One Man's Fire

by Ralph Compton

  There would be waiting involved, which meant Jake would want to be somewhere he could get plenty of whiskey and, if the mood struck him, a soiled dove or two. Hank also enjoyed the company of working girls, but for reasons other than simple companionship. As far as Eli could tell, Hank had always been a cruel man and unleashed his temper on anyone or anything within his reach. He liked keeping company with working girls, simply because many of them were less likely to complain as long as things didn’t get too rough or weren’t heard if they did decide to squawk. Saloons were too busy, however, and full of town gossips with tongues loosened by excessive amounts of liquor. Keeping that in mind, Eli looked away from a pair of saloons and was drawn to a billiards hall marked by a small sign hanging from a piece of curvy wrought iron. The sign read CARD TABLES IN BACK. DAILY DRINK SPECIALS.

  Jake would be happy with both of those things.

  It was a wide building with two floors lined with several small balconies overlooking the street as well as McKane Trust & Loan. The doors were spaced close enough for them to each lead into a private room. If there was any doubt as to what those rooms were used for, it was expelled by the voluptuous woman with red hair leaning down to wave at Eli while making sure he got a generous view down the front of her dress. She beckoned to him like a siren to a sailor and stretched her upper body even farther over the railing as Eli approached.

  “You play billiards, ma’am?” Eli asked.

  She twirled her hair around one finger and replied, “We can play something much better if you like.”

  “Should I come in?”

  “I’ll meet you inside.”

  Eli felt every one of his nerves drawing taut beneath his skin. Although he might have wanted to look around for something a little farther back from McKane’s, this place was made to order for the rest of his old gang. He knew he could be in Jake’s sights at any given moment, so Eli stepped into the billiard hall with his hand placed firmly on the .38 at his side. The second pistol was in its place and he resisted the urge to check them both to make sure they were loaded. He’d checked them plenty of times already, and bullets didn’t normally fall from the cylinder on their own. Even with another three pistols, a shotgun cradled in one arm, and a cannon strapped to his back, he still wouldn’t have felt safe walking in through that place’s front door. Preparing for the worst, he found nothing more waiting for him inside than a beaming smile from a very pretty redhead.

  “Well, hello there,” she said while walking down a narrow staircase against one wall. “What sort of game were you interested in?”

  The sign outside seemed to be legitimate. As advertised, there were half a dozen billiard tables set up in a cavernous single room that seemed to comprise the building’s entire first floor. A few men played there while a few more played cards at one of four round tables in the back. Also in the back was a short bar tended by a tall man who watched Eli like a hawk. One hand reached beneath the bar, most assuredly resting on a club or some other weapon meant to dissuade anyone from causing a ruckus.

  Eli approached the redhead without trying to keep the nervousness from his smile. Such a thing would only help him more closely resemble someone making what some might call an indecent proposition. “I’d…like a game with you,” he said.

  She smiled right back at him in a sweet, somewhat nurturing way. “My name’s Heather,” she said while entwining her arm around his. “You’ll want to come this way.”

  Since Heather had taken possession of his right arm, Eli brought his left down so it was close enough to brush against his second holstered .38. The barkeep was still watching him, so he didn’t do any more than that. While he’d been nervous on his way in, that was nothing compared to what Eli felt when he was led up those stairs. The walls closed in on both sides, forcing them to each scrape an arm against one side of the stairwell as they stepped upon one squeaking step after another.

  “Are you just passing through Cheyenne or did you just dredge up the courage to come in here and visit me?” Heather asked.

  “I’m new to Cheyenne.”

  “Well, then, I’ll have to see what I can do to make this trip memorable. My room’s this one right here.”

  Using his memory of what he’d seen from the street as well as his knack for getting a feel for interior layouts, Eli knew this was indeed the room attached to the balcony where Heather had first caught his eye. One quick glance down a short hall was all he needed to see one door for each of the other windows looking out toward McKane’s as well as two more facing the other direction. Since Jake or Hank would want a good view, Eli didn’t concern himself with those last two doors.

  “You look nervous,” she said in something close to a purr. Heather kept hold of his arm while working the handle of her door and pushing it open. “Don’t be. We can discuss what you’d like and what you can—”

  Eli cut her short by pulling his arm free, shoving forward so both of them were in the room, and pushing the door shut using one of his heels. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  There was surprise on her face, but this obviously wasn’t the first time Heather had been manhandled in such a way. “You’d better not if you want to stay in one piece.”

  At first, Eli figured she was referring to the watchful bartender downstairs. Then he noticed the curved, slender knife gripped in her free hand. He didn’t know exactly where the knife had been hidden, but it was currently poised to disembowel him with one slash. At the very least, he’d get a cut across his belly that would put him into a world of hurt.

  “Like I said, I don’t want to hurt you,” he assured her.

  “Then why would you stop being polite so quickly?”

  The tone in her voice filled in even more of her character. Eli was now certain that she’d handled herself through much worse than this after falling victim to some less-than-accommodating guests. “I’m in town looking for some old acquaintances of mine,” Eli said. “I think they might be staying here.”

  “You could have just asked me about something like that.”

  “I needed to be discreet.”

  She smirked at him without allowing the knife to waver in her hand. “You don’t think a woman in my line of work knows about discretion?”

  “The men I’m after could already be looking for trouble. They’ll be watchful and I had to get out of sight quickly. Are these rooms for rent or are they just for your sort of business?”

  “They’re for rent as well.”

  “I think those men may have rented a room or two, so I couldn’t dawdle in the hall for very long. Them creaking stairs may have already done me in, so I couldn’t take a chance with haggling on prices and such.”

  Heather studied him carefully. “What do these men look like?” After Eli gave her a quick description of Jake and Hank, she sneered, “Those two are friends of yours?”

  “Not friends. Acquaintances.”

  She must have picked up on the distaste in his voice because Heather nodded slowly and finally lowered the knife. Stepping back so she could put some distance between them without getting too far to cut him, she said, “They’re here all right. Been here for a few days.”

  “Which room are they renting?”

  “The one at the far end of this hall on my side.”

  That made sense, seeing as how that spot would allow them to get a good look all the way down the street in front of them as well as one side of the McKane building. “So you’ve met them?” he asked.

  “I sure have. One came up to me the first night they arrived, spouting a whole lot of tough talk and waving his little gun in my face.” Grinning humorlessly, she added, “Not the gun you’re thinking of. A derringer. Something some of the other girls working here carry in their stockings.”

  Hank got no end of grief from the other gang members for carrying that pistol. Not so much because it was out of character for a man to do so, but because he took such offense to anyone calling the size of his pistol into question. “Did he hurt
you?”

  “He wanted to. I could tell as much before he even reached for that gun of his. Gave him a little cut that he won’t soon forget. Judging by that patch over his eye, I wasn’t the first.”

  “No, you weren’t.” Eli approached the window, took a look outside, and then stood close to the front corner of the room so he could best hear any movement in the hall. “What have they been doing since they got here?”

  “One stays in the room and the other prowls around town. Couldn’t rightly tell you where they go, since I don’t make it my business to spy on folks. Besides, as far as them two are concerned, I’m just as happy to be rid of them.”

  “I know just how you feel.”

  Heather’s stance shifted into something only slightly less defensive. She was still ready to move if need be, but crossed her arms as if to show she wasn’t about to try and draw any blood. “After that first night, they’ve been keeping fairly quiet. They’ll send for one of the girls while the other is out, but I ain’t about to step foot in that room. I warned the other girls about them, so they’re plenty careful. Hasn’t seemed to be any problems, though.”

  “Are they ever both in there at the same time?”

  She thought about it for a few seconds and shrugged. “I don’t think so, but I haven’t been appointed as their keeper.”

  “You and anyone else who works here sees plenty,” Eli said. Reaching into one pocket, he was careful to move slowly and deliberately until he could ease some of the money he was holding into view. Even after glimpsing cash instead of anything more dangerous in his grasp, Heather wasn’t quick to loosen her grip on the knife she still held in one hand. “You’re a smart woman,” he continued. “You know what it takes to survive among dangerous sorts. You know how to handle yourself. All of that means you can’t expect me to believe there’s much of anything that goes on in here without you knowing. You may even have your finger on the pulse of this entire town.”

  “Cheyenne is a big place,” she said with a grin. “But I do know a thing or two.”

  “And,” Eli said as he eased the money a bit farther from his pocket, “would you be willing to part with some of that information?”

  “For the right price.”

  “That’s what I figured.” Eli removed the money from his pocket. It wasn’t all that Saunders had given him when handing out some of Cody’s cash to cover expenses or incidentals, but it was enough to put a gleam in Heather’s eye. “Does this look about right?”

  “Depends on what you want to know.”

  “Let’s start with my previous question.”

  “Far as I can tell,” she replied almost instantly, “they ain’t in that room at the same time for more than a minute or two. Of course, there are times when I’m too occupied to keep watch, but that’s what I’ve seen.”

  “What about now?”

  “Just one.”

  “Does he have any female companionship?”

  “Did last night,” Heather replied. “I didn’t see her leave, but she’d be gone by now anyway. Those acquaintances of yours ain’t like the ones that usually come in here. They stink of wickedness, and none of us want to be around them any longer than we have to.”

  “I wouldn’t have thought a woman like you would be opposed to such quaint notions as wickedness.”

  “A woman like me? You mean a whore?”

  “No,” Eli said. “I mean someone who holds her own in a rough line of work. That kind of life makes wickedness seem almost too common to be noticed.”

  Once again, she relaxed. Another step back allowed her to put him out of reach of her own weapon while putting her at the mercy of his if he decided to draw it. Although simple to some, the shift was a show of trust between two similar souls. “Just because I know wickedness when I see it and can handle it if it comes my way, that doesn’t mean I’m part of it. You know those men pretty well?”

  “I do.”

  “Then you’re either a lawman or another outlaw.” Looking him up and down in a manner that seemed oddly suited to the setting of a bedroom, she said, “I don’t see a badge on you.”

  “I’m no lawman.”

  “Then the fire in your eyes means you probably mean to kill those two. Not that I’m opposed to the idea, but I’d like to know if anything along those lines might be happening. These walls are thin and won’t do anything to stop a bullet. I’d rather be somewhere else in that instance.”

  “I’m not out to kill anyone.” Seeing Heather’s patiently raised eyebrow, he added, “But you might want to clear a path up here. Come to think of it, is there anyone else I should be concerned about?”

  “Not for the moment. The other girls tend to other business at this time of the day, but they’ll be back tonight. I don’t know, but there could be someone in one or two of the rooms across the hall. They’re rented, but there’s no way of knowing if they’re occupied right now short of me busting in there. Management tends to frown on that sort of thing.”

  “They should be fine. Has either of those two men made any requests? Either to you or maybe to the bartender?” When Eli asked that question, he was specifically thinking about Jake asking to be notified if anyone came sniffing around for him or Hank. Jake would also want to know if someone matching Cody’s description had stopped by, but Eli didn’t want to lead Heather into telling him something he wanted to hear. There was more money in his pocket, after all, and he couldn’t blame her for trying to separate him from as much of it as possible.

  “Requests?” she asked without so much as a glance toward the pocket containing the rest of the money. “I can ask a few people who would know more about things like that.”

  “I’d appreciate it.”

  “Appreciate it how much?” Now she reached out to stroke the pocket containing that money in such a way that Eli thought he should pay her for that alone.

  “Depends on what you bring me,” he said.

  “All right, then. Wait here and I’ll be right back. Shouldn’t be long.”

  The moment Heather left the room, Eli cursed himself for a fool. Even though he thought he could trust her to do what she’d said, there was still the outside chance that she was more spooked than she’d been leading on and would come upstairs with a lot more than just a few pieces of information. The commotion caused by him being escorted from the billiard hall by the bartender or another man whose job it was to clean house was simply more than Eli could afford.

  Fortunately for him, the lower floor was open enough for every sound to echo and the enclosed stairwell was narrow enough to catch the noise and direct it upward. Eli poked his head outside Heather’s room where he could listen for any possible trouble. The sound that caused him to jump came from a direction he hadn’t been expecting. One of the doors farther down the hall was coming open. As far as he could tell, it was on the side of the building facing the McKane building. Eli ducked back into Heather’s room, pulled the door shut, and held on to the handle so he could keep it ajar without it being obvious to whoever was stepping out for a stroll.

  Eli eased the .38 partly from his holster using his right hand. His eyes narrowed and he held his breath as light footsteps tapped against the floor in a line that would bring the walker directly in front of him within the next few seconds.

  The person moved past Heather’s door, allowing Eli to get a look at the walker’s back. In less than a second, he recognized the man outside, which prompted him to swing the door open, reach out, and grab the other man by the arm. Although surprised at first, the man recognized Eli as well.

  “Now, ain’t this a kick in the pants?” Jake said as he pulled his arm free of Eli’s grasp.

  Chapter 22

  “Howdy, Eli,” Jake said in a cordial tone. “Didn’t think I’d be seeing you so soon.”

  “Didn’t think you’d be seeing me at all is more like it,” Eli snarled.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t put it that way.”

  “You left me back at that ranch. Why’d you d
o that?”

  Dropping his voice to a cool, deadly pitch, Jake asked, “What would you have had me do? Stay in that death trap until the cross fire got so bad a dog couldn’t have crawled away on its belly?”

  “You could have at least tried to fetch me. All I saw was you and Hank turning tail to save your own hides.”

  “And when did you see that? Before you charged that fella that had the drop on you or in the half a second of consciousness after you got whacked by that lawman?” Jake’s eyes narrowed as he took a quick look at Eli’s gun belt. He pulled his arm loose, placed a hand on his holstered Smith & Wesson, and took one step back. “Is that why you snuck up on me like that? Because you wanted payback for what happened back at that ranch?”

  “If that’s what I wanted, do you think I’d be talking to you right now?”

  “If you were Hank, probably not. You bein’ you, on the other hand…”

  “Why’d you leave me, Jake? And don’t give me any garbage about there being too much shooting for your liking.”

  “Jobs turn sour sometimes. You know that.”

  “Sure I do, but we always clean up our messes.”

  “What about Dave Garza? He rode along with us on that first general store we robbed after you joined up. The store owner grabbed a shotgun, fired some lucky shots, and brought half of his family raining down on us with rifles of every make and caliber. We had to skin out of there real quick, and if we’d turned around to go after Dave, we all would’ve been caught or killed. They were looking for us, just like those guards and lawmen were looking for us back in Seedley.”

  “Dave was with the gang about three days before I was, and you were the only one who remembers his name. Nobody else even liked him.”

  Jake shrugged. “We still had to leave him behind. That’s my point. It happens.”