“Ah, hell,” said Klady, “I reckon I’ll stick it out. I can’t see lettin’ Sandlin have it all without a fight.”
Swallowing their anger and disgust, they all agreed to stay, taking turns watching the Sandlin mansion.
“There has to be a way to smoke Sandlin out of there,” Wes said while he and El Lobo were having breakfast.
“We only need proof that Sandlin is there,” said Renita. “Couldn’t someone go there and ask?”
“Si,” El Lobo said, “but for why?”
“I will speak to Juan,” said Tamara. “Perhaps he will know how we can do it.”
“Juan will be here tonight,” Anna Marie said.
“Bueno,” said Wes. “Tomorrow we’ll do something, even if it’s wrong.”
Chapter 17
Wes and El Lobo spent another fruitless day watching the Sandlin house. When it was dark enough, they made their way to Anna Marie’s boardinghouse for supper and found that Juan was already there.
“I have spoken to him,” Tamara said, “and there is a way we can get into the Sandlin house. Not you and El Lobo, but Renita and me. Once each week, two señoritas go there to clean. This time—the day after tomorrow—we will replace those señoritas.”
“Too dangerous,” said Wes. “Both of you are white-skinned, and Renita has almost red hair.”
“We fix that,” Anna Marie said.
“Yes,” said Tamara. “Anna Marie knows of a brew—a stain—that will brown us so that we look Mexican. Renita will wear her hair in a bun, covering it with a scarf.”
“I know of the stain,” Wes said, recalling how Maria Armijo had once transformed him, “but Renita’s slow with the Spanish.”
“I know that,” said Renita. “Tamara will speak for us.”
Wes had no further objection, and Juan grinned at them all, proud that he had offered a solution to their problem.
“I’ll see that the señoritas you replace are paid,” Wes said.
“We thought of that,” said Tamara, “but Juan refuses. He says if we destroy Sandlin, that is enough.”
“Get in house,” El Lobo said, “what you do?”
“If we are not to arouse suspicion,” said Tamara, “we will have to clean the house. If we only learn that Sandlin is still there, we will know our watching and waiting has not been in vain.”
“Bueno,” Wes said, “but there’s a chance you may discover other useful things. Look for a safe, or a sealed-off room you’re not allowed to enter. The important thing is to get a look at Sandlin. So far, none of us knows what the varmint looks like.”
“Sí,” El Lobo said, “and there be the señorita that go, come, and do not go again.”
“He’s right,” said Wes. “I’d forgotten about her. She has to be in that house somewhere.”
“There are many mysteries within the Sandlin mansion,” Tamara observed. “Revealing them will perhaps hasten the end of this evil empire.”
“Just don’t get careless,” said Wes. “Don’t talk one to another, because those walls may have ears. If there’s so much as a chance you may be discovered, get out of there.”
Yet another day passed without anyone entering or leaving the Sandlin mansion, and by suppertime Wes and El Lobo were more than ready for Tamara and Renita to enter the house the following day. To their surprise, when they reached Anna Marie’s, Tamara and Renita were completely transformed. All skin that might be seen—including their feet and ankles—looked Mexican. Renita had her auburn hair in a tight bun, concealing it entirely with a colorful scarf. Both women wore plain, long peon skirts to their ankles. Anna Marie beamed, proud of her handiwork, while the mute José looked at them with amazement.
“By God,” said Wes, “I don’t believe even Sandlin can see through that, if neither of you stumble. You’re well prepared, but just don’t forget the danger involved.”
“We are even better prepared than you think,” Renita said. “Look.”
She and Tamara drew their skirts waist-high, and each had a Colt revolver secured to the inside of one thigh. José grinned, while Anna Marie laughed delightedly.
“I’ve never seen a Colt carried in that position before,” said Wes. “It must be mighty uncomfortable.”
“A little,” Tamara admitted, “but one can stand discomfort for a while, if one’s life is at risk.”
“You can’t walk to the Sandlin place from here,” said Wes. “How will you go?”
“Juan thought of everything,” Renita said. “The usual cleaning women are taken there in a wagon. The same wagon will come for us here, well before daylight, and will return to Sandlin’s place for us at sundown. We won’t be back here until after dark tomorrow.”
“Tarnation,” said Wes, “is everybody in these parts related to Juan?”
“Some only amigos,” Anna Marie said, “but all hate the evil empire.”
Wes and El Lobo were watching the Sandlin house the following morning when Renita and Tamara arrived. They used the big brass door knocker, and when the door opened, the persoh who opened it very carefully avoided being seen. Wes and El Lobo sighed. It would be a long day.
“Buenos dias, señor,” said Tamara in perfect Spanish.
Sandlin—if the man was Sandlin—nodded, saying nothing. They followed him down a long hall, and he stepped aside when they reached the kitchen. He was assuming they knew where the mops, brooms, and cleaning supplies were. Tamara swallowed hard and, with Renita following, crossed to the farthest end of the kitchen, where there were double doors. They both breathed a huge sigh of relief when they opened the doors to reveal the necessary cleaning equipment and supplies. Rare for the time and place, built into the kitchen counter was a huge sink, and above it, a pump. Daring to look back, Tamara found Sandlin gone.
“We are alone, I think,” Tamara said.
“My God,” said Renita in a whisper, “this is such a huge place. Where do we start?”
“You sweep the kitchen floor and I will mop,” Tamara replied softly. “Then we each will take brooms and sweep the rest of the house.”
They saw Sandlin only once more during the day, and again were met with brooding silence. While there was water in the kitchen, they had been offered no food, and dared not look for any. They were listening eagerly for the rattle of the wagon, and when at last it approached, they left the house.
“Damn,” said Renita, “I never worked so hard in my life.”
“Nor I,” Tamara said, “but we dared not give Sandlin a reason to suspect us.”
“If that really was Sandlin,” said Renita.
“I am not impressed,” Tamara said. “For an outlaw, leader of the evil empire, I was expecting ... something more.”
They climbed into the wagon without looking back at the house. The old Mexican said something to the mule, and the wagon lurched into motion. They would have to wait until after dark before returning to Anna Marie’s. Wes and El Lobo arrived for supper, to find that Tamara and Renita had not returned.
“Tarnation,” Wes said, “I hope nothin’ went wrong.”
They all breathed sighs of relief when at last they heard the wagon coming.
“Madre de Dios,” said Anna Marie, when at last Tamara and Renita entered. “We were fearful—”
“Nothing much happened,” Renita said, “except we worked our behinds off. That, and this damn Colt has rubbed the inside of my left thigh raw.”
“What about Sandlin?” Wes asked impatiently.
“If it was Sandlin,” said Tamara; “we saw him twice. Neither time did he speak.”
“No señorita?” El Lobo asked.
“We saw no one except the hombre who’s supposed to be Sandlin,” said Tamara.
“Why you think this hombre not be Sandlin?” El Lobo asked.
“I do not know why we have our doubts,” said Tamara.
“I think I do,” Renita said. “I just remembered something that took a while to sink in. This ... this Sandlin is just too pat, too slick, and no razor’s e
ver touched those cheeks or that chin.”
“That,” said Tamara, “and this hombre is terribly short. Never have I seen boots with three-inch heels.”
“Mejicanos be short,” El Lobo observed.
“This hombre does not have Mejicano coloring or features,” said Tamara.
“Maybe Spanish or South American, then,” Wes said.
“I do not think so,” said Tamara. “We have not heard the voice. But perhaps the next time we shall.”
“Next time,” Renita said, “we’ll try harder to learn something about the house. There is what might be a door to a basement, and there were several rooms with doors locked.”
“These rooms with locked doors are all on the second floor,” said Tamara. “Perhaps one of us can watch near the head of the stairs while the other investigates.”
“How old this Sandlin be?” El Lobo asked.
“I don’t know,” said Renita.
“Very young,” Tamara said. “Much younger than I had expected.”
“For the first time,” said Wes, “I’m startin’ to wonder if Sandlin is the leader of this gang.”
“If not,” Renita said, “then who is?”
“I don’t know,” said Wes, “but why would the leader of a band of outlaws allow himself to be whip-sawed into a situation like this? We believe there is a clipper ship waiting in Tampico bay, but Sandlin—if this is Sandlin—has made no move in that direction. If we are thinkin’ straight, then Sandlin has a fortune stashed somewhere. If it’s not in the house, it must be, all or part, on the ship, and somebody’s responsible for moving that ship. This has all the earmarks of a double-cross, if Sandlin’s countin’ on that ship.”
“Madre mía,” El Lobo said, “if Sandlin does not escape to the ship, why we watch the house?”
“Tamara,” said Wes, “are you sure there is such a ship?”
“My grandfather was sure,” Tamara said angrily, “and I believed him.”
“Tamara,” said Renita consolingly, “we’re not doubting there is a ship. I think what we’re trying to discover is where the ship fits into all this. Could it be that Sandlin has purposely used these rumors about the ship, while planning to escape some other way?”
“That’s what I was gettin’ at, Tamara,” Wes said, “but my choice of words was poor. Every day we’ve watched Sandlin’s mansion, there’s been a man in Mexican garb lazing up against a cantina, watching the house. El Lobo and me believe that’s the doing of Sandlin’s gang, that their thinking has been runnin’ neck-and-neck with ours. They’re expecting Sandlin to try and slip off to Tampico, to that waiting ship. I won’t be surprised if Sandlin has seen to it that they know of the ship. Trouble is, they’ve run headlong into the same stone wall that we have. Like us, they believe Sandlin has a pile of gold that must be taken to Tampico. But suppose there’s only a small part of Sandlin’s loot on that ship.”
“That does not mean it is in Sandlin’s mansion,” said Tamara. “I had heard of the ship more than three years ago. Sandlin’s spoils could have been taken to another port, a little at a time.”
“Sandlin could have moved only enough gold to keep the rumor alive,” Wes said. “The crew taking that ship to another port would need a reason not to just take Sandlin’s loot and disappear. They’ve likely been expecting Sandlin to run, bringin’ along the rest of the loot. At the right time, a well-placed slug could do away with Sandlin, and the body could be thrown overboard.”
“But if Sandlin avoids the ship,” said Renita, “all the gold that’s been removed by the ship’s crew will be taken by them. Like you said, a double-cross.”
“A double-cross Sandlin may have expected and counted on,” Wes said. “Suppose the Mexican government isn’t as stupid as they sometimes appear, and that they know of this Sandlin ship in Tampico bay. All they’d have to do is board the ship, confiscate the loot, and tell the Mexican people the Sandlin gang is no more. For proof, they’d have the ship and its small store of outlaw gold. Sandlin would then be free to escape Mexico at some future time, when his gang has disbanded and ridden away, when the soldiers are satisfied the outlaw threat is no more.”
“Madre de Dios,” cried Tamara. “If what you say is true, Sandlin could wait months or years before making a move. If indeed the Mexican government takes the ship and some of the outlaw gold, they will have no more interest in the Sandlin gang. We waste our time waiting for Sandlin to run. I will take my pistola and shoot the bastardo through the head when next I see him.”
“It might come to that,” Wes said, “but let’s not be hasty. Like you and Renita have pointed out, we don’t really know the person in the house is actually Sandlin. We’ll go on watching the place until you and Renita spend one more day there. You must, if possible, learn for a certainty that it really is Sandlin in the house.”
“We shoot Sandlin, the soldados come after us,” said El Lobo.
“Not necessarily,” Wes said. “That’s why we’ll go on watching the house for a little longer. If we’re right about the ship and it’s seized by the Mexican government, they’ll be satisfied the Sandlin outlaws are finished.”
“They not give a damn if we shoot Sandlin,” said El Lobo.
“That’s how I see it,” Wes said. “They won’t be in a hurry to reopen old wounds by reminding all of Mexico that they never actually went after the leader of the outlaws.”
“They can’t come after us without giving us credit for exposing the Sandlin gang,” said Renita. “You and El Lobo didn’t kill your soldier escort, and those two prison guards were molesting Tamara and me. We only protected our honor.”
El Lobo tried not to laugh, but it was a lost cause. Wes joined in, and they slapped their thighs with their hats. The silent José and Anna Marie were torn between the mirth of Wes and El Lobo and the angry, hurt looks on the faces of Tamara and Renita. Empty growled suddenly, loud enough for them to hear him outside. Wes and El Lobo had their hands near the butts of their Colts when Juan spoke. Anna Marie unlocked the door and the old Mexican entered. Obviously, he wondered what they had accomplished, and Tamara quickly told him, adding that they must visit the Sandlin mansion one more time. But Juan had a message, and it wasn’t good news. He spoke rapidly in Spanish, and when he had finished, Tamara translated.
“Juan says the Señor Sandlin has sent word to Juan’s kin that the señoritas are not to come to the house again.”
“Damn,” said Renita, “he saw through us. I didn’t think we were all that bad.”
While Juan may not have understood the words, he sensed the indignation, and again he spoke to Tamara in rapid Spanish.
“Juan doesn’t believe Sandlin was suspicious of us,” Tamara said. “Sandlin doesn’t just not want us, he doesn’t want any señoritas.”
“That tells us something,” said Wes. “Sandlin’s about to make some kind of move. We must get back into that house.”
“Then we must wait for Sandlin to leave,” Renita said.
“Perhaps there is a secret entrance to the house,” said Tamara. “What of the señorita who left the house and returned there? We saw no sign of her.”
“If there is a secret entrance,” Renita said, “why did the mysterious señorita not use it when leaving and returning?”
“Maybe two reasons,” said Wes. “First, to anyone watching, it appears there is at least one other in the house besides Sandlin. Second, any other means of entering or leaving the house may have been devised for use just once, when Sandlin makes a run for it.”
“We waste time watching the Sandlin house,” Tamara said.
“Maybe,” said Wes, “but I don’t aim to leave Mexico until I know Sandlin’s dead.”
“Sí,” El Lobo said. “We wait.”
“At least,” said Renita, “the next time someone leaves the house, I believe one or both of you should follow.”
“Sí,” Tamara said.
For an instant, in Tamara’s dark eyes, Renita observed something that Wes and El Lobo did
not. Tamara had something in mind that she wasn’t quite ready to share, for she had found and had taken a key from a drawer in the Sandlin mansion.
After days of watching the Sandlin mansion without result, Sandlin’s former disciples were ready to give it up. Then a story appeared in Mexico City’s weekly newspaper that changed everything. Jarvis discovered it first and immediately called together his companions.
“There was a ship anchored in Tampico bay,” Jarvis said, pointing to the front-page story in the newspaper. “The captain and the crew was gettin’ ready to sail when the Mexican government moved in and seized the ship. The military’s crowin’ its fool head off, claimin’ to have struck the Sandlin gang a death blow.”
“By God,” said Canton, “that means we get nothin’. Not three months from now, not ever. How could Sandlin have been so damn careless?”
“Maybe he wasn’t,” Zouka said, looking at the newspaper Jarvis had passed among them. “You think if all Sandlin’s loot was on that ship, somethin’ wouldn’t of been said about how much gold there was?”
“You may have somethin’ there,” said Jarvis. “I figure the Mex government will play this up for all it’s worth so they can get shut of this Sandlin affair once and for all. It is mighty strange they didn’t say anything about the recovered loot. Makes you wonder if there wasn’t all that much, and they’re makin’ the most of the recovery without saying how much was recovered.”
“Jarvis,” Klady said, “this just kills that order Sandlin give you about us keepin’ shy of that house. He owes every man of us, and he knows damn well we’re countin’ on what’s ours. Now, by God, we’re bein’ told the Mex government’s took it all. If I got to go by myself, I’m shovin’ this newspaper in Sandlin’s face and demanding an accounting.”
“Hell, you won’t be by yourself,” said Tafolla. “I’m goin’, too.”
Jarvis, who normally might have tried to restrain them, did not, for their cause was his own. He had but one thing to say.
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