When he checked the Yellow Rose, he peered in over the batwing doors and saw Doucette seated at a table with a beer, and his man Vin standing at the bar. They probably didn’t even know yet that he had locked up Nils. He decided to fill Doucette in.
He entered the saloon. It was still early, so there were hardly any drinkers in the place. In fact, since the word had gotten around that Doucette was using the place as a kind of headquarters, business had slowed down even more.
The outlaw looked up from his mug as Shaye entered, and he smiled.
“Well, Sheriff,” he called out, “grab a beer on me. Come and have a seat.”
Shaye thought about what the judge had said about cat’n’mouse. That was exactly what was going on.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Shaye said.
He collected a mug of beer from the bartender and carried it over to Doucette’s table.
“Were you lookin’ for me?” Doucette asked.
“Actually,” Shaye said, “I was lookin’ for two of your men, Hawko and Tayback.”
“Now don’t tell me they got themselves into trouble,” Doucette said. “Your jail is gonna be brimmin’ with my men, Sheriff.”
“It already is,” Shaye said. “I just put Nils in there.”
“And what did he do?”
“Got rough with one of the girls at the whorehouse.”
Doucette shook his head.
“I told my boys to stay away from that place,” Doucette said. “Nothin’ but evil in whorehouses.”
“That may be true.”
“So why do you want Hawko and Tayback?”
“They were in town a while back—probably as advance scouts for you—and I ran them out.”
“I heard about that.”
“Well, they shouldn’t be here now,” Shaye said. “They shouldn’t be back in town without my say-so.”
“And so you’re gonna lock them up for . . .”
“Trespassing.”
“Trespassing!” Doucette repeated. “And I bet you got a judge who’ll back that up.”
“Yes, I do.”
Doucette looked over at Vin. “What’re you gonna do about him? He’s been nothin’ but law abidin’ since we got here.”
“He has,” Shaye agreed. “He might be your smartest man.”
“Hear that, Vin?” Doucette called out. “The sheriff here gives you credit for brains. Well, more brains than those other idiots, anyway.”
Vin didn’t know what to say to that, so he just raised his beer mug.
“And last but not least,” Doucette said, “there’s me. What’re you gonna lock me up for, Sheriff?”
“I don’t plan to lock you up, Cole,” Shaye said. “I’m just gonna see what your next move is gonna be.”
“And what if my next move is just to . . . have another beer?” Doucette asked.
“Oh, I think it’ll be somethin’ a little more active than that,” Shaye said. “See, despite what you say, I think you’re here for Mayor Snow. And I aim to see to it that you don’t get him.”
“You mean you think I’m lyin’ about not holdin’ a grudge?” Doucette asked. “Tsk, tsk, tsk,” he clucked his tongue. “That’s not very Christian of you, Sheriff.”
“I’m not a Christian, Cole,” Shaye said, “and I’m willin’ to bet neither are you.”
Doucette laughed. “You got that right, Sheriff. I’m not a Christian, or a religious man of any kind. You know why? There’s no religion in prison, only brutality.”
Shaye didn’t respond to that. He knew a lot of men who had gone to prison and found religion there. But this was not a point to be argued with Cole Doucette.
“My religion, if I had one while I was inside,” Doucette went on, “would have been revenge.”
“And that’s not somethin’ you’d forget so easily,” Shaye said.
“No, you’d think not,” Doucette said. “So are you expectin’ that when you have all my men in jail I won’t go after the judge,” Doucette asked, “or I will?”
“I told you,” Shaye said, “I don’t know what you’re gonna do. I’m waitin’ to see.”
“Well,” Doucette said, “I guess you better just keep on lookin’ for Hawko and Tayback, then. Toss them into one of your cells, and we’ll see what happens after that, hum?”
Shaye stood up, left his full mug of beer, untouched, on the table.
“Yeah, I guess we’ll see.”
As Shaye went back through the batwing doors, Doucette reached across the table and grabbed his beer.
“No point in lettin’ this go to waste.”
FIFTY-FIVE
Within the hour, Shaye found Hawko and Tayback . . .
They weren’t staying in any of the town’s hotels, and they weren’t drinking in the saloons. They were seated on the porch of a boarding house they’d found rooms in, passing a bottle of whiskey back and forth and grousing.
“I don’t like bein’ told to stay away from saloons and whorehouses,” Tayback said. “What other reason is there to go to any town?”
“Doucette’s payin’ the bills,” Hawko pointed out. “Until he isn’t, we have to do what he wants.”
“Yeah, well . . . where’s he gettin’ all this money to pay us with? And the others? I mean, didn’t he just get out of prison?”
“Who knows?” Hawko said. “Maybe he had the money hidden away before he went inside.”
They passed the bottle several more times, and then got to the bottom of it.
“We need another bottle,” Tayback said.
“Well, we can’t go to a saloon.”
“There’s a mercantile a few blocks from here. I saw it earlier today. I bet they got whiskey.”
“Okay,” Hawko said, “we go and get a bottle and come right back here.”
“What about the old lady who runs this place?” Tayback asked, as they stood up. “Maybe she’s still got a few miles left in her.”
“Oh Jesus,” Hawko said, “she’s gotta be fifty if she’s a day.”
They staggered off the porch and started walking back toward town.
. . . and that’s where Shaye finally ran into them, coming out of the mercantile, each cradling a bottle.
“Hello, boys,” he said.
They stopped short and stared at him.
“Whataya want, Sheriff?” Tayback asked. “We’re busy.”
“Yeah,” Hawko said, “we ain’t hurtin’ nobody. We’re jus’ takin’ these bottles back to our rooming house.”
“I seem to remember runnin’ you two out of town a while back.”
“You did,” Hawko said, “and that wasn’t very nice of you. We wuz jus’ tryin’ to get jobs as temporary deputies that time.”
“Yeah,” Tayback said, “we wuz tryin’ to help you and your mayor.”
“But you were really workin’ for Cole Doucette.”
“So?” Hawko said. “A man can work for two people.”
“You couldn’t very well be deputies if the men I needed as deputies were goin’ to go against Doucette.”
Tayback started to laugh and Hawko joined in.
“He’s got a point,” Tayback said.
“So I need you boys to give up your guns and come with me to jail. You can even bring your bottles.”
“We can?” Hawko asked.
“Sure,” Shaye said. “After all, you can drink anywhere. And you can share with your friends who are already there.”
“Say, that’s right,” Tayback said, looking at Hawko. “He’s got our buddies in his jail.”
“That ain’t real nice of you, Sheriff,” Hawko said. “You’re leavin’ our employer without no back-up.”
“He’s got Vin.”
The two men laughed again.
“Vin?” Tayback asked. “He don’t know one end of a gun from the other.”
“You don’t know who he’s got,” Hawko said, still laughing. “You’re in for a surprise.”
“Shhhh,” Tayback said to his friend, putting his
finger over his lips. “Ya gotta keep quiet.”
“Quiet about what?” Shaye asked.
“Naw, naw, naw,” Hawko said. “We ain’t gonna say no more about it, Sheriff.”
“Yeah,” Tayback whispered, “it’s a secret.”
Okay, then, they left him only one choice.
“Whataya say, boys? Guns?”
The two drunk men looked at each other, and then shook their heads.
“No guns, Sheriff,” Hawko said. “Sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Shaye said. “You’re both under arrest.”
“For what?” Hawko demanded.
“Trespassing,” Shaye said. “You never should’ve come back to town.”
“What the hell—” Tayback said.
“We ain’t goin’ with you, Sheriff,” Hawko said.
“Yeah,” Shaye said, putting his hand on his gun, “you are.”
The two friends looked at each other, smiled, then dropped their bottles and went for their guns.
They were drunk, but Shaye couldn’t afford to take that into account. What he knew for a fact was that two men were drawing down on him, and he had no idea how accurate their shots would be in their condition.
But he knew how accurate he was.
Always.
FIFTY-SIX
Shaye left the undertaker’s office after seeing to the delivery of the bodies of Hawko and Tayback. He now had four of Doucette’s men locked up, and had killed three of them. There was only Doucette and Vin left, but Hawko and Tayback had indicated there was a surprise in store for Shaye. Did that mean another man? More men on the way? Was that what Doucette was waiting for?
Shaye heard the sound of boots on the boardwalk. Quite a few townspeople had walked by him, nodding or exchanging a greeting, but these footsteps sounded different. He turned and saw Tate Kingdom coming toward him.
“I heard about the shootin’,” the gunman said. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” Shaye said. “It’s two of Doucette’s men who are inside.”
“Well,” Kingdom said, “you keep up this pace, and you won’t need my help at all.”
“That would be fine with me,” Shaye said. “I’d be very happy handlin’ all of this on my own.”
“And do you think that’s going to happen?”
“I doubt it,” Shaye said. “Doucette doesn’t seem to be alarmed about any of this.”
“And that bothers you?”
“To no end.”
“It would seem if he’s that calm, he must be planning something.”
“And all I can do is wait him out.”
“Can you keep his men in jail that long?” Kingdom asked.
“With the help of the local judge, yes, but not forever.”
“Well . . .”
“Well what?”
“You could stage a jail break,” Kingdom suggested, “and just kill them in the process.”
“I’m afraid that’s not an option,” Shaye said.
“It was just a suggestion.” Kingdom gave the front of the undertaker’s a good, long look, then said, “I’ll be in the Renegade if you want me.”
“Thanks.”
Shaye watched the gunman walk away, disturbed by the fact that he had already thought of the jail break idea himself.
Shaye sat in his office later. There was no point in double shifts on his rounds anymore. For one thing, he still thought about Thomas and James, wondering where they were and what they were doing. Had he made the right decision, sending them out separately the way he had? And second, there were no more of Doucette’s men to keep an eye on.
And the ones in his cells were making their presence known, complaining loudly about being hungry, and having been locked up for no reason. He also heard them talking amongst themselves, complaining that Doucette wasn’t doing anything to get them out. They were so displeased with their boss that Shaye was tempted to release them, figuring they might leave town. But he decided against it. Might as well wait until the whole ugly business was over.
“Boss?”
Cole Doucette looked up from his mug of beer and saw Vin standing there.
“What?”
“Um, I know you got a plan, boss,” Vin said, “but we got three men dead and four in jail.”
“Vin, do you think you’re tellin’ me somethin’ I don’t already know?”
“Well, no, but—”
“There ain’t no ‘buts,’ ” Doucette told him. “You’re the last man standin’, Vin. Now it’s gonna be up to you and me.”
“That’s okay with me, boss, but . . . what’s gonna be up to you and me? What are we gonna do?”
“We’re gonna do what we came here to do,” Doucette said, “what I told you all in the beginnin’ was my goal. Do you remember that?”
“Sure I do, but—”
“What did I say?”
“You wuz out for revenge.”
“And I’m gonna get it,” Doucette said. “You can believe in that, Vin.”
“I do, boss, but—”
“Then stop sayin’ but and do what I’ve been tellin’ you to do.”
“Just wait for your signal?”
“That’s right.”
“Can I go get somethin’ to eat?”
“You know what, Vin?” Doucette stood up. “Why don’t we both go and get somethin’ to eat.”
“Where, boss?”
Doucette put his hand on the younger man’s shoulder and said, “I know just the place.”
When Cole Doucette and Vin walked into the Rawhide Steak House, they had been in town long enough for everybody to know who they were. That was why it got very, very quiet as they stood inside the door, waiting to be seated.
“Uh, just the two of you gentlemen?” one of the waiters asked.
“That’s right,” Doucette said.
“This way, please.”
The waiter showed them to a table and handed them menus, then scurried away. The other diners in the place were watching the men with interest.
Doucette looked around and stared back at them. He didn’t see Mayor Snow there anywhere. That was too bad. He really wanted to make the man sweat before he finally killed him.
“This is a nice place,” Vin commented.
“Too fancy for you, Vin?” Doucette asked.
“No, no, this is fine,” Vin said. “It’s just that . . .” he leaned forward and lowered his voice, “. . . everybody’s lookin’ at us.”
“They’re not lookin’ at us, Vin,” Doucette whispered back, “they’re lookin’ at me.”
“Oh,” Vin said.
“So don’t let that ruin your meal,” Doucette said. “Order anythin’ you want. It’s on me.”
“Thanks, boss.”
“Yeah,” Doucette said, “have the biggest steak they’ve got. It ain’t like we’re gonna pay for it.”
“We’re not?”
Doucette shook his head. He had no intention of paying for this meal, and that was only the beginning.
FIFTY-SEVEN
Doucette and Vin each had a huge steak dinner, followed by pie and coffee for dessert.
“So what are we gonna do, just walk out?” Vin asked, as they finished their pie.
“We came to this town to kill a man, Vin,” Doucette said. “Tell me not payin’ for a meal bothers you more than that.”
“Hey, I jus’ mean that feller, he deserves to die for what he done to you,” Vin said. “This was a real good meal. They deserve to get paid for it.”
Doucette stared across the table at the younger man, the only one of his men left who was out of jail or alive.
“You know what, Vin?” he asked. “You’re right.”
“Huh? I am?”
“Sure,” Doucette said, “and just to make you feel better, we’ll pay for the meal. Howzat strike you?”
“That’s, uh, real good, boss.” Vin wasn’t all that sure, though. He wondered if Doucette was going to leave it to him to pay the bill. That wouldn’
t be good, because he had no money.
Doucette waved the waiter over.
“Sir?”
“The check, please.”
“Of course, sir.”
When the check came, Doucette made a show of taking out his money and setting it on the table.
“See?” he said to Vin.
“I see,” Vin said. “Thanks, boss.”
Outside, in front of the restaurant, Doucette said to Vin, “I think it may be time to make our move.”
“Should I get my gun?”
“Yeah,” Doucette said, “strap it on. And wait for my signal.”
“Yessir.”
Doucette looked at Vin.
“Are you ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“This could be reputation-making, you know.”
“I know,” Vin said.
“Go on,” Doucette said. “I’ll see you later.”
“Thanks for the steak, boss.”
“Sure. Hey!”
Vin turned.
“Make sure you stay out of trouble.”
“Yessir.”
Doucette watched as Vin headed for the hotel, where he had a room. The kid was the least experienced of all his men, but the most talented. In the end, this was going to be very, very interesting.
Shaye heard about Doucette and his man Vin eating at the Rawhide Steak House. He figured Doucette was still trying to put a scare into Mayor Snow, thinking the man might be having supper there.
Maybe it was time to put an end to this once and for all. Time to push Doucette into making his move.
FIFTY-EIGHT
Thomas and James rode into the town of Poco Diablo, feeling like they were dragging their asses behind them. The Mexican heat had been baking them for days, and they each needed a drink.
“This is takin’ too damn long,” James complained, “and we’re too deep into Mexico.”
They’d been avoiding federales troops the whole way, and once had to take cover to avoid running into a pack of bandits.
“Maybe we’ll get some word here,” Thomas said.
“We don’t know that they even came this way,” James said. “Why are there so many damn tracks in Mexico?”
Return to Vengeance Creek Page 17
