by Burt Kroll
“More dead men!” Kester commented, stepping aside for Merrill to usher Wood into the office. “What happened?”
“It’s a long story. But you can lock this jasper in a cell and hold him for me. His name is Wood, Chet Wood, and he was one of the three men who set up the ambush that killed Pop Lorimer.”
Wood did not protest his innocence, and Merrill gazed at the man, wondering what was passing through his mind. Kester did not display much interest in Wood, and Merrill figured the town marshal would if he had hired Wood and his five pards to do the shooting that had taken place.
Kester took Wood and lodged him in a cell, then came back to where Merrill was standing by the stove, helping himself to a mug of coffee from the pot on the stove.
“We’ve been wondering how you were making out, Ward,” Kester said, with no trace of emotion in his voice. If he was as jealous as Kay had said then he had the ability to conceal the fact, for Merrill’s perception was razor-sharp now, all his instincts at work.
“I’ve been busy,” Merrill replied.
“I can see that! Two more dead men. They sure made a mistake when they picked on you. But we got things doing around here. The word is that those two big trail herds we were told of are heading this way, and there’s likely to be hell when they hit town. They’re only a few days apart, and trying to beat each other here. Then the two outfits are planning to settle old scores right here in Main Street.”
“What’s the sheriff planning on doing about it?” Merrill demanded. “He can’t let them come in, that’s for sure.”
“That’s for danged sure!” Kester grinned tightly. “We got ourselves some special deputies, and they’ll all be armed with scatter guns come the day those two outfits show up. If there’s any trouble then you can bet that the town will be in control.”
“That’s not the way the law should operate,” Merrill observed. “But it’s better that way than no protection at all. I figure the sheriff will have to get together with the trail bosses of the two outfits and warn them to keep their men under control. If it comes to the very worst then those trail-hands can be banned from the town, if they are bent on fighting each other. But it will be difficult to handle.”
“Nothing is easy,” Kester replied. “Want me to take those two stiffs along the street to the undertaker’s place?”
“I’ll handle it,” Merrill replied. “I want to take a look around. I need to sniff around the town to see what the atmosphere is like.” He moved to the door, where the gray ness of dawn was now more pronounced. “Talk to that prisoner, Si, and see if you can get him to admit anything. He was one of the six who shot up my place, and one of the three who ambushed me when Pop Lorimer was killed. I followed his tracks into Raynor’s place, and got a receipt he signed when he changed horses. He’s tied in with my trouble all right, and if we can get him to tell who paid him and his pards we’ll be able to get to the bottom of the whole thing.”
“I’ll give him a going over,” Kester promised. “Leave him to me.”
Merrill nodded soberly and departed. If Kester had done the hiring himself then nothing would come to light, but now Merrill was practically certain the town marshal had not been involved. He paused on the sidewalk and looked around. The sun was beginning to peep over the eastern line, and he sighed, for he needed some sleep. But there were still a few matters to be handled before he could think of relaxing, and he took the two horses carrying the dead gunmen along the street to the undertaker’s.
Pete Ogden was in his kitchen, making coffee, when Merrill went around the back, and the undertaker greeted him effusively. Small, dark and wiry, a man of some forty-five years, Ogden offered Merrill some coffee.
“Since you’ve been getting your trouble, Ward, I been having fair business,” he commented. “What’s brung you to my door this time of the morning? You’ve been away from town a few days, ain’t you?”
“That’s right.” Merrill explained the situation and saw the man’s brown eyes fill with a glitter.
“Two more dead men!” Ogden exclaimed. “Hell, business is looking up. And there are two rival cow outfits due in any time, so I hear. There’ll be more shooting, and I’ve got a couple of extra men busy right now making some burying-boxes.”
Merrill turned away filled with disgust and went along the street leading the horses. He walked, feeling too stiff to ride, and he collected the other horses from the hitch-rail in front of the law office and took them along to the livery barn. He watered them before putting them into stalls, and was busy forking hay into the mangers when Herb Gwynn emerged from his office, yawning and stretching. The stableman paused and stared at Merrill for a moment, then came forward to greet him.
“How you been, Ward?” he demanded. “You look bushed. Been having a hard time of it?”
“It’s been rough,” Merrill admitted. “I’ve done a lot of riding. Tell me, Herb, did Frank Maitland ride in yesterday?”
“Sure did. Came back from Birch Creek. He makes that trip once a week.”
“What time did he get in?”
“Early evening. He was in a good mood. Gave me a cigar. That ain’t like him usually. Frank wouldn’t even give away the ash off the cigar he was smoking. I figured he must have been doing some good business over in Birch Creek.”
Merrill thought that over, figuring that the fact two gunmen had been lying in ambush at Raynor’s place had put the saloon man in a good humor. Again, he wondered how he could get to Maitland, and wondered if it would be worth trying a bluff on the man. He could approach him and tell him he knew what Maitland had been up to. But he knew Maitland well enough to realize that the man would bluff his way out of anything. The only way of getting at the truth seemed to be by breaking down the prisoner, and Merrill compressed his lips as he considered facing Maitland and saying that Wood had implicated him in the trouble. Would that work? He shook his head reluctantly, afraid to try it, for he would get only one attempt to bluff Maitland, and if that failed then the man would be on his guard and doubly hard to trap.
Leaving the stable, Merrill walked tiredly along the sidewalk to the store. Luke Parry was out front, sweeping the sidewalk, and he paused and looked up when he caught the sound of Merrill’s boots on the sun-warped boards. He leaned on his broom and watched Merrill with an expressionless face. Merrill wondered if there had been any trouble since he had left.
“Morning, Luke,” he greeted. “How are things? Lonnie’s behaved himself, I hope.”
“Sure has. You don’t have to worry about that boy of yours, Ward. He’s got a head on his shoulders. He’s been working like a man around here. But what about you? I was talking to Frank Maitland last night in the saloon and he figured you’d be lucky to see Portville again.”
“He reckoned I wouldn’t make it back here?” Merrill demanded. He thought again of the gun trap that had been waiting for him at the Raynor place. “Did he give any reasons why he should think that?”
“Said something about an ambush that had been laid for you in Birch Creek.”
“But I came through that and killed one of the ambushers. Did Frank have anything else to say?”
“A lot of things, but nothing much that concerned you. He said he was thinking of Lonnie’s future, should anything happen to you, and he reckoned he would try and buy your spread if you didn’t make it back, that he would give a good price for it to make sure there was plenty of money in the pot for Lonnie. I told him Lonnie would be well taken care of by us if anything happened to you. And that’s something I’d like to chew over with you, Ward. I don’t know if you are aware of Kay’s feelings for you.” He lowered his voice and glanced around. “I figure I oughta do my duty and talk to you.”
“About Kay?” Merrill asked, and his tone turned husky. “I ain’t been fooling around with her, if that’s what you suspect, Luke.”
“Hell, no! It ain’t that! I know you better than that. In fact I figure it’s the other way. You ain’t been paying enough attention to Kay. T
hat gal of mine is in love with you, Ward, and she can’t go on hiding it.”
“I know that, and I told her before I left that when I’ve got this trouble of mine sorted out I’ll be talking to her. You don’t have to worry about it, Luke. I’ll do the right thing by her. I want to ask her to marry me, if she figures she might get a good deal by doing so, but it ain’t no light matter for a woman to think of taking on a husband and a son.”
“Kay thinks the world of Lonnie.” Warmth had filled Luke Parry’s voice. “You go on in there and have some breakfast. You look like you been living rough since you rode out a few days ago. Get some sleep. There’s a spare room for you.”
“I reckon sleeping will have to wait,” Merrill responded, smiling wryly. “But the food sounds about right. I’ll talk some more to you later, Luke.”
He went into the store and walked through to the private apartment at the rear, finding Kay busy in the kitchen. The smell of frying bacon assailed his nostrils and made him aware of how hungry he was. He paused and watched the girl for a moment, for she was so intent upon her chores that she did not see him.
“If it won’t be too much trouble you could put some extra bacon in the pan for me,” he said.
She looked around quickly, then took the pan off the hot stove and came running towards him. Merrill was surprised when she threw herself into his arms and embraced him, for she had never done that before. She looked up into his face.
“Ward,” she said softly. “Am I glad to see you! Are you all right? Pa said last night that there were grave fears for your safety.”
“You shouldn’t believe all you hear,” he responded lightly. “Sure, I’m all right. How’s Lonnie been? No trouble, I hope.”
“He’s been a good boy and helped around here. Sit down and I’ll pour you some coffee while I get your breakfast ready. What are your plans now?”
“I want to talk to the sheriff before I get some sleep, then I’m going to turn in and probably sleep the clock around,” he said, sitting down at the table. He sighed heavily and tried to relax, removing his hat and thrusting it under his chair. His eyes felt heavy and sore from lack of sleep, and he stifled a yawn, his hand rasping across his bearded face. He would feel better after he had shaved, he knew, and tried to relax, but his mind was teeming with thought and he kept wrestling with the problem of what to do about Frank Maitland. He had to try and flush the man out into the open, if he was guilty, and he needed to know one way or another. If it was not Maitland then it had to be someone else, and he would not feel secure until he had laid bare the bones of this plot to kill him.
He was eating the breakfast that Kay had prepared for him when Lonnie came into the kitchen from his bedroom, and the boy greeted him effusively. Merrill smiled as he ruffled the boy’s already tousled head.
“I’m glad you’ve been pulling your weight around here, Lonnie,” he said. “It’s been a great help not having to worry about you.”
“How you been making out, Pa?” the boy demanded. “Have you had any more trouble?”
“None,” Merrill lied. “I got the man I was trailing and he’s in the jail now. I figure my troubles are about over.”
He caught Kay’s glance as he spoke and could tell by her expression that she did not believe him. But at that moment there were voices in the store, and the next instant, the sheriff appeared in the kitchen doorway.
“Hi, Ward. I reckoned to find you here. Kester told me all about your doings, and I’m mighty glad you managed to beat that gun trap at the Raynor place. I’ve taken a look at the two dead men, and although one of them ain’t a pretty sight, there’s enough of his face left for me to recognize him. Both he and his dead pard were around here just before your trouble started, and that goes for the prisoner you brung in; Chet Wood. Him and his pards were hanging around the saloons for several days before you were first shot at.”
“You said you were not involved in any more trouble,” Kay reproached.
“I didn’t want to alarm you,” Merrill retorted. “It was nothing I couldn’t handle. I figure it’s all done with now.”
“I want to talk to you in private when you’ve finished eating,” Oakley cut in. “The first of the two trail herds will be showing up some time later today or tomorrow, and the other herd is only a couple of days behind. I’m gonna need your help in this, whether you like it or not, Ward. You can’t take off that badge you’re wearing until we get something sorted out.”
“I won’t remove the badge until I’ve got the man behind my own trouble,” Merrill said harshly, “and I’ll be on hand to help you through the crisis you’ve got coming up. But I won’t be any good to you without I get some sleep first. I’m gonna turn in after breakfast and sleep the clock around.”
“That’s good,” the sheriff said. “There won’t be anything doing around here until later, and you’ll be fresh then. I’ve got a dozen special deputies together, but you know what they’re like. They need a strong leader, and either I or you will have to be around them to wipe their noses for them.”
“Don’t knock the help,” Merrill warned. “It’s better than nothing.”
Oakley nodded. “Come on outside so we can talk,” he said. “I reckon we’ve got to get some things straight.”
“Yeah.” Merrill wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and arose from the table. “Thanks, Kay. I enjoyed that. You’re a good cook. I’ll be back in a little while. Your Pa said I could use your spare room today.”
The girl nodded, her face set in harsh lines, and Merrill patted his son’s head then followed the sheriff through the store to the street. They paused on the sidewalk where they could not be overheard and the sheriff looked up into Merrill’s hard face.
“What really went on?” he demanded. “Did you get a chance of finding out who is behind this trouble of yours? Who hired those six killers?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I’ve got a pretty good suspicion that Frank Maitland is behind it,” Merrill said, and succinctly related what had occurred and how his suspicions had been born.
The sheriff listened intently, his expression grave, and when Merrill lapsed into silence the lawman nodded slowly.
“I know Maitland has been buying heavily, and grabbing up whatever was going. But surely he wouldn’t want you out of the way just to buy your place.”
“It sounds unlikely, but Luke said Maitland was prepared to buy my spread if anything happened to me. I don’t like it, Walt. How can I get Maitland to show his hand without tipping him off to the fact that I suspect him?”
“That’s a tricky one, and I advise you to hang fire for a spell. If you give him enough rope he’ll hang himself.”
“That’s okay if it happens like that,” Merrill pointed out, “but when he learns that this last gun trap went wrong for him he’s gonna bring in some fresh guns and I’ll be back where I started. If we could get the prisoner to open up and tell us what he knows then I figure it would end everything, but Wood is a hard case, and he knows he’s gonna be tried for murder. He was there when Pop was killed, and he knows he can’t do a deal because of the killing. I’m afraid my trouble isn’t over yet, Walt. In fact it will start all over again, and I don’t figure my luck will continue to hold.”
“Leave me to make some enquiries around the town today,” Oakley said. “You go on and get some sleep. You’ll need to be fresh later. Report to me at the law office when you’ve got your full rest, okay?”
“Sure, and as soon as the first herd turns up you better ride out and talk to the trail boss. Warn him against letting his men come into town. Tell him that if his outfit wants trouble with their rivals then it better take place outside of town limits.”
“Sure thing. They won’t get the chance of starting anything around here.” Oakley spoke confidently but there was a note of doubt in his voice, for they both knew how wild and unruly a bunch of trail-hands were. “I figure to take a tough line with them from the start, and if we can get the first outfit turned aro
und and out of here before the other one shows up then so much the better.”
“I’ll see you around,” Merrill said tiredly. “I’ve got to get some sleep. Nothing is gonna break for a few hours, anyway, and you know where I’ll be should you need me.”
“Thanks, Ward, I knew I could rely on you,” Oakley said. He slapped Merrill’s shoulder. “Have a good sleep.”
They parted and Merrill went back into the store. He smiled wryly as he considered the sheriff’s parting words, for with so much trouble on his mind, there was no way he could sleep easily. But he was so tired, he could have fallen asleep standing up, and he had another cup of coffee before Kay showed him up to the spare room. He forced himself to scrub up and shave before dropping upon the bed, and then he drifted into slumber without hesitation. Worries notwithstanding, he slept heavily and dreamlessly, and knew no more until the sound of gunfire jerked him up on the bed and had him instinctively reaching for his own weapon.
He looked around, gun in hand, and was surprised to find that darkness filled the room. He sat listening to the echoes of the gunshot that had awakened him, wondering what it heralded, and then his mind cleared of the last vestiges of sleep and he arose quickly. Something was doing and he had to get into it. He was a deputy sheriff now and it was his duty, no matter what.
Eight
When he went down the stairs to the kitchen of the store, Merrill found Kay and her father there eating supper. Lonnie was washing at the sink, and all three were motionless, halted in their actions by the shot. Merrill’s entrance broke the spell that held them and Luke Parry started to his feet.
“I wouldn’t come out if I were you,” Merrill said. “I’ll go check. I’ll come back when I can.”
He hurried out the back door and made his way along the gloomy alley to the street, where he paused to take stock of his surroundings. He stifled a yawn. He had slept the clock around at least, he thought, but was still tired, and he looked at the lights burning in some of the windows of the buildings. There was light and noise coming from Maitland’s big saloon, and his eyes narrowed as he gazed at the establishment. Then he turned his attention to the jail, and walked in that direction.