Dark Territory

by Terrence McCauley

  “Care to explain that, Mr. Agee?” Billy asked from the ticket window.”

  Agee glanced at Billy before whispering to the sheriff. “I’d be honored if you and me could speak privately. Gentleman to gentleman. I’m sure you understand.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Mackey said. “You implying that Deputy Sunday isn’t a gentleman?”

  “Never met one of his kind who was.” He spared a glance up at Billy. “Present company excluded of course, seeing as how I don’t know you.”

  Agee flinched as Mackey pitched forward and leaned on the arms of the man’s wooden chair. His face was only a few inches away from Agee’s face, and the sheriff could smell the sweat off the man, despite the cool night. The kind of sweat that came from nervousness, not heat. “You might not have meant offense, boy, but offense has been taken. By my deputy and by me. We’re a team, understand? He’s my partner and slighting him is the same as slighting me. You’re not slighting me, are you, boy?”

  Agee’s thin lips quivered as he swallowed hard. “No, sir. I’m not slighting you. I respect you. But I ain’t scared of you, neither.”

  Mackey’s eyes narrowed. He had expected to have to put in a considerable amount more effort than this to get Agee to talk. “You do something you need to be scared about, Agee?”

  The stationmaster’s voice shook as he said, “You’re not a subtle man, sheriff. The second you pulled out them telegram copies, I knew what you was here for. Kind of a relief, to be honest, knowing the whole thing is over. Takes quite a burden off my shoulders, let me tell you.”

  Mackey shook the chair, jolting Agee in it. “Why that’s the best idea Billy and I have heard all day. The sooner you tell us what you’re talking about, the better off we’ll all be.”

  “You’re here about them telegrams I sent with those misspellings,” Agee said. “Truth be told, I’m kinda surprised it took you people so long to catch on. Wish you’d caught on sooner and brought all of this to an end before so many people got hurt.”

  Mackey inched closer to Agee’s face. “You’re doing a lot of talking, but you’re not saying a whole lot. You’ve got a confession to make, best get to it.”

  Agee looked around the office; anywhere so long as he didn’t have to look at the sheriff’s menacing glare. “They didn’t give me any choice, damn it.”

  “Now we’re getting somewhere. Who didn’t give you a choice. Someone threaten you?”

  “Of course, they did,” Agee said. “I ain’t exactly a brave man, sheriff. Not like you. When a man sticks a gun in my face or threatens my family, I do what he tells me.”

  “That what happened here?” Mackey pushed. “Who threatened you?”

  Agee began to shake now, and the sheriff realized the truth was just over the horizon. There was no need to keep pushing the man for something that would come naturally.

  He backed away from Agee and handed him his coffee cup. “Drink this and tell me what happened. Don’t hold anything back. You’re already in a hell of a lot of trouble as it is.”

  Agee’s hand began to shake, and he set the mug on top of a ledger on his desk. “I see the faces of those dead men every time I close my eyes. The engineer, the conductor, and that poor man who was just protecting his wife.” Agee raised a crooked finger to where Billy was standing. “He stood right there before the robbery, smoking a cigar and chatting about the weather. Even gave me one, too.”

  Mackey had no patience for his guilt. “Tell me how it started and when.”

  Agee’s face grew wet with tears and sweat. His hands shook, and his mouth quivered from fear and regret. “Three months ago, I woke up to use the privy. I was in there tending to business when a man kicked in the door and stuck a gun in my face.”

  Crude, Mackey thought, but effective. “What did he look like?”

  “I was still half asleep and hardly in a position to be assertive, given my circumstances. But I can tell he was tall and big. He had a kerchief tied around his face so I couldn’t see his face too well. He told me that, from now on, I worked for him. Not the railroad, but for him. He said he wanted me to tip him off to the best trains to rob. I told him I don’t know that all the time and never know it until the train is in the station. That’s when he came up with the idea about the misspellings. Double letters at the ends of various words in the train arrival or departure telegrams if the train had anything worth stealing.”

  “That your idea,” Mackey asked, “or the gunman’s idea?”

  “His idea,” Agee said. “I told him I didn’t know how to make sure he got the message, but he said that wasn’t my concern.”

  “Must’ve tapped into it somewhere along the line,” Billy said. “Somewhere south of here is my guess.”

  “They never told me that kind of detail,” Agee said. “Hell, they didn’t tell me anything, except that I’d get fifty dollars a month just for sending the messages like we agreed on. I never knew which trains they’d hit and I didn’t want to know, either. And for the last three months, on the first of every month, I wake up to find a bag with fifty dollars in gold in my privy.”

  “Did they tell you what would happen if you didn’t go along with their plan?” Mackey asked.

  “Said if I talked to anyone they’d know it. Said if I tried to trick them or lie to them that they’d burn the whole town down, just like that Darabont feller had done up in Dover Station. I know Darabont didn’t do all that, but I understood what he was trying to say. I got the impression he would at least kill me and my wife without the slightest hesitation. Didn’t give me no room for doubt on that score, sir.”

  “You ever see anyone after they visited you in your privy?” Billy asked.

  “Nope and I don’t want to see them, neither. I couldn’t tell you who they were, and that’s the God’s honest truth. Never saw anyone before or since that day.”

  “And what about that telegraph you just sent out now?” Mackey asked. “About this train here. You tip off the robbers that this is a train they should hit?”

  “And risk putting your lives in mortal danger?” Agee shook his head. “No, sir. I wouldn’t dream of such a thing. I’m guilty of a great many things, but not that. My actions have hurt enough people already and . . .”

  “That’s a lie, sheriff.” Robert Lagrange, who had been waiting outside the office just out of view, stepped inside with a notepad. “I wrote down exactly what this lying bastard tapped out, and it was not a benevolent message.” He handed Mackey the notepad. “Take a look for yourself.”

  Mackey took the pad and read what Lagrange had written.

  Train abbout to departt Chidester Station

  STOP Should arive at Olivete ten mins behind

  schedule STOP Agee STOP

  Mackey held the pad up for Agee to read. “You lied again, didn’t you?”

  The stationmaster made a foolish attempt to run between Mackey and Lagrange. Both men stopped him and shoved him back toward the chair. They had shoved him too hard and sent him sprawling on the floor. Ledgers and papers from the desk fell like snow all around him.

  “Why did you lie?” Mackey asked. “Did you think we wouldn’t find out? Did you think they’d hit the train and we’d be killed?”

  “Yeah,” Agee yelled, “that’s exactly what I thought. Because I can’t take the risk that you’ll be able to handle this bunch. What the hell makes you so sure you can stop them? Did you really fall for all of that nonsense I shoveled earlier about you being a hero and all?” That crooked finger pointed again, this time at Mackey. “I know all about you, sheriff. The Hero of Adobe Flats my ass. You ran down thirty Apache bucks who were more scared of you than you were of them.”

  Billy attempted to enter the office to shut his mouth, but one look from Mackey kept him at bay.

  Besides, Agee was not done yet. “And that nonsense about you being the Savior of Dover Station? Damned foolishness if you ask me. You couldn’t even drive off a band of lunatics and lost half your town when you tr
ied. And instead of staying home and making sure your town was safe, you abandoned them to chase down some whores Darabont had taken with him. And what did you get for it? A town that hates you and a wife that left you for it.”

  He spat on the floor. “The Savior of Dover Station? The Coward of the County is more like it if you ask me.”

  Conductor Kennard appeared in the ticket window. “Sheriff, we’re about ready to get moving.” He showed his pocket watch before snapping it closed. “After all, we’ve got a schedule to keep. Yes, sir. The Great Pacific Northwestern Railroad is the most dependable railroad in this part of the country.”

  He noticed the three men standing over Agee, who was still on the floor. “Mr. Agee. What are you doing down there?”

  Lagrange said, “He’s looking for the truth. Get back on the train, Mr. Kennard. We’ll be along in a bit. But if you leave before we get back on board, we will be very cross indeed.”

  Kennard looked like he wanted to ask more, but given the dispositions of the men in the office, decided against it and returned to the train.

  Mackey snatched Agee by the collar and threw him back into the chair. “You said you believed the men would kill you if you didn’t cooperate. Was that true?”

  Agee shut his eyes and quickly nodded his head. “It was true. I swear to God, they would have killed me if I had given them the slightest cause.”

  Mackey drew his Peacemaker and pressed the barrel against the stationmaster’s forehead. “And what about me, Mr. Agee? Think I’m capable of killing you?”

  It was clear by the spreading stain on Agee’s trousers that he did, in fact, believe Sheriff Mackey was capable of such an act.

  But Mackey needed more. “You have to say it.”

  “Yes, damn you. I believe you’ll kill me. But I don’t think you’ll kill the men out on the trail. They’ve killed three men for looking at them crooked. They’ll be ready for the likes of you.”

  Mackey pulled the barrel away from Agee’s forehead and holstered the Peacemaker. “For the first time all day, I believe you’re telling the truth. So here’s what you’re going to do. When we pull out of the station, you’re going to send your normal telegraph with the normal misspellings you’d have for any train the robbers should hit. Don’t try to over-sell it and don’t call out for help, either. If you do, I’ll find out about it, and if they don’t kill me, I’ll come back here and kill you. Do you understand?”

  “I understand,” Agee sneered. “I understand you’re not a coward. You’re just out of your goddamned mind.”

  To Lagrange, Mackey said, “Make sure he sends out that telegram like he should. If he lies, shoot him.”

  Lagrange produced a .38 revolver from beneath his coat. “With pleasure. And if he sends it without incident?”

  “Bring him on board and lock him in the boxcar with the horses,” Mackey said. “Can’t risk him sending out any telegrams to his friends once we leave the station.”

  “It will be my pleasure.” Lagrange put the .38 against Agee’s ear. “We’re going to write down what I want you to say first, then you’re going to transmit it. Any changes or mistakes, and you’ll disappoint me.” He jammed the barrel into Agee’s neck until the man screamed. “And I don’t like being disappointed.”

  Mackey decided to leave Agee with Lagrange and headed back to the train with Billy.

  “I’m beginning to change my opinion of Lagrange,” said Billy. “He’s not the dandy I thought he was.”

  “He’d better not be,” Mackey said as they reached their car. “Because something tells me we’re going to need all the guns we can find.”

  Chapter 15

  Back in their cabin aboard the train, Mackey looked out the window at the moon that cast an uneasy glow on the Montana landscape. Fall was about to give way to winter, and the warm greens would soon be covered by a blanket of white until spring.

  He had taken off his hat, his coat, and his gun belt. He had left them all in the other room just for a while to enjoy the scenery for once. There was something to be said for the helplessness of train travel. He did not have to be mindful of Adair or the trail or of where the best watering holes might be or where to camp for the night. He didn’t have to worry about any predators stalking him in his sleep. Neither the two-legged or the four-legged variety.

  Instead, all he had to do was sit there and look out the window. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he wasn’t playing the role of sheriff or captain or husband or leader. He was just a man watching creation roll by on a pretty moonlit night.

  Mackey had never been a prayerful man, not before the army and certainly not since, but the scene caused him to recall a verse in the Bible. To every thing a season.

  For the land. For men, too, he supposed. And a purpose to every thing under heaven? Well, he wasn’t so sure about that part. He could think of quite a few people who served no purpose at all except to make life’s journey even more arduous than it already was.

  It made him naturally wonder if he, himself, had a grander purpose than just hunting criminals and shooting people.

  The moonlit night as they sped through the prairie had made Sheriff Mackey more than a bit philosophical, but fortunately, Billy Sunday was there to keep him from delving too deep into his own thoughts. “Stop.”

  Mackey looked over at his deputy, who was in the process of cleaning his Sharps rifle. “Stop what?”

  “Brooding. I can hear you brooding from all the way over here.”

  Mackey went back to looking out the window. “Just enjoying the scenery, is all.”

  “You would be enjoying it if you weren’t brooding so much. That stuff Agee said to you back there at the end. When he got that final thrust of courage in him before Lagrange slapped him down. What he said is bothering you. That stuff about you not being brave.”

  Normally, Mackey had no cause to disagree with his deputy. The man knew him so well, he usually had him pegged right. But this time, he was wrong.

  “Fifty dollars.”

  “The amount of money Agee got paid?”

  “Exactly. It’s a hell of a lot of money for a telegrapher to get paid just to tell them which train to rob.”

  “I’d say it’s worth it,” Billy said. “After all, without Agee’s tip, they could rob a train that didn’t hold anything. Might make it difficult to come up with Agee’s fifty dollars.”

  “That’s just the thing,” Mackey said. “Fifty dollars is a hell of a sum for the robbers to guarantee each month, especially when they often hit trains that carried jewelry or art or other things they couldn’t sell quickly.”

  Billy seemed to catch on to what he was saying. “And they always paid him in gold coins. Not all of the passengers would’ve had gold coins. Some of them might have greenbacks or letters of credit.”

  “There were always at least five men hitting the train,” Mackey continued. “According to the papers, the thieves got little more than a thousand dollars after each event. Split five ways, then carving out a little for Agee might not seem like much, but fifty dollars is hard for men who don’t work regularly to come by. Guaranteeing that sum in advance could prove to be a problem, especially if they hit a train that’s lighter than expected.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that fifty dollars is a pretty specific amount that could be hard for robbers to come by if their sole income is robbery. It might mean something. It might not mean anything, but it’s a fact that sticks out in my mind is all.”

  “That the only thing sticking out in your mind?” Billy asked. “You sure none of that other nonsense Agee said is bothering you?”

  “It wasn’t anything Agee said as much as what I’ve already been turning over in my mind. About things changing. About things being different than I think they should be.”

  “You’d better be talking about the changes back home and not about yourself,” Billy said. “Because if you believe anything that twitchy little bastard said abo
ut you, you’re wrong.”

  “Nope. Just wondering what fighting a man like Grant gets me. So what if I don’t like him? So what if I don’t like everything he’s doing in town? Hell, so what if he even wants to become mayor? Why should I stand in his way?”

  “You heard about that?” Billy winced. “I was trying to keep that from you. Who told you? Pappy?”

  “Doc Ridley.” He turned from his view of the mountainside. “If you heard it, too, why wouldn’t you tell me?”

  “Because I don’t go to you with every rumor I hear.” Billy pulled the cleaning rod from the barrel of his rifle. “I heard a few of the old-timers talking about it. They talk about a lot of things. Figured it would make its way to you on its own steam. I didn’t want you getting worked up about something that might just be a lie.”

  “Grant sure as hell sounds like a candidate for something.”

  “Yes, he does, and there’s not a damned thing you can do about it,” Billy said. “Not from here. Not from the front porch of the jailhouse, either. The election’s in a month. If he runs, he’ll probably win. We’ve just got to deal with the consequences if he does.”

  “There’s talk about him installing a real police force. Abolishing the sheriff’s department.”

  “That would be part of dealing with the consequences that I just mentioned.” Billy set aside his Sharps for a moment. “You’ve got to keep things in perspective, Aaron. Six months ago, you and me were ready to walk away from Dover Station. Head to California and see what we could make of ourselves there. But Katherine was too sick to go, so we agreed to stay around for a while. Nothing wrong with that, and I don’t have a single complaint. If Grant runs and the people choose him, we make the best of it. Mr. Rice likes you. Maybe we get a job with him.” He looked around the ornate railcar. “I’d be lying if I said this didn’t beat the hell out of sleeping in the back room of the jailhouse.”