“Why are you turning off the main road, Mister Price?” Mortimer B Cather said when Simon Price pulled his buggy off onto the side of the road and proceeded across a grassy meadow.
“Shortcut, Mister Cather,” Price replied flipping the reins across the horse’s back, encouraging him to pull harder across the rough terrain. He guided the horse to the far side of a small thicket where they couldn’t be seen from the road. He pulled on the reins and drew the horse to a halt.
“Why…why are we stopping?” Cather was suddenly feeling very nervous and fear crept into his eyes.
Price stared into Cather’s face for a long moment, then sighed. “I’d like to see that report now,” he said grimly.
“I…I told you,” Cather stammered. “I’ll give it to you when I see the money.”
“All right.” Price reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out an envelope. The flap was open and a sheaf of bills was visible. He handed the money to Cather.
“I…I thought you said the money was at your ranch.”
“Please forgive my little deception, Mister Cather. I merely didn’t want anyone to see our little transaction. That’s why I brought you out here where we could be alone. Now that I‘ve lived up to my part of the bargain, let‘s see that report.”
Cather reached inside his brief case and pulled out an unsealed envelope. He handed it to Price with trembling hands.
Price glanced at the envelope to see that it had been addressed properly. Then he shook out the two page report and read it. He smiled as he saw that Cather had written a glowing report. “Very good, Mister Cather,” he said.
He took a pistol from his coat pocket and aimed it at Cather’s heart. “Now sir, if you will be so good as to give me my money back, I’ll be mighty obliged.”
“But….but we had a deal.”
“You should have bought an insurance policy also, Mister Cather.” Without a blink or the slightest sign of conscience or remorse, Simon Price squeezed the trigger. The gun roared, spitting flame and burning a black hole in the bank examiner’s suit coat as the bullet drove into his chest with enough force to throw the man backward and sideways, plunging off the seat of the buggy and landing flat on his back on the ground. The money flew into the air and the bills fluttered downward onto the body.
Moments later, Price had retrieved his money and dragged the body to the top of a dry wash. With a push of his foot he rolled the body down the bank and left it.. Price smiled to himself as he drove back to town.
“I don’t know how I can possibly thank you, Jim,” Kitty said watching the gambler tying down the saddle bags behind the cantle of his saddle.
It had been early in the day. Just after dawn and several hours before Simon Price would be apprised of his bank’s shortage. The dew was still damp in the grass and the air was crisp with a slight chill Gray sky still lingered over the horizon and faint rays of sunlight were just beginning to appear.
Dandy Jim Butler finished his chore and turned on his heel to face Kitty. “This will do, quite nicely,” he said with a smile and took her in his arms.
They were both still enjoying a prolonged kiss when Matt Starr stepped out through the door of the Madden house. His heart sank and he suddenly felt lost and alone. He swallowed hard and his eyes began to water a bit. He should have known, he told himself, that there could never have been a chance for him and Kitty, anyways. Why shouldn’t she look to someone else?
When Kitty and Jim broke away from each other, they half turned and saw Matt standing there. Matt quickly dabbed at his eye, pushed himself more erect as if everything was okay. “You ready to go, Gambler?” He said as if nothing was wrong.
Jim stepped away from Kitty and took up the reins of the horse, Larry Madden had lent him. “Yeah,” he said curtly and swung up into the saddle.
Matt tried not to look at Kitty. Without saying a word, he stepped out to take up the reins of his horse.
“What’s the matter, cowboy?” He heard Kitty say behind him. “No good by?”
He halted, reins In his hands; his back still toward her. “I thought you were all through saying good by,” he murmured quietly.
“You’re acting like a school who’s just had his candy stolen by the local bully.” She spun him around, wound her arms around his neck and planted a prolonged kiss on him. He responded with his arms and he held her tight.
“Ain’t that the most sickening sight you ever did see?” Cyclone remarked as he emerged from the ranch house.
Chief Henry, right behind him, said “See what?”
“Lawdy, Lawdy. Right about now, I wish I was a blind as you, Henry,“ Rap Brown moaned.
When Kitty and Matt finally broke apart, Matt looked rather sheepish. “I…I thought…..”
“I know what you thought. I was just thanking him, that’s all.”
Matt breathed a sigh of relief. Then kitty pulled her brows together as if in thought. “But you know….” She didn’t finish.
“What?”
“I was just thinking,” she said.
“Thinking what?”
“I don’t quite know,” Kitty said as if pondering over something. “Maybe it’s not so much thinking as it is comparing.”
“Comparing what?”
She gazed over Matt’s shoulder at the gambler on his horse. Matt’s eyes followed her’s. Dandy Jim Butler grinned and tipped his hat gallantly.
Matt grimaced and stomped away. “Let’s go, gambler,” he grunted with indignation. He swung into the saddle, turned his horse. “Come on! We’re burning daylight.!”
They rode a short distance, reined up and looked back. Kitty was waving; a big smile on her face. They waved back, then turned their mounts and continued on.
“One thing, Marshal,” Butler said. “We need to make one stop along the way.”
“What for?”
“I have a delivery to make at Fort Lowell.” He smiled wryly and Matt nodded. There was no need to ask him about the night before.
“Do Kitty and the others know about it?” Matt asked.
“No, I thought it best not to put too much temptation in Cyclone‘s way.”
Matt nodded his agreement and they rode on.
The Cyclone Kid had been upset about it, but Kitty managed to get him to accept it. She had chosen to leave the twenty thousand dollars ransom money with the Maddens. It was only fitting since Simon Price had swindled them out of as much when he sold them the worthless land they now lived on.
The Maddens had been grateful and after everyone had said their goodbyes, The Wildcat Gang rode off. They would take Matt Starr’s advice and be clear of the vicinity when he was to return. They would hole up for a while at Pop Dawson’s outlaw retreat. Then, when the time was right they would come back. Simon Price would rue the day that would bring The Return of Wildcat Kitty and the Cyclone Kid.
Wildcat Kitty and the Cyclone Kid Page 34
