Beneath the Tombstone (The Tombstone Series)

by Martin Cogburn

  Finally, all of the cattle had been loaded, and it was time to check on the driver they had left sitting over by the fence.

  “You think you can walk and drive now?” Tyler asked as they approached the trucker.

  “Yeah, I think so,” he replied as he began to work his feet up under him.

  Tyler lengthened his stride as he extended his hand. The truck driver gratefully reached up and grasped it before being helped up to his feet. He stood there on wobbly legs for a bit before taking a few unsteady steps, like a newborn animal learning to walk.

  As he walked away, Tyler sighed and adjusted his cowboy hat. “Well, maybe he learned somethin’, anyways,” he spoke with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “You can’t buy good learnin’ like that from a school.”

  “Yeah,” Jason chuckled, “he’d better just be glad you carry a rope instead of a gun.” Jason paused a moment, leaving an empty spot for their outburst of laughter. None came. While it wasn’t the funniest thing he’d ever said, he still thought it was rather humorous. Was that a look of remorse he saw in Tyler’s eyes? And why was Rye looking at Jason like he couldn’t believe he had said such a thing? It was nothing more than a little light hearted jesting. What was the big deal?

  Tyler was beginning to look downright angry when Rye spoke to him, “Come on Tyler, it was just an innocent comment… There’s no way he could have known.”

  It’s better to get roped, dragged, and hung by your feet in a tree for a time and be able to eventually walk away from it than to get shot; that was all Jason had meant. He saw no possible way to get anything extra out of his statement.

  Thanks to Rye’s easygoing attitude, Tyler seemed to be calming down now. He finally took a deep breath and nodded his head as he spoke, “Sorry, Jason. Just some stuff from way back.” He paused for a few moments before asking, “So what do we owe you, anyways?”

  Jason’s heart began to pound. He knew now was the time to ask, so he drew a deep breath and dove in. “I spoke with a man named Irwin yesterday.” He paused and waited to see if the name brought recognition to either of their faces; it did… to both of them. “I’m looking for someone who can teach me to climb the Tombstone. I have less than a month, and when I make the climb, I can’t use ropes or a harness. Irwin said you’d be my best bet,” he added.

  The tall cowboy just stared blankly at Jason for several seconds before asking pointblank, “Without ropes? Do you want to die?” Judging by the sound of his voice, he deemed that a very high possibility.

  “No sir,” Jason responded quietly as that now familiar fear of death once again filled his insides with dread.

  “Then what else on this earth would prompt you to do something that will likely get you killed?” Tyler demanded.

  “My wife,” Jason replied, sadness in his voice.

  “She wants you to climb the Tombstone?” Tyler asked in surprise. “Does she love you?”

  “Yes, um, I think she still loves me,” Jason stammered. “And no, she doesn’t want me to climb the Tombstone,” he added solemnly. “Her kidnappers do.”

  That seemed to throw Tyler and Rye for a loop because each stood there stunned for a few seconds. “Her kidnappers?” Tyler asked, making sure he had understood correctly.

  “Yes sir.”

  “Is that what happened to your face?”

  “Yes sir,” Jason responded again.

  A silence filled the air for a few moments before Tyler turned to Rye and asked, “What do you think? Is that okay with you?”

  “Yeah,” the kid responded after giving it a moments study. “It’s okay with me. The highest I usually climb is into a saddle. That’s about the extent of my ability to give climbing lessons,” he added with a smile. “But if you want to take him on, I’m good with that.” Jason couldn’t help but wonder why the older was asking the younger for permission.

  “Money is not a problem,” Dr. Throckmorton injected, seeming to appear out of nowhere. “I’ll pay you a very substantial sum for your services.”

  The doctor’s voice was again filled with power and authority… but apparently Tyler missed the superior tone because a disgusted scowl came to his face as he cast a glance in Tomas’ direction. “I don’t want or need your money,” he spat in a voice laced with venom.

  The doctor jerked his head back like he’d just come face-to-face with a snake and stood there silent for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Jason was extremely grateful for his friend’s assistance up to this point but talking down to someone who had just showed you the kindness of not hanging you by your feet from a tree, as punishment for your stupidity, was not a smart thing to do.

  The irritation at the doctor was still evident in Tyler’s eyes as he directed his attention back to Jason. “I tell you what, I think you’re crazy, but I understand where you’re coming from and respect you for it. It’s no small thing to die for someone that you love.”

  Jason gulped. Hopefully, that wasn’t the only option.

  “Yep, Jason’s a good man,” Tomas injected.

  Jason could see that the rancher had taken all he could bear of the doctor. With an emotionless expression, he slowly turned to him. “Bye,” was all he said.

  Dr. Throckmorton frowned at the big cowboy’s apparent confusion. “I, I was not going anywhere,” he stammered.

  The horseman shot him a cold glare that explained, without words, that to not go wasn’t on the list of options, just how. Tomas seemed to finally get the drift that his assistance was no longer needed. Embarrassed, he spun around and headed back to the truck.

  “Anyways, what I was trying to say,” Tyler spoke, a sense of frustration still in his voice, “is that, as I mentioned, we’re shorthanded, and if you want me to teach you how to climb, I can do that in exchange for some help around here cleaning stalls and such. We’ll even throw in room and board.”

  Jason’s heart was still racing, but a relieved feeling was creeping into it. Had it all really been that easy? He was in?

  “When do you want to start?” Tyler asked.

  “The sooner the better,” Jason responded.

  “Well, go home, get your stuff together, excluding any pets – we’ve got Red to help with the cows and another dog would distract him from his work, and I just flat out don’t like cats – but grab your things and get settled in this evening if you want. You can start tomorrow, and I’ll show you the ropes of climbing… or, in your case, the no ropes of climbing,” he added with a spark of humor.

  He then paused for a moment as though he had something important to say and wanted to make sure he worded it right. “I do have one very important condition.” Jason sat listing, hoping he could endure whatever was about to be revealed. “When I give you something to do, even if don’t make any sense or it’s the last thing in the world you want to do, you do it without question or you die trying,” he paused for a moment, “or you quit.” He spat out the last word like it disgusted him before adding, “Those are the only options.”

  “Not everybody can endure his style of teaching,” Rye spoke solemnly, “but he’s like the old cliché; if he don’t kill you, he’ll sure make you stronger.” There was something in the way he spoke that said he considered the first to be more of a possibility than second.

  In all honestly, Tyler’s “one condition” didn’t seem to be asking too much, especially considering the fact that, however brutal the form of training, it couldn’t be any worse than the task that the training was for.

  “You’ve got a deal,” Jason responded. “I’ll be back this evening.”

  The three men shook hands, and Jason walked away filled with more hope than he’d had in a long time. As he climbed into the truck, he gave a wide boyish grin to Tomas who was sitting in the passenger seat with his arms folded in pouting fashion.

  “He’s taking me on,” Jason said, and his tone was that of a kid telling someone he’d won a free trip to Disney Land.

  “Good,” the doctor commented, like he couldn’t ca
re less, as he stared blankly out of the windshield.

  In the midst of his excitement, Jason had forgotten the humiliation that had been dumped on the doctor’s head – not that he’d gotten anything he didn’t deserve. Jason remembered something Susan would sometimes say, possibly quoting from the Bible – something about pride going before a fall. Yep, that’s exactly what had happened to the doctor.

  As they began their trek away from the ranch, Jason glanced over at the doctor and with all sincerity said, “I really appreciate you coming,” in hopes that his friend wasn’t turning his back on him. “If it wasn’t for you, none of this would have been possible.”

  Tomas remained silent, staring straight ahead for a moment longer before he spoke with a gentle sigh, “Well, I’m glad I got it worked out for you. I do not envy you though. Men like those two are not easy to control. Watch yourself. I would not trust them.” He paused and shook his head. “The big one could’ve killed that truck driver.”

  Jason figured the trucker had gone away with a new outlook on life but just kept those opinions to himself. He needed the doctor to remain a friend in his life and, for that to happen, it appeared as though he would have to tread lightly around that big ego.

  “I have one more favor to ask of you,” Jason spoke as he turned to Tomas from his place behind the steering-wheel. “I can’t bring my dog. Would you mind keeping an eye on her? You know, just food and water… she probably wouldn’t complain about a little pat on the head every now and then either.”

  “Sure thing, Jason,” the doctor responded as Jason eased out of the driveway onto the gravel road and pointed the pickup towards home. “My kids have been pestering me about getting a dog for them, so this might be a good chance for me to get a little practice in.”

  “Thanks,” Jason responded, grateful to have such a close friend as Tomas to keep an eye on his now most prized possession – Dixie. “She’s friendly, but you might want to come over to the house and meet her today while I’m still there, that way she’ll know you’re one of the good guys.”

  Tomas gave a half-hearted laugh as he said, “You bet, I can do that.” He turned to Jason and smiled as he added, “And if you need anything else, just let me know. As far as I’m concerned, we’re in this together.” He then frowned and wrinkled up his nose a bit. “My, you stink! Did you step in cow excrement?” he asked in disgust.

  “Nope,” Jason replied and shook his head, “one of them actually excremented on me.”

  Finding a bit of humor in the horrified expression that spread across the doctor’s face, Jason smiled a little as he pushed down on the accelerator. Soon they began kicking up dust along gravel road as the homeward bound truck began plunging its way through the potholes and over the rub-boards.

  Chapter Thirteen

  After being dropped off at his car, the doctor followed Jason home to meet Dixie. She was delighted to see her human but didn’t appear to be very fond of the visitor. Jason gave Dixie’s temporary care-giver instructions on when and what to feed her. The doctor left shortly thereafter in his little red car. Jason stroked Dixie’s long, soft golden fur for a short time then went into the house, tossed a few things into a duffel bag out of the pile of clothes that Misty had been folding on the day of her kidnapping, grabbed their wedding picture off the wall to take along and headed out.

  The shadows stretched long as Jason drove down the long driveway leading up to the ranch. Lights were on in the two stall barns and most of the stalls had a horse in them. He came to a stop, having spotted Tyler and Rye doing something down on the other end of one of the barns. He stepped out of his truck and began making his way over in their direction. When he got close, it became apparent that they were shoveling something from the stalls and dumping it into a wheel-barrel. When he got even closer, he realized that the “something” was horse manure.

  “Well, look who came back to see us,” Tyler spoke to Rye, acknowledging Jason’s presence.

  “Yep,” the kid spoke as he looked up at Jason. “I was beginning to wonder. I tell you one thing though,” he went on, “you’re a beautiful sight. I hate cleaning stalls. And doing it after working horses all day makes it just down-right disdainful.”

  “So this is what I’ll be doing?” Jason asked willingly.

  “Yes sir,” Tyler answered.

  “Have y’all got another one of those scoop things?”

  “Yeah,” Tyler replied, “but you won’t need it tonight. Go ahead and get settled in. You can start poop scooping soon enough.” He smiled to himself. “Yeah, we’ll make you into a first class poop scooper before this is over with.”

  “I’m on the last stall,” Rye said. “You can help him get settled in if you want.”

  “You don’t have to offer twice,” Tyler responded eagerly as he shut the stall gate behind him on his way out. Without a word he headed away from the barns and other structures, out into the fallen darkness, motioning for Jason to follow. The tall horseman reached into his pocket and pulled out a little light as he spoke, “We never did get the electricity hooked up out here. They’s gonna charge us my arm and Rye’s leg just to run a couple of wires. Just ridiculous,” he huffed.

  Wow. How primitive was this abode to be? The flashlight light up the structure answering the question in Jason’s mind. Very primitive. But, then again, Jason didn’t see himself as being in a position to negotiate for better accommodations. It was amazing what one could come to accept when left with no other options.

  The old hinges creaked as the door was opened slowly, and due to the silence, the sound seemed to be magnified tremendously. Dust mites hung in the air on the inside of the little cabin and were illuminated into glowing specks of sun as the light picked them up.

  Tyler placed the flashlight between his shoulder and his cheek, freeing up both hands. An old kerosene lantern hung on the wall. The cowboy plucked a match from a matchbox close by and soon had the room light with a dim glow.

  “Try to not burn the place down if you can,” Tyler spoke solemnly as he extended the lantern up and attached it to a thick piece of wire hanging from the ceiling.

  Jason looked around the room. An old bed with a worn-out, stained mattress atop a box-spring frame rested in the far corner. Unable to resist, Jason walked over and pushed down on the mattress. Yep, bed squeaked. Great – how was he supposed to sleep on a noisy bed? He turned around and surveyed the rest of the room. There was a sink, a wood stove, and a small table.

  “Don’t drink the water,” Tyler instructed. “It’s rain water that catches in a cistern out back. There ain’t much left and it’s stagnant. Turnin’ green.” Sounded just lovely.

  Well, that was pretty much all of the room. It was then that it dawned on Jason… there was only the one room… period. “Um, where’s the bathroom?” he asked, concerned.

  Tyler walked over to the front door and signaled for Jason to follow. As he shone his light into the woods, he said, “There’s a whole forest out there to pee on.”

  Jason gave the tall cowboy a blank stare, hoping he was joking. Was he really expected to take care of nature’s call, you know, in nature?

  “What about number two?” Jason asked as his bewildered fear mounted.

  “Oh yeah,” Tyler spoke like he had forgotten about that little necessity.

  Jason followed him out on the porch where he was shown a shovel. “What am I supposed to do with that?” he asked, his wide eyes filled with disbelief.

  Tyler looked at him like he was looking at some child that had not yet been potty trained. “You dig a hole,” he explained as he took the shovel and made a digging motion in the air.

  “And then I, um…” Jason’s voice trailed off, unable to finish the question.

  “Yeah, you um,” the tall cowboy chuckled, “then you cover it back up.”

  “Do I have to use leaves?” Jason asked in all seriousness. Honestly, after this shock, it wouldn’t have surprised him.

  “Mostly just pine and aspen trees ar
ound here,” Tyler commented dryly. “They work better than nothing, but I’d cut off a piece of my shirt first.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Naw, you won’t have to use leaves. There’s a couple rolls of the stuff you need in one of them cabinets.”

  Jason gave a silent sigh of relief. It seemed that there was a silver lining behind the cloud. “Is there a river close by I can take a bath in?” he asked, hoping that wasn’t going to be his bathing solution but, at this point, nothing would surprise him.

  “No,” Tyler laughed. “You can come down to the house if you get to needing a shower. That’s what José always did.”

  “José?” Jason asked.

  “Yeah,” Tyler responded. “He’s supposed to be coming back in a month or two so be sure to keep the place clean and in good shape.”

  Jason looked around. Surely the horseman was joking. You couldn’t maintain something that didn’t exist, so there was no possible way to “keep” the shack clean or in good shape because it was neither.

  “Well, I’ll leave you to your settling in. If there’s anything you need,” Tyler said in a friendly tone before growling, “get it yourself or do without.” Jason flinched a little at the abrupt delivery of the words. “Just kidding,” the horseman added with a chuckle. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  Tyler left the flashlight and with that he was gone, leaving Jason alone on the dimly lit porch. He stood there alone for a few minutes, trying to come to grasps with the reality of how much his little world had changed in such a short amount of time. Finally, he pulled himself from his thoughts, retrieved the flashlight and began making his way back down towards his pickup. He had spotted a lightly used trail leading up close to the shack and had high hopes of driving up it, saving himself from as much walking as possible.

  His idea worked. He got the truck within several yards of the shed and soon had all of his stuff inside, new sheets on the bed and a small fire going in the stove. Now that he thought about it, this was probably the first time he’d ever used the fire starting technique he’d learned at summer camp as a kid. He sat a can of beans he’d brought from home on the stovetop to warm and had them for supper a short time later. Soon, he found himself being draw towards the bed. He fell asleep a moment after he lay down, once he’d pulled the covers up to his chin.