“Why was he after you?” Newsome said.
“I been accused of shootin’ Sheriff Ed Jarnigan down at Victoria,” Josh said. “But I didn’t do it. I wasn’t even in town when it happened.”
“Why’d they accuse you of the killin’ if you wasn’t in town?” Newsome said.
“Tom Burch, the sheriff’s own deputy, is the one who killed him,” Josh said. “Me and Burch like the same girl, Ana Yarnell. He told everyone that I shot the sheriff to try and get rid of me, hopin’ he’d have a chance with Ana.”
“Yeah, well, that’s your side of the story,” Newsome said. “But with him bein’ dead, he ain’t able to tell his side. So why should I believe you? Hell,” he added. “Maybe he’s the lawman and you’re the outlaw.”
“I ain’t no outlaw,” Josh said. “He drew first.”
“It was a fair fight alright,” Newsome said. “But I can’t allow gun-play on my drives, so maybe you better ride on.”
“I will,” Josh said. “But I’m takin’ that dead man with me.”
“You don’t have to,” Newsome said. “We’ll bury him.”
“He’s a killer,” Josh said. “We ain’t that far from Panna Maria, so I’ll take him back there and leave him with Sheriff Hendricks.”
Josh’s willingness to work with Sheriff Hendricks changed Newsome’s mind about the young cowboy’s honesty. “So, you ain’t goin’ on the drive with us?”
“No sir, I ain’t,” Josh said. “The only reason I wanted to go in the first place was to get away from here, but I’ve changed my mind now. I ain’t runnin’ from that damn outlaw bunch no more.”
“Alright then,” Newsome said, taking a liking to Josh. “If you get your business settled up here, you’ll always be welcome at the Circle N.”
Josh saddled Unruh’s horse and led him back to the camp site while one of the cowboys helped load the body across the saddle and tie it on.
“Before you leave, the cook needs to take a look at that hole in your side,” Newsome said. “You bled plumb through your shirt.”
The old cook tore a strip of cloth and wrapped it around Josh’s middle. But he couldn’t get Josh to let him do more.
“I’ve been hit worse,” Josh said as he got on Macho and took the reins to Unruh’s horse and headed back to Panna Maria.
When he stopped in front of the livery stable the next morning, Juan Ramos met him at the door with a scared look on his face. The town was in an uproar and people were running back and forth across the street, many of them with guns in their hands.
“I’m glad you came back, but you need to be careful,” he said. “Tom Burch and some of his men rode into town last night. Rumor has it Emery Reeves shot Sheriff Benson down there at Cestohowa, and he might still be around here someplace.”
“Did Reeves kill him?” Josh said.
“Yeah, he did,” Juan said. “Burch was mad ‘cause Sheriff Benson let you go instead of shootin’ you. They was all down at the stable arguin’ about it when it happened. When Reeves shot him, Burch went out and told everybody the sheriff drew on Reeves, so he had to do it. When Burch came back in he grabbed old Ned Clinger by the back of the neck and threatened to kill if he ever mentioned what he saw.”
“How’d you know all that?”
“Sheriff Hendricks got a telegram from one of Clinger’s friends, tellin’ him about it.”
As Josh got on Macho and turned to leave, Juan walked along beside him begging him to go back to Cestohowa and run for sheriff. “They need someone like you in Cestohowa to uphold the law,” he said.
“Those people need to elect their own sheriff and they need to do it right now,” Josh said. “I can’t stay up there or anywhere else as long as Burch and his men are after me.”
“Who you got tied on that horse and where are you goin’ with him?” Juan asked.
“Accordin’ to a letter in his pocket, he’s Bud Unruh, one of Tom Burch’s outlaws,” Josh said. “I brought him down here to leave him with Sheriff Hendricks.”
When he rode up the street toward the sheriff’s office, he noticed Sheriff Hendricks standing on the sidewalk talking with several men. He waited until he finished, then stepped down and tied Macho to the hitch rack.
“Sheriff Hendricks, this is one of Tom Burch’s gang members,” he said. “He caught me by surprise east of here and put a bullet in me, but I returned fire and put an end to it.”
“Who is it?” Hendricks said.
“It’s Bud Unruh,” Josh said. “He’s part of the Wolf Gang that’s made up of Tom Burch and his outlaw friends.”
“I’ve a wanted poster for the Wolf Gang, but there ain’t no pictures, only a description.” Sheriff Hendricks said. “It says there’s a thousand dollar reward for each one of ‘em so I’ll turn this in and get your money for you.”
“Put it in the bank here in Panna Maria,” Josh said. “I’ll ask for it later.”
“Are you sure Sheriff Burch is part of the Wolf Gang?”
“Yeah, I’m sure, and I can prove it,” Josh said.
“Are you aware that he bumped your reward up a thousand? It’s now three thousand,” Hendricks said.
“No,” Josh said. “I ain’t aware of that.”
Sheriff Hendricks looked at Josh’s bloody shirt and shook his head. “If you need to see the doctor I’ll go with you.”
“I probably should,” Josh said. “But I ain’t got time.”
“It’s almost dark,” Hendricks said. “Why not spend the night and get that wound attended to?”
“I need to go, sheriff,” Josh said. “I can’t stay in one place for very long.”
“I swear, Josh,” Sheriff Hendricks said. “Someone needs to look at them bullet holes. Why didn’t you get some medical attention while you was in Cestohowa?”
“There was none to be had,” Josh said. “Besides that, Tom Burch killed Sheriff Luke Benson and claimed it was self-defense. People are runnin’ up and down the streets carryin’ every kind of gun you can imagine.”
“Is Burch still down there?” Hendricks said. “Because if he is, I’ll get some men together and go arrest him.”
“No, he ain’t,” Josh said. “But if he had been, I’d have arrested him, myself.”
Sheriff Hendricks nodded. “Well, all right,” he said, “but at least step in my office and let me change that bloody bandage and patch up your shoulder and your leg. I can get you another shirt if you want it.”
“Thanks, Sheriff. I do need a shirt,” Josh said.
When Sheriff Hendricks returned with the shirt, he noticed Josh dozing in the chair so he sat down on a bench outside the door and waited, not wanting to wake him up. About an hour later Josh sat up and looked around. He was weak and dizzy and a little addled, so he jumped to his feet and bolted out the door with his gun in his hand.
“Hold on, there, cowboy,” Hendricks said. “All’s well, so try to relax.” He led Josh over to the bench and sat him down. “I’ll make a pot of coffee and we’ll sit here and visit ‘till mornin’ comes. It’s dark and cloudy so you’d be better off goin’ at daylight.”
CHAPTER TWO
Josh figured if Tom Burch and his men were scattered all over this part of the country looking to shoot him, that maybe he could slip back down to Victoria and check on Ana. He’d been gone too long without seeing her.
He rode out of Panna Maria before daylight. Right before he got to Helena he heard a clicking noise and looked down just in time to see one of Macho’s shoes fall off. He picked it up and led Macho in the front door of the Helena livery stable where caretaker Soapy Wooten was stacking hay.
“Howdy,” Josh said. “Is there a blacksmith in Helena?”
“No, there ain’t,” Soapy said. “But I got some tools and a few shoes in the tack room if you can do whatever you need to do, your own self.”
“I can,” Josh said. “My pony lost a shoe and I just need to nail it back on.”
Soapy had never seen Josh before, so he just figured h
e was with the Burch posse since there were so many new faces coming in and out of Helena.
“You with the posse?” he said.
“What posse?” Josh said, hoping to get some information about Burch and his outlaw band.
“Tom Burch, that new sheriff from down at Victoria, has a posse scattered over these hills lookin’ for an outlaw named Josh Logan.,” Soapy said. “He said Logan killed the sheriff down there, and since he was the deputy, they elected him to take the job.”
“Who’s the sheriff here in Helena?” Josh said.
“We aint’ got one,” Soapy said. “But since we’re only about five miles from Panna Maria, we use their sheriff, Silas Hendricks.”
“When’s the last time you talked with Sheriff Hendricks?” Josh asked.
“It’s been a while,” Soapy said. “We ain’t had much trouble here in Helena lately, so I ain’t had an occasion to talk to him.”
“Well, maybe you should talk to him before you repeat anymore lies,” Josh said. “I just came from Panna Maria and Sheriff Hendricks knows the real truth concernin’ Josh Logan.”
“What real truth?” Soapy said.
“The truth is, Sheriff Burch killed Sheriff Jarnigan, not Josh Logan,” Josh said. “A man can get in trouble sayin’ things about someone when he don’t know what he’s talkin’ about.”
“Well, I didn’t say Logan killed nobody,” Soapy said. “I said, I mean, I was just sayin’ what Sheriff Burch told me.”
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about,” Josh said. “Repeatin’ anything Tom Burch says is a lie.”
“How do you know that?” Soapy said.
“I know because I’m Josh Logan and what you’re tellin’ people is a lie.”
“I ain’t told nobody, but you,” Soapy said.
“That’s good,” Josh said. “Just keep it under your hat. No need repeatin’ gossip.”
“You’re right and I’m sorry,” Soapy said. “I just didn’t know.”
Josh finished tacking the shoe on Macho and climbed up in the saddle. He handed Soapy a dollar and rode out of the livery stable doors without looking back, hoping he wouldn’t meet up with Tom Burch and his men.
Soapy reached over in the corner of the stable and grabbed his Winchester and hurried outside.
“Wait a minute, Logan,” he said, as he pointed his rifle at him. “I may just be an old man, but I can still shoot. That three thousand dollar reward will be more than enough to get me back home to Missouri.”
Josh turned Macho around and rode back to where Soapy was standing and stared at him hard.
“I swear, Soapy,” he said. “You mean you need money so bad you’d shoot an innocent man?”
“I don’t know that you are innocent,” Soapy said.
“Well, if I murdered a sheriff would I go around tellin’ people my real name?” Josh said. “Because that’s what I did. I wasn’t afraid to tell you because I didn’t kill Sheriff Jarnigan. Sheriff Burch did it and he blamed it on me. That’s why he has a posse scouring these hills lookin’ for me. He knows I’m innocent.”
“Well, I never thought of it like that,” Soapy said. “It’s just that I didn’t have a reason not to believe a sheriff. Besides, I figured capturin’ you was a good way to make some fast money. I’d sure like to get out of this country and go back home.”
“You seem like an honest man, Soapy,” Josh said. “My bet is, it’d weigh pretty heavy on your conscience if you killed someone that you weren’t even sure needed it. And you ain’t sure, are you?”
“No, I ain’t sure,” Soapy said. “But how do I know you didn’t kill that sheriff?”
“Soapy,” Josh said. “Panna Maria ain’t but five miles from here. You can keep your gun on me all the way if you want to, but let’s go up there. Sheriff Hendricks will vouch for me.”
“I can’t,” Soapy said. “I got a business to run.”
“Close it up,” Josh said. “When we get back, I’ll not only give you twice what you might have lost in income, I’ll also give you enough money to get back to Missouri on.”
“Alright, then,” Soapy said. “But step down and tie your horse so I can keep an eye on you while I saddle up.”
About an hour later, they pulled up in front of Sheriff Hendricks office and went inside.
“Sheriff Hendricks,” Soapy said, keeping his rifle on Josh. “Do you know this man?”
Sheriff Hendricks stood up and smiled. “Sure, I know him,” he said. “It’s Josh Logan. He’s a friend of mine.”
“But, Sheriff Burch said he was a killer,” Soapy said.
“Well, he ain’t,” Hendricks said. “There’s a big mix up about that deal. I telegraphed the Mayor of Victoria and he got back to me yesterday. He said Josh didn’t kill nobody. He had an alibi and a witness, but when Burch got elected sheriff to take Jarnigan’s place, he didn’t give Josh the chance to prove his innocence. Instead, he just posted a big reward and turned his posse loose on him.”
Soapy lowered his Winchester and offered his hand. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know all that.”
“It’s alright, Soapy,” Josh said. “Sheriff Hendricks,” he added. “Go with me and Soapy over to the bank. I got some reward money in there and I need some of it.”
When they got to the bank, Josh withdrew a thousand dollars and handed Soapy two hundred. That ought to get you back to Missouri,”
“I ain’t sure if I can ever pay you back.”
“You don’t have to pay me back, Soapy,” Josh said. “So why worry about it?”
As Sheriff Hendricks and Josh stepped in the door of the sheriff’s office, Hendricks handed him a telegram he’d received the day before.
“Not only did someone kill Sheriff Jarnigan down at Victoria,” he said. “Now, there’s been a kidnappin’ and the whole damn town is goin’ crazy about it.”
“Who got kidnapped?” Josh said.
“Somebody named Mariana Nicoleta Yarnell,” Sheriff Hendricks said. “Did you know her?”
Josh looked at Sheriff Hendricks for a moment, then hurried out the door and untied Macho.
“Hold up a minute, Josh,” Sheriff Hendricks said, as he followed him outside. “What’s the matter?”
“Mariana Nicoleta is Ana, the girl I was gonna marry,” he said as he swung up in the saddle and put the spurs to Macho.
It was about fifty miles down to Victoria so Josh kept his horse going at a steady gait all day long, arriving sometimes after dark. He pitched camp in the dry creek bottom west of town, figuring Burch or some of his men would be watching for him.
Sheriff Tom Burch leaned back in his chair and picked up his glass of whiskey.
“Lem, did you lock that door?”
Lem Olson, Burch’s right hand man, nodded yes, then refilled his glass and handed the bottle to Duke Barrett.
“Yeah, I did,” he replied.
“I don’t want nobody comin’ in here while we’re makin’ plans,” Burch said, finishing his drink and slamming the glass down hard on his desk. “Duke,” he added, “I want you to go out to the hideout and tell the boys to come a runnin’.”
“What about the ones still searchin’ for Logan?” Barrett said. “How can I tell them?”
“I sent Paul Beacham out yesterday to round the rest of ‘em up and bring ‘em back to town,” Burch said.
“What do you want me to do?” Lem asked, pouring himself another glass of whiskey.
“I want you to go over to the hotel and get an upstairs room facin’ main street. When Josh Logan hears about Ana gettin’ kidnapped, he’ll come back here for sure. He’s friends with old Willie Sneed and that’s probably where he’ll go first, so keep an eye on the livery stable. Day and night, you understand? Day and night.”
“Yeah, I understand,” Olson said. “Do you want us to let you know if we see him, or just shoot him?”
“I want you to shoot him,” Burch said. “When he gets the news about Ana Yarnell gettin’ kidnapped he’ll come ridin’ i
n here with guns a blazin’ and when he does, we’ll shoot him and be done with it.”
“Does one of us still get the five hundred if we shoot him?” Lem asked.
“I told you boys back when we first started lookin’ for Logan that whoever shoots him gets five hundred dollars,” Burch said. “But now, whoever shoots him gets a thousand. I’ll take the money out of the county treasury and no one will ever know about it.”
“What’ll old Miss Vinney say about it?” Lem said. “She’s been the county treasurer ever since this town first started.”
“Don’t worry about Vinney,” Burch said. “I’ll take care of her.”
“You wouldn’t shoot old Miss Vinney, would you?”
“I won’t have to,” Burch said. “I’ll just give her a twenty. She’ll do most anything for a little extra cash.”
“What’d you do with that girl, Ana?” Lem asked. “When me and Duke kidnapped her, we took her out to the hideout like you told us to, but she ain’t there no more. So, what’d you do with her?’
“I told Pedro Aguliar to take her to his uncle’s place,” Burch said.
“Up there at Morales?”
“Yeah,” Burch said. “But don’t worry about it. Just go do what I told you to.”
Morales, originally called Morales de Lavaca after its position on the Lavaca River, had a blood-thirsty reputation. It had a general store, a telegraph office, and four saloons, but not much else. It was the site of numerous killings, and travelers opted for routes that avoided the settlement. The residents formed a civic-minded vigilance committee, but it seemed to prefer hanging horse thieves, cattle rustlers, and local murderers. That’s the reason Pedro Aguilar had left the area.
He thought he could slip into Morales after dark and leave Ana at his uncle’s place at the edge of town, then slip out again, and no one would even know he’d been there. However, when he got there, the old man had a couple of friends with him who knew Pedro was wanted for murder, so he turned around and took Ana back to the hideout.
“Has Pedro come back yet?” Lem asked, later.
“Yeah, and he had to bring the girl back with him ‘cause he was afraid of bein’ recognized,” Burch said.”
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