He ignored what she had said. 'I like you angry,' he re plied, with cool impudence. 'A woman with no ginger wouldn't interest me, any more than a horse without spirit. I want one I have to curb.'
Her glance swept to the door. At any moment it might open to admit the other man. 'It makes no difference to me what you want. Please leave this room. At once.'
He shook his head, laughing at her. 'You women must always be actresses. A man must make allowances and not believe everything one says. I regret to refuse, but I think I'll stay.' He bowed, with a tag of bronco Spanish,' Tengo mucho dolor.'
'If you have something to say to me, I'll see you some other time.'
'Now,' he corrected. 'Sheriff Elbert is on my tail. I can't drop in any minute.'
'It would make me happy to know I would never see you again,' she said, eyes full on him.
'But I don't believe that. A woman's no means yes.'
Her hand moved in a little gesture of futility. 'Your vanity is so colossal you can't understand a woman finding you repellent.'
'What has yore friend Hal Stevens got that I haven't?' he inquired gently, his sharp eyes searching for information.
'Mr. Stevens doesn't come into this. But since you ask — he has integrity, decency, a respect for the rights of others.'
'Words,' he summed up contemptuously. 'Just words. Men all want the same things — women and money. Those who fight hard enough get what they want. The others don't. I come out on top. What I want I mean to take.'
'Whether it is right or not.'
'You're foolin' with words again, girl. It's right for me if I want it.'
'That makes no sense,' she retorted impatiently. 'There are other people living in the world besides you. What makes you think you can override their wishes? You wanted to kill Hal Stevens the other day, but you couldn't do it.'
She had broken through his brutal arrogance to the hot temper underneath. 'He is a dead man already, though he doesn't know it yet,' he told her harshly.
Fear came into her eyes. 'Have you killed him?' she cried.
'Give me time. If you are thinking of that man, get him out of yore head. There's no use thinking about dead men.'
'Maybe he'll kill you, as he did your friend Hanford.'
'No. He has been measured for his coffin.'
His bleak malignity appalled her. 'Do you think you are God, with the power and right to decide when a man shall die?' she flung out. 'Go away from me. Leave me alone. I don't want to have anything to do with you.'
'But you are going to.'
A faint rippling of the muscles stirred in him. He stepped on the stand and stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. The fingers bit into her flesh, firmly, but not deep enough to give intolerable pain.
'You are hurting me,' the girl said evenly, not wincing. 'But if you want to, of course, that's all right. You are Brick Fenwick.'
His fingers dug in deeper. She wanted to scream, but clamped her teeth. There was a sadistic desire in him, she guessed, to break her spirit. The pressure relaxed.
'Little kittens must learn not to show their claws,' he drawled, almost in a murmur. 'They must do what they are told and play pretty.'
'I'm not a kitten,' Helen said. 'I'm a woman — in a free land. You can hurt me till I can't stand it any longer. It will only make me hate you.'
He snatched her out of the chair and swung her round. He held her there motionless, the red-hot devil of desire blazing into her eyes. She did not try to struggle uselessly. Her strong young body went rigid, as if she had been in a trance. When he kissed her lips and eyes and throat, she neither resisted nor yielded, but was no more responsive than a dress model in a store window. Presently he flung her savagely against the desk.
'By God, I'll get the ice out of yore blood before I'm through!' he cried. 'I'll teach you who is yore master.'
The look in her eyes made him furious. No words he could use, no force, could quell that measured scorn with which she faced him. He might whip her as he did a fractious horse. It would still be there.
The door opened and Tom Wall walked into the restaurant. His first quick glance told him that he had interrupted a scene between them. Brick's face mirrored anger and frustration. There was disdain in her eyes, but there was fear too.
A gun seemed to jump to the fingers of the desperado. His body crouched. His mouth had become a tight, thin, cruel line. When he spoke his lips scarcely moved.
'So this is the guy, not Stevens,' he said.
'No,' Helen cried. 'Don't be a fool.' Her heart beat like a bird against a cage. A weakness ran through her.
Brick sidestepped, to be out of Helen's reach and to have her within the orbit of his vision. You never knew what fool thing a woman would do. Yet his eyes never left the man at the door.
Tom Wall thought fast. He felt it had to be fast to save his life. His voice sounded cool and indifferent. 'We've got you, Brick,' he said. 'I'm with Elbert's posse. They are outside in the street. Better drop that gun and give up.'
He knew Fenwick would not surrender. That was not what he hoped for from his bluff, but to make the killer think it was too dangerous to fire now.
'So it's that way, is it?' Brick answered, his words almost a snarl.
'It's that way,' Wall replied easily. 'When I call for him, he'll come busting in.'
'And before he gets here, you'll be dead.'
Helen felt a faint lift of hope. If Fenwick believed that the sheriff was outside in the street — and he did not seem to doubt it — both of these men were handcuffed. Wall could not raise a shout and the hunted man could not shoot. She was still frightened for Tom, but the despair of that first moment had gone. The situation might work itself out without tragedy.
'Let's not have trouble, please,' she said anxiously.
Tom Wall's hands were hanging at his sides. 'Looks like I can't start it,' he said, grinning. 'Not with Brick's gun on me.'
'We're going out the back door, you an' me,' Fenwick said.
Wall shook his head. He had no intention of walking out to be shot in the alley.
'We'll finish this here,' he said.
Brick moved forward slowly, his shallow, intent eyes fixed on the other man. 'Damn you, do as I say,' he ordered. 'Get yore hands up.'
The face of Wall set mulishly. His arms still hung down. 'If I go West you'll be right on my heels,' he said.
Helen ran between the men. She faced Fenwick. Except for the scarlet streak of lipstick, her face was colorless.
'Get outa the way,' Brick snapped.
'No. You can't do it. I won't have you both killed here.'
From the street outside a voice called. 'Where are you, Tom?'
The steel-trap mouth of Fenwick loosened. His eyes slid to the door and returned to Wall. Slowly he began to back away.
'Don't move,' he said in a low voice. 'Don't answer, or I'll blast you.'
He went back, step by step, as far as the screen door, then wheeled and dashed through it on a run. They heard him tear open the back door and the slap of his running feet.
Helen saw a tipsy world going up and down. Her body pushed back against that of the man. She thought she was going to faint.
His arm went around her waist. 'Head up, girl,' he said. 'It's all over now.'
'Yes,' she said unsteadily. 'Call in the sheriff quick.'
'The sheriff isn't here. I threw a bluff.'
'But — someone called you.'
'And was I glad to hear him? He was a fellow I was ducking who wanted me to take a drink with him.'
She fought down the dreadful fear as she stared at him. 'He meant to kill you,' she murmured.
'He would have done it if you hadn't been here.' His voice jumped to a higher note. 'Don't you know better than to get in front of a crazy man with a gun?'
She shuddered. 'I thought…' Her voice died away.
'I know what you thought.' Tilting her chin, he looked into her eyes. He had never held her in his arms before. He did not kiss he
r now. That Fenwick had been making violent and unwelcome love to her, he did not doubt. The certainty of this restrained him now. In her mind there must be just now a resentment against the possessive instincts of man. When his lips met hers for the first time, he did not want the memory of Brick Fenwick's outrage to mar the moment.
Helen released herself and drew back. The color was beating back into her face. 'I must have been awf'ly frightened to pull a baby act like that.'
'My knees were wobbly,' he admitted. 'He's one bad hombre, that fellow.'
'Yes. Maybe he is still hanging around, to shoot you when you come out.'
He shook his head. 'Don't think so. He's likely hitting the high spots on the road to the hills.'
'You'd better get out of town — as soon as you are sure he has gone. But we want to make sure. He might find out the sheriff isn't here. I'll go out first and find out.'
'No, you won't.' His veto was decisive. 'We'll go together. I'll see you to your home.' 'He might follow us and get you afterward.' 'Don't worry. I'll have a gun out next time.' 'What right has he to interfere with other people's lives?' she demanded angrily. 'As if he were some kind of super man.'
'He's a wolf. One of these days he will be trapped. It will be soon.'
The telephone on her desk rang. Helen answered it. 'Yes, he's here,' she said. 'Are you in town?' A minute later she added: 'If you're coming right over, I'll have him wait for you.' She hung up. 'It's Mr. Stevens. He wants to see you and will be here in a jiffy. He phoned from the drugstore at the corner.'
'Sure it was Hal? You recognized his voice?'
She told him yes. Presently they heard his sharp quick tread on the sidewalk.
'Sorry to interrupt, but I had to see you,' Hal said.
'You're a lot more welcome than the last fellow who butted in,' Tom replied, and told him what had just taken place.
Hal did not smile. One could find no amusement in the anger of a killer like Fenwick. The man was as dangerous as a tiger loose in a jungle close to a village.
CHAPTER 20
Brick Gets Out of a Car
TICK BLACK drove into the hotel parking lot and clumped to the house. He went in through the back door to the lobby. Jack Lindell, the son of the woman who ran the hotel, was at the desk.
'Seen anything of Brick Fenwick today?' Black asked.
'No, I haven't,' the boy answered.
'Hmp!' Black thought for a moment and walked into the telephone booth. He called up his ranch and Frawley's voice came back to him.
'Know where Brick is?' he inquired.
Frawley told him that Fenwick had left for Big Bridge two hours earlier. Both of them spoke in low tones.
'Okey. I'll pick him up and start home. See you there before morning. Stick around till I come.'
'Cash called you up from Casa Rita. Said a fellow was around asking questions, a guy Brick talked with the other day while the man was fixing a fence. Cash thought you ought to know about it.'
'Yeah. Maybe I ought.' Black dragged the palm of a hand across his unshaven chin. 'Reckon you'd better come in and meet me here, Jim.'
'Elbert isn't around there, is he?'
'No. I left him in his office couple of hours ago. We won't be staying here long.'
'I get you. Meet you at the hotel.'
Tick hung up and walked down the street to the Rest Easy. As he entered by the front door, Brick ducked into the saloon by the back way. The young man's glance slid around the room to see who was present before he moved forward to the bar.
'Elbert is in town with a posse,' he murmured out of the corner of his mouth.
'You saw him — just now?'
'No. Tom Wall told me. He's one of the posse.'
'That's funny. I just drove over from Fair Play and left Elbert there. Maybe somebody phoned him you were expected here.'
Brick's eyes narrowed. 'Or maybe he's not here at all. Maybe that skunk Wall lied to me — to get out of the jam he was in. I'll see about that.' He turned to go, his face a map of black anger.
'Wait a minute.' The ranchman stopped him. 'If you and Wall have been having a run-in, forget it just now. He isn't important.'
'He's important to me,' the younger man flung back. 'I'm gonna hang his hide up to dry.'
Tick caught him by the arm. 'Don't go off half-cocked, Brick. Listen to me.' He drew the Texan into a far corner of the room where they would not be heard. 'I've just heard some disturbing news. The tenderfoot who calls himself Arnold is at Casa Rita nosing around. That will have to be stopped. You can't mess things up by having trouble with Wall now. He isn't going to leave the country. You can take care of him later.'
'After I've handled your chores,' Brick sneered.
'Not so much mine as yours. Don't forget that Arnold is here trying to dig up evidence as to who killed that spy Watts, if that was his name.'
'Watts wasn't killed at Casa Rita. He couldn't find any evidence there. You know damned well that if Arnold is a Government man, he is checking up on where we sell the stuff we get on the raids.'
'It all ties up together. First, let's find out if Elbert is here. Unless you want to be arrested. I'll make sure of that. Soon as I know, I'll meet you in the parking lot back of the hotel.'
'All right. Don't be long. I'm making no promises about what I'll do if he isn't here.'
They separated, each leaving the Rest Easy by the way he had come.
Black stopped a man on the street. 'I'm looking for Sheriff Elbert,' he said. 'Somebody told me he is in town.'
'Somebody told you wrong, Tick,' the man answered. 'I been around ever since dinner time. If he was here I would have seen him.'
Another man drifted along, was questioned, and corroborated the story of the first. Black was satisfied that Wall had not told the truth. Five minutes later, he reported to Brick, who received the information with a good deal of profanity. He did not like being made a monkey of, as he expressed it. Wall had butted in twice, and that was twice too often.
'Tom left town ten minutes ago driving like a man in a hurry,' Black said. 'Looks like he was scared of you. If you tried, you couldn't find him now.'
The cattleman did not know whether what he had said was true or not. Wall might still be in town. But he wanted to get Fenwick's one-track mind functioning along another line.
'All right,' Brick agreed sullenly. 'What's eatin' you? Where do we go from here?'
'We go to Casa Rita and see what this fellow Arnold is uncovering. If Cash is right, we'll have to wind up his ball of yarn. We'll wait for Frawley at the edge of town.'
Fenwick hung fire, uncertain what to do. He had a feeling by no means new that this sly schemer was using him, and he did not like it. 'I'll trail along,' he said. 'But you needn't ask me to bump off Arnold for you. I took care of Watts. I'm gonna let you have this gent.'
They got into the car and drove out of the parking lot. Black turned into the business street. As they passed the Rest Easy, the sound of laughter came to them. There were not many people on the sidewalks. Big Bridge was not a lively spot at night.
Two men came out of Sid's Garage, crossed the road, and passed into an alley. For a moment they had been under a street light's glare.
Brick leaned forward and turned off the car switch. 'You damned lying old buzzard, I might have known you couldn't tell the truth,' he said angrily, and got out of the car as soon as the speed slackened.
He had recognized Wall as the nearer of the two men who had passed into the alley.
CHAPTER 21
Two Men and a Wall
WE'LL BOTH walk home with Miss Barnes,' Hal said. 'After that, I'll see you started for the ranch, Tom. I have to go to Casa Rita. I just heard tonight from Ranny Arnold. It looks as if he has something, and he wants me there to verify what he has found out. He was very cautious over the phone, so I don't know just what it is. But my guess is that he thinks he has discovered the destination of the cattle that have been raided by these hill outlaws.'
'You don't
want me to go with you,' Wall suggested.
'No, I want you at the ranch. I don't want to close-herd you, Tom, but I think you had better stay right there for the next few days. I'm pretty short-handed, you know, and that calf cut has to be made.'
'Also, you think I'll be safer there than I would be anywhere else.'
'Well, Brick is a gentleman who rides an idea very hard. If he were to get the drop on you a second time, you might not be so lucky. We have to remember that he would see to it you didn't get an even break.'
Helen locked the back door and, after they were in the street, the front one. They walked toward her home three abreast. The eyes of the men swept the path in front of them and occasionally the road in their rear.
When they reached her house, Helen invited them in to meet her mother, a bright-eyed sprightly lady with whom Hal had frequently swapped badinage. Hal took a raincheck on the young woman's suggestion, explaining that it would be better not to delay their departure.
Miss Barnes thought that was wise. She offered advice hesitantly. 'I think Mr. Stevens is right, Tom. Stay at the ranch and don't go out to work alone. I wish he were staying there, too.'
'Oh, I'm moving out of the danger zone,' Hal replied. 'But you are right about Tom. It's a good rule if in doubt not to take the chance.'
'Which rule I hope you follow, Mr. Stevens,' Helen said dryly.
The two men walked back to the main street together. It was quiet, almost deserted, but that did not prove enemies were not floating about the town. Hal stopped his friend at Sid's Garage. Somebody had stolen the radiator cap of his car and he wanted to get another. Sid found one that would fit.
They crossed the road to an alley, a short cut to the lots where their cars were parked. As they did so, they noticed an old flivver coming down the street toward them. It stopped a little way from them, but by this time they were in the shadows between two buildings.
The road into which they came from the alley was not paved. Between the adobe houses were unfenced lots, where of late those from the M K ranch had taken to leaving their cars because this street was darker and less conspicuous than the main thoroughfare. Hal and Tom separated after a moment of talk, each to go to the place where he had left his automobile. Neither of them saw the shadowy figure creeping up the alley from which they had just emerged.
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