A Gideon Johann Boxed Set Book 1 - 4 (A Gideon Johann Western 0)

by Duane Boehm

  Chapter 16

  Two weeks went by with no breakthrough on Druthers’ murder. Gideon visited the bank a couple of times and learned that Mr. Fredrick had begun inspecting various ledgers, but as of yet had not found anything. On each visit, the banker assured Gideon that he was diligently looking, but Gideon would leave dejected and feeling that the murder would go unsolved.

  After leaving the bank on his last visit, Gideon decided to go talk to Mary. He hadn’t been in the Last Chance much lately and he missed his talks with her. She had a way of getting to the heart of the matter better than anyone he knew and that’s what he needed now. He sat down at his usual table while scanning the room for Mary without success, but saw Delta slip into the back room. Somewhere along the way, it became understood that only Mary served Gideon.

  Henry Starks stood at the bar. Starks owned one of the largest ranches in the area and was well liked in town and regarded as a pillar of the community. He could always be counted on to donate money to civic projects and was known to contribute heavily to the town’s Methodist Church. In his mid–fifties, he had a head full of dark hair and his regal bearing and expensive clothing made him appear much larger than his actual height. Henry ordered two beers and walked over to Gideon. He sat down at the table and pushed a drink towards the sheriff.

  Gideon had known the Starks family since childhood when his father would play dances at the Starks ranch. Henry was several years older than him and Gideon didn’t know him well, but the rancher always made a point of talking to him since his appointment as sheriff.

  “How are you doing, Sheriff?” Starks asked.

  “Nobody has tried to kill me yet today. Thanks for the beer,” Gideon answered and took a sip.

  “I heard about that. I’m glad you survived,” Henry said.

  “It was close,” Gideon said.

  “Druthers surprised me. He wasn’t the most personable man that I ever met, but I never figured him to be a murderer. Are you having any luck solving his murder?” Henry said.

  “Not much. There’s not much to go on,” Gideon said, intent on not divulging any information.

  “I’m guessing that the whore had her a boyfriend that decided to settle the score,” Starks said.

  “I doubt a boyfriend of that girl would have the means to hire Ike Todd to kill me,” Gideon said.

  “Are you sure Todd has anything to do with the murders? He wouldn’t be the first man to show up here to settle a score with you since people learned that you are back in Last Stand,” Henry said in reference to a mysterious man that came to town to harm Gideon and his family. Gideon had killed the man and to this day did not know his name.

  “I guess that’s a possibility,” Gideon said.

  “Enough about all that. I wanted to talk to you about something else. I know a lot of important people and I wanted to see what you thought about me trying to get you appointed U.S. Marshal. It would be good for you and good for Last Stand. Businesses like to come to a town that has a strong law presence. What do you think?” Henry said.

  “I’ve never thought about it. If I don’t get Mr. Druthers’ murder solved, I doubt anybody would want me for a marshal,” Gideon said.

  “I wouldn’t worry about that. Nobody solves all the crimes. You think about it and I’ll talk to you again the next time that I see you,” Henry said. “I got to go. I’ll be seeing you.”

  Mary had walked out of the back and waited behind the bar for Starks to leave. She poured Gideon another beer and brought it to the table.

  “You’re hobnobbing with the well–to–do,” Mary said.

  “I guess. Henry always makes a point of talking to me. What do you think of him?” Gideon said.

  “I like him and he’s always been respectful to me. He does a lot of good around town,” Mary said.

  Gideon decided not to discuss his conversation with Starks. “How did you know that I didn’t want whiskey?” Gideon asked and took a drink of beer.

  Mary gave him a look as if it were a silly question and rolled her eyes. “Because you want to talk and you always prefer to sip a beer when you need to talk.”

  “Sometimes I forget how annoying you can be. Do you do the same thing to Finnie and does he know that you practically can read minds?” Gideon said before taking another drink of the beer.

  “I can figure him out most of the time, but I haven’t given myself away. I figure it might come in handy while I try to decide about me and him,” Mary said.

  “I thought that you always knew what you wanted,” he said.

  “You give me too much credit. Finnie is a hard one for me to know what to do. You and him are different in so many ways, but you’re alike in that neither one of you are like anybody else around this town. I just don’t know,” Mary said.

  “So how are me and Finnie alike and how are we different?” Gideon asked.

  “You are a leader and Finnie is a follower and you are driven while Finnie is not, but he will kill himself to keep his promise to somebody. You’re both good men with a strong sense of right and wrong and you both used drinking to drown your sorrows, but Finnie has gone a lot farther down that road than you ever did. You are funny when the mood fits the occasion where Finnie sees humor in just about everything, including the crazy turns of life. I guess that about covers it,” she said.

  “I didn’t know that you had made such a study of us, but Finnie sounds like a keeper. What has got you on the fence?” he asked.

  “I don’t know – a couple of things I guess. I’m not sure I’m wife material anymore and I know Finnie wants to sober up, but I think it will always be a struggle,” Mary said.

  “Questioning yourself about being wife material is just an excuse. You said that Finnie will kill himself to keep a promise and maybe if you got him to give his word to give up drinking for you, that would be the key that unlocked the door,” Gideon said.

  Mary gazed at Gideon, digesting what he had said. “Since when did I ever start taking advice from you? It’s always been the other way around. Why did you come to see me?”

  Gideon grinned at her, knowing that he had hit a nerve. Looking around to make sure that nobody sat within hearing distance, he said, “It’s driving me crazy that I can’t solve Druthers’ murder and I constantly worry about those girls at the Lucky Horse. I feel guilty for leaving them over there and doing nothing about it. I’m at my wits end and don’t know what to do. Mr. Fredrick says that he is looking for a ledger and I believe him, but I’m beginning to have my doubts that there is anything over there. I don’t take failure well.”

  “I know you don’t. Have you ever thought about asking Mr. Fredrick if you could have a look? He certainly is a much friendlier man now that Druthers is gone. Maybe it needs a fresh set of eyes. That’s about all that I can tell you. The girls don’t have any more information and Cal is surely not talking, especially now that you broke his nose,” Mary said.

  Gideon chuckled. “I haven’t seen him since that day. I hear that he has two black eyes and Doc said that when he set his nose that he carried on like he was having a baby. I hadn’t thought about looking for the ledger myself. I’m not sure that I’d know what to look for, but I certainly don’t have any better ideas,” he said before draining the last of his beer.

  “The glass is empty, so I guess that means the conversation is finished. I know that you’re frustrated, but don’t give up. I still think you’ll get it figured out and we’ll help the girls then. By the way, how is the arm healing up?” Mary said as Gideon stood.

  “Oh, it’s about good as new. I don’t have all my strength back, but that’s about it,” he answered before leaving.

  Mary returned to the back room and sat down at the table. She hadn’t intended on having a conversation about Finnie with Gideon. It had just sort of happened much like her impromptu invitation to Finnie for dinner. There were moments where she regretted having ever asked him. Once she had headed down that trail, she knew that it would either have to be ende
d or carried on to see where it would lead – there could be no in–between. She had loved two men in her life. Eugene had been her first love and her husband. He died way too young at the hands of Hank Sligo. Gideon had been her second and she had to stand quietly to the side as he rekindled his romance with Abby. Mary wondered if she was cursed when it came to men or if the third time could be the charm. Finnie was a fine man, but she did not intend to endure a life with a drunk and she also worried that once the new wore off the relationship that he would resent that she had been a whore. Considering all the men that she had bedded as a prostitute, she wondered why she had ever dropped her guard and started the whole mess.

  ∞

  Mr. Fredrick had gotten into the habit of working into the evening since his promotion to bank president in the hope of mastering the new job that he proudly had achieved. His wife, happy with his new salary and status, had adjusted to his unpredictable arrival time by not beginning dinner until he walked in the door. They spent most of their evenings excitedly talking about plans for improvements to their home that the additional money would now allow.

  Dusk had fallen upon the town as he locked the bank and headed home. He walked down an alley where two men with flour sacks over their heads jumped out of the bushes. The banker froze in his tracks, too panicked to run, as they walked up to him. One of the men punched him in the stomach and as the banker doubled over, the man hit him again with a haymaker to the jaw that sent him landing flat on his back. The masked man squatted over his stomach, grabbing him by the shirt and lifting his head off the ground.

  “We hear tell that the sheriff has been visiting you a lot. What does he want to know? You best speak up if you don’t want more of the same,” the masked man threatened.

  Mr. Fredrick tried to catch his breath and focus through the fog the punches had brought upon him. Finally, after being shaken by the man, he stammered, “Sometimes he is just doing his banking. Other times he’s asked me questions about Mr. Druthers, but I haven’t been able to help because I don’t know anything.”

  “What has he asked?’ the man demanded.

  “Things like whether anybody saw Druthers regularly and did I see his mail,” Mr. Fredrick said.

  “What did you tell him?” the second man asked.

  “I told him that nobody came to mind and that Mr. Druthers never let me handle the mail or stagecoach deposits,” the banker said.

  “So you’ve been no help?” the first man asked.

  “No. None whatsoever,” Mr. Fredrick said.

  The man released him and stood. “Good. You make sure that you keep it that way unless you want a lot more of the same,” the man said before giving the banker a swift kick in the ribs that caused him to cry out in pain.

  The two men disappeared back into the bushes as quickly as they had appeared while the banker rolled onto his stomach and managed to get on all fours. He stayed that way, sucking in air, until his head cleared some and the pain subsided. Getting to his feet, he started walking slowly back in the direction he had come, stopping occasionally to catch his breath. He needed to try to get to Doc Abram.

  The doctor stood outside locking his door to walk down to the Last Chance. He heard footsteps on the board sidewalk and turned to see Mr. Fredrick holding his side and walking towards him.

  “Doc, I got waylaid on the way home. I’m hurting,” Mr. Fredrick yelled.

  Doc had the door unlocked and opened by the time the banker walked up and was ushered in. Turning the wick up on the lantern and bathing the room in light, Doc led Mr. Fredrick to the exam table. The banker grimaced as he raised himself to the table and his face turned pale.

  “Where are you hurt?” Doc asked.

  “They punched me in the stomach and jaw and then kicked me in the ribs. I got a sharp pain where he kicked me,” the banker said.

  The doctor put his hand on Mr. Fredrick’s jaw, instructing him to open and close his mouth as he manipulated it. The banker groaned in pain and squinted his eyes shut.

  “Your jaw isn’t broken. It’s just bruised and is going to be sore,” Doc announced and began unbuttoning the banker’s shirt.

  Doc began pressing his hand into various locations on the banker’s stomach before moving onto the ribs. Mr. Fredrick let out a yelp.

  “So what was this all about? Did they rob you?” Doc inquired in hopes of diverting the patient’s attention.

  “Two men with flour sacks on their head wanted to know what the sheriff had been asking me and what I’d told him,” Mr. Fredrick said.

  “I see. Did you tell them anything?” Doc asked.

  “No, I did not,” the banker said.

  “Mr. Fredrick, I don’t think you have any internal injuries, but you have a couple of cracked ribs. I’m going to bandage you up and you need to take it easy until they heal, but you’re going to be fine,” Doc said.

  “Doc, I can’t hit the broad side of a barn with a gun and I don’t know a thing about fighting, but I’m no coward either. If some ruffians think that they can scare William Fredrick into keeping his mouth shut, well then they are sadly mistaken. If you would, please tell the sheriff that I think that it best he not come to the bank any longer, but I will get word to him if I find something and he can send word to me if need be. They have only made me more determined than ever to help Gideon,” Mr. Fredrick said.

  Chapter 17

  Gideon walked into the jail to find Finnie sitting at the desk, bleary eyed and slurping coffee. The room and the Irishman reeked of whiskey.

  “What the hell happened?” Gideon asked with disgust in his voice.

  “I’m just a drunk, Gideon. You can clean and dress me up, but you can’t change what’s underneath the skin. I’m sorry I let you down. I’m headed out after I tell Mary,” Finnie said.

  “You were doing so well. I don’t understand,” Gideon said.

  “I got to thinking about Mary last night and I came to the realization that I’m not worthy of her. Why would some young, pretty thing that owns her own saloon want to be with an old drunk like me? It’s pure folly, I tell you,” Finnie said.

  “You two are killing me. First off, you are not old. You’re younger than I am and I’ll be damn if I’m going to think of myself as old. I have a baby on the way. A lot of men are a few years older than their wife. And second, I don’t know where you come up with the idea that you are not worthy. Mary came from an orphanage. She’s had some hard blows in life and made some questionable decisions. The only reason that she owns a saloon is because of the kindness of Mr. Vander leaving it to her when he died. Both of you are survivors of the hand that life has dealt. She doesn’t know if she is capable of being a wife again and you don’t think you are worthy. She’s afraid you won’t quit drinking and you say you’re a drunk. The parts about her not being capable of being a wife and you not being worthy are nothing more than excuses of two people afraid of the unknown. It seems to me the only real problem is your drinking and you’ve just proved everyone’s fear. You’re better than this,” Gideon said.

  “You can lecture all you want, but I’m leaving,” Finnie said.

  “You can’t,” Gideon stated with authority.

  “I’d like to see your skinny ass try and stop me,” Finnie hollered.

  “I’m not going to try, but you promised Zack that you would teach him to fight and I’ve never known you to go back on your word,” Gideon said.

  “I’ll have you know that in the last two weeks I’ve taught him how to defend himself against every kind of punch that I can throw at him. He’s got it figured out and doing better than I ever would’ve imagined,” Finnie said.

  “It won’t do him much good if he doesn’t know how to punch back. That’s not what I call teaching someone how to fight. It’s not good enough,” Gideon said smugly.

  “Damn you, Gideon Johann. You’re a haughty son of a bitch when you think that you’ve pulled one. Playing on my conscience is just plain mean and I intend to make you regret forcing me to s
tay here,” Finnie bellowed before storming out of the jail.

  Gideon walked over to the coffee pot and poured a cup. A few minutes later Doc came into the jail.

  “You’re out and about early,” Gideon said.

  “Mr. Fredrick got roughed up last night walking home. They were trying to find out what he has been telling you. He has a couple of cracked ribs, but he should be fine. I’ll give the man credit, they didn’t scare him, and he’s more determined than ever to help you. He wants you to stay away, but promised he would send word if he found anything and said you could send word if you needed something,” Doc said.

  Gideon sat down in his chair and took a sip of coffee. “That poor man. I really hate that for him. Thank goodness they didn’t scare him off because I think he is my only chance at solving this whole mess. I guess Cal keeps a close eye out from across the street. Nobody would have a better view,” Gideon said.

  “There are some people mighty worried about keeping secrets,” Doc said.

  “Yes there are and it proves that Druthers had the information that they are worried about us finding,” Gideon said.

  “I told Mr. Fredrick to stop by the office today so that I can check on him. Is there anything that you want me to tell him?” Doc said.

  “See if he would be willing to let me slip into the bank after dark. He could have all the shades pulled and we could look around together. I’m beginning to think there’s a secret hiding place,” Gideon said.

  “I’ll tell him and see what he says,” Doc said.

  Just then, Mary stormed into the jail, slamming the door. “Gideon Johann, I don’t go jawing about the things that you talk to me about and I expect the same from you,” she said in a raised voice.