Hard Luck Money

by J. A. Johnstone

  Quite possibly Tyler Beaumont.

  Kid Morgan’s brother-in-law.

  Chapter 28

  Blood stained Tyler’s shirt in a couple places, but his eyelids fluttered and his chest rose and fell. The Kid was glad to see the man wasn’t dead.

  But that situation might not last long. At any second, Grey could order his men to finish filling the young Texas Ranger with lead.

  “What’s that young rapscallion doing here?” Grey demanded.

  “Don’t know for sure, boss, but he wasn’t up to anything good.” Brattle held out his hand. “I found this in a hidden pocket on the back of his gunbelt.”

  Brattle was holding Tyler’s Ranger badge.

  Grey snatched it out of his segundo’s fingers. “A Ranger! Then when he showed up here before, he wasn’t just looking for work, like he claimed.”

  “I reckon not,” Brattle agreed. “You want us to go ahead and kill him?”

  Grey looked like he was going to issue the order, in which case The Kid knew he would have to make a grab for a gun and try to shoot it out with the gang. He had already had to swallow too much. He wasn’t going to stand there and do nothing while they murdered Tyler.

  Before Grey could say anything, Beatrice exclaimed from behind him, “Alexander! You can’t—”

  “I told you”—Grey swung to face her, his voice sharp—“when you showed up on the plantation, Beatrice, that I was very pleased to see you and that you were welcome to stay, but you weren’t to interfere in my business. Do you remember that?”

  Her chin came up defiantly as anger sparked in her eyes. “Of course I do. At the time, I didn’t know what your business was.”

  “Well, now you know,” he snapped. His narrow shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. “But that doesn’t change the fact there’s a good reason to keep this man alive ... for now. Brattle, tend to his wounds and see to it he’s well guarded at all times.”

  “But, boss—”

  “I want to question him and find out exactly what brought him here,” Grey cut in. “I want to know if he’s aware of who we really are and what we’re doing, or if he was just snooping because someone new moved in on this ranch.”

  “We can’t let him go,” Brattle argued. “Not after shootin’ him.”

  Grey smiled coldly. “I didn’t say anything about letting him go. We’ll deal with that problem. But I intend to find out as much as I can from him first.” He jerked his head toward the barn, indicating Tyler was to be held prisoner out there.

  “This is an unpleasant development in what had been a very promising day,” Grey went on to nobody in particular as Brattle and the other outlaw picked up Tyler’s senseless form and toted it toward the barn. “But I suppose I’ll feel better about things again once I’ve counted that money. Let’s get back to that.” He turned toward the house and asked over his shoulder, “Are you coming, Waco?”

  The Kid watched the other outlaws disappear into the barn with Tyler and wondered if he would ever see the young Ranger alive again.

  “Waco?”

  “Yeah, sure, boss.” The Kid forced himself to sound nonchalant. He figured it was all right to let some of his nerves show. “I just don’t like the idea of a Ranger snoopin’ around here.”

  “Neither do I, but it may not mean anything.”

  “What’ll we do if we find out they’re on to us?”

  “We’ll have to clear out, I suppose, and find somewhere else to serve as our headquarters. That would be a shame, because I like this place. Let’s not borrow trouble.” Grey smiled. “I’ll find out the truth later on, assuming, of course, the lawman doesn’t succumb right away from his wounds. I can make him talk.”

  The chuckle that came from Grey made chills go down The Kid’s spine.

  “Yes, that Ranger will tell me everything I want to know before he dies.”

  The haul from the train robbery wasn’t an exact sixty thousand dollars.

  When Grey counted the money in the canvas sacks, the total came to $59,380. That was still a large sum of money, more than most folks saw in their entire lives. Not much compared to the sums Conrad Browning used to deal with all the time, of course, The Kid reflected, but a fortune for most people.

  “We’ll work out the division of the spoils later,” Grey told Beatrice, who was sitting in one of the room’s armchairs with a frown on her lovely face, “There’ll be a share for you as well, my dear.”

  “I don’t want any of it, Alexander.”

  “Nonsense. You contribute to our efforts by cooking and taking care of us. You deserve some money of your own in return for that.”

  She shook her head. “I really don’t want to argue about it.”

  “All right. But you can’t stop me from setting some aside for you.” Grey looked over at The Kid. “And of course I’ll take what would have been your share into account against the expenses I incurred in securing your freedom from prison.”

  “That’s fine,” The Kid said with a nod. “But with a job of this size, my share ought to cover a big chunk of those expenses.”

  “I’ll let you know how the figures work out,” Grey said noncommittally.

  The Kid knew good and well that would never happen.

  Brattle came into the room. “We patched up that Ranger, boss. He’s awake now if you want to talk to him. A couple shots of whiskey braced him up some.”

  “Excellent, Brattle.” Grey said. He left the room with his big, ugly second-in-command.

  The Kid started after them, but Beatrice stood up quickly and moved to intercept him. “Waco, I don’t care about the money,” she said in a low voice. “I just want to get out of here.”

  The Kid didn’t doubt her sincerity. He wished he could give her what she wanted, but with the gang holding Tyler prisoner, he couldn’t cut and run yet.

  “I’ll do what I can.” It was a promise as vague as the one Grey had just made to him about the money. He knew that, but there was nothing else he could do.

  Trying to ignore Beatrice’s plaintive look, he went after Grey and Brattle, catching up to them before they reached the barn.

  Tyler was sitting on the ground with his bloody shirt off and bandages wrapped around his midsection and upper left arm. His arms were pulled behind him and tied around one of the posts supporting a stall gate.

  His haggard face showed the strain he was under, but not even a flicker of recognition filled his eyes as he looked up and saw The Kid, Grey, and Brattle coming into the barn. Tyler was thinking clearly enough not to give away The Kid’s identity.

  The other outlaws stood around the Ranger in a half circle. The ominous threat they represented hung in the air like the stink of gunsmoke.

  “Well, Mr. Tyler,” Grey greeted him with false joviality. “I see you decided to pay us a return visit.”

  “There was no need for your hands to start blazin’ away at me like that,” Tyler said sullenly. “I just thought maybe things had changed since I was here—”

  “Don’t waste your time and mine by lying about looking for a job,” Grey said. “We both know that’s a lie. You already have a job.” He took the Texas Ranger badge from his pocket and held it up so Tyler could see it.

  Grim lines settled over Tyler’s face at the sight of the silver star in a silver circle. “You found that, did you?”

  “My men did, yes. So you see there’s no point in lying. What I want to know is what brought you here the first time and then today.”

  Tyler didn’t even glance at The Kid. He kept his attention focused on Grey. “I came here startin’ out because this ranch has been abandoned for quite a while and when I spotted somebody livin’ here, I was curious. That’s all. Most folks get pretty close-mouthed when they’re talkin’ to a lawman, even when they haven’t done anything wrong, so that’s why I spun that yarn about lookin’ for a ridin’ job.”

  “What made you come back?”

  “Well, hell, that gunnie of yours shot me!” Tyler jerked a nod in The Kid’
s direction.

  “Only to keep you from shooting one of my men,” Grey pointed out.

  Tyler started to shrug his shoulder, but stopped with a wince as the movement caused his wounds to hurt. He couldn’t really shrug anyway, because of how his hands were tied.

  “That wasn’t the only thing. I just had a hunch somethin’ wrong was goin’ on here. The whole place just didn’t feel right. I still don’t know what it is, but I’m mighty certain now that you fellas are up to no good.”

  With a slight frown on his face, Grey appeared to think about what Tyler had told him. After a moment he said, “I believe you’re telling the truth.”

  “Hell, with the fix I’m in, I’d be pretty dumb to make it worse by lyin’ to you, wouldn’t I?”

  “I don’t know. That’s hard to say.” Grey drew a pistol from his pocket and pulled back the hammer as he pointed it at Tyler. “Perhaps you should try again to convince me before I pull this trigger. So tell me, Mr. Tyler, what exactly do you know about us?”

  Tyler’s eyes widened. No matter what sort of control he had over his emotions, he knew he was staring death in the face. He wouldn’t have been human if it didn’t affect him.

  The Kid knew it, too, and tensed as he watched Grey’s finger on the trigger. If it started to tighten, he planned to leap forward and knock the gun toward the barn’s ceiling before Grey could fire.

  Even if he succeeded, that would probably postpone Tyler’s death, and his own, by no more than a few minutes, but he didn’t think he had a choice.

  Tyler swallowed and licked his lips. “Damn it, I’m tellin’ you the truth! Yeah, sure, I’m a Ranger, and I was suspicious of you fellas, evidently for good reason. But I don’t know who you are or what you’re doin’ here.”

  He was trying to convince his captors of that so Grey wouldn’t order the gang to make a run for it, The Kid thought. Tyler was trying to trade his own life for more time. If he didn’t report in on a certain schedule, maybe Rangers would come looking for him.

  And he was trying to protect The Kid’s secret, too. The Kid wasn’t sure his own life was worth that sacrifice.

  The moment stretched out until he thought his nerves were going to snap. Then Grey tilted the pistol’s barrel up, lowered the hammer, and slipped the gun back into his pocket. “Now I’m convinced you’re telling the truth.”

  “It’s about time,” Tyler muttered.

  “Unfortunately, that won’t save your life.”

  Grey nodded curtly to Brattle, who grinned and reached for the gun on his hip.

  “No, I think I’d prefer not to have any more gunshots right now,” Grey went on. “It would be best to dispose of him in a more discreet manner.”

  “Whatever you say, boss,” Brattle replied, shrugging. “Hendry, hand me that knife you carry. Mr. Grey, you might want to move back. Blood tends to squirt out sometimes when you cut a man’s throat.”

  “Yes, of course,” Grey murmured. “I wouldn’t want to ruin this suit.”

  Tyler fought to keep his face expressionless, but The Kid could see the horror in the young lawman’s eyes as Brattle and Grey calmly discussed cutting his throat.

  The Kid was horrified, too, but didn’t have time to give in to the feeling. He thought furiously to come up with a way to save Tyler’s life. “Wait a minute,” he said as Hendry handed a heavy-bladed Bowie knife to Brattle. “Wouldn’t it be better to keep him alive for a while?”

  “Why would we want to do that?” Grey asked with what sounded like genuine curiosity.

  “I agree he’s probably telling the truth,” The Kid said. “But if he’s not ... if any more Rangers come around here ... it might come in handy to have a hostage.”

  “Do you really think the Rangers would bargain for his life?”

  “I don’t know, but they might.”

  Grey considered the suggestion, taking so long about it Brattle finally said, “Well, boss, do you want me to cut his throat or not?”

  “For now, no,” Grey decided. “We’ll hang on to him, as Waco suggested. He’s proven to be pretty cunning so far.”

  The Kid tried not to let the relief he felt show on his face. “That’s the smart thing to do, Mr. Grey. I don’t think you’ll be sorry.”

  “You had better hope that I’m not,” Grey said, “because I can promise you, Waco, if I’m sorry, you will be, too.”

  The threat was clear in his voice.

  Just as clear as the hum of an angry diamondback’s rattles.

  Chapter 29

  They left Tyler tied up in the barn with a couple outlaws standing guard over him. Brattle would set up a schedule so the Ranger would be guarded around the clock.

  The Kid saw a thin sliver of hope. “I can take a turn, too, if you want.” That might give him the chance to knock out whoever was paired with him, so he could free Tyler and both of them could get out of there.

  However, Grey shook his head at the suggestion. “You’re much too valuable to spend your time on menial work like that, Waco. We’ll enjoy the success of this one for a day or two, then you and I need to sit down and start planning our next job.”

  “Whatever you say, boss,” The Kid agreed.

  For now, Tyler was alive, and The Kid considered that a victory.

  When they were back inside the house, Beatrice asked, “What happened out there? Is ... is that young man dead?”

  “Of course not,” Grey said heartily. “I had a talk with him, and he admitted he came over here because he was suspicious of us. I’m sure he regrets that idea now.”

  “Are you going to kill him?”

  “Not unless it becomes absolutely necessary. As you can imagine, I’d prefer not to give the authorities any more reasons to pursue us than we have to.”

  From Beatrice’s expression, The Kid could tell she wasn’t happy with her brother’s answer.

  She asked, “What about his wounds? Shouldn’t a doctor take a look at them?”

  “That’s not going to happen,” Grey replied with a shake of his head. “Brattle’s quite competent when it comes to patching up bullet wounds.”

  “I can take a look at him—”

  “Not necessary,” Grey cut in. “It’s all taken care of, dear sister. Don’t give it another thought.”

  “Well ... all right. If you say so, Alexander.”

  He laughed, bent, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I say so. Now, there’s a big empty valise upstairs in my room. Would you mind bringing it down? I think we can pack all this money in it.”

  “That valise is pretty heavy, even empty. I’m not sure I can handle it.”

  “I can get it,” The Kid volunteered. He might be able to find a gun or some other weapon in Grey’s room, too.

  Grey shook his head. “No, that’s all right. I’ll fetch it down myself.” He started to leave the room, but stopped and looked back at The Kid and Beatrice. “I can trust the two of you together here with all that cash, can’t I?”

  He was smiling, but The Kid sensed an undertone of warning in his voice.

  Beatrice laughed. “Of course you can. I’m your sister, and if Waco wanted to betray you, he’s had plenty of chances before now, hasn’t he?”

  “Not really, but I take your point. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  They listened to his footsteps going up the stairs. When they heard the door of his room open, Beatrice moved quickly over to The Kid and whispered, “Waco, did they kill that Ranger?”

  The Kid shook his head. “He’s still alive. Your brother was telling the truth about that.”

  “But they’re going to kill him sooner or later. You know they are. We have to get out of here. We can’t be mixed up in the murder of a Texas Ranger.”

  “I’m already wanted by the law, remember?” The Kid asked dryly. “And after today there are going to be murder charges hanging over my head. Three men died during that robbery, including a couple deputy U.S. marshals.”

  “Oh, my Lord ...” Beatrice covered her
mouth with her hand for a moment, visibly shocked by what The Kid told her. “I still say we should go. If we’re ever going to have a chance to get away—”

  “I can’t,” he told her as he shook his head again. “I’m sorry. It’s just not the right time.” And wouldn’t be until he could free Tyler. The Kid had to continue playing the dangerous game that could end up being the death of them all.

  Before Beatrice could argue any more, they heard the sound of Grey coming back down the stairs with the valise and moved apart. The Kid was sitting in one of the armchairs and Beatrice was standing idly by the table when Grey came into the room carrying the large valise.

  He set it on the table. “Give me a hand with this, would you, Beatrice?”

  “Of course.”

  Together they packed the money into the big canvas suitcase. It all fit, nearly three thousand twenty-dollar bills.

  Grey smiled as he lifted the valise and felt the weight of it. “That’s what I call doing a good job of packing,” he said with smug satisfaction.

  Before The Kid or Beatrice could respond, Brattle hurried into the room. The segundo’s air of urgency told The Kid that something was wrong. He let himself hope Tyler had gotten away somehow.

  “There are a couple riders comin’, boss. You’re gonna want to see this, but you may not like it.”

  “What the hell?” Grey said with a frown. “Murrell’s not here already, is he? I didn’t send for him—”

  “It ain’t Murrell,” Brattle risked interrupting.

  Grey looked worried ... and angry as he took the pistol from his pocket. “The Rangers?”

  “Nope, not the Rangers.”

  “Damn you, Brattle, spit it out!”

  “Looks like Bert Hagen and Ike Calvert.”

  The Kid was surprised, but Alexander Grey looked absolutely thunderstruck. “Hagen and ... and Calvert? But how ... They’re supposed to be in Huntsville.”

  Grey’s back stiffened as resolve came over his pale, gaunt face. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” he snapped. “Come on.” He stalked out of the room.

  As he followed Grey, Brattle gestured for The Kid to come, too.