“You’ve been to Shanghai?” Smoke asked. “How did you wind up in Shanghai?”
“My father owns the Pacific Trading Company. It’s a fleet of clipper ships, and I was a junior officer on one of them for a while, until I realized I didn’t want to make a career at sea. That’s when I moved here and bought Wiregrass.”
During and after the meal, Smoke learned a lot more about the couple who had invited him to stay with them. Molly’s father was a college professor at the University of San Francisco.
“Interesting that you have been to sea. I have a friend who was a sailor for a while. And now that I think about it, I believe it might well have been with your father’s company. He wasn’t an officer though. His name is Elmer Gleason.”
Ned laughed out loud. “Elmer Gleason? Well now, you talk about a small world. Gleason saved my life when we were attacked by pirates from Kuala Langat.”
“That would be Elmer, all right,” Smoke said. “And trust me, you aren’t the only one whose life Elmer saved.”
“Well, as far as I’m concerned, Ned’s is the most important life your friend ever saved,” Molly said. “Had it not been for Mr. Gleason, Ned and I would have never been married.”
“Have you been married long?” Smoke asked.
“We have been married for four years. Oh, and our wedding was beautiful,” Molly said. “It was held in St. Patrick’s Church and just everyone came. Why even Governor Perkins came.”
“And why shouldn’t he have come?” Ned asked. “My father certainly donated enough to his campaign.”
“Still, he didn’t have to come,” Molly said. “And I thought it was very sweet of him to do so.”
“Our folks, mine and Molly’s, don’t understand what has drawn us to ranching,” Ned said, “but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for my entire life. And with a seed bull like Prince Dandy, why, I’ve no doubt but that I’ll have one of the finest herds in the whole state.”
“He’s a fine bull, all right,” Smoke said. “But, Ned, you haven’t even asked what I want for him.”
“I don’t care how much you are asking for him, I’ll pay it,” Ned said.
Smoke shook his head and laughed out loud. “Ned, Ned, never do that. You have to deal with people. If you don’t, they’ll rob you blind. Make an offer.”
“All right, four thousand dollars.”
“No,” Smoke said, with a grin.
“Forty-five hundred?”
“No.”
“All right, four thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars, but I have to tell you, I wasn’t actually planning on spending that much.”
Smoke laughed. “How about two thousand five hundred dollars?”
“What?” Ned asked, as a big smile spread across his face.
“Two thousand five hundred dollars.”
“Yes! Yes!” Ned replied excitedly.
“Whew, what a tough negotiation this was,” Smoke teased.
“Well, I’ve never really had to negotiate for anything,” Ned said. “Generally if I wanted it, I just bought it.”
“Don’t tell people that,” Smoke said with a laugh.
As it turned out, Ned was quite an accomplished pianist and Molly had a beautiful voice, so they gave Smoke a private concert that evening.
“I certainly appreciate the private concert,” Smoke said. “But you didn’t have to do that.”
“Nonsense. It’s no fun just performing for ourselves,” Ned said. “We appreciated the audience.”
After breakfast the next morning, Ned and Molly both came out to see him off.
“How long before you can get Prince Dandy here?” Ned asked.
“I’ve got some business to tie up, but I’d say less than two weeks.”
Molly handed him a wrapped bundle.
“What is this?” Smoke asked.
“A couple of biscuits and some fried chicken,” Molly said. “I thought you might get hungry on the way home.”
Smoke chuckled and shook his head. “You didn’t have to do this, but I will take it, and I do appreciate it.”
“Hurry back with Prince Dandy. And do tell him how nice a place we have waiting for him,” Ned said.
“I’ll tell him, and I know he will be looking forward to it.”
Smoke threw them both a wave as he rode off. He stopped by in Brown Spur after he left the Wiregrass Ranch, and stepped into the sheriff’s office.
“Hello, Sheriff.”
“Mr. Jensen,” Sheriff Brown said. “What brings you by?”
“I just wanted to make sure that you didn’t need to see me for anything about my run-in with Reece.”
“No, it’s like I told you. All the witness accounts say that you had no choice. Did you meet with the Condons?”
“I did, yes. And you are right, they are fine people. I’ll be coming through here again in a couple of weeks with Prince Dandy.”
“I know Condon is excited about that.”
“He seemed to be. Well, if you have no need of me, I’ll be on my way.”
CHAPTER FOUR
The Vasquez Mountains, Colorado
The Ghost Rider Gang made their headquarters at Ten Strike, an abandoned mine that was in the Vasquez Mountains, near the town of Sorento. The buildings and structures that had once supported the mine were still in place. Here, there was a long, low bunkhouse that had been for the mine workers, as well as a small house that had been occupied by the manager of the mine. The men stayed in the bunkhouse, while the leader of the Ghost Riders, a man known only as Hannibal, stayed in what had been the mine manager’s house.
Hannibal was a tall, blond-haired, well-proportioned man who at first glance might be considered handsome. But upon closer examination there was something about him that was rather off-putting, like a beautiful piece of crystal that had a minute imperfection in the casting that, while small, was nonetheless significant enough to destroy the overall illusion.
At the moment, the Ghost Rider Gang consisted of thirty men. The gang hadn’t just happened into existence, Hannibal had planned every aspect of it and considered thirty men to be the optimum strength of his military unit, and a military unit is exactly the way he thought of the group. Thirty men might seem too large and unwieldy, but Hannibal understood the elements of command, so that didn’t present a problem.
A gang that large would, of necessity, have to bring in enough money to make it profitable for all its members, and so far Hannibal had been able to do that. One advantage was their strength. There were too many of them for any single sheriff’s department to deal with, and there was virtually no job that was too large for them to undertake.
Another advantage of having such a large group was that Hannibal was able to send out smaller groups for smaller jobs. Last week he had sent four men to hold up a stagecoach. He was supposed to give his informant fifty dollars for the information, but he didn’t have to because Reece had gotten himself killed.
All the money, even the money that came from the smaller operations, was put into the unit treasury to be divided up among the men. And now Hannibal had happened across another lead for a job, and he didn’t have to pay any informant for this information. The sale of a bull for the princely sum of twenty-five hundred dollars was news enough to have been picked up in newspapers all over the state, including the Sorento Sun Times.
“The rancher was a fool to allow the information to be put in the newspaper,” Hannibal said. “Now, all we have to do is pay him a visit at his ranch, relieve him of the money he is to pay for the bull, then when this Jensen person shows up, kill him and take the bull.”
“Hannibal, how are we going to sell that bull?” Rexwell asked. “I mean if he is a champion bull, won’t a lot of people know about him?”
“We’ll change his name and fake his registration papers,” Hannibal said. “And anyone who appreciates quality will realize that he is a purebred bull. I expect we can get rid of him in Wyoming or Utah easily enough.”
“How many me
n do we want to use?” Rexwell asked.
“Pick five men out. It’ll be no more than seven, counting you and me.”
“All right. I’ll get ’em together,” Rexwell said.
Sugarloaf Ranch, Colorado
“The reason Smoke chose me to go with him is because he knows I’m better with cattle than you are,” Cal said.
“What do you mean, better with cattle?” Pearlie asked. “You’re not taking cattle, you’re taking a cow. One cow. How can you have a cattle drive with one cow?”
“Yes, but it’s a very special cow. It’s Prince Dandy. And you know yourself, Pearlie, I near’bout raised that bull all by myself. I mean, think about it. Who did Smoke choose to lead him around the ring at the livestock show? And that’s probably why Prince Dandy won, ’cause he knew I was with him.”
“He didn’t choose you, you practically begged him to let you lead Prince Dandy around.”
“Yeah, well, Prince Dandy won, didn’t he? It’s like I said, Prince Dandy trusts me.”
“You’re not goin’ to cry when you ride away and leave Prince Dandy with the Condons now, are you?”
“No, but I expect Prince Dandy is goin’ to miss me somethin’ awful.”
Smoke and Sally came out of the house then. “Cal, are you ready to go?” Smoke called.
“Yes, sir, I’m ready. I’ve got both horses saddled, and Prince Dandy is in halter and leash.”
Pearlie stood by as the two men mounted.
“Get along there, doggies,” Pearlie called out. Then he laughed. “Oh, wait a minute. I guess what I really mean is, get along there little doggie.”
“You’re just jealous you ain’t goin’!” Cal replied.
“Cal, you know better than that!” Sally said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Cal called back. “Pearlie, you’re just jealous that you aren’t going.”
“That’s much better,” Sally said with a little laugh.
It had been some time since Sally had been in a schoolroom, but she was a living example of the consummate teacher. She had left teaching, but teaching had never left her.
Near Wiregrass Ranch
Hannibal held up his arm as a signal to stop.
“Taylor, you and Moss approach as flankers. Taylor, you go to the left and Moss to the right. Fowler, you go in as point. Keep your eyes open, and let us know instantly if you see anyone. The rest of you, stay with me,” Hannibal said.
With the flank riders and the point man in position, Hannibal, Rexwell, Newell, and Hill approached the ranch. There was an attractive young woman hanging up clothes, and as they rode into the yard, she looked up with an expression of curiosity on her face.
“What can I do for you gentlemen?” she asked.
“Fowler, climb to the top of the windmill and keep an eye out.”
“An eye out for what? Who are you men?”
“Madam, I suggest that you call your husband,” Hannibal said.
“Ned! Ned, come out here, quickly!”
“What is it, Molly?” Ned asked, coming up from the barn. He saw Hannibal and the others. “Who are you men? What do you want?”
“We are here to collect the money for the registered bull that you bought,” Hannibal said.
“What do you mean, you are here to collect the money? I’ll pay when I get the bull.”
“He has authorized us to collect the money for him.”
“I would like to see that authorization.”
“All right, I’ll be glad to show it to you,” Hannibal said. He looked at the other men. “Bands on.”
At Hannibal’s order, he and all the men with him put on armbands.
“Oh, my God, Molly,” Ned said, pulling his wife close to him. “They are Ghost Riders.”
“Oh, I’m glad that you recognized us,” Hannibal said with an evil smile. “Now that you know who we are, I’m sure you well understand the importance of responding to my order. So I will ask you again to turn over the money you intended to pay for the bull.”
“Mister, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Surely, you don’t think I have the cash on hand, do you? I’ll be paying for Prince Dandy with a bank draft.”
Hannibal brought the back of his hand, hard, across Ned’s face. “Wrong answer, Mr. Condon.”
“I’m telling you the truth! I don’t have the cash on hand!”
Hannibal hit Ned again. “You’re not a very smart man, are you, Mr. Condon? All you have to do is give me the money; we’ll be on our way, and neither you, nor your wife will be any worse for wear.”
“Are you deaf? I don’t have the money here!” Ned shouted.
This time Hannibal hit him with the butt of his pistol, and Ned went down.
“Take off his shirt,” Hannibal ordered.
“Please! My husband is telling the truth!” Molly said.
“Hey, Hannibal, it comes to my mind that we took the shirt off the wrong person. How ’bout we take her shirt off too?” Taylor said.
“Good idea,” Hannibal said. “Strip her down to the skin from the waist up. When Condon comes to and sees that, he might be a bit more cooperative.”
Moss stepped up to Molly Condon, put his hands on the neckline of her dress, then ripped it open. He then pulled her camisole down, exposing her naked breasts.
“Well now,” he said, leeringly. “Ain’t them thangs purty?”
Smoke and Cal were riding side by side, with Cal holding on to the leash that was attached to Prince Dandy’s harness. They were taking the bull to Wiregrass Ranch and had been on the way for about three hours.
“Pearlie was teasin’ me this mornin’ when we left,” Cal said. “He said he had never heard of a cattle drive with just one cow.”
“That might be true, but Prince Dandy cost as much as fifty head of ordinary cattle, so you might say there are just two of us to handle fifty beeves.”
“Yeah,” Cal said. “Yeah, that’s true, isn’t it? I’ll have to tell Pearlie that. Hey, Smoke, do you reckon Mrs. Condon will feed us? I mean, it’ll be near’bout lunchtime when we get there, won’t it?”
“I imagine she will,” Smoke said. “She fed me quite well when I was here last.”
“Good. I’m awful hungry.”
“Cal, is it even possible for you to tell me when you haven’t been hungry?”
Wiregrass Ranch
By now, Ned Condon was on his knees, with his shirt off. His arms were stretched out in front of him, and his wrists were tied to the water pump that rose from the ground. There were bleeding stripes across his back from the bullwhip that had been applied, and was still being applied, by Toon Taylor. Molly, who was also bare from the waist up, stood nearby. She was holding her arms across her breasts, providing her with a false sense of modesty.
Hannibal stepped around in front of Ned, so Ned could see him.
“You are being most obdurate, Mr. Condon. All you have to do to stop this unpleasantness is give us the money you were going to pay for the bull.”
“I told you, I don’t have the cash money,” Condon said.
“And I told you that I don’t believe you,” Hannibal said, and he nodded at Taylor. “Lay it on again, and don’t be so gentle in the application of the lash.”
“No, please! Don’t hit him again!” Molly begged.
“Mr. Condon, do you see how piteously your wife pleads for you? You could stop this, you know.”
“Do you think I want to be beaten like this?” Ned replied. “I would give you the money if I had it.”
Taylor brought the bullwhip around again, and it popped loudly as it fell across Condon’s back, opening up another bloody streak.
Condon winced, but made no sound.
“Please!” Molly shouted. “He’s telling the truth! Don’t hit him again!”
“You know what, Hannibal, maybe we’re whuppin’ the wrong person here,” Rexwell said. “I think if we started whuppin’ his woman, why, he’d talk.”
“No, please!” Condon said. “I’ve told yo
u the truth! I don’t have the cash here! I’ll write you a bank draft!”
“A bank draft, you say? And just what am I supposed to do with a bank draft?”
“Hey, Hannibal!” Fowler called down from the windmill. “Someone’s a comin’!”
“How many?”
“Looks like two men. Two men, ’n they’re leadin’ a cow.”
“That must be the bull Condon is buying. All right, keep an eye on them. When they get close enough, shoot them and we’ll take the bull. Newell, Hill, get your rifles.”
Suddenly, and totally unexpectedly, Molly Condon screamed.
“Son of a bitch! Shoot them!” Hannibal ordered. “Shoot both of them!”
“That sounded like a woman’s scream!” Cal said.
“It was a woman’s scream. Let Prince Dandy go! We’ll recover him later. Come on, we have got to get there!” Smoke slapped his legs against the sides of his horse, and Seven bolted forward.
They heard two gunshots.
Smoke and Cal drew their pistols and galloped toward the sound of the guns.
Within moments bullets were whizzing by their heads. Smoke saw a shooter from the top of the windmill, and he shot at him. The windmill shooter pitched forward and did a somersault on his way down. A second shot brought down another of the shooters. Cal also brought one of the shooters down.
“Let’s get the hell out of here!” they heard someone yell, and two of the four jumped onto their horses and galloped away. The other horses bolted away as well, leaving the two remaining shooters stranded.
“No!” one of them yelled, throwing down his gun and putting up his hands. “No, don’t shoot! I give up, don’t shoot!”
“Moss, you yellowbelly!” Taylor shouted, but as Smoke and Cal closed on them, he too threw up his hands.
CHAPTER FIVE
While Cal kept the two men covered, Smoke leaped from his saddle and hurried to Molly, who was lying on her back, a bleeding bullet hole in the middle of her chest, just below her bare breasts. Seeing Ned’s shirt on the ground, he used it to cover her. She was breathing in wheezing gasps.
Bloodshed of the Mountain Man Page 3