“You’d best take a message out to Mr. Malvern.”
“What message?”
“If he wants a war, he’ll get one, but it won’t end well for him.”
Burke swallowed the lump in his throat and said nothing. He simply walked back to the jail with his head and shoulders slumped. Jess looked around town and saw Juanita standing in the doorway of the hotel with a pot of coffee still in her hand. She smiled at him, turned around and walked back inside.
“Doesn’t seem like such a quiet town now,” he whispered to himself.
Chapter eight
Over the next few days, the Roddys moved into the house on the McBee property. Gabriel and Buster moved their sheep onto the land, which took them two days since they had to go around the south side of town to avoid Malvern and the other ranchers’ lands. Jess hired four men to string up the fencing that separated the old McBee spread from Malvern’s. He spent most of his days riding around the property and checking on the men working. They were finishing up with the last two rolls when he approached them. One of the men was the clerk who had sold him the fencing.
“We just ran out of the stuff, Mr. Williams,” said the clerk. “I can order some more, but it’ll take a week to get here. I have some single wire rolls I can put up if you’d like, but some of the cattle will just duck under it.”
“That’s okay. This is good enough for my purposes,” Jess said.
“You mean you don’t want me to order some more?”
“No, this will do just fine.” The clerk looked up and down the fence line and calculated that they hadn’t quite strung a mile of it.
“But, those cattle will just walk the fence until they come to the end and cross over,” he said as he made a slightly confused face.
“I know, but it does send a message, don’t you think?” The clerk looked up and down the fence again and smiled.
“Oh, I get it,” he chuckled. “So, do you want me to say I ordered more fencing if anyone asks me?”
“That’s exactly what I’d like you to say.”
“Okay then, I’ll not order the other two miles of fencing you ordered,” he said, chuckling to himself. “I like the way you think, Mr. Williams. I really do.”
The clerk rounded up the men and they headed back to town in the wagon they had used to haul the materials. Jess turned in the saddle and estimated around two hundred head of Malvern’s cattle on his side of the fence.
“I guess I should pay Mr. Malvern a visit and tell him to move his cattle off my land,” he said to himself as he rode to one end of the fence line and headed to Malvern’s place.
Before he got to the house, he saw two riders heading straight for him. He reined up his horses, pulled his large-bore ten-gauge out of his back sling and waited. One of the two men was Shade Reid. As soon as they saw the large-bore, they slowed their horses down to a walk.
“I have to admit, you’ve got gumption coming out here after killing Blair and Engall,” Reid said as he shook his head.
“Your boss shouldn’t have sent those two looking for me,” replied Jess.
“Mr. Malvern is so mad he won’t even speak with you, so you’re wasting your time,” Reid said as he shifted in the saddle.
“The way I see things, if he thought he had the right to send two men to kill me, I’ve got the right to speak with him.”
“I don’t think you’re hearing me. We ain’t lettin’ you go any farther,” Reid said bluntly. The other man, Jordan Hock, moved his horse closer to Jess.
“You heard the man. You ain’t getting by us,” he barked with mean-looking eyes. Jess kneed Gray sideways and pointed the large-bore straight at him.
“What do you mean, us?” he asked.
“Mister, you’d better point that cannon somewhere else,” growled Hock as he placed his hand on the butt of his pistol.
“It’s pointed right where it needs to be.”
“Now hold up a minute,” said Reid as he rode closer. “This is Malvern’s land and he’s got the right to keep anyone off it that he sees fit.”
“I agree, which is why I want to talk to him about his cattle grazing on my land right now as we speak.”
“Mr. Malvern and Mr. McBee had a gentleman’s agreement to let their cattle graze on each other’s land, which is why there ain’t no fencing to stop them from moving around.”
“That agreement ended when I bought the property from the bank.”
“Why the hell did you buy it anyway? You ain’t no rancher,” said Reid.
“It’s an investment and I plan to make a profit on it.”
“I heard you paid cash for the place. How’d you find that kind of money?”
“I’ve probably got more money in the bank than your boss does. Now, are you gonna take me to talk to him or do I ride back to my place and start shooting cattle? I estimated a few hundred head and I could have them all on the ground by the time you get some men gathered up. Maybe you could drag the carcasses behind your horses like you did them sheep.”
“You wouldn’t do that,” said Hock.
“Do I strike you as a man who makes idle threats?”
Reid shook his head and let out a long breath. “Okay, but you get five minutes and not a second more,” Reid told him.
The two men parted their horses to let Jess by, but he didn’t move.
“After you,” he said as he waved the shotgun at them.
“This is bull,” griped Hock. “How do we know he won’t back shoot us?”
“He won’t do that unless we give him a reason to,” replied Reid as the two of them spurred their horses into a gallop, Jess following behind by a hundred feet or so.
When they reached the house, Malvern was sitting on the front porch drinking coffee and smoking a long cigar. He stood up when he saw who was following his men. He threw the expensive cigar over the railing and spat on the floor of the porch.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve coming out here,” he said in a most disagreeable manner.
“I figured we needed to have an understanding, since we’re neighbors now.”
“We ain’t neighbors. You’re just the man who bought that property out from under me,” he said through baleful eyes.
“Well, I’m here to inform you that a few hundred head of your cattle are grazing on my side of the fence and you have twenty-four hours to remove them before I claim them or shoot them.”
“What fence?”
“The one I’m putting up now,” he said. “The general store is ordering me some more so I can finish the west end of my property. It’s not so much to keep your cattle out, but to keep the sheep from wandering over onto your land. I know how mad you get when that happens.”
“Sheep, what sheep?”
“I had the Roddys move into the house and they moved their herd over onto my property,” explained Jess in a nonchalant manner. “I have them grazing on the other side of the river for now until I get it fenced off completely.”
“You’re only doing this to piss me off, Williams,” Malvern hissed through thin lips.
“And you should’ve let the Roddys be,” he countered. Hock placed his hand on the butt of his pistol and Jess raised the large-bore directly at Malvern.
“When he pulls that out we both go to hell,” he warned him. Malvern’s face whitened and he threw his hands up.
“Hock, keep that gun holstered!”
“Come on, let’s fill him with lead,” groused Hock. “There’s eight of us and we’re all ready.”
“Some other time maybe, when I ain’t staring down the barrel of a shotgun,” said Malvern.
“Twenty-four hours,” Jess said as he started backing his horses up.
Malvern and his men watched him continue to back his horses up and he slid his rifle out until he was out of range. After holstering his guns, he nudged Gray into a fast gallop. Reid slid from the saddle and walked up to Malvern, who stood there trembling with anger.
“I told you he could be a heap of trouble,�
�� said Reid.
“I don’t want to hear it,” he said angrily. “Do you think you can take him?”
“I’d like to think I could, but he’s the fastest man I ever saw work a pistol,” answered Reid. “That gun and holster of his ain’t anything I’ve ever seen before. I don’t know where he got it.”
“Do you know anyone who can take him?” asked Malvern.
“I know of a hired gun by the name of Heath Morgan who might want a shot at him, but he doesn’t come cheap, boss. The last I heard he charges five thousand to kill a man.”
“Send for him and offer half up front and the other half when it’s done if he agrees to do the job,” Malvern ordered as he spun around and stormed into the house. Before he went through the doorway, he glanced at Hock.
“Hock, Brady, in my office now,” he barked. The two men walked inside and sat down across from his desk.
“How would you boys like a bonus of five hundred bucks each?” he asked them. Hock smiled and leaned forward in the chair.
“I think I can speak for the both of us when I say yes,” said Hock.
“I want you two to ambush that man and kill him once and for all.”
“I thought you were sending for that Morgan fellow to do the job.”
“Yeah, but he might not come and even if he does, if you two kill Williams first, I’ll save a lot of money.”
“Okay, we’ll do it. I know a great place to do it on his property.”
“Do it as quick as you can.”
“My pleasure, boss,” snarled Hock as he and Brady stood up. They walked out, got on their horses and rode off. Hock explained his plan to Brady, who grinned at the thought of the five hundred dollars.
Chapter nine
Jess was riding along the river on his property. He could see sheep on the other side grazing on the thick, lush grass. The river was too deep for the sheep to cross and the heavy wooden bridges that had gates on them kept them from getting to the other side. He saw Gabriel off in the distance and waved at him. When he did, two rifle shots rang out from some bushes nearby.
One slug knocked his hat off and the other slug tore some meat off his backside. In one fluid motion, he slid off Gray as he pulled the large-bore out of his back sling and hit the ground on his stomach. He saw the smoke rising up from the bushes and he fired both barrels, one at a time.
He heard screaming and cursing as the twenty chunks of lead and buckshot slammed into the bushes, hitting both men several times as they were racking second shells into their rifles. Jess left the large-bore on the ground and quickly stood up as he slicked his pistol out. He felt the warm blood trickling down his backside, but he ignored it. When he got to the bushes, he saw Hock lying among fallen leaves bleeding from three wounds. One of the slugs had punched through Brady’s right eye and he was stone still, his lifeless left eye looking up at the sky.
“We meet again,” Jess told Hock as he moved his shoulders around, feeling the pain in his back.
“I had you dead in my sights until you waved,” moaned Hock.
“You came real close,” acknowledged Jess as he felt the top of his head. “Was this your idea or did Malvern send you two out here?”
“I don’t have to tell you anything,” said Hock as he tried to reach for his pistol.
“No, you surely don’t,” Jess said as he cocked the pistol and aimed it at Hock, whose eyes widened with fear. “Tell the devil I’m still up here doing his work.”
Jess fired one shot that blew Hock’s heart apart inside his chest. He replaced the spent shell as he stood there looking at the two bodies. He heard some yelling behind him and saw Gabriel running.
“Jess, are you okay?” asked the boy.
“I’m better than those two,” he said as he nodded at the bushes.
“Those two work for Malvern.”
“I know.”
“You’d better go and see the doctor in town.”
“Do me a favor and find their horses. They have to be somewhere close by,” he told Gabriel. “Then, find your pa, get the wagon hitched up and load their bodies in it so your pa can bring them to town.”
Gabriel took off running and Jess went through their pockets. He found just under one hundred dollars on them. He pocketed the money and removed their guns and holsters, putting them in a pile with the two rifles. He picked the large-bore up from the grass and loaded it, sliding it back into his back sling as he went back to his horses. He picked up his hat and stuck his finger in the hole before putting it back on. He climbed up on Gray and headed along a small trail leading to town.
When he rode in, he headed for the building that had a shingle out announcing a doctor’s office. He slid from the saddle, flinching at the pain. He walked inside to find a fairly young man wearing a white coat sitting behind a desk.
“Need something, Mr. Williams?” He turned around to show the bloody back of his shirt.
“Oh, my! What happened?”
“It seems Mr. Malvern still wants me dead, only he missed again.”
“If I know Mr. Malvern, he’ll keep trying. Let’s get you into the room in back so I can clean and bandage that wound proper.”
When the doctor finished, Jess handed him five dollars and walked out in time to see Buster Roddy pulling the wagon into town. He rode up to the jail and Jess met him there. Sheriff Burke reluctantly walked out, shaking his head when he saw the two bodies in the back.
“I suppose this is your work?” asked Burke.
“They tried to ambush me by the river on my property,” Jess told him.
“He’s not going to stop.”
“Then he’s going to an early grave,” Jess said bluntly. “If you want to kill a snake, you cut the head off.”
“That’s sounds like murder to me,” said Burke, raising his eyebrows.
“And what do you call this?” Jess asked him as he turned so Burke could see the dried blood and two holes in the back of his shirt.
“Attempted murder don’t carry the same sentence as murder,” refuted Burke, sorry he had said it the moment the words left his mouth.
“You should read that wire you got from Marshal Reedy again,” Jess told Burke. “Now get that crap out of my wagon while I go get me a new hat and shirt.”
The undertaker was standing nearby as if he could smell the stench of death in the air. Burke waved him over and they unloaded the bodies. Buster said nothing. He simply turned the wagon around and headed back out of town.
When Jess walked out carrying a new shirt and wearing a new hat, he saw a lone rider coming into town. He watched the figure until he came into view and he smiled widely as he recognized John Bodine, his old pal.
Bodine rode up to where Jess stood on the boardwalk in front of the store. “Did you buy that shirt for me?” he asked.
“It won’t fit that belly of yours,” Jess said grinning.
“What kind of trouble are you into now?”
Jess turned around and showed the backside of his shirt to him.
Bodine whistled. “So, how many men have you killed today?”
“Only two.”
“Only two?”
“Yeah, they tried to ambush me on my own property.”
“You have property?”
“Let’s go and get a bite to eat at the café and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Okay, but you’re paying.”
“What a surprise,” Jess moaned as he headed across the street to the café. Bodine dismounted and followed him. They sat down at a corner table and Juanita walked over to take their order. Jess glared at Bodine when he ordered two of the specials.
“One meal ain’t enough?” Jess asked.
“Hey, the food on that train was lousy and I had to ride the last twenty miles here,” he said defensively. “I didn’t have any time to buy food ‘cause I was told to get here as fast as I could. Now, tell me what’s going on.”
Jess explained everything that had happened since he had arrived in Pelston. Bodine
kept eating while Jess talked. Every time he bit into a biscuit, the crumbs fell on the table and his plate. When Jess finished, Juanita strolled over and smiled at Bodine.
“Would you like some dessert?” she asked him. “I only have one piece of apple pie left.”
“Well some pie would be…”
“He doesn’t need any pie,” Jess told her, cutting him off midsentence.
“But I like pie.”
“Obviously. Do you need me to buy you some larger pants again?”
“That’s not funny,” Bodine said briskly. “Now, I think you should set me up in the hotel in one of the best rooms they have.”
“You’re going to be staying at the house on my property.”
“But there is a café right here so I can get my meals regular.”
“And run up a bill for me to pay?”
“Of course,” he said blatantly. “Did you forget how this works?”
“No, I remember all too well.”
Juanita turned to walk away. “No pie for you then,” she said.
Sheriff Burke walked in and over to their table. “Who is your friend?” questioned Burke warily.
“This is John Bodine,” Jess told him.
“Well, Mr. Bodine, you’d best not get involved in Mr. Williams’ affairs or you’ll find yourself in my jail.” Bodine stood up in front of Burke, who quickly felt the barrel of a gun pushing into his stomach.
“You can’t pull a gun on a lawman,” said Burke.
“I’ve heard all about your little deal with the cattle ranchers and it stops right now,” growled Bodine as he pulled the badge off Burke’s shirt.
He threw it on the table and reached inside his shirt pocket. When he pulled out the United States Marshal’s badge and pinned it on, Burke’s face turned beet red. Bodine pulled the pistol out of Burke’s holster and put it on the table as he belched loudly in his face.
“Sorry about that. Now let’s take a walk to the jail, ‘cause there’s real law in town now,” he said as he waved the pistol at him.
“This is your doing,” Burke barked at Jess.
“Yep, it sure is,” he said, smiling as Bodine marched Burke out and over to the jail.
Wanted: A Western Story Collection Page 13