market was about over. Too many men, Baynes thought, were wanting their own ranches now that the Civil War, or as it was called back in Texas, the War of Rebellion, was finished. The US government was talking about opening up the Indian Territory for homesteading. Sooner or later that was sure to mean fences. Sending his boys off to learn new ways only made sense. Allen agreed and decided to talk to Tony.
At first Tony balked. He didn’t like the idea of leaving the ranch. But arguing with Mr Allen was not happening. When it came time to go, Tony went.
Chapter 18
For a lot of years the Baynes twins and Tony had been growing up together. Riding the few miles into town to school, they’d meet up in the morning to ride in. The twins rode a big, dapple gray horse bare back and, until he got too big for it, Tony sat his pony. That ended after what Tony thought of as the blow-up. From then on the youngsters rarely even spoke. Now, older and more mature, they found the two young men riding together. Only this time it was first on the stage and then on the train, heading for the nearest agricultural college. Once enrolled and getting used to a different kind of life they almost immediately went different ways. Tony’s goal was to learn all he could so he’d be able to return to the Frying Pan and be able to pay Mr Allen back for sending him off. Martin, on the other hand, was more interested in what the big city had to offer.
Now, long out of college, the two men were still learning. When Martin came up with the idea of making a cattle drive, Tony listened but was in doubt. He was sure he understood there were more reasons for Martin’s proposal than just to take pressure off the herds. While bringing some of what he’d learned at college to the Frying Pan, he’d watched what Martin was doing. The man’s buying a pair of breeding bulls was a good idea but Tony didn’t think the expense warranted it. Not now, when with the end of the war too many changes were being felt and the future for cattlemen out west was uncertain. There were too many wild herds of longhorns being gathered up down in Texas and driven north to the feed yards.
Talking with Mr Allen about the idea of driving a herd to the railhead, Tony explained what he thought was Martin’s motive.
‘It’s money, sir. I figure Martin has over-reached himself, not only with the breeding stock but, well, he spends a lot of time in the back room at the Past Time Saloon.’
George Allen had grown into being a bow-legged grizzled old man. In his younger days he had spent a lot of time and money sitting at the felt-covered poker tables of one saloon or another. Frowning at the memory, he took a sip of his coffee and nodded. ‘Ya think the lad has a gambling problem?’
‘All the time we were back east, he seemed to be spending a lot of time, running around with what I saw as a rough bunch of men. And women. I don’t want to tell tales or stab him in the back with rumors, but, well, if he has problems and is hoping to get out of them with the sale of a herd, I don’t want it to hurt us. Anyway, if he was having money problems, wouldn’t he just go to the bank? Since his pa died, he’n his sister are the big owners.’
Sitting back in his chair, Allen stared for a moment into the fireplace. Since Tony had come back to the ranch he’d just about turned everything over to the youngster. This had proven to be good for both the old man and the spread. Some of the ideas Tony had come back with were making the Frying Pan herd bigger and stronger. More importantly for the aging rancher, it had also allowed the old man to step back and take things a little easier.
‘Yeah, that does sound reasonable. So, what do you think we should do? Would it hurt the herd to cull out a few hundred head?’
It was Tony’s turn to mull things over. Shaking his head finally he put his coffee cup down. ‘No, I guess not. The grass isn’t as high or as green as I’d like but we’ll be able to cut enough hay to get us through the coming winter. It’d help if we got a good rainfall but that doesn’t seem likely. Cutting out a jag of older stock wouldn’t hurt and it might actually be a good thing.’
‘Then go for it. Face it, Tony, you and the Baynes twins haven’t been on good terms for years. I reckon y’all know old Frank had the notion of you’n that Marcy being a good match fer as long as I have. Maybe if’n you and Martin was to run a herd over to the railhead it might clear the air and get y’all back to being friendly. Don’t ya think?’
Tony smiled but shook his head. ‘That’s not likely to happen, sir. Martin has always been a little, well, a little crazy when it comes to his sister. And Marcy seems to like him being so protective. But I’ll let Martin know we’ll join in with a drive.’
Chapter 19
The drive itself kept both Tony and Martin so busy they didn’t have time to do more than work. Even around the cook fires at night, while the men from the two ranches might gossip before crawling into their bedrolls, the two men slept near separate fires.
Following the sale of the herd, and riding back into town, the two ranchers headed for the bank to deposit the proceeds. Naturally because Martin was one of the owners of the bank, Tony stood back and let Ivor handle the Circle B account first. It was when Martin asked where his sister was that the explosion came.
‘Who is this stranger who’s taken Marcy to lunch?’ demanded Martin.
Ivor, seeing he’d said the wrong thing, hesitated. ‘Well, Mr Baynes, he’s a big man came in on the morning stage. Well dressed and looking like a successful businessman. He and Miz Baynes talked a bit then, well, it is about lunch time, so they went over to the hotel restaurant.’
‘Does this well dressed businessman have a name? What do you know about him?’
‘Uh, yes. I did hear him say his name. And he handed a card to Miz Baynes too.’
Martin quickly rushed back to Marcy’s desk and picked up the little white card. Reading the name he cussed and, throwing the card down as if it had
burned him, headed out the door not glancing at either of the two men standing there.
Wow,’ said Tony, stepping to the counter and handing the clerk the bank draft from the Dodge City bank, ‘now that certainly got his attention.’
Ivor, not wanting to cause any more trouble, didn’t comment but quickly made the adjustment to the Frying Pan account.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, while the clerk was busy with the paperwork, Tony stepped over to pick up the business card Martin had tossed down. The name, Jackson Drazen, didn’t mean anything to him. Taking the card he walked back to take the account book Ivor was holding out.
‘A big city lawyer coming in to talk with Miss Baynes,’ said the rancher. ‘Now that’s interesting. Tell me, Ivor, is he here because there’s some trouble with the bank? I know the federal government has some jurisdiction over banking operations.’
Ivor hesitated, then not making eye contact, nodded.
‘I think this fella has brung any trouble for the bank. All I heard was something about a train robbery and money Miz Baynes’ been waiting on being lost. I reckon he’s brung bad news. He’s from some kind of insurance company, not from the federal banking people. Ya can see that on his little card, there.’
‘Well,’ Tony said, reading the words on the card again, ‘it’s not a company I ever heard of. You’re probably right. Sure did get Martin’s possessive streak fired up, though. Guess it doesn’t matter much to me. Thank you, Ivor. And have a good afternoon.’
It wasn’t until much later when Tony saw the stranger did he realize what had caused Martin to react as he did and it wasn’t necessarily about his sister.
Chapter 20
From what he’d overheard, Nate Stewart got the front names of the couple. Martin and Marcy. Clearly they were local business people; she at the bank and he on a ranch. At first he thought they might be man and wife. Looking at them as they pushed away from the table and left the restaurant, he nodded to himself. Naw. Didn’t look like they were man and wife. Seeing them side by side he figured they were likely related though.
