Escape from Fire River

by Ralph Cotton

  Burke shrugged. “Yeah, sure—why not?” he said. Then he stuffed his shirt into his trousers, saying, “But I thought you wanted to ride with us, track down this gold?”

  “I’ll have the killing done and catch up before you reach the desert floor,” said Johnson. “Have no doubt about that.”

  “If you say so,” said Burke. “We’ll be looking for you.” He buttoned the bib of his shirt, picked up the gun belt he’d taken off his shoulder and laid on the bar. He swung the belt around his waist and buckled it. “I know you ain’t doing this killing out of the kindness of your heart. What’s it going to cost me?”

  River Johnson shrugged and grinned. “A bigger share is all . . . say Rollo and Hose’s cut if they don’t make it back alive?”

  “What makes you so sure they won’t be coming back alive?” Burke asked.

  “Nothing,” said Johnson, “just me playing a gambler’s hunch. If they come back and have done the killing already, we stay even. If those don’t come back, I kill your lawdogs and get both their shares.”

  “Hell, you’re on,” said Burke, bending and tying his holster to his thigh. “Only don’t sell this man short if he shows up here. He’s fast on the draw, maybe faster than any man I’ve ever seen.”

  “Fast won’t help him with me. I’ll kill him my own way, before he knows what’s hit him,” said Johnson. “Don’t even worry about how.”

  “In that case I won’t,” said Burke. He picked up his hat from the bar and shoved in down atop his head. He turned to the twins, who had walked out of the room and to the bar buck naked. They had washed each other free of the trail dust while Burke lay watching with a bottle of mescal in hand.

  “It looks like this is where I’m leaving you, little darlings,” Burke said.

  “But, Daddy,” said Malina, “we have only been here a short while. We know no one here. We have no clothes, only a shawl and a blanket.”

  “Yeah, but you girls make friends easy enough,” said Burke. He pitched a handful of heavy jingling gold coins onto the bar top. “There’s enough gold monedas to get you dressed proper like and take you all the way to San Francisco if you wanted to go.” He turned to Johnson. “See you down on the desert floor.”

  “Adios,” said Johnson. He raised the bottle of mescal as if in salute and watched Burke walk through the open doorway to the horses, where Sergio, Ernesto and Antonio had already mounted and were ready to ride.

  When Burke stepped up into his saddle he reached back, picked up the bulletproof vest from behind his saddle and slung it over his lap until he could stop long enough to put it on. Hot and sweaty was better than cold and dead, he told himself, spurring his horse along the street.

  LaPrey stood at the bar, the naked twins flanking him, the gold coins having been snatched up and clutched to their bosoms. “I have a wonderful idea!” he said with a wide, glistening purple smile.

  “Yeah, let’s hear it,” said Johnson. He turned up a swig of mescal, keeping his drinking in check until he took care of business. Either the law or Rollo and Hose would be coming into Mal Vuelve shortly. Whichever it was, he was all set to do some serious killing.

  LaPrey said, “We have these two lovely girls who seem to always be naked, and we have Gina here and myself.” He gestured toward the whore standing beside Johnson with a black and silver thumbnail. “I say we all take a room together, eat some dope and do whatever we want to do.”

  “Jesus, Clute . . .” River Johnson stared at him with a look of disgust. “Sometimes you make me sick.” He reached out and tweaked his cheek roughly. “Other times, I think you’re the smartest man I’ve ever seen.”

  “Then we are all set?” LaPrey said with excitement. He started to hurry the naked twins off toward a room.

  But Johnson stopped him. “No, we’re not all set. You’ll all have to carry on without me right now. I’ve got work to do.”

  Johnson turned and walked out the front door. He unhitched his horse from one of the iron rings and walked with it, leading the animal off the street. As soon as Johnson was out of sight, Esta Uzanda and a group of incensed townsmen and -women assembled up the dusty street. They walked toward the cantina with broom handles and switches and leather straps in hand.

  Chapter 13

  An hour later, Shaw stopped his horse and the three-horse string behind him at the edge of Mal Vuelve. An angry crowd was gathered in the street, their fevered movements raising a billowing cloud of dust. Watching the squabble in disbelief, he was surprised to spot two nude young women amid the mob. He nudged his horse forward, hearing their cries above the slap of leather and the angry hiss of switches slicing through the air.

  Shaw kept an eye on the commotion as he sidled his mount over to a man standing out front of a small dusty adobe watching the fray himself. A sign on the adobe behind him read ALMAND CORD PHYSICIAN .

  “Pay them no mind, sir,” he said to Shaw, rolling up his shirtsleeves. “They’re correcting a social matter that has cropped up in Mal Vuelve.” He gestured to Jane, who Shaw cradled across lap. “What have we here?”

  “A gunshot in the chest,” said Shaw. He leaned down, passing Jane’s languid form to the doctor’s waiting arms. “It happened a couple of miles back. I slowed the bleeding some, but she’s still lost a lot of blood.”

  “I’ll determine that,” he replied crisply. He cradled Jane in his arms. She looked small, weak and pale, Shaw thought, glancing down at her. The front of her fringed buckskin shirt lay open. Her breasts were partially exposed above the bloody bandage on her chest.

  Shaw slid down from his saddle and hitched the horses quickly to an iron hitch ring. The two turned and hurried into the adobe. Shaw watched him lay Jane on a canvas gurney and start loosening the bandage from around her chest. “I’m a lawman tracking some men from Agua Mala,” said Shaw, cutting another glance toward the thrashing going on up the street. “The leader is an American named Burke. He sports a red beard.”

  “You don’t look like a lawman,” the doctor said over his shoulder as he checked Jane’s pulse and wiped her hair from her eyes. Shaw knew he was referring to the ragged poncho, hat and trail clothes. “But I suppose I don’t look much like a doctor either,” the man added, tossing him a quick smile.

  “I don’t care what you look like, so long as you can help this woman,” said Shaw.

  “The men you’re tracking were here, but I believe they’ve left now. I saw them ride out right after we all heard some rifle shots from along the high trail.”

  “That was our gunfire,” said Shaw. “I figured Burke left a couple of men to tip him off when we got close.” He looked Jane up and down and asked, “Is she going to be all right, Doctor?” Shaw asked. “Are you going to need my help?”

  “The bullet glanced off a rib and went down at an angle,” he replied. “If it had hit any vitals she’d be dead by now. You did good slowing the bleeding—she’ll be all right. I won’t need any help. Get out of here; see if you can keep those twin putas from being skinned alive.”

  “The putas?” Shaw asked.

  “The whipping going on up the street . . . that’s two young putas who rode in with the man you’re after,” he said. “They might be able to tell you where he’s headed, if you get there before the town has them beaten into a stupor.”

  “Obliged, Doctor,” said Shaw, turning and heading out the door.

  Out front of the cantina, the twins thrashed back and forth in the dirt as the townsfolk struck them with switches and leather straps. Shaw watched the fray as he approached, seeing an old woman repeatedly stab at the twins with a broom handle. “Help me!” screamed Malina, writhing as a razor strap came down with a crisp slap on her naked rump.

  “Por favor!” Falina pleaded. “He forced us to come with him! He threw away our clothes!”

  “Yet look at this!” shouted Esta Uzanda. “You have money with which to purchase new clothes!” He shook the leather coin bag the twins had found in the cantina and placed their money in for saf
e-keeping.

  As he reached the boiling mass, Shaw first glanced down at the cluster of fresh hoofprints leading away from the hitch rings out front of the cantina. He noticed a single set of prints that diverged from the others and turned into an alley. Then he pushed his way into the circle of angry townsfolk and forced himself into the middle, where the twins lay sobbing and trying to cover themselves with their forearms.

  “Detenga! Ahora mismo!” Shaw shouted, telling the townsfolk to stop. “They’ve had enough.” He grabbed Uzanda’s raised arm before the town leader had time to bring the leather strap down onto Falina’s back. “Por favor, for me,” Shaw added, easing his tone of voice a bit.

  “And who are you?” Uzanda demanded, backing away but still ready to continue the whipping.

  “I’m a lawman,” Shaw said, lifting the corner of his poncho and showing the badge on his chest.

  “Ah, an americano lawman,” said Uzanda in a dismissing manner. He started to take a step forward toward the frightened twins.

  Shaw stepped forward too, a bit menacingly. “Let’s get along,” he said through clenched teeth. “I want to talk to these two about the men who brought them here.”

  Uzanda considered it. Finally he nodded and said quietly, “All right, Lawman. We have proved our point to these two.” He tossed the bag of gold coins into the dirt near the huddled twins. “Both of you, find some clothes and get yourselves dressed, or we will come back and whip you even harder.”

  “Women’s clothes, coming right up,” said LaPrey, nudging his way through the crowd until he stood beside Shaw, two plain white cotton dresses draped over his forearm. “Here, girls, slip these on, pronto, pronto! Before anyone else gets an urge to start whipping somebody.” He cast a condemning look at Uzanda and the other townsfolk. To Shaw he said in a guarded, lowered voice, “Watch your step, Lawman. Red Burke left a man here to kill you.”

  “Obliged, Clute,” said Shaw without looking all around. “Where is he?”

  “You know me, monsieur?” LaPrey said, looking surprised.

  “I know you from Eagle Pass, Texas,” said Shaw. As he spoke he tipped his hat up slightly to give the man a better look. “I’m Lawrence Shaw,” he whispered.

  “Fast Larry!” said LaPrey, barely able to keep his voice down. “But I thought you were dead, mon ami—eaten by a bear, I believe?”

  “As you can see, I wasn’t,” said Shaw. “Now, who is the man I’m looking out for here?” He lifted the two dresses from LaPrey’s arm and tossed them in turn to the naked twins. “Get dressed, girls, while everybody catches their breath,” he told them.

  “It is River Johnson, the fire starter. He is a long-time friend of mine,” said LaPrey. “But I no longer feel safe around him. He pinched my face too hard and at times does other things that gives me pause and frightens me.”

  “I’ve heard of River Johnson,” Shaw said, “a back-shooter and an arsonist, as I recall.”

  “I do not judge a man’s character, having so little myself,” LaPrey offered. “But he has agreed to kill you, so you must be careful of him. He is a very tricky man. One of the most slippery I have ever seen.”

  “I will be careful,” said Shaw. He suspected that the prints he’d seen leading into the alleyway belonged to Johnson’s horse, but he was careful not to tip off his stalker by scanning the alleys, windows, and rooftops. He’d just have to be ready for him when the time came.

  The townsfolk began to disburse as the twins stood up and wiggled into the dresses, gathered close to LaPrey and Shaw for protection. Falina clutched the bag of gold coins to her bosom. “The gold came from Red Burke, I take it?” Shaw asked, nodding at the bulging leather bag.

  “Si, he is most generous to those he loves,” said Falina, jiggling the gold coins. She batted her dark eyes and smiled. “I hope you are generous as well, Senor. We will call you Daddy if you want us to—”

  “Easy,” said Shaw, stopping her. “I’m here on business.”

  “Red has them call him Daddy,” LaPrey explained with the toss of a slim hand. “Of course, any of my girls will do the same thing if I tell them to . . . for a little extra, of course.”

  “I’m busy tracking down the man you’ve both been calling Daddy,” Shaw said to the twins, ignoring LaPrey’s offer. “Did he tell you he’s headed to the desert?”

  The twins looked at each other, then at LaPrey. “Is it all right to tell him?” Malina asked.

  Instead of answering her, LaPrey replied to Shaw, saying, “Yes, they have both heard him say that he is headed to the desert to search for the gold. I heard him say so myself. He’s talking about the stolen gold from Mexico City, oui?”

  “Yes,” said Shaw. He looked toward the cantina and said, “I have a woman with me. I’m leaving her here with Dr. Cord to be cared for. One of Burke’s men shot her. I want you and these girls to help the doctor look after her while I get on Burke’s trail. Will you do that for me?”

  “Of course,” said LaPrey. “Tell me then, will she be looking for work when she gets better—”

  “No,” said Shaw, “she’s not that kind of girl. It’s Jane Crowly.”

  “Oh my,” said LaPrey, “Then you are right, she is not that kind of girl. In fact, I have heard she is . . .” He wagged a hand back and forth with a knowing grin. “Is it true?”

  “No.” Shaw gave him a flat stare. “She’s with me. You understand? If there was any truth to that I would know, wouldn’t I?”

  “Yes, you would, and I apologize,” said LaPrey. “I am such a terrible degenerate that I think everyone is as deplorable as I am. But you must forgive me. Anyway, you must rest assured, when Dr. Cord gets back, the three of us will pitch in and take good care of Jane Crowly for you.”

  “Obliged,” said Shaw. Only then did he take a guarded glance along the roofline and alleyways. But as his eyes made a sweep along the far end of the dusty street, he froze. A sharp chill ran up his spine as realization set in. He snapped around toward LaPrey and grabbed him by his ruffled shirt-front. “What did you say?”

  Startled, LaPrey tried to pull back; but Shaw held firm. “Please, Fast Larry! I only said we would help take care of—”

  Shaw turned him loose quickly, and LaPrey stood staring, stunned into silence. He and the twins watched Shaw turn and stalk back toward the doctor’s office. “Ah, but look,” said LaPrey, pointing in the same direction, toward the doctor’s adobe. “Here comes the doctor now, wearing his surgical apron. He must have returned in time to attend to her.”

  “Yep, just in time,” Shaw murmured, walking straight and unhurried, keeping himself from breaking into a run until he saw the situation more clearly.

  Ahead of Shaw he saw the long, dark surgical apron sway back and forth on a warm breeze, drawing closer along the street. “I have good news—she’s doing fine,” a cheerful voice called out. “She’s awake now, and she asking for you!”

  “That’s good news, Doctor. You’re the best,” Shaw called out at thirty yards. Then, in a blur, he drew his Colt from its holster and fired one round—a head shot that found its mark and sent the dark apron flying backward in a flurry.

  LaPrey came at a run along the street. “You have killed the doctor!”

  “Not so,” said Shaw as he approached the body. He stared down at the bullet hole in River Johnson’s forehead. Lying in the dirt before his feet was a sawed-off shotgun that had fallen from beneath the surgical apron. “I only killed a snake.”

  Shaw smelled smoke, and looked up to see a curl of smoke rising from the doctor’s adobe. He shoved his Colt into his holster as he raced to the door of the building. It was locked. From inside, he heard Jane’s muffled voice. “Hang on, Janie, I’m coming!” he shouted, hurling himself shoulder first into the wooden door.

  On his third try the door broke away from its frame and swung open. Smoke billowed out around him. He ran through the smoke, seeing flames already licking up the rear wall in the next room where Jane lay strapped down on the gurney. Rubbing
her cheek frantically against her bare shoulder, she managed to pull down the gag from her mouth just as Shaw reached her.

  “Get me the hell off of here!” she shouted, even in her weakened state.

  “I’ve got you, Janie,” said Shaw. He grabbed a knife up from his boot well. Instead of taking the time to untie the strips of cloth, he sliced through them and jerked her up into his arms. Turning, coughing and choking in the thickening smoke, he hurried from the adobe, into the street and collapsed to his knees. Behind them, the flames raced across the floor and roiled upward out the front door.

  As townspeople raced past them with buckets of water to fight the fire, Shaw let Jane down gently onto the ground and said in a hoarse voice, “Are you all right, Janie?”

  “Hell no! Do I . . . look all right?” Jane coughed and choked and held her arms across her bare breasts, fresh blood trickling down from the darker blood that had dried on her bullet wound.

  LaPrey and the twins ran up and stooped down around the two. “I had no part in this, Fast Larry!” LaPrey said, looking worried. “I had no idea!”

  “I believe you, Clute,” said Shaw, his eyes watering from the smoke. “It was you who tipped me, saying ‘When the doctor gets back.’ ”

  “Than I have some done something good for once in my depraved and shameful life,” said LaPrey.

  “Yes, you have,” said Shaw. “Now help me get her to your cantina. We’ve got to dress this wound and—”

  “Hell, my wounds . . . will be healed by the time you get me taken care of,” Jane said, sounding weaker again now that she was out of danger.

  “Of course, to my cantina,” said LaPrey. “We will get her taken care of.”

  “Here, put this on her,” said Falina, beginning to wiggle out of her dress.

  “No, stop,” said LaPrey, grabbing her forearm. “You must stop going naked in public.” He turned back to Shaw and helped him stand, Jane cradled in his arms.

  “How long have they been gone?” Shaw asked.