The Tylers 2

by Neil Hunter

  He dismounted, still holding the shotgun on them, moving quickly round their horses as he disarmed them both.

  ‘Ma’am, put out your right hand.’

  Hannah did as she was told and LeRoy snapped the jaws of a set of handcuffs on to her wrist, turning the key to lock it. Jacob was told to offer his left hand, and he too felt the cold metal encircle his wrist, heard the click of it locking.

  ‘You led me a long chase, Tyler,’ LeRoy said as he mounted up. ‘But it’s over now, boy, and I’ll see you behind bars this time.’

  ‘Do I get a chance to tell my side of it?’ Jacob asked.

  ‘In court, boy, in court,’ LeRoy said. ‘My job is to catch felons. It’s up to somebody else to decide your guilt.’

  ‘Or innocence!’ Hannah said hotly.

  LeRoy glanced at her, his hard face made harder by the cold smile. A smile that didn’t reach his bitter eyes. ‘As you say, little lady. Only this time I have more than a passing interest in the case. Being more-or-less a witness.’

  ‘Hell, no!’ Jacob exploded. ‘Damn you, LeRoy, you’re a liar!’

  ‘Easy, boy, less I happen to nudge the trigger on this scattergun!’

  ‘That would be murder, Marshal,’ Hannah said, her gaze fixed solidly on LeRoy’s face.

  ‘Would it, ma’am?’ he asked coldly, his tone and implication sending a shiver down her spine.

  They moved out at his bidding, retracting their steps. Jacob had a feeling that LeRoy was taking them back to Bannock. Maybe, just maybe, he might be able to salvage something from this mess yet. LeRoy obviously didn’t know about Will Retford’s pose as the marshal of Bannock. Jacob decided not to say anything about it. A sudden confrontation might be just the thing to upset Will’s masquerade.

  But fate had decided otherwise and Jacob’s hopes for a return to Bannock were rudely shattered by the appearance of Benteen and Hinds. The two bounty-hunters suddenly rode into view, drawing rein across the path of LeRoy and his prisoners.

  ‘Well now, Marshal,’ the one called Hinds said, ‘it ‘pears Dave an’ me got to say thanks to you.’

  ‘For what?’ LeRoy asked.

  Benteen, a tall, thickset man with black, tangled hair, grinned, showing large, yellow teeth. ‘Why Marshal, for catching our two runaways fo’ us. We been after ‘em a while. And you done gone an’ caught ‘em all nice an’ easy!’

  ‘Bounty hunters!’ LeRoy spat the words out as realisation came to him. He sat up in his saddle, his body rigid. ‘I have one thing to say to you two. Step out of my way. I’m a U.S. marshal, and these two are my prisoners. Make any kind of move and you buy a lot of trouble.’

  Benteen laughed softly. ‘You got it all wrong, Marshal! There’s a fat reward out fo’ this here Tyler feller, an’ me an’ Ike have staked our claim. Now I don’t give a hatful of shit for your badge. Won’t mean a thing when you-all is dead. An’ this pair ain’t goin’ to do no talkin’ on it, ‘cause that ‘Wanted’ flyer says ‘Alive or Dead’!’

  With his last words spoken Benteen leaned to one side, and LeRoy saw that the other man, Hinds, had a gun in his hand, previously hidden by Benteen’s bulk. The gun was already levelled and cocked, and LeRoy was far too late to aim his shotgun before Hinds fired. The gun, a heavy Dragoon Colt, roared, spitting flame and smoke, and LeRoy felt a stunning impact as the bullet hit him. He was pushed back out of his saddle. He hit the ground hard, the back of his head striking the ground and he knew no more as everything went black around him.

  As Hinds fired and the Dragoon exploded, Jacob knew that he and Hannah had little time left; once they’d done with LeRoy, the bounty-hunters would turn on him and Hannah. If he was going to do something it had to be now and it had to be fast, no matter how slim a chance it might offer.

  With that in mind Jacob kicked his feet free from the stirrups, thrusting his body from the saddle.

  ‘Hannah!’ he yelled. ‘Down!’

  She responded to his call, following him to the ground. Momentarily shielded by their horses they ran forward, Jacob practically dragging Hannah by the short length of chain that joined their wrists. He knew where they were headed, hoping that they might reach it before Benteen and Hinds got a clear shot at them.

  A few yards away the ground fell away in a long, steep slope to the bottom of some long-dead river-bed. If they could get over the edge and down the slope they might stand some kind of chance.

  Even in the frantic rush to the edge of the drop, Jacob’s eye was caught by the sight of LeRoy’s body hitting the ground only feet away. As LeRoy struck the earth, his arms were flung wide by the impact, and the shotgun, clutched in one hand, flew free from his nerveless fingers, skidding in the dust almost at Jacob’s feet. And in a reflex action Jacob reached out and closed his hand around the weapon.

  Behind them came a sudden yell of anger. Following close on the yell came the boom of the big Dragoon. Jacob heard the bullet slam into hard ground close by. But then they were on the edge of the drop. Jacob didn’t hesitate. He thrust Hannah over the edge, going over after her.

  The slope was steep and soft underfoot. Held together by the manacles they hurtled down the slope in a billowing cloud of thick dust and rattling shale. Their bodies spun and twisted over and over, bruised and scraped by the headlong fall.

  Yet the very dust that threatened to choke them also hid them from the sight of Benteen and Hinds.

  They hit bottom hard, Jacob momentarily losing his grip on the shotgun. He grabbed it up again as he shoved to his feet, grasping Hannah’s wrist and pulling her with him. They ran. Hard and fast, heading along the river-bed. Jacob had no particular destination. All he wanted to do was to get out of range of the guns of Benteen and Hinds.

  Shots rang out behind them, bullets whipping through the air close by them; but the swirling dust caused by their descent still fogged the river-bed, making them hard targets.

  Jacob knew it wouldn’t be long before Benteen and Hinds came down after them, and all he had was a shotgun; he paused long enough to check the loads and found that both barrels were primed.

  As they ran, rounding a sharp curve in the river bed, he saw a narrow fissure in the bank; in the time when the river had flowed this fissure would have fed it with water coming down out of the distant hills. Jacob pointed it out to Hannah and they headed into the fissure, finding themselves in a narrow gully. As they moved into it they found that it was extremely rough underfoot, and the gully itself was thickly choked with tangled brush. It caught in their clothing, the thorny branches scratching their faces. But they pushed on, ignoring the pain and the discomfort, because they knew that they had little choice; no matter how bad their position was here it could never be as bad as the other option — in the forms of Benteen and Hinds.

  They forced their way along the gully for more than a mile, and suddenly found it levelling out until it merged with the surrounding land. They found themselves on open, flat ground, abruptly and badly exposed.

  There was no sign of Benteen and Hinds, but Jacob knew that the bounty-hunters would be around somewhere. They wouldn’t give up easily. Not with money riding on Jacob’s capture — dead or alive!

  ‘Rest a minute,’ he said, pulling Hannah down beside him.

  Hannah slumped down onto the ground. She was bathed in sweat, her breathing harsh and ragged. Jacob noticed that her manacled wrist was chafed raw and bloody by the rough iron bracelet.

  About to speak he suddenly noticed a faint swirl of dust from a high ridge behind them. A moment later a horse and rider crested the ridge. Although the man was a fair distance away Jacob recognised him — it was Benteen.

  ‘Damn!’

  Hannah turned her head to see what he was looking at and saw Benteen. The bounty-hunter saw them too. Sunlight flashed on his rifle as he lifted it to his shoulder.

  Jacob threw himself at Hannah, the force of his drive knocking her flat. And as he went down beside her he heard the vicious crack of the distant rifle. The bullet tugged his shirt a
s it passed, raising a ball of dust as it struck the ground inches away.

  Grabbing Hannah’s wrist Jacob dragged her along the ground, praying for some kind of cover. There seemed to be little here. The ground was flat and open.

  Benteen’s rifle fired again. This second bullet went wide. Benteen didn’t seem to be too good a shot, but given time he would eventually hit one of them. Jacob hoped they could make some cover before that time came.

  ‘Jacob!’ Hannah’s voice reached him and he turned his head. She was pointing off to the right.

  He glanced that way and saw another gully, similar to the one they’d used recently. It had been hidden from them by a shallow dip in the ground, but now they were very close to it. Jacob turned his prone body that way. He threw a quick look towards Benteen and saw that the man was much closer now.

  ‘Up on your feet,’ he said to Hannah. ‘And run!’

  They reached the gully with Benteen thundering across the flat towards them. Had he been a better shot they would never have reached it. As it was his bullets sang through the air all around them, but not one touched them.

  The edge of the gully appeared at their feet and they plunged over without hesitation. Sliding and slipping on the steep shale they crashed into the brush-choked gully, pushing their way deep into the tangled growth.

  Up on the gully rim Benteen emptied his rifle into the brush, cursing wildly. His bullets tore through the undergrowth, the only one to do any kind of damage clipping Jacob’s left arm in passing. It drew blood but little else.

  As they had with the first gully, Jacob and Hannah just followed its course. This one twisted and bent its laborious way seemingly for yard after yard. They just carried on fighting their way through the undergrowth, oblivious to the time, the stifling heat and the choking, acid dust that swirled up from under their feet. They were soaked in sweat, their bodies cut and slashed by the cruel, thorny brush, yet they kept moving, knowing that if they stopped now they wouldn’t have the strength to move on again.

  It was Hannah who noticed the sky darkening above them, and the sudden lower temperature. The day was nearly over. The night was coming on, and they were still alive. Hungry, thirsty, tired and battered, but they were still alive.

  She pulled Jacob to a stop, realising that he was practically asleep on his feet. He showed little resistance as she drew him into a shallow cave formed in the rocky section of the gully bank.

  ‘Jacob,’ she said. ‘We can rest now. It’s getting dark. We should be safe here.’

  He glanced at her and she saw the fatigue in his face, and marvelled at the way he’d kept going all this time. He was still weak from his wound, yet he’d kept both of them moving, and Hannah knew that if it hadn’t been for his stubborn determination they wouldn’t have got this far.

  With full darkness came the chilling cold of this high country. Hannah thought of the coats and blankets they’d carried on their horses, and the thought made her shiver. Jacob drew her close, holding her body against his for warmth.

  ‘I might keep this chain on for good,’ he told her. ‘That way I won’t lose you.’

  Hannah laughed softly, her breath warm on his face. ‘I like the idea, but wouldn’t it get in the way on certain occasions?’

  He was silent for a moment. Then his sleepy voice reached her. ‘Easy way to find out,’ he said.

  In the gray light of early dawn they lay together, listening to the sound of slow-moving horses. There were two animals and they were being ridden back and forth along the banks of the gully.

  Jacob knew who the riders were. Benteen and Hinds were still after that bounty-money. If they were nothing else they were consistent.

  After a time the hoof beats drifted away. But shortly one horse returned. It was reined in on the bank not far from where they were. Saddle-leather creaked as someone dismounted. Boots scraped the rock and a shower of small stones trickled down into the gully, hissing through the tangled brush. More scraping sounds followed, and further small avalanches of dust.

  Hannah looked at Jacob, her eyes wide with alarm. He nodded to her, in silent answer to her unasked question; one of the bounty-hunters was coming down into the gully for a look round.

  Jacob gripped the shotgun, making sure the hammers were down. He didn’t want to fire the weapon if he could avoid it. There was no telling how close the other man might be.

  Through the brush he spotted the dark figure of the bounty-hunter as he came down off the sloping bank. The man paused, looking round as if undecided which way to go. Then he began to push his way through the thick tangle, in a direction that would bring him right past the place where Jacob and Hannah were hiding.

  Jacob readied himself. He could feel Hannah close behind him, her body held taut with the tension of the moment; she was completely opposite to the way she’d been the night before, in fact only short hours ago, when her lithe body had relaxed against him, her warmth and need for him revealing itself in the strong passion that had quickened and heightened her responses.

  The brush crackled and rustled as the bounty-hunter stepped closer. Jacob leaned out from the shallow cave and caught a quick glimpse of the man’s dark-stubbled face. It was the one called Benteen. He had a Colt in one hand and the way he carried the gun it was plain that he knew how to use it.

  Benteen was alongside the cave almost before Jacob realised it, but he reacted swiftly. As Benteen stepped by, thrusting aside the brush, Jacob moved out behind him and laid the shotgun barrel across the back of Benteen’s head. The bounty-hunter pitched forward, slamming up against the gully side. The Colt dropped from his fingers, but Benteen didn’t go down and Jacob realised that he hadn’t hit the man hard enough; but he was still not fully recovered from the effects of the bullet wound; normally he could have dropped Benteen with one blow.

  As Jacob stepped forward, Hannah following him, trying to match his pace, Benteen shoved away from the side, turning to face Jacob. The bounty-hunter saw nothing, except for the twin barrels of the shotgun, a split-second before Jacob hit him again, dropping him like a stone, blood streaming from his mouth.

  Knowing there was little time to spare. Jacob knelt beside the unconscious bounty-hunter, unstrapping the gun belt. He hung it around his own waist, dropping Benteen’s Colt into the holster.

  ‘You think you can handle this?’ he asked, passing her the shotgun.

  Hannah glanced at the weapon. ‘If I need to!’

  Without a backward glance at Benteen, Jacob led off along the gully. He retraced Benteen’s steps until he reached the place where the bounty-hunter had come down the bank.

  ‘We reach the top,’ he said, ‘keep low. The other one might be around.’

  They climbed the bank slowly, their progress hampered by the chain that joined them. More than once they lost their footing, sliding yards back down the slope before they could check their descent.

  Reaching the rim finally they crouched below skyline, taking time to ease their heavy breathing. The day was lighting quickly now, the distant sky taking on a soft orange glow as the sun began to rise.

  Jacob spotted Benteen’s horse. It was tethered to a clump of brush some yards away from the edge of the gully. He scanned the surrounding terrain, his eyes searching for Benteen’s partner, but Hinds was nowhere to be seen.

  ‘Benteen’s horse is close by,’ he told Hannah. ‘I can’t see Hinds, but he might be around. Once we clear this rim we move fast. As soon as we reach the horse I’ll go up first. Then you swing up behind me, and hang on, because we might have to light out kind of fast.’

  He led her up onto level ground and the moment they left the gully behind them they ran across to Benteen’s horse. Jacob loosened the reins and swung up into the saddle. It was awkward getting Hannah up behind him because of the manacle-chain, but they finally managed it; Hannah put her right arm round his waist so that Jacob had reasonable use of his left hand; he used it to hold the reins, leaving his right hand free for the holstered Colt on his right h
ip.

  He gigged the horse into movement. Hannah was silent for a while, and then she asked:

  ‘Jacob, why are we going this way? This won’t take us south!’

  ‘No. But it’ll take us back to Bannock!’

  Hannah’s body tensed. ‘Back to Bannock? I thought you wanted to get away from Bannock?’

  ‘Hell, I do, Hannah! But it won’t work. I’m letting Will run me off. And that don’t sit right with me. Damn it, Hannah, he’s the guilty one, not me, and running away ain’t going to get it cleared up. I’ve had enough of tracking Will over half the country. This time I’m going to finish it, one way or another.’

  He felt her arms tighten around him. ‘All right, Jacob. Whatever you say.’

  Jacob turned his horse towards the hills and Bannock. He knew that once he reached Bannock it would be a make or break conflict. He’d had enough of this life, this running and hiding. He wanted the thing finished with, one way or another, even if he had to force a play. And this time there would be no place for Will Retford to run and hide.

  Seth Tyler reined in and climbed down out of his saddle. He crossed over to the motionless figure lying by the side of the narrow trail. He’d recognised Alvin LeRoy even before he’d dismounted, and as he approached he wondered whether he’d find the man alive or dead.

  The ride up from Hope had been long and tiring, and the last thing Seth had expected to see on this particular day was Alvin LeRoy, with a gunshot wound.

  Seth knelt beside LeRoy, and saw straightaway that the marshal was still alive; LeRoy, though pale, was breathing strongly, but he was still unconscious. Seth checked the wound. The bullet had hit LeRoy in the chest, high on the left side, but instead of going straight in it had turned at a sharp angle, eventually going through LeRoy’s left shoulder and coming out at the rear; LeRoy had lost a fair amount of blood, though when Seth examined the wound he found it clean.

  It was getting on towards dark, and Seth knew that there was no point in trying to move LeRoy too far. He took a look around, seeking a place to make camp for the night. To one side of the trail the ground fell away into a dry river-bed. The far side of the trail gave way into wooded country and after a few minutes tramping around Seth found a reasonable place to make camp. He led his horse to the place and tethered it to a low branch. Then he went back and picked LeRoy up, carrying him to the campsite. He laid the marshal down and covered him with his own blankets. Setting-to, Seth gathered wood and built a fire. Once it was going he poured water into his coffee-pot and placed it over the flames. He’d noticed a stream some way off. Taking his two big canteens he headed that way. Reaching the stream he hunkered down to fill the canteens. He heard a sound and glanced up, and found himself looking across the stream at three saddled horses; saddled but riderless. He crossed the stream, approaching the horses slowly. They stamped their feet restlessly, but stayed where they were. Seth gathered their reins and began to check the animals and the gear they carried. It didn’t take him long to realise that the horses belonged to LeRoy and Jacob. The third rider was unknown to him, though Seth figured that the rider was a woman, by what he’d found in the saddlebags.