One Man's Fire

by Ralph Compton

  Perhaps Eli was imagining that in light of the memories that still churned unbidden through his head.

  Perhaps little Maggie had a recurring obedience problem that needed to be fixed.

  Or perhaps the mother wasn’t such an unwary sheep after all.

  Chapter 20

  Cheyenne

  Compared to the stopovers and cow towns he’d visited most recently, Cheyenne was enough to overwhelm every one of Eli’s senses. The train arrived at a platform populated by waving families and travelers anxiously awaiting their turn to board the wheezing iron beast. When he and Saunders stepped off, they were shoved aside by the little redheaded girl and her brother as they rushed to greet a slender man in a brown wool suit. The mother was visibly relieved to see him, if only for the extra set of hands needed to deal with the two young ones in her charge.

  Once they’d gotten their horses, Eli and the sheriff walked away from the station and gazed out at the rest of the city. “Where should we start?” Eli asked.

  Saunders pulled in a lungful of air laden with soot that had been spat out from the nearby engine and exhaled in a hacking cough. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”

  “You’re the one leading this expedition.”

  “And you’re the one who knows these men we’re after better than just about anybody.”

  “Imagine that,” Eli mused. “Sheriff Vernon Saunders treating a common criminal like a real partner.”

  “Aw, don’t sell yerself short,” Saunders said with a wry grin. “I’d say uncommon criminal is more like it.”

  “Touching. You get us close to where we’re supposed to be and I’ll let you know if I come up with anything where Jake and Hank are concerned.”

  They walked away from the train station and led their horses farther into Cheyenne. While most men observed a new town to look for places to eat, names of streets, or interesting landmarks, Eli searched for an entirely different set of details. His eyes drifted to streets that could be more easily blocked off to prevent a quick getaway or were clogged by too many folks walking along either side. He picked out alleys that were dark as opposed to studded with beams of sunlight and looked for signs as to which were more likely open pathways or dead ends. He looked for lawmen or anyone carrying firearms. He also looked for stores that struck him as juicy targets or businesses that might carry sums of cash that were large enough to steal. It wasn’t long before Eli began to feel as if a living wall of strangers were closing in on him. It would feel awfully good to climb back into his saddle and strike out for more open terrain.

  Beside him, he could see Saunders taking in different sights. The sheriff’s attention was drawn to commotion of all sorts or disturbances that might require a lawman’s attention whether he was the one designated to tend to them or not. His eyes drifted to some of the same sights as Eli’s, but in a more protective manner. Considering such a fundamental difference as this, Eli had to marvel at how he and the lawman could make it this far without one of them doing some more serious damage to the other.

  “We should probably not walk out in the open for too long,” Eli said.

  “You think our chances are good of running into one of your old partners?”

  “No, but they’re even better that one of them is somewhere watching for a familiar face. Maybe not our faces, but you can bet we’d be spotted.”

  Saunders gazed up at the windows with the highest vantage points. “I was thinking they’d be waiting for Cody at a spot they’d arranged earlier.”

  “One of them would. Probably Jake. Hank would be the one to keep watch.”

  “You don’t think they trust him to get here without being watched?”

  Eli shook his head as if he was watching something else play out in the distance. “It’s not about trust. It’s more about watching to see if anyone was following Cody into town or closing in on him from another angle. If there’s any mistrust in play,” Eli added, “it’s because the rest of us knew Cody wasn’t smart enough to go for too long on his own. That’s why they sent him out to dig up a box and bring it back. He would’ve guarded that money like a loyal dog, and if anyone was following him, Cody would lead them in a straight line that was easy to see.”

  “And what if Cody was caught somewhere along the line? Them other two trust such a simpleminded fool with all that money?”

  “They wouldn’t if there was more than three left in the gang,” Eli said. “Fact is, they’re shorthanded. If they’re in a town this big, there’s something bigger brewing. If they’re scouting a bank or whatever like you think, they’ll want their two best men doing it. Sending Cody away is the obvious choice. If he messes up, it’s the smaller of the two payoffs. If he gets caught or killed,” Eli added with a shrug, “no big loss.”

  “That’s cold.”

  “Yeah, but it makes sense.”

  “Could you let me know where Hank might be watching from?”

  “Someplace high,” Eli said. “Maybe a window overlooking a busy street that Cody would have had to cross or a rooftop overlooking a certain spot. He was always the one who did the watching. Hank’s best at that.”

  Now it was Saunders’s turn to look up nervously. “You think he might be watching us now?”

  “He’s one man. Can’t watch the whole city. It’s doubtful that Cody was gonna take a train, mostly because there are too many people on them or at the stations. That means there isn’t much reason for Hank to watch a spot this close to the station. Also, if Hank had caught sight of me, I’d know it. He would have announced himself.”

  “And if he caught sight of me?”

  “Then he’d announce himself in a way you probably wouldn’t like too much,” Eli said with a subtle nod.

  Since it wouldn’t do anyone any good to get overly worried now, Saunders asked, “What about the spot where the gang might be holed up before pulling the job here? Think you could tell me where it is?”

  “I can get you close, but that’s about it.”

  “Are you sure?” Saunders asked with a sideways glance that was aimed directly at the man next to him.

  Eli stopped and turned to face a window full of suits displayed in a row hanging from a shiny curtain rod. “As sure as I can be. I haven’t exactly been able to speak with Jake for a while in case you’ve forgotten.”

  “I know that, but this is a job that’s still in line with the one that brought you to Seedley. Whatever was supposed to be in that iron wagon is here now. Perhaps you all made an arrangement to come here in case you were separated.”

  “If we had that kind of organization, I doubt things would have gone so badly at that ranch.”

  “Most of you got away,” Saunders pointed out. “Things could have gone a lot worse. Also, you boys had plenty of time with the driver and guards who were on that wagon when you took it. More than enough to ask some questions in a way to ensure that you got some good answers.”

  Eli turned to look at Saunders directly. “You were the one who told me I wasn’t a killer. You think that still leaves the door open for me to be the kind of man who’d torture someone for information?”

  “Not you, but I’d wager at least one of the other men in Jake’s gang could manage that sort of thing.”

  Eli couldn’t help wondering if the sheriff had already met Hank. It wouldn’t take much more than a handshake for someone to see the cruelty in the scarecrow’s eyes or the wicked intentions smeared across his face. Whether the lawman was referring to anyone in particular or not didn’t really matter. He had a point.

  “I don’t know much about this place,” Eli said while looking up and down the busy street nearby. “But I do know how we would function before any job. There were certain precautions that were taken, procedures to follow, things to look for that kept us alive once things began to roll. Get me close to the spot where the job is supposed to happen and I can piece together where Jake and Hank might be or what they may be doing. There’s just one thing that bothers me.”

>   “Oh, there should be a lot more than one thing,” Saunders chuckled.

  Ignoring the feeble attempt at humor, Eli said, “When we do get to a point where we’re closing in on Jake and Hank, I’ll need you to follow my lead.”

  “Of course.”

  “I mean follow it without hesitation and without questioning me about why I’m doing what I’m doing. Once we’re close enough to them two, things could go real good or real bad in the blink of an eye. Either one of us trips up the other and we’re both dead. I don’t mean that in any figurative sense, either. Jake or Hank can each kill a man without batting an eye, and when they’re cornered, they’re even more dangerous.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that. I’ve seen them cornered before.”

  “No, you haven’t,” Eli said crisply as he lowered his head and started walking down the boardwalk as if the ground beneath his feet had suddenly become too hot. “What you saw at that ranch was just them fighting their way out of hostile territory.”

  “Hostile territory?” Saunders scoffed as he fell into step alongside Eli. “From where I stood, the Lazy V was pretty close to hell that night.”

  “From where you stood, maybe. For us, it was what Jake would call an unfortunate turn of events.”

  “I may not be the sheriff of some wild town like Dodge City or Tombstone, but I’ve seen plenty of bad nights and unfortunate turns of events.”

  Eli instinctually matched the pace of the crowd sharing the street with him. He didn’t go slow enough to create a snarl in the flow of movement or fast enough to make any waves. Even his posture was perfectly suited to blend in with his surroundings like a lizard that had shifted its skin to a pale shade of brown while sitting beside a sunbaked rock. Although his chin remained tucked in close so his face couldn’t be easily seen from any angle, he still did his best to avoid contact with anyone around him. “Once Jake and Hank realize what I’ve done and who I’ve come here with, there’ll be a turn of events uglier than anything you’ve seen before.”

  Chapter 21

  The place they were there to visit was a tall, narrow building on a corner with a small sign on which the words MCKANE TRUST & LOAN were printed in an elegant script. If Saunders hadn’t pointed it out to him, Eli might not have realized the building was there. Much like Eli had blended in with the people walking along the street, so too did the building blend in with its neighbors. If he were to build a place where the real riches were kept, this would have been it.

  “I think that’s the spot,” Saunders said. “McKane Trust Company. That’s the place those gunmen mentioned while we were waiting at the Lazy V for you and the rest of that gang to show. Even though they thought they’d bought my allegiance, they still spoke about it as if they wanted to keep it a secret. And before you say what’s running through your head, I don’t think they let the name drop just to draw me in.”

  “Why would I be thinking that?” Eli asked, despite the fact that he’d been thinking that very thing.

  “I’d heard the others talking about something else before they offered me any money. Couldn’t hear much more than a few snips here and there, but the name of this place fits the bill. Furthermore, when I was told one of your partners was spotted in Cheyenne, it was in this vicinity.” The sheriff looked around and quickly diverted his line of sight upward. “You think we were spotted yet?”

  “Hopefully not.” Eli stopped, glanced up and down a street that he still couldn’t name, and crossed as if he had important business to conduct after reaching the other side. “Now’s the time when you’ll have to trust me.”

  “That’s what I expected.”

  “Keep your head down. Don’t look in any direction for too long unless that direction is toward your feet. Stick your hands into your pockets and just find somewhere to be where someone else is standing. If you hear someone call your name, don’t look up. Someone calls for a lawman or sounds like they’re being torn apart by wild dogs, you just stay put unless the men around you are moving as well. Got me?”

  Saunders nodded. “Where will you be?”

  “Doing what you brought me to do.”

  Saunders scowled in a way that made him look every bit the man who could have him strung up by the neck. “That’s all you’re gonna tell me?”

  “That’s all I know. This isn’t an exact thing that I do. It’s what I feel and what my gut tells me. Right now my gut’s telling me I need to get moving again before someone’s eyes linger on us for one second too long. Believe me, that’s as long as it could take for this ride to end in a very bad way.”

  “Perhaps I should seek out the town law. Some reinforcements might tip the scales back in our direction.”

  “More men will just slow us down, and more importantly,” Eli pointed out, “Jake and Hank will be keeping an eye on the local law. More than likely, if any man wearing a badge decides to look at this building, Jake will know about it and Hank will be ready to rid Cheyenne of a few peacekeepers.”

  “You have a whole lot of faith in two men.”

  “No. I’m just not about to underestimate them.”

  Without wasting another moment to consider his options, Saunders nodded. “Fine. I’ll keep my head down. What else should I be doing?”

  “Look for patterns around here. Before any big job, that’s what I’d be doing. Looking for men who might be guards masquerading as passersby. Watching when windows in the building we meant to hit were opened or closed or used by anyone inside. Studying the nearby buildings for someone watching the place we meant to be. There’s bound to be patterns like that around anything that’s being closely guarded. Jake or Hank will move in patterns too. Start thinking more like an outlaw and you’ll be able to find some.”

  “Sounds like a lot of common sense to me.”

  “Is that what you would have done if I hadn’t told you?”

  After a slight pause, Saunders had to admit, “Probably not.”

  Eli shoved the lawman away as if he were setting a windup toy along its path. “We’ll meet back in this spot.”

  “When?”

  “Can’t say for sure. Whenever I’m through scouting. Just keep your eyes open and look for me.”

  “And what if I see someone following you?”

  “Then catch my eye somehow to let me know. We’ve just got to improvise with these things.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Saunders grumbled.

  Already, Eli was regretting his decision to come this far. Stepping up to keep Saunders from getting killed was one thing. Continuing to follow the lawman on a suicidal ride against known, cold-blooded killers was another. He could slip away now even easier than before. Saunders was safe and presumably smart enough to know better than to face Jake Welles on his own. If the sheriff didn’t go back to Seedley, then he was too foolish to be of much concern anyhow.

  There was the matter of seeing Lyssa again. That just wouldn’t be possible if Eli cut and ran now. A more practical part inside reminded him that he’d barely spent any time at all with Lyssa, and sticking his neck out this far was a real good way to get his head lopped off. But that was just his survival instinct kicking in again. He had to find his way back to Lyssa. Whatever happened after that could be left to the Fates. That decided, he set about doing what he’d agreed to do.

  Cheyenne was a bustling maze of streets teeming with people, horses, dogs, and even a few pigs that must have gotten loose from a butcher. Eli moved like a single fish in a school, taking in everything around him with senses that had been dulled from spending too much time locked in a cage. Taking on Zack and his boys wasn’t easy, but it had been a straightforward affair. Stealing, on the other hand, was a dance where each step led into another and led into another and into yet another before the true goal could be seen. That’s what had always drawn him to his craft.

  When Jake had followed him on outings like this, he’d always said Eli was full of beans. He said there was just a natural instinct or random chance involved with finding th
e best angle to ride in on a bank or approach a stagecoach. Cracking a safe or coaxing open a lock was definitely a skill, but the rest worked on a gut level. That’s what Jake said, but that was only because he didn’t know any better.

  Saunders had disappeared into the crowd fairly well, leaving Eli to scout on his own. The McKane building was in a busy area with lots of prospects for lookout posts nearby. Plenty of rooftops from which to watch, dozens of windows looking down on the street and out at the building itself, along with countless spots at ground level where a man could keep an eye on the Trust & Loan without drawing much attention. Eli reflexively wanted to scout the building as he would any other target that was ripe for the picking, but instead he adjusted his sights to look for the best spots someone else might be trying to do that same job.

  Right away, he was able to eliminate several possibilities. Businesses that were too busy wouldn’t allow the outlaws to come and go without being noticed by a bunch of locals who might ask questions. Men skulking about within places that were too empty would appear out of the ordinary. That still left several possibilities along the street, so Eli fell back on his knowledge of the robbers themselves.

  Hank preferred to use homes for his lookout points, but that was only because he didn’t mind tying up a family so they could be stuffed into an attic until he was through. Jake didn’t like working that way, only because of the extra mess that Hank caused before they got close to finishing the job that had brought them to town in the first place. Although there weren’t many buildings that looked like private homes in the vicinity, Eli was able to cross a few off his list.

  Doctors’ offices were out as well. Cody might not be in Cheyenne, but the others were expecting him, and somewhere in his childhood, that one’s oversized head had been filled with demons where doctors and dentists were concerned. Being anywhere near them made Cody too fidgety to be of much use as well as an annoyance to everyone else. Eli smirked as he mentally dismissed one three-level building in a prime position that was shared by two doctors and a dentist on the top floor.