Emma cocked her pistol and moved closer to Culpepper. “He might not, but I assure you, I won’t hesitate.”
Culpepper dropped his pistol on the table. “If this don’t beat all. I ain’t never been snookered by a preacher and his wife before.”
Clay couldn’t help but smile at Emma’s courageous move. She was some woman. “There’s a knife in my saddlebag. Tear strips from that blanket and tie him up.”
Emma picked up Culpepper’s pistol and handed it to Clay. She put her own pistol back inside the pocket in her cape. She hurried to do as Clay instructed. Once she tied Culpepper’s hands behind his back, she bound his feet to the chair.
Clay set his rifle aside and covered Culpepper’s mouth with his bandana. He didn’t want him calling out to Taggart. Clay opened Culpepper’s coat to search him for other weapons. He didn’t find anything but three playing cards in his pocket. All were the ace of spades with bullet holes through the center. “I guess you won’t be using these tonight.” Clay threw the cards on the table, then reached into his shirt pocket and threw a card on top of the three.
Culpepper glanced down at the card Clay threw on the table. He looked up at Clay, and the question he couldn’t ask was in his eyes.
“You left this on my wife and son four years ago in Kansas.”
Emma thought she saw true fear in Culpepper’s eyes.
Clay stared hard at the man who’d killed his family. “I trailed you for a long time. I always wondered how I’d feel when I came face-to-face with the men who had killed a woman and young boy. I never understood how anyone could be so evil that they would kill for no reason. Kill people who couldn’t hurt them. I’m not able to forgive you, but I’m not going to kill you. Your judgment day will come, and you will get what you deserve.”
Within minutes, they heard Taggart stomping his feet on the porch. Clay cocked Culpepper’s pistol and stood behind the door. Emma stood to the other side with her pistol pointed at the door.
Taggart came inside carrying saddlebags, but his gun was in his holster.
“Drop your holster to the floor,” Clay instructed.
Seeing Culpepper tied up, Taggart saw there was nothing he could do.
“Slowly, with your left hand,” Clay warned.
Taggart complied and let his holster drop to the floor.
Clay motioned with the barrel of the pistol. “Now sit in that chair.”
Emma repeated the process of tying Taggart’s hands and feet. After she was satisfied he was secure, she fished through the provisions in the saddlebag. She pulled out some coffee beans for Clay to see. “I’ll melt some snow and make us some more coffee.”
“Sounds good.”
Emma walked outside and filled the coffeepot with snow. Trying to calm her nerves, she took a deep breath of cold air. She’d stayed calm during the ordeal, but that didn’t mean her insides weren’t churning. When she walked back inside, Clay was by the door waiting for her, the pistol still in his hand.
“Where did you get the pistol?” Clay asked.
“Carlo insisted I have a pocket sewn inside my cape so I could have a pistol if I ever needed one. With Sweetie beside me, I’ve never needed it.”
Clay didn’t like the thought of Emma being in situations where she had to protect herself. “You’re an amazing woman, Emma.”
She leaned close to him and whispered, “I’m sorry you have to face these two.”
“I never knew what I would do when I saw them. I never wanted to take another life, but I didn’t know if I could let them live. Now I know.”
In her opinion, not only was he a man of courage, but one of great integrity.
Chapter Seventeen
The foot of snow made it difficult for Morgan and Jack to match Sweetie’s urgent pace. Once they’d stopped in Whispering Pines to send a telegram to Sheriff Trent, they didn’t have long to wait for his reply. Clay and Emma had left Denver last night. Though more snow was falling, Morgan and Jack jumped back in their saddles and headed toward Denver with Sweetie leading the way.
When Sweetie would get too far ahead of the men, he’d stop and wait for them. Morgan had a feeling the dog was asking why they weren’t moving fast enough to suit him. They were almost at the halfway point between Whispering Pines and Denver when Sweetie left the trail. So far, the men had seen no indication that Clay had made it this far, so when Sweetie diverted through the brush, Morgan whistled for him.
The dog came running from the trees, and Morgan said, “That’s not the way to Denver, Sweetie.”
Sweetie stood in front of the horses, forcing the men to stop. The dog stared at them, then turned his head to the left as if he wanted them to follow him off the trail.
“What do you make of that?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know, but Emma tells me he’s the smartest dog she’s ever seen. You know how animals are. He probably knows something we don’t. I say we follow him.” Morgan turned his horse in the direction of the trees.
“That’s what I thought you were going to say.” Jack urged his horse to follow Morgan’s.
Sweetie loped ahead, and once they were several yards off the main trail, Sweetie came to a stop.
Morgan pointed to an old rundown shack that would have been easily missed if not for Sweetie. “That’s some dog.”
“I’d forgotten that shack was there,” Jack said.
They dismounted and slowly approached the cabin. Morgan nudged Jack’s arm and pointed to the ground. Though partially covered by the newly falling snow, they could see some tracks indicating horses and a buckboard had come this way. If the buckboard was Clay and Emma’s, then two men on horseback had to be with them.
Morgan drew his gun and slowly opened the cabin door, but Sweetie bounded through the opening. Seeing the room was empty, Morgan and Jack followed Sweetie inside to have a look around. Morgan walked to the fireplace and placed his hand over the dying embers. “Whoever was here hasn’t been gone long.”
Jack picked up the playing cards from the table. “Morgan, you’d better look at this.”
Morgan walked to the table and saw what Jack was holding. “Culpepper and Taggart.”
“Yep.” Jack stuffed the cards into his pocket.
Sweetie was sniffing the air almost as if he was sniffing a tasty steak. Following the dog’s lead, Morgan breathed deeply. “I smell Emma’s perfume.”
“Are you sure that’s not Sweetie you’re smelling. That dog smells better than most women,” Jack said.
“He hasn’t had a bath since he’s been at the house. It’s Emma. She’s been here.” Morgan was confident Emma had been in this room.
Sweetie walked around the room sniffing and whining before he walked out the door. Morgan and Jack followed him outside.
“We have tracks to follow now,” Morgan said, mounting his horse.
They rode behind the cabin and started following the tracks. Sweetie was leading the way when he stopped suddenly and cocked his ear to an area on the far side of the cabin.
Morgan and Jack caught his movement and stopped. When Sweetie growled low, the men pulled their pistols.
Marshal Holt came riding through the brush with his pistol drawn. Seeing Jack and Morgan, the marshal holstered his pistol. “What are you two doing out here?”
“We’re looking for Clay and Emma. They were coming back from Denver last night and we think they were here,” Morgan said.
The marshal inclined his head toward Sweetie. “Didn’t she have him with her?”
“No, she left him with me last night. What are you doing out here?” Morgan asked.
“Following Culpepper and Taggart.”
Jack and Morgan exchanged a glance, and Jack said, “I think you are a few hours too late.” Jack pulled the cards from his coat pocket and handed them to the marshal. “These were on the table in that cabin. We’re following a buckboard along with two horses.”
The marshal didn’t like the sound of that. If Culpepper and Taggart happened on Clay
and Emma, he was surprised they hadn’t already been shot. “Let’s be on our way.”
Within minutes they realized the buckboard and horses were headed to Denver. The men were forced to pick up speed when Sweetie switched into another gear, kicking up snow as he ran.
“There’s the buckboard ahead,” Jack said. “Looks like there are two riders behind the buckboard.”
“Sweetie!” Morgan yelled, in an effort to stop the dog. He didn’t want those killers to shoot Emma’s dog.
Sweetie didn’t slow down as he leapt on the back of the buckboard and made his way to Emma on the seat.
“Sweetie! What are you doing here?” Emma wrapped her arms around her dog as he crawled onto her lap.
Clay pulled the buckboard to a halt and reached for his rifle. When Morgan, Jack, and the marshal rode up, he took a deep breath. “I’m glad to see you.” He pointed to Culpepper and Taggart tied to their horses. “We were taking them to Denver.”
Marshal Holt could hardly believe his eyes. Two of the most famous killers he’d been tracking for what seemed like years were tethered to their horses with strips from a blanket, and bandanas tied around their mouths. “How did you manage to capture these two?”
“You can thank Emma for her quick thinking,” Clay said. He told them how Emma captured Culpepper’s attention when she donned her cape.
“Smart move, Emma,” Morgan said.
Marshal Holt rode to Culpepper and pulled the bandana from his mouth. “Where’s the money you stole from Langtry’s gang from that bank robbery?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Culpepper said.
Holt pulled a playing card from his pocket. “Here’s your calling card that was left on the man you killed. Two other men said you took the money.”
Culpepper’s eyes slid to Taggart. “Sounds like you got a tall tale, Marshal. Anyone can leave a card on a dead body.”
“True enough, but I got two men sitting in jail waiting to testify they saw you two kill that man and steal the money.”
“In jail you say?” Culpepper smiled. “You got two jailbirds giving you a tale to save their own hides. It’s their word against ours,” Culpepper said.
Before the marshal covered Culpepper’s mouth, Clay said, “Why did you kill my wife and son that day?”
“We never killed no woman and kid,” Culpepper replied.
Clay wasn’t surprised Culpepper wouldn’t answer the question. “Where did you sell my horses you stole?” Clay had never forgotten about Moonrise. He’d asked the same question of the men he’d killed from Culpepper’s gang. They’d said Culpepper and Taggart had the horses with them.
“We didn’t steal no horses,” Culpepper said.
The marshal glanced Clay’s way as he covered Culpepper’s mouth with the bandana. “They won’t confess, Clay. I still have a list of other charges as long as my arm that’ll keep them in the territorial prison for the rest of their days.” He untied their horses from the buckboard. “You two can go on to Whispering Pines; I’ll take them in.”
Jack looked up at the sky. “It looks like the sun is coming out, so I’ll ride with you to Denver.”
“I’ll ride along, too,” Morgan said. “Clay and Sweetie can see Emma home safely.”
* * *
Frank Langtry was escorting Ruth to the hotel for lunch when Marshal Holt, Morgan, and Jack rode into town with Culpepper and Taggart. Frank could hardly believe Holt had finally caught up with the pair. Culpepper spotted Frank on the sidewalk and glared at him.
“Who are those men?” Ruth asked.
“Joe Culpepper and Win Taggart. They’re killers.”
“They look absolutely vicious. Do you know that one staring at you?”
“Yeah, I met them once. That’s Culpepper doing the staring. He killed a friend of mine.” Frank decided after lunch he’d go to the jail and talk to Dutch to find out what was going on. He’d heard talk that his gang would testify against him, so it seemed prudent for him to find a way to break them out of jail.
* * *
Sheriff Trent escorted Culpepper and Taggart to the cell next to Frank’s gang, and instructed his deputy to hang close to hear what conversation took place between them.
The deputy left the adjoining door cracked a bit and pulled a chair to the opening. The prisoners couldn’t see him, but he could hear them, and it didn’t take long for Culpepper to confront them.
“I know you were in Purgatory Canyon and stole that money.”
“What money?” Dutch Malloy asked.
“You know what money I’m talking about. You found it behind that cabin,” Culpepper responded.
“What makes you think we were even in Purgatory Canyon?” Dutch asked.
Culpepper gripped the bars separating them. “I know it was you. When Win and I get out of this place, you’d better hope you’re locked away so we can’t get to you.”
Dutch laughed. “You’re scaring me to death.”
“If you know what’s good for you, you’d better be scared.”
* * *
After Frank walked Ruth home, he headed toward the jail. He saw Sheriff Trent, Marshal Holt, Morgan, and Jack walking out of the jail, heading in the direction of the hotel. He needed a way to get the deputy out of the jail so he could talk to Dutch and Deke without an audience. When he passed a kid on the street, he thought of a plan. Pulling the young man aside, he gave him some coins along with his instructions. “Don’t forget, tell the deputy that two men are getting ready to have a gun fight at the other end of town.” Frank wanted to get the deputy as far from the jail as possible.
Frank waited for the deputy to hurry from the jail before he walked in. He quickly headed through the doors leading to the cells.
Dutch was the only one who noticed when Frank walked through the door. “What are you doing here, Frank?”
Before Frank spoke, he glanced at the other men in the cells. Culpepper and Taggart were in the adjacent cell. “I wanted to talk to you about getting you out of here,” Frank said.
Dutch laughed. “What makes you think we want out of here?”
“Why would you want to stay in here?”
“I guess you could say we are tired of running. You’re the only one who ain’t living like an animal, barely scraping by. I hear tell you have all the money you want. While we have a bounty on our heads, you’re eating fine steaks and courting that rich woman around town.”
“I was coming to Las Vegas with some money,” Frank said.
Dutch glared at him. “Frank, you’re nothing but a liar. Always have been. This time, you are going to see how it feels to be on the other end of things. When we testify against you, it’s going to help us out with the judge.”
This time, Frank was the one who laughed. “You think the judge, my father-in-law, is going to take your word over mine?”
Though Dutch didn’t want to admit it, Frank planted a seed of doubt in his mind. The judge could give them a harsh sentence, and it’d be a long time before they saw daylight again, if ever. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the marshal doesn’t find your girlfriend and get her to testify against you,” Dutch said, hoping to give Frank something to think about.
“Langtry, the judge may not believe them, but I bet when I tell him we took the bank money off of you and your men, he might be inclined to believe me,” Culpepper said.
Frank and Dutch turned to see Culpepper standing near the bars from the other cell.
Frank narrowed his eyes at Culpepper. Culpepper had gotten the best of him once, and Frank was determined it would never happen again. “That just confirms you’re not only a killer, but a thief. I don’t think the judge will believe you any more than he will Dutch. If you think you are going to pin anything on me, you’d best think again. Not only am I in tight with the judge, but his sister is a wealthy woman who is bound and determined to defend me.”
“We might ask for a new judge,” Culpepper said.
Frank ignored him and turned
back to Dutch. “Where’s Corbin?”
“Don’t know. He rode off on his own a while back.” Dutch wasn’t about to tell Frank anything. Corbin was terrified of Frank, and it was best if he steered clear of him.
“How did you get our money, Langtry?” Culpepper asked.
“What money? What are you talking about?” Frank asked.
“The money we stole from you. How did you know where we hid it in Purgatory Canyon?” Culpepper replied.
Frank glanced at Dutch. “What’s he talking about?” Dutch threw his arms in the air. “He says someone stole the money they took from us.”
“I haven’t been to Purgatory Canyon,” Frank said. “Dutch?”
“Nope, we never made it there. We stayed in Las Vegas. We were riding back this way when the marshal caught up with us.”
Suddenly Frank became very interested in talking to Culpepper. “How much of that money did you have left?”
“Enough to last a long time.”
Frank didn’t expect a straight answer. “Where’d you hide it in the canyon?”
“The back of one of the cabins,” Culpepper said. “Who else knows that canyon as good as you?”
“I know it better than anyone, but I haven’t been there.” Frank turned and walked out the door. He figured if Culpepper and Taggart rode straight to the canyon after they robbed them, they had to have a good sum of money left. That riled Frank. He told himself he had a good thing going with Ruth, but it was going to take time to get what he wanted. Ruth would make certain he’d have more money than he’d ever needed, but Dutch said they were going to testify against him, so he was going to have to make a move. He wasn’t worried about Judge Stevens protecting him, but what if their case did go before another judge. Could he bank on Judge Stevens to keep him out of prison? There was always the possibility that the judge would find Leigh King. What then?
Forty thousand dollars. That much money in his hands at one time called to him. He thought Culpepper was telling the truth about someone stealing the money. It could have been Dutch and Deke. Maybe. But none of them knew the canyon like he did. There was only one person who kept track of who came and went in that canyon. Indian Pete. If he didn’t steal the money, Frank would bet he knew who was in that canyon that did.
Christmas in Whispering Pines Page 17