Trail of Blood (Piccadilly Publishing Presents #6)

by Paul Green

  ‘That’s the money we found in the safe. Why are you showing it to me?’ he asked.

  ‘When the money was examined it was found to be counterfeit. We think that Gunter swapped it for the real stuff after he committed the last robbery.’

  ‘He wanted to be in control of things all along so he must have left Colonel Starr in charge of the fake money while he hid the real stuff somewhere else’ added Rachel.

  ‘We’ve managed to identify and question some of the people who would have played a leading role in the rebellion. None of them know where the real money is so that just leaves Gunter’ concluded Wallace.

  ‘I get it’ said Bill at last. ‘You want to do a deal with Gunter. He gives back the money and you let him go, right?’

  ‘Uncle Lew doesn’t like it any more than you do, Bill but what other choice is there?’ asked Rachel, squeezing his arm.

  ‘Gunter knew this would happen all along’ said Bill disconsolately. ‘No wonder he was so relaxed about being caught!’

  ‘I’m afraid he turned out to be smarter than all of us. He probably realised that hiding the money would be valuable insurance if his enterprise failed. Rebellion is always a risky venture’ remarked Wallace.

  ‘So what happens now?’

  Wallace stood up. ‘There’s no time like the present. Let’s go see Gunter and get this distasteful business over with.’

  Chapter Nine

  Brad Gunter was lying stretched out on his bunk when they arrived at the jailhouse. He immediately sat up and tipped his hat in a mock salute.

  ‘I expect you know why we’ve come’ said Wallace.

  ‘It didn’t take you long did it?’ responded the prisoner mockingly.

  Wallace turned to Calvert who was sitting at a desk drinking coffee. ‘Has he said anything to you?’

  ‘As I was locking him in that cell he told me about the counterfeit money but not where he’s hidden the real stuff.’

  The governor turned back to look at the insolent prisoner, making no effort to hide his contempt. ‘Here’s the deal. Once we have the money, you’re to leave here and head for El Paso. After you’ve crossed over to Mexico, you are never to return. Is that clear?’

  Gunter got up and leaned against the bars of his cell. ‘I’m a cautious man, Governor and I have no way of being sure that you won’t just shoot me once you’ve got what you want so I’m going to suggest an alternative plan.’

  ‘Go on’ said Wallace, cautiously.

  ‘I have an associate to whom I’ll send coded instructions by telegram to retrieve a package which contains the cash. That package will be delivered at the border in El Paso where it can be checked and then I’ll be exchanged for the money.’

  ‘I don’t like it’ said Bill. ‘How do we know this person won’t just take the money himself? Just make Gunter tell us where the money is and I’ll go get it.’

  The prisoner shook his head. ‘I’m not fool enough to risk somebody running off with all that cash. I know the one I’ve picked won’t do that but no matter what you do to me, you won’t see a dollar bill while I’m locked up in here.’

  ‘Just give me ten minutes alone with him in that cell. I’ll make him talk’ said Calvert.

  Wallace looked into the prisoner’s eyes, as cold and remorseless as the sea. ‘No, he won’t talk and if he dies we’ll never get the money back. Let him send his telegram.’

  Calvert reluctantly unlocked the cell and took Gunter down the street to the telegraph office. Once there, the prisoner explained that he had learned Morse code during the war, moved the operator aside and sat down at the machine.

  ‘It would be easier without these’ he suggested, raising his manacled hands.

  ‘What do you take me for? Those stay on until you’ve kept to your end of the deal. Now hurry up and get tapping!’

  Gunter quickly tapped out his message and then sat back in the chair. ‘My associate will collect that tomorrow morning and send a reply straight afterwards.’

  Calvert rammed the muzzle of his pistol against Gunter’s temple. ‘You’d better not be trying to fool me. I’ll have a gun on you the whole time when that package is delivered and if I get even a whiff of anything suspicious, your head’s gonna get blown off.’

  ‘That wouldn’t be very wise Marshal. Act hastily and the depositors won’t get a cent of their money back.’

  Calvert hauled Gunter to his feet. ‘Come on, you’re going back to jail.’

  The next morning, Gunter’s contact arrived at the post office in San Antonio as she did each morning to check if there were any messages from him.

  The operator smiled at the woman in the bright red dress. She had blonde hair and beautiful creamy white skin but her curvaceous form and knowing look belied her name.

  ‘Good morning Miss Angel. A telegram came for you yesterday afternoon.’

  She quickly tore it open and scanned the contents before scribbling down her reply. Giving the operator her most charming smile, she asked him to send it straight away. As the telegraph operator tapped out the message, he reflected that the Mr Gunter who would be meeting Miss Angel in El Paso was a very lucky man indeed.

  Marlene Angel favoured him with a saucy wink as she departed and then hurried over to the bank to retrieve the suitcase Brad had given her to deposit there. After buying a ticket for the morning stage to El Paso, she returned to her lodgings to pack. Marlene was tempted to open the case she had collected from the bank. Somehow, though, she was sure Brad would know about it and he had given her strict instructions not to look inside. In her experience, men could be unpredictable and instinct prevailed over her curiosity. Though she loved Brad dearly she also feared making him mad. Having been the mistress of both a congressman and a cattle baron, Marlene was well aware of how terrifying it could be when a powerful individual lost his temper with a woman and had occasionally been given the bruises to prove it. She knew that Brad used her but then what man hadn’t? He had promised that they would go away together and even hinted at marriage. As long as he did not abandon her, she could be content.

  Bill was feeling distinctly nervous as he waited to see Governor Wallace. What he had to ask was of the utmost importance and his entire future hinged on the answer he would receive. At last a liveried servant appeared and he was shown into the governor’s office.

  ‘Well, what can I do for you?’ asked Wallace cheerily, directing him toward a chair.

  Bill perched on the edge of the seat, twisting his hat in his hands. ‘Well, sir, I’ve become very close to your ward, Miss Adams and I...’

  ‘I’m sure you’re not in the habit of addressing her as Miss Adams and neither am I’ interrupted Wallace with a smile.

  ‘Yes sir, I mean Rachel. Well, as I was saying, I’ve become close...’

  Wallace frowned. ‘Come now, Bill. If you’re about to ask me what I think you’re going to, I think you could do a little better than that. A lot of people are close to Rachel.’

  Bill stood up. ‘All right, I love her sir. I love her so much I don’t know how to even begin to tell you about it. I’ve come to ask for your permission to marry her. I know I didn’t make a very good start in life and I’ve done some bad things but I swear all that’s behind me now. If I’m lucky enough to marry Rachel, I’ll be the best husband I possibly can.’

  Wallace nodded approvingly. ‘That’s just what I was hoping to hear, Bill. You’ve certainly proved yourself to me but all that really matters is what Rachel thinks. Have you spoken to her about this?’

  ‘No, I wasn’t going to ask her without your permission.’

  ‘Well, you’ve got that so it’s up to her now. I believe she’s in the garden. Why don’t you go see her?’

  Bill stammered out his thanks and hurried off outside. The sun was shining but there was a cool breeze and the leaves had now golden brown, littering the pathways. He could see Rachel walking ahead of him and ran after her. She turned and smiled as he approached so that he stopped in his tracks and stared
for just a moment. Then, remembering what he had come for, he seized her hand and dropped down on one knee.

  ‘Rachel, I’m not very good with words and I don’t have much to offer you but I’ll get a job and...Look, I love you more than anything or anyone else in this world so will you please marry me?’

  ‘You have a great deal to offer, Bill. You were wrong about that.’

  ‘What about the second part?’

  ‘Yes is the answer to your question. I love you too Bill. I saw that there was good in you the first time we met but I didn’t realise just how much. I don’t think you did either.’

  Bill stumbled to his feet, unable to do anything else but grin.

  ‘Have you spoken to Uncle Lew?’

  ‘He gave his permission. I wouldn’t have dared ask if he hadn’t.’

  ‘Now that’s not what a girl wants to hear’ she replied, giving him a playful punch. ‘You should be prepared to run off with me to Mexico or somewhere.’

  ‘I guess we can go to Mexico if you want but I just wanted to do everything the right way, start as I mean to go on. Can you understand that?’

  Rachel cupped his face in her hands. ‘Of course I can but you mustn’t underestimate yourself, Bill. You saved the life of President Hayes. It’s just a pity it all has to stay a secret.’

  They were interrupted by Calvert who hurried toward them, waving a piece of paper.

  ‘What is it?’ Bill asked.

  ‘There’s been a reply to Gunter’s telegram. The exchange is to take place on a bridge across the Rio Grande, just outside El Paso, at noon next Wednesday.’ Then he looked at them both searchingly. ‘Sorry, I hope wasn’t interrupting anything.’

  ‘We’re getting married’ said Bill.

  ‘Well, congratulations to both of you! Now, I was saving this for later but I guess now is a good time to make my offer.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well, you’re going to need a job and I need a deputy. So, how about it? I think you’d make a great lawman.’

  ‘I don’t know what to say. I never expected anything like this.’

  ‘Come on, after all you’ve done it’s well deserved. What do you say?’

  ‘Okay, I accept.’

  ‘Great, that’s settled. You’re first job will be to assist me with the exchange. Do you think you can handle it?’

  ‘Sure but it sticks in my craw having to let Gunter go like that.’

  ‘Yeah, mine too. Still, be ready to shoot if there’s any trouble. We have to leave this afternoon with Gunter so I’ll leave you lovebirds to say goodbye.’

  ‘Do you think this exchange of Gunter for the money is going to be dangerous?’ Rachel asked Bill once they were alone again.

  ‘I don’t think so. Gunter’s only chance of freedom is to give back the money. I reckon he’ll just go along with it.’

  She shivered in the cool breeze and wrapped her shawl more tightly around her shoulders. ‘I hope you’re right but from what I’ve seen of Brad Gunter, he doesn’t deal straightforwardly with either friend or foe. I want you to promise me that you’ll be careful.’

  ‘Sure I’ll be careful but for once it’s Gunter who’s in a tight spot. He knows he’ll get a bullet at the first sign of anything suspicious.’

  When Marlene Angel arrived in El Paso, she continued to do precisely what her lover had told her to do. The brief message in the telegram was code for a complex set of instructions to be followed in the event of his capture. One of the most important was to contact Nino Alvarez at an address he had given her and simply tell him when the exchange was to take place. Alvarez would then know what to do. Marlene drew a deep breath before she knocked at the back door of the cantina.

  ‘I’m looking for Nino’ she told the surly looking Mexican woman who answered. The woman eyed her suspiciously, then called out in Spanish and Nino appeared. He took a swig from a bottle of tequila and looked at her hungrily with his small round eyes, just as he had when they met in San Antonio.

  ‘So Brad is in trouble, eh?’ he said when she gave him the message. ‘Well, do not worry, senorita, I will rescue him for you.’ He held out a grimy hand and she gave him the sealed envelope Brad had provided for the occasion. Alvarez tore it open and chuckled at the wad of cash inside.

  ‘Well, I will see you on Wednesday’ he said, leaning against the doorway. ‘If my woman wasn’t here, I would invite you in for a little drink but perhaps another time, eh?’

  Marlene did not reply but turned and hurried away, feeling his gaze on her as she departed. She faced an anxious wait over the next few days and would not relax until it was over. Brad had told her that his safety depended on a plan about which she knew little but had emphasised the importance of following his instructions to the letter. She had done her part and for now there was nothing to do but return to the hotel and wait.

  Meanwhile, Calvert was grumbling as tobacco spilled from his pipe on the bumpy ride by stage to Albuquerque. ‘I wish they’d hurry up and get that damned railroad finished.’

  ‘I’m not sure all that noise and steam makes travelling any better’ said Bill.

  ‘You can’t fight progress’ remarked Gunter who sat handcuffed between them.

  ‘I thought that was what you’ve been doing since the war ended. Still, you won’t be able to turn the clock back now, will you?’ replied Calvert mockingly.

  Gunter smiled. ‘I seem to remember you predicting I would swing from a rope. Maybe you’re wrong this time too.’

  ‘There’s still time for a lynching or even a bullet’ said Calvert, prodding his prisoner in the ribs with a gun. ‘You just behave yourself and stop acting smart.’

  Gunter did not reply but he remained quiet, realising it was wise not to goad his captors. Their journey continued uneventfully but Calvert and his new deputy were taking no chances with their prisoner. He was handcuffed at all times and the two lawmen took it in turns to guard him when he slept. They finally reached El Paso on the Tuesday evening and Gunter was housed in the jail overnight.

  ‘There, you can at least spend one night where you should be’ said Calvert with satisfaction as he watched the sheriff lock the cell door.

  ‘I’ll be a free man at noon tomorrow and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it’ said Gunter, grinning at him through the bars.

  ‘I wouldn’t count on that if I were you’ Bill told him. ‘We never did get to settle that score.’

  ‘Yeah, you should have let bygones be bygones, kid.’ Gunter pointed at the tin star pinned to Bill’s chest. ‘I made you my deputy in Johnston but you just weren’t smart enough to stick with the right choice.’

  Bill laughed. ‘I’m not the one who’s locked up am I?’

  ‘You won’t ever be rich now kid!’ called out Gunter as Bill walked away with Calvert.

  Sleep did not come easily to him that night and when he finally fell into a slumber it was only to dream of his nemesis, Gunter, surrounded by piles of cash. He awoke at once and sat bolt upright in the bed. The realisation that had occurred to him was swift and sudden. There was not a moment to lose and he went immediately to wake Calvert.

  ‘Damn it Bill, couldn’t this have waited until morning?’ complained the marshal as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

  ‘Do you remember what Gunter said when he left him in the jail?’

  ‘Yeah, he said something about you never being rich. What in hell does that matter?’

  ‘It’s a strange thing to have said don’t you think, unless he intends to get rich very soon?’

  ‘Maybe he plans to rob a bank or something down in Mexico. Why should I care?’

  Bill shook his head. ‘No, he’s going to steal that money back after we’ve done the exchange tomorrow. I’m sure of it.’

  Calvert was giving him his full attention now. ‘Go on, I’m listening.’

  ‘Once we have the money, Gunter crosses over into Mexico where the law can’t touch him. What if we’re ambushed afterwards by his accomp
lices who take the money, cross the border and then split the proceeds with him later?’

  Calvert thought hard for a moment. ‘I don’t get it. He’s been locked up so how could he arrange all that?’

  ‘That’s what I figured at first but what if it’s all part of some pre-arranged plan to be put in place in the event of his capture? Gunter sent that telegram himself and even let slip that it was a coded message of some sort. What if the code includes instructions to alert others who can help him?’

  Calvert nodded slowly. ‘Yeah, it all makes sense now. He’s a crafty devil, I’ll give him that but don’t worry, there’s a way to outfox him.’

  ‘How are we going to do that?’

  Calvert grinned. ‘Do you remember when Governor Wallace turned in Johnston with that cavalry troop? Boy, those Mexicans got a surprise!’

  ‘Yeah, I remember! We can go to the fort and get help.’

  ‘I’ll go. You try to get some sleep’ said Calvert, tossing the bedclothes aside. ‘I think we can provide just the right reception for any friends of Gunter’s who turn up tomorrow!’

  Over breakfast the next morning, Bill asked the marshal how he had got on.

  ‘The commander didn’t take too kindly to being woken but he was eager to help once I explained the situation. I figured nothing was likely to happen until after the exchange so, as soon as we get the money, a military escort will appear. What do you think?’

  ‘I think I’ll have bacon and eggs’ said Bill. ‘There’s nothing like good news to give a man an appetite.’

  They strolled over to the jail at eleven that morning. Nino Alvarez leaned against a wall at the corner of the street, pretending to read a newspaper. He smiled as he watched them enter the building and waited while they were inside.

  The sheriff unlocked Gunter’ cell and the door swung open. Calvert drew his revolver and ordered the prisoner to stand still while Bill put the handcuffs on.

  ‘There’s no call for that’ complained Gunter. ‘I’m hardly going to run away now, am I?’

  ‘You’re my prisoner until noon and I’m taking no chances’ Calvert warned him, waving his gun.