Brothers in Blood

by Lee Lejeune

  ‘I was sorry I did that,’ Sunshine confessed. ‘The man was liquored up to his skull but I had to defend myself.’

  ‘Sure you did. Only now I hear he’s at death’s door. I thought you should know that.’

  ‘You mean he’s likely to die?’

  The gig driver scratched the back of his head.

  ‘The sawbones is fighting to save him but they say it’s just a matter of time. That wound has turned real bad.’ The gig-man tipped his hat. ‘I just thought you should know that, Mr Shining.’

  Sunshine watched the gig drive away towards town, then went back into the cowshed to finish the milking. His head was in a whirl but he got on with the milking pretty well considering he was a novice. While he was working Bethany appeared at the door; she was laughing.

  ‘It’s so good to have Elspeth back,’ she said. ‘I think going East with those people was kind of disappointing, but now she’s back and she wants to rest up, so I thought I’d come out and help with the chores. How you doing out here, anyway?’

  ‘I’m learning fast,’ he said.

  She looked at him closely.

  ‘You’re looking a little yellow around the gills. Did the old gels kick you or something?’

  He told her about the dying man.

  ‘Well, that’s real bad sass,’ she said somewhat unsympathetically, ‘but I guess that’s the way it is out here in the wilderness. You have to defend yourself or you end up dead.’

  ‘That may be true,’ he said, ‘but I want to ride into town and talk to him before he dies.’

  Bethany looked a little bewildered.

  ‘You mean you want to give Slam Smith the last rites or something?’

  Sunshine creased his brow. ‘I just have a hunch he might have something to say to me.’

  Bethany nodded. ‘Well, you’re your own man, Sunshine, and so far your hunches have been pretty good for such a youngster. Why don’t you ride into town after you’ve got something of substance in your belly and do what you have to do? But make good and sure you’ve packed that Peacemaker on your hip and got that Winchester of yourn loaded up good and ready just in case.’

  They went back to the porch, sat down and drank milk fresh from the cows. Elspeth had changed her mind about resting and she was looking out over the farmstead with relish.

  ‘I could stay here for ever!’ she said.

  ‘Sit down, Ellie,’ Bethany said. ‘I have something to tell you.’

  Elspeth sat down and listened while Bethany told her about her brother’s kidnapping. Sunshine watched to see how Elspeth reacted and saw how her young brow knotted with concern.

  ‘They won’t kill him, will they?’ she asked.

  ‘They’re asking for a thousand dollars, but that’s only the beginning,’ Bethany told her. Sunshine said nothing. After he had eaten, he decided to ride into town.

  ‘Why don’t I come with you?’ Elspeth asked him. Bethany looked astonished.

  ‘But you’ve only just got here,’ she said. ‘You need to rest up.’

  Elspeth looked at Sunshine and nodded.

  ‘I do feel a little tuckered out so maybe I should leave it till tomorrow.’

  Sunshine looked at her and smiled. He saw what a high-spirited young woman she was, just like her ma. How many women of any age would travel unaccompanied by rail? he wondered. He saddled up Chingalong.

  ‘We’re riding into town again,’ he said to the horse, ‘but don’t get yourself all tensed up, because it’s going to be OK.’

  ‘Take it easy,’ Bethany shouted out, ‘and make sure to keep that Colt revolver close by your side.’

  Sunshine patted the holster and gave Bethany a wink.

  ‘Don’t worry, Mrs Bartok. Take good care of that daughter of yours.’ He turned Chingalong’s head and rode towards town.

  Why am I doing this? he asked himself as he rode along. Well, I guess I’m doing it to soothe my conscience some.

  He arrived in town just as the stores were pulling their shutters across. The first person he encountered was Sheriff McGiven, who was standing on Main Street with his thumbs in his suspenders.

  ‘Why, good day, Mr Shining. What brings you into town?’

  ‘Just doing a little visiting, Sheriff.’

  ‘Anyone in particular?’ the sheriff asked him.

  ‘I thought I’d look in on Slam Smith, if he’s around.’

  Sheriff McGiven frowned. ‘You might be lucky and you might not,’ he said. ‘Slam could be halfway to heaven or the other place by now.’

  ‘Whichever way he’s going, can you point me in the direction of the infirmary?’

  The sheriff pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

  ‘You’ll find it down that way, a few paces towards the end of town.’

  ‘Thank you, Sheriff.’ The town was so small a few paces would take you right away into the creosote prairie land.

  ‘By the way,’ Sheriff McGiven said, ‘after you’ve visited with what’s left of Slam Smith, I’d like a word with you in my office.’

  ‘I’ll bear that in mind,’ Sunshine said.

  ‘You do that, Mr Shining,’ the sheriff replied without the flicker of a smile.

  Sunshine rode on to the end of town, where he saw a sign with the legend:

  Doctor Emmanuel Soskin,

  Bachelor of Medicine and own Infirmary

  He dismounted and patted Chingalong on the head.

  ‘Stay here, buddy. This is gonna be a tough assignment.’ He walked across the sidewalk and rang the bell outside the door. Nobody seemed to be at home. He was about to ring again when the door was opened by a flustered-looking young woman dressed as a nurse.

  ‘What do you want?’ she demanded.

  ‘Is Doctor Emmanuel Soskin available?’ Sunshine asked.

  ‘Who are you?’ she asked abruptly.

  ‘The name’s Shining,’ he said, ‘Stubbs Shining. I’m enquiring about a certain Slam Smith.’

  The nurse shook her head. ‘You can’t see Mr Smith,’ she said. ‘Right now the priest is with him and things don’t look at all good.’

  ‘I understand and I’m sorry,’ Sunshine said. ‘How about if I sit right here and wait while you see how the patient is?’

  ‘Well, you can sit as long as you like, but I don’t think it will do you much good, Mr Shining.’

  ‘That’s as maybe,’ Sunshine said, ‘but I think I’ll wait all the same if you don’t mind.’

  The young woman closed the door and Sunshine sat on a bench under the ramada. He sat for a long time, then someone opened the door and came right out. It was a Catholic priest and he looked sort of thoughtful.

  ‘Is it you who’s waiting to see the dying man?’ he asked Sunshine.

  ‘Yes, sir, I am’ Sunshine said. The priest looked wary.

  ‘Well, I’ve just given him the last rites, so I think we should leave him in peace unless you’re a close relation.’

  Sunshine stood up. ‘I’m just a well-wisher who shot him in the leg.’

  ‘Well, there isn’t much left of that leg now,’ the priest said. ‘The doctor sawed it off early this morning.

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Sunshine said. The priest gave him a straight look.

  ‘If you want me to hear your confession, why don’t you come down to the mission?’

  ‘Thanks for the offer,’ Sunshine said, ‘but I don’t think I have time right now. So my soul must wait for a while longer.’

  The priest nodded. ‘God be with you, my son,’ he said.

  Sunshine watched him walk away and thought the word ‘son’ was somewhat inappropriate since the priest didn’t look to be much more than forty years old himself.

  Then the door opened again and the disagreeable young woman looked out.

  ‘Ah, you’re still here, Mr Shining. You can come in now.’

  Sunshine walked into the dismal interior and came face to face with a man of around fifty.

  ‘So you’re Mr Stubbs Shining,’ the man sa
id. ‘I’m Doctor Emmanuel Soskins.’ He didn’t hold out a hand. ‘I hear you’ve come to enquire about the patient, Mr Slam Smith.’

  ‘That’s right, Doctor. How is Mr Smith?’

  The doctor shook his head. ‘I’m sorry to tell you he died less than five minutes ago.’

  Sunshine looked at the doctor and saw no trace of emotion on his face.

  ‘Well, I’m sorry about,’ he said.

  ‘I’d like to say he died peacefully,’ the doctor replied, ‘but I’m afraid the end was bitter and hard.’

  ‘Well, at least the priest got here in time to hear his confession,’ Sunshine said. The doctor gave him a thoughtful look.

  ‘Just before he died, he said something strange.’

  ‘Something strange?’

  ‘I wouldn’t mention it but he happened to say “Sunshine” and then something else that sounded like “stinking flats”.’

  ‘Stinking flats,’ Sunshine repeated. ‘You know why he said that?’

  ‘I have no idea. People say all kinds of things when they’re dying.’

  ‘Well, thank you for telling me that, Doctor.’

  Sunshine walked away from the infirmary and was about to mount Chingalong when someone called out his name. He turned to see the barber-cum-funeral director approaching.

  ‘Good day, Mr Shining,’ the barber said. ‘I’m surprised to see you here.’

  ‘I rode into town to enquire about Slam Smith, but I guess I was a little too late. He just died.’

  The barber drew closer and grabbed him by the arm.

  ‘You shouldn’t have come here, Mr Shining. Slam’s buddies are on the prowl and they’re talking about revenge on the man who shot Slam. They’re drinking in the saloon and getting themselves really wound up. You should get on that horse and ride out of town before they know you’re here.’

  ‘Well, thanks for the warning, sir.’

  The barber nodded. ‘Don’t mention it, Mr Shining.’ He turned to go into the infirmary.

  ‘By the way,’ Sunshine said. ‘What do you know about “stinking flats”?’

  The barber stopped abruptly and turned. ‘Why do you want to know about Stinking Flats?’

  Sunshine shook his head. ‘Just a notion. Slam Smith mentioned it just before he died, so it must have been heavy on his mind.’

  The barber looked to left and right, then came closer and said very quietly:

  ‘I don’t know much about Stinking Flats, except that it’s a place not far from here.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Sunshine said. The barber stared at him for a moment.

  ‘Who are you?’ he asked in a low tone. ‘Some kind of yellow-haired wizard?’

  ‘Just a man passing through,’ Sunshine said.

  The barber shook his head and disappeared into the infirmary, presumably to measure up the dead man for his coffin.

  Sunshine took Chingalong’s reins and mounted up.

  ‘Well, buddy, it’s time we went back to the spread for some of Mrs Bethany Bartok’s good cooking. And to renew our acquaintance with that real nice girl Elspeth Bartok, who is a deal prettier than her ma.’

  He chuckled to himself as he rode in the direction of the saloon, but he didn’t get far. As he came alongside the batwing doors they swung open and three men spilled out. They were laughing and slapping one another on the back and one of them was holding a revolver.

  ‘I’m gonna plug that golden-haired boy right between the eyes,’ he boasted.

  The other two roared with laughter and staggered out on to Main Street.

  ‘Not if I get there first,’ one of them shouted, ‘and I won’t plug him between the eyes. I’ll plug him lower down so he has to walk like this all the way to hell.’ He did an imitation of a man trying to walk after he’s been shot in the crotch.

  Sunshine thought of turning Chingalong and heading out of town but it was too late. The third man, who appeared to be the most sober of the three, suddenly stopped and pointed in his direction.

  ‘Why, lookee here,’ he said. ‘Ain’t that the very boy hisself?’

  Sunshine recognized him as Brad Bassington. The other two hombres suddenly stiffened and Sunshine saw that they were the same men as had gunned down on Bethany’s spread the day he’d ridden in.

  ‘What do I do now?’ he muttered to himself.

  ‘Get yourself down from that hoss and face the music,’ the third gunman shouted. ‘You shot our buddy Slam and now you have to pay the price.’ He raised his gun and fired a shot in Sunshine’s direction, but the shot went wide.

  Sunshine weighed up the odds: one sober, inexperienced man against three highly experienced drunken gunmen. It would be like walking into the jaws of death. So what should he do?

  The next second he knew the answer.

  ‘Brace yourself for action,’ he muttered between his teeth. He dug his heels into Chingalong’s sides. Chingalong shuddered, then leaped forward and broke into a gallop. Two of the gunmen dodged to one side but the third, Brad Bassington, reached up and tried to grab Chingalong’s reins. Sunshine had the Peacemaker in his hand and, as the man reached up he pistol-whipped him on the side of the head. The man fell like a stone under Chingalong’s hoofs. Sunshine then fired a shot at another of the men; he fell back on the sidewalk. No time to think!

  Sunshine leaned forward and rode hell for leather without looking back. The last thing he remembered seeing was Sheriff McGiven standing on Main Street, his mouth wide open in astonishment.

  He galloped on down the trail towards the Bartok spread, then stopped and listened. There was no sound other than the soughing of the trees and the chirping of the birds.

  ‘You did a mighty fine job there, Ching,’ he said to the horse. ‘If you hadn’t acted quickly one of us would be dead by now.’

  He found that he needed to catch his breath and suddenly realized his heart was beating fit to bust.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  It was almost dark when he rode up to the cabin. Bethany came out on to the porch with her buffalo gun.

  ‘Who’s there?’ she challenged.

  ‘Not to worry, Mrs Bartok,’ he shouted. ‘It’s only Sunshine, your blue-eyed boy.’

  ‘Well, you’d better come right in,’ she said. ‘You’ve been gone so long I was beginning to be afraid you’d gone to the land of the departed.’

  ‘You could have been right but luck was with me and I’m still here in the land of the living.’ He dismounted and took Chingalong into the stable.

  ‘You did well, my friend.’ He patted the horse’s neck. ‘You’ve got a hell of a lot of horse sense, mon ami.’ He returned to the cabin, where Elspeth rose to greet him. She looked more radiant than ever now she was rested up.

  ‘Well then,’ Bethany looked at him hard through her alert and eager eyes, ‘did your hunches serve you well?’

  ‘I’m still thinking on that,’ he admitted, ‘but I learned a lot.’

  ‘Like what?’ she asked.

  ‘Like Slam Smith is dead. The wounded leg turned bad and the doc couldn’t save him.’ He told them about the priest giving Slam Smith the last rites and his encounter with the three gunmen.

  ‘You mean they tried to kill you?’ Elspeth cried, horrified.

  ‘Well, they were a little too drunk to succeed in that,’ Sunshine said, ‘but it was a pretty close thing.’ He told them how his quick thinking and Chingalong’s speed had saved his life. Bethany reached for her pipe.

  ‘This doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, does it?’

  ‘How’d you figure that?’ Sunshine asked.

  ‘Well, first Jed Cutaway offers you a job after you shot Slam Smith, and now Slam Smith’s buddies are trying to kill you. How do you work that one out?’

  Sunshine nodded and frowned.

  ‘I’ve been trying to put that together all the way back from town and I don’t know the answer. But one thing seems certain.’

  Both women stared at him intently.

  ‘What’s that?’ Bethany a
sked him.

  ‘Nothing in the Cutaway camp is what it seems,’ he said. ‘When the Cutaway brothers came up to the house yesterday they said that their boys got a little out of hand at times. I think it’s a lot more complicated than that.’

  Bethany nodded: she was way ahead of him.

  ‘What you’re saying is the Cutaways have a rebellion on their hands.’

  Sunshine nodded. ‘I’ve been thinking about your son’s kidnapping, Mrs Bartok.’

  A look of pain flickered across Bethany’s face.

  ‘I think about it all the time,’ she said. ‘So tell me your thoughts, Mr Shining.’

  ‘It seems to me that those Cutaways were surprised – or were pretending to be surprised – to learn about Bart’s kidnapping, but I’m sure they know who the kidnappers are and why they kidnapped him. So when they offered to find him, I believe they meant it. If you let them buy what you call the Badlands, they will bring Bart back to you.’

  ‘So you think we should agree to their demands?’ Elspeth wondered.

  ‘Maybe you should talk to them,’ Sunshine replied. ‘But first I have a question. Have you ever heard of Stinking Flats?’

  ‘Stinking Flats!’ Bethany exclaimed. ‘What’s with Stinking Flats?’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ he said. ‘It’s just another of my crazy notions.’ He told them how ‘Stinking Flats’ and ‘Sunshine’ had been Slam Smith’s last words. ‘He said them to the doc, but my guess is he meant them for the priest when he was making his confession.’

  ‘What does that imply?’ Elspeth asked.

  ‘Well, a man doesn’t lie when he’s dying, does he? He’s too busy thinking about the next world. So my guess is it was part of his confession and he got kind of muddled in the head.’

  Both women stared at him intently.

  ‘So the question is where or what is Stinking Flats?’ he said.

  Elspeth shook her head. ‘I’ve heard of it but I don’t know where it is.’

  Bethany nodded. ‘It’s a place not far from here. Where is this leading us, Sunshine?’