The Curse of Billy the Kid: Untold Legends Volume One

by Tamsin L. Silver

  She laid a hand on Brewer’s arm. “I know he is safe with you keepin’ an eye on him, Richard.”

  Coffee and cakes were served as more pleasantries were exchanged, then McSween cleared his throat and began. “I’m glad you all got my message. Thank you for comin’. Now, as to why you are here...”

  “I’m guessin’ it’s for the same reason Barrier left or because he did,” I offered.

  “Deputy Barrier left?” Fred asked.

  “Out the door like his backside was on fire,” I said.

  Squelched laughter could be heard all around the room and McSween said, “He has left to be with his family.”

  “What?” Dick said, and he wasn’t the only rumblings in the room, just the loudest. “But he’s your assigned protection until spring term of court.”

  McSween smoothed his long mustache, which ran all the way to his jaw line. “He’s been with me non-stop for three months. He was anxious to return home to his family.”

  “Umm...did I miss somethin’?” I said. “Do you not need protection anymore?”

  Susan spoke up. “Captain Smith from Fort Stanton was here yesterday and gave his word as an officer and a gentleman that Sheriff Brady would make no attempt to serve the warrant he had for Alex’s arrest.”

  Leverson stepped out from the kitchen with a fresh cup of tea and addressed us all as he came to sit on the couch beside Alex’s rocking chair. “I believe his words were, ‘You may make a football of my head if a hair of his head is injured or if the least insult be given him by word or sign for the highest to the lowest, madam.’”

  “Is he gonna tell Sheriff Brady that?” Middleton asked.

  “No need,” Leverson replied. “Brady was standing right next to the military captain when he said it.”

  This caused the room to burst into chatter with earnest concern that Brady was here at all, let along just yesterday.

  “What was he doin’ here, and with a military escort?” Middleton demanded to know.

  “It seems he was unable to convince any civilians to travel with him down to the Pecos Valley to summon folks for grand and petit jury duty. He apologized for showing up with soldiers,” Leverson explained.

  “Oh, well, isn’t that just swell of him,” I said sarcastically. “Because that makes it all okay.”

  “That’s why Barrier has left,” Alex said. “Now that I’ve been promised military protection, he headed home. I would’ve preferred he stayed, but I can understand bein’ away from your wife and missin’ her, so I can’t fault him much.” He reached up and took Susan’s hand from his shoulder and kissed it, letting his eyes stay on her just a moment before turning back to us.

  “However,” Susan said, “Leverson and I still believe that as soon as Alex arrives in Lincoln, that Brady is goin’ to try to arrest him.”

  “Yes,” McSween said. “That’s why I called you all here, to say you shouldn’t let him get away with it. If I’m arrested, they’ll lynch me for sure.”

  “What do you wish we should do, Governor?” Middleton asked, using a name we’d started to call McSween since he’d taken charge of the fight. Not just for justice concerning Tunstall on a legal front, but as the bank roll for the Regulators as well.

  “Seein’ as I’m to believe I’m fully under the protection of the military, I want you boys to head out, as if you’re no longer actin’ as my protection either. But I want some of you in Lincoln on Sunday when I come through town with Brady and Smith on my way to Fort Stanton. If Brady goes against his word to follow Smith’s orders, you stop him.”

  “Are we to kill him, Governor?” Jim asked.

  McSween shook his head. “I’d love nothing more than to tell you to kill Brady and earn a mighty reward, but I’ll give no such command.”

  It was evident by his tone and facial expression that if we saved him from Brady, there would be a reward. And though Alex abhorred violence, he appeared to be giving us a pass on if we killed Brady in the process. There was no way I’d been the only person to catch the other meaning of his words, but no one said anything about it.

  Instead, Chavez y Chavez stepped forward and addressed our two other main concerns. “I’m low on ammunition, sir, and in the purse, if you get my meanin’.”

  “I do,” McSween said. “That’s why I want those of you who head to Lincoln to go into the store and take anythin’ you wish prior to meetin’ me there. For those who wait for further orders in San Pat, I have a bit of coin for you after we are done here.”

  Once we discussed the logistics of his surrender at Fort Stanton, there wasn’t much more to cover, so McSween dismissed us. We spent the day at the ranch relaxing, socializing, and getting a good meal in. However, before it got too late, I mentioned the fandango I’d heard about that was going on over in Berrendo, a small hamlet east of South Springs, and suggested we attend.

  “A fandango?” Sallie asked with light laughter. “What is that?”

  “You know,” I said, doing a few dance moves. “It’s a dance. But this one is done in triple time by couples with castanets.” I snapped my fingers in place of the wooden instrument and took a silly pose that made her laugh.

  “Oh, Billy, you’ve a weak spot for dance parties.”

  “And for the pretty Latina women who go to them,” Charlie said quietly.

  I hit his arm. “That is not the only reason I like to go, and you know it.”

  “But it is one of them,” Sallie said, her smile accusing me in a playful manner.

  “Maybe, but I’ll not admit to such things in such company.”

  Sallie set empty coffee mugs on a tray Mary Ann held as she walked by. “Oh, so you think we ladies don’t know you boys attend dances to flirt with the skirts?”

  “Miss Sallie!” Mary Ann said, her tone mildly astonished.

  “Oh, please, Mary Ann, that wasn’t nothin’,” Sallie said before looking to me. “So, do you?”

  “I’m goin’ to plead the fifth right about now,” I said. “But you should come with us and see for yourself.”

  “Thank you, Billy. That’s sweet of you. But this time I must stay here and tend to our guests.”

  “And tend them well you will, I’m sure,” I said, placing a peck on her cheek. “We will be gettin’ out of your way then.” I gave her a slight bow and headed for my shoes.

  She followed me toward the door and looked down at the pile of boots, most of which were the same make and brand, and said, “How do you all tell which ones are whose? They all look the same.”

  “Well, Dick’s are too big for anyone other than maybe Middleton, so they usually set theirs far apart from each other,” I said, shoving my foot into one of mine as we watched Fred put a boot on and take it off again, picking up another. “Or we try on and try again,” I explained, giving her a big smile before picking up my second one.

  “And you know those are yours because they are smaller than most?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “No, because I etched my initials inside ‘em,” I told her, showing her the inside of my other boot.

  “Well, look at you, usin’ your smarts,” she said.

  I couldn’t help but beam at her as I put my second boot on. With a wink, I said, “It can happen from time to time, but don’t get used to it now.”

  She laughed, and Dick walked up, grabbing his big ol’ boots, and said, “We best get goin’ before sunset.”

  “Yes, yes we should,” I agreed, and stepped out the door, turning back to Sallie. “As always, it was good to see you again, Miss Chisum,” I said with a slight bow, my hat on my chest.

  “It’s good to see you too, Mr. Bonney,” she replied with a small curtsey.

  I put on my hat, dent in the top and all, and walked out, unsure when I’d see her again. The boys all followed me to the stable to fetch our horses and we headed off to Berrendo, a fun night of dancing and music ahead of us.

  I’d finally gotten the señorita I’d had my eye on for the first half hour onto the dance floor
when I spotted someone in the crowd I’d not expected. It was the young man from the Regulator Network, the one Isaac Ellis called Roy. As always, he blended in so well that most didn’t even pay him any attention. He wore a long coat that covered his attire, and he moved like a cat as he wove through the crowd. Catching my eye, he motioned toward the door.

  Once I could take my leave for more than a moment, I followed after him, taking Charlie, Dick, and MacNab with me. Once Roy put some distance between the dance and himself, he stopped and waited for us to catch up.

  I took note of his tall boots as we approached and cataloged my thought for later. Instead, I asked the obvious question. “What are you doing here?”

  “Miss Sallie said you were here, so I raced over to bring you some information and on the way noticed about fifty of the Murphy/Dolan gang headin’ this way.”

  I looked to Dick. “That’s more than us by just a small bit.”

  “Just a small bit,” Charlie said, understanding my humor, for there was no way the twenty of us could stand against fifty and do all that well.

  “Then we best be gettin’ outta town,” Dick said. “I’d hate to bring a fight to this here party and have innocent people get hurt. MacNab and I’ll head back in and let the boys know.”

  Before anything else could be said, they were gone, leaving me with Roy and Charlie.

  I didn’t wait two seconds before asking the next question. “Why were you comin’ to find us at Chisum’s and does it have anythin’ to do with your unusual attire?”

  “His attire?” Charlie asked. “It’s a coat, in March. I think that’s pretty normal.”

  “It’s not the coat; it’s his boots. Those are military. Am I right?”

  One side of Roy’s mouth slid up into a side grin. “Nice catch.” He opened his coat a bit to show he was indeed dressed as a soldier. “I infiltrated Captain Smith’s soldiers, the ones that joined Brady’s posse, and I overheard talk between Brady and one of his deputies.”

  “Why do I have a feeling this is not good news,” Charlie said.

  “Because it’s not,” Roy replied. “Brady and his men are not goin’ to give Smith the chance to protect McSween. If they have to, they plan to kill Smith and frame McSween for it. Brady has his soul set on servin’ that arrest warrant come hell or high water.”

  “Did you tell McSween that?”

  “I did. He said to tell you and the Regulators that he’s going to find a reason to stay the night in San Patricio on Sunday and not come into Lincoln until Monday. This’ll give him the chance to separate Smith and Brady by tellin’ them to go on ahead and just meet Smith at Fort Stanton. That should save his life.”

  “Smart thinkin’,” I said. “But what about Monday?”

  Roy shrugged. “I don’t know just yet. But I would bet that Brady will find a way to cut him off from makin’ it to Fort Stanton if he doesn’t get the chance he wants on Sunday.”

  I looked at Charlie. “We can’t let that happen. McSween has to make it home or to the fort.”

  Charlie nodded. “Do we tell Dick?”

  I thought on it and remembered my research. The last slip of the moon would be up all day on Monday, making Dick unpredictable. “No. He’s been lookin’ forward to gettin’ some work done on his farm for a couple days, and we can handle gettin’ McSween through town.”

  “Anythin’ goes wrong, he’s gonna be mad as hell.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s a risk I’m willin’ to take.”

  “It’s your funeral,” Charlie said, unaware of how right he might actually be.

  “Speakin’ of, here comes Dick and the rest,” I said, then turned to Roy. “Can you sneak back into the formation without a problem? In case we need more information by the time we hit Lincoln?”

  He nodded. “Of course. What about San Pat?”

  “We’ll send some of us there,” Charlie said.

  “We got everyone,” Dick said, causing Charlie and I to look in his direction.

  “Good, we’ll just tell—” I turned to make sure Roy was set, and he was nowhere to be seen. “Never mind.”

  Charlie looked at me. “That kinda creeps me out.”

  “You and me both,” I admitted.

  The Regulators mounted up and headed outta town. Not a half a mile out, we heard gunshots.

  I turned Colonel around to face the gunfire behind us. “Someone is bound to tell ‘em we headed this way.”

  Dick agreed. “We either make a stand or we run for it.”

  “I say we make a stand,” Charlie said. “I ain’t no runner, that’s for sure. And especially not from the likes of Dolan and his crew.”

  The group agreed to stay, seeing as we were now far enough from the small town to keep the innocent out of harm’s way. Quickly, I assessed the area, and we began to come up with a plan, placing ourselves in different positions to ambush the Murphes when they came by. But they never did. We waited an hour and nothing happened.

  “They probably joined the party instead of tryin’ to find all of us out here in the dark,” Fred offered up.

  “Very likely,” I replied.

  Dick came over and pulled me aside. “It’s late, and the moon, no matter how small, is goin’ to rise around four in the mornin’. I didn’t change the past few nights, so I can feel it comin’ on. I need to go home for a night.”

  “That’s a good idea. I’ll head to Lincoln and make sure McSween gets where he is supposed to be. I could even swing through Agua Negra on the way.”

  “You don’t have to—”

  “Don’t try to change my mind. I’m gonna go.”

  Dick sighed. “Fine. I’ll meet y’all tomorrow night so we’re there for McSween on Sunday.”

  “McSween ain’t arrivin’ until Monday now. Roy told us while you were gatherin’ everyone.”

  Dick looked at me, left eyebrow raised, right eye squinted. “You don’t really think I believe that’s all the news he gave you, right?”

  “Brady plans to arrest him no matter what. We’re gonna make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  “And how are you going to do that?” he asked before his breath was taken away by the wolf fever. “You know what? I don’t want to know. Just try not to kill the bastard, okay?”

  “I’m not makin’ any promises, Dick.”

  “I can’t hear you,” he said, finding the strength to stand up. “Send word to me on Monday mornin’ if ya need anythin’ from me.”

  “All right, now go!”

  Without another word, he hoisted himself onto Mattie and rode off as I explained to the rest of the boys how he was feelin’ mighty sick again and that I needed to head up to Agua Negra for some medicine.

  “After that, we shouldn’t split up,” MacNab said.

  “I agree,” Fred said. “We’ll all ride with you to Agua Negra, and then we’ll take the straight shot down to Lincoln from there since we have until Monday now.”

  The gang agreed and we began to ride north, hoping we reached Agua Negra by daybreak.

  22

  Agua Negra

  March, 1949

  The B&B was north of the sheriff’s office on Highway 54, and Lois was kneeling in the dirt planting something by her front porch as I pulled in. Standing up, she stood just over five feet tall; a sturdy woman with curves and a strong build.

  Turning off the car, I placed the keys in my jacket pocket. Stepping out, I inhaled deeply of the late March air, warm enough that I could see why she was working in the yard. Well, that and I knew she was keeping an eye out for me. Sally woulda called her, telling her I was en route.

  “Sally tell you I was on my way?” I asked as I shut the door, curious if I was right.

  She took off a gardening glove. “Sure did, but he didn’t mention you had such a nice car. If you’re lookin’ to blend in around here, you’re not gonna.” She put out her clean hand. “Lois Gutierrez, glad to meet ya, Agent Kidwell.”

  I shook her hand. “Please, call me Will, or Billy, I answer
to either.”

  She gave me a firm nod. “Well then, Billy, come on in, and I’ll show you to your room.”

  Letting go of her hand, I went to the trunk of my car. Opening it, I said, “It’s been a long day. I think I’ll grab an hour down after I make a call. Any chance I could use your phone?”

  She removed her second glove and tossed it onto the ground with the other. “Sure thing.”

  I pulled my suitcase out and shut the trunk of my car, leaving my magical toys in their lockbox inside. “I appreciate it.”

  She led me into the two-story home and up the stairs to the right of the foyer. “I’ve got three rooms up here and a bathroom. Don’t got any other tenants right now, so you’ve got your pick.”

  I quickly took the front room that overlooked the driveway and set my suitcase by the door. “I greatly appreciate this, takin’ me in on such short notice and all.”

  “Tis no big deal, seein’ as I’m empty. Oh, and since you missed my breakfast, I’ll whip us up somethin’ for dinner so we can talk about your friend. Bathroom is here next to your room, and how does six o’clock sound for dinner?”

  “That would be great, Lois. Thank you.”

  “Of course,” she said, and began to head down the stairs. Stopping, she said, “Funny thing, your pal chose the same room. You rest a bit. I’ll see you in two hours. There’s a phone there by the bed. If you’re callin’ long distance, be sure to pay that before you leave.”

  “Of course, ma’am.”

  Without another word, she went on down the stairs, and I stepped over to the mirror above the dresser. Pulling the dresser out, I found what I was hoping for: a word written in chalk on the thin wood casing. All it said was ROSE.

  Confused on what that could mean, I moved the dresser back and sat on the bed, staring at the phone, knowing it was time to ruin someone’s day. He’d be getting up around now anyway.

  “Best get it over with.”

  With a deep breath in and a slow exhale, I picked up the receiver to call my reluctant reinforcement and dialed the emergency number. The operator put me through, and soon his handler answered.