Blazing Rattles (A Harley and Davidson Mystery Book 10)

by Liliana Hart

  “What are they planning?” Springer asked. “Another bank robbery?”

  “Nope,” Coil said, drinking coffee from his tin cup. “A train robbery.”

  “A train?” Will asked. “There’s nothing but coal and supply trains around here. Why would they want to rob a train?”

  Coil was already shaking his head. “Not this time,” he said. “There’s a private train scheduled to come all the way from Dallas. No passengers. But they’ve disguised the cars to look like a cargo train, though all of the cars will have an armed guard inside, and they’re the only ones who can unlock their car.”

  “And what’s inside the cars that the Copper Cove Boys want so bad?” Hank asked.

  “Gold bars,” Coil answered. “Worth at least a million.”

  Whitehorse whistled.

  “They had the train schedule and the route, and the train is only scheduled to stop twice for a minute in each place to take on water. It’s timed down to the second. The train will make its final stop in San Antonio where it will be met by armed guards and men strong enough to move that many crates of gold bars.”

  “How are they planning on getting the gold off the train?” James asked.

  “They’re not,” Coil said. “They’re planning to take control of the whole train and divert it down a different section of tracks. They’ll kill the guards, and unload the gold at Canyon Springs. They’ve got a hideout near there. If they pull it off as planned, the train will get back on the right track and pull into the station in San Antonio with nothing but a bunch of dead guards and empty cars.”

  “When are they going to strike?” Hank asked.

  Coil sighed and looked them each in the eye. “Today.”

  Hank’s eyes widened. “What do you mean today?”

  “I mean there’s one shot at keeping them from succeeding in their plan.” Coil said. “We need to be in the right place at the right time. And I need to be on that train when it comes through.”

  “You mean we’re all going to be on that train when it comes through,” Agatha said.

  Hank had been so engrossed in Coils’s story that he hadn’t heard her come up behind them.

  “Good morning, Aggie,” he said, wondering if she thought he’d left her out of the loop on purpose.

  “Morning, Hank,” she said, nodding. She looked in the kettle to see if there was any more coffee, and poured the rest into her cup. “I’m sure it was just an oversight to leave me sleeping while the menfolk planned things out.”

  Will jerked his head over toward Jackson, who continued to snore next to the wagon. “You’re not the only one.”

  She got a mutinous look on her face, and Hank stifled a grin. He knew that look well, and Will’s best course of action was to stop talking.

  “I think Aggie’s right,” Hank said. “It’s going to take all of us to stop them. We all need to be on that train. It’s the only way to protect the cargo.”

  Coil nodded and said, “Normally, I’d agree with you. But the reality is, we have a prisoner, several horses, and a wagon that have to be tended to and taken back to town.”

  Hank gestured for Agatha to take a seat next to him on the fallen log he was using as a bench. She looked like she might protest, but she sat and then said, “If that’s the case, that leaves me out. I can’t babysit a killer all the way back to San Antonio. It’s got to be a lawman.”

  “Then who’s gonna take him back?” Hank asked.

  Springer raised his hand. “I’ll do it. I know manpower is limited, and I can run that wagon and horse team better than two of us could. If Jackson gives me any grief, I’ll shoot him in the other leg. But I plan on keeping him restrained for the journey home. And he won’t have anyone to rescue him with the great train robbery going on.”

  “You sure?” Hank asked, surprised the younger man wanted to miss out on the action.

  “I’m sure,” he said. “Besides, anytime I’m on a train or a boat I’m sick as a dog. Don’t think you want to deal with that.”

  “Good point,” Coil said. “Now that we’ve got that planned, we need to go over the logistics. I think I’ve pinpointed the perfect spot for us to join the party. It’s a good place for us to board because the train has to slow down before several switchbacks.”

  “What if the Copper Cove Boys are also planning to board at the same place?” Whitehorse asked.

  Coil shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think they’ll shoot for when the train has a planned stop.”

  Hank’s gut knotted. How in the world were they all going to get on a moving train, even if it did slow down? The last time Hank had hitched a ride on a train like that, he’d been a kid back in Philly.

  Coil used his fingers to push his long blonde hair back from his face. “We’ll only have one shot to get on. There’s a ravine not too far past that point, and the drop would kill anyone.”

  “How are we supposed to jump on a moving train?” James asked.

  “Why don’t we use the wagon?” Whitehorse suggested. “It’ll hold at least a couple of us and we can make a jump for it. It’s a lot easier than jumping off a horse. Believe me.”

  “That wagon can’t get us up to speed,” James said. “We’d be lucky if it didn’t fall apart right out from under us.”

  Agatha looked thoughtful. “We just need it to last long enough to get us onto the train. If we hitch all four horses to it, we can get some serious speed.”

  Hank had been listening to the conversation with one ear, but he was watching Coil. He seemed detached. He knew his friend well enough to recognize the rage that simmered inside of him. Coil had been the one whose life had been threatened. And he wanted revenge. He wouldn’t have given a hoot who made it on the train as long as he was the one to face off with McIrish.

  “Y’all can plan this to death,” Coil said. But that train is going to be coming through in a couple of hours, and wagon or no wagon, I’m going to meet it.” He stood and went to ready his things.

  It didn’t take long for them to clear their camp and mount their horses, and they were on their way to the spot where they’d attempt to jump on the train as it passed by. It was decided Springer would drive the wagon since he and Jackson were splitting off toward home, and they’d hitched up four horses and dumped all of their supplies to lighten the load. It was also decided that Jackson would remain tied to a tree with the supplies and one of the horses that was older and wouldn’t have the stamina for this mission. Springer would swing back and get him once he’d delivered them to the train.

  “Do you think this will work?” Agatha asked him.

  “I’m not sure,” Hank answered honestly. “What are the chances of catching a moving locomotive in an old wagon filled with people?”

  “If we get a head start and get it up to speed, we might have a chance,” James said.

  “How fast do you think we’ve got to go?” Agatha asked.

  “Eighty-eight miles per hour,” Hank said under his breath, Back to the Future immediately coming to mind.

  “What’s that?” Agatha asked.

  “Nothing,” Hank said. “Come on. Let’s get this thing moving before the team goes on without us.”

  Springer hopped up into the front, and Hank and Agatha got settled in the back They met the others at the crest of the hill where they’d decided to strap down Jackson and the equipment they didn’t need at the moment. Coil, Whitehorse, and Ellis decided to forego the wagon and jump from their horses onto the train. The lighter they could make the wagon, the better chance they had.

  Just to the north of where they’d stashed Jackson was a hill that looked out over the valley where the tracks had been laid. They were at an incline, and would be able to see the train as it slowed and came around the bend.

  Waiting was always the hardest part. His breakfast sat in his gut like lead as he waited to see the first sign of the train.

  “You okay?” Agatha asked.

  “Never better,” he said. “You?”

>   “I’m ready,” she said, shaking out arms and stretching her neck like she was about to go into the ring.

  “Y’all are both crazy,” James said, shaking his head. “We’re about to jump on a moving train and confront the most notorious gang in the country.”

  “It’ll be fun,” Hank said, ignoring his own nerves to calm James. He looked a little green around the gills. “And it’ll be a good story to tell your grandkids one day.”

  James snorted. “Yeah, if we live to tell the tale.”

  “That’s the whistle,” Agatha said, and everyone froze. It was faint, but it was there.

  His heart pounded in his chest and he gripped the side of the wagon.

  “It’s all about timing,” Coil said. “We need to start moving before we see the train. Otherwise we’ll never get the speed we need.”

  There was another blow of the whistle, closer this time. The horses pawed the ground in anticipation, and the excitement was electric. The next whistle was the signal, and with a mighty, “Yah!” the horses were all spurred into action.

  The wagon jerked beneath them as the team took off, and Hank braced himself as they started down the hill. His teeth rattled in his head, and he kept an eye on Agatha to make sure she was okay.

  “Here she comes,” Agatha yelled over the thundering of hooves.

  He saw the black smoke first, and then the whistle sounded again. And then the train appeared, looking intimidating and larger than life as it barreled toward them. They must be out of their minds, but it was too late for regrets now.

  They were all riding at a break-neck pace along the tracks, and the train would come up beside them in a matter of seconds. He caught a glimpse of the engineer’s wide-eyed stare as the locomotive passed them.

  The clack of the train hitting the tracks was like a metronome in his ears, and his gaze scanned for the best place to take hold.

  “Dang it,” Agatha yelled. “I dropped my rifle.”

  Hank glanced back and realized that was the least of their problems. The wagon was coming apart at the seams, and then they’d be in a real fix.

  “We gotta make the jump,” he said. “Keep it steady, Springer.”

  “The middle rail car is open,” Hank said. “That’s our easiest point of entry.”

  “You call that easy?” Agatha asked.

  They’d be even with the empty car in seconds, and Hank knew jumping into the car wouldn’t be as difficult as it would be to stop themselves from rolling out the other side.

  “James,” Hank said. “You jump first. Then you can catch Agatha.”

  Hank took a second to glance at the riders behind them, trying to find their own place to jump on, but the train had started picking up speed again and things weren’t looking good. He couldn’t think about that now. He had to focus on getting on that train.

  The ride was getting rougher as the wagon splintered apart, and they hit a rut in the road that had them going airborne. Hank heard a yell, and looked back in time to see Springer bounce right out of the wagon.

  He’d never seen anything like it. “What the—”

  “He’s fine,” James yelled, leaping into the drivers’ seat and taking the reins. He snapped them to keep the horses from slowing their pace.

  “It’ll have to be just us,” Agatha said. “It’s now or never. Toss me.”

  Hank didn’t take the time to think it through. He picked Agatha up and tossed her into the open car on the train. Coil and the others on horses had missed their opportunity when they’d had to dodge Springer, and the pieces of the wagon that had come flying at them.

  With a mighty leap, Hank launched himself into the open car and his fingers grasped a crate to keep him from rolling out the other side. The train whistle blared once more, and it was then Hank realized the enormity of their problem. He and Agatha were truly alone. It was going to be them and the Copper Cove Boys. And he wasn’t thrilled with their odds of coming out on top.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Wow,” Agatha said. “That went a lot different in my head.”

  Hank was sprawled on hands and knees, trying to catch his breath instead of staring at how close he’d come to the drop-off on the other side of the car. He scooted back across the filthy floor and pressed his back against the wall, taking in deep heaving breaths.

  “You okay?” he asked Agatha.

  “Just dandy,” she said. But there was something in the tone of her voice that had him glancing at her. She was pale, and her mouth was pinched with pain.

  He rose to his feet and braced himself, trying to find the rhythm of the train before taking a step.

  “What’s wrong? He asked, moving toward her.

  “Nothing,” she insisted.

  But he’d already noticed she was favoring her shoulder, and there was definitely something wrong with it. It was dislocated.

  “No, you’re definitely not all right,” he said.

  “I think I’m going to be sick,” she said, and then her eyes rolled back in her head and he barely caught her as she passed out cold.

  There were several empty crates stacked at each end, and several of them had remnants of hay that had been used in the packing. He laid her carefully in the corner and then rearranged the crates so she’d be protected.

  “And then there was one,” Hank said to himself.

  The train whistle blew again, and it began to slow. He knew it wouldn’t be long before they arrived at the switchbacks, and that was the mostly likely moment for McIrish to make his move.

  There was a squeal of brakes, and he braced himself against the wall as the train slowed even more. He poked his head out and looked both ways. He didn’t recognize the area, and the only thing he had to go by was Coil’s description of the switchbacks, a deep ravine, and a canyon once they’d diverted the train.

  He saw the plumes of dust and heard the gunfire as they shot off rounds into the air. The security guards would all be tucked safely into the individual cars where the gold was located, and they’d put up a fight to protect it.

  The gunfire stopped as abruptly as it started, and Hank just listened. He checked on Agatha one more time, and then he waited, anticipation curling through him.

  There was a thud on the roof of the car, and then the sound of footsteps. He reached for his pistol, and took cover behind one of the crates. The element of surprise would only work once.

  Hank saw the boots first, and then a large man swung into the car from above. He recognized the man from one of Agatha’s in depth articles and the likenesses she’d printed of each gang member. The man was known as skunk because of the distinctive white stripe that ran through his black hair.

  Skunk gave the car a cursory look and then stuck his head out into the open and yelled for the others. The easy thing to do would be to shoot him where he stood, but Hank couldn’t stand the thought of shooting a man in the back. He put his pistol back in the holster and picked up a section of 2x4 that was next to his feet.

  He crept forward slowly and whacked him right across the backside and out of the train car. Skunk gave a muffled mmpphh and never saw what hit him. There was a shout and a volley of gunfire that hit the outside of the car Hank was in, and wood splintered all around him. He scrambled back into the corner where Agatha was, protecting her from flying debris.

  He’d made someone very unhappy. The shots stopped and he tried to crawl back toward the opening to see who or how many were coming for him. He spotted another outlaw out of his periphery riding his horse at a breakneck pace to catch up. He couldn’t identify the man on horseback because his Stetson covered too much of his face, but Hank recognized the pistol in his hand.

  Hank drew his revolver and laid flat on the floor of the train car, and then took aim at the moving target. The gunshot echoed in the small space so it rang in his ears, but his aim was true. The horseman tumbled to the ground like a ragdoll.

  He didn’t know how many of McIrish’s gang were left. The gang had killed Cornbread themselves
, and Agatha and James had taken care of a small handful of miscreants when they’d had their shootout. Jackson had been captured, and Hank had just disposed of two. If his calculations were correct, that meant McIrish was the last man standing.

  Even as he had the thought he heard the thump of footsteps and a jarring whack to the back of his head. He saw stars and went forward, his gun falling from his grasp and bouncing out of the open door.

  He moaned as he fought to roll onto his side. The blurry shadow standing in the opposite doorway hovered over him. He’d used the same 2x4 Hank had whacked Skunk with.

  “Well, well, well,” McIrish drawled. “If it isn’t Hammering Hank Davidson in the flesh. You’ve gotten good at looking in the wrong direction and letting someone sneak up behind you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The bank job in Philly,” he said. “You and your misfits were watching the wrong bank. I tried to warn you, but the hotshot detective thought he knew better than the very man who planned the job.”

  “You tried to warn me?” Hank asked, confused. He was in pain. That blow might’ve cracked his skull. He already had damage from the horse kick to the head, and now he might have brain injuries that no doctor could fix if he got stuck in this time period. Coldness swept over his body, and he thought he might lose consciousness, but that would be the end for him and Agatha too. He had to fight.

  “I didn’t want them old guards to go down,” McIrish said. “I’m not completely heartless, you know. Killing was never in the plan, only the money, but when people got in our way they left us no choice. But I did try to warn you. You could’ve saved those men, so really, it’s your fault we had to kill them.”