by Jake Henry
She whispered in his ear, ‘How’s that?’
‘OK, I guess.’
Her hands started to move down his arms in a gentle stroking motion. Then further until they reached his hips. Then Sylvie started to move her hands around the front.
Savage was about to stop her when the bedroom door burst open and slammed back against the wall.
‘I told you I’d kill you, you son of a bitch!’ a voice filled the room.
Savage dived forward off the side of the bed and onto the floor just as the cut-down shotgun in French’s hands roared deafeningly.
Sylvie’s scream was cut short as the charge ripped her flesh apart and she fell in a bloody heap across Savage’s back, painting him red.
He rolled her aside and came up off the floor with a bellow of rage. Startled at the sight of the naked, bloodied figure before him, French fumbled as he tried to reload. He snapped the breech closed after inserting one cartridge and was struggling to bring it up when Savage was upon him.
He ripped the shotgun from French’s grasp and brought the butt up in a sweeping blow that caught French under the chin. The man’s head snapped back and he fell against the wall, stunned. A blinding rage consumed Savage. He rammed the barrels of the shotgun viciously into French’s mouth, splitting lips and shattering teeth. Then, without thought or hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
Halley blanched as he looked once more at French and shook his head. He turned back towards Savage who sat on the bed dressed only in his pants. The blood on his body was now dried crusts on his skin.
‘How much longer is that damned undertaker goin’ to be?’ Savage asked, impatiently.
Halley shrugged. ‘I knew there was goin’ to be trouble with that son of a bitch.’
‘Well, why in hell didn’t you lock him up?’ Savage barked angrily.
‘Yes, I should’ve! All right? I can’t change it now.’
But Savage wasn’t finished. ‘What’s wrong with this town, anyway? Since I been here I’ve run into nothin’ but trouble.’
‘Bobby Vandal,’ Halley stated.
‘What?’
‘The problem is Bobby Vandal,’ Halley told him. ‘Ever since I locked him up, this town has gone plumb crazy.’
‘Well let him out,’ Savage suggested.
‘I can’t.’
‘Why not?’
‘’Cause he’s goin’ to hang for murder,’ Halley told Savage. ‘That was why they tried to kill me. Because I got Craig Vandal’s son locked up and by God, I aim to see that son of a bitch swing.’
‘Don’t you have yourself a deputy?’
‘Nope. It’s just me.’
There was a commotion outside in the hall and Craig Vandal filled the doorway. His eyes settled on Savage and his face became hard.
‘Are you Savage?’
‘What if I am?’
‘Ever since you arrived in this town, all you’ve done is interfere with things that don’t concern you,’ Vandal snarled.
‘Who are you?’
‘I’m Craig Vandal, and I want you the hell out of my town.’
Savage stood up, his muscular chest rippled with the movement. He walked across the room and stopped short of the red-faced man.
‘I tell you what, Mr. Vandal. You tell your men to stop tryin’ to kill me and I’ll stop shootin’ them.’
‘I’ll tell you what, I’ll do you one better. How about you drag your drifting ass out of my town and everyone will be happy.’
‘Don’t push me, Vandal,’ Savage hissed. ‘You’ve seen what can happen when people do.’
‘I’ll give you until noon tomorrow,’ Vandal said, undeterred. ‘After that, don’t expect to leave.’
Vandal spun on his heel and stormed from the room.
‘Really showed concern for his man, didn’t he?’ Savage commented.
‘He ain’t worried about his men, or the fact that you’re killin’ them,’ Halley said. ‘He’s worried about you. No one has ever stood up to him or his men like that before. He’s worried that if you become tangled in this, then he won’t be able to get his boy out of jail before he hangs. You saw how desperate he’s become when he had his men try and kill me. I might not be so lucky next time.’
‘Halley, you said before you didn’t have yourself a deputy. You do now. I’ll sign on until after the trial and Vandal’s son swings rope.’
‘I couldn’t ask you to do that, Savage,’ Halley told him. ‘Besides, for there to be an unbiased trial, he’ll need to be shifted to Albuquerque. I talked about it with Judge McArdle today and he agreed.’
‘Well, shift him then. I’ll help you. Hell, I’m headed there anyway,’ Savage said.
‘Are you sure?’
Savage nodded.
‘OK. Come by the jail in the morning and I’ll swear you in. In the meantime, get yourself a bath and wash all that blood off you.’
‘No, we do it tonight. Before dawn anyway.’
‘Why so soon?’
‘Vandal strikes me as an impatient man,’ Savage surmised. ‘I think we should move his kid sooner rather than later. Before they get wind of our plans, otherwise they’ll try to ambush us on the road and break him free.’
Halley nodded. ‘All right, we’ll do it that way.’
‘I’ll get cleaned up and meet you at the jail. We’ll need horses.’
Halley told him where he could acquire some and a few other things as well.
‘I’ll see you in a couple of hours. That’ll give us a good head start before daylight.’
Halley nodded. ‘Until then.’
They escorted Bobby Vandal out the back door to put him on the back of a bay horse that Savage had got from the hostler. The night was cool and mostly clear. The stars above glittered like small flashing lights around the large moon. Every so often a cloud scudded across it, casting a fleeting shadow over the mountains.
‘You won’t get away with this,’ Bobby said loudly.
‘Shut up,’ Halley snapped at him.
‘Why?’ he shouted this time. ‘Are you afraid someone will hear!’
He opened his mouth to continue, but a bunched fist from Savage smashed into it, chopping his words off abruptly. He buckled at the knees and Savage caught him by the arm.
‘You were told to shut up, now get on that horse.’
Once Bobby was on the bay, Halley and the Drifter climbed into their saddles. They turned their horses and commenced the ride out of town.
On the outskirts, Savage asked, ‘How long do you figure before they know we’re gone?’
‘I’ll give it half a day,’ Halley allowed. ‘If we’re lucky.’
‘Let’s hope we are,’ Savage said.
For the few hours until dawn, the going was slow. The narrow trail twisted and turned through the tall timber and rocky terrain. The last thing they needed was for one of the horses to pull up lame.
Dawn found them ten miles from Dead Man’s Gulch and with a good head start. Or so they thought. Someone had witnessed their hasty exit and now, only five miles behind them, was a group of men led by Curt Wedde.
‘We’ll stop here for the night,’ Halley told Savage. ‘The horses need the rest.’
‘Sure, why not. I’ll get a fire goin’ while you take care of our guest.’
‘Do you think they’re still back there?’
Savage had checked their backtrail earlier and seen the riders topping the next ridge over from the one they’d been on at the time.
‘They’ll still be comin’ on,’ Savage said. ‘Tomorrow I’ll see if I can throw a false trail for them to follow.’
Bobby Vandal snorted derisively. ‘They’ll catch up, and when they do, you’re both dead.’
‘You won’t have cause to worry,’ Savage said. ‘I aim to shoot you before I die.’
‘If you like, once we’ve done what needs doin’, I’ll take first watch,’ Savage offered to Halley.
‘Sure, if you want. It’s up to you. I suggest we do it two hours
about so we get a few short shifts and can get some frequent sleep.’
Savage nodded. ‘Sounds good to me.’
Sometime after midnight, he wouldn’t be so sure.
The sound of a gun hammer going back snapped Savage from his slumber. His eyes flickered open and recognized the six-gun in the hand of the man who stood over him.
‘I’m guessin’ that you’ve been woke up in better ways than the one that’s happenin’ now,’ Wedde said to him.
‘I take that this ain’t a social visit?’ Savage asked.
‘Ain’t that the truth. Get on your feet.’
Slowly Savage got to his feet and stood rock still while he waited to see what was going to happen next.
Halley appeared from out of the dark escorted by two men. He looked at the Drifter and said, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened.’
‘You went to sleep is what happened,’ one of the men guffawed.
‘Cut me loose, Curt,’ Bobby called out. ‘I got some business to finish with these two.’
Savage cursed Halley inwardly. It was a mistake that would, he was certain, cost them their lives. Standing there, he was aware that no one had moved to take his Remington from the holster around his waist. He might still have a chance, albeit a slim one.
It was Bobby Vandal who swung the odds in Savage’s favor.
As soon as he was freed, he strode purposefully across to where Halley stood, under the guard of one of the men’s gun. Bobby snatched the six-gun from his grasp and shot Halley in the stomach.
The sound of the shot took everyone by surprise, but Savage recovered the quickest. He drew the Remington with blinding speed and opened fire on the group. There were six men in total who’d crept up on them and after Savage had fired two shots, they were down to four plus Bobby.
By the time they recovered, Savage had disappeared into the dark.
‘Where did he go?’ he heard Bobby Vandal scream before a flurry of wild gunshots pierced the darkness.
He heard Wedde say, ‘Stop that damned shootin’, you ain’t goin’ to hit nothin’. Get out there and find him.’
Carefully, Savage circled about the camp until he found their horses. He unhooked the reins from around a tree limb then slapped them hard on their muscular rumps. The startled beasts took off into the darkness.
‘The horses! He’s after the horses!’ the shout filled the night.
Savage found cover behind some rocks and listened as Vandal’s men scattered into the surrounding gloom after their mounts. He waited for five minutes before he figured that it was quiet enough to sneak back into camp and get his saddle and rifle.
He checked on Halley but it was clear the sheriff was dead. He then hurried past the low burning campfire, over to where his saddle and rifle lay. He picked them up and turned in time to see Curt Wedde enter the dim firelight.
‘I figured you wouldn’t go far without your horse,’ he gloated.
‘You figured right,’ Savage allowed. ‘What now?’
Wedde shrugged. ‘Now I shoot you.’
‘Figured as much,’ Savage said and made one more desperate move. He dropped his saddle onto the fire.
An unexpected flurry of embers billowed up and caught Wedde by surprise. He jerked the trigger but the bullet flew wide enough of its intended target to be of no danger.
The Yellow Boy in Savage’s hands whiplashed and the slug dealt Wedde a devastating blow to the chest, knocking him backward onto the ground. The echoes of the gunshots seemed to roll forever through the night and the Drifter knew that he would have company soon enough.
He didn’t bother to check on Wedde, instead pulled his smoldering saddle from the fire and hurried to his horse. Once it was saddled, he retrieved his saddlebags with the supplies and extra ammunition. As he walked back past Wedde, the supposedly dead man coughed. It was a wet, gurgling sound that indicated that his lungs were filling with blood.
Savage paused. ‘If you live long enough, tell Bobby I’m goin’ to come for him. Tell him there’s a new law in town. My law.’
Wedde opened his mouth to speak but died before anything could emerge.
‘Never mind,’ Savage said, ‘I’ll tell him myself.’
Four
Craig Vandal was good and mad. Not about the men he’d lost. They could be replaced, including Wedde. No, he was mad because Savage had escaped.
‘How is it that you all let one man best you?’ he roared. ‘Am I surrounded by total incompetence?’
His loud voice filled the lamp-lit office and filtered outside onto the boardwalk where the others awaited further orders. They’d arrived back in Dead Man’s Gulch late in the afternoon and now, as Craig Vandal berated his son, another sun was sinking behind the pine-clad mountains.
‘It was dark, Pa,’ Bobby Vandal protested. ‘Besides, I got Halley for you.’
‘I got Halley for you!’ Vandal mimicked his son. ‘You dumb son of a bitch, Halley wasn’t the dangerous one. Now, Savage is out there somewhere and we don’t know where.’
Suddenly the door crashed open and a man burst in, a look of excitement on his face.
‘He’s here?’
‘What?’ Craig Vandal snapped.
‘He’s here, he just rode into town.’
‘Stop talking in riddles man and spit it out,’ Craig Vandal said impatiently. ‘Who’s here?’
‘Savage just rode in, leadin’ the sheriff’s horse. He was draped over it and all.’
‘He must’ve went back for the body after we cleared out,’ said Bobby Vandal.
‘And now he’s here,’ Craig Vandal snarled. ‘I want that son of a bitch gone.’
‘I’ll see to it.’
‘No. You stay out of the way,’ Craig Vandal snapped. His gaze settled on the man who’d brought the news. ‘Tell Finch he’s in charge and to get rid of Savage. I don’t care how.’
The man hesitated.
‘What?’ his boss snapped.
‘Are you sure you want to kill another lawman?’
‘The only law around here is me. Now go.’
When the man had left, Craig Vandal’s harsh gaze returned to his son. ‘I want you out of town until all this blows over. Head on over to Bad Tooth and lay low.’
‘But that place is full of murderers and cutthroats,’ Bobby protested.
‘Then you should fit right in, shouldn’t you?’ the older Vandal sneered. ‘Don’t you go trying to buck me, boy. You’ll go there, and there you’ll stay until I say otherwise. It isn’t like you’ve not been there before.’
Bobby was about to continue the argument but a withering look from his father changed his mind. Instead, he turned about and left the room.
Craig Vandal watched him go and wondered, for the first time, whether he’d bitten off more than he could chew.
Savage’s first job was to deliver Halley’s body to the undertaker’s. The next was to go to the jail and prepare for the visitors he was bound to have. He loaded all the guns in the gun rack, and moved the pinto out back, leaving it saddled. He then made himself some coffee on the small potbellied stove.
Unexpectedly, it wasn’t Craig Vandal’s men who paid him the first visit. It was Judge Perry McArdle. He was a large man with gray hair and beard. His face was lined and his frown gave him a perpetual worried expression.
‘I won’t keep you but a moment, Mr. Savage,’ McArdle said. ‘Sheriff Halley told me about you and your offer to help before you left town with Bobby Vandal. I know that the sheriff is dead. Would you mind telling me what happened?’
Savage filled him in on the events leading up to his return to Dead Man’s Gulch.
‘It’s a bad business when a man can get away with murder, Mr. Savage,’ McArdle said grimly. ‘What are your plans now that – well you know?’
The Drifter peeled back the left side of his jacket to reveal the deputy sheriff’s badge pinned to his shirt. ‘Halley gave me this and swore me in. As far as I’m concerned it still counts. If you’ve no object
ions, I’d like to continue the duties accordingly?’
McArdle nodded. ‘I can only think of one. Maybe you should pin the sheriff’s badge on instead.’
‘OK. Be aware, however, that you might find some of my methods unconventional.’
‘I don’t care what you have to do, Mr. Savage,’ McArdle responded. ‘You do whatever it takes to bring the sheriff’s murderer to justice and rid this town of Craig Vandal. Do you need help? Can I find you a deputy?’
Savage shook his head. ‘I’ll deal with it all on my own.’
‘Then I can only wish you luck, Mr. Savage because Craig Vandal worships his son and won’t stop until either of you is dead.’
‘Savage!’ a voice shouted from outside. ‘Come on out, Savage, or we’re comin’ in after you.’
‘It sounds like things are about to start, Judge,’ Savage said as he walked to the window and peered out through a crack in the curtain. ‘I suggest you go out the back way so they don’t see you.’
‘What do you plan on doing?’ McArdle asked.
‘My job,’ Savage said stonily. ‘Now get outta here.’
‘Savage!’ the voice shouted again.
‘Go, Judge, I’m about to be busy.’
McArdle slipped out the back door while Savage picked up a cut-down shotgun from the pile of guns on the scarred desktop. He walked across to the door and opened it. Once out on the boardwalk, he was confronted by ten armed men.
‘What do you want?’ he asked the man at the head of the group.
‘Mr. Vandal wants you run outta Dead Man’s Gulch,’ he said. ‘He put me in charge of doin’ it.’
‘And what if I ain’t goin’ to run?’
‘Then you’ll be buried here.’
‘Just so you know, I’m the new town sheriff.’
There was a moment of hesitation before the speaker said, ‘So what?’
‘Before anythin’ happens, I want to understand. If I refuse to leave town, you all intend to kill me. Is, that right?’