Keeper of the Books (Keeper of the Books, Book 1)

by Jason D. Morrow

  “Get yourself cleaned up,” Nate said. “We’re going to meet with Tyler Montgomery.”

  “Forget the book,” Joe pleaded. “It’s more dangerous carrying that thing around than staying here and waiting for Levi Thompson.”

  “This is my last job,” Nate said. “I intend to get paid for it.”

  Levi

  Summer, 1882 A.D.

  “Nathaniel Cole is going to hang from a tree,” Levi Thompson said to Amos. “And you can either hang next to him, or tell me where he is. His fate is secure, but yours…” he shook his head, “yours is up in the air. I’m sure we can work all this out if you agree to tell me where he is.”

  Amos swallowed as a bead of sweat crawled next to his eye. “I don’t want to be prosecuted for no crimes.”

  “Yer kiddin’ yourself if you think you ain’t gonna be prosecuted,” Sheriff Marston said.

  Levi had to keep himself from shaking his head. These locals never understood criminals the way he did. None of them were even close to as good at tracking them down as Levi was, but the lawmen always had to have their way. Technically speaking, Amos wasn’t Levi’s prisoner, but the sheriff would let Levi have him until the outlaw led him to the Cole brothers—more importantly, Nathaniel. Levi would make whatever promises he needed to make so long as Amos led him to Nathaniel. Amnesty was a promise that Levi wasn’t authorized to give, but when outlaws like the Cole brothers were within grasp, the bounty hunter would promise just about anything, whether it was true or not.

  He looked back at the sheriff of Penrod. “Mr. Marston, do you have any matches?”

  Marston looked at Levi with a curious stare, unsure of what the bounty hunter had in mind. “And just what are you planning to do if I told you I did?”

  Levi lifted a hand in the air, a thick brown roll of tobacco was tucked between two fingers. Oftentimes Levi would simply chew the end of a cigar for the flavor, but when the sweet smoke entered his lungs and exited through his nostrils or lips, he felt like his thoughts were clearer. More concise. Levi rarely formulated a plan without a cigar in his mouth, the tendrils of smoke gathering into white clouds around his head. “Just for this,” he said, holding up the fat cigar.

  Marston sucked on the bottom of his lip as he walked to the front of his desk, opened the top drawer, and pulled out a single match for Levi to use. Levi took the match from him with a nod and a forced smile.

  “Now,” Levi said, “could you excuse the two of us for a moment?”

  “Nope,” the sheriff said. “I ain’t gonna be pushed outta my own office. Especially by a bounty hunter.”

  “No one is pushing you out,” Levi said, offering a more genuine-looking smile. “The Cole brothers are the most wanted criminals this side of the Rio Grande. If you want them to be captured, you have to let me do my job. I need to speak with Amos alone, please.” He waited a moment as Marston considered his words.

  Marston was an unpleasant man. His hair strung out in mats under the brim of his hat which was spotted with sweat. He smelled of stout alcohol and he needed a bath worse than some of the cattle rustlers Levi had rounded up less than a week before. They had been a rough bunch of men whose capture had fattened Levi’s coin purse substantially. Like most of the criminals Levi chased, they had been stupid, and on top of that, they each had an odor that had been burned into Levi’s memory. It wasn’t uncommon for men out on the plains to have a lack of hygiene, but these men had smelled worse than any fugitives Levi had ever captured. And Levi wouldn’t be wrong to lump Sheriff Marston in with them. Why a man like this would get elected was beyond the bounty hunter’s knowledge. He was a disgrace to his badge. The man snarled as his eyes made a line from Amos to Levi.

  “I will talk with the prisoner alone regardless,” Levi said. “It can be here in your office, or outside away from your town.”

  “You don’t have the right to take my prisoner away,” Marston said.

  “You’re not equipped to take on the Cole brothers,” Levi answered. “I know it. You know it. Your whole town knows it. I will take your prisoner if I have to.”

  “I don’t appreciate your tone, Mr. Thompson.”

  Levi nodded kindly almost as if to give a preemptive thank you. Marston looked down at Amos and snarled again as he opened the door. “I’ll be out on the porch if you need me.”

  “I will call you should the need arise,” Levi said respectfully. His eyes didn’t leave the sheriff until the door was shut and only Amos was in the room with him.

  Levi took a deep breath and surveyed the small room. There were two jail cells, both of which were empty. Amos sat in a chair with one of his wrists chained to the bars while Levi sat on the sheriff’s desk across from him. With one hand, Levi stroked his graying mustache as he thought about the words he was about to say. He knew he didn’t want Marston in the room interrupting every chance he got. That’s why he sent the man out—that and the smell. Things were bad when an officer of the law looked crummier than the prisoners he held.

  Levi pulled off his wide brimmed hat and set it on the desk next to him. The room was hot despite the slight breeze coming in through the windows. He wiped his sweat with the palm of his hand and let out a deep breath. He brought his cigar up to his lips and struck the match against the desk. The flame burned bright in front of his face and caught the end of his cigar, setting it ablaze for half a second before it started smoldering a few inches from his face. He shook the match out and let it fall to the floor in front of him as he sucked in two lungs full of smoke.

  “You know,” Levi said, “it never matters how hot it is outside or how cold, a good smoke always takes the edge off.”

  Amos looked up at him with a blank stare on his face. Levi wasn’t sure if the man was stupid or still shocked about being caught, but the lack of expression was enough for Levi to classify this outlaw as plain-ol’ dumb.

  “It ain’t often you see a bounty hunter with the power to send the sheriff out of his own office, is it?” Levi said.

  “No,” Amos answered.

  “You know who I am?”

  “Levi Thompson. One of the best bounty hunters there is.”

  At least he ain’t too dumb. “That’s right. I have the power to do a lot of things, Amos.”

  “I know.” Amos sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

  “You won’t be prosecuted for any crimes,” Levi said. Amos’ eyes lit up at the statement, but Levi held up a finger. “So long as you lead me straight to the Cole brothers.”

  “A powerful man you may be, sir, but you ain’t powerful enough to erase my crimes,” Amos said.

  “That ain’t for you to worry about,” Levi said. “I know what I can and can’t do.”

  “The brothers are probably on the run by now,” Amos said.

  “Then we don’t have much time, do we?”

  “So, you’re telling me that if I lead you to Nate and Joe, you’ll just let me walk free?”

  “If the two of them are captured or killed, yes,” Levi said.

  Amos looked away from Levi and stared at the floor in front of him, probably unable to believe his stroke of luck. Of course, Levi had no intention of letting Amos get away with his crimes. The things he had done deserved punishment—no, justice. Justice would be served. When bounty hunter Levi Thompson was involved, justice was always served one way or another.

  A man died today. He was a bank teller that had done his duty to society. He had gone to work to lend people money. To help the local economy. One of these scoundrels shot him through the heart because he resisted their demands to take them to some safety deposit box. For that, all of the thieves deserved to die, regardless of who pulled the trigger. And Nathaniel Cole was the worst of the bunch. Not only did he have blood on his hands from victims of the past, but he orchestrated this mess. Worse than carrying out acts of lawlessness was coming up with them in the first place—orchestrating them. His crimes spanned from Kentucky to Texas. While Nathaniel Cole was still breathing, peop
le’s lives were in danger. But all that was about to change.

  “You’re going to lead me to him,” Levi said.

  “Who?”

  Levi’s eyes narrowed. Just how dense was Amos? Was he a hired gun with no brains? “Nathaniel Cole,” Levi repeated. “And if his brother is with him, even better.”

  “I can take you to where our hideout was,” Amos said. “But I’m sure they’re gone by now.”

  “I also want you to tell me again about Ralph Butler and Stewart Douglas,” Levi said. “The other two in your group that disappeared. You said they just vanished into thin air?”

  Amos’ hands began to twitch. “I know it sounds crazy…”

  “Crazy doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

  “Well, you know what I already told you,” Amos said.

  “Tell me again,” Levi demanded, standing from the desk. He walked to the other side of the room and peered out the window. He watched as Sheriff Marston made eyes with one of the prostitutes on her way to the saloon. This town was full of scum.

  “The four of us walked into the bank,” Amos said. “Me and Joe guarded the entrance while Ralph and Stew gave orders to the bank teller.”

  “Who shot him?” Levi asked as if it mattered.

  “Ralph, I think.”

  Sure he did. Levi knew to take anything Amos said with a grain of salt. As far as the truth was concerned, any of the men could have shot the bank teller. According to the reports, they went in, shooting their pistols into the ceiling like madmen. Doing so was a smart move, probably Nathaniel’s idea in case they did kill someone. Counting their bullets wasn’t an option when they did that, so there was no way to point the finger at the murderer.

  The witnesses at the bank were questioned individually and every one of them had a different tale for how things happened. By the end of the interviews, each of the four thieves had been fingered for the shooting that killed the bank teller. So, unless there was a confession of guilt, there would be no proof of who did it. But again, it didn’t matter. Each of them was as guilty as the next. And each of them would face justice. That is, if Levi found any of them. All he had was the runt of the litter, Amos. Killing him would hardly satisfy the need for justice in this instance. The man seemed stupid and he was scared to death. That didn’t mean Levi felt any sympathy for him. In fact, it made things worse. Someone so dumb should’ve stayed away from scoundrels like the Cole brothers. Amos should have been a ranch hand or even Marston’s deputy. He would have fit that role just fine.

  “Anyways,” Amos continued, “the four of us finally got to the back room where the safety deposit boxes were kept. Joe got it opened. All of us were surprised to see nothin’ but a book in it. I thought there would be diamonds or cash. But it was just a book. Joe was about to open it when Ralph snatched it from his hands. He was mad. Madder than I ever seen him. Stew stood next to him, and they opened the book and looked at it for a good five seconds or so. Then they just vanished.”

  “But that makes no sense,” Levi said, stepping away from the window, blowing out a puff of smoke that seemed to hang in the air like a thick cloud. He clenched his teeth as he moved toward Amos. “People don’t just disappear.”

  “These two did,” Amos said. “I swear it. Their faces were drawn to the book like some rope was pulling them in. I don’t know how to explain it.”

  “What happened then?”

  “Joe grabbed the book and ran. I chased after him. When we got outside, Sheriff Marston was coming after us. Joe got on his horse and took off.”

  “Leaving you behind.”

  “I had my own horse, but Marston shot it as I was getting on. That’s when I seen you run out into the street.”

  Levi listened to the story, hoping there was some clue about what could have actually happened today, but Amos fed him the same account almost verbatim. Either this was a rehearsed story, or he was telling the truth. There was no way he was making this up on the spot. Witnesses saw four robbers enter the bank, and two of them leave through the only available exit.

  Levi’s search for the Cole brothers had brought him to the town a few days before. He knew he was close, but he didn’t know he was that close. A thorough search of the bank showed no indication of any other way for the robbers to get out, yet it was empty of the missing thieves. Ralph and Stewart were gone. So, the theory of the magic book lined up. Except, of course, for the fact that magic books didn’t exist and that it’s impossible for anyone to just…disappear. There was a hole in all of this and Levi intended to find out what it was. Amos wasn’t going to provide good answers because the others probably didn’t trust him with the facts. Levi thought it was also possible that this operation was a good way for the outfit to get rid of Amos for good. It was hard to tell. It would seem that people like the Cole brothers would just kill Amos if they didn’t want him in their group anymore. That or pay him off.

  The part about Joe and Amos seeing Levi in the street was true as well. Levi had even shot at Joe as he took off on his horse, but he wasn’t about to go after him. Levi was a fairly cautious man who knew when to chase and when not to. He didn’t know if there were others planted out along the road to take aim at anyone who pursued Joe. Not to mention that Levi wouldn’t have had any backup. Chasing after Joe on the spur of the moment could have gotten him killed. Now, had Amos not been shot off his horse, Levi might have considered otherwise. But as it stood, he had a prisoner who knew information, which gave Levi time to formulate a plan.

  “Tell me about your employer,” Levi said.

  “I thought you knew all about Nate,” he answered.

  Levi sighed. “The man who hired Nate and the rest of you. Who is he?”

  “Tyler Montgomery. I never actually met him.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “I know where we was supposed to deliver the book,” Amos said.

  Levi’s heart gave a sudden jolt. Why hadn’t he asked that question before? “Where?”

  “Northrup Valley,” Amos said. “About ten miles north of here.”

  Levi cursed in his mind. They could have been halfway there by now. He had gotten caught up in asking a bunch of questions when he should have been out riding. He grabbed Marston’s keys off the desk and walked up next to Amos. The man rubbed at his wrist when he was freed and his eyes set on Levi’s gun that hung at his belt. He wondered if Amos was truly stupid enough to try and grab it. Just a flinch in the wrong direction and Amos would have a bullet through his heart. But it seemed that reason found a home somewhere in Amos’ mind because he kept his hands in his lap until Levi ordered him to get up.

  “We going to the hideout?” he asked.

  Levi shook his head as he opened the door to the front porch. “Change of plans,” he said. “Nathaniel and Joseph are certainly on their way to meet with Mr. Montgomery. You’re going to take me to the meeting.”

  “Can I get a gun then?” Amos asked. “I don’t like to go to these things unarmed. It’s dangerous.”

  Levi walked out onto the porch and turned to look at Amos with a lifted eyebrow. He decided the question didn’t warrant a verbal response, and suddenly wondered whether it was a good idea to bring Amos along. Levi started toward his horse, but stopped short when he looked out into the street and saw Sheriff Marston holding a small boy by the collar. The child couldn’t have been more than five.

  “You tell yer daddy if he don’t brang the money by tomorrow, I’ll split his head open with a hammer!”

  “Yes sir!”

  Marston reared his hand back and slapped the boy in the face two or three times. The boy fell in the dirt and started crying.

  “Ah, git up!”

  Marston kicked the boy in the side once, and started to do so again when Levi had about all he could take.

  “Sheriff Marston!” Levi yelled out. Marston turned sharply and the boy scrambled to his feet and ran away. “I’m taking your prisoner with me. He’s going to lead me to the others.”


  Marston took a few steps forward. “I’m goin’ with you.”

  “No, you’re not.” Levi couldn’t imagine letting Sheriff Marston ride alongside them. Just one morning with him had been far too much. The rest of the day would be unbearable. He looked down the street at the boy who was still running away, wiping tears from his face.

  “He’s my prisoner! I found him!”

  “Who was that boy?” Levi asked.

  Marston waved a hand in the air. “Ah, don’t worry about him. He’s just some trash whose daddy owes me money.” He cleared his throat. “Listen, if yer goin’ up against the Cole brothers then yer goin’ to need all the guns you can git.”

  Marston had a point. Sort of. Levi was confident in his ability to survive a gunfight, but Marston might provide a good distraction. If anything, he might be able to draw gunfire in his direction while Levi picked off any opposition.

  “Fine,” Levi finally said. “Bring a horse for Amos. We’re already running behind.”

  Sheriff Marston didn’t like the idea of letting Amos ride with them without any bonds. Levi didn’t have an opinion on the matter. He knew if he kept at least five feet away and let Amos take the lead there wouldn’t be any trouble. Levi had already checked him for weapons. The most Amos could do would be to take off at a gallop. With a pair of Colt revolvers at his belt, Levi knew Amos would get maybe twenty feet away before he was shot dead. But he let Marston have his way and now Amos rode ahead of them, bound in chains at his wrists.

  Marston rode next to Levi as they moved toward Northrup Valley in a steady trot. He picked at his teeth, spitting every couple of seconds. Levi tried to move ahead of him several times, but Marston always caught up. What bothered Levi more than the spitting and teeth-picking was Marston’s incessant need to talk. He gabbed more than anyone he had ever encountered. If the sheriff wasn’t talking about gambling, he talked about whiskey. If he wasn’t talking about whiskey, he talked about public executions. This was apparently Marston’s favorite subject. He described past hangings in detail, giving Amos a glance every now and then to see if he was listening. If Amos felt any concern about the tale of bulging eyes and men’s faces that turned beet red before they died, he didn’t show it. No doubt Amos was confident he had already escaped such a fate. After all, he was helping a bounty hunter—one who had promised he would go free.