by Paul Green
Grierson was in his late forties and his most prominent feature was a dark, luxuriant beard, lightly speckled with grey. He wore his hair long and swept forward in a wave across his forehead, looking more like the music teacher he once was than a senior army officer. The colonel rose from behind a desk littered with papers as they entered and acknowledged Johnson’s salute before turning to the others.
‘You must be Mr Harrison. I heard about your exploits at Fort Concho, and we’re indebted to you, sir.’ His handshake was warm but with strength and determination in its grip. Harrison introduced Maggie and Grierson bowed slightly. Then he looked at the bound figure of Murray and frowned. Johnson handed Grierson the wanted poster and he studied it carefully. As he did so the sergeant told him briefly what had become of Kinsella and the rest of the troop. The colonel paled visibly and dropped back into his chair. He covered his face while he composed himself, then he looked up again at Murray.
‘You’ll stay in the county jail until it’s decided whether you hang for the death of that little girl or the soldiers you’ve killed.’ Then he held up a wad of banknotes from one of the bags. ‘Take a good look, Murray, because it’s the last you’ll see of it. I’m sending this money by the next stage to our depot in San Antonio. Think about that when they put the rope around your neck.’ Then he signalled to the guards to take the outlaw away.
After Murray was led out Johnson gave the colonel a fuller account of their adventures. Grierson listened intently, occasionally asking brief questions.
‘That’s quite a story,’ he said when Johnson had finished. ‘However, it’s not quite over yet. As I said, I have orders to send that money on to San Antonio, but can’t spare the men for a payroll wagon so I’m sending it by stage instead. A lot of money is sent by mail coach these days but I’d feel more comfortable if you and Sergeant Johnson went with it.’
‘As a matter of fact I’m going to San Antonio anyway,’ Harrison told him.
‘Good, that’s settled. You’ll have earned your share of the ten per cent of the payroll I’ve been authorized to pay as a reward. It will be divided equally between the three of you.’
Johnson shook his head. ‘There ain’t no call for that. I was just doing my job.’
‘I think you went beyond your duty, Johnson,’ Grierson told him. ‘I’m awarding you a commendation as well.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ he replied, visibly moved by the gesture.
The colonel turned back to Harrison. ‘The stagecoach leaves the day after tomorrow outside the post office. Sergeant Johnson will meet you there with the money in a strongbox.’
Grierson showed them out then and a groom led their horses over as they left the officers’ quarters. Johnson gave them directions to Benficklin, which was about three miles away on the other side of the river and soon Harrison and Maggie were on their way.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Murray lay on the hard, narrow bed in his cell, dreaming of escape. He was surprised to see Esterhaz walk in and greet Joe Samuels, the deputy guarding him.
‘Hello there, Victor. What brings you here?’ replied Samuels, who sometimes frequented the saloons in San Angela and knew Esterhaz well.
‘I brought some food for your prisoner.’ Esterhaz unwrapped the cloth bundle he was carrying to reveal a steak sandwich and a bottle of beer. ‘I think I know him from some place so is it OK if I talk to him for a while?’
Samuels shrugged. ‘I guess so, he ain’t goin’ nowhere until Judge Hawkins gets here.’
Esterhaz winked conspiratorially at the prisoner as he drew up a stool and passed the bottle and the food through the bars. Murray took a swig and then a large bite from the sandwich.
‘So, amigo, where do I know you from?’ began Esterhaz.
‘Del Rio maybe?’ suggested the prisoner, his mouth full.
‘Yes, I had a little cantina there before I came out this way. You came in regularly.’
Murray nodded enthusiastically, joining in the charade. ‘Yeah, I thought I recognized you when you came in. Good old Victor, fancy you rememberin’ Dan Murray!’
Esterhaz smiled and glanced surreptitiously behind him to see if Samuels was paying attention to their conversation but the man was engrossed in cleaning his gun.
‘I’m sorry to see you here, Dan. I always told you no good would come of stealing from honest folk.’ Esterhaz wagged an admonishing finger, winking once more as he added ‘So, do you know what’s happened to that payroll you almost got away with?’
‘It’s up at the fort.’ Murray felt his heartbeat quicken as he realized the reason for his visitor’s pretence of knowing him. If a robbery was planned, perhaps they would need him.
‘The money won’t be there for long though,’ he added with a thin-lipped smile. ‘I heard Colonel Grierson say he was sendin’ it on the next stage to the army depot in San Antonio. Them fellas you was talkin’ to this afternoon will be guardin’ it.’
‘A trip to San Antonio would be nice, wouldn’t it?’ Esterhaz grinned and gave another wink as he said this.
‘It sure would. If I weren’t stuck in here I’d like that,’ replied Murray with a nod.
The Mexican rose from his stool with a sigh. ‘You’ve only yourself to blame, I’m afraid, but I’ll pray for your soul, amigo.’
As Esterhaz left he turned to Samuels and said, ‘I tell you what. Why don’t I bring over some of my best whiskey and a couple of friends to keep you company tomorrow night?’
Samuels shook his head reluctantly. ‘That’s real good of you, Victor but I’m not supposed to do that when I’m guarding a prisoner.’
‘What harm can it do? He’s safely locked up and you’ve got the key. Besides, a couple of drinks won’t stop you shooting him if he tries to escape.’
‘I guess not. Just don’t let anyone see you, that’s all.’
Esterhaz tapped the side of his nose with his finger. ‘Of course not. Adios amigos.’
Jorge and Pablo could hardly believe their good fortune when Esterhaz told them what he had learned. With Murray out of jail there would be four of them to carry out the robbery and share the loot. By choosing the right spot to launch an attack and using the element of surprise, they might just get away with it.
‘There’ll be a posse out after Murray,’ Jorge reminded them. ‘What about that?’
‘We’ll get him out the night before the stage leaves and his escape won’t be discovered until the morning. The posse will head for the border because that’s what they’ll expect Murray to do.’ Esterhaz drained the last of his tequila. ‘Meanwhile, we’ll rob the stage and then split.’
‘You’re a genius!’ said Pablo. ‘We’ll be long gone before the gringos learn the truth.’
They spoke in low voices and paid no attention to the hopeless drunk at the end of the bar but Dead Ellis had very acute hearing and a habit of eavesdropping. He drained the last of his beer, rose unsteadily to his feet and headed back to the fort. He had not gone far when he ran into Johnson, who was enjoying an evening off duty.
‘Mexicans! Gonna r-r-rob the ssshtage!’ babbled Ellis, grabbing the sergeant’s tunic.
Johnson drew back from the stench of whiskey as he held the man upright. ‘What are you talkin’ about?’ he demanded. ‘If it wasn’t for me bein’ off duty you’d be on a charge!’
Ellis grew more insistent. ‘They’re gonna get M-M-M-urray outta jail … I shwear it!’
Johnson frowned. This was starting to make sense and was clearly far more than the confused ramblings of a drunk. ‘Where did you hear this?’ he asked. Ellis pointed back towards the saloon he had just come from. The sergeant followed as his companion stumbled ahead of him and then gestured for him to look through a window to the left of the swing-back doors.
‘I thought we’d seen the last o’ them fellas for sure,’ whispered Johnson as he spotted Esterhaz talking to Jorge and the fat bandit who had been with Swift Eagle when the Comanches attacked the column.
‘You know ’em?
’ Ellis asked, rapidly sobering up in his excitement.
‘Yeah, sure I do. Now I know why Esterhaz was askin’ all them questions this afternoon. Did they say when they were gonna get Murray?’
Ellis frowned as he tried to remember. ‘Lemme see …night ’fore the stage leaves.’
‘That’s tomorrow night. You’d better get back to the fort while I go find Mr Harrison in Benficklin. We’ll report this to Colonel Grierson in the morning when you’ve sobered up.’
Ellis nodded reluctantly and set off home while Johnson went to the livery stables to fetch his horse. He needed to find which hotel Harrison was in and quickly.
Harrison eased his aching limbs out of the hot tub and towelled himself dry. The freshly laundered shirt felt soft against his skin and he enjoyed getting dressed in clean clothes after so many days on the road. He had barely finished when heard a knock on the door and opened it, to find Johnson on the threshold, twisting his hat in his hands as a frown contorted his features.
‘I’m sorry to disturb you, John, but we got a problem.’
He gestured towards a chair by the window and the sergeant dropped into it before telling him about what he and Dead Ellis had seen through the window of the saloon.
Harrison paced the room as he listened intently. ‘We could let them go ahead with their plan but ask for an armed escort for the stage,’ he suggested.
‘They might call it off and then they’d just get away, Murray as well. Even if they didn’t, there’s a lotta them narrow canyons where they could ambush us.’
‘Yes, you’re right. They have to be stopped before the robbery but the trouble is, this is all hearsay. There’s nothing that would stand up in any court.’
‘I guess they’ll have to get caught springin’ Murray from jail then,’ said Johnson.
‘That’s just what I was thinking, Eli, but the people of Benficklin won’t like having a shootout in the centre of their town. Someone might get hurt.’
Johnson stood up and put his hat back on. ‘Well, I’d best be gettin’ back. We can see Colonel Grierson about this first thing tomorrow. He’ll know what to do for the best.’ Then, as he opened the door he turned and said, ‘Are you goin’ to tell Mrs Sloane about this?’
Harrison sighed. Yes, he would tell her and no doubt she would insist on going with them to see the colonel tomorrow. He knew her well enough by now to know that.
Colonel Grierson looked at the four people assembled in his office. He had listened carefully to what he was told and was convinced that the threat was real. Why else would two of Harrison’s enemies have turned up in San Angela? He stuffed some tobacco into his pipe and lit it as he considered what to do.
‘You’re right about none of this standing up in court,’ he told Harrison as he exhaled a cloud of blue smoke. ‘This is one of the rare occasions on which Ellis here appears to be completely sober, but the state he was in last night could result in his testimony being dismissed.’
Ellis shifted uncomfortably. ‘I know what I heard, sir.’
Grierson nodded. ‘We all believe you but that’s not the point.’ The colonel leaned back in his chair. ‘We can’t risk them attacking the stage, as you’ve pointed out, so that means doing something when they try to free Murray.’
‘We could either storm the jail or wait until they’ve got Murray out and are leaving,’ suggested Harrison.
Grierson drew on his pipe. ‘I favour a more subtle solution, Mr Harrison; one in which our quarry can be trapped inside the jail.’
‘Will it be dangerous?’ asked Maggie.
‘It will be less dangerous to the people of Benficklin than a gun battle in the middle of their town, but perhaps more dangerous for those involved.’
‘Go on, Colonel.’ Harrison was intrigued.
As Grierson unfolded his plan, they were all impressed by its audacity and ingenuity while also appreciating the risk it posed to their own lives. ‘I must emphasize that I am not giving any orders here. If anyone feels unable to take part, there will be no shame in it,’ the colonel concluded. He paused for a moment but no objections were raised.
Harrison felt Maggie squeeze his arm. ‘You don’t have to do this, John.’
He patted her arm. ‘I know but I’ve come this far and I always see a job through to the end.’
She sighed. ‘I just hope you all know what you’re doing.’
Grierson puffed on his pipe. ‘Have a little faith, Mrs Sloane. If I didn’t think this was going to work I wouldn’t have suggested it.’
It was early evening when a covered wagon drew up at the rear of the jail in Benficklin. Johnson jumped down from the driver’s seat and waited until there were no passers-by. He knocked on the side of the wagon and Harrison emerged from the back. The prison clothes were a poor fit and his false beard itched but the disguise would have to do. After all, he would not be seen at close quarters until the final moments. The escort of four soldiers remained in the wagon as the two men hurried inside the jail.
Samuels had received Grierson’s note and was expecting them. ‘Come on, we’d better hurry it up. Esterhaz and his friends will be here soon.’
Murray got up from his bunk as the cell door was unlocked. Johnson kept him covered with his revolver and gestured for him to come out.
‘I ain’t goin’ no place’ said the prisoner sourly.
Johnson drew back the hammer on his gun. ‘I figure on usin’ this if I must, so move!’
Murray came out and was quickly handcuffed by Samuels while Harrison slipped inside the cell in his place. Moments later Johnson was driving the wagon back to Fort Concho with Murray under guard in the back. Samuels sat down at his desk as if everything was normal while Harrison stretched out on the bunk and turned his face to the wall. The day was drawing to a close and he knew that he would not have long to wait.
Esterhaz, Jorge and Pablo arrived within an hour and two bottles of whiskey were placed on the table as they drew up their chairs. Jorge opened one of the bottles, poured a generous measure into Samuels’ glass and a smaller one for each of his companions.
‘What about our friend in the cell, don’t he get a drink?’ asked Pablo.
Samuels sipped his whiskey. ‘He hasn’t been feeling too good today and he’s asleep now. Let’s just leave him, OK?’
Esterhaz shrugged, feigning indifference while hoping that his accomplice would be fit to ride when the time came and, most important, able to do his job the next day.
Samuels was soon winning the poker game, or at least, Esterhaz and his companions were letting him win as they cracked jokes and constantly replenished his glass. Jorge was surprised to see the deputy slurring his words after only a few drinks. This was obviously a man who could not hold his liquor. The three Mexicans exchanged furtive glances. Once Samuels was asleep, it would be time to make their move.
Suddenly there was a loud knocking at the door. The deputy rose unsteadily from his chair, went to answer it and then was heard to exclaim, ‘Why if it ain’t my old friend Dead Ellis! C’mon in, fella, we’re just playin’ a game o’ poker.’
‘I ain’t much good at card games,’ said Ellis as he swaggered drunkenly over to the table and dropped into a chair.
Samuels fetched another glass. ‘Don’t mind about that. Just have a drink with us.’ He poured a generous measure out for the soldier and pushed it towards him.
‘Are we going to continue playing?’ asked Esterhaz nonchalantly. He was unconcerned about the new arrival, considering the drunken soldier no threat to their plans.
‘I’ll deal,’ said Jorge. He gathered the cards together and shuffled them.
‘I saw that. You’d better quit dealin’ them cards,’ said Ellis, eyeing him suspiciously.
‘Saw what?’ demanded Jorge hotly.
‘You feelin’ them marks on the backs o’ the cards. I know what you’re up to.’
‘They’re Joe’s cards and he’s been winning,’ Esterhaz told him.
‘That don’t make
no difference. You fellas were just softenin’ him up. You must have swapped the cards and now you’ll start winnin’ instead.’
‘That’s a lie. Joe, don’t listen to him. He’s had too much liquor!’ protested Jorge.
Suddenly Ellis was on his feet. He swept the cards from the table with a shout of rage. The glasses shook and silver dollars scattered over the floor.
‘There’s only one way to settle this. Which one of you cheats wants to draw first?’
They were all standing now and it seemed that each man’s hand was irresistibly drawn towards his holster. Then Samuels spoke in an effort restore calm.
‘Come on, fellas. This has all been a misunderstanding and we don’t want any trouble do we? Why should folks in this town get woken up by people firing guns?’ He looked intently at each man and then continued. ‘Now you all put your guns outta that window. You can pick ’em up on your way home. I’m the lawman here and what I say goes.’
Esterhaz reluctantly unbuckled his gunbelt. ‘You heard what the man said. We don’t want any trouble, do we, boys?’
Jorge and Pablo followed suit. They planned to steal the keys from an inebriated Samuels, not shoot anyone, but they disliked giving up their weapons nonetheless.
‘What about him?’ asked Esterhaz, jerking a thumb at Ellis.
‘He’s a soldier, so he has to carry his gun all the time, but he won’t be firing it, will you, Ellis?’