“He was related to our Mr. Lowery?” Kate asked.
That “our Mr. Lowery” rankled, but Frank let it go. “He was Hank Lowery’s twin brother.”
“Oh, I see,” Kate said, but she really didn’t.
Frank lit his cigarette. “The ranchers’ war lasted three months. During that time seven men were killed, another crippled for life, and Stride Lowery was one of the dead. Finally a peace conference was called, to be held at the saloon in Longdale. At three in the afternoon Levi Fry, owner of the Slim Chance, rode into town with two punchers. A few minutes later the Rocking-J crew arrived. Jesse George, a careful man, brought along three men. One of them was Mordecai Bishop, an Arizona Territory revolver fighter who’d made a name for himself as a fast gun in the Lee-Peacock feud in the Texas four corners country. Well, the seven men got to cussin’ and discussin’ and the ranchers poked holes in the air with their forefingers. They got to drinking and then to talking again.”
Frank stopped talking and listened into the still, mother-of-pearl night. “Coyotes are hunting close. They’re making the horses restless.”
“Did the ranchers reach an agreement?” Kate asked.
“We’ll never know. Hank Lowery stepped into the saloon and locked the door behind him. He had a Colt in each hand, cut loose, and put a lead period at the end of the last sentence those boys uttered.”
“But why?”
“Why? It seemed that he blamed both parties for his brother’s death. Whatever the reason, when the smoke cleared seven men lay with their faces in the sawdust, five of them dead and two dying. Later I was told that old Levi Fry was gut-shot and crawled around the floor on his hands and knees coughing blood. Lowery’s guns were shot dry, but he drew a .32 hideout, shoved the muzzle into the back of Levi Fry’s head, and pulled the trigger.”
Kate drew her nightdress closer around her shoulders. “Frank, why should the Longdale Massacre trouble you? You weren’t involved.”
“But I was, indirectly anyway. I’d worked a roundup for old man Fry and he’d paid twice what he owed me. I liked that old man and he didn’t deserve to die the way he did.”
“Hank Lowery says he didn’t shoot Mr. Fry while he was on the floor,” Kate said.
“And you believe him?”
“Well, no. But I don’t disbelieve him either.”
“Kate, Lowery is a cold-blooded killer. He proved it in Longdale.”
“Has he killed anyone since?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, he may have. He says he has angry men on his back trail.”
“Who are they?”
“He wouldn’t say.” Kate was silent for a while. The moonlight tangled in her hair and turned the fair Celtic skin of her beautiful face to porcelain. Finally she said, “Hank Lowery wants to join our drive. He says he’s worked cattle before, and we could use another hand.”
It took Frank a few moments to recover before he said, “What did you tell him?”
“I said I’d speak to you. And I told him something else, Frank. I said if he killed a man while he was under my employ, I’d hang him.”
“Kate, Lowery is a professional gambler. When was the last time you saw a gambler eating dust? Riding drag? And he’s a shootist. I bet you never saw one of them punching cows either.”
“And that’s the whole point. Lowery wants to make a fresh start and put his violent past behind him. He thinks he might prosper in Dodge as a merchant, perhaps in the lumber business.”
“He wants to be a storekeeper? And pigs will fly.” Frank flicked away his cigarette butt. It glowed like a firefly before hitting the ground. “I’ll tell you something about the Colt’s revolver, Kate. It casts a mighty long shadow. A man who’s lived by the gun and made a reputation can run, but he can’t hide. Sooner or later the past catches up to him and he’s forced to draw the Colt again. John Wesley tried to go straight and so did Dallas Stoudenmire, two men I knew and liked. Now Wes is rotting in Huntsville and five months ago Dallas was shot down in El Paso. Lowery will end up the same way.”
“I aim to take a chance on him, Frank,” Kate said.
“Then you’re making a big mistake.”
“I took a chance on you, remember? You turned out all right.”
“Have it your own way, Kate. You’re the boss. But if Lowery harms or even threatens harm to me or anyone I know, I’ll kill him. Is that understood?”
“Perfectly,” Kate said. “But it will not come to that. I will not let it happen.” She rose and walked into the moonlight, her back stiff.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
WILLIAM W. JOHNSTONE was the author of over 220 USA Today and New York Times bestselling books, including The First Mountain Man, MacCallister, Eagles, Savage Texas, Matt Jensen, The Last Mountain Man, The Family Jensen, and The Kerrigans: A Texas Dynasty, as well as the stand-alone thrillers Suicide Mission, The Bleeding Edge, Home Invasion, Stand Your Ground, and Tyranny.
Visit his website at www.williamjohnstone.net.
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