by J. T. Edson
As if fearing that his captor would have a change of heart, Dog-Ear had taken a hurried departure. On rejoining Marlene, Mark found that she had already had the two Negroes start to prepare for resuming their interrupted journey. Having replaced the axle’s nut to secure the wheel, the driver was hitching up his team and the valet had almost finished reloading the coach.
The woman had accepted Mark’s story of how he had failed to catch Dog-Ear, but had returned rather than continue the chase as he had not wanted to leave her alone for too long. Learning about Dolman’s death had not caused her any concern, except about the fate of his copy of the statement. Without mentioning what he had been told, Mark had used the document as an excuse to search Widge’s body and the saddles of the two horses. He had not discovered anything informative and felt even more sure that Dog-Ear had spoken the truth about the ‘letter’ having been torn up and thrown away.
With the abortive search concluded, Mark had helped the Negroes to return de Froissart’s body to the roof of the coach. Then they had fastened the dead outlaw across the saddle of his horse, which had been too tired to stray far after having pulled free from the stricken gelding. While the driver had removed and loaded the dead animal’s rig on the coach, Mark had saddled his blood-bay. Earlier, he and Marlene had concluded that he should enter Pilar riding his horse and not sitting in the vehicle with her. So he had decided that he might as well make a start at it straight away.
From the moment that Mark had arrived at the town, he had been conscious of the prevailing atmosphere of tension. He felt sure that the appearance of his party had not caused it, for he had become aware of it before the first of the well-armed citizens they had passed could have seen the two bodies.
Gianna Profaci, Austin Viridian, Schweitzer and Sparlow had been outside the New Orleans Saloon, along with most of the male white population. Although Mark had studied the reactions of the two partners in particular, he had failed to detect any hint of disappointment that Marlene had survived the hold up. Nor had they displayed more than a casual interest in the dead outlaw.
In explaining what had happened, without mentioning their suspicions, Marlene had introduced Mark and given a flattering—if true—account of his fighting abilities. The big blond had thought that Viridian did not show the kind of pleasure which might have been expected on learning how he had twice saved Marlene’s life. He had also seen Schweitzer, Sparlow and Gianna looking him over speculatively, although the woman’s interest and attitude appeared to be different from that of either man.
However, there had been little discussion about the hold up and even less condolences over the death of de Froissart. Instead, Schweitzer had told the newcomers about the incidents of the previous day and night. He had also suggested that Mark might like to assist the party who were going out to guard the factory. On the blond giant agreeing, Marlene had kept quiet until Gianna had stated that she was going with the defenders. Immediately Marlene had said that she too would accompany them. From the way she had been scowling at the Italian woman, Mark had guessed that she had noticed the manner in which Gianna was eyeing him and did not intend to let them be together unless she was present. Going by Gianna’s mocking smile at Marlene, she had understood the other’s motives. Clearly they disliked each other and Mark wondered if he might be able to turn it to his advantage later on.
One other point had become apparent to the big blond. Neither Marlene nor her husband had been willing to let Schweitzer remain in town while they went to the factory. When the storekeeper had suggested that he should stay behind and attend to de Froissart’s body, they had insisted that he accompany them. Mark guessed that Viridian wanted to prevent his partner from obtaining the Creole’s copy of the statement. Probably Marlene’s intention had been to stop either of them suspecting that it had already been in her possession and was now destroyed. Whatever their reasons, Sparlow had resolved the issue by offering to deal with the corpses as he had to stay in town and organize its protection. So the storekeeper had grudgingly conceded defeat.
When Mark had reached the factory, he had been impressed by its readiness for fighting off the Mexicans. There were well-protected firing points situated to cover the whole area effectively. A concentrated crossfire could be laid down from them and would render any attack a lethal proposition for the men who were making it.
At Marlene’s invitation, Mark had joined Gianna, the partners, Roxterby and herself in the main building. The big blond had not been given an opportunity to study the place. Almost as soon as they had entered, Leathers—who had been making a scout along the trail—had returned bearing news that the Mexicans were approaching.
The longer Mark studied Ribagorza’s party, the more he felt that something was wrong. Certainly they were riding as if they were ready for trouble. However, although he would have expected them to be watching the factory and studying the state of its defenses, their attention appeared to be focused on the other side of the trail. That did not strike him as the correct attitude for men who were contemplating an attack upon such a well-protected location.
‘Look!’ Roxterby ejaculated. ‘Ribagorza’s pushing on ahead of his men.’
‘Hell, so he is!’ Viridian agreed, studying the tall Mexican in the silver-decorated charro clothing who was galloping from among the rest of the party. ‘What’s he doing?’
‘I’d say he was coming in to make talk,’ Mark suggested. ‘In fact, I don’t reckon he’s fixing to attack you folks at all.’
‘What makes you think that?’ Viridian demanded, as every eye turned to the big blond.
‘I grew up around Mexicans, down in the Big Bend country,’ Mark replied. ‘One thing I learned early. They don’t take seconds to any man when it comes to fight savvy.’
‘So?’ Viridian challenged, annoyed that his companions were showing such interest in the youngster’s comments and hoping to lead him into making a stupid assumption.
‘So why are they coming like that?’ Mark inquired.
‘They’re not bringing cattle to sell,’ Viridian scoffed. ‘That’s for sure.’
‘And they’re not acting like men who’re fixing to attack you,’ Mark answered calmly. ‘They can see that you’re ready for them, even if their scout hadn’t told them you was doing it. Yet they’re headed straight here, right out in the open. You allowed he’d have maybe twenty-five men backing him. I count twenty with him. Even if he hadn’t left any to handle the cattle, there’s not enough over to be sneaking in while we’re watching the rest. Was I asked, I’d say you should let him come in and hear what he has to say.’
‘He might only be coming to demand the advance payment,’ Viridian pointed out.
‘That’s not likely,’ Mark drawled. ‘If he figures you gunned down his three men yesterday, he’ll know the answer was “no” and won’t have changed. Happen that’s all he wants, you can tell him the same. But I don’t reckon that’s why he’s here. And, should I be right, it’ll be too late to apologize once you’ve let him be gunned down.’
‘You mean that he might not have told Gomez to kill the boss?’ Leathers asked.
‘All I’m saying is that those fellers aren’t acting like they’re figuring on doing their fighting towards the factory,’ Mark answered. ‘They’re looking away from it.’
‘He’s right, damn it!’ Schweitzer barked, then raised his voice. ‘Don’t anybody shoot unless you get shot at!’
‘Somebody he knows’d best go out and talk to him,’ Mark suggested. ‘I’ll come along, just to prove that I don’t think I’ve called the play wrong.’
‘You do that,’ Viridian agreed, when his wife and partner looked at him in a pointed manner. He leaned his rifle against the wall. ‘Come on.’
Setting down his Winchester, Mark accompanied the hide and tallow man from the building. He noticed that Viridian was glancing about to make sure that nobody was showing an inclination to fire at the approaching rider. Side by side, they advanced to meet Ribagorza as he t
urned from the stagecoach trail.
‘Hey, amigo!’ the Mexican greeted in excellent English, halting his horse and dismounting. ‘My scout told me that you looked like you was expecting trouble. But his horse went lame and he didn’t get back too quick, or I’d have been here sooner.’
‘What for?’ Viridian inquired, too puzzled by the turn of events to put the question more politely.
‘To help you. What else?’ Ribagorza replied, frowning a little. ‘We’re friends, aren’t we? And, anyway, if anything happened to you, I’d have to start dealing with that thief down at Quintana.’
‘But Gomez,’ Viridian began, sounding even more baffled by the way in which his visitor was responding to the situation.
‘Gomez!’ the Mexican interrupted and his frown deepened into a deeper scowl. ‘Has that short-grown son-of-a-bitch been around here?’
‘Didn’t you send him to ask—’ Viridian growled, then changed his sentence to avoid any reference to the demand for an advance payment, ‘—see me yesterday?’
‘Me? The hell I did! I ran him off in the middle of last week. What was he doing around here?’
‘He said you’d sent him to collect some money for a herd you’d be bringing.’
‘You didn’t give it to him, did you?’ Ribagorza demanded.
‘No,’ Viridian answered, deciding that to lie would be inadvisable.
‘That’s what I figured, knowing you,’ Ribagorza grunted. ‘So what did he do?’
‘Tried to kill me,’ Viridian replied. ‘We had to shoot him and his two men.’
‘Good for you,’ Ribagorza enthused, then looked around and returned his gaze to the hide and tallow man with an expression of growing awareness. ‘Hey! You thought that I’d sent him! All this’s been done ready for me!’
‘What’d you’ve thought and done happen you’d been in Mr. Viridian’s place?’ Mark put in, when the man at his side hesitated instead of replying.
Turning his eyes to examine the speaker more carefully, Ribagorza drew one accurate and several erroneous conclusions. The Mexican decided that, despite his youth, the blond giant would be a highly competent fighting man. For him to be dressed and armed so well implied that he had a more lucrative form of employment than was common in the War-impoverished State of Texas. The way in which he wore the matched Army Colts suggested what it might be. In fact, Ribagorza felt sure that he could guess why the big Texan was present. If he had been hired by the Pilar Hide & Tallow Company, it was not to carry out any ordinary, routine task around the factory.
One thing Ribagorza knew for sure. You did not take chances, or act tough, around a young man of that kind.
‘I’d have done the same,’ the Mexican conceded, speaking the truth. Then he scowled and went on, ‘The lousy little bastard. He could have got a lot of us killed. It’s lucky you guessed we weren’t coming gunning for you, Austin.’
‘Sure,’ Viridian answered, without correcting the other man on the matter of who had made the deduction. ‘But there was a lot to make us think you might be. Otis Twickery told us that he’d passed you on the trail and you looked like you were expecting trouble of some kind.’
‘I was,’ Ribagorza admitted. ‘Gomez swore he’d get back at me when I kicked him out. So we were watching for him, in case he managed to get enough help to come back.’
‘Then if you weren’t after us, why did—’ Viridian commenced, becoming aware of what the Mexican’s explanation implied. He chopped off the words and changed the subject. ‘I thought that Gomez was your segundo?’
‘He was,’ Ribagorza agreed. ‘Only he’d been getting too big for his breeches. So I sent for my cousin Pepe from Chihauhua to take over and, when he came, I told Gomez he was through. He didn’t like it and I had to lay a quirt across his face when he tried to throw down on me. I should have killed him, but you know how kind hearted I am.’
‘I’ve seen it,’ Viridian answered, although to Mark it seemed that his voice lacked conviction. Nor did it change as he went on, ‘Anyway, he’s dead, no harm’s been done and everything’s fine.’
Which, as the blond giant knew just as well as the hide and tallow man, was far from being correct. While Gomez might have had no other motive than to make trouble for his former patron, that did not explain how Twickery had escaped from jail, or why he had apparently been going to try to kill Viridian.
Having watched the meeting proceeding amicably, Marlene, Gianna and Schweitzer decided that Mark’s assumption was, correct. So, not wishing to miss anything, they left the factory and went to join the three men.
‘Sure amigo, everything’s bueno,’ Ribagorza was saying as they arrived. ‘So I’ll send my boys back to fetch the herd—if you want it.’
‘Of course we want it,’ Viridian replied, eyeing the Mexican with a wary and suspicious expression. ‘We’ve always taken them before.’
‘Sure, amigo,’ Ribagorza admitted. ‘But this’s a special herd. It’s worth four dollars a head.’
‘Four dollars!’ Viridian barked. ‘You’ve never had more than one—’
‘That was different, amigo,’ the Mexican explained. ‘Not one of this herd’s branded, which makes them mine.’
Glancing at Viridian, Mark could see that he understood the comment. An unbranded longhorn belonged to whoever had it in his possession. The youngster also read a second implication into the words. Clearly the Pilar Hide & Tallow Company had been buying what they had known was stolen stock from Ribagorza.
‘We went to the trouble of gathering them, instead of just picking up everything we could find,’ Ribagorza went on, after a brief pause to let Viridian think over what he had said. ‘So, seeing that they’re legally mine, I reckon I should get the legal price for them.’
'All of them are unbranded?’ Schweitzer queried.
‘Every last one of the five hundred, senor,’ Ribagorza confirmed.
‘Austin,’ the storekeeper said, looking at the burly man. ‘I think Senor Ribagorza’s right. We should take them at his price.’
‘Huh?’ Viridian grunted, staring in amazement at his partner.
‘They’re his cattle, so it’s only right he gets four dollars a head,’ Schweitzer declared.
‘Four dollars it is then,’ Viridian declared, sounding as if he could hardly believe what he had heard.
‘Bueno,’ Ribagorza grinned, although he too showed that he was surprised to have been granted the increased payment. He nodded to where his men were approaching the track which connected the factory to the stagecoach trail. ‘We’ll go and fetch them. They’ll be here by sundown.’
‘What’s the idea?’ Viridian demanded, after the Mexicans had taken their departure. ‘We could have got them for half of that.’
‘They’ll be worth every cent of it,’ Schweitzer replied. ‘Those ranchers who Marlene’s invited are going to go away convinced that Goodnight and his bunch don’t believe driving herds of cattle to Kansas is possible.’
‘What’s going to make them think that?’
‘We’ll have all the cattle Ribagorza brings in branded with Hardin’s OD Connected.’
‘How will that help?’ Viridian asked.
‘Hardin’s backing is what helped Goodnight to persuade the other ranchers,’ the storekeeper pointed out. ‘So we’ll show them a fake contract that says he’ll supply us with a thousand head of either his or Goodnight’s cattle a month.’
‘And that’ll make them think Hardin and Goodnight don’t really believe driving to Kansas can be done,’ Viridian went on, nodding approvingly. ‘That ought to make them all the more eager to sign up.’
‘It’ll do more than that,’ Schweitzer declared. ‘Once the story gets around, other ranchers who had believed them are going to change their minds. We’ll hint that Hardin and Goodnight are hoping to corner the hide and tallow market by getting everybody else trying to take herds to Kansas.’
Listening to the conversation, Mark felt a surge of anger and only by an effort kept it under c
ontrol. He realized that Schweitzer’s scheme could work. Once such a story began to circulate, Ole Devil’s political enemies would ensure that it was spread as far as possible so as to damage his reputation for integrity.
‘By God, Bernie!’ Viridian enthused. ‘You’ve come up with a beauty.’
‘Give me the keys to the safe in the office and I’ll make out the contract,’ the storekeeper offered. ‘I can do it while you’re having the men start work on the clearing up around here.’
‘I’ll come and help you, Bernie,’ Marlene suggested, just a shade too quickly.
‘No!’ Viridian barked, with greater vehemence than such a simple request appeared to warrant. ‘There’ll be plenty of time to do that later. Right now, we’d better go and attend to Pierre’s affairs.’
Watching the way in which Marlene and Schweitzer were eyeing Viridian in a mutually speculative manner, Mark made a shrewd guess at what had been behind the storekeeper’s offer and her suggestion. Clearly Viridian had some objection to his wife and partner opening the safe in his absence. There could be only one reason for that. It held something which he did not want them to see.
Mark had already concluded that Viridian and not Dolman had been responsible for the production of the statements and had wondered how the hide and tallow man had disposed of his copy. From what he had just heard and seen, he decided that it must be in the safe. However, unless he was mistaken, Marlene and Schweitzer had respectively drawn the same conclusion.
Everything now depended upon which of them could find a way to lay hands upon the document first.
Eleven – Pierre Made Me His Partner
