“Of course I can tell it.”
“Ole Aaron, he don’t know who he is dealin’ with,” Percy said. “One of these days I’m going to set him straight.”
“I know you will,” Anna said.
Percy stared at Anna for a long moment. “What are you doin’?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You’re butterin’ me up, ain’t you? You’re just tryin’ to get on my good side so you can trick me again.”
“No, I’m not, Percy,” Anna said.
“Yes, you are. You done it before.”
“I’m sorry about kicking you and trying to escape. I was frightened and I didn’t know what was going to happen to me. Now that I know you a little better, I’m not quite as afraid.”
“Yeah? Well, you’d better be afraid of me, woman,” Percy said forcefully. “ ’Cause if you try anything funny again, I’ll kill you.”
“You don’t want to do anything like that, Percy. If you kill me, my father won’t pay the money.”
“Yeah, well, uh, just don’t you try anything else,” Percy insisted.
* * *
Falcon MacCallister was having lunch when an officer of the prison came into the café and crossed over to his table.
“Mr. MacCallister?”
“Yes,” Falcon said.
“I’m told by the warden that you are to be informed as to the exact moment Frank Childers will be released.”
“Yes.”
The officer shook his head. “I don’t know what got into the judge ordering him released. If you ask me, the son of a bitch should’ve been hung a long time ago.”
“When is he scheduled for release?” Falcon asked. He knew that the officer was curious and wanted Falcon to tell him what was going on, but he didn’t take the bait.
“At one-thirty this afternoon,” the officer said. “Will you be there to meet him?”
“No,” Falcon said.
“Then I don’t understand. What do you have to do with his release? Does Childers know you are here?”
“No, he does not know and he isn’t to be told,” Falcon said. “Do you understand me? No one is to be told that I am here.”
“All right, if you say so. I’d sure like to know what’s going on, though.”
Although Falcon wasn’t going to say anything at all about why he was there, he decided that he should give the man a little information in order to keep him from asking questions that might get out of hand.
“I’m on a mission for the court,” Falcon said. “At this point, that is all I can tell you. I’m sure that, as an officer of the law, you have had to keep secrets before, secrets that, if they got out, could cause someone to lose their life.”
“Yes, sure, of course I have,” the officer said.
Falcon smiled disarmingly. “Good. The court asked the warden to select a man of honor and trust. I’m glad to see that the warden chose wisely.”
“Don’t worry,” the officer said, an ally now rather than an inquisitor. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Can I buy you a beer?”
“Thank you, no, I have to get back to duty at the prison.” The officer started to leave, then he turned back. “Good luck to you.”
“Thanks.”
* * *
Aaron Childers was standing across the street from the prison gate. Leaning against a telegraph pole with his arms folded across his chest, he monitored the comings and goings at the gate.
Most of the arrivals were people who were going about some aspect of business . . . a grocer arrived with a wagon full of groceries for the prison kitchen. A preacher arrived, and a couple of off-duty guards departed.
In every case those arriving or departing had to show identification to the gate guard before they were allowed to pass.
At exactly one-thirty, Aaron saw his brother. Frank walked, unaccompanied, down a long sidewalk that led from the main building to the wall and front gate. Aaron could see him through the gate.
Reaching the front gate, Frank showed the guard a paper. The guard looked at it, nodded, and another guard opened the gate. Frank stepped through it, then stood outside, looking around nervously, as if unsure that it was real, that he was actually free.
“Frank,” Aaron called. He didn’t leave his position by the telegraph pole.
Hearing his name called, Frank looked across the street and, seeing his brother, smiled and hurried across to him.
“It’s good to see you,” Aaron said.
“Damn! I knew it had to be you,” Frank said.
“What had to be me?”
“I didn’t know a thing about this until about fifteen minutes ago,” Frank said.
“Fifteen minutes ago?”
“A guard came up to me and told me I was being set free today. At first I didn’t believe him. In fact, I’m not sure I believe it now, but here I am.”
“What do you say we get out of here?”
“I say let’s go,” Frank said. He looked back at the prison edifice. “I can’t get away from this place fast enough.”
“Come on, I’ve got a couple of horses back at the livery stable. We’ve got places to go.”
“Places to go and a horse to ride. You’ve no idea how good that sounds. By the way, where’s Corey?”
“What do you mean, where’s Corey? Don’t you know?”
“I heard you broke him and Ethan out of jail,” Frank said.
“Yeah, we did. But the two of ’em got theirselves killed.”
“Oh,” Frank said. “Nobody told me that.”
“Come on, we’ve got a long ride ahead of us.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to collect five thousand dollars,” Aaron said.
* * *
At one-fifteen, Falcon climbed into the hayloft of the livery and looked down the street toward the front of the prison. From here he had an excellent view of everyone who entered or left the prison. And true to the warden’s word, Frank Childers exited the gate exactly on time.
Falcon stayed where he was for a few minutes, watching to see if anyone met Frank. At first, he didn’t see anyone there, and he worried that perhaps he had made a mistake. Then, across the street, leaning against a telegraph pole, he saw what he had been looking for.
Aaron Childers stepped away from the pole and shook Frank’s hand. The two men chatted for a moment, then started up the street toward Falcon, approaching the livery.
Falcon stepped back away from the upstairs loading window to avoid any possibility of being seen from the street. Standing in the shadows, and partially obscured by the stanchion to which the block and tackle for handling the hay was attached, Falcon watched them all the way into the livery barn.
He could hear them talking as they came in.
“So, who’s riding with you now?” Frank asked.
“There’s only the four of us,” Aaron said. “Me’n you, Dalton and Percy.”
Frank chuckled. “Percy is still with us?”
“Yes, well, where else would he go? He doesn’t have sense enough to get in out of the rain,” Aaron said derisively.
“You got that right,” Frank answered with a chuckle.
“The horses are back here.”
The two brothers continued talking as they walked to the back of the livery. As they moved farther toward the rear of the barn, though, distance rendered their voices first indistinct, and then inaudible.
Falcon stayed in place until the two brothers passed under him a second time, now mounted.
“How far is it?” Frank asked.
“We’ll get there tomorrow,” Aaron said.
“I don’t have any trail gear.”
“You can use Percy’s,” Aaron said. “It’s on the saddle.”
Falcon watched the two men ride through the shadows, then out into the brightness of day. He waited until he was sure they were well clear before he climbed down to saddle Diabo.
Falcon walked Diablo out of the barn, the
n bent down to study the hoofprints left by the two horses. One of the animals had a small nick on the U of the shoe of the left rear foot. The other one had a somewhat larger chunk on the left forefoot. Smiling, Falcon stood up, then swung into his saddle. These two couldn’t make it any easier to trail them if they were notching trees along the way.
* * *
Back at the cabin, Dalton and Percy had switched roles. Percy was now outside, watching the approach to the cabin, while Dalton was inside, keeping an eye on their prisoner.
Anna had managed, by continually working with the ropes, to free her hands. Keeping an eye on Dalton, who was frying bacon, she started working on the ropes that bound her ankles. It was risky because Dalton kept looking back over his shoulder to check on her. Each time he did, Anna would quickly pull her hands back up behind her.
“Don’t you be tryin’ nothin’ now,” Dalton warned. “I ain’t like Percy. You ain’t goin’ to get away from me.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” Anna said. “That bacon smells good.”
“Yeah? Well, if there’s any left after me’n Percy eat, maybe you can have some.”
“Thanks,” Anna said.
Dalton turned back to the stove and when he did, Anna reached down to finish untying her ankles. Freeing herself of the last knot, she stood up very quietly and started tiptoeing toward the door.
Just before she reached the door, though, a knife whizzed by and hit the wall in front of her with a solid thumping sound, then vibrated slightly as it stuck there. With a little gasp of alarm she jerked back, then turned toward Dalton.
Dalton was smiling evilly at her.
“I could’ve just as easy put that knife in your back,” he said. He pointed to the bed. “I told you, I ain’t Percy. If you try and get away from me again, I’ll break one of your legs.”
Chapter 23
The night creatures were singing as Falcon made a cold camp that night. A cloud passed over the moon, then moved away, bathing the prairie in silver. Supper was a piece of jerky and a couple of swallows of canteen water. He chewed on a coffee bean as he watched the distant campfire.
Falcon had been able to trail the Childers brothers by following the distinctive shoe tracks left by the horses the two outlaws were riding. Because of that, it had not been necessary for him to ever close to within visual distance.
The campfire ahead of him was theirs, he was certain of that. It was at least a mile away, far enough to enable him to maintain the cloak of secrecy, yet close enough to minimize any possibility of getting him separated from them.
* * *
“Why are we leaving a perfectly good campfire?” Frank asked.
“In case MacCallister is following us,” Aaron said.
“MacCallister? Wait a minute. That’s the son of a bitch that got me, isn’t it?” Frank asked. “Why would he be following us now?”
“I don’t know why,” Aaron answered. “I just know he has been on our ass from the very beginning. And it wouldn’t surprise me none if he wasn’t following us right now.”
“I noticed that you been lookin’ back over your shoulder a lot today,” Frank said. “I figured you was just bein’ extra careful.”
“I was.”
“So, did you see him?”
“No.”
“So, why are you worried?”
“’Cause he’s like a damn Injun. The time to worry is when you don’t see him.”
* * *
Because Anna had managed to get loose twice, Dalton had come up with another way to secure her. He found a small chain and a padlock and he used that to attach her to the bed. In one way, it was more comfortable for her because she wasn’t as tightly bound as she had been when tied with ropes. Also, the restraint was only around her left wrist, which gave her a bit more freedom of movement on the bed itself than did the ropes, which had bound both hands and feet.
It was dark outside, and Anna was sitting on the edge of the bed watching Percy Shaw and Dalton Yerby have their supper.
Percy let out a fart.
“You dumb son of a bitch,” Dalton said. “Don’t you know better’n to fart at the dinner table?”
“I couldn’t help it, it just come out,” Percy said. He looked over toward the bed. “Sorry ’bout the fart, Miss Heckemeyer,” he said.
“What are you apologizin’ to her for?” Dalton asked.
“Womenfolk like it when men are polite,” Percy said. “Don’t you know that?”
“What the hell do I care what womenfolk like? I ain’t never had me a woman I didn’t pay for, and if I pay for her, then seems to me like it’s her job to do what I like. Don’t you think that’s right, girl?” he said to Anna.
“I really wouldn’t know,” Anna said.
“In case you high-society-type women don’t know nothin’ about whores, that’s where your menfolk go because you are so cold in bed,” Dalton said. He laughed.
“What you tellin’ her that for?” Percy said. “She’s prob’ly a virgin, she don’t know about things like that.”
“You a virgin, girl?” Dalton asked. “I hate virgins.”
“I’m hungry,” Anna said without responding to his taunts. “I haven’t had anything to eat all day.”
“You want somethin’ to eat?” Dalton asked. He reached across the table and picked up Percy’s plate, which still had half a piece of bacon and some uneaten beans.
“Hey, wait a minute, I ain’t a-finished eatin’ yet,” Precy complained.
“You’re the one wantin’ to be nice to her,” Dalton said. “Don’t seem to me like it’d be too much to ask for you to share your food with her.”
Percy stroked his jaw, then looked over at Anna. “All right,” he said. “I reckon that’ll be all right. But I’ll give it to her.”
Percy took his plate back from Dalton, then picked up a fork.
“Don’t give her no fork,” Dalton cautioned.
“Why not? How’s she goin’ to eat without a fork?” Percy asked.
“She can use her hands,” Dalton replied. “You give her a fork and she’s liable to use it on you.”
“All right, whatever you say,” Percy said. He put the fork back down, then took the plate over to Anna and handed it to her.
“Thank you,” Anna said. She picked up the bacon and shoved it in her mouth, then did the same thing with a handful of beans.
“Damn, she really was hungry,” Percy said.
“It’s good for her. Rich bitch like her, she’s prob’ly never been hungry in her life,” Dalton said.
Percy watched Anna eat for a moment longer; then he started toward the door.
“Where you goin’?” Dalton asked.
“I’m goin’ to take a piss.”
“Long as you’re out there, you might as well take the first watch,” Dalton said.
“It ain’t my time for watch.”
“Take the watch,” Dalton said again. “I’ll, uh, look out for the girl.”
There was something in the tone of Dalton’s voice that caught Anna’s attention, and she looked up in alarm. Glancing toward him, she saw the look in his eyes.
“All right, but when it comes time to relieve me, you better come out there or I’ll come in anyhow,” Percy said.
“What do you need to watch for anyway?” Anna asked. “My father has already agreed to all your demands. Nobody is coming after you.”
Anna didn’t want Percy to leave. She didn’t find Percy’s company any more desirable than Dalton’s, but she had the idea, perhaps unreasonable, that as long as both of them were here, nothing would happen to her.
“She’s right,” Percy said. “There ain’t nobody comin’ for us. What do we have to stand watch for?”
“Just get out there and do your time on guard,” Dalton ordered. “I’ll be out there when it’s my time.”
Percy paused for a moment, and Anna thought that she saw a glimmer of understanding in him. Maybe if he could see what Dalton had in mind, h
e would say stay. But her hopes were dashed when he suddenly smiled.
“You goin’ to have a little fun with her, ain’t you?” he asked.
“What makes you think that?”
“Hell, I can tell it by lookin’ in your face. Aaron told us we couldn’t do nothin’ until after we got the money, remember?”
“Yeah, and he also said he was goin’ to be first,” Dalton said. “Only he ain’t here now.”
“Hot damn,” Percy said, rubbing his crotch. “Okay, let’s do it.”
“Get on out there. I’ll tell you when it’s your turn.”
“I want to stay here ’n watch,” Percy said.
“You ain’t goin’ to stay here and watch,” Dalton said resolutely. “Get on out there like I said.”
“Okay, but don’t take too long. Damn if I ain’t got me a big hard-on now, just a-thinkin’ about it.”
Anna watched Percy leave; then she looked back toward Dalton.
Dalton started toward her. His eyes glowed red in the reflection of the candle, and looking into them was like looking through windows into the very fires of hell itself.
“You . . . you don’t really want to do this,” she said.
“Oh, but I do,” Dalton said. “Yes, ma’am, me’n you’s goin’ to have us some fun.”
When Anna saw him coming toward her, her fear became palpable, and she felt bile in her throat. “No,” she said in a choked voice. “No, please don’t. Your boss said that I wasn’t to be harmed.”
“My boss?” Dalton chuckled. “Are you talkin’ about Aaron?”
“Yes.”
“He don’t want you killed . . . yet,” Dalton said, pointedly accenting the word “yet.” “But he was already plannin’ on this. Onliest thing is, he wanted to be first.”
“No,” Anna whimpered. “Please, no.”
Anna squeezed her eyes shut, trying, unsuccessfully, to prevent the tears from sliding down her cheeks. Her entreaties fell upon deaf ears, however, for she felt him approaching, then she smelled his foul breath and his body stench as he sat down on the bed beside her.
“Go ahead and cry if you want to, girl,” Dalton said, putting his hands on her shoulder and pushing her back. “Fact is, I like it when my women cry.”
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