by J. T. Edson
‘Did he tell you why he was going?’
‘Sure. He said he was thinking of making the livery barn bigger and wanted to buy some timber from the sawmill.’
‘Then he’d likely have a fair amount of money with him,’ Viridian remarked, half to himself.
While speaking, the burly man had been gazing about him to find out how the work was progressing. If he had been watching the woman, he would have seen that the words had a disturbing effect upon her.
‘He did have!’ Gianna ejaculated, as a frown creased her brow. ‘I saw him put his wallet into the jacket he was using. It was so thick that he must have been carrying plenty of money.’
Noticing the change which had come into the woman’s voice, Viridian swung his eyes towards her. He found that she was exhibiting a tight-lipped expression similar to that which Marlene adopted when suspecting that something was wrong. So, although the reply had implied that the money had been in bills rather than coins, he decided not to ask any more questions about it for the time being.
‘You know, Gianna,’ he said, wanting to divert her attention. ‘I’ve always thought what a pretty widow you’d make.’
‘Mama mia! How—?’ the woman gasped, jerking her arm free and staring at him with alarm. Then, making an almost visible effort, she regained control of her emotions and her voice was almost normal as she went on, ‘Why did you say a thing like that?’
‘I was just thinking that it’s a pity I didn’t know he was going,’ Viridian replied, wondering what had caused her reaction.
‘Did you want him to bring something back for you?’ Gianna inquired, starting to walk again and looking to where some of the corral hands were setting up a breastwork of logs.
‘No,’ Viridian answered, taking her arm once more. ‘It’s just that if I’d known, maybe he wouldn’t be coming back. Would that have worried you?’
‘Not too much,’ Gianna confessed, turning her face towards him once more.
‘And if he didn’t come back,’ Viridian continued. ‘You and I could see more of each other.’
‘I don’t see how,’ Gianna stated. ‘You’d still have Marlene watching you,’
‘Maybe. Maybe not,’ Viridian countered. ‘The way things are these days, with so many outlaws around and all, anything can happen when you’re travelling.’
‘What do you mean?’ Gianna demanded, the wary glint returning to her eyes.
‘There’re always stories in the newspapers about people being killed in hold ups,’ Viridian hinted.
‘How did you know—?’ Gianna began, stiffening slightly.
‘I don’t know anything!’ Viridian interrupted, failing to notice how her question had been worded although he felt her body tense as it had just before she had pulled her arm free. She did not do so again and he continued, ‘There’ll only be Marlene and Pierre in the coach and it’s a mighty lonely trail between here and Fort Worth.’
‘Marlene and Pierre!’ Gianna repeated, looking and sounding as if a weight had fallen from her mind. ‘That’s who you—what you mean—’
‘I don’t mean anything,’ Viridian corrected. His instincts warned him not to mention his hopes regarding Marlene and de Froissart in case the men hired by Roxterby should fail to do their work. ‘All I said was that you keep hearing about people being killed in hold ups.’
‘Yes,’ Gianna admitted, studying the burly man with interest. ‘You do.’
‘If—and I’m only saying if—something bad should happen to Marlene on her way home,’ Viridian went on, squeezing her arm gently. ‘I wouldn’t be a married man any more. Would I?’
‘No, you wouldn’t,’ Gianna conceded and her relief was even more obvious. There was a slight pause before she reminded him, ‘But I’d still be married.’
‘Maybe something can be done about that,’ Viridian hinted, so engrossed in putting the woman into the required frame of mind that he did not notice how her comment had appeared to have been an afterthought. ‘Did Joe tell you how long he’d be at Houston?’
‘No.’
‘So you don’t know when he’s likely to be coming back?’
‘No,’ Gianna repeated. ‘I’d think at least a week. Probably more.’
‘I’ll ask Bernie if he knows,’ Viridian decided. ‘He might know. Joe stopped with him after I left on Thurs—Hellfire! So he did!’
‘What’s wrong?’ Gianna asked, as Viridian came to a halt with a scowl on his face and fists clenched.
Reaching a decision, the burly man resumed his walking and told the woman what he suspected. His reason for doing so was simple. The news de Froissart had sent by telegraph on Thursday had been that it was almost certain Goodnight’s scheme would be accepted by the majority of the ranchers. Remembering how Profaci had remained with Schweitzer after he had left aroused an unpleasant possibility. Perhaps they had concluded that the Company had too many partners.
‘Mama mia!’ Gianna gasped, at the conclusion of his explanation. ‘You could be right, Austin.’
‘I think I am,’ Viridian replied and, considering that the time was ripe for it, went on, ‘I agree with them. There are too many partners to share in the profits. Only I’ve got different ideas about who should go.’
‘Who?’
‘Everybody except you and me.’
‘Just the two of us,’ Gianna purred. ‘That sounds good to me. When do we start?’
‘Tonight, with Bernie,’ Viridian answered and told her of his plan.
‘It could work,’ Gianna admitted and he could see that she was excited. ‘With Bernie gone, there’ll only be Marlene and Pierre—and Joe.’
‘We’ll get around to them,’ Viridian promised, failing to notice the reference to her husband had again appeared to come as an afterthought. ‘In fact, if everything goes right, there could only be Joe left.’
‘You mean that you’ve already made arrangements to get rid of Marlene and Pierre?’ Gianna gasped.
‘I’ve done what I could,’ Viridian answered. ‘But it might not come off. Don’t worry, though. If we miss this time, there’ll be other chances.’
At that moment, Leathers came over from the office. Although the corral supervisor seemed to be strolling in a nonchalant manner, there was an air of tension about him which was plain to Viridian.
‘Don’t let on you know, or start looking, boss,’ Leathers advised. ‘But there’s a feller watching us from up on that rim.’
‘The hell you s—’ Viridian began, then glared at Gianna who had gasped and was on the verge of doing what Leathers had said they should not. ‘Stand still and don’t look. Who is it?’
‘I’ve not seen him too plain,’ the corral supervisor admitted. ‘But I’d reckon he’s one of Ribagorza’s scouts.’
‘Mama mia!’ Gianna yelped, staring about her in consternation as she realized that she was standing exposed and some distance from the nearest shelter. ‘He might start shooting at us.’
‘It’s not likely, ma’am,’ Leathers drawled reassuringly. ‘He’s close to half a mile away and’ll just be looking us over.’ Turning his attention to Viridian, he continued, ‘Trouble is, boss, he’ll go back and tell Ribagorza’s we’re getting ready for him.’
‘Can you stop him?’ Viridian inquired.
‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ Leathers replied. ‘He’d see me coming and when I got to where he is, he wouldn’t be there.’
‘How far off do you think Ribagorza is?’ Viridian asked.
‘Not all that close, boss,’ the corral supervisor guessed. ‘I don’t reckon he’s near enough to get to us tonight.’
‘I don’t want to count on that,’ Viridian declared. Seeing how the scout’s presence in the vicinity might be turned to his advantage, he threw a glance at the woman to make sure that she understood the significance of what he said next. ‘What worries me is that when he hears we’re ready at the factory, he might hit at the town.’
‘He might at that,’ Leathers agreed, before Gianna could spea
k. ‘We’d best send word to Jesse Sparlow.’
‘I’ll go and tell him if you like,’ the woman offered.
‘Hubric can do it when he takes the bodies in,’ Viridian told her. ‘He’s about ready to go.’
‘I’ll go with him,’ Gianna stated. ‘The thought of that man watching us makes me shiver. Anyway, in return for you letting me stay at your place tonight, I’ll cook you a real Italian supper. That’s not a thing I can do in a hurry.’
‘Now that’s an offer I don’t intend to miss out on,’ Viridian conceded with a grin. ‘You go ahead and do it. I’ll be in as soon as I’ve made sure we can handle Ribagorza if he hits at the factory and not the town.’
Eight – He Was In Cahoots With Ribagorza
‘Marlene’s been threatening to have the servants throw these out ever since Ribagorza gave them to me,’ Austin Viridian remarked, indicating the sombrero and poncho which he had donned as a disguise. He had also exchanged the clothing that he had worn at the factory for a dark blue shirt and black trousers, while his Hersome gaiter boots had been replaced by a pair of Kiowa moccasins. Emerging from beneath the poncho, the butt of his Remington showed that he had retained his gunbelt. ‘It’s lucky that she never got around to doing it. If I’m seen, they’ll take me for a greaser.’
Lying naked in the big double bed, Gianna Profaci nodded sleepily and without too much interest. Faintly, from somewhere downstairs, she heard the chimes of a clock. The time was three in the morning and Viridian was getting ready to leave for the attempt at removing his senior partner.
It had been close to sundown when Viridian had been satisfied that all the arrangements for defending the factory were completed and had taken his departure. Soon after Gianna had left, Leathers had reported that Ribagorza’s scout had also gone. Although the corral supervisor had maintained unceasing vigilance, he had failed to detect any further evidence of them being kept under observation.
On his arrival at Pilar, Viridian had found the street cleared and the citizens in a state of readiness. Armed men were gathered at the New Orleans Saloon and the first group had been about to commence their patrol duties. Jesse Sparlow had said there had been nothing to suggest that Ribagorza had men watching the town, although he admitted that it was possible they could have done so without being seen.
While approaching the town, Viridian had watched a couple of the saloon’s employees dragging a limp, unresisting Otis Twickery across the street to the jail. On his commenting upon the matter, Sparlow had explained. Apparently there had been a disagreement over the price offered by Schweitzer for the wolves’ skins. Although Twickery had finally accepted, he was clearly dissatisfied and in a bad mood when he had arrived at the New Orleans. Knowing that liquor always had an adverse effect upon Twickery’s never-too-amiable nature, Sparlow’s first inclination had been to refuse to serve him. However, Schweitzer had warned him that to do so might be dangerous. If Twickery left town in his state of annoyance, he was capable of finding Ribagorza and telling of all he had seen. Accepting the storekeeper’s advice, the gambler had given orders to the bartender. As soon as Twickery had shown signs of growing abusive, a Mickey Finn had been slipped into his drink. It was Sparlow’s intention to have the unconscious man held in jail until after the Mexicans had been dealt with.
Having given his approval of the gambler’s arrangements regarding Twickery, Viridian had learned all he could about the way the town would be patrolled. By the time Sparlow had finished explaining, the burly man had felt sure that he could carry out his scheme with a reasonable chance of success.
Despite what Viridian had told the other men at the store, he had sent the Negro servants to their homes after they had completed their work. To make sure that the men carrying out the patrol knew he had changed his clothes, he had invited them into the mansion for coffee at half past eleven. To emphasize the point, he had explained how he considered it was inadvisable to wear a white shirt. If there should be trouble and fighting in the dark, such a garment offered too good a target for safety. He had also requested that they should hold the noise down as Mrs. Profaci was sleeping in the guest room above their heads. With those precautions taken, he had let them out of the kitchen’s door. Then he had put a can of kerosene and a loaded shotgun by it, so he could find them without needing to light a lamp when the time came to make his move. Having completed his preparations, he had joined Gianna in his and Marlene’s bed and they had made love in what he had regarded as a most satisfying fashion.
‘Wish me luck,’ Viridian requested, watching with approval as she left the bed and picked up the nightgown which she had discarded when he had joined her.
‘I do,’ Gianna assured him. ‘But I’d better go to the room I should be using, so I’ll be there when they come to tell us what’s happened.’
‘Sure,’ Viridian agreed, eyeing her curvaceous body as it disappeared under the contour-concealing garment. ‘It’s a pity we won’t be able to get back together when I come in.’
‘There’ll be plenty of other times,’ the woman pointed out. ‘You’d better get going, hadn’t you?’
‘Sure,’ the burly man repeated and walked from the room. Viridian descended to the ground floor. Moving quickly through the pitch-blackness, he found his way to the kitchen. There he struck a match so that he could avoid the various obstructions between him and the side door. Shaking out the flame as it drew near to his fingers, he found the key and turned it in the lock. Opening the door, he peered out and listened for a few seconds. Satisfied that nobody was near, he picked up the can of kerosene in his right hand. Collecting the shotgun in his left, he emerged and closed, but did not lock, the door behind him.
Waiting until his vision had grown strong enough for him to form a general idea of where he was going, the burly man set off across the garden. As he did so, he reviewed his plan to make sure that he had not overlooked any major detail. It was basically the same one which he had meant to use to avoid having to return the money that should have been advanced by Schweitzer to hire reinforcements. He realized that the presence of Ribagorza’s scout in the vicinity would add to its credibility.
By cutting through the woodland, instead of using the main driveway, Viridian hoped to avoid the patrolling men and make his way to the rear of Schweitzer’s store. Once there, it would be a simple matter to spread the kerosene around and start a fire that would be difficult—if not impossible—to put out. Then, retiring to a place of concealment nearby, he would await developments. If he was lucky, his partner would perish in the conflagration. Should Schweitzer get out, Viridian planned to kill him with the shotgun and rely upon the prevailing confusion to escape after he had done it.
From the first, the burly man had accepted that the scheme involved a fair amount of risk. He also believed that he had managed to reduce it considerably. Nor had he forgotten about Schweitzer’s copy of the statement. He knew that it was in the safe at the store, which he would be entitled to open after his partner’s death.
Thinking of that aspect reminded Viridian about his wife and de Froissart also having copies. Although that had slipped his mind when—in the heat of his anger—he had given his orders to Roxterby, he was not worried unduly by the omission. He expected that the Creole would have left his copy at the New Orleans Saloon. In which case, if the hold up was successful, Viridian could obtain it in the same manner as Schweitzer’s. Should Marlene be carrying hers, it would be returned to him as her next-of-kin. If not, she would have hidden it in the house and he could search for it at his leisure. He hoped that it would be the latter alternative. There was a chance that it might reach undesirable hands if it was found on her body. Of one thing he felt certain. Neither his wife nor his partners would have taken the kind of precautions which he had threatened to do. Like himself, they would be disinclined to put such an incriminating item in anybody else’s possession.
Setting aside his thoughts as he left his property behind, Viridian concentrated on moving as silently as
possible and listening for the patrol. The night was fairly dark, but his eyes had grown accustomed to it. He could see well enough to avoid colliding with the trunks of the trees or blundering into the bushes. He did not hear any sounds to suggest that the men on duty were on that side of town, which was as he had hoped it would be.
There was one problem that Viridian felt grateful that he would not have to contend with. Wishing to avoid false alarms, or disturbances that might lead to panic, Sparlow had requested that everybody who owned a dog would keep it indoors. To the burly man’s relief, it appeared that all the citizens had carried out the gambler’s instructions.
The tranquility of the woods was only disturbed by natural night sounds, the call of an owl as it flitted through the trees or other animal noises. Then Viridian thought that he detected a brief rustling of leaves from behind and to his left. Faint though it had been, he turned his head and stared in its direction. Try as he might, he could not see anything to account for it. For all that, he felt uneasy as he started to walk onwards.
Stepping even more carefully and lightly, Viridian continually darted looks over his shoulder. He became aware of an eerie sensation of being watched, but failed to discover any evidence to support the belief. After covering about fifty yards, he was approaching the edge of the woodland. Shrugging his shoulders, he told himself that his nerves had been playing tricks on him.
A twig snapped!
Under normal conditions, Viridian would have missed such a faint sound. In his present state of tension, with his ears straining and helped by the silence of his surroundings, it struck him with the impact of a rifle shot.
Swinging to his left, the burly man saw a shape that was blacker than the surrounding darkness as it moved swiftly towards him. He sensed rather than saw that the figure’s right arm was raised, but knew for sure he was not imagining the brief flicker of something thin and bright in its hand.
