Way Out West

by Blanche Marriott

  “What’s in the packages?” she asked boldly.

  “Never mind. Just pick up the shovel and start digging.”

  “What am I digging for?”

  “Just dig!”

  * * *

  Rand left the conference room where he’d met with his security people. Everyone had a profile on Kyle Thornton and a laundry list of his computer tactics. They knew everything that Thornton had ever done on computer and what to expect. But Rand didn’t delude himself into thinking the hacker hadn’t picked up some new tricks for his bag. After all, he’d lain low for a year. There had to be a reason.

  Returning to his office, Rand picked up the file in the middle of his desk. Opening it, he scanned the profile of Tyler Thornton. Small time thief, scam artist, history of running numbers. All small stuff. Yet, a number of arrests showed possession of a firearm.

  Rand frowned. What if Tyler Thornton had a real gun with him? What had he left Callie to face back in town? If Tyler found out he was gone, would he do something?

  A knock on the door shook him from his fearful thoughts. He had to trust that Becky and Sheriff Clayton would keep her safe until he returned to her. “Yes?”

  Tom Lawrence, head of operations, opened the door. “Everyone’s here, Benton. Whenever you’re ready.”

  Rand closed the file and stood up. “I’ll be there in five minutes.” Before the door closed, he called. “Tom?”

  “Yes, Benton.”

  “Wire Sheriff Clayton immediately. Tell him Tyler is known to carry firearms, a piece of information that was missing from the earlier telegram.”

  When the door closed again, Rand went to his small dressing room. He didn’t want to address his employees dressed in western garb. He needed to cut a strong, imposing figure.

  Quickly changing into a gray business suit, he hung his gambler’s outfit on a hook and checked his image in the full-length mirror. Back to reality.

  As Rand entered the conference room, it seemed all twenty employees held their breath. He read the worried looks on their faces, realizing they had no idea why they’d been called. He’d been a boss so long he’d almost forgotten what it was like to be an employee. All kinds of things must be going through their heads: firing, layoff, going out of business.

  He smiled and began his talk in a low, reassuring tone. “I want to thank you all for coming on such short notice. Let me assure you this has nothing to do with your jobs.”

  A collective sigh rippled through the room as relaxed faces assured one another with nods and smiles.

  “Way Out West is faced with a potentially serious security breach and I need everyone’s help and cooperation in working toward closing the gate before all the horses get out.”

  Rand went on to explain his suspicions and how the Thornton brothers came to target their system. “I believe that Kyle Thornton knows how the transactions work between the operations center and the bank in town and he plans to tap into it. By doing so, he could have access to our guests’ accounts as well as their confidential information. It would only be a matter of time before he bled us dry along with our guests. The liabilities alone could keep us tied up in court for years.”

  Murmurs buzzed from one end of the room to the other.

  “Tom Lawrence will fill you in on the details of what is expected of each of you. In the meantime, I want you to know that no one will have access to the system without Tom’s or my access code. As of this morning, I personally locked out all passwords and we are operating at level four.

  “Once you have logged on, your activity will be monitored by a background filter. It will track only the activities that are a risk to security. Reports of who did what will be printed and sent to me. Please understand, this is a necessary step in securing our system. Until we’ve pinpointed the breach, we must be wary of every potential weakness.”

  Rand left Tom Lawrence to finish the briefing while he hurried back to the operations room. It was empty and quiet except for the hum of terminals and the clicking of the printer.

  He’d ordered full printouts of all transactions since Friday. Now it was just a matter of sorting through the stack that had begun to pile up. His keen eye scanned the pages, looking for irregularities, large numbers, anything that stood out from the ordinary.

  Assured that everything seemed in order, he left the printer to finish its task. As he waited, he couldn’t get the picture of Tyler with a gun out of his head. He remembered the intense stare when Tyler had accused him of cheating. Something about the way he’d held the gun was far too familiar.

  Unwilling to wait any longer, Rand rushed out of the operations room and headed for wardrobe. He picked out a pair of denim pants, a red plaid shirt and suede vest, and a hat with a smaller rim than his gambler’s hat. Back at the office, he changed to the casual duds and checked in the mirror.

  One more detail, Callie, and then you’ll see the real Rand. Digging out his shaving kit, he made fast work of the mustache. No more hiding. He wanted everything out in the open.

  Just then the terminal at his desk beeped loudly, signaling a logon from outside the center. Rand rushed to punch up the internal path. Whoever it was, was searching through the files, obviously looking for a certain one. The tracer Rand had activated that morning kept the searcher going in circles. As soon as he opened a file, it closed and moved on to the next.

  “That ought to keep you busy for awhile, Thornton.”

  Rand tapped the hat on his head and headed for the stables.

  * * *

  “I’m hot,” Callie protested. She’d already removed her robe, but the long sleeves of her nightgown kept the heat in.

  “That makes two of us,” Tyler sneered as he dug on the opposite side of the hole.

  “Can’t we take a break? I’m hungry and thirsty and tired.”

  “Would you like a little cheese to go with that whine?” Tyler tossed his shovel. “Women ain’t nothin but a pain...”

  His words trailed off as he went to the saddlebags. Callie mopped her brow with the back of her hand. They’d been digging for hours and she still had no idea what they were digging for.

  “Here.” Tyler handed her a beef jerky and the canteen.

  She made a face at the offering. “This is what I get for all my hard work, a drink of water and dried beef?”

  “Shut up or you’ll get nothing.”

  “Yeah, well when I collapse of heat and hunger, you can dig your lousy hole by yourself.”

  “At least it’ll be quiet.”

  Callie sneered at him before taking a swig from the canteen. Tepid water wasn’t exactly what she’d hoped for. She sat on the ground and took a bite of her jerky.

  “Sooner or later, someone’ll come looking for me.”

  He grabbed the canteen out of her hands. “They have to know where to look first.”

  “Abe saw us go by. He’ll tell them.”

  “He saw us on the road. We’re far from the road now. No one will see us.”

  She feared he was right. They were far from the beaten path. But she had to hope. “When Rand gets back, he’ll come looking for me.”

  Tyler laughed. “Unless he has a little mishap agai—“ A series of muffled curses followed his abrupt halt.

  Startled by his outburst, Callie tensed and readied herself for the worst. “Wh-what?”

  “I forgot the damn wire!” He sent her an evil glare. “It’s all your fault. I had all I could do to concentrate on keeping you in check.” He grunted as he took a seat opposite her then leaned back and waved a hand in the air. “Oh, well. I’ll be long gone by then.”

  She consoled herself with the thought that Rand would at least have an idea where to look since he’d been tripped by Tyler’s wire the day before. But what did Tyler mean he’d be long gone? Callie tensed.

  “What about me? What are you going to do with me?”

  “If you don’t quit your yammering, I’ll make that decision real quick.”

  “Does that mean y
ou’re leaving?”

  “Don’t you know it. I can’t wait to leave this place. No running water, no electricity. People must be nuts to pay to come here.”

  She took another bite of jerky. Maybe if she kept him talking, she’d stall him and buy more time. “Aw, it ain’t so bad once you get used to it. It has a certain charm that grows on you.”

  “You’re just saying that cuz your boyfriend owns it.”

  Callie coughed on the jerky and stared straight at Tyler. He was still lounging back, seemingly undaunted by what he’d just said. Surely she must have misunderstood him.

  “Owns what?” she ventured in a casual tone.

  Tyler finally looked over at her and adjusted his hat. “Don’t give me that innocent look. My brother researched this job real good. When he worked for Randall at BRJ, he knew there was some connection. All the trips, all the correspondence. Randall was real secretive about it. But you can’t hide from Kyle. Once he gets those electronic tentacles working, there’s no stopping him. When he found out about the transactions to and from this place, he knew he’d found the pot of gold.”

  Tyler stood up and dusted his pants off. “Enough talk. Let’s get back to work.”

  Callie just sat there, staring at the ground. Should she believe what she’d just heard? Tyler was certainly far from honest, yet why would he make up a story like that? And he seemed so sure that she already knew.

  If what he said was true, it explained a lot about Rand. His frequent visits, his popularity in town, Becky’s and the Sheriff’s loyalty. Most of all it explained his pride in everything about the town. How could she have been so blind?

  “Are you gonna get over here or do I have to drag you by that pretty blond hair?”

  She looked in Tyler’s direction and remembered how Rand had stared him down in the saloon.

  Rand, honey, if you can call his bluff, so can I. And if I get out of this alive, you’ve got a lot of explaining to do.

  * * *

  The stallion breathed hard as Rand pushed him the three miles into town. It was just after noon and he was pleased with all he’d accomplished in the short time he’d been gone. Rand now had to find out Tyler Thornton’s role in this scheme.

  Slowing his horse as they reached town, he trotted straight over to the saloon. He burst in, surprising poor Smitty who nearly dropped the glass he’d been wiping.

  “Smitty, where’s Miss Callie?”

  “Don’t know, Rand. I haven’t seen her this morning. Say, what happened to your mustache?”

  “It got in the way.” He looked around. “Anyone about?”

  Smitty nodded. “Becky’s in her office.”

  Rand walked briskly over to the door and knocked, entering before she could answer. “Becky, where’s Callie?”

  Becky looked him up and down, taking in his changed appearance. Finally, she muttered. “Haven’t seen her. I assume she’s still in bed. What happened to your mustache?”

  Without a word, he turned and dashed up the stairs, two at a time, the rustle of Becky’s dress close behind him.

  “Rand, honey, you can’t go up there.” She huffed in her hurry to keep up. “In case you haven’t noticed, my girls work late hours. They deserve to sleep in.” Rand went immediately to the second door. Shocked, Becky asked, “Hey, how did you know which room?”

  Ignoring her, Rand opened it, took a step in and knew immediately Callie wasn’t there. The bed was rumpled, her dress from the night before was still on a chair. He turned to Becky and grabbed her shoulders. Her eyes opened wide, surprised by his intensity.

  “You haven’t seen her at all today?”

  “No. Rand, what’s wrong?”

  He let go of her shoulders and hit the wall with his fist. How could I be so stupid? Turning, he headed out the door. He had to find her.

  “Where are you going?” Becky pleaded. “Will you please tell me what’s going on? Why isn’t she here?”

  From the haze of confusion enveloping his mind, only one thought focused. If Tyler had her, then he had the advantage in this deal. He would use her as his wild card knowing that Rand wouldn’t gamble with her life. He hoped he wasn’t too late.

  Running from the saloon, he went straight for his horse. Becky caught up just he mounted.

  “Rand, I had no idea she was missing. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have left her alone.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To get Clayton to help. I have a pretty good idea where I can find Tyler and, hopefully, Callie.”

  Her face dropped. “I think Clayton’s out rehearsing with the posse. He stopped by earlier asking about Callie and I told him she was still in bed. I’m so sorry.”

  Rand nodded solemnly. “He was checking on her. I’d sent word that Tyler was known to possess firearms.”

  “Oh, Lord, Rand. You have to find her.”

  He rode quickly to the Sheriff’s office and burst through the door of the empty room. “Clayton?” He opened the door leading to the single jail cell. “Clayton?” Emotion caught in Rand’s throat. He was losing valuable time. Every moment lost added to Callie’s jeopardy. He’d have to do it alone.

  Rushing back into the office, he went directly to the locked cabinet where Clayton kept the guns and ammunition. Picking up a nearby chair, he aimed the hardwood legs at the cabinet, smashing against the door with an angry force. The panel eventually gave way, splintering into pieces. Rand reached in, opened the door, and removed a handgun and bullets.

  He strapped on a spare holster and was about to leave when he spied a shiny tin badge on top of the desk. Grabbing the star, he pinned it to his vest and was on his way.

  Callie, honey, I’m coming.

  * * *

  “Ha, ha! Yes, yes, yes.” Tyler stood up from digging on his side of the ditch and danced a silly sort of jig.

  Callie leaned wearily on her shovel. “What? What is it?”

  “It’s my gold mine, baby.”

  She looked down where he had been digging and saw he had uncovered something black. It looked like a big fat wire. How could a wire be a gold mine?

  “I don’t get it,” she said, wiping her perspiring brow.

  “You don’t need to get it. You just help me with this equipment and Kyle will take care of the rest.”

  Kyle? Was his brother coming here? If she’d had any hopes of escaping this lunatic, adding his crazy brother to the scene would pretty much dash them.

  Tyler went to the boxes he’d so carefully set aside when they arrived. He patiently unwrapped the contents, peeling back layers of bubble wrap, and lifted up some sort of instrument with connecting wires and pads. It resembled the machine doctors used for electrocardiograms.

  “What is that thing?” she asked, beginning to question Tyler’s stability.

  “This is our homing pigeon.”

  He made less and less sense. But that could work to her advantage. While he was preoccupied with the equipment and his discovery, maybe she could slip over to the horse for a getaway.

  But then, her record with horses so far was zero. She looked around, searching for something she could stand on, anything that would help her get on that horse.

  Nothing. If she was going to do it, she’d have to make a run for it and hope for the best. With her eye on Tyler, who’d disappeared into the ditch, she backed away, inch by inch. She carefully placed every step so as not to crack a twig, disturb a rock, or stumble on a cactus.

  She watched Tyler’s head bob up and down as he threw more shovels of dirt out of the ditch, mumbling to himself with an occasional chuckle. Callie chanced a glance behind her. Only a few more feet and she’d be at the horse.

  Mapping in her mind how she’d get on the beast, she knew the left side would be her best bet. Although the right was the side hidden from Tyler, should he start shooting, she doubted her awkward coordination could handle a mount from the right. No. She’d take her chances with the left.

  A c
ouple more steps and she heard the animal breathing behind her. This was it. She’d have to turn fast, grab the reins, step into the stirrup and jump as high as she could. Putting her foot back for the last step, she saw Tyler’s head pop up and look around.

  “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

  As though shot from a cannon, she grabbed the reins and ducked around to the other side of the horse. She fought with her long nightgown trying to lift her leg high enough to reach the stirrup. When her boot slipped in, she grabbed the saddle horn with both hands and pulled and pushed as hard as she could. She could hear Tyler’s heavy footfalls approaching fast.

  As she finally got high enough to swing her leg over the horse, a hand grabbed her foot on the other side and held. She looked down to see the barrel of his gun aimed at her face.

  “Now here I was starting to think we understood each other. And what do you do? Try to run out on me just when things were getting interesting. Don’t you want to see the thank you gift we have for your boyfriend?”

  “Please let me go. I promise I won’t tell a soul what you’re doing. In fact, I don’t understand any of it.”

  His loud, menacing laugh rang through the desert. Even the horse got spooked and backed up. Callie’s mouth opened. Oh dear! How did she stop him from going backward?

  Before she could think, Tyler pulled hard on her arm and she came sliding off the saddle right into his sweaty chest and arms. His toothy grin mocked her foolish attempt.

  “Don’t think I believe that innocent act for a minute. I saw the two of you ride into town together. You probably know everything about his businesses and all his little secrets. Is this how the two of you get your kicks, playing dress up and acting out your western fantasy? What gives? Are you working for him? Does he pay you to keep him company?”

  Before she could stop herself, her hand came up and slapped his scruffy, ugly face. He grabbed her hand and his mouth twisted into a nasty, twitching snarl.

  “That is going to cost you, bitch!”

  Chapter Twelve

  Clutching a fistful of hair at the back of her head, Tyler half-dragged, half-pushed Callie to the ditch, then turned her to face his offensive breath.