Deadly Trail

by William W. Johnstone

  “All right, suppose I can get the money from him. Then what?”

  “Then we’ll put out the word that we’re paying five hundred dollars to anyone who kills Matt Jensen. And we don’t care how they do it.”

  “Damn,” Pauley said. “I know somebody in Dorena who would do it.”

  “Who?” Strayhorn asked.

  “That half-breed. I can’t think of his name, but you’ll know him if you ever see him. He’s a short, bandy-legged fella with a face that’s so ugly, it would make a train take five miles of dirt road.”

  “You talkin’ about Goneril?” Strayhorn asked.

  “Yeah, Goneril, that’s his name. Word is, he’ll kill anyone if you pay him.”

  “Hold it,” Decker said. “Are you sayin’ this fella Goneril is good enough to go up against Matt Jensen?”

  Pauley laughed. “Good ain’t got nothin’ to do with it,” he said. “Like as not, Jensen will never even see him.”

  “What do you think he would charge us?” Strayhorn asked.

  “He once took out a U.S. marshal for two hundred dollars,” Pauley said. “I’m sure he’d go after Jensen for five hundred dollars.”

  “Maybe we ought to talk to him,” Strayhorn said.

  “A lot of good that will do,” Teech said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, how long do you think folks have been trying to kill this Jensen fella anyway? If they haven’t done it up to now, this half-breed you’re talkin’ about ain’t likely to get it done either.”

  “We don’t lose nothin’ by him tryin’,” Strayhorn said. “Besides which, we got us an edge.”

  “What sort of edge?” Decker asked.

  Strayhorn pointed to Layne.

  “We got the girl,” he said. “Jensen will be comin’ after her. All the breed has to do is stay between the girl and Jensen. He’ll get his shot.”

  “Good idea,” No Nose said, nodding his head in acquiescence.

  “I got a question,” Teech said.

  “What?”

  “I thought this whole thing was to get money for the girl. Now you say we’re usin’ her for bait. Where does the money come in?”

  “Oh, we’ll get the money all right,” Strayhorn said. He smiled. “And you just give me an idea.”

  “What’s that?”

  “No Nose, when you go talk to this Highgate fella, you tell him to tell the governor that since he didn’t listen to us, since he sent someone to kill us, the cost of getting his niece back alive has just gone up.”

  “You mean ask him for more money?” No Nose said.

  “Yes.”

  “How much more?”

  “I’d say double what we are asking now,” Strayhorn said. “Instead of ten thousand dollars, we’ll ask for twenty thousand.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” No Nose said.

  “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

  “Highgate is sure that ten thousand is all we could get. I mean, he was pretty certain about that.”

  “We were going to ask for ten thousand, and he was going to keep half of it, right? Five thousand dollars?”

  “Yes.”

  Strayhorn laughed. “That’s fine. He can still have five thousand. Only now, we’ll keep fifteen thousand.”

  No Nose looked skeptical for a minute, then he broke into a big smile. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, I like the way you think.”

  Denver

  “Mr. Highgate?”

  Highgate was sitting at his desk in the small office that was adjacent to the governor’s larger office. He looked up as his name was called.

  “What is it, Mr. Collins? Can’t you see that I am busy?” Highgate said, irritated at having been interrupted by one of the clerks that worked at the Capitol Building.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Highgate, but a gentleman asked me to give you this note. He said it was very important and you would know what it was about.”

  Highgate removed his glasses and began polishing them. “He said I would know what it is about?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I have no idea what it is about,” Highgate said. “And whatever it is, it can’t possibly be more important than the assignment I am carrying out for the governor.”

  “Yes, sir, that’s why I told him that he couldn’t see you. But he was very insistent that I deliver this note to you, and to be honest, he was a very frightening-looking man, what with no nose and all.”

  Highgate looked up quickly.

  “What did you say?”

  “I said he was very insistent that I deliver this note to you.”

  “No, not that,” Highgate said, waving the comment aside. “I mean about no nose.”

  “Oh. Well, he actually does have a nose, of course,” Collins said. “But it is mashed so flat against his face that it looks as if he doesn’t have one. As I say, he presents a very frightening visage.”

  “Give me the note,” Highgate said.

  Collins handed the note across the desk. He made no attempt to leave after Highgate took the note.

  “Why are you standing there?” Highgate asked.

  “I thought perhaps you might want to answer him.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “He is in the entry hall, sir.”

  Highgate nodded, then opened the note to read.

  Mr. Highgate, we have to talk, now. Meet me tonight at nine o’clock in the Bucket of Blood Saloon.

  Nelson

  Highgate wrote something on the paper and handed it back to Collins.

  “Give this to him,” he said.

  “Very good, sir,” Collins replied, taking the note.

  Highgate had written that he would meet with Nelson tonight at the time and place of Nelson’s choosing.

  When he and Nelson had entered into their arrangement, he had established a regular schedule for a brief, weekly meeting, at which time Nelson would provide him with information upon the well-being of the governor’s niece, and he could provide Nelson with information regarding the status of the governor’s willingness to pay the ransom.

  The time and place of this meeting tonight was unscheduled, and Highgate intended to give Nelson a piece of his mind. He simply would not put up with changes in this very carefully planned operation.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  The Bucket of Blood Saloon was in a seamier part of Denver. Highgate had agreed to it as a meeting place because he had never been there before and he was quite sure that he would not be recognized. He realized almost immediately, though, that he should have changed clothes before coming there. Although everyone else was in denims and work clothes, Highgate was wearing a suit. That made him stand out like a rose in a cabbage patch, and everyone in the saloon stared at him.

  Feeling extremely self-conscious, Highgate surveyed the room until he saw what he was looking for. No Nose Nelson was sitting at a table alone, in the far corner of the room.

  “Good evening, Mr. Highgate,” No Nose said.

  “First of all, I thought it was clearly understood that we would have absolutely no contact other than that which we have already scheduled,” Highgate said. “Now you come to me with this request for an unscheduled meeting. That is against the rules that we made, and I have little use for anyone who can’t follow rules.”

  “Well, somethin’ has come up,” No Nose said. “And we figured we had better talk to you about it.”

  “And another thing. How did you know my name?” he asked.

  “That is your name, ain’t it?”

  “Yes,” Highgate said. “How did you find out?”

  “It don’t matter how I found out. I know. That’s all you need to know.”

  “What has come up? Has Miss McKenzie been harmed in any way?”

  No Nose laughed, a wheezing, snorting laugh. “You are the one who set this up, and you are worried about whether or not she has been harmed?”

  “I am in this for the money,” Highgate said. “I do not want anyone hurt.”
<
br />   “I’ll be sure and tell her that you asked about her,” No Nose said.

  “No! You mustn’t! Don’t you understand? She must never know that I am a part of this. If word gets back to the governor that I was involved in her abduction, I—I don’t know what would happen.”

  “If she found out? Why, you—” No Nose started, then stopped in mid-sentence, deciding for the moment that it might be better that Highgate not realize that Layne knew.

  “What?” Highgate asked. “What were you going to say?”

  “I was just going to say that I’m glad that you understand what might happen if the governor found out about you. Because that is exactly what will happen if you cross me now.” No Nose punctuated his comment with a drink of his beer.

  “Cross you? I have no intention of crossing you,” Highgate said. Nervously, Highgate drummed his fingers on the table. “Why are you here, Mr. Nelson?”

  “I’m here to get some money.”

  Highgate shook his head. “The governor has not authorized payment yet. I’m trying to convince him, but I’m not having any luck.”

  “He has sent Matt Jensen after us, hasn’t he?”

  “You know about that?”

  “I know about it.”

  “I didn’t have anything to do with that,” Highgate said. “I tried to talk him out of it.”

  “Yes, well, now you can deliver the governor a new message,” No Nose said.

  “What is that?”

  “Tell the governor that we are very disappointed that he didn’t accept our first offer. Tell him that the offer has changed. Now, we want twenty thousand dollars, instead of ten thousand.”

  “Twenty thousand dollars?” Highgate repeated with a gasp. He said the words so loudly that some of the closer patrons turned to look at him. “No, you have no authority to change the amount. In case you have forgotten, I am the one who set this entire operation up. It was my idea and my plan. And I arrived at just the correct figure after very careful consideration. Ten thousand is the most we can reasonably expect to get for this. And as long as I am in charge of this operation, that will continue to be the amount we seek.”

  No Nose chuckled. “Well, that’s just it, Highgate, You ain’t in charge no more. I am. And the amount I’m asking for is twenty thousand. But the rest of our deal remains the same. You will still get five thousand for your share.”

  “Why would that be? If, by chance, we could get more money, then my share should be proportionate.”

  “Proportionate? What does that mean?”

  “It means that if your share goes up, mine should go up as well.”

  No Nose laughed. “Proportionate. I’ll give you this. You sure are a high-toned talker. Now, what I want you to do is go back to the governor and tell him the cost of getting his niece back unhurt is now twenty thousand dollars. Tell him that’s because he brought Matt Jensen in. Also, and this is from you, I’ll need five hundred dollars in cash right away.”

  “What?” Highgate gasped. “I don’t have five hundred dollars!”

  “Get it.”

  “Where am I supposed to get it?”

  No Nose shook his head. “I don’t know and I don’t care. That’s your problem, not mine. I’ll be here the same time tomorrow night. You be here with the five hundred dollars.”

  “But no, that’s impossible,” Highgate said. “Where am I supposed to get five hundred dollars?”

  “Like I told you, I don’t care. But if you aren’t here tomorrow night with five hundred dollars, the governor is going to find out about your part in snatching his niece from the train.”

  “No, dear God, no!” Highgate said. “You can’t do that! I—I would go to prison.”

  “Yeah, you would,” No Nose said with a smile.

  “I wouldn’t survive prison.”

  “No, you wouldn’t,” No Nose said.

  “What—what am I to do?”

  “You’re to get five hundred dollars, that’s what you are to do,” No Nose said. “And if I were you, I’d get started right away.”

  “Twenty thousand dollars?” Governor Routt replied when Highgate informed him of the new demand.

  “Yes, sir, that is what they are asking for now,” Highgate replied.

  “Why did they up the price?”

  “I was told it is because you brought in Matt Jensen,” Highgate said. “Governor, you will forgive me for saying this, but you might remember that I advised you to pay the ten thousand dollars. If you had done so when I first asked, no doubt your niece would be safe now and it would be over with.

  “As it stands now, Miss McKenzie is still in danger, and the price for guaranteeing her safety has gone to twenty thousand dollars.”

  Governor Routt held up his finger and shook his head. “No, George, that is where you are wrong. If I thought I could guarantee her safety, I would have paid the ten thousand. But it wouldn’t matter if they lowered the price to five thousand or raised it to one hundred thousand. Men like these cannot be trusted. No, sir. I am convinced that the best possible course of action is to let Matt Jensen find these heartless and evil wretches and rescue Layne.”

  Highgate closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Once, when he was a child, he had climbed a tree in order to reach a bird’s nest. When he got even with the bird’s nest, he started out on a limb after it. The farther out on the limb he climbed, the more frightened he became until he realized two things. One—he couldn’t get back from the limb, and two—he was going to fall.

  That was exactly where Highgate was right now. He was out on the limb with No Nose and his nefarious allies, and there was no coming back. He had no choice but to go all the way with them now.

  “I need five hundred dollars,” Highgate suddenly blurted out.

  “I beg your pardon?” Governor Routt said, startled by the sudden announcement.

  “Five hundred dollars,” Highgate repeated. “I need five hundred dollars.”

  “George, that is a rather substantial sum. What on earth do you need it for?”

  “The—gentleman—and I use that word loosely, who has been relaying information to me about the status of Miss McKenzie, says that he can find out where she is for five hundred dollars.”

  “Do you think he can?”

  “I believe he can, yes.”

  Governor Routt stroked his chin. “I don’t know,” he said. “I am not inclined to trust such people.” He shook his head. “I think no.”

  “But Governor, surely you want what is best for Miss McKenzie?” Highgate said.

  Governor Routt frowned at his private secretary. “Are you questioning my concern for my own niece?” he asked.

  “No, sir, no, sir, of course not,” Highgate said, dissembling. “It’s just that, well, were I in your condition, I would do everything I could to guarantee her safe return.”

  “And I am,” Governor Routt said. “But I will not be swindled or cheated by the kind of men who would take advantage of something like this to line their own pockets. And my experience tells me that this is what your contact person is trying to do. Tell him thanks, but no, thanks.”

  Highgate’s head began spinning, and he had to sit down to keep from passing out. What was he going to do? If he didn’t get the five hundred dollars, Nelson was going to tell the governor about his own involvement in this.

  “Don’t be so glum, George,” Governor Routt said in a friendly tone of voice. “I’m right about this. You’ll see. Why, I believe we will have Layne back, fit as a fiddle, in no time.”

  “Yes, sir,” Highgate said. His voice sounded high and tinny.

  When Highgate returned to his own office, he saw one of the state legislators waiting for him.

  “Yes, can I help you?” he asked.

  “Please remind the governor that he is supposed to have lunch today with the House Committee for Mining,” the legislator said.

  “All right, wait here, I’ll be right back.”

  Returning to the governor�
��s office, Highgate passed on the information.

  “Oh, yes, I had nearly forgotten that,” Governor Routt said. “Thank you.” He looked around at his desk. “Ahh, my desk is a mess.”

  “I’ll take care of it for you, Governor. You can go to your lunch.”

  “Thanks,” Governor Routt said.

  Highgate watched the governor leave, then heard him say heartily, “Hello, Michael. So good of you boys to invite me to lunch today.”

  “We’ve got a lot to talk about on this new bill, Governor. I hope you are up for it.”

  “Well, it never hurts to talk, does it? I think everyone who knows me says that’s what I do best,” Governor Routt teased, and Highgate could hear the receding laughter as the two men walked away from the offices.

  Highgate felt a hollowness in the pit of his stomach, and a spinning sensation in his head. What was he going to do?

  Part of him wanted to flee, to leave Denver, to leave Colorado, and never come back. But what would he do then? How would he make a living?

  Highgate had just finished clearing away the governor’s desk when he saw a letter from the governor, written on stationery with an official letterhead. At that moment, he saw a solution to his problem.

  “Yes!” he said aloud. Taking one sheet of stationery, he returned to his own desk. Over the last few years as the governor’s private secretary, Highgate had learned many things. He knew which state accounts the governor could draw money from, he knew which of these accounts were subject to frequent use, which accounts were rarely used and thus rarely audited. He also knew how to sign the governor’s name in such a way that even those most familiar with his signature would not be able to tell the difference.

  Returning to the governor’s desk, he borrowed the governor’s pen and ink. That would make the document all the more authentic.

  State of Colorado

  Office of the Governor

  To Dis bursement Officer, Miscellaneous Accounts: Pay to the bearer of this note five hundred (500) dollars in cash.