The Valerons--Retribution!

by Terrell L Bowers

  Locke grunted his ignorance, but Reb raised a hand like a child in a school classroom. It brought a frown from Locke.

  ‘Reb,’ he said sternly, ‘we are guests in your house! You don’t have to ask permission to speak.’

  ‘I’ve an idea as to what your boy’s plan might be – the first part anyway.’ At Locke’s approving nod, he went on. ‘As for the young feller here – he isn’t known around town.’ Turning his attention to Wendy, ‘You remember, we all stayed at that big hotel across from the bank. I’m guessing Jared is figuring to meet you on the sly. If he’s not staying at that hotel, he’ll certainly expect you to get a room there.’

  ‘I believe you’re right on both counts, Reb,’ Wendy said. ‘We’ll check in to the hotel and wait for Jerry to contact us.’

  July showed a sheepish expression. ‘I hope we aren’t supposed to go as . . . you know, a married couple.’

  ‘Jerry wouldn’t do that!’ Wendy stated emphatically.

  Locke barked his own sentiment. ‘No, he darn well wouldn’t!’

  ‘I’m sure he has something else in mind.’ Wendy displayed a pixie simper, dissolving her father’s glare. ‘And you can bet it has to do with your contacting the governor.’

  Locke, as always, was completely disarmed by his daughter’s charm. ‘I’ll write a letter first thing in the morning. Wendy, you can see he gets it personally.’

  ‘Youngster,’ Reb asked July bluntly, ‘can you shoot?’

  ‘I’ve done a little hunting and the like – but nothing to brag about.’

  ‘I’m a good shot,’ Wendy piped up.

  Locke snorted. ‘Jared isn’t going to put you two in a position where you have to fight. He asked for help, so I sent off a couple wires. If Wyatt isn’t available, Troy and Faro can lend a hand. Dodge was like family, and every one of the single men on the ranch will come to Denver if need be.’

  ‘You can count me in too,’ Reb volunteered. ‘I’ve a score to settle with them murdering scoundrels!’

  Locke waited, but no one else spoke up. He stretched, weary from another long day and announced: ‘It’s time for bed. Does anyone have anything else to add?’ purposely looking at July. ‘You have any other questions, Colby?’

  ‘No, sir! I’m proud to help in any way I can.’

  ‘All right then, let’s call it a night.’

  Jared and Shane had taken an old one-time rooming house near the railroad station. Jared thought it better not to be sharing the same hotel as Wendy. It was going to be risky enough simply to visit the place and make contact with her and July. Perhaps it was only nerves, but Jared had been feeling a prickling sensation up the back of his neck as if they were being watched. He explained it to Shane, as their second day in Denver had passed uneventfully.

  ‘Who could it be?’ Shane asked, when he had finished.

  ‘This outfit might have been rustling cattle for some time. Who knows how long the slaughterhouse has been dealing stolen beef? We have to assume they watch everyone coming to town by way of the southern or western route.’

  ‘And you let me think we were saving Pa a few bucks by staying in that old, rat-infested lodging, instead of the plush hotel where you stayed with Wendy and Reb.’

  He shrugged. ‘I didn’t want you worrying about it. As I told you, I haven’t actually seen anyone trailing after us. It’s a feeling, nothing more.’

  ‘Wendy ought to arrive today sometime,’ Shane said. ‘How we gonna contact her without being seen?’

  ‘As we were wandering the streets, I took notice of a few options. We should be able to lose anyone trying to keep an eye on us. Once we have our meeting with her, we will trick anyone watching us into giving themselves away.’

  ‘How’s that?’

  ‘I was thinking we would get our horses and take a ride out into open country.’

  ‘What good would that do, Jer?’

  ‘Put yourself in the place of whoever is keeping an eye on us. We wander around town a bit, suddenly disappear, then show up again. Only instead of going to our rooms, we light out as if we have found something out. We make a point of hurrying as much as we can.’

  ‘OK – with you so far.’

  ‘What would you do, Cuz?’ Jared wanted to know. ‘If you were charged with keeping track of us and we suddenly grabbed our horses and took off?’

  Shane turned the scenario over in his head. ‘Guess I’d either report back to my boss, or I’d follow after you to learn what you were up to.’

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘Oh, I get it,’ Shane said. ‘They follow – we grab them.’

  ‘Grab ’em or follow them to their boss. Depends on what or who shows up and what they do.’

  ‘And if no one shows up?’

  ‘We return to the stable and head for the sack.’ He clicked his tongue. ‘Remember, I haven’t actually seen anyone. But it could be two or three guys taking turns. That makes it harder to know if you’re being watched or not.’

  ‘All right, how do we get to the fancy, comfortable, the I-wish-we-were-staying-there hotel without being followed?’

  Jared explained. ‘The saloon on Market Street has two entrances, one facing the main street and one facing the street behind it. We go in one door and out the other. A couple streets further down, there is a casino with two main exits. We do the same thing again.’

  ‘If they are watching from two sides on the first one . . .’ Shane began.

  ‘We’ll lose them on the second,’ Jared finished.

  ‘I’m with you. Let’s start the rock rolling down the hill and see how many quail we can flush.’

  July stood with the curtain pulled to the side just enough to peek out. He had been in such a position since he entered Wendy’s room.

  ‘I wish I’d have gotten a room that overlooked the main street too,’ he said to Wendy.

  ‘If I know my brother, you probably wouldn’t see him anyway.’ She sighed. ‘You might as well sit down. Jer will be knocking at the door any minute.’

  July cocked his head and looked over his shoulder. ‘All the more reason I ought to be standing here by the window.’

  Wendy laughed. ‘You’re not afraid of my brother, are you?’

  ‘You might as well ask me if I’m afraid of getting wet when caught in a downpour of rain. Jared being around causes me genuine concern about minding my manners and keeping my distance around you.’

  ‘And if it was just you and me?’ she baited him. ‘Are you saying you would behave differently?’

  July chuckled. ‘If you mean, were you not a Valeron, but maybe a waitress or maid?’

  ‘Are you in the habit of chasing hotel maids?’

  His grin widened. ‘Never stayed in a hotel before, Miss Valeron, and that’s the truth.’

  Wendy narrowed her look. ‘Hum . . . that’s an evasion.’

  ‘A what?’

  ‘You are avoiding the question, not denying that you would chase after maids or servants.’

  ‘Let’s say I have done a little chasing of female sorts, but never one as pretty and smart as you.’

  ‘You think I’m smart?’

  ‘Your Pa and Jared must,’ he replied. ‘They sent you here with me as your escort. I’m supposed to sit in the game, but you are the one they trust to play the cards.’

  ‘Being educated isn’t the same as being smart,’ she explained her philosophy to July. ‘Dodge never learned to read or write, but he’s the smartest man around cattle that you will ever meet. My father could barely scribble his own name when he and his two brothers started up our ranch. Now he oversees an empire, with logging, mining, farming and ranching – not to mention a dozen businesses in Valeron. If you were to ask him if he was smart, he’d tell you he is as dumb as an ear of corn.’

  ‘I see your point, Miss Valeron. Being smart on a subject or two don’t make a person the brightest candle in a room.’

  ‘And, if Jerry didn’t think you could do whatever he has in mind, he would not have asked
for you.’ She gestured confidently. ‘Which means he thinks you are smart enough to handle it.’

  July grinned. ‘I’m beginning to hope he needs someone who knows the quickest way to get his boot into his mouth. I reckon I could do that much without trying.’

  Wendy laughed. She might have said something about his wit, but a light tap came at the door. It was time to get serious.

  July put his hand on his gun and hurried over to stand next to the entrance. ‘State your business,’ he said, loud enough it would be heard on the other side of the door.

  The words, ‘Open up or kiss your teeth goodbye!’ came from Jared’s muffled voice on the other side.

  July quickly pulled back the deadbolt and allowed Shane and Jared to enter. Both were grinning.

  ‘Finding a strange man in my sister’s hotel room could cause us kinfolk dire concern,’ Jared stated firmly, though humor still shone in his eyes.

  Wendy didn’t force July to squirm under the pretended inquisition. She hurried over from the bed and gave Jared a hug of greeting. Then stepping back, she used a firm tone of voice. ‘We were beginning to think you were lying in a ditch somewhere. It’s nearly dark.’

  ‘We had to wait until there were enough customers in the saloons to lose a shadow.’

  Alarm entered her expression. ‘Someone is following you?’

  Jared told her of his suspicions. ‘We’ve yet to see anyone, but we will check it out when we leave here.’

  ‘What about us?’ Wendy asked. ‘Why are we here?’

  ‘Did you get hold of the governor?’

  She frowned. ‘Father deciphered your absurd word-puzzle telegram. I’ll never play against the two of you at cards again.’

  He grinned. ‘Did you get the message—’

  She held up her hand to stop him. ‘Contacted his office this morning,’ she informed him. ‘Father still has a lot of pull. An aide showed up early this afternoon with this.’

  Opening her handbag, she dug out an important-looking piece of paper. It had the letterhead for the Governor’s office and was signed by Pitkin himself.

  Jared read it over and gave a nod of approval. ‘OK. Shane and I did a little detective work the last two days. These are the people you should contact.’ He handed her a scribbled note. ‘The questions are listed for each.’

  ‘What’s my job in all this?’ July asked.

  ‘It is a rarity for a woman to have a position of authority in this kind of inquiry,’ Jared replied. ‘So Wendy will pretend to be your assistant. You will have to ask the questions.’

  ‘Me?’

  ‘Wendy hardly set foot out of the hotel when she was here last, and then she was decked out like a rich wife, looking to get rid of her husband. No one should recognize her. However, some of us Valerons are known hereabouts; we needed someone not connected to the ranch. If anyone should recognize you, it’s a simple task to tell them you landed the job when you lost your mining investment.’

  July put on an unfaltering expression. ‘I’ll sure do my best, Mr Valeron.’

  ‘My father is Mister Valeron,’ Jared reminded him. With a smirk, ‘You can call me . . . sir.’

  That lightened the mood and everyone laughed.

  Then the four of them sat down – three on the bed and July on the only chair – and began to discuss what they needed to do.

  Rocco entered the ranch house, walked over to the kitchen counter and poured himself a drink from the half-empty whiskey bottle. Mantee was in the next room, sitting in an easy chair with a Police Gazette magazine lying across his lap. He had been drinking a warm beer but set it down when his hired man arrived.

  ‘What did you find out?’ he asked Rocco.

  ‘It’s bad, boss,’ the slender man said. ‘One of the men is sure enough Jared Valeron – Rex recognized him. I double-checked – went by the newspaper office and looked at the picture of him and Wyatt Valeron, from the news story about the killers they brought in a few months back.’

  ‘Where are the two morons who got us into this mess?’

  ‘I left them to keep watch in town. I don’t see Valeron and his pard as being too much of a threat by themselves. Fact is, the guy with him is maybe in his early twenties and looks more like a regular horse wrangler than an able gunman like Jared or Wyatt. There is enough similarity betwixt them, the two might be cousins or brothers. Don’t know about that.’

  ‘Damn!’ Mantee grunted his concern. ‘I’ll have to let Pegg know.’

  ‘We should be in the clear. I see the thirty head of cattle are here from that rancher over at Raccoon Creek. If they come snooping, seeing a few beef should be enough to make it look like we’re running a small ranch.’

  ‘Unless they already checked our place out. Remember, if they somehow managed to follow the stolen beef, they came in from the west. They might have looked us over when they arrived in the valley.’

  Rocco frowned. ‘We only held the Double B cattle overnight. And now we’ve got enough cattle for a good bluff.’

  ‘Using a running iron to alter the brands on a few cattle isn’t enough. Look at this place – no cut grass for winter feed, a rundown barn, half the fences falling down – how the hell is it supposed to pass for an honest-to-goodness ranch?’

  Rocco ducked his head under the verbal assault. ‘Me and the boys can put in a little hard labor. It shouldn’t take but a few days to get it in shape.’

  ‘First thing in the morning ride in and bring those two idiots back. Stick them on mending fences and we’ll all pitch in to fix this place up to look like a working ranch.’

  Rocco finished his drink and set the glass down. ‘You got it, boss. I’ll hit the sack and ride out at first light.’

  Jared and Shane left the hotel and purposely ambled down the main street. The livery sat on the outskirts of town, due to the smell and noise from the blacksmith work. They were a few steps away from the perimeter corral when two men appeared from out of the shadows. Both had their guns out and pointed at the two Valerons.

  ‘Hold it!’ one of the phantoms demanded. ‘Reach for your hog-legs and we’ll fill you full of lead!’

  ‘Holy Hanna!’ Shane whispered to Jared. ‘I thought we were going to set a trap for them!’

  ‘Rex and Dekay,’ Jared spoke an easy greeting, lifting his hands a few inches above his shoulders, palms outward, posing no imminent threat. ‘What have you boys been up to since you left the Barrett ranch?’

  Rex’s wicked grin was visible in the gloom. ‘Reckon you know what we’ve been up to – seeing as how you followed us clean across the country.’

  ‘Don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Jared said, keeping his voice casual, prepared to react instantly if the chance arose. ‘Me and my cousin just arrived in town to look over a couple of Hereford bulls. You know they are the future of the cattle industry, being much more hearty than the range cattle we have now. More meat on their bones too.’

  ‘That why you were checking the tannery?’ Dekay mocked the explanation. ‘What do they offer a couple of would-be bull buyers?’

  ‘Curiosity,’ Jared answered easily. ‘Shane here wanted to have a look at the beamhouse operations.’

  Rex guffawed his disbelief. ‘Sure. You wouldn’t go there during the day and get a personal tour, would you? Better to sneak in at night.’

  ‘Why the guns, boys?’ Jared maintained an innocent persona. ‘We didn’t have nothing to do with your being let go from the ranch. That was Miss Barrett’s decision.’

  ‘Let’s take a walk,’ Rex ordered, waving the muzzle of his gun in the direction of the empty field beyond the livery. ‘No need waking the whole town by talking too loud.’

  Jared knew the talking would be with their guns. To go peacefully was to end up dead. All the same, he needed a split-second diversion to get his gun in play. Better to let them think they were going without a fuss.

  ‘You know enough about us,’ Shane spoke up to warn the two men. ‘If you kill us, our family will hunt yo
u down and put you both in the ground.’

  ‘They ain’t gonna know who killed you,’ Dekay spoke up.

  ‘I’m afraid you’re a little too late on that count,’ Jared told them. ‘I already sent a letter to my Pa and told him you two were involved. Your only chance is to grab your steeds and head for Mexico. For rustling cattle and killing a hired hand, they might not follow you across the border.’

  ‘Jared’s telling the truth,’ Shane joined in. ‘The one man you shot is a friend of ours, but he is going to pull through. He is the only reason we came looking for you. Kill us and you won’t find a safe haven in the entire world.’

  ‘Guess we’ll have to take our chances, seeing as how—’

  ‘Stop where you are!’ a voice commanded from out of the darkness.

  Chapter Seven

  Dekay and Rex reacted at once, spinning around to shoot at whoever had given the command. Jared recognized the voice and sprang into action. He knew his life and Shane’s were on the line so he didn’t hesitate.

  Dekay got off a round at a shadowy figure some thirty feet away. However, the lone man had dropped to a prone position rather than return fire.

  Jared’s gun sounded and Dekay grunted from twin slugs passing through his back and out his chest. Before he even staggered from the gunshots, Rex was also hit twice. He had been slow to react and didn’t manage to get off a shot before the rustler was dead on his feet. He sank straight down to flop into an awkward sitting position. His head rolled forward and he toppled over with his face in the dirt. Dekay remained on his feet long enough to twist his body around to glare back at Jared. Then his legs lost their resiliency and he slumped down alongside his partner in crime, eyes staring sightless in death.

  Shane had not even gotten his gun clear before the short fight was over.

  Jared kept his gun trained on the two rustlers but knew they were finished. He walked past them and stared at the man who had rescued them.

  ‘Colby! You hit?’

  July rose up to his feet and began to walk toward them. He hadn’t even drawn a weapon. ‘No sir,’ he answered. ‘I saw you still had your gun, and both you and Shane were directly in line with the two gunmen. I didn’t dare take a shot for fear of hitting one of you. I just hollered and hit the dirt.’ He stopped to brush the dust off of his shirt and pants, then shook his head in awe. ‘Them two never had a chance against you. Durned if you ain’t as quick and deadly as a bolt of lightning!’