by Sam Clancy
Veiled by the shadows, Ford approached the big house with frequent pauses. Both men walked the house’s perimeter which would make Ford’s job easy.
He waited until they crossed paths at the front of the house then slipped from a darkened patch of brush and moved quickly in behind the first man.
He clamped his hand over the man’s mouth and thrust violently with the knife. The man stiffened as the knife slid off a rib and bit deep. Meeting no more resistance, it travelled up into the man’s heart.
The first man was dead before Ford lowered his body to the ground. Ford melted back into the shadows to wait for the other man.
He didn’t have to wait long before the silhouette of a man emerged cautiously around the corner of the house. His rifle was up and ready to use, his senses heightened and alert after his companion hadn’t appeared on the other side.
Ford heard a harsh whisper escape the man’s lips but he couldn’t make out what was said. The man continued on until he stumbled across the corpse on the damp ground.
‘What the hell?’ Ford heard him gasp as he went to his knee beside the dead man.
Once more, Ford slunk from the shadows, a faceless figure with death in his hand.
The man must have sensed Ford’s presence because he turned and began to bring up his rifle.
Ford crashed into him and knocked the wind from the man with a loud whoosh. With his right hand, he brought the butt of the knife handle down and dealt the man a savage blow to the top of his head.
The man ceased his struggle and went limp under Ford’s weight. The deputy marshal rolled off the man and checked him for signs of life. He found none. The man’s six-gun was removed from its holster and tucked into Ford’s belt beside the knife.
Keeping low, Ford worked his way around to the front of the house. He eased his way up the steps and crossed to the main door. He paused and listened for any sign of someone on the other side.
When all remained silent, he reached out for the doorknob with his left hand, and with his right, drew his Peacemaker and thumbed back the hammer.
Ford twisted the knob and felt the door give as it swung free from the jamb. He moved it ajar sufficiently to admit his large frame, then closed it gently behind him.
The foyer was large and extravagantly furnished. The stairs that led to the second floor were wide and lined with a timber balustrade while a large chandelier hung from an ornate ceiling rose.
Ford looked about, unsure whether his quarry would be on the upper or ground floor. He spotted a light that shone out from under a closed door to his right.
That would be it.
He crossed to the door and paused briefly before opening it. Without hesitation, he entered the room, the Colt Peacemaker at waist level.
Both men in the room were startled by the sudden intrusion. Hayes dropped the glass of whiskey he held and his hand streaked for his gun.
‘Don’t!’ Ford snapped, staying the hand. ‘Just leave it be.’
Ferguson looked at Ford and said calmly, ‘If you fire that weapon, Mr Ford, my men will be alerted and be in here in a flash.’
‘Do you mean them two fellers that I killed on the way in here?’
Ferguson paled while Hayes remained stone-faced.
‘What is it you want?’ Ferguson asked.
‘I think you know what I want, but in case you’re a little slow on the uptake, I’ll spell it out for you. I’m here to kill you. Call it payback for all you’ve done.’
A crack appeared in the Englishman’s façade. ‘You can’t do that. You’re the law, you can’t just shoot people, you have to take them in for trial.’
Ford shrugged. ‘True, but like you said earlier, you would likely get off. And if you haven’t noticed, I ain’t wearin’ a badge.’
‘I ain’t just goin’ to let you shoot me down like a dog, Ford,’ Hayes snarled. ‘Damned if I will.’
‘And I’m unarmed,’ Ferguson protested, hoping that it would be enough to save his life. ‘That would be murder.’
Ford smiled coldly. ‘Why should that worry me? It didn’t worry you out in the Bitterroots.’
A thin bead of sweat appeared on the Englishman’s forehead.
‘I tell you what, I’ll give you a chance,’ Ford told the scared megalomaniac and reached down to the six-gun in his belt.
He tossed it across to Ferguson and the Englishman caught it in his fumbling grasp.
‘Now you’ve got a gun,’ Ford pointed out.
‘No! Wait!’ Ferguson screeched.
Ford ignored him and turned to Hayes. ‘Anytime you’re ready.’
‘You have me at a disadvantage,’ Hayes informed him, pointing to the drawn Peacemaker.
‘Make do. It’s all the advantage you’re goin’ to get.’
Hayes shook his head. ‘Son of a bitch.’
The words had just left the outlaw’s mouth and his shoulder dipped as his hand streaked for his gun.
Ford waited until Hayes had started his draw before he squeezed the trigger. His six-gun roared in the close confines of the room and the slug punched into Hayes’ chest with a hollow thump.
Ford fired again and the bullet made an identical hole a finger’s width from the other wound. Hayes was thrown back and as he went down, he knocked over a small table that held a kerosene lamp which broke and doused the carpeted floor with burning fuel.
Ford swivelled at the waist and brought the Peacemaker into line with Ferguson. The man had not moved.
‘Wait!’ he screamed shrilly when faced with his own mortality. ‘I’m not going to shoot!’
‘You should’ve,’ Ford said flatly and squeezed the trigger.
Ford entered the governor’s office to find Reynolds in a heated discussion with United States Marshal Bass Reeves. A week had passed since Ford had cleared up the issue in Seattle and he was not long off the train.
In his hand, Reynolds held a newspaper and waved it about madly. He looked up and spotted Ford.
‘Did you do this?’ he half shouted, and shoved the newspaper in front of Ford.
Ford read the headlines.
SEATTLE’S RICHEST MAN
SHOT DOWN IN OWN HOME
AND MANSION BURNED DOWN!
Ford looked at Bass then back at Reynolds.
‘I did the job you wanted me to do.’
‘So it was you!’ Reynolds fumed. ‘I’ll have your badge for this.’
‘Now hold on, Edmond,’ Bass Reeves said in a stern voice. ‘Ford did what he had to do to get the job done. I looked into this feller and I can tell you now, if this had made it to trial, he would never have been convicted.’
‘So you condone this?’
‘I’m sayin’ that if it was me instead of Ford, I would have done the same thing. You seem to forget this man was responsible for the deaths of many people, includin’ two of your own.’
‘But. . . .’ Reynolds started to protest further, his voice trailed away as he thought about Brady.
‘Now if that’s all, we’ll be leavin’,’ Reeves said. Reynolds looked at Ford. ‘Thank you for your services, Mr Ford.’ Reynolds’s voice was calm but clipped.
Once outside, Ford turned to Reeves. ‘What did you do about the other three?’
‘I’ve sent marshals to Seattle to clean up the mess,’ Reeves told him. ‘I’m sorry about Wyatt. I had no idea.’
Ford shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably and said, ‘Thanks for your support in there.’
‘Don’t worry about it none. You did right, so don’t let it get to you. Like I said, I would have done the same thing.’
Ford’s face grew serious. ‘If you think this’ll make everythin’ OK between us, think again.’
‘Don’t worry Josh, I wouldn’t dream of it.’
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