Cooper (The Landon Saga Book 3)

by Tell Cotten

  “That’s right.”

  “I think I’ve heard of you.”

  “Hear that, Brian? He’s heard of us,” Lee said.

  Brian nodded, and Sergeant Wagons snapped his fingers.

  “Yeah, I remember now,” he lied. “What I’ve heard about you has been somewhat good.”

  Lee forced a smile.

  “Somewhat,” he told Brian wryly.

  Brian didn’t reply. Instead, he just smiled and nodded.

  Sergeant Wagons paid them no attention. He took a cigar from a box, didn’t offer them one, and bit off the end and lit it.

  “So, what can I do for you boys?” He leaned back in his chair, threw his feet up on the desk, and took a puff on his cigar.

  “We’ve been hunting an outlaw by the name of Utah ‘Stew’ Baine,” Lee announced. “We heard you got him.”

  “That’s right, we did.”

  “He’s here, in this jail?”

  “Sure is.”

  Lee reached over and slapped Brian on the knee.

  “Hear that, Brian? Our search is over.”

  “Looks like,” Brian tried to keep a serious face.

  “He’s wanted for murder back east,” Lee told Sergeant Wagons. “The victim’s family will be very pleased to hear this.”

  “Well, we were just doing our job,” Sergeant Wagons bragged. “Matter of fact, it was me that caught him.”

  Lee was startled. He coughed as he tried to recover, and he forced another smile.

  “Are you now? You must be good with a gun then.”

  “I hit what I aim at.”

  “So, what’s going to happen to Stew?” Brian spoke up.

  “Soon as Judge Parker gets here, he’ll be tried and hung.”

  “And when will that be?”

  “In a few days.”

  “Good,” Lee said. “That gives us time to, ah, let the family know.”

  “Do you think we could see him?” Brian asked. “Before we alert the family we want to be sure it’s him.”

  “Sure,” Sergeant Wagons gestured towards the back. “He’s back there.”

  “’Preciate it,” Lee said as they stood.

  Sergeant Wagons didn’t reply. Instead, he reached down beside his desk and grabbed a spittoon. He brought it up within inches of his face, and he spit what was left of his cigar into it.

  Sergeant Wagons looked up and saw them watching him. Lee looked especially interested.

  “Well, if you want to see him, go ahead,” Sergeant Wagons ordered gruffly.

  “Oh, yes, sir,” Lee smiled, and he and Brian walked to the back door where the cells were.

  Chapter seventeen

  Stew was stretched out on his bunk.

  He was on his back, staring up at the ceiling, when he heard the outer door open. He heard footsteps, and Lee and Brian appeared in front of his cell.

  A surprised look came across his face. He sat up and scowled at them.

  “What are you two doing here?”

  “We thought you’d like to confess,” Lee replied.

  “Confess? When did you two become priests?” Stew grunted sarcastically.

  “Where’d you hide that money?”

  “I won’t tell. You know that.”

  “You’d tell your partner,” Lee said smugly.

  “Partner?”

  “Sure.”

  It was silent as Stew thought on this, and a glimmer of hope showed in his eyes.

  “I’m listening,” he said.

  “Tell us where you hid that money,” Lee said, “and we’ll get you outta here.”

  Stew grunted and shook his head.

  “Get me out of here,” he replied, “and I’ll take you to it. We can split it three ways. I give you my word.”

  “You tell us now, and then we’ll get you out,” Lee tried again.

  “I ain’t stupid.”

  Lee smiled and shrugged as Brian cleared his throat.

  “Lee almost killed you a few days back,” he reminded.

  “I remember.”

  “How do you feel about that? Any hard feelings?”

  “Not if you get me out of here,” Stew replied, and he added wryly, “Partners.”

  Lee and Brian glanced at each other. They nodded and looked back at Stew.

  “We’ll be back,” Lee said, and they turned to leave.

  “When?”

  “Tonight.”

  “I’ll be ready,” Stew grinned wolfishly.

  Neither Lee nor Brian replied as they left.

  Chapter eighteen

  Lee, Brian, and Jessica sat at a corner table in the café. They had just finished supper, and they were drinking coffee. Lee was also smoking a cigar.

  The café was crowded and loud, and they had to lean towards the middle of the table so they could talk without being heard.

  “What did you think of Sergeant Wagons?” Jessica asked.

  “He’s a lying little whippersnapper,” Lee declared. “I’m the one who captured Stew, not him. He wasn’t even there.”

  “I know. I was there too,” Jessica reminded.

  “Somebody ought to put that boy in his place,” Lee grumbled.

  “We bust Stew out of jail,” Brian spoke up, “and that’ll dampen his self-esteem some.”

  “Not enough.”

  “So, you have a plan?” Jessica asked.

  “It’s simple,” Lee explained. “Brian will start the fire, and while everyone’s fighting the blaze I’ll get Stew. We’ll be long gone before Sergeant Wagons realizes what happened.”

  “I can start the fire,” Jessica suggested. “That way you and Brian can be together.”

  “Burning down a barn ain’t as easy as it looks,” Lee objected.

  “I can handle it,” Jessica replied. “Besides, you two need to be in a crowded place when the fire starts.”

  “Why?” Lee frowned, confused.

  “Witnesses,” Jessica explained. “That way, when Yancy finds out, you two will have several alibis that can testify you had nothing to do with starting the fire.”

  Lee and Brian shot each other a startled look and looked back at Jessica.

  “Are you sure you ain’t done this sorta thing before?” Lee narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

  Jessica smiled wryly and asked, “When do you want the fire?”

  “Soon as it gets dark,” Lee replied.

  Jessica nodded and stood.

  “I’d better get ready,” she said.

  “You be careful now,” Brian said.

  “I will,” Jessica said, and she turned and walked towards the door.

  “She is really something,” Brian commented.

  “Yes,” Lee’s eyes twinkled as he watched her. “She is.”

  Chapter nineteen

  After Jessica left, Lee and Brian got busy.

  They bought enough provisions to last a couple of weeks, and they stowed the goods in their saddlebags.

  Next, they searched the livery stables and found Stew’s horse. They left their horses in the next stall, still saddled.

  By then the sun was starting to go down, so they entered the busiest saloon they could find.

  It was a fancy place. There was a long, mahogany bar on one side, and in the middle was a place for dancing and such. There were some pool tables in the back, and behind that was the poker room.

  It was crowded and loud. The only empty table was in the corner, and they received several curious looks as they made their way to the back.

  “Well,” Brian commented as they sat down. “Folks see us.”

  “They do,” Lee agreed as he caught the bartender’s attention. “That was good thinking on Jessica’s part.”

  The bartender came over, and they ordered coffee. They drank a few cups, and Lee pulled a cigar out of his shirt pocket.

  “This place has a lotta history,” he said as he bit off the end.

  “Oh?”

  “I wasn’t here when it happened, but back there–,” Lee no
dded at the poker room, “–is where Ben Kinrich shot and killed a Mexican named Chino.”

  “I remember hearing about it.”

  “Kinrich was a wild one,” Lee declared as he struck a match on the table and lit his cigar. “I never did trust him.”

  Brian nodded in agreement. He took a swig of coffee, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and glanced at Lee.

  “Stew’s a wild one too.”

  “I’d agree with that.”

  “You think he’ll keep his word?”

  “I doubt if he knows what that even means.”

  “Can we trust him?”

  Lee smiled at that.

  “I trust Stew ’bout as far as Sergeant Wagons can spit a cigar,” he said.

  “And that ain’t very far,” Brian added.

  “No,” Lee grinned as he took a puff, “it’s not.”

  “So, what do we do?”

  “I’ve got a plan.”

  “Oh?” Brian raised an eyebrow. “Care to tell me about it?”

  Lee was about to reply when a man burst into the saloon.

  “Fire!” He yelled, and instantly the room erupted into a panic.

  Chairs were scooted back and glasses were dropped as everyone made a dash for the door.

  Lee and Brian sat there calmly and watched, and within seconds the saloon was empty.

  Lee smiled. Brian finished his coffee, and they both stood.

  “So, what’s this plan?” Brian asked as he followed Lee to the door.

  “I’ll explain later.”

  Brian frowned at that. They walked outside, and they were startled when they saw the fire.

  Already the entire barn was in flames, and dark smoke boiled up into the sky. The lumber was old and dry, and even from where they stood they could feel the heat off it.

  “Is Jessica trying to burn the whole town?” Lee scowled.

  “Looks like she didn’t have any problems,” Brian observed.

  Lee grunted in response as he dropped his cigar and rubbed it out with his boot heel.

  “Gonna be lucky if that fire doesn’t jump to the nearest buildings,” Lee said, and Brian nodded in agreement.

  Lee looked displeased as he turned towards the police headquarters.

  “What’s done is done. Let’s go.”

  Brian watched the fire a moment longer, and then he turned and hurried after Lee.

  Chapter twenty

  The door to the police headquarters had been left wide open.

  Lee and Brian walked in and glanced around. As expected, the front office was empty.

  Brian grinned at Lee and started for the back door, but Lee stopped him.

  “Wait.”

  “What is it?”

  “Before we let Stew loose, I’m going to take care of–” Lee paused and smiled, “–two birds with one stone.”

  “How?”

  “Just watch.”

  Brian frowned curiously as Lee walked over to the gun cabinet.

  He pulled out Stew’s Colt and gun belt. Next, he walked over to Yancy’s desk, unloaded the Colt, and rummaged through the desk. He nodded to himself as he pulled out a pair of pliers.

  “That barn ain’t going to burn forever,” Brian warned.

  “We’ve got time,” Lee replied, unworried.

  Using the pliers, Lee pulled the lead out of the bullets. Next, he grabbed Sergeant Wagon’s spittoon, and he poured the gunpowder from the cartridges into it. After that he carefully fitted the lead back in place and reloaded Stew’s Colt with the powder-less shells.

  “Now we won’t have to worry about Stew shooting us in the back,” Lee explained as he returned Stew’s Colt to his holster.

  “He’ll be mad when he finds out.”

  “Who’s going to tell him?” Lee asked as he moved to the back door. “Well, let’s release the prisoner.”

  Brian frowned as he thought on that, and then he followed after Lee.

  Chapter twenty-one

  Stew was waiting impatiently by the cell door.

  Lee held Stew’s gun belt in one hand, and he held the key in the other. He unlocked the cell door and swung it open, and Stew smiled arrogantly as he walked out.

  “Saw the fire from the window,” he commented. “What took you so long?”

  “Got here fast as we could,” Lee replied, and he handed Stew his gun belt. “I believe this is yours.”

  “Where’s my rifle?” Stew sneered as he strapped it on.

  “You remember,” Lee frowned.

  “Ah, yes,” Stew smiled haughtily. “You blew it to bits when you tried to kill me.”

  Lee didn’t reply as they watched Stew draw his Colt. He handled it some, and he smiled as he slid it back in his holster.

  “Feels good,” he declared.

  Lee nodded, and they walked back to the front office.

  Lee and Brian moved to the door, but Stew walked over to the gun cabinet.

  “What are you doing?” Lee hissed.

  “What does it look like?”

  He grabbed a rifle and a few boxes of shells.

  Lee frowned and glanced at Brian, and Stew turned around and noticed their concern.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing,” Lee replied with a straight face. “Let’s go.”

  “After you,” Stew sneered.

  Lee nodded and walked outside, and Brian and Stew followed. As expected, there was no one around, and Stew chuckled.

  They could hear all sorts of excitement down the street as folks fought the fire. So far the blaze hadn’t jumped to the nearest buildings, and Lee was glad.

  Staying calm, they made their way across the street and headed for the livery stable.

  Suddenly, from the shadows beside the hotel, Lee spotted Jessica watching them.

  Lee didn’t want to attract any attention, so he just smiled to himself as they went inside the livery stable.

  Stew saddled his horse, and they mounted up and rode outside. Stew led the way, and Lee brought up the rear.

  As they passed the hotel, Lee looked directly at Jessica and winked.

  She jumped in surprise. Then, before she could recover, they were gone.

  Chapter twenty-two

  Yancy and Rondo made camp that night at the base of the mesa.

  It was brushy, and Rondo had no problem finding enough loose mesquite wood to start a fire. Soon as the fire was built, Yancy made some coffee and cooked supper.

  Afterwards, they sat by the fire and drank more coffee.

  “How do you like being sheriff at Midway?” Rondo asked as he blew softly into his steaming cup.

  “I’m not the sheriff.”

  “How’s that?”

  “‘Chief of police’ would be the correct term.”

  “That’s right,” Rondo grinned sheepishly. “I forgot there aren’t any sheriffs in Texas since Governor Davis declared martial law. Right now every town is run by a police force.”

  “If there’s any law at all,” Yancy added.

  “And a lot of those police forces are corrupt,” Rondo declared.

  “They are,” Yancy agreed. “But I haven’t been.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that.”

  “Election’s coming up,” Yancy commented. “What I hear, Governor Davis is treading in some mighty hot water.”

  “Think he’ll be re-elected?”

  “Nope.”

  Rondo frowned as he thought on that.

  “If he gets kicked out of office, would the police force go away?”

  “I imagine it would,” Yancy replied. “Probably be for the best too.”

  “So towns would go back to electing sheriffs?”

  “That, or they’d just hire whoever they wanted,” Yancy explained. “I imagine each town would go about it different.”

  “When the time comes, are you gonna run?”

  “It’s been on my mind.”

  “You were a sheriff back east before the war,” Rondo recalled.

&nbs
p; “I was.”

  “You quit when the war broke out?”

  “No,” Yancy replied. He hesitated and added, “I quit about six months before the war.”

  “Oh? How come?”

  Yancy was silent. He started to answer, but then shook his head.

  “No reason to bring up the past,” he replied. “Things happened, and mistakes were made. We learned from it and moved on.”

  “‘We’?”

  “Me and Coop.”

  Rondo nodded. It was silent, and he looked over at Yancy.

  “It would be sorta odd if you weren’t a lawman of some sort,” he said. “It’s who you are.”

  “Yeah,” Yancy smiled faintly. “It is, ain’t it?”

  Chapter twenty-three

  It was cloudy and dark, and they couldn’t see the ground very well. So, they allowed their horses to follow an old cow trail as they made their way through the brush.

  They rode until the glow of the fire was far behind them, and then Lee called out for Stew to stop.

  “What is it?” Stew asked as he turned his horse around.

  “We held up our end of the bargain,” Lee reminded, and asked, “Where’d you hide that money?”

  “You want me to tell you now?” Stew asked with a hint of sarcasm.

  “Yes.”

  “I ain’t stupid,” Stew sneered. “Soon as I tell you, you won’t need me anymore.”

  “I reckon you’ll just have to trust us,” Lee said flatly.

  “No, you’ll just have to trust me,” Stew snorted. “’Cause I ain’t telling you anything. I’ll take you to it, and then we’ll split it three ways like we agreed.”

  Lee narrowed his eyes. He thought it over and forced a tight smile.

  “All right, we’ll do it your way,” he said, and asked, “Where are we headed?”

  “Remember that cabin up in the mountains?”

  Lee and Brian nodded.

  “That’s where we need to go.”

  “The carpetbag is there?” Lee asked.

  “Pretty close,” Stew said, and added, “There’s a pass on the south side of the mountains we can use. Less Injuns travel that way.”