Pat tipped his cavalry hat back. “I, too, will be leaving. Me wee sister and I will be off to California. A lovely land it is.”
Bill Nance started to answer, but the pounding of horses’ hooves caused him to turn as three cavalry men, leading three horses, topped the north ridge and trotted down into the yard.
Josh noticed the sergeant take in the bullet-chipped walls and the blood still in the yard.
The sergeant addressed Pat. “First Sergeant, I have an urgent message for Major Logan from Colonel Sturgis.”
“Lad, this here is Major Logan; message away.”
“Major Logan, Sir, the colonel says that Miss Fianna O’Reilly has been taken by Wesley Pierce and Bartholf of the King 7 Saloon. They—”
Josh and Pat were up immediately. “When did this happen, Sergeant?” Josh demanded.
“Sir, it was right after dark last night. Mr. Diehl was shot and may die. Mrs. Diehl, the poor lady, was pistol-whipped. The fort is too short-staffed to send troops out searching for the lady, due to the Indians. But the colonel says to tell the major that the sergeant and the two troopers are at his disposal, and the colonel thinks Pierce may have gone to Ruffcarn’s ranch.”
Josh spun toward Bill, but before he could say anything, Bill Nance said, “Take as many men and fresh horses as you need. You think you two will be able to make it? You look dead tired, and these troopers don’t look much better.”
“We’ll sleep when this is over,” Josh said. “I’d like to take Jack and Bryan with us. That’ll leave you, Jimmy, Frank, and Scott.”
“Don’t forget Slim,” Nance said. “He’s still here and came in mighty handy in the fight.”
“Thanks, Bill. Sergeant, are you and your men up to turning around and chasing Pierce?”
“Beggin’ the major’s pardon, sir, but we’ll be by your side as far and as long as you want to go,” the sergeant responded. “Mr. Nance, if you could spare us some horses, ours are plumb worn out.”
“Consider it done Sergeant. Take your pick and we’ll return your horses when we come into Camp Wilson.”
Teresa and Mary Louise appeared at the door with a tray of cups and the coffee pot. “Sergeant, you and your men step down from your horses and have some coffee. We’ll bring food out in just a moment,” Mary Louise said.
The sergeant and his two men unhorsed and made for the coffee. “Thank you, ma’am. That’s mighty nice of you.”
“Señor Josh,” I’ll have food ready for you all by the time you’re ready to go.”
“Muchas gracias, Teresa,” Josh said, as he and Pat ran for the corral.
Chapter 28
Fianna felt relief when they rode into the ranch. Surely, someone here would help her. She only had to let them know that she was held against her will. They rode right up to the ranch house. Bartholf and Pierce stepped to the ground and tied all three horses to the hitching rail in front of the house. The moon had set, and the only light was provided by the myriad of stars across the heavens.
Pierce came back and extended a hand to help her from the horse. “Watch your step out here, it’s dark,” he said.
As her foot touched the ground, the thought of running passed through her mind.
Pierce gripped her hand. “Don’t think about running off. You wouldn’t get far, and that would be most upsetting. I have plans for you. If you cooperate, I think you’ll enjoy it.” Pierce led her into the dark house.
Bartholf was lighting a lamp when they came in. He left the room, and she could hear him rummaging around in the kitchen. Soon light came from the kitchen.
“What are you going to do with me?” Fianna asked. “By now, there are men out looking for me. It’s only a matter of time before they find me, then they’ll kill you. People out here have no patience with men who harm women. When the owner of this ranch gets back, you’ll be in big trouble.”
Pierce laughed, lit a lamp, and led her to a bedroom. “You stay in here. We all need some rest.” He put the lamp on the dresser, closed the door, and left the room.
She quickly scanned the spartan room. There had been no woman’s touch here. A chair sat in the corner. There was no closet, only a bar attached to the wall for hanging clothes. The dresser looked like the product of an unskilled carpenter, thrown together with no drawers and no mirror. There was one window, and she walked over to it and tried to open it. It wouldn’t budge. She could faintly see herself in the window, and she looked a mess. Through the thin walls, she could hear the two men talking. She heard Ruffcarn’s name mentioned several times, and it sounded like they meant him harm. Could she be at Ruffcarn’s ranch? She thought that the two men were friends, as much time as Ruffcarn spent at the King 7 Saloon. Why would they be talking about killing Ruffcarn?
Fianna sat on the bed. She knew that she was in terrible trouble. Josh and her brother had left for the ranch. There was no way they could help her. The men from town wouldn’t be able to leave until daylight, if they planned on tracking her, and she was deathly afraid of Pierce. Her skin crawled when he looked at her. She felt like he undressed her every time his eyes passed over her. She had to find a way to escape. That would be her only salvation. Hopefully, when Ruffcarn and his men arrived, she would be set free. She lay back on the bed. Her mind had been working feverishly trying to figure a way out of this mess, but now the fatigue gradually overcame her. Her eyelids closed and opened, then closed again.
She had no idea how long she’d slept. Loud voices in the living room awakened her. Outside, the sun had been up for hours, and the house was warming up. She moved to the door and tried to open it. Fianna was surprised. They were so confident; they hadn’t even locked the door. She opened it just far enough that she could see into the main house. Ruffcarn was standing in the living room and appeared to be extremely upset. “I was trying to get rid of Nance. That’s why I attacked the ranch. I didn’t expect it to be so well fortified.”
Pierce still spoke in his low, cold voice. Fianna had to strain to hear what he was saying. “Ruffcarn, that was a stupid move. Now they’ll be after you. No telling how close they are behind you.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll be a while before they get here. We shot up the ranch pretty bad. In fact, I saw Alvarez shot dead by Bull, and we also got Penny. We’ve got time to get our stuff together and get out of here. We’ve got the map. We can head west, and on the way, look for the gold. They’ll never expect us to go west.”
Pierce shook his head. “I can’t believe I partnered with such an idiot. Don’t you know the gold is gone? There’s no time to search for it. It’s possible we might have the cavalry breathing down our necks from the fort. So we’ve got to get out of here, now.”
“If you hadn’t taken the girl,” Ruffcarn said, “we wouldn’t be worrying about any cavalry. Pierce, why can’t you stay away from the women? I know you killed those women in New Orleans. You got the police after us there, and now you’ve gone and gotten the cavalry after us here. Maybe we ought to just split up. You go your way, and I’ll go mine.”
Fianna could see Pierce clearly. The man was so calm. He stood there looking at Bartholf. Bartholf was much bigger than Pierce, but Pierce’s stance exuded a frightening, cold confidence. His face never changed expression. Pierce said, “Maybe you’re right. We’ve had some successes, but no partnership lasts forever. I’ve got the money from the bar, and you’ve got the money from the cattle sales to the army. You want to just split it?”
She could see Ruffcarn’s look of surprise. Evidently he didn’t expect Pierce to agree. Ruffcarn said, “Why, sure, let’s go into the office. I’ve got the ranch money in the desk. We’ll see what the total is and split it.” She watched Ruffcarn turn to go into the office.
Pierce’s hand went to the back of his neck, and a slim bladed dagger, sharp on both edges, appeared in his hand. Pierce said, “Good idea, Ruffcarn; that’s agreeable to me.” He took one step forward for leverage, threw his arm around Ruffcarn’s throat, and drove the knife up under Ruffc
arn’s left ribs.
The big man struggled momentarily. Pierce turned him loose; Ruffcarn stayed on his feet for a moment. He stumbled as he turned around, but remained standing. His eyes were wide with surprise. “Why?” he asked as he fell to the floor.
Fianna watched, choking back a scream as Pierce leaned over to look the dying man in his eyes. He calmly cleaned the knife by wiping the blade on Ruffcarn’s shirt front. Fianna could see a smile of pleasure on his face, his lips parted showing perfect teeth. Pierce spoke almost in a whisper; she had to strain to hear him. “Because I could.”
For some reason, Pierce looked up directly at Fianna and said, “Good afternoon, Missy. Did you have a nice rest?”
She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck tingle; a cold chill ran down her spine. She watched Pierce as he straightened up and slipped the knife back into the scabbard behind his neck. “I’ve been letting you rest. You looked tired last night.”
The fact that he was speaking in such a familiar voice, as if he and she had been friends for years, was frightening. Only moments before he’d drained the life from his partner. Now he walked toward her. She saw all the details. He hadn’t shaved, and there was a dark, black stubble all over his face. His hair was smoothed back on his head, and his black eyes glinted like flint. He moved closer. The pupils of his eyes, little pinpoints, almost disappeared in the blackness. The afternoon sun shone through the main room windows, betraying the dust on the few pieces of furniture, but doing nothing to dispel the chill she felt. His black pants were dusty, as were the normally, brightly polished boots. He looked the part he lived—a slimy, deadly killer who preyed on women for recreation.
He reached her, pushed the bedroom door wide open, and strode in. She backed up until her thighs touched the foot of the bed. She tried to move to the side, to get away from the bed, but he stopped her. His smile was hungry. He leaned forward to kiss her, and she turned her head in disgust. His smile vanished. I can’t be here, I just can’t. She felt his left hand reach behind her head and grasp a handful of hair. He jerked her head around so that she was face to face with him, then brought his head a little closer, and his lips touched hers. Her brother’s words leaped into her mind, You’re never whipped until you quit.
She opened her mouth against Pierce and he pressed closer. She felt his lips move between hers and she jerked forward. Her lovely white teeth sunk deep into his bottom lip. She tasted the sickly sweet of his blood and clenched her teeth tighter. He screamed into her mouth, but she wouldn’t let go. He jerked away from her and left part of his lip in her mouth. Fianna doubled up her little fist and hit him with a roundhouse right that landed squarely on his mouth and nose. He yelped, and as he stepped back, his right boot heel caught on the dresser leg. He sprawled on the floor. She spit his lip onto his chest.
The bedroom door was open, and she made a dash for the front door. She had blood on her face and down the front of her dress, and her auburn hair was awry. She could hear Pierce getting to his feet. She grasped the front door handle, yanked hard, and ran into the front yard—right into Pat’s horse.
Pat jumped to the ground and she flung herself into his arms, sobbing against his chest. She was safe.
She heard Pierce slide to a halt as he came out the front door. She turned and saw him standing there like a statue, blood running from his nose and butchered lower lip. Four rifles were pointed at his chest. He stood motionless. Fianna followed Pierce’s gaze as he stared toward the bunkhouse. At the bunkhouse, two troopers were holding the three remaining gunmen that had returned to the ranch with Ruffcarn.
Pat pushed her to arm’s length and looked her over. “Are you hurt?”
“No, Pat.” She looked up at her brother. “I’m so glad you’re here. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t arrived when you did.”
Pat looked at Pierce with disgust. “Did this piece of trash do this to you?”
“Yes. He shot Mr. Diehl and struck Mrs. Diehl with his pistol. For all I know, they’re both dead.”
“No, ma’am,” the sergeant said. “Mrs. Diehl was up with a sore head, and Mr. Diehl, according to the doc, had a fighting chance.”
“Oh, that’s such good news. Thank you, Sergeant.” Fianna turned her head and saw Josh.
Chapter 29
Josh hadn’t spoken. Now he slid his rifle back into the scabbard and stepped down from the saddle. He looked down at Fianna. There was blood on her face and all over the front of her dress. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
Josh turned, and looked at Pierce. With the loss of part of Pierce’s lower lip, his bottom teeth were exposed in a gruesome, lop-sided grin. Blood ran from the wound, down his chin, and onto his white shirt.
Josh looked back at Fianna, putting together what had happened. His scalp began to tingle but he ignored the warning. He took a step toward Pierce. Pierce’s hand moved to the back of his neck.
“He has a knife behind his neck!” Fianna screamed.
Josh leaped toward Pierce and grabbed his wrist. Pierce’s wrist disappeared in the grasp of Josh’s big hands. He twisted and Pierce went to his knees. The calm demeanor of the killer crumbled. Josh watched with loathing as the man groaned in his grip. He reached behind Pierce’s neck, pulled the knife from its scabbard, and released him.
Pierce struggled back to his feet. Josh watched as Fianna, covered with Pierce’s blood, walked over to him. “You’re an evil man,” she said. “I heard Ruffcarn say that you had killed other women in New Orleans. I have the feeling that you’ll never kill anyone else.” She slapped Pierce. It sounded like a gunshot in the quiet yard. Fianna looked up at Josh and said, “He killed Ruffcarn just before you rode up. He’s a snake.”
Pat watched intently, his eyes narrowed. “How does it feel, laddie. You like treating women rough? The last man I heard of hurting a woman was burned to death by the town. Would that suit your fancy?”
Pierce didn’t look anything like the cool gambler everyone was used to seeing. His eyes darted from left to right, like a cornered ferret looking for escape. Sweat was pouring down his face and into the wound where his lip used to be. He looked up at Josh, and with a quiver in his voice said, “If you let me go, I can tell you where there’s a wagon of gold. You’ll be rich.”
Josh laughed, a cold humorless laugh. “Pierce, you and Ruffcarn went through all of this subterfuge and killing. Before you meet your maker, I want you to know this. There is no gold. They were supply wagons. And your map isn’t even accurate. The attack happened west of Camp Wilson, not the Rocking N.” Josh shook his head, “All this killing was for nothing.”
Pierce looked up at him and said, “It’s there. I know it is. The soldier who gave me the map assured me it was there. We even had it checked and was told a wagon loaded with gold was lost out west of the Rocking N.”
Josh leaned across the saddle and said, “So why did that fellow tell you?”
“He owed me money, and he gave me the map to settle up.”
“And why would he do that? Were you beating him?”
Pierce looked at Pat, then nervously scanned the rest of the men, “My men were. I told you, he owed me mone—”
“Don’t you know that men will tell you anything if they’re being tortured? You and Ruffcarn were fools.”
“But I confirmed it.”
“With your army partner? By the way, he’s been arrested and will probably be facing charges for treason. The army released that information in hope of drawing Southern troops out west to look for gold that wasn’t there.”
Pierce stood silent with his head down, blood still dripping from his mouth where his lip used to be.
Pat said, “I’ve been inside, Josh. There’s no sign of Bartholf, though the back kitchen door was open. No telling how long he’s been gone. Ruffcarn is dead. What do you want to do with him?”
Josh’s eyes caught Fianna’s. She’d been focused intently on him. The feeling that coursed through his heart almost left him weak. How c
ould he leave her? He said, “Pat, forget about Bartholf. The man will die out here without a horse, and we’re taking all the horses. Let Eyes of Hawk take care of him.
“Drag Ruffcarn’s body outside and burn the buildings. This has been an evil place from the beginning. Let it burn to the ground.” He turned to Pierce “Where’s the map?” Pierce took it out of his pocket and handed it to Josh. Josh tossed the map to Pat. “Burn that, too. Good men have died because of it. We’ll stop it here.”
“Aye,” Pat said. He pulled Ruffcarn out of the house and tossed the map through the front door.
“Sergeant, would you take all these men over to that big live oak by the barn? See if you can find some extra ropes in the barn. We’re going to need them.”
“Yes, sir. You planning on hanging them all, Major?”
“That I am, Sergeant,” Josh said, indicating the gunmen. “These men attacked a ranch where there were women, and they made no effort to insure those women’s safety. All they deserve is a strong rope.”
The gunmen looked at each other. The big one said, “Look, mister, we were just following orders.”
Josh turned cold eyes on the three and said, “Now you can follow your boss to hell. Jack, you and Bryan see if you can find some coal oil. Get all the animals out of the barn. We’re gonna burn this place to the ground.”
Jack and Bryan rode over to the barn and started emptying it of stock. They came walking out with a couple of cans of coal oil and began dousing the barn. It wouldn’t take much. The lumber in the rickety buildings had been dried by the Texas wind and would burn like kindling.
“What about me?” Pierce asked.
“Oh, I haven’t forgotten you, Pierce,” Josh said. “If I was a Comanche, I’d skin you alive and enjoy every minute. But I’m not, so the best I can do is hang you along with the other trash. Now git over to that mesquite tree.”
Logan's Word: A Logan Family Western - Book 1 (Logan Family Western Series) Page 23