by Jake Logan
“No, they are no more. Paid assassins, I suppose. I hired a lawyer in Santa Fe. You may not know it, but your father has your mother in an insane asylum.”
“Oh, no.” She slapped her hand to her mouth.
“Oh, yes. He did that, too. We need to take the back roads. I’m going to leave you with the lawyer when we get there.”
She clutched his arm fearfully.
“He’s an honorable young man. He’s working to get your mother out and to force your father to support all of you.”
“My, you have been busy.”
“Did they tell you I was coming?” he asked.
“Yes, but I could not convince my sister to come out. I told her I would adopt her son.” She shook her head. “Maybe my mother can go talk to her. But I did not know she was in confinement, too. My father’s a cruel, worthless man.”
“I agree with you.” Proctor was a worthless bastard. Slocum would get him someday. Someday soon.
He knew they could not return to Santa Fe on the main road, so they traveled the back roads and rented a room in a small village late that night to get some sleep. He braced a chair against the door to ensure no one broke in while they rested. Elania curled up on the only bed, and Slocum leaned back in another chair next to the door. They both managed to sleep until well after the sun rose. Before they left, the woman who’d rented them the room fed them some bean burritos. They rode on and, by evening, reached Golden’s office, going around to the back.
They knocked on the back door, and the lawyer answered it. He let them inside and Slocum introduced them.
“I’ll light a lamp,” Golden said.
“Don’t. We had a close call up there where I got her last night. Obviously some hired assassins knew I was coming and tried to trap us.” He turned to Elania. “Keep the doors locked when he’s not here.”
“Of course. Will I see you again?” she asked anxiously.
“I can’t tell you that. I don’t know, but Mr. Golden will care for your needs. I’ll be around, but I’ll try to not lead anyone here.”
“I understand your concern, Miss Proctor,” the lawyer said. “But you’re quite safe here. I’m working hard to have your mother released. She is very anxious about your safety.”
Elania leaned over and kissed Slocum good-bye on the cheek. “Gracias, mi amigo.”
Slocum left the two young people glancing at each other shyly and hurried out the back door. In the saddle, he headed for Consuelo’s casa in juniper country south of Santa Fe. When he arrived there, she ran out to greet him.
“I feared they had caught you again.” She stood on her toes to kiss him.
“No.” He smiled at her sweet affection. “Elania is safe for now. But hired men tried to capture us when I got her. We managed to escape them in the darkness and came the long way back.”
“Good, would you like a bath or lunch first?”
“Bath, huh?”
“Come, I have some hot water to add to the barrel.”
“Good. No one has come around?”
“No one. Not even my sorry husband,” she assured him, laughing. “What must you do next?”
“Let New Mexican law work. It’s the only way to legally get the mother out of the crazy house. But several important wives are involved in getting her released.”
He began to undress. “That will decide her fate.”
“He will have powerful lawyers.”
“Golden is a fighter. His future as a lawyer may depend on if he wins.”
“Oh, yes.” She was armed with a brush when he stepped into the tub. He smiled. As she brushed his back, he sighed. “This feels good.”
“I was concerned,” she said. “When you didn’t come back, I was afraid you had found a better woman to sleep with.”
“There’s no problem there. You are a very sweet, terrific woman in bed, and I knew I must come back and sip more of your honey.”
“You sure know how to pump me up.” She looked embarrassed.
“No.” He caught her brush. “You need to have more faith. Any sensible man would love to share your bed.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
She laughed and threatened to whack him with the brush. He stood up and she grabbed the rinse water and climbed on a chair to pour it over him.
“Whew, that was cold.”
She ducked and laughed. Setting down the pail, she said, “Sorry.”
Then she started drying him off. “Would you like me to go to bed with you or eat?”
“What do you want me to do?”
She snickered. “Go to bed.”
“Then let’s do that.”
“Whew, I thought you’d never ask me.”
Laughing, he swept her up in his arms. “You are some woman.”
“You are nice, too. I never expected a man like you to even find me interesting.”
“That husband you had was depressing you with all his bad talk. Don’t accept another like him.”
“Oh, I won’t. I am sure now that you are right.”
In her bed, they settled down to soft sex and soon she became so excited she could hardly catch her breath. When they’d finished, they slept, connected, for several hours.
He stayed close to Consuelo and her place for the next few days. Finally, he rode into Santa Fe to find out about Mrs. Proctor. First, he went to see Diego. The merchant told him that his wife had been checking on the case and the judge would be granting Mrs. Proctor’s release by the end of the week. Slocum thanked him and went to see Golden next.
They went into his back room, so no one could see them from the front windows.
Golden perched himself on the edge of an old wooden table while Slocum sat in the only chair.
“I heard that the judge was going to release Mrs. Proctor in about a week. What about the civil suit for their financial care?”
“We can win that. When we show his actions to get rid of his wife and girls, the court will be hard on him.”
“That might make you vulnerable to harm.”
“I’ll watch closely.”
“Send word to Diego if you need help. He worked for you behind the scenes to get Camilla out.”
“His wife really did, too.”
“I know.” Slocum stared hard at the young man. “Are you being good to Elania?”
“Oh, yes, and she is being wonderful to me. I can hardly wait to get back to her.”
Slocum nodded. “Good. She may be rich enough soon for you to consider marrying her.”
“Yes, but I think I would anyway. I don’t care about her past. So thanks. You’ve really helped me. And I see now that my business is on track to do more business.”
“Good luck.” Slocum rose to leave, glad that Elania would finally be able to put her ordeal behind her.
He went by the cantina and asked Deveroe if he knew of the men that Proctor had hired to get him and Elania up at the convent.
“I think they came up from Bernalillo.”
“You have any idea who they are?”
“I can find out. You want Frisco in on the deal?”
“If they are still trying to get me, yes.”
“I will have all the information I can get on them by the day after tomorrow.”
“How many men are at Proctor’s mansion?”
“Three or four. Most of them ran off after the big man left him and the rest were done in at the ranchero.”
“That means the remaining ones are tough?”
“Yes.”
“I will see what I can find out.”
“Thanks. Maybe if I can separate him from the rest, it would work.”
“He has a mistress he visits often. The place is on San Bella Street. T
he house has a fence and an iron gate. Pink house in the middle of the block past El Grande Road.”
“I can find it. What’s her name?”
“Dolores.”
“I’ll see what I can do about that.”
Slocum found a pair of handcuffs, a dusty sombrero, and a faded serape in a secondhand store for fifty cents, and he soon blended in on the streets with his disguise. The house looked very expensive, and he managed to see the dark-eyed Latin beauty watering her flowers behind the fence. She looked expensive, too, and had large tits that swung around inside her dress as she moved. The sight of them amused him.
A fancy carriage delivered Proctor, very late that afternoon, to her front gate and then drove away. No sign of a guard anywhere and he heard Proctor tell the driver to be back for him at midnight. The gate clanged shut and the man hurried to her front door. In the doorway, she came with open arms to greet him, including him in a big hug of her boobs. It was sundown, and Slocum knew that the woman in the kitchen was busy fixing them supper. He regretted that later he would have to handcuff and gag her.
But it was all part of his plan. He waited for her to finish serving the supper and then gathering the dishes. He slipped into the kitchen and put his hand over her mouth. “If I have to knock you unconscious, I will, but be quiet and come into the closet and I won’t hurt you.”
She obeyed, but he could see that she was really worried he was planning to rape her. He handcuffed her then gagged her and made her sit on the floor. He told her he hated to do that to her but it was necessary. He told her not to worry; he had no designs on her or her boss, Dolores, either. Then he walked quietly upstairs and heard the noisy lovers in a bedroom. With a gun in his hand, he banged on the door.
“Stop screwing your mistress, Proctor, and get out here.”
The noises abruptly ceased.
“What the fuck is going on?” a male voice called out.
“Now,” Slocum demanded, “or I’ll break this door down.”
He heard a woman’s soft scream then fumbling, bed springs creaking, and heavy footsteps approaching the door before it was flung open.
Wild-eyed and enraged, Proctor stood in the doorway, a robe draped crookedly over his portly body, his sparse white hair mussed and lying at odd angles on his head like dead grass in summer.
“What the hell do you want?”
On the large bed inside the plush room, a terrified woman was holding a thick quilt up to her chin.
“Close the goddamn door,” Slocum ordered the glowering man. “She has no part in this.”
“How dare you break into this house like a common criminal,” Proctor spat. “Now tell me what you want and get out.”
“The judge has just ordered the release of your wife out of that hospital where you imprisoned her. I want you to start paying her five hundred dollars a week and give her this house.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Next, I want you to give your daughter Katrina three hundred dollars a week so she can raise your grandson.”
“That half-breed bastard was the son of sin when my worthless daughter made love with those heathen bastards.”
“Shut up,” Slocum said. “No more talk like that about your daughters.”
“I’ll have you killed, you—you son of a bitch.”
“No, you tried that already. You have no army left to take your orders.”
“I’ll find them.”
“They’re gone, either dead or run away. It’s over.”
“You won’t get away with this,” Proctor sneered.
“You have no choice but to agree. Next time,” Slocum warned, “I may put a rattlesnake in your bed.”
“Tell him you’ll do it! He’s a madman!” Dolores screamed from the room, obviously listening through the door. “Promise him . . .” Her words seemed to be coming from terror more for her own safety than for his.
“All right. All right. I’ll do it. What else do you expect of me?”
“I expect you to act like a businessman and settle your debts. Pay the ransom to the man who rescued your daughters.”
“What else?”
“When Elania marries Fred Golden, I expect you to behave like a doting father and give her away cheerfully to the man she loves. And I expect you to give them a generous wedding present—money. Got that?”
The bedroom door opened, and Dolores stepped out. She linked her arm through Proctor’s defiantly.
“Oh, my darling,” she said, “this man is a killer. Do what he says.”
“I’d listen to her,” Slocum called out as he walked down the stairs and left. “If you don’t, I’ll be waiting for you.”
12
Slocum met Camilla the day after her release. Diego’s wife had taken her to their house for her safety, and the man sent word for Slocum to come meet her. Mrs. Proctor wanted to thank him personally.
He rode to the address in Santa Fe and dismounted at the large house. His horse hitched, he went up and knocked on the door. A maid answered and politely asked his business.
“I’m here to see Mrs. Proctor. My name is Slocum.”
“Oh yes, sir. Miss Camilla is looking forward to meeting you. Come with me.” She took his hat, and then led him down a hall. “Miss Camilla, Mr. Slocum is here.”
A tall blond woman rose from the chair. He immediately saw the resemblance to her daughters.
“Good day, ma’am.”
She quickly joined him and offered her hand. “Oh, so nice to meet you, sir. I understand you are the reason I am out of that horrible place.”
He took her hand and held it for a moment. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, ma’am.”
When he looked down in her eyes, they were wet. “I—I feared I would be there the rest of my life. Oh, I am eternally grateful to everyone who worked so hard to get me out. Mr. Golden told me that you were the force behind that effort.”
“Diego’s wife and your own friends were the ones who saved you.”
“My daughters are in hiding?”
“Elania is here in Santa Fe. We have her in a secure place so no one can get their hands on her. I am certain when she learns that you’re free, she will come to see you. Katrina is still at the convent. She could have come out but she chose not to. Her son is in an orphanage here.”
“Her son?” Camilla gasped.
“Yes, she has a son.”
“You’re a grandmother,” Diego’s wife said cheerfully.
“I want to see them both. Why did she stay there?”
“She hasn’t talked since they were kidnapped. Elania can tell you about it. She’s working now to overturn your husband’s order and to adopt the boy.”
Camilla blinked at him in disbelief. “You mean he had our grandson taken from her?”
“Yes. He made her sign away all her rights to the child,” Slocum said.
“He has gone crazy. He lives with some woman, they say.”
“I don’t believe he lives with her. But she is his mistress. Her name is Dolores.”
“Oh my. I’d like to kill her if she was the one who told him to put me away.”
“He didn’t need any help. He has turned into a bitter old man who only wants his own way and has no compassion for anyone, even his family.”
“I’m sorry I ever married him. I plan to divorce him at once and be done with him.”
“This entire matter is not over. Golden intends to get you, your daughters, and your grandson the financial support that you all deserve.”
“The attorney mentioned that to me. That would be heavenly. Now tell me about you. You hardly dress like a man involved in business or law. You look more like you might be a rancher.”
“I am none of those things. Just someone who was able to be of assist
ance to your family.”
She nodded. “How can I get to know you better?”
“At another time, another place, maybe. But I don’t stay long in any one place.”
“I would make a real effort to meet you, sometime, someplace. You know a woman who has been spurned as I have would like to find a small island of pleasure, even for a short time.”
“I’m flattered,” he said. “You’re a very attractive woman, but I have plans to return to Texas as soon as I collect the ransom money your husband owes my friend. Colonel McKee gave the Indians supplies worth a lot of money to get your girls away from the hands of their captors.”
“I just don’t understand my husband’s violent reaction. They’re still his daughters.” She looked lost.
“I’ll never understand how he could imprison a lovely lady like you.”
Camilla blushed. “Thank you, sir. If I can ever do anything for you, just contact me.”
“I will. I’m pleased you survived, Camilla.” She rose, and he kissed her on the cheek then left the house.
He mounted his horse and rode back to Consuelo’s place in the junipers. He came off Pecos Road and loped through the head-high evergreens on the trail. Such a nice lady, he thought. Proctor was crazy to put her away.
As he reined up at the jacal, he noticed two strange horses hitched in back. He stopped his horse and swung him aside so he would be unseen from the area of the adobe structure. What the hell was going on? He dismounted, hitched his horse out of sight, and drew his rifle out of its scabbard. The next step was for him to see who was at her place. If they did anything to hurt her—he blew his breath out his nose—he’d damn sure settle with them.
To avoid being discovered, he swung to the west and came in from that direction. He loosened the girths on the strange horses so anyone trying to mount would turn the saddles over. He couldn’t see anyone. They must be inside. Damn, if they—
There was someone he didn’t know standing in the doorway. Another man was coming out dragging Consuelo by the arm. Slocum raised the Winchester and looked through the buckhorn sights at the man holding her.
The pair of kidnappers were going to take her with them and were craning their heads around for sight of any interference. The man holding her arm saw him. At the same moment, he realized he was using his gun arm to drag her with him. Slocum’s bullet struck him in the chest and his knees buckled. Consuelo fell aside and the other man shot wildly, but Slocum’s second bullet stopped him as well.