“How did it go with that Strong fella that injured your hand?”
Luke was a bit surprised. “You didn’t hear? Damnedest thing, George. We flushed him from his ambush and had him dead to rights. He was about to try to shoot his way out when a rattlesnake struck him from a ledge and caught him clean in the neck. He was dead in minutes.”
Whelan frowned. “Terrible. Not a pleasant way to die. You had help?”
“A fellow Texas Ranger Clyde Jones helped a bit, but Strong ambushed him before we flushed him out.” Luke thought about how to phrase this story and decided to keep it simple. “I had made friends with the Comanche Chief Three Toes. You might recall, it was his braves who raided the Corrigan place. Anyway, he saw me as having some sort of big medicine and insisted on coming with us. He helped me find Strong. I rewarded him with Strong’s horse and scalp.”
Whelan winced. “You let him scalp Strong?”
“Didn’t matter to Strong. He was getting all discolored from the snakebite, too. Anyway, Three Toes decided to visit the scene of the Corrigan attack a couple of days ago and happened upon Perez fixing to attack us. The chief shot a few arrows. That’s how those three dead Mexicans wound up with Comanche arrows in them.”
“Is Three Toes still around?”
“No. He said he just wanted to say good-bye. The Comanche call me Ghost-Who-Rides. Catchy, huh? Anyway, he headed out to join his people. I think they might have been headed to the reservation fort up north.” Luke got up to leave. “Oh, George, please do be sure that Miss Corrigan gets that reward money. I’ll be back after I catch up with Perez.”
Whelan caught an implication that Luke didn’t trust him to get the money to Elisa. “Not to worry, Luke. I’ll be sure she gets it.” He escorted Luke to the door. “I’ll be sure to get the gold back to the bank, too. Good luck with Perez.”
As Luke closed the door behind him, Whelan saw Scarlett stir in the cell. He unlocked the cell door and undid his trousers. After all, he thought, she was nothing but a common whore.
***
Perez had ridden hard. He’d endured a hornet’s nest and come out unscathed. At last, he reached San Patricio, where he hoped he could hide out and gather his wits. He had a lot of unfinished business to take care of, and he was running out of patience. Revenge should have been easier than this. It had cost him eight men and, but for the errant aim of a Comanche arrow, he and his gang might have been wiped out entirely.
He knew the sheriff would give up the chase since he was now so far from Corpus Christi. The Texas Ranger was another matter. He would certainly be coming after him. Once again, Carlos Perez had become the hunted, the prey. Escape turned out to be an illusion.
He rightly guessed that the lawmen would be tied up cleaning the aftermath of the gun battle. Had he known about the gold, he might have decided to double back. Gold has a way of affecting men, and Perez was no exception. However, he didn’t know…yet.
Perez camped near a live oak motte just outside San Patricio. He’d head into town in the morning. Perhaps he could learn something about what was going on in Nuecestown. The only downside he could see was that he was a Mexican. He was a bit far north and many Texans still didn’t take kindly to his countrymen, often treating them as subhuman. Justice under the law for Mexicans in Texas was an aberration. It simply didn’t exist. Nevertheless, he was still far enough south that there should be some of his kind around. He’d find out what he needed to know.
***
Scarlett laid unmoving as Whelan had his way with her. She really didn’t care. He even came back after having dinner at the boarding house and raped her again. She seemed to have lost her will to live.
After he’d finished, the sheriff turned absentmindedly and gave her some food that Bernice had sent over. “Here.” He shoved the plate at her. “Eat this.”
“What happened to the Mexican?” she asked dully.
“Perez? He escaped. The Texas Ranger is going after him in the morning.”
In a way, Scarlett felt lucky she’d been arrested. With Perez on the loose, he might yet seek his revenge. “What are you going to do with me? Where will you take me?” She already knew what the sheriff would do with her; the second question was the one that mattered.
“We’re going to Corpus tomorrow, where you’ll answer for your crimes. You’ll likely avoid the hangman, Miss Scarlett, but you’ll surely see the inside of a prison.”
She had to find a way to escape. She’d have to wait until the sheriff was most vulnerable, and then make her move. She pushed her empty food dish out beneath the cell door and lay back to catch some more sleep…and wait for Whelan.
***
Luke saddled the big grey. He’d said his good-byes to Elisa and was preparing mentally to pursue Perez. He headed toward Nuecestown. The man had only one advantage, Luke figured, a sort of underworld of Mexicans in the Nueces Strip. They might hide him and help him escape to Mexico. His hope was that Perez’s desire for revenge was stronger than his desire to escape. He hitched his horse outside the sheriff’s office and strode up the steps, entering without knocking. First thing that caught his eye was Sheriff Whelan in the cell hog-tied by his pants. Scarlett was gone.
She’d done Whelan the indignity of tying him up naked from the waist down. “Damn, George. What the…?” Luke didn’t have to ask how. The man’s pants were at his ankles and he was doubled over in obvious pain.
“She pulled a fast one on me, Luke.”
Luke proceeded to unlock the cell and cut Whelan loose. “Where’s the gold?”
They looked over at the strong box. It was open. The gold, or at least much of it, was gone. The whole cache was simply too heavy for her.
“I messed up, Luke,” Sheriff George Whelan said forlornly in a tone of understatement.
***
Scarlett feared for her life, such as it was. She’d used her wiles to persuade the stable boy to “sell” her a horse. It hadn’t taken all that much, as young Dan was thrilled with a simple flash of breasts, combined with a gold coin. From the time she’d escaped the cell to having climbed aboard the horse and headed out of Nuecestown, it had taken not more than ten minutes.
She had no idea where Perez had headed but, in her way of thinking, he was Mexican and logic would have him heading south. She rode north. Besides, it was the direction she and Cav had been going. She thought she might start life anew in Austin.
As with Perez, Scarlett’s escape was more illusion than reality. They were both slaves to their passions.
TWENTY
Revenge a Sparse Meal
Luke was now doubly incentivized and doubly aggravated. He had to pursue, and capture or kill Perez before the man could assemble another gang of cutthroats, plus he had to find the prostitute who’d run off with the bank’s gold before Perez found her. While he felt confident that he could handle the tasks on his own, he missed having capable company like Three Toes and Clyde Jones. He wished the folks in Austin would fund another company of Texas Rangers. He could only hope that popular opinion would ultimately prevail. There seemed to be an ever-growing number of Texans regretting the decision to join the Union. The settlers on the Nueces Strip felt especially vulnerable.
During the gun battle in Nuecestown, Luke had seen what turned out to be Perez riding away hard on the road toward San Patricio. The killer likely stayed on that road, as the town was only about fifteen miles to the northwest. His quarry likely would have arrived on the outskirts before sunset. Luke believed his search should begin there among the Mexican community. He knew Perez was a creature of habit and would inevitably return to Mexico. Luke’s gamble was that Perez would leave tell-tale clues in San Patricio that would be easy to track. The man was not very subtle, yet he was not to be taken lightly. He lacked the strategic finesse to double back and trap Luke.
Luke’s other worry was Scarlett. If she was headed for San Patricio, she could encounter Perez. The Mexican bandit and the red-haired Laredo whore apparently had a less-than-
friendly relationship. Scarlett needed to pay for her crimes, but not her bad life choices.
***
Sheriff Whelan headed back to Corpus Christi. He had been deeply embarrassed and appreciated Luke’s discretion at not telling anyone in Nuecestown about the condition in which he’d been found. He was bringing back what was left of the gold, though roughly two-thirds had been stolen by the red-haired whore. He was of a mind to resign as sheriff, but felt he could trust Luke to keep their secret.
Other than lawman and philanderer, he really had no other skill sets. At least they’d stopped Cavendish and killed off most of the Perez gang. He consoled himself in having helped solve both the murder and horse thievery on the ranch near Corpus, as well as the bank robbery. He’d lick his wounds in Corpus, maybe get lost in some drinking and carousing.
Pete, the cowboy who had alerted Whelan to the murder of his partner by Perez and then joined the posse, had already returned to Corpus Christi. He didn’t even know that the Laredo whore had escaped with some of the bank’s gold. Thankfully for Whelan, he wouldn’t know how she escaped. The last Pete had seen of Scarlett, she was locked in the cell.
Pete stopped at the bank and told them of the success in Nuecestown and that the gold was on its way back.
Whelan arrived late in the morning. He stopped at his office first, took his horse to the livery, and then took the satchel with the remaining gold coins over to the bank. As he walked into the bank, he noticed there were still blood stains on the floor.
“Sheriff, we’re glad to see you,” the teller Cav had wounded greeted Whelan.
Whelan silently handed the satchel to the bank manager.
“Er…Sheriff, this seems very light.” The bank manager was almost apologetic. “I thought the gold had been fully recovered.”
Whelan finally found his courage. “The woman found a way to escape while I was indisposed. She took all the gold she could carry. Captain Dunn is pursuing her.”
The bank manager wondered what indisposed was supposed to mean, but decided not to ask about the circumstances. “I’m sure Captain Dunn will be successful, George. He’s built quite a reputation since he served as your deputy.”
“Yes, yes, he has. We’re fortunate to have him on the Nueces Strip. With the soldiers pulled out of Texas and no Texas Ranger companies authorized, he’s important to protecting our homes and businesses.”
“And banks.” The bank manager shook his head. “A lot of folks are depending on Luke Dunn, Sheriff.”
Whelan couldn’t get out of the bank fast enough. His next stop was the saloon up the street. A couple of drinks and a local whore would prop up his spirits.
***
In the morning, Perez rode into San Patricio. It didn’t take long to find the local barrio. He dismounted in front of the house of the nominal mayor of this part of the town. The Mexicans tended to stay off by themselves in these barrios or neighborhoods. Only the very wealthy patrones lived among the Anglos.
“Buenas dias.” He greeted the mayor warmly. “Me llamo Carlos. Viajé desde Corpus Christi.”
The mayor invited Perez into his house, and they sat in the garden to talk and drink coffee. “Qualiquier noticia de Corpus Christi?”
Perez was non-committal as to goings-on in Corpus. “No mucho.”
The mayor scratched his stubble beard as he tried to figure out this one-eyed man. He sensed that Perez was not a law-abiding person. He shared what little he knew of goings-on in Corpus Christi. “Un forajido fue asesinado, pero un mujere escapó con oro.”
Perez smiled deviously as he took in this information. The man the Laredo whore had been chasing was dead, shot by the Texas Ranger. She was on the run with stolen gold. “Hay más?”
“Un guardabosques de Texas la está siguiendo.”
Perez was almost beside himself with a perverse joy. He could still have his revenge on the Ranger as well as the whore. Revenge might yet be sweet. “Muchas gracias, alcalde.” He bid the mayor good-bye and found his way to the nearest saloon in the barrio.
As he nursed a glass of whiskey at a table in the saloon, he wagered that the whore would not return to Corpus Christi, but would escape toward San Patricio. If she was carrying a satchel of gold, it would slow her down both by its weight and her need to protect it. It was also obvious to Perez that she would not come to the barrio, but would head for some more genteel part of the town.
A dark-haired, ruby-lipped woman at the bar smiled his way. Perez motioned her to join him.
As she sat in the chair beside him, she lifted her skirt to reveal ample leg and more.
“Te gustaría ganar dinero?” Perez didn’t waste time getting to his purpose. Of course, she was interested in making money. What did he want her to do to him? But it turned out to be for him, not to him.
Perez shared a plan by which she’d lure the red-haired whore to his room above the saloon. He didn’t share with this San Patricio whore that he aimed to first prove his manhood, then kill the red-head and take her gold. In fact, he was careful not to mention gold.
Perez took the whore’s hand and led her to his room. He was of a mind to get in a bit of hands-on practice for what he hoped would be sweet revenge. Afterward, he could figure how to trap the Texas Ranger.
***
Scarlett was dead tired by the time she reached San Patricio. As a woman traveling alone, she’d be under some suspicion. She easily distinguished the barrio from the rest of the town and skirted wide of it. She finally found a boarding house.
She persuaded a young boy to take her horse to the livery. She used the same technique she’d found useful in Nuecestown. Upon entering the boarding house with her heavy satchel, she secured a room. The housekeeper was surprised at being paid in gold. “I’m paying in advance. Is there somewhere I can get a bath and some new clothes?”
“Come around to the back room in an hour, ma’am, and I can have a hot tub for you. The general store is still open, so I’d be pleased to find a dress for you.”
“Thank you. Is there a stage coach from here to Austin?”
The housekeeper thought a moment. “I’ll check, but I think one leaves the day after tomorrow in the morning.” She looked down at the obviously heavy satchel. “I’ll get that bath ready for you.”
Scarlett prayed her satchel would be safe in the room while she took her bath. She regretted not hiding it before her arrival in town. She decided on a bit of deception. Once in the room, she emptied the contents under the mattress. She snuck out and gathered enough rocks to fill the satchel, and then left it on the chair near the bed.
She enjoyed the hot bath and appreciated the housekeeper’s good taste in clothes. The dress would be serviceable for stage coach travel. She was in much better spirits, even stopping to have a bit of dinner before she returned to her room.
Her first clue was that the door was unlocked. Inside, the room had been ransacked. The satchel had even been turned inside out, and the rocks strewn across the floor.
She took a deep breath and raised the mattress. The thieves had overlooked what was probably the most obvious place to hide valuables. She put the gold back in the satchel and slipped it under her pillow. She’d be sleeping on top of her glittering horde that night.
At breakfast, a pretty black-haired woman was eating. She appeared to be crying. Scarlett had a soft spot for women who might be struggling. “Are you all right?”
The woman shook her head and continued to cry.
Scarlett went over, sat beside her, and put her arm over her shoulder to console the woman. “Can I help?”
***
After Three Toes said his good-byes to Luke, he slowly made his way northwest to join Long Feathers and his people. His wives were none too happy that he’d chosen to make the visit to Ghost-Who-Rides. The Comanche were at least a day ahead, but Three Toes was in no hurry to catch up.
He pondered what had become of his people, the once-proud Comanche. How had they come to this inauspicious end? Why were they
heading to a place where they’d be under the control of the Anglos? It was a bitter outcome. He hadn’t heard any encouraging words about Camp Cooper and his Penateka brethren.
The first night after leaving Luke, he built a small campfire and meditated under the stars. He heard great peals of thunder and saw flashes of lightning far to the south. He prayed to the Great Spirit for direction. Now in his early forties, he had much life ahead and intended to guide his Penateka Comanche through possible tough times ahead. Is that what the Great Spirit would have him do?
He prayed, looking up at the expanse of heaven above him. He had heard of the lamentations of the Sioux to the far north of him. He’d seen his brother Comanche tribes surrender one by one as they succumbed to the incursions of the white man, increased killing of the buffalo, rampant starvation, and dreaded white man’s diseases.
Three Toes felt pulled from his people by some strong invisible force. It was frightening. He’d begun to fear being alone in what was now ever-more-hostile country. What indeed was the Great Spirit telling him to do?
For the next two nights, he meditated and prayed. He was torn by what he believed he was hearing. On the third day, he came within sight of his people. He could delay no longer. He had to come to a decision. Once he entered the Penateka Comanche camp, he’d be committed to a future that the Great Spirit seemed to be pulling him away from. In the distance, he could barely make out Long Feathers and see his three wives pulling the travois. He wondered if one or more might be pregnant. Perhaps one day he would know, he thought, as he turned south and rode from his people.
Three Toes would follow the commands of the Great Spirit, going wherever he felt led.
***
Luke rode into the barrio section of San Patricio and stopped at the mayor’s house. As a big man on a big horse, he was noticed. The word would travel quickly. He knocked on the mayor’s door. “Senor Garcia! Hola!” Luke’s Irish Texas Spanish wasn’t half-bad.
The mayor opened the door and furtively motioned Luke inside. “Como estas?”
“Muy bien, alcalde. Gracias.” Luke was running to the limit of his knowledge of Spanish, but was trying.
Nueces Justice Page 17