the Broken Gun (1967)

by L'amour, Louis

  "And then I want you to get Belle. We'll settle this matter right here and now."

  Pio lay where he had been thrown, but his eyes were on me, bright and hard. He seemed to be trying to say something to me.

  Doris got busy, arranging the room. Then she went out, and it was only a few minutes until she returned with Belle Dawson. There was a welt on Belle's cheekbone and a small cut on her jaw. She had been struck hard, more than once.

  But when she looked over at us, she smiled, and I grinned back at her.

  Colin wasted no time. "Belle, we're buying you out." He placed a sheet of paper before her on the table. "Sign here."

  "I'll do nothing of the sort," she said calmly.

  "You haven't any choice, Belle, none whatsoever. We've waited too long for this, and we will wait no longer."

  "Don't give them anything, Belle," I said. "They are murderers who come from a long line of murderers. All you see here is founded on cattle and land stolen from your family."

  Colin waited me out, and then said simply, "All that is no longer important. Sign this paper and we will let you go."

  They had come up close to Belle, intent on her and the paper.

  My eyes went to Doris. She stood at one side, and she was not looking at Belle, but at me. I knew what she was thinking. That telephone call had been the second call for help, this one from the Wells ranch instead of the Seward place. And this one was almost sure to have been heard.

  I had no idea who the woman on the other end of the line had been, but my hunch was that she was a talkative one who even now was exclaiming over what she had heard.

  She might even call the police, and she had sounded the sort who in the event of an investigation would be only too willing to talk on the witness stand.

  Doris seemed hesitant, and I had an idea that she had given up on Colin. Now she was thinking of how she could come out of this and not lose everything. Suggestively, I lifted my hands, bound together at the wrists.

  Doris deliberately walked around the table and stood beside me and then edged past me. As she did so, she thrust something into my fingers, which I concealed A nail file.

  "Colin," Doris said now, "there isn't time for that now. If I know Hazel, she will be on her way over here. Get them out. Hide them until she's gone."

  He looked at her, obviously considering what she had said. "A good idea. We'll take them out to the old fort. The walls are thick enough and it is far enough out so that nobody will hear anything from there, and Belle can sign a paper there as well as here."

  We were jerked to our feet and shoved, half running, through the door and across the yard. Rip Parker was standing in front of the bunkhouse, and he looked at me with an ironic grin. I saw that much as they pushed me past the lighted door.

  At the old fort the heavy plank door was opened and we were thrust inside.

  "Think about it, Belle," Colin said. "We'll be back as soon as we can get things straightened up."

  And then they were gone.

  For a moment we neither moved nor spoke. I had no illusions as to what would happen when Belle had signed that paper-or for that matter, what would happen if she did not sign it.

  For all our skill at guerilla fighting we had walked into a trap and had been taken like a pair of youngsters. And now we were tied up and waiting for the slaughter.

  Doris had gone as far as she would go. She had given me the nail file, and had intended this move as a chance to use it. Now she had an out. If all failed and she was brought to trial, she would be able to say she had been afraid to go against her husband, but had done the best she could in supplying me with a means to escape. She had what she wanted, an extenuating circumstance ... and no doubt she didn't really care whether we got away or not.

  Edging close to Pio, I whispered, "I've got a nail file."

  "Take a long time," he muttered.

  Pushing it into his fingers, I said, "Work on it. I've got another idea."

  It was dark inside the fort, with the musty smell of a place long closed. "Belle, have you ever been in this place before? What's been stored here?"

  "Odds and ends of broken harness, an old saddle or two, some grain sacks ... mostly junk."

  There was a padlock on the outside of the door. I had heard them snap it shut, and that door was heavy plank, reinforced inside and out by crosspieces. Even if we freed ourselves we were still locked in, and the walls were stone, and they were thick and strong.

  Whatever they planned to do to us would be done soon, I felt sure. They could not afford to wait, nor could they afford to create suspicion. There had probably been too much of that already, and they had been guilty of overconfidence and clumsiness.

  Yet when it began it must have seemed from their viewpoint an easy matter. I would be an invited guest, they had no motive for wanting me out of the way that anyone could guess ... it would simply be an accident. I was a city boy trying to ride a horse on mountain trails. They had not guessed that I was an experienced rider, and they had not considered the role that Pio would play.

  What I was going to try now was something I could have done with ease ten years before, but I had always been active, I was limber enough, and I had an idea I could do it now.

  In tying my wrists they had tied them tightly enough right above the hands. Any higher and I would have had no chance to do what I planned. Moreover, I had narrow hips, which would be a help.

  Getting up to my knees, I lowered the loop of my arms as far as possible, then started to back my hips through the loop. My arms were long for my height, but it was a struggle.

  After several minutes of trying I managed it, and now had my hands behind my knees.

  Rolling on my back and drawing my knees up under my chin, I put my feet through the loop of my arms and had my wrists in front of me.

  Streaming with perspiration, I sat and gasped for several minutes, and then I began to work on the knots with my teeth. In a matter of minutes, I was free.

  Moving to Pio, who had already cut partly through his ropes, I simply broke the rope and untied him, and then untied Belle.

  "So now where are we?" Pio said. "And even if we break out of here, there'll be a guard."

  Just then we heard a car coming along the trail, then into the ranch yard. As the headlights swept over the fort a little light came through the narrow firing slots and gave me a quick chance to see what lay around us.

  Junk was the word Belle had used to describe the contents, and there were odds and ends of harness, some worn boots, an old McClellan saddle, obviously unused for many years, a wooden bucket half filled with the bits and pieces that accumulate around any working ranch and are rummaged through from time to time in making repairs. These probably included nuts, bolts, screws, rusty hinges.

  "Cap," Pio said suddenly, "let's try the roof."

  The roof? I tried to recall what the journal had said about the roof. Had it said anything at all?

  "Belle, what is the roof? Is it stone or timber or what?"

  She was silent for a moment and then she said, "Dan, I'm sorry to say I don't know.

  I must have walked or ridden past it a hundred times, but I don't remember."

  "Gimme a boost, Cap," Pio said.

  Reaching out in the dark, I touched his shoulder, then clasped my hands for his boot. He felt for my hands to locate them, and put his foot in the stirrup they made. I lifted and he gave a jump so that he was able to touch the roof.

  "Logs," he said, "split logs." He strained for a moment, and dust sifted down over my shoulders. "Dirt on top."

  He stepped down. "What d' you think, Cap?" "Old logs ... if any nails were used they would have rusted ... they'd be loose, unless the roof has been rebuilt."

  "They might squeak."

  "We'll risk it," I said. "If the guard is close by he'll probably hear it and come to stop us; if he isn't, we've got a chance to get out." "Like in Korea, that time?"

  "Uh-huh. Get on my shoulders," I said. "If you get your shoulders
under a weak board, we can both push."

  We had no luck. We started at one side and tested our strength, but either the dirt was piled too deep, or the nails were still gripping. We moved over, tried again, and then a third time. We worked our way along, testing each board, each foot of the roof.

  Suddenly there was a glare of light. Pio dropped to the floor. "What's that?" he whispered.

  Belle was at one of the loopholes. "The lights at the swimming pool. Hazel is really going to swim." "It's cold out there," I said. "It's a heated pool, Dan." She watched for a moment. "Esther Karnes is with her, and if I know those two they won't leave until they know what's going on. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be glad they were close by. There aren't two women in all of Arizona it is easier to dislike."

  "Why do they have them over, then?"

  "Esther Karnes," Belle said, "is the sister of a county commissioner. She's also very active politically."

  A boot grated on gravel near the door, and we waited, keeping our silence, listening.

  After a while the steps retreated, and we immediately went back to testing the roof.

  All at once a rusty spike squealed and we held our breath.

  Outside we heard running footsteps, which paused just outside. Pio's lips at my ear breathed, "I can make it, Cap! One more time!"

  The boots prowled around the stone fort, then retreated slowly.

  "Now?" I said.

  "Why not?"

  I gave him a leg up. He braced his shoulders. "On three," he whispered, and I readied myself, knees bent.

  "One, two, three!" We both heaved, and the board lifted. There was a trickle of dirt, a rattle of pebbles on the floor; then we saw the dark sky through a rectangle of opening, a dark sky spangled with stars. Cool air blew into the fort.

  Pio caught the edge, and eased himself up through the narrow space. For me there would have to be a larger opening.

  Pio thrust his head back through the hole. "You can make it, ma'am. He can't."

  "Go ahead," I said to Belle. "I'll make a bigger opening."

  "How will you get up that high?"

  "I can jump and catch the edges. You go ahead now."

  She wasted no time. I helped her up, and Pio pulled her through the narrow space.

  "Pio, get her away from here ... clear away."

  He chuckled. "Sure, keed!"

  He was feeling the edges of the hole we'd made. One of the logs had split, probably around the rusting spike, and so had been easily pushed out of place. Apparently he was trying to move one of the other logs.

  "Don't bother with that!" I said. "Beat it!"

  There was no sense in having them caught again. If they could get away, get help ... even stir up enough talk so an investigation would be started ...

  Something sounded outside the door... boots on the gravel again. "You keep quiet in there," a voice said in a hoarse whisper, "or I'll come in an' give you the butt of this gun in the teeth."

  Suddenly there was a grunt, a gasp, then a moment of wild struggle. Heels beat against the wall, then the beating grew feeble . . . and then silence.

  A head appeared at the opening above. "Jus' like in Korea, Cap. I'll open the door."

  When the door opened I stepped outside. Pio and I together picked up the unconscious man and took him inside. At least, I hoped he was only unconscious. Knowing Pio, I could not be sure.

  "Here." Pio thrust a gun and cartridge belt into my hand. "I've got the rifle."

  When we had closed and locked the door from the outside, I looked around. "Where's Belle?"

  He gave a little chuckle. "She's got nerve, that one. She's gone up there." He gestured toward the pool.

  "What?"

  "She's going to tell Hazel the whole story. Right in front of them. And she's going to ask for a ride into town."

  The sheer nerve of it stopped me, but then I recalled all that had happened. "They won't let her go, Pio. They've gone beyond that. Or if she got away, they would claim she was suffering from hysteria."

  As we stood there together, wondering what to do, we could see her dark, slim figure walking along. She was almost at the pool. Walking on cat feet, we followed.

  Doris was there by the pool in a white bikini, and Colin too.

  Nobody ever had more nerve than Belle. She stepped out of the darkness and Colin jumped as if he'd been shot.

  "Hazel, will you give me a ride into town?" Belle asked. "I must leave right away."

  "We've only just started swimming," Hazel protested. "I've just gotten my suit wet."

  "I must go right away," Belle insisted.

  "Don't be silly, Belle," Colin said casually. "Let them have their swim. I know you've been restless lately, but you're much better off right here." He was thinking fast-I'll give him that. "We'll take care of you right here. You've no reason to go to a hospital... of any kind."

  Hazel reached for her robe, and Esther Karnes caught the ladder and climbed out of the pool. "What's the trouble?"

  "Belle's been rather nervous lately," Colin said gently. "I'm afraid she's been under a strain since her sister died, and she's not quite herself."

  "My sister did not die," Belle said. "She was murdered. Just as you would like to murder me... and Dan Sheridan."

  "Dan Sheridan? The writer?" Esther Karnes was excited. "Why, he's a favorite of Dick's!"

  Colin got up. He seemed to have changed his mind, and his manner was quite unconcerned.

  "Hazel, why don't you just do as she wishes? Humor her. It will do no harm. Drive her into town ... just see that she doesn't harm herself."

  Belle stared at him, and my mind went blank with surprise. "You don't mean it!" she exclaimed.

  "Of course I mean it. Hazel, it would be doing us all a favor if you would. That was one reason we hesitated when you wanted to come out. We had a party here last night and some of the guests started calling people ... long distance, and at my expense ... and saying all sorts of crazy things.

  "Why, we haven't done that since we were kids! Remember when we used to call perfect strangers in the middle of the night? You would think they had outgrown that. I'll admit," he added, "it was Jimbo who started it, but-"

  "That's not true!" Belle interrupted. "He's lying!"

  "Belle got a bit excited and she began believing all sorts of things... people trying to kill her, and things like that. As for killing her sister-my own brother Aukie was killed, too, you know."

  He was good, I had to admit that, and I had not believed he had it in him. He was smoothing it all over and giving a very good portrayal of a considerate man.

  "If I were you, Hazel, and if Esther doesn't mind, I'd take her into town before she changes her mind."

  "Has he gone nuts?" Pio whispered. "If she ever gets into town and tells what she knows he'll have the Law all over the place out here!"

  "Why, of course!" Hazel said. "I'd be only too glad to help. Belle, you poor thing! You just sit down and we'll get dressed and be right along."

  They disappeared and Belle said quietly, "What do you hope to gain by that? You know nobody will believe it." She got up to go inside, and as she started Colin spoke again.

  "Of course they will. Now you just go along with Hazel," he said. "There's nothing to worry about."

  Jimbo had remained silent up to now. "Colin," he said, "you just can't mean to let her go."

  "Oh, but I do!" He sounded cheerful. "This is working out beautifully." He'turned around. "Mark, is Seward's jeep still out back?"

  "It is." Mark just stood there, waiting.

  "You know the old fire road that runs into the highway near Bishop Creek? If you were to leave now, you could be parked up there with your lights out."

  Mark Wilson took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and shook one loose. He took time to light it, and said something too indistinctly for me to hear.

  "It will look better that way. No lights, mind you, and no contact."

  They talked some more, but I couldn't quite make
out what they were saying, only a word or two coming through.

  We backed off, and when safely beyond their hearing, I said to Pio, "What about that old fire road? Do you know where it is?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "I don't understand what he has in mind. Why would he let them leave the place if he intends to take them again? And why so far away? That's off the ranch, isn't it?"

  "Sure."

  "What's up there? On that old fire road?"

  "Nothin'. Nothin' a-tall. There was a brush fire up yonder a few years back and they had that fire road cut in ... it's more of a fire break. Rough to go over, even on a horse."

  We waited in silence, watching the house. Mark Wilson and Jimbo disappeared. We heard a motor come to life, then Jimbo returned and said something to Colin.

  When Belle came out again she was walking quietly beside Hazel. The three women got into Hazel's station wagon, and Colin stood quietly by, watching them drive away.

  "Cap, we got to get out of here. Sooner or later somebody's goin' to have a look at the fort."

  I got up and led the way toward the fort. We circled it, then paused. "I don't like it, Pio. Something's wrong. Colin's not going to let her get into town and do any talking. He doesn't dare."

  "Well, he's let her go."

  A thought came to me. "Pio, what's it like up there? I mean up there where that fire road runs into the main road."

  "It's pretty rough country. And right there... I wouldn't want to drive that fire road in the dark, believe me. Right where it turns into the main road I'd say he'd better make that turn. If he doesn't it's two hundred feet straight down for him."

  "Or for anybody driving the main road," I said. "Suppose somebody comes roaring down from the fire road out of the dark, what would you do?"

  "I'd step on it."

  "If it was a surprise? Mightn't you swing away?"

  "I wouldn't dare. There's that drop-off, Cap. There just ain't room to swing away.

  On that narrow road if you twist your wheel you'll go over. Really good brakes, if you slapped them hard and quick, might catch you, but I wouldn't bet on it."

  "That's it, then. He's planning to kill all three of them. If all three die there's not likely to be any suspicion that it was aimed at Belle."