Blind Sooner_Hangman's Drop Space Western Ep. 1

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Blind Sooner_Hangman's Drop Space Western Ep. 1 Page 5

by D. J. Proctor


  Shaw took a few steps and kicked Merritt in the face. Merritt’s head slammed back into the bars, sending a shock of pain through his skull. His vision swirled as he almost lost consciousness.

  “Let him go,” said Shaw, drawing his pistol and pointing it at Orlin.

  Orlin let him go, and Merritt slumped to the floor.

  Merritt used his arms to scoot across the floor, away from the jail cell. Shaw holstered his gun and kicked Merritt in the ribs. Merritt made his way to Kerin’s mangled desk and saw a baton sticking out of one of the twisted drawers. He grabbed the baton and swung it at Shaw’s leg, making contact with a loud crack on his ankle. Shaw yelled out and hit the floor, grasping at his leg. Merritt, still on the floor, twisted around and brought the baton down on Shaw’s head. The force wasn’t as great as he hoped because of the pain in his ribs and head, but Shaw’s body relaxed as he went unconscious.

  Merritt tried to stand, but couldn’t. The waves of pain in his head were piercing, and his vision was blurry. He had no balance. He crawled on his hands and knees over to his own desk and opened a drawer. Pulling out a bottle of whiskey, he uncorked it and took a long swig. He crawled back over to Shaw and poured some on his lips. A moment later, Shaw opened his eyes, groaning.

  “Take a swig of this, Terrence,” said Merritt.

  Shaw propped himself up on an elbow, grabbing the bottle and taking a drink.

  “I’m sorry about Susan’s grave. She didn’t deserve that. It was foolish,” said Merritt.

  Shaw took another swig from the bottle and handed it back to Merritt.

  His head pleasantly taking on a buzz, Merritt got to his knees and slung an arm underneath Shaw’s shoulder. Together they were able to stand. Merritt helped Shaw settle down into Kerin’s chair, then walked over to his own and wheeled it over. He sat down heavily, the whiskey ironically steadying his vision.

  “Holy fuck, you two going to kiss now?” said Orlin.

  “I swear, one more word out of you, and you’re a dead man,” said Merritt.

  With a sigh, Orlin lay down on his bunk and rolled over, back facing them.

  “I figure we gotta work this out, once and for all,” said Merritt, “and I thought the only way to do that was through blood. I think I was wrong.”

  Shaw reached out, and Merritt slapped the bottle into his hand. He took another long drink.

  “All I want is to be left alone. No more disparaging comments on my character. The way I see it, I was there for Susan when she needed it. No slight meant against you, but I needed a good woman and she was there.”

  “She was a good woman,” said Merritt, taking the bottle back and bringing it to his mouth. “Alright, I figure we do this like men. Let’s finish this bottle and the other in my desk. Get totally plastered together and call things even.”

  “Then quit your jabber and give me that bottle again,” said Shaw.

  Chapter 14

  It felt like a Voltan porcupine ejected its quills in Merritt’s head. He sat up, a poker card falling from his face, partially glued there by his drool. It landed face up. An ace of spades. Except Merritt didn’t feel like an ace right now. His head swam, and he instantly regretted his overindulgence in whiskey with Shaw last night. Where was Shaw, anyway? Merritt stood up, his stomach rolling. He saw a pair of legs sticking out from behind his desk on the floor and peered over the desk to see Shaw, passed out. They had definitely tied one on, but if their drunken promises from the night before held up, they wouldn’t be enemies any longer.

  Shaw groaned, sitting up and looking bewildered. He turned suddenly and vomited all over the floor. Few odors in this world were worse than regurgitated alcohol, and the smell brought the contents of Merritt’s stomach nearly to his throat. He covered his mouth and tried to keep it down. Only slightly successfully, as acid filled his mouth.

  But then a thought slammed into his head harder than the pounding from the hangover. The auction. What time was it? Merritt looked down at his desk, but his console had been blown to hell the night before by Moon’s men. He crossed over to Kerin’s desk and remembered it was junk. Wincing, he finally went to Sam’s desk. It was 11:55. Goddamnit, and the auction would start at noon.

  “Come on, Shaw, they’re auctioning off the Becker ranch this morning. I’m short on men. Will you help me make sure Moon doesn’t monopolize the auction?” asked Merritt.

  “What the hell, auctioning it already? The Becker’s aren’t even in the ground yet.”

  “I don’t have time to explain, but if we don’t hustle ass, Moon is going to get everything he’s been dealing dirty for.”

  Merritt checked that he had his guns in their holsters and then ran from the Marshal’s office as fast as he could manage. The bright, hot sunlight hit his face and he winced. His running shook the contents of his stomach, and he had to stop and vomit in the dusty road. I don’t have time for this, he raged inside futilely. When he was done heaving, he continued running with Shaw at his side.

  Merritt cut through an alley by the blacksmith’s shop and came out on the street in front of the courthouse. He recognized several ranchers standing around the door, held back by several men. Merritt recognized one of the men that had escaped jail last night. The murderer with the notches in his heel. He and Shaw walked up to Moon’s men. The ranchers were milling around, grumbling that they weren’t able to get inside for the auction.

  “You boys step aside and let the ranchers in,” said Merritt.

  “Marshal, we’re here with the approval of Judge Cairns,” said one of the men.

  “That’s bullshit, cur. Even the Judge doesn’t have authority to limit who can attend an auction,” said Merritt.

  Shaw vomited again. It stunk.

  Moon’s men stared at Shaw. A few raised their hands to their noses, cursing. Merritt used the distraction and drew his weapons, smashing one of Moon’s men on the head and kicking another one in the back of the knee. Both men went down. There were three left. They turned their attention back to Merritt, drawing their pistols.

  Merritt shot one of them in the chest. A smoking hole was left where his heart used to be.

  “Now hold on right there, the rest of you,” said Merritt, “drop your weapons or I’ll kill you where you stand.”

  The remaining three men hesitated, their hands grasping their gun handles.

  “Clear the way, you sonsofbitches,” someone yelled from behind the crowd of ranchers. The crowd dispersed, and Merritt saw Moon making his way to the courthouse door.

  Shaw was finally finished emptying his guts, and he straightened up, drawing his pistol.

  “Charles Moon, you’re under arrest for interfering with this government auction,” said Merritt.

  Moon snorted. “Boys, take care of the Marshal.”

  Merritt kept one gun pointed at Moon’s men and moved the other to take aim at Moon himself. “Your boys move on me, you’ll be the first one I shoot,” said Merritt.

  Shaw pointed his gun at Moon’s men. Everyone stood staring at each other until the sound of hoof beats crashed the party. Kerin and Sam rode up, leaping from their horses, guns drawn.

  “What’s up, boss?” said Sam. “Looks like we’re just in time for the festivities. What do we have to drink?”

  “Don’t even talk to me about what’s to drink,” said Merritt, feeling green. “Kerin, handcuff Charles Moon. He’s under arrest.”

  “Now hold on one second, Merritt. When Judge Cairns hears about this, you’ll be out of a job if you’re lucky. Dead if you’re not,” said Moon.

  Merritt smashed the handle of his revolver into Moon’s face, sending him sprawling to the ground. His men started to pull their weapons from their holsters but thought better of it when Kerin pointed her weapon at them. With Merritt, Shaw, Sam, and Kerin all training their weapons on them, even those idiots could do the math. They raised their hands in the air. The Marshal and his deputies handcuffed the lot of them and started to lead them to the Marshal’s office.

&n
bsp; “Shaw, you better get in there for the auction. You’ll want a shot at getting that land. It isn’t right that they’re auctioning it this soon, but since they are, you might as well throw your hat in,” said Merritt.

  Shaw put out his hand, and Merritt grasped it firmly. Then Shaw ran off to join the other ranchers as they poured into the courthouse.

  They continued on to the Marshal’s office, and Merritt was thinking about how he was going to deal with Judge Cairns.

  Chapter 15

  Judge Cairns thrust the Marshal’s office door open dramatically and waddled inside. He looked deflated when nobody looked surprised. Merritt had heard his lumbering attempt to climb the stairs and cross the porch outside long before he ever pushed the door open.

  His garan butler, Fulton, followed him in, along with two more men Merritt had never seen before. They were clearly hired guns with two sidearms each and both carrying blaster rifles. Their eyes darted around the room, instantly making note of everything. Merritt knew those guys could be trouble.

  The Judge pulled a handkerchief out of his jacket pocket and wiped his sweaty brow. Apparently the effort of getting up the four stairs to the porch had been a mighty one.

  “Now listen here, Merritt,” said Cairns, between gasps of breath, “I told you to stay out of matters, and you’ve illegally detained Charles Moon.”

  Merritt stood up from his chair, as did Sam and Kerin. The two hired guns raised their rifles, one pointing it at Merritt, the other at Kerin.

  Merritt stepped around his desk so that he could face Cairns directly. “On the contrary, Judge, I’ve got Moon on conspiracy to commit murder and interference in a government auction. That might be just for starters. I think he sent some of his boys to steal some cattle, but I’m still looking at evidence to link Moon directly to that.”

  Cairns puffed up his chest and made fists. Sweat dripped from his handkerchief when he squeezed it. “I’m the one who decides what’s prosecutable, don’t you forget that. As far as I’m concerned you’ve got nothing on Charles Moon. You turn him and his boys loose, or there’s gonna be trouble here.”

  The two hired guns jerked their rifles for emphasis, smirking. Merritt didn’t like it. He could throw down on them, maybe kill them, but these guys were professionals. They weren’t rowdy cow hands, and he’d likely lose one or both of his deputies in the process.

  “Kerin, let Moon and his men out,” said Merritt, gritting his teeth after saying it.

  Kerin took a step toward the Judge, raising a fist. “Marshal…” she started to say.

  “Stand down, deputy,” Merritt said louder than he intended. “There will be other days. That’s an order.”

  She pulled her keys off of her belt and unlocked Moon’s cell door. Moon shuffled out, his right eye swollen shut and the entire right side of his face blackened and bruised. Merritt had done a number on him when he smashed his face with his gun.

  “Don’t think this is over, Marshal. Not by any stretch of the imagination are we finished,” said Moon through half-swollen lips.

  The Marshal’s door opened again, and the two hired guns turned in a flash to point their rifles in that direction. Merritt stole his opportunity. He drew both pistols and fired simultaneously, shooting each of the hired guns in the back. He caught one in the spine below the neck, and he fell to the floor, twitching. The other took the blaster bolt near the kidney. Fulton stepped in front of the Judge to act as a shield. Shaw walked in, obviously startled from the sudden action.

  The wounded hired gun who was still standing turned in Merritt’s direction, but before he could level his rifle at him, he fired inadvertently, and the blaster bolt hit one of Moon’s men. It was the one who had the notches in his boot. The blast hit him in the neck, and he fell to his knees, choking. Kerin fired her pistol at the hired gun, sending a hot round into his skull. Moon’s man stopped choking and lay on the floor, lifeless.

  There were a few moments of complete silence, and nobody moved.

  “You’ll take Moon and his men out of here, Judge. But I won’t stand for being muscled by hired guns. Don’t you forget that,” said Merritt.

  For the first time since arriving, the Judge’s smug look was wiped away.

  “Looks like I’ve missed out on some of the fun,” said Shaw, “but it looks like it’s my lucky day, anyway.”

  “Come on boys, let’s get to that auction,” said Moon.

  “Oh, you’ve just missed it,” said Shaw, “and you’re looking at the new owner of the Becker ranch.”

  The Judge faced Shaw. “Not your lucky day after all. I’ll void your claim and assign it to whoever I damn well please.”

  Merritt holstered his guns. “No, Cairns, I don’t think so. You had to sign off to start that auction, but it’s not in your authority to say who wins it. By now Shaw’s claim has already been transmitted to Central Government. He’s the legal owner, and not even you can change that.”

  “I’ll pay you twice what you paid for that land,” said Moon.

  Shaw laughed out loud. “The hell you will! But I’ll tell you what, you can water your cattle there for a fee.”

  Moon shook his head and walked out, his men filing out behind him. The Judge looked at Merritt and opened his mouth as if to say something but changed his mind and closed it. He waddled out with Fulton.

  “You forgot your hired guns,” said Merritt.

  The butler came back in and grabbed each corpse by an arm, dragging them out.

  “I’d say this calls for a drink!” said Sam.

  Merritt and Shaw winced.

  Merritt patted Shaw on the back. “Congratulations. I’m just glad the Becker place didn’t end up in Moon’s greasy hands.”

  “So, you guys have finally reached an understanding?” asked Sam, lighting a cigar.

  Neither Merritt nor Shaw answered. Merritt’s face reddened, as he stepped away from Shaw.

  “Alright, that leaves one matter left,” said Merritt. “Are you going to press charges against Orlin James and his guys for trespassing?”

  Shaw walked up to the cell and looked it Orlin. “Naw, I’m feeling generous today. I won’t press charges. But Orlin, if I catch you or any of your men taking advantage of my property again, there won’t be anything left of you to charge for trespassing.”

  Kerin opened the cell door, and Orlin stepped out, followed by his man.

  “You done fucked up, lawman. Killing my men, leaving my nephew for dead. That’ll take blood for blood,” said Orlin, making his way to the door.

  Merritt’s face got hot, and he took a step toward Orlin, but Kerin stepped in the way.

  “Not today, Marshal. We’ve had enough excitement,” said Kerin.

  Orlin and his men left.

  Chapter 16

  Judge Cairns walked into his office and slammed the door. That sonofabitch Merritt. He managed to screw Cairns out of all the profits from this operation. The cattle Moon would’ve run on the Becker ranch could have made Cairn a wealthy man. God only knew what kind of damage Merritt might do to his other future plans.

  Cairns sat down heavily at his desk. Merritt killed his hired guns, which hadn’t been cheap. He already wired the money into their accounts, so there was no getting it back. This whole affair cost Cairns a lot of money. No, this would not do. He needed to remove Merritt from the picture. But how to do that? He might have him killed, but if that failed, Merritt might murder him. None of the low-lives around Hangman’s Drop were up for a fight with the Marshal. Nobody who could be trusted, anyway. No, Cairns needed professionals. But that meant asking a favor of Chancellor Waller, and he hated to have to do that. His hands shook as he hit the com on his desk and punched the code in to make a call to Chancellor Sena Waller’s office. A few moments later, his desk screen lit up, and the secretary answered.

  “You have reached Chancellor Sena Waller’s office. Do you have an appointment?” a stuffy looking female raptoid answered, bright yellow feathers raised slightly in annoyance.
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br />   “No, I don’t have a goddamn appointment. This is Judge Cairns from Hangman’s Drop. Chancellor Waller will want to take my call.”

  The secretary turned her head slightly so that one of her large black eyes could get a better look at Cairns. The screen went black. Cairns waited for five minutes and started to sweat before the screen lit up again. The Chancellor’s face came up. She did not look pleased.

  “Judge Cairns. To what do I owe the… honor…of this call?”

  “My apologies, Chancellor, for disturbing you. I have a situation on Volta and I need some assistance.”

  “Your shenanigans and side activities are what got you exiled to that wasteland in the first place. What have you done now?”

  “I have a meddlesome Marshal on my hands. I’m afraid this one can’t be dealt with by myself. I want to bring in some professionals to remove him.”

  “Marshal Merritt? He isn’t exactly a poster child for ethics. You can’t work something out with him?”

  Truth be told, Judge Cairns had never tried. He wasn’t going to pay that lowbrow piece of shit anything and lose out on his cut of profits. “I’m afraid I can’t give him any more than I already have. I want the best. I want Robert Madison.”

  Chancellor Waller’s eyes widened and she slammed her desk. “You sonofabitch, you want me to send Madison and his men? To handle your mess? You have to be out of your fucking mind.” She sat up straight and pushed herself back a bit from her desk. “Dammit, Cairns. Hangman’s Drop was the last stop for you. You know how many strings I pulled to get you placed there? It was that or a six-foot drop with the hangman’s noose.”

  “Yes Chancellor, I understand that.” Cairns knew he was playing with fire here. The debt she owed him could only go so far, and she was right that he was lucky to have his life. “Being the Judge in Hangman’s Drop is like a long slow hanging.”

  Waller said, “You know the strings I’ll have to pull, the questions I’ll have to answer, or make up the answers to, in order to send him to that backwater piece of shit planet? And he doesn’t come cheap.”

 

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