by Neil Hunter
While he had been dealing with the horses Brand had noticed the door at the rear of the building. It most probably led to the kitchen. He moved to it and peered in through the small window set in the wall adjacent to the door. He’d been right. He could make out the shadowed outlines of kitchen equipment. Turning his attention to the door he tried it and found it unlocked. Easing the door open Brand slipped inside and pressed himself against the wall. There was a fire burning in the cook stove, throwing pleasant warmth out across the room. A pot of coffee simmered gently on the stove. The rich aroma reached Brand and made his stomach growl. He had to pull himself away from the stove. It didn’t matter how he felt, now wasn’t the time to be filling his empty stomach.
He was in the act of reaching for the handle of the door leading through to the main part of the building when it swung open and a man stepped into the kitchen. The man was coatless and had coffee cup in his hand. Brand recognized him as one of the riders who had chased Brand and Virginia across the mountain slopes. Before the man could react Brand jammed the muzzle of his rifle into his throat.
‘Close the door,’ Brand told him quietly. ‘Now move away from it.’
Brand took the man’s handgun and threw it across the kitchen.
He could feel the man’s eyes on him and realized that he probably looked a mess. Frozen snow caked his clothes and was plastered over his face. Dark hair hanging from beneath his hat was crusted with blood from the wound in his scalp.
‘I ain’t dead, friend,’ Brand said harshly, ‘but, you’re likely to be if I don’t get the answers I want.’
Jed Cooper stayed silent. The hard muzzle of the rifle was boring a painful hole in his throat. He had no intention of doing anything liable to cause Jason Brand to react violently. He had already witnessed Brand’s skill with a gun. He needed no convincing.
‘How many more of you are there out there?’
‘Five out there and me.’ Cooper was surprised at the way his voice emerged as a dry croak.
‘Where’s the woman?’ Brand emphasized his second question with a savage thrust of the gun barrel.
‘All right. All right. Just take it easy, Brand, the woman’s not been hurt. She’s in one of the back rooms.’
Brand nodded. He removed the barrel of the rifle from Cooper’s throat. The gunman relaxed. Then he caught the cold gleam in Jason Brand’s eyes and realized he wasn’t off the hook. His realization came too late. The rifle barrel slashed down with brutal efficiency across Cooper’s skull. Cooper uttered a short grunt of pain as he went down.
The door opened silently. Brand studied the layout of the big room before him. What little furniture there was had been grouped close to the fire blazing in the open hearth. A couple of dusty lamps cast a subdued light across the bare floor. Brand’s attention was caught by the men around the fire. The man in the kitchen hadn’t been lying. Including him there were six. There was only one face Brand knew amongst the five warming themselves by the fire. The big man who had led the chase out on the mountain. Somewhere on the fringes of his mind lurked a name for the man. Brand didn’t force the matter. It would come of its own volition, as had Puma’s.
Putting his back to the wall Brand edged across the floor until he was in a position that enabled him to cover the five men beside the fire. Drawing back the hammer on the rifle he said, ‘Don’t anybody do a damn thing liable to make me pull this trigger. Just turn round and keep your hands in sight.’
Heads turned in his direction. Eyes noted the leveled rifle, the hard face above it, and decided to be advised of Brand’s warning. All except one. A sallow-faced man dressed in a dark suit. He was one of Holland’s bodyguards. Tall and thin, with the pale complexion of a someone used to existing indoors, the man simply stepped off to one side, his slim, white hand darting to the heavy gun he wore strapped to his chest beneath his coat. It was a foolish move, but like many in his trade the man had a reputation to back up. There was also that tinge of imagined invulnerability that some of these fast-guns carried with them. Like this one, they were usually mistaken about their own proficiency—or lack of it. Brand seemed barely to move. But the rifle flickered across to line up with the thin man. The rifle cracked harshly, powder smoke adding its stench to the musky air. The thin gunman whirled backwards, blood spurting from a hole in his chest. His heels caught in the base of the hearth and his body fell back into the flames of the fire. He began to scream as the flames blistered the flesh of his face and hands. A sickly smell filled the room. Before the others could do anything the gunman flopped forward out of the fire. He slid awkwardly across the floor, his body kicking feebly. Smoke curled lazily up from the smoldering cloth of his suit.
‘Anybody want to join him?’ Brand asked. ‘Now if any of you are carrying guns I want them on the floor. Out where I can see them. And make it fast.’
They did that they were told, conscious of the dead man at their feet.
‘I’ll get you before you leave this mountain, Brand,’ Cole Shannuck said.
Brand grinned savagely. ‘You tried once and I’m still here. So did that Indian—the one they called Puma—and he won’t he hiring out again.’
‘You killed him?’ Shannuck asked.
Brand nodded, ‘He was begging for it.’
One of the men, standing next to Shannuck, said, ‘Damnit, Cole, you told me he was dead.’
Shannuck shrugged. ‘Looks like I was wrong, Cortland.’ He grinned abruptly, showing large teeth. ‘You want me to do something about it?’
‘Now look …’
‘Shut it, mister’ Brand said. ‘I don’t care a damn how you sort out your problems. You can do it after I leave. You,’ he said, pointing at Ben Holland, ‘go and bring the woman out here. Do one thing that doesn’t look right to me and I’ll shoot your head right off your shoulders.’
Holland moved quickly across the floor. He worked the bolt on one of the doors leading off from the main room and shoved it open.
‘Virginia, you in there?’ Brand called.
After a moment her voice reached him. ‘Is that you, Jason?’
‘Yeah. Now get out here quick.’
She emerged from the room stepping by the scowling figure of Ben Holland and stared directly at Brand.
‘I thought you were dead. I was sure they’d killed you.’
‘They tried.’
Virginia stared at him. ‘You look terrible. Are you all right?’
‘Don’t worry about me. Just pick up those guns and toss ’em out of the nearest window. Might be a notion to keep one for yourself.’
She did as he suggested. With something close to reluctance she retained one of the guns. As she moved back to join Brand her eyes drifted over the faces of the men before the fire and a shocked gasp rose in her throat,
‘Oh no, Jerome, not you.’
‘Somebody you know?’ Brand asked.
Virginia did not answer. She simply stood and stared into the face of Jerome Cortland, unable to take in what had been revealed to her.
‘Virginia?’ Brand asked again. ‘We ain’t got all day to stand around. Just tell me what’s going on.’
‘I think I’m beginning to understand a lot of things now,’ Virginia said. ‘You see, Jason, this man here is Jerome Cortland. He is a lawyer. His father’s firm has handled Maitland business for years. Just over a year ago Hendly Cortland died and Jerome took control of the practice. My father was never happy with his handling of our business. He didn’t like Jerome’s methods. It seems he might not have been a bad judge. Or am I wrong, Jerome?’
Jerome Cortland allowed himself a thin smile. ‘As astute as ever, dear Virginia. Unfortunately this time your awareness of the situation will do you no good. The fact that you have stumbled upon my involvement in this little affair will not detract from the purpose of you having been drawn to this place. That being your untimely and tragic death.’
‘Then I was right.’ Virginia said. ‘All those problems the mines have been having. They were
created with the sole intention of bringing me out here. That’s why Jack Bell was murdered. He knew too much and he would have spoiled your plans.’
‘You see,’ Cortland said. ‘I told you she was clever. Too damn clever for a woman.’
‘And too rich for your liking?’ Brand asked. ‘Is that what it comes down to, Cortland? The fact that she has all that money? All that power? Sticks in your craw?’
Jerome Cortland’s face darkened with seething anger. ‘Hell, yes. When her old man died it all fell in her lap. Millions. Every damned asset belonging to Maitland. I know just how much. I’ve been handling Maitland business for years. Contracts. Stocks. Property deals. Cash transfers. It’s all been through my hands.’
‘You sound as if you hate me for it, Jerome,’ Virginia said.
Cortland scowled at her. ‘I do. You had it all. So easily. All I had was a small time law practice with no chance of expansion. My father might have been a lawyer but he was no businessman. The firm was in debt and so was I. So I began to siphon off money from the Maitland account. It was easy at first and I could cover myself easily. Selling off a few shares here and there. The trouble was a little didn’t cover my needs. So I began to work on a scheme that would let me get my hands on a larger share.’
‘The thefts at the mines? The violence? It was all your doing?’ Virginia’s face darkened with a sudden anger. ‘Were you trying to force down the price of Maitland shares so you could buy cheaply?’
‘It worked. A few discreet words here and there about Maitland Copper being in trouble. Some physical assistance from my friends here.’ Cortland grinned. ‘Shareholders are fickle creatures. Just a smell of trouble and they can’t unload their stock fast enough.’
Brand said: ‘My guess is that you weren’t satisfied with that. You wanted Virginia out of the way. Dead in fact.’
‘People have been killed for a lot less,’ Cortland snapped. His tone indicated that he thought his explanation justified what he had done.
‘How would my death work for you?’ Virginia asked.
‘The legal complexities involved with such an empire as yours are endless. There are still various aspects of your father’s estate to be sorted out. If you were to suddenly die, leaving the Maitland businesses in a sort of legal limbo, it could be years before things could be settled. As the appointed executer of Maitland business it would be easy for me to manipulate and control share dealing, cash flow. You may remember, Virginia, that there was a condition in your father’s will which stipulated that in the event of you not being able to keep control of the businesses, the Cortland law firm would step in and assume full responsibility until such time as a new manager was appointed or someone bought the controlling interest. Your father, Virginia, had great faith in mine. He was not as happy with my way of doing things. If he had lived longer I think he might have changed the conditions of his will. Fortunately for me he died before he could, and that left me in an extremely powerful position providing you could be removed from the scene.’
‘I must give you credit for your plans, Jerome. It took a keen mind to work out a scheme like yours. Twisted, but keen.’
‘And all for nothing,’ Brand put in dryly.
Jerome Cortland shrugged. ‘Maybe. Thing is you aren’t in the clear yet.’
‘You forgetting who has the gun?’ Brand asked.
‘Having it and using it are two different matters,’ Cortland said. ‘You intend to shoot us all, Brand?’
‘Ask him,’ Brand suggested, indicated Shannuck.
Cole Shannuck smiled grimly. ‘I was you, Cortland, I wouldn’t push it too far.’
‘He won’t do it,’ Cortland said. ‘Am I right, Virginia?’
‘Killing in cold blood seems to be your style, Jerome. Not mine,’ Virginia replied. ‘Jason, take me away from here. Now.’
Brand looked from Shannuck’s grinning face to Virginia. There wasn’t a thing he could do. No matter how he felt about these men he wasn’t going to kill them where they stood. Leaving them alive meant that they would eventually follow. There would not be any hesitation on their part if it came to another confrontation. If Brand and Virginia reached the nearest lawman and told their story, Cortland and his cronies were finished. They would do their damndest to try and stop that from happening. He wished he was in a position to take them along, under his gun, and deliver them personally into the hands of the law. But that was impossible. He and Virginia were going to have their hands full trying to get through themselves. Dragging along five hostile and violent men in the conditions outside was beyond Brand. He didn’t even contemplate it.
‘Let’s go,’ he said to Virginia.
As they moved towards the door Cole Shannuck said: ‘You’ll never make it, Brand. Wherever you go, we’ll be following you. Next time we meet I’ll have a gun in my hand.’
Jason Brand paused at the door. ‘I were you I’d head for the Canadian border. Next time I see one of your faces I’ll start shooting. And that’s a promise I’ll keep.’
He stepped outside, dragging the door shut. Thick snow swirled around him instantly. Brand grabbed Virginia’s arm and led her away from the station, up towards the place where he’d left his horse. Only now did he curse his stupidity at not keeping back one of the horses he’d so easily run off. Now he and Virginia were going to have to ride double.
Damn fool, he thought. The cold’s affecting your thinking.
As they reached the trees, slipping and sliding in the thick snow, Brand heard the flat sound of a handgun. The bullet whacked into the ground yards away. Brand shoved Virginia in front. More shots followed but they were all wide. Somebody was letting his feelings mar his aim.
‘Over there,’ he said, spotting his tethered horse. He yanked the reins loose and swung up into the saddle. Leaning over he took hold of Virginia’s arm and yanked her up behind him.
‘For God’s sake hold on tight,’ he yelled.
‘You don’t have to tell me,’ she yelled back.
Brand jerked the horse’s head round and put it up the slope beyond the trees. As they broke out of the timber a rifle opened up and wood splinters exploded in his face. Bullets caromed from the trunks, showering them with bark-splinters. Brand heard Virginia gasp once but her arms retained their rigid grasp around his waist. Brand yelled and swore at the horse, driving it on up the steep slope. As they crested the slope and lost sight of the way-station he breathed a sigh of relief. They weren’t out of trouble yet but at least they might have a short respite. There would not be any pursuit until the men back at the station had recovered their horses. The longer it took them the better became Brand’s chance of gaining some distance.
He drew rein long enough to get his bearings, turning the horse towards Bannock. The mine town was closest. If he and Virginia could get there before Cortland and his bunch then they stood a chance.
‘What’s the law like in Bannock?’ he asked over his shoulder.
‘Honest as far as I know,’ Virginia said. ‘Right now, though, I’m not sure I’d trust the President himself.’
Brand made no reply. He realized that Virginia had just experienced a shattering revelation. Not only had she exposed the man responsible for her business difficulties, she had also learned that the same man, supposedly working for her best interests, had engineered the attempts on her life.
‘They really do mean it when they say they’ll kill us,’ Virginia said after a couple of minutes.
‘They have to,’ Brand replied. ‘As long as we’re alive we can tell our story. Once that happens they’re finished. But if they can stop us before we reach Bannock they could still pull the whole thing off.’
‘It was madness leaving them alive. We’ve just set ourselves up as targets. Haven’t we?’
‘Yeah. I’m not arguing over that.’
‘We couldn’t have done anything else. Could we? It’s the difference between them and us. They would have killed us without a second thought. Does that make us stupid?’
‘All for money. Just because I have money and they don’t. But why should I feel guilty about it? My father made his money honestly. Now it’s mine. Selfish or not, Jason Brand, I don’t intend letting someone like Jerome Cortland get his hands on it.’
‘I believe you. Anyhow I got to get you to Bannock alive for a very good reason.’
‘Oh? What’s that?’
‘You haven’t paid me yet.’
There was a brief silence behind him. And then Virginia Maitland began to laugh. The sound rose above them, clear and light. It was the most pleasant sound Brand had heard for a long time. He hoped he lived long enough to be able to hear it again.
Chapter Twelve
Brand knew they weren’t going to make Bannock that day. The darkness slid in around them like a black fog. The falling snow added to the confusion. Before the light failed completely he scouted round for somewhere they could stay the night. The best he came up with was a low overhang at the base of a high rock face. A tangled mass of snow coated thick brush concealed it from prying eyes. Brand dismounted and led the horse to the overhang. He tethered the animal close by.