Slocum and the Santa Fe Sisters

by Jake Logan

  He told Rick he wanted him to go back to the livery and stay there. He’d send word when he wanted him to bring the rig and be ready to go somewhere—he was unsure when or where and gave him a dollar for a bath and a haircut so he could get himself a job.

  “I ain’t never had a real job before, mister.”

  “Well, look sharp and you might get one.”

  “Yes, sir. How are you getting back to the hotel? I’ll take you and can you tell that pretty lady I’m glad she’s all right.”

  “I’ll do that,” Slocum said, mounting the seat, and they went back uptown.

  It was obvious to him that those two kidnappers thought Joan’s late husband had given her some of the loot from a previous robbery. Where did the money go? If she could figure that out, she might be a lot better off than she was now. There was more to learn, and he had some time to spare. If she could recall even a few bits of information that her husband may have let slip, maybe they could find the loot.

  15

  At the hotel, as planned, Slocum joined Mrs. Briscoe in her room. Once inside she hugged him, crying on his shirt. He realized how trim her hips were and that her breasts were probably still tender, but he bet Sam had emptied them. Her boy was asleep in a crib the hotel had provided.

  Wiping her eyes, she shook her head. “What would I have done without you?”

  He began to kiss away her tears. “You’d have made it somehow. Tell me what they wanted from you.”

  “Money from some robbery they claimed that James was in on, and when they split up, he was supposed to have had it and they didn’t get their share. I didn’t even know he was an outlaw.”

  “Where were you living at the time?”

  “At his folks’ place. He was supposed to be buying cattle for a man named Phillips out at Junction. I never met Phillips.”

  “Could he have hidden it there?”

  “Sure, but I don’t know where to look.”

  “Where was the last place you lived together?”

  “North of Fort Worth. We rented a place.”

  “Did he hide anything there you know about?”

  “I have searched and searched my mind. I don’t know what to do . . .”

  He kissed her hard on the mouth, and gathered her in his arms. It was the thing to do at that moment. With wild abandon, she kissed him back. He soon whispered in her ear, “This is taking advantage of your situation. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Oh, hold me, love me. I’m so shaken by all this happening, I need to forget everything.”

  “I can do that. But I don’t want you to feel any regrets when it’s over.”

  “I won’t. I wouldn’t be back with my son tonight if not for you. I won’t regret anything. Take me, Slocum. I’m not pretty. But I’m clean. I did take a bath and I so appreciate you excluding me from that police business.” She began unbuttoning her nice dress.

  He kissed her again. They shed clothing and she pulled the blankets and sheet back from the bed. Then at last she lay naked on the bed and moved back to make room for him, holding out her arms.

  “Are you sore anyplace from them beating you?”

  “No, no, I’ll be fine—I just need to be held and loved.”

  He gently felt for the crease and soon his fingertips explored her vagina’s opening. She widened her knees and he felt the lubrication flowing over his fingers. She’d be all right. His knees on the bed, he crawled on top of her and she pulled him down to kiss him. He wrapped his hand around his already full erection to gently push the head of his dick into her. The resistance of her muscular ring felt tight as he slowly pumped more of his shaft into her.

  Her eyes squeezed shut, her mouth wide open, she moaned, deliriously caught up in the frenzy of their act. She raised her chin up so he was looking down on her smooth face. His pounding into her grew faster and her hips came up higher to receive more and more of his length inside her. The strained head of his hard-on was as deep as it could go. He was really beginning to work on her, grinding the coarse hair of their pubic regions against each other.

  Lost in the whirlwind, they were caught up in the total act. His mouth soon flooded with saliva, he swallowed hard. His breath hurt, raging in and out of his chest, as he strained to drive in and out of her tight box. He soared to wonderful heights, and she was past the point of even knowing what was happening—or where she was. Suspended in the fierce awe of it all, he knew his dick grew closer to an explosion, and when it came, she felt the surging warm liquid invade her body, washing away all her tension. Afterward, she collapsed into a never-never land of healing and satisfied sleep.

  * * *

  Sam’s crying woke him up. Naked as Eve, Joan was nursing him on her left breast, sitting up cross-legged on the bed. His mother’s comforting smile and warm milk made the baby close his eyes and think about going back to sleep.

  “How’s the little man doing?” Slocum asked, propping himself up on his elbows and wondering what they should do next.

  “Fine, he’s simply hungry. He never woke up last night. Kind of like his momma—done in. And I thought my wild honeymoon was something. It was a firecracker compared to last night’s sky rockets, but you cleared my mind. I also thought of something. He gave me a key one time. He said for me to never lose it.” She shook her head then swept her long curls back. “Now why in the hell did he give me that key? We had no locks to open.”

  “Where is it?” Slocum scooted out of bed and pulled his pants on.

  “In the top tray of that jewelry box.”

  He unsnapped the two latches of the box and looked though some small trinkets, then found the key on a leather cord. He turned the key over and saw the engraving: SANB 301.

  With a headshake, he ran the edge of his upper teeth over his lower lip. “You know what this is?”

  “No idea.”

  “It’s the key to a safe-deposit box at the San Antonio National Bank.”

  “What for? We never had anything to keep there. Oh . . .” Her mouth fell open. “Could it be what those kidnappers wanted?”

  “I have a strong idea it might be.” His heart skipped a couple of beats. It just might be what they wanted.

  “How do we get it?”

  “We may need a lawyer to fill out some papers unless he has your name on the account.”

  “I never signed anything at a bank.”

  “Maybe he put it in both of your names. Then you could sign to get in there.”

  “What then?”

  “We go in there and be very polite. If they let us in and unlock the box, we need to have some carpetbags to haul whatever is in there out—maybe.”

  “Sam, you may be rich yet,” she said to her baby. Then she shook her head, looking very deep in thought. “Does it have to be returned?”

  “I doubt any bank could identify it as their money. For all you know, he made it driving cattle up to Abilene, Kansas. The route’s been changed, and the cattle shipping point is Wichita now so there’d be no records to check up there.”

  “Will there be more men like those two that want a share?”

  “Who knows? We better see if we can get into the box first before we worry about that devil.”

  “Let’s get something to eat. I’m starved,” she suggested.

  “Then take a taxi to the bank,” Slocum said.

  “What about your boy, Rick?”

  “He’s fine where he is for now. I wonder how those two knew to meet that train and grab you. That bothers me worse. Who did you tell you were coming back here?”

  “I wrote his folks, Henry and Ida. They’re out at Fredericksburg. I also wrote my folks up at Mason that I was coming home on the train this week and would ride the mail buckboard out to them. They probably told folks in town that I was coming home and when.”


  “So lots of people knew. That may be the answer. We’ll get dressed and go see the banker.”

  “It will take me a little while to get ready.” She looked concerned like it might upset him.

  “That’s fine. I’ll go find us some food and coffee.”

  He dressed and went downstairs. She was hurrying around when he returned with steaming cups of coffee and some pastries. With a brush in her hand, she fixed her hair. “I’m shaking inside about this deal. I never saw a key for one of those before. It’s a thin, cheap-looking key, too.”

  Then she put down the brush and looked hard at him. “When do you have to leave here?”

  “Oh, I have a few weeks before I need to leave.”

  “Good. What if I break down at the bank?”

  “You’ll be fine. Eat some food and drink the coffee. I’ll be there with you.”

  She began to dress. “My heavens, I’m still shaking from last night. That was wonderful.”

  “For me, too.” He picked up Sam, who was uncomfortable about something. The boy grinned and he rocked him. “You’re lucky, Joan. He’s a fine boy.”

  She squeezed his arm. “Thank you. I’m so lucky you came along. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have Sam or—”

  His finger on her mouth silenced her. “There’s no need to thank me. Just get yourself ready to sweet-talk the banker.”

  She nodded. “All right.”

  “Bring your marriage license, if you have it. We may need that as proof, and we may need a lawyer yet, too, but we’ll deal with that later if we have to.”

  “Sure I have one.” She went to her trunk and found the marriage license, then slid it into her small purse. Her shoes on, she stood up and took Sam. “I hope I’m ready.”

  “You look nice.”

  “Thank you, I don’t know how I can, but let’s go.”

  * * *

  The taxi ride to the bank seemed too brief to her. The man at the bank, who was stiff and unfriendly, took the key and examined it. He handled it like it was piece of dried cow dung, then handed it back to her. He looked up the records and asked her if she was Mrs. Joan Briscoe.

  “Yes, I am. I have my wedding certificate.” She handed it to him as she and Slocum sat down in the visitors’ chairs. “My husband has gone to Kansas. Mr. Slocum is a family friend helping me today.”

  “Nice to meet you, sir.”

  “The same.”

  Then the banker said, “Let’s go back and I shall open the box for you.”

  Slocum saw the disgust in the man’s eyes when he glanced at Sam. Hell, that kid won’t do anything to your vault, Slocum thought.

  They filed behind him into a room containing brass boxes. Hundreds of them. He used both his own master and her key and told them they could remove the box. It was a large vault box and Slocum pulled it out and placed it on the table in the room for them to examine.

  Slocum thanked him and waited until he was gone before he opened the top. There were thousands of dollars neatly packed inside. He took a handful out and put them in her purse. She looked so pale, he feared she might faint.

  “What do we do now?” she managed to ask quietly.

  “We close the box and lock it. You put the key around your neck. We walk out, thank him, and tell him you’ll be back.”

  “How much is in there?”

  “He left you and Sam a fortune is all I can say.”

  “I’m trembling inside.”

  “Buck up, girl. That’s your money. It’s safe in there even if they make a run on the bank. You have your name on that card now as the other box holder, so you can come back anytime you need to draw money out. No one else can.”

  “How much do I have in my purse?”

  “A thousand, I figure.”

  “What will I do with it?”

  “I’m taking you up to your folks’ place or his. Your choice. San Antonio is too tough a place for a rich woman without a husband. You can get your life together again. Find a decent man.”

  She looked around the room to be certain they were alone. She shifted Sam in her arms, then leaned over to kiss Slocum. “I am so excited, my heart may explode.”

  “Mine, too.”

  * * *

  At Price’s Livery, Rick came running out. “What now?”

  “We’re going on a trip to her folks’ house up in Mason. You’re going to drive the buckboard.”

  “Can I . . .” Joan chewed on her lip as if hesitant.

  “What?” Slocum asked.

  “I want to buy my mother a kitchen range and have it sent up there. Can I do that?”

  He smiled. “Hell, darling, you can do anything you want to do. Today I’m buying you a better buckboard and two good horses, plus me a saddle horse. We need our things from the hotel. Sam needs more diapers. What else?”

  “You got a job for me?” Rick asked.

  “Of course. We’re taking you along as my driver.” Joan tousled his freshly cut hair. “You’re my employee now.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The deal was made for a team of sharp bay horses and a new buckboard, and for Slocum a nice four-year-old sorrel gelding to ride. At Hanson Brothers, a large hardware store downtown, Joan bought her mother a fancy chrome-trimmed kitchen range. They promised to deliver it to her folks’ ranch in a week. Then they bought food, diapers, clothing, a felt hat for Rick, and a few other supplies.

  * * *

  Before sunup, they left in the loaded buckboard with Rick driving and Slocum on his new sorrel. The trip required three days and they reached her parents’ place in the late afternoon of the third day.

  With the dogs barking and raising hell, her gray-haired mother, her hair in a bun, came running out of the ranch house. She’d never seen Sam, and was she ever excited to hold him!

  A tall, slightly stoop-shouldered man in his late forties rode up on a good ranch horse, and shook Slocum’s hand. “Ben Coats is my name.”

  “Slocum is mine and the boy on the seat is Rick. He’s the driver.”

  “Where’s her man?”

  Slocum leaned over. “That’s a long story. She can tell you the details, but he’s dead.”

  “Oh, my heavens, that’s a shame. We’ll sorely miss him. And who might you be?”

  “I’m just a friend helping her and Sam. She can tell you the rest.”

  “Nice team and rig,” Ben said, admiring it. “I don’t know many widow women who can afford that nice an outfit.”

  Slocum agreed and took off his hat to meet her mother, Fel—for Felicia, which she never used.

  Ben showed him and the boy where to put up the horses. He stood and admired the buckboard with his chin in his hand and then he said again, “That is one fine rig.”

  After a wonderful supper and lots of explaining, Ben showed Rick his room in the barn. Slocum took his war bag, his bedroll, and Joan’s things up to her small house on the hill. The two of them were listening to the frogs chirp while standing on the front porch, and he wondered how her parents would take to him staying with her.

  “What will they think, especially your mother, about us staying together up here?”

  “She understands that I’ve been through a lot and knows I owe you for all you’ve done for me and Sam.”

  “You don’t—”

  Her finger silenced him. “Quit acting like you never did anything. I can’t wait until that range gets here. I guess Dad was shocked about the horses and buckboard, wasn’t he?”

  “He knew they cost a pretty penny.”

  “What will you do now?”

  He hugged her in the fading light after sundown. “Take you to bed.”

  She gave him a squeeze. “Good. I really need that.”

  * * *

>   The next morning Slocum rode into town and asked around about the two men, Crabtree and Lansberry, who’d kidnapped Mrs. Briscoe. The marshal, Ike Benton, said they were newcomers and that they weren’t worth too much, but he never expected them to be outlaws like that. They’d been hanging around town a lot the week before, and Slocum figured that was how they’d heard about her returning by train.

  “I shot Lansberry in San Antonio,” Slocum said, “so he’s wounded, but he fled and the police down there want him.”

  “I’ll be sure he gets delivered to them,” the marshal said. “If I can find him.”

  “Mrs. Briscoe will pay you a reward for doing that.”

  “Thanks. I can use some money.”

  “I figured so.” Slocum shook his hand and started back for the ranch on his new horse, Red.

  “Hey,” someone shouted at him.

  He turned in the saddle and saw Jim Davis riding up the street on a good roan ranch horse.

  “What are you doing here in Mason?” Slocum asked.

  “Looking for you. Schade said you’d come up here.”

  “Did you get married?”

  “No. Aw, hell, I should have known she wouldn’t. She ran out before our wedding. Too much damn country here for her. She’s a city girl. What are you up to?”

  “I’m helping a widow woman.”

  “Who’s that, and how did you get tangled up with her?”

  “Long story. Let’s go have a few beers and I’ll tell you all about her.”

  After his abbreviated tale, and a few draft beers, he asked Jim what he’d do next.

  “Hell, I don’t know. I guess I’ll find me some hardworking German girl and settle down.”

  “I ain’t shoving her off, but Joan is a nice woman. I can’t stay here. I explained that to her already.” He wouldn’t mention her money. Jim could find that out in time. He had a quick thought that maybe Jim was a loser, but no, he was a sincere guy who’d take good care of his family. Jim couldn’t help the fact that the woman he’d picked before didn’t want to be a rancher’s wife.