Righteous Kill

by G. Michael Hopf

  “Let’s hope so,” Alice said.

  “Marshal, please hurry. My brother needs you,” Clive said.

  “I’m going, and don’t you worry, I’ll get your brother back safely,” Billy promised.

  “You’re one man. You can’t possibly arrest them all,” Alice said.

  Billy gave her a crooked smile and said, “Who said anything about arresting anyone?”

  A rustling in the trees to their left alerted them to someone or something coming.

  Billy pulled and cocked his pistol.

  Alice did the same.

  As the sound grew louder and more distinct, they could tell it was a person walking.

  Billy stepped forward and got in front of the others, who were still in the saddle.

  The heavy footfalls continued.

  Billy’s index finger rested on the trigger. If the person meant them harm, he could squeeze it in less than a second.

  A groan came from the woods. “Help.”

  It was a man’s voice. Billy stepped towards the edge of the woods and called out, “Who’s there?”

  “Help,” the man’s voice called out.

  Billy’s grip tightened on his pistol and his breathing slowed.

  Out from a thick shrub the man emerged. It was Henry, his clothing was stained with blood, and his ashen appearance told Billy that he’d been wounded severely.

  Recognizing him, Billy barked, “Hands up!”

  “Help, please,” Henry cried out, his voice weak.

  Billy advanced on Henry. When he got within arm’s length, he reached out with his left hand and threw him down.

  Henry hit the ground hard and fell over.

  “Where are the rest of you?” Billy asked, his pistol leveled at Henry’s face.

  “I don’t know. Help me, please,” Henry moaned.

  Billy dropped to a knee and put the muzzle of his pistol against Henry’s forehead and said, “Where is Al?”

  “I…don’t…know,” Henry replied.

  “You ambushed me and my partner. He’s dead now. I need you to tell me who ordered this, and where are the others?” Billy snapped.

  Henry coughed loudly, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he let out a gasp.

  “Is he…” Alice asked.

  “I don’t know,” Billy replied. He put two fingers to his neck to check, and felt a pulse. “He’s alive.”

  Henry’s eyes opened wide. He stared at Billy and with a raspy tone said, “Help me.”

  “Where are the others?” Billy asked again.

  “I don’t know,” Henry answered once more. “I was shot. I came to and was all alone on the road. I saw Gus; he was dead, as was that marshal…”

  Pressing his muzzle harder into Henry’s forehead, Billy snapped, “That marshal was my partner and my friend.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Henry replied.

  “Where are the others? I’m getting tired of asking,” Billy said, his anger rising.

  Alice dismounted and slowly walked towards the two men, her fingers wrapped firmly around her pistol’s grip.

  “I’m going to count to three, and you’d better tell me where the others are, or I’ll put an end to your life,” Billy threatened. He was so focused on Henry that he didn’t notice Alice walking up.

  “I don’t know. I woke and I was alone. They left me,” Henry said, his voice straining.

  Alice reached the men, leveled her pistol at Henry, and said, “You raped my ma and grandma.”

  Henry looked up and saw Alice. He didn’t recognize her on account that he never saw her that night. “Ma’am, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Surprised to see her standing there, Billy said, “It’s probably best you take a few steps back.”

  Ignoring Billy, she said again, “You raped my ma and grandma that night. You came to my house asking for shelter then returned later.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, ma’am,” Henry lied.

  Billy pushed down on his pistol, digging the muzzle deeper into Henry’s forehead. “Answer the girl honestly.”

  “It wasn’t my idea. It was Gus and Joseph; they came up with the idea,” Henry said.

  “So you were there?” Alice asked.

  “I was, but I-I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Can’t you see I’m hurt? I need help,” Henry cried.

  Billy shot Alice a look and could see the determination in her eyes. “Don’t do it.”

  “You were there, you mentioned Joseph and Gus, but I saw a fourth man that night the first time you came. Where is he?” Alice asked.

  The news of a fourth man was a surprise to Billy.

  “Harry, you’re talking about Harry. He didn’t come back. He disagreed with what Gus and Joseph had planned, so we tied him up. He never came to your house that night,” Henry confessed.

  “Where is Harry?” Billy asked.

  “He’s dead. Joe killed him,” Henry said.

  “Who hired you?” Billy asked.

  Alice kept her eyes glued on Henry, and her anger kept rising. She leaned closer with her pistol out in front of her.

  Catching her move, Billy again said, “Don’t do it. He can answer questions that I need answers to.”

  Unable to control her emotional state, she pulled the trigger. A .36-caliber round blasted from the barrel and slammed into Henry’s face.

  He let out a quick yelp, choked on the blood that was flowing from the hole in his face, and died.

  Billy jumped back and said, “What the hell?” He stood and said, “Why did you do that? He could have helped us.”

  “He was a murderer and rapist, but he was telling you the truth; he doesn’t know where the others are,” Alice said.

  Billy uncocked his pistol and holstered it. “I don’t know why I brought you along.”

  “All you were doing was talking and talking. I gave him what he deserved,” Alice said.

  ***

  Upon hearing the crack of the gunshot, Joseph jumped to his feet. He opened the door slightly and peered out.

  Al rolled over and asked, “Was that a gunshot?”

  “Yeah,” Joseph said, scanning the front yard. He glanced to Adam and asked, “You were lyin’ yesterday, were you?”

  “No, sir,” Adam said.

  Joseph shut the door and raced over to Al and said, “Can you ride?”

  Struggling to sit up, Al said, “I don’t think so. It still hurts so bad and I’m burning up.”

  “Boy, do you have a wagon?” Joseph asked.

  “Yes, sir, along the side of the house,” Adam said.

  Joseph scooped Al up and cradled him in his arms. “Open the door,” he ordered Adam, who did what he asked without question. Outside, he rushed with Al in his arms and made his way to the side of the house, and just as Adam had said, there was a wagon. He laid Al in the back and raced to get his horse. He brought it back and hitched it to the wagon. Running back inside, he gathered their belongings, and on his way out he saw Adam. “It’s your lucky day, kid. I’m not taking you with me.”

  Adam said nothing. He stared at Joseph and prayed for him to leave.

  Joseph gave Adam a wink and ran to the wagon. He threw everything in the bed of the wagon and hopped on. Looking over his shoulder, he asked, “How ya doing, Al?”

  “I’ve been better,” Al said.

  Joseph whipped the reins. The horse lurched forward. Slowly the wagon pulled away and onto the road.

  “Where to now?” Al asked.

  “Away from here, far away from here,” Joseph said.

  ***

  Billy turned the cabin upside down, looking for anything that could be a clue as to where Al and Joseph had gone, but found nothing.

  When he’d arrived at the cabin, he found Adam lying next to his parents’ dead bodies, holding his mother’s hand. The scene was touching and only validated his search for the outlaws.

  “There’s nothing that tells me where they went,” Billy said.

&nb
sp; “I spoke with Adam. He said they left twenty minutes ago in a wagon. They can’t be too far ahead,” Alice said.

  “Twenty minutes ago was also the time you shot that man,” Billy barked.

  Not liking that Billy was yelling at her, she snapped back, “I might have made a mistake by doing that, but I had to. He raped my mother and my grandmother.”

  Billy thought about coming back with a rebuttal but decided against it. He’d made his point, and now he needed to get back in the saddle again. He stepped around Alice and made his way to his horse. He tightened the saddle strap and saddlebags because if he was going to catch them, he’d have to ride hard and fast.

  Alice did the same thing to her horse.

  Seeing what she was doing, he said, “You’re not coming with me.”

  “I am because I know this county, you don’t,” she said.

  “We had them, they were here, but they got away,” Billy complained. He pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. “Eight more hours of daylight; there’s plenty of time to catch them.”

  “There’s a triple fork in the road about three miles down. What we don’t know is which way they went,” Alice said.

  “They’re in a wagon. I can track them easily,” Billy said confidently.

  “But what if they went off the road?” Alice asked.

  “I’ll be able to see that. I need you to take these boys to town and inform the sheriff about what’s occurred. That might get him off his ass to help,” Billy said.

  The heavy sound of horses sounded on the road just beyond.

  Billy and Alice looked. It was Amherst and his deputy.

  “What are the odds of that?” Billy said, a smirk on his face.

  Amherst spotted them and rode up. “Marshal, I’ve reconsidered.”

  “How did you know we’d be here?” Billy asked.

  “I knew you headed southwest out of town. I suspected you might ride out to the ambush site, and I look over, and here you are,” Amherst said. “What are you doing here anyway?”

  “These boys,” Billy said, nodding to Clive and Adam, “their parents were murdered by Joseph and Al.”

  Amherst gasped and said, “Damn it.”

  “Sheriff, I won’t say anything about what happened before, but right now we have a chance to catch these men and put an end to their killing,” Billy said.

  “I agree, so I’m offering to help, along with my deputy here. His name is Rob Ellis,” Amherst said.

  Billy nodded to Rob and said, “The more to help, the better.”

  “I’m going with you too,” Alice said.

  Amherst gave Alice a peculiar look and asked, “Is this true?”

  “No, it’s not. She joined me here only because…well, I made a mistake,” Billy said.

  “I want to go. I need to go,” Alice declared.

  “No, and that is it. I have the sheriff and Rob now to help, and they know this county better than you. I’m sorry, Alice, this is where your ride ends,” Billy said. Turning to Amherst, he continued, “We’re wasting daylight. Killer Joe and Al fled the cabin here in a wagon about thirty minutes ago. They were seen heading that way.”

  “We can catch them if we go now,” Amherst said.

  “Agreed,” Billy said. “Alice, please take these boys somewhere safe. Maybe your house or the church in town until we can locate some relatives.”

  Alice grunted her disapproval.

  “Sheriff, shall we?” Billy asked.

  “Let’s ride,” Amherst said.

  The three men bolted away and quickly disappeared out of sight.

  Clive walked over to Alice and asked, “Where will you be taking us?”

  Still fuming over being left behind, Alice felt defiant. She gave Clive a harsh look and replied, “I know you know how to ride a horse, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know where the north fork is up ahead a few miles?”

  “Yes,” Clive replied.

  “See that horse there?” Alice asked.

  “Yes, I see it,” Clive answered.

  “You’re gonna take that horse. You and your brother are going to ride up to the fork, take the right, head a few miles down. On the right just past Sutter’s Creek, you’ll see a farmhouse in the distance. That’s my house. Go there and tell my ma or grandma that I sent you. My ma might give you some grief, but if you give her this,” she said, pulling two bottles of whiskey from her saddlebags and handing them to him, “she’ll be fine. Tell her I sent you and that she’s to take care of you. Feel free to tell her what happened to your parents. She might come off harsh at first, but she’ll have sympathy. Do you understand?”

  “I do, but I have a question,” Clive said.

  “What’s that?” Alice asked.

  “Can we bury my parents first?” Clive asked.

  Hearing that tore at her emotions. She felt their pain and pledged that what she was doing wasn’t just for herself but for them too. “Of course, bury them, pay what respects you need to, then ride to my house.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Clive said.

  “I’m not a ma’am; I’m only seventeen,” Alice said. She put her foot in the stirrup and pulled herself onto the back of the horse. “Now you’re sure you can do as I ask?”

  “Of course, my pa always said I was mature for my age,” Clive said, the bangs of his dirty-blond hair covering his eyes when the breeze swept in.

  “Your pa was right; I can see it in your eyes. You’re not only mature but brave. You ran all the way to town to tell someone. You risked everything for your brother,” Alice said.

  Looking over at Adam, who sat on a stump outside the cabin, fiddling, he said, “He’s my only family now.”

  Those words stung her. With Martha gone, she didn’t have another sibling to share the rest of her life with. There was no one left to talk about things that girls talk about or discuss babies and the best way to bake a pie. It not only saddened her but brought out a rage that had showed itself not an hour ago when she killed Henry. She couldn’t rest until she knew each man responsible was dead. Looking towards the road, she said, “Clive, you take care.”

  “I will, but can I ask where you’re going?”

  “I’m going to go kill a man,” she replied.

  TEN MILES SOUTHWEST OF GREAT FALLS, MONTANA

  “Stop!” Al cried out, his body bouncing up and down with each bump in the road.

  “I can’t!” Joseph replied, whipping the horse to go faster.

  “Stop, I can’t take it!” Al shouted. The pain from the infected wound had only gotten worse. The cauterization hadn’t done anything but seal the infection inside his body. His fever had risen and the infection was spreading.

  “Al, you’re going to have to suffer. We’re already going slow as it is. I have to assume they’re on our tail,” Joseph said.

  “No, stop!” Al shouted.

  “No, I won’t.”

  “Stop!” Al shrieked.

  Having heard enough, Joseph pulled back on the reins and brought the wagon to a full stop. He spun around and snapped, “Shut up. I can’t even hear myself think.”

  Sweat poured off Al’s face, and his clothes were soaked. “I can’t do this. I don’t want to go on.”

  “That’s foolish talk.”

  Al lifted up his shirt and said, “Look, look at it.” The area around the wound on Al’s belly had spread. The epicenter was black where the poker had burnt his skin, and out from there it was a mix of red and purple. “It’s worse. I fear I’m not going to make it, and I don’t want to suffer in my last moments.”

  “Your talk is foolish. Now we can’t wait too much longer.”

  “You don’t even know if we’re being followed. All we heard was a single gunshot; it could have been someone hunting.”

  Looking in the direction they’d just come, Joseph could sense they were being chased. “Someone’s coming; I can feel it.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

&
nbsp; “Why did you come to rescue me? We haven’t seen each other in a decade; now you feel a sense of obligation. What’s the real reason?” Al asked.

  “Does there need to be a reason outside of the fact that you’re my friend?”

  “Joe, you don’t have friends. Yes, we were friends when we were kids, but you left and went your own way. You became a contract killer, you’re Killer Joe, and Killer Joe doesn’t have friends, so why is it you came?”

  “I came because you’re my friend.”

  “Did you come thinking I had money somewhere? ’Cause if you did, I’m here to tell you that I don’t. All that money I defrauded people out of is gone. I’m broke; I don’t have a secret stash of cash somewhere.”

  Joseph’s facial expression shifted. He looked like a child when someone told them that Santa Claus didn’t exist.

  “I can see it in your face; you thought I had some vast fortune hidden away. I don’t. Those were all stories, lies. I liked hearing them because it made me sound bigger than I was, but there is no fortune, no money hidden. All the money I stole is gone,” Al confessed.

  “There’s nothing?”

  “Did you come hoping to get your hands on that?”

  “I came hoping that…” Joseph said before pausing. His thoughts swirled about how to respond.

  “Joe, just leave me here. If someone is chasing us, let them come. I’ll hold them off as long as I can to give you more time to flee.”

  “You’d do that?”

  “Of course, even though you came with hopes of getting your filthy hands on my money, I’ll do what’s right for an old friend,” Al said.

  “You said I don’t have friends,” Joseph said, his tone somber.

  “No, you don’t. You’re a damn killer, but were you and I friends once? Yes, we were, but we changed. You know I’m right. I am grateful for all you did even though you did it with hopes of putting your grubby hands on my money.”

  “I did want to help you though, that’s not a lie.”

  “Now go, leave, but give me a pistol,” Al said.

  Joseph hopped down from the wagon and leaned over the side. He took Al’s hand and said, “Thanks for telling me.”

  “If we’re being chased, you’ll never get away hauling me around. Unhitch the horse and go. Get out of here.”

  Joseph nodded and did as Al said. He unhitched the horse, threw his saddle and saddlebags on its back, and readied himself to ride off. He found a spare pistol in his bags, confirmed it was loaded, and handed it to Al. “Here.”