Halliday 3

by Adam Brady

  “He’ll come after you, Halliday,” Dean said. “He might even get the idea it was you that killed Luden.”

  Halliday grinned wryly.

  “Don’t push too hard,” he said. “I’m thinking about what you said.”

  He finished his second drink and poured himself a third.

  “How much time do I have to decide?”

  “Until Sam Rushton shows, I guess. That’s when my boys’ll need somebody to back them.”

  “I could get myself killed.”

  “Sure you could, but it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve put yourself in a tight spot like that—and this time, the money’s better than good.”

  Dean put down his glass and extended his hand, but before Halliday could decide one way or the other, the batwings slapped open and a slug smashed into the counter between the two men.

  Cully Finn stood in the doorway with his rifle smoking and his face swathed in bandages. Halliday’s hand dipped down to his holster, and he was firing before anyone knew it.

  The bullet clipped the swing doors as Finn disappeared, and then Halliday was running after him. Finn sent another shot his way from behind a water trough. This time, he shattered the front window of the saloon as Halliday dived off the boardwalk and into the street.

  Finn raised himself above the trough and squinted at the shadowy edge of the boardwalk. Finally, he started to run, dodging in and out of doorways and scattering people in all directions.

  Halliday held his fire, unable to get away a clear shot.

  Nathan Dean came charging out of the saloon, gun in hand and face red with anger. He saw Halliday on the other side of the street, moving fast along the boardwalk.

  Another gunshot broke the sudden silence of the street, and a store window shattered.

  Dean broke into a run, heading in the direction of the shooting.

  Finn had asked for trouble, but Dean was worried that the town would turn against Halliday if there was another killing.

  Halliday ducked his head as window glass showered him.

  Finn had almost reached the end of the street. He had only one last store, a horse yard and an old shack for cover.

  Halliday saw Finn hesitate, and he knew at once that the man had no appetite for a face-to-face fight. He started after him at a slow, steady walk, forcing Finn back until he was level with the old shack.

  Finn looked over his shoulder, and then he ran at the shaky door and crashed his way through it. Halliday kept coming, and Finn fired off another rifle bullet. This one made the dust spurt between Halliday’s feet, and he leaped to the side but kept coming.

  He heard Finn cursing in the shack as he worked his way to the end of the horse yards and crouched behind a corral post.

  “Finn,” he called out, “if you keep this up, I’m gonna have to kill you.”

  “You murdered my brothers!” Finn shouted back.

  “Joe asked for what he got, but I had nothin’ to do with what happened to Luden, I swear. The man who did that might be coming here. I think you should stay alive to take him.”

  There was a long silence before Cully Finn spoke again.

  “You’re lyin’, Halliday. It’s a trick.”

  “No trick. Throw out your rifle, and then I’ll drop my gun so you can come out and get the facts straight. You need to talk to the barkeep, for one.”

  Again there was silence. Then the door creaked open and the rifle sailed out into the weeds.

  Halliday unbuckled his gunrig and walked away from the corral to a spot where Finn could see him. Then he dropped the gunrig and took a step away from it.

  Finn showed himself in the doorway, wetting his lips nervously as he stared at Halliday.

  Nathan Dean had reached the end of the boardwalk now. He stood there until he had caught his breath, and then he said;

  “That’s right, Cully. It looks like Wiley Bosker killed Luden. One thing’s sure—it wasn’t Halliday. You know as well as I do that Halliday can’t be blamed for what happened to Joe. He was only defendin’ himself. We’ve got other problems now, all of us.”

  Finn looked down at his feet for a moment or two, and then he nodded.

  “Okay,” he said. “I’m comin’ out—but don’t you try nothin’, Halliday, or the whole town’s gonna see you gunned down an unarmed man ...”

  “Nobody means to hurt you, Cully,” Halliday said, but as he spoke, he saw a ghost of a grin that came and went in an instant.

  Then Finn was diving for his rifle, and Halliday was reaching down for his gunrig.

  Halliday was the first to fire, and Finn staggered back with blood spurting from his throat and his rifle discharging harmlessly into the sky.

  Cully Finn sank to his knees, choking in his own blood. Then he toppled onto his side and didn’t move again.

  The boardwalk and the street were filling with men, all of them looking at Halliday with new respect.

  “Dammit,” Nathan Dean said to Halliday, “you gave that fool every chance.”

  “Yeah,” Halliday said slowly, “and that was the last business I meant to get straight in this town.”

  Ten – Did I Hear Shootin’?

  As he stood beside the bed, Sam Rushton buckled on his gunbelt and studied Donna Heller with unforgiving eyes.

  Donna got out of bed on the other side and dressed hurriedly with her back turned to him.

  “I’m sorry if that wasn’t good enough for you, Sam,” she said in a low voice. “But I’m so tired and troubled ... and scared.”

  “Get yourself ready,” Rushton said coldly. “We’re goin’ to town.”

  “Wh-what for, Sam? You said it wasn’t safe for you to go in there ...”

  “That’s my worry now, not yours,” Rushton told her. “I don’t care what you have to say to him, but I want you to bring me Halliday. If you don’t, I’ll kill you first and get him later.”

  “Sam!” Donna said in a shocked whisper. “You can’t mean that!”

  “You’re no use to me while he’s alive,” Rushton said flatly. “We both know that now. I’m willin’ to take my chances, but I sure don’t aim to have some joker sneakin’ up behind me and gunnin’ me down for the bounty. Now, are you comin’ or not?”

  “I’m coming,” Donna said gravely. “I belong to you, Sam. I always have. And I waited for you ...”

  He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked down at her fiercely.

  “When he’s gone, there’ll be nobody else between us,” he said. “Not ever.”

  While the woman hastily combed her hair and pinned on her hat, Rushton walked to the front door and stayed in its shadow until he was satisfied that the yard was empty. Then he hurried to the barn and saddled Donna’s horse.

  Donna was waiting for him and immediately put her foot in the stirrup as Rushton went to his stallion.

  Without another word, the outlaw put the stallion into a run. Donna had to ride hard to catch him, but finally she drew up beside him. They rode that way in silence until they reached Millerston.

  They came into town from the quiet side, through alleys that gave on to backyards and vacant lots, and they went slowly in order to avoid being noticed.

  Rushton rode with his hand resting on his gun butt, and Donna saw that his face was set in a grim mask.

  He turned down another alley and brought the stallion to a halt beside the high platform for loading and unloading produce connected with the feed store. When Donna stopped beside him, he said;

  “Where will you take him?”

  “What do you mean, Sam?”

  “I want you to take Halliday to someplace private. Tell him you want him to make love to you. I’ll be watchin’. When I’m good and ready, I’ll kill him. But first, stir him up so bad he’ll—”

  Donna gaped, and her cheeks went a fiery red.

  “How can you ask me to do a thing like that after we—?”

  “Just do it, woman,” Rushton commanded flatly. “It’s either that, or we’re finished.”
r />   “Don’t you trust me?” Donna said sadly.

  “Trusted a man once,” Rushton said, “and I damn near got myself hanged because of it. Purt near trusted you once, too, Donna, but now you’re gonna have to prove yourself. Just do like I say. If you’ve been tellin’ me the truth, you’ll be all right.”

  There was a lengthy silence, and then Donna said;

  “All right, Sam. But this is never going to happen again.”

  “You won’t be asked to do this again,” Rushton said.

  Donna nodded.

  “I’ll go to the rooming house first,” she said. “It’s two blocks west of here with a great big cottonwood in the front yard and a sign in the window. I’ll take a room there and open the curtains wide so you’ll know which one. There’s an outside stairway at the back of the building and an upstairs balcony ... are you sure this is what you really want, Sam?”

  “Dead sure.”

  He followed at a distance and watched from down the street as she tied her horse in front of the two-story house with the cottonwood in the yard. A few minutes later, he saw the curtains move in an upstairs room and then a shadowy figure opened the window wide. Before long, Donna emerged from the front of the building and headed uptown.

  Rushton waited until she turned at the corner of the street, and then he slipped quietly into the yard behind the rooming house, leaving his horse and quietly climbing the stairs.

  He smiled to himself when he was on the balcony, picking absently at the peeling paint on the railing as he settled down to wait.

  Donna peered over the top of the batwings until she spotted Nathan Dean and Buck Halliday standing side by side at the bar. The sight of her turned every head her way, but Donna ignored the unwelcome interest and walked right up to Dean.

  “I’ve changed my mind,” she told the rancher. “I buried my brother, and I just can’t stay out there any longer. You offered to stake me if I was willing to make a fresh start someplace new ...”

  “Sure, Donna,” Dean beamed. “I hope you don’t mind me sayin’ how glad I am that you’ve finally come to your senses. The last thing any of us wants is more trouble.”

  He pulled a roll of bills from his pocket and counted off a hundred dollars.

  “This is for you,” he said with a smile as he placed the money in her hand. “And I’m mighty glad that you came to me for help.”

  Donna had not looked at Halliday, but she could feel his eyes on her. She bit at her lip and tears welled in her eyes.

  “Thank you, Mr. Dean,” she said. “I ... can only say how sorry I am for what has happened. Kip was so young. He just didn’t know better.”

  Dean waved her apology away.

  “Let’s just try to forget all that,” he said. “You know what? If this place was fit for a lady, which it isn’t, I’d sure admire to buy you a drink.”

  “No, Mr. Dean,” Donna said. “I’ve made all my mistakes already and it’s going to be different now. But thank you all the same.”

  “Don’t mention it,” Dean said.

  Halliday caught Donna’s eye then, and she made no attempt to turn away when he asked;

  “What about Sam Rushton?”

  Dean slammed down his glass.

  “Now see here, Halliday. Didn’t you just hear her? She’s changed her mind about everything, and she regrets what’s happened. I think you should at least—”

  “I asked Miss Heller a question,” Halliday said firmly.

  “I don’t mind answering,” Donna said. “I’m finished with Sam, Mr. Halliday. I’ve no one now. Kip’s gone, pa’s gone. If Sam comes to the house, well, I’ll be gone, won’t I? It’s all over.”

  She gave him a tearful smile and then turned on her heel and went straight to the door.

  Nathan Dean frowned and said;

  “Hell, that gal’s sweet on you. Can’t you see that, Halliday? Why in blazes don’t you swallow your pride like she’s done and go make up with her? You got a job if you want it, and I reckon that with the right kind of man, Donna Heller could learn how to be a real good wife.”

  The rancher was still talking when Halliday sauntered off to the boardwalk.

  Donna was hurrying toward the rooming house. When she turned into the building without a backward glance, Halliday followed her. He checked the street and saw her horse hitched all alone at the rail.

  When he stepped into the wide hallway, he saw her slowly climbing the stairs, and said quietly;

  “Donna?”

  She stopped and grasped the banister railing. Not until the stairway creaked under his weight did she turn to look at him. Her hands fell to her sides. Color rose in her cheeks and her lips trembled.

  “Buck,” she whispered.

  He took her hands in his. Then tears spilled down her cheeks and she fell against him.

  “Oh, Buck, help me,” she cried.

  Halliday held her close, feeling her warmth and softness against his body. She was trembling.

  “I only want you,” she said. “I sat out there all alone, and all I could think about was you. It’s so terribly lonely, worse than before you came. What can I do?”

  “For now, the thing you need most is a good rest,” he told her, and he kept his arm around her as they climbed the stairs.

  When they reached the upstairs hallway, Donna found her door key and stepped into the rented room. Sun spilled in from the balcony, and the curtains at the window stirred in a faint breeze.

  Halliday stood in the doorway, watching as she removed her hat and dropped it on the chair beside the bed.

  Without a word, Donna turned back to him and slid her arms around his neck. He tried gently to disengage her arms, but she clung to him and pulled him forward a step so that she could close the door with her foot.

  “Buck,” she pleaded, “I can’t stay here with all these terrible memories. When you go, take me with you ... but for now, just love me. Please.”

  She took him by the hand and led him to the bed, but there was no sign of the wild desire she had shown on the day they had met. She sat down on the edge of the bed with her hands in her lap, and looked up at him.

  Halliday eased her back on the bed and heard her quick intake of breath. She smiled as he bent over her and ran his hands down her body, but there was no sign of passion. Then he stepped back from the bed and pulled out his gun.

  “If there’s one peep out of you, I’ll kill you here and now,” he said quietly.

  The shock of his words drained the color from her face. She started to shake her head.

  “If I’m wrong,” he said, “I’ll make it up to you, but no roll in the hay is good enough to die for ... not even if it’s with you! We’ll just wait a few more minutes, and then I’ll know. Now take off your clothes.”

  She looked up at him pleadingly, but he said;

  “Do it, Donna.”

  Her hands were shaking as she undid the tiny pearl buttons, one by one.

  Finally, her splendid body was bare, but she was sitting stiffly back against the bed head and her face was white with fear.

  “Now lay down,” Halliday whispered, and she obeyed him.

  Halliday moved back against the wall and stood very still, with the six-gun ready in his hand. Minutes passed. Faint sounds drifted up from the street. A fly buzzed against the windowpane.

  Then the unlocked door edged slowly open. Donna stared at it helplessly, rolling her head from side to side on the pillow in speechless terror.

  “Drop it, Rushton!” Halliday gritted.

  The outlaw swiveled his body to face him, his eyes glittering with hatred.

  “It’s all up to you,” Halliday said. “Drop it now, or I’ll kill you where you stand.”

  Rushton’s face twisted in a snarl of rage and he began to go into a gunfighter’s crouch.

  Halliday’s gun roared in the cramped room, and his bullet tore into Rushton’s chest at close range, lifting him from the floor and slamming him back against the door.

  The ou
tlaw put out his free hand to keep himself from falling, and then he fired.

  “No, dammit!” Rushton muttered when he saw that Halliday was still standing. “Not like this ...”

  Halliday triggered again, and Rushton stumbled back into the hallway with blood streaming from his head and his chest. There had been footsteps in the corridor, but now they were retreating hurriedly to the stairs.

  Donna sprang from the bed and ran to Rushton. He lay awkwardly against the wall, and there was a long smear of blood on the wallpaper above him.

  His eyes were open and glaring up at her. His mouth worked soundlessly as she bent over him in her nakedness.

  “Oh, Sam,” she wept. “I tried ... no, Sam!”

  From some last reserve of hatred, he was summoning all his strength to lift the gun again.

  Donna tried to scramble away, but the gun bucked in his hand and she fell back with her hands pressed to her breast.

  Rushton’s head slumped forward onto his chest, and his gun thudded to the floor.

  “Buck?” Donna said in a frightened voice.

  Halliday came to her and lifted her gently from the floor. Her blood was seeping through his fingers and wetting his shirt as he carried her back to the bed.

  “Am I d-dying?” she whispered.

  Her lips were drained of color and her face was bathed in sweat as Halliday covered her with the blanket which had been folded at the foot of the bed.

  “Buck,” she groaned, “he thought you and me ...”

  Halliday nodded.

  “I know,” he said, but no one heard him.

  He stretched out his hand and very gently, he closed her lifeless eyes.

  Nathan Dean was the first to appear on the landing.

  Halliday gave him a cool stare and brushed him aside. The crowd behind Dean pulled back to clear a path.

  Halliday shouldered his way into the street and went directly to the livery stables.

  “The sorrel,” was all he said to the old stableman who came out of an empty stall.

  “Did I hear shootin’, mister?” the man asked before he started down the aisle between the stalls.