It was then that Ned realized that the shot had come from behind him. Lina had fired it. Ned reined back and looked down at the man who had fallen right beside him. The gunman’s face was gone. There was not enough of it left to even tell that it had once been a human face.
Ned looked over his shoulder as Lina rode up beside him, her pistol still smoking. She took one look at the man she’d killed and looked away.
“You saved my life, Lina,” he said softly.
She sighed deeply as she holstered her pistol, and then she rode a few feet away from the grotesque scene. Killbuck and the two deputies rode back and joined Ned and the girl.
The gunfight had lasted only three minutes. Three men were dead and another was so badly wounded, he would have to seek a doctor.
None of them spoke of the gunfight as they rode back toward the Red River Station building.
“Let’s check the cattle in the stockyard,” Ned said.
Lina and the men followed him over to the stockyard where hundreds of cattle mingled. The stench was awful and the bawling of the animals was almost unbearable. Ned and the others dismounted and tied their horses to the pole fence.
“I guess I’d better ask permission to examine the cattle,” Ned said. He walked around to the office and while he was gone, Lina and the others walked through the unlocked gate and wandered among the cattle, checking the brands.
By the time Ned came back, Lina had found what they were looking for. “Here it is,” she called to him.
Ned examined the brand carefully and saw that it had been altered with a running iron so that it now looked like a double diamond, instead of a mirrored M. A line now connected the center of the letter M to the center of the letter W.
Ned walked back to the office and asked the thin, balding stockyard keeper if he could purchase one of the cattle.
“Just one?” the keeper grumped.
Ned noticed the man’s name on a plaque on the paper-littered desk.
“Yes, Mr. Jones. Just one,” he said. “I want you to come look at it and tell me whose brand it is.”
The nearly bald man looked at Remington’s badge and then glared at Ned. Nevertheless, he stood up and followed Ned back to where the others were waiting. In the meantime, the deputies had rounded up ten more cattle with the same brand.
“Whose brand is this?” Ned asked politely as he pointed to the brand.
“It’s the Double-Diamond brand,” Jones said sullenly.
“I can see that, Mr. Jones. Who does it belong to?” Ned demanded.
Again, the stockyard keeper gave Remington a dirty look. He hesitated before he finally answered. “That’s one of Van Hook’s brands.”
“How many brands does he have?” Ned asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t keep track of such things,” Jones said. “Ain’t none of my business.”
“You know these are rustled cattle, don’t you?” Ned asked.
“I wouldn’t know about that,” Jones replied.
“You’d better know about it,” Remington said. “I could arrest you right now for receiving stolen goods.”
“I didn’t receive nothin’,” Jones said. “I don’t own no cattle. This is a public stockyard, Marshal. Ranchers from all over this territory pay me to keep their cattle until they can either sell them or herd them to market.”
“You sell these cattle, don’t you?”
“Sometimes, if a buyer happens along.”
“Do you know what the penalty is for selling stolen property, Mr. Jones?”
“I got nothin’ to do with where these damned animals come from. If I happen to sell some of them, I take a percentage of the sale, which has been agreed upon by me and the ranchers beforehand. I run an honest business here, Marshal. I don’t own a damned single one of them cattle and I couldn’t tell you whether they were stolen or not. Like I say, it ain’t none of my business.”
“Where does Van Hook live?” Ned asked.
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Yes, you do. I’ll arrest you for selling stolen cattle if you don’t want to cooperate.”
“You threatening me, Marshal?”
“Just stating a fact. In Judge Barnstall’s court, the penalty’s pretty stiff for having stolen goods in your possession.”
“I told you they ain’t my cattle,” Jones said. “Van Hook lives west of here, near Nocona.”
“That’s what I was told,” Ned said.
“If you already know where he lives, then why in the hell’re you askin’ me?” Jones snarled.
“Just seeing how honest you are. How much do you want for this bull?”
“Twenty-five dollars,” Jones said.
“Shouldn’t be more than five dollars on the hoof,” Ned objected.
“Van Hook sets the price for his cattle, not me.”
“It’s a big bull, Ned said. “I’ll give you six dollars, no more.”
“Go ahead and take it,” Jones said. “Just leave me alone so I can get back to my paperwork.”
“Don’t I get a bill of sale?”
“For six lousy bucks, you don’t need it,” Jones grumbled as he stalked away.
“That’s because you don’t want a record of the sale, Jones,” Ned called after him. “That money’s gonna go right in your pocket and Van Hook’ll never know about it.”
Jones ignored the remark and slammed his office door when he went inside.
Ned tied a rope around the bull’s neck and led it out of the stockyard. “Frank, will you come with me?” he asked.
“Yes,” Frank said without question.
“Tom, take Lina and Charlie to the cafe around the- corner and buy them some breakfast. We’ll meet you there in a little while.”
After Tom and the others left, Ned and Frank mounted their horses and Ned led the bull by the rope to a field just beyond the stockyard. Ned climbed down from the saddle, drew his pistol and shot the bull between the eyes. The animal’s legs went wobbly under his weight and then it toppled over on his side. Frank shot him again in the heart, just to make sure he was dead.
Ned dug a sharp, thin, sheathed knife out of his saddlebags, and a small jar of salt. Ned cut around the brand, leaving an inch of hide around the outside of the circle. He slid the sharp knife under the circle and sliced it away from the flesh. Frank watched over his shoulder as Ned turned the piece of hide over and scraped all of the flesh away from the inside of the hide.
“No doubt about it,” Frank said. “That was the Mirror M brand.”
“Yes,” said Ned. “The M and W are very clear. They’re old scars, deep scars. The added line doesn’t even show on the inside of the flesh.”
“Looks like Van Hook’s men just ran these cattle through the chute and jabbed them with the running iron.”
Ned scraped the inside perfectly clean, then salted it. “I’ll take this back to Barnstall for evidence,” he said as he tucked it into his pocket.
“What now?” Frank asked.
“Now we get the others and head to Van Hook’s ranch near Nocona. He won’t be expecting us because he thinks we’re already dead.”
“What about the gunman who got away?” Frank asked.
“He won’t get out of town. He’s lost too much blood by now.”
Chapter 12
Remington and his group spent the rest of the day in the saddle, except when they stopped to rest their horses and when they stopped for a quick snack. They stopped for the night just before they got to Nocona and slept out under the stars. Ned didn’t want to ride into the town after dark.
They arrived in the small town the following morning about nine o’clock. Nocona proved to be a town that was very hostile toward the U.S. marshals. It seemed like Peter Van Hook was a big man in this small pond. And when they talked to the local sheriff, Lafe Parsons, they discovered that Parson’s was in the rancher’s pocket, too.
At three o’clock in the afternoon, when Remington realized he wasn’t going to get any information about th
e location of Van Hook’s ranch, he decided to try the Shawnee Saloon. Surely there would be someone in there who could be bought for a cheap drink. Since he didn’t want Lina out of his sight, he took her with them. She was dressed like a man and nobody would notice her anyway.
Ned wasn’t surprised to find the saloon crowded that time of day. That was the kind of town Nocona was. Drunks and no-accounts all over the place. After checking the gloomy, smoke-filled room to see if Gaton and Haskins were there, he found an empty table in a corner, near the front. He pulled up an extra chair and after Killbuck, Lina and Frank Shaw were seated, Ned and Tom Beck strolled over to the long bar.
“What’ll you have?” the barkeep asked.
“A pitcher of beer and five glasses,” Ned said. He knew Lina wouldn’t drink, but it wouldn’t look right if she didn’t have her own glass. He took a dollar out of his pocket and slid it across the counter.
“We don’t serve Indians in here, Marshal,” the homely barkeep said. “It looks like you’ll only be needing three glasses.”
“Make it three, then,” Ned said.
The barkeep picked up the dollar. “If you’ll ask your two friends to leave, I’ll be happy to serve you, sir.”
“We’ve come a long way, my friend,” Ned said as he pulled another dollar from his pocket and set it on the counter. “My two friends just want to rest a spell. If you’ll let them stay, we’ll have just one quick drink and then be gone.”
“One short drink,” the barkeep said as he picked the second dollar up with his thumb and forefinger. He turned and took three smudgy glasses off a shelf, dipped each in a keg beneath the shelf and slid the three half-full glasses across the counter._
“Thank you,” Ned said. “Can you tell me where I can find Peter Van Hook’s ranch?”
“Two dollars ain’t gonna buy you that kind of information,” the barkeep said smugly.
“How much will it take?” Beck asked.
“I don’t lightly know where he lives, so keep your money.”
Ned knew the man was lying in his teeth, and he also knew that it wouldn’t do any good to push it.
“Thanks anyway,” he said. He picked up two of the glasses and left the third one for Tom to carry back to the table. Without sitting down, Ned took a small sip out of his glass, then set it on the table. He walked over to another table where two obviously- drunk men were sitting. “Pardon me, sir, can you tell me where Peter Van Hook lives?” he asked politely of the older man.
“He ain’t gonna tell you, so leave him alone,” the younger man said in a slurred voice.
“Why don’t you let him speak for himself,” Ned said.
“’Cause he’s too drunk.”
“His ranch is hidden in the woods,” said the older man.
“Shut up, Curt,” said the other.
“Where-abouts in the woods?” Ned persisted.
“A mile down the road, and a half a mile to the right,” the older man slurred before his friend could shut him up.
“Shut up, Curt,” his companion said again as he clenched his fist.
“My friend here works for him. Danny can show you the way.”
“You fool,” Danny shouted to the older drunk.
“Thanks, Mister,” Ned said politely. He turned away.
“I told you to leave him alone,” shouted the younger drunk. He shoved his chair back and it tipped over in a loud crash.
Ned glanced around just in time to be punched in the mouth. He wiped the corner of his mouth and glared at his attacker. He had the information he needed and he wanted to get out of there.
Beck wasn’t seated yet and he stepped over to make sure Ned was all right. Killbuck jumped up just as the man named Danny struck out at Beck. Tom stuck his arm up to ward off the blow and a fellow at a nearby table leaped up and slugged Beck a good chop under the chin. Killbuck picked up a glass of beer and threw the contents in the man’s face.
Within a minute a slug-fest broke out in the whole saloon and customers were hitting each other for no reason other than to fight.
Lina jumped up from her seat and tried to get out of the way. Danny took another swing at Remington. Ned ducked and Danny hit Lina’s hat instead.
Lina screamed just as her hat fell off. Her long hair tumbled down past her shoulders.
“He’s a girl!” a rough-looking drunk shouted as the fighting continued.
Danny, the lad who worked for Van Hook, stepped up to Lina and ripped the front of her shirt, popping all of her buttons. Her bare breasts were exposed and she quickly drew the torn blouse back around her. The fighting got wilder, with chairs being broken across heads. Lina used the opportunity to grab her hat and ease toward the batwing doors. She stopped, faced the wall, and tucked her hair back under her hat, then quickly held her blouse together again.
Danny started after her, but Ned punched him in the stomach and when the drunken lad doubled over, Ned brought his fist up hard into the fellow’s chin.
Danny stumbled backwards, tripped over a broken chair and crashed to the floor.
“Let’s go,” Ned whispered to the others. He grabbed up Lina’s hand and dragged her outside. Nobody seemed to notice that Remington and his friends were leaving. They were all too busy fighting.
“Well, you got the information you needed,” said Beck when they were outside, “but that’s the hard way to get it.” He rubbed a sore chin.
“I’m sorry, Lina, if you were embarrassed,” Ned said.
“I’m just glad no one was hurt,” she said.
Ned glanced at the batwing doors of the noisy saloon. “Let’s get away from here before Danny picks himself up off the floor and comes after us.”
Although Ned was tempted to run, the group of five walked down the street at a normal pace so they wouldn’t draw attention. They went to the livery, a block away and around the corner, where they had paid a friendly old man three dollars to watch their horses and their belongings.
“You deputies come back at just the right time,” the old man said with a toothless grin. He sat in a hard rocking chair near the door. His loaded rifle was propped against the wall near him. “My wife just done called me for supper.”
“Well, good.” Ned was relieved when he glanced at the horses and saw that all of their rifles and saddlebags were still in their places. “Thanks for taking such good care of our animals.”
“I watered ’em and grained ’em, just like I promised to.”
“Thank you,” said Tom Beck.
“I still say three dollars is more’n I’m worth.”
“You earned it, Gramps,” said Shaw.
“I wantcha all to know that if you hadn’t came back just now, I would’a stayed right here,” the fellow assured them.
“I know you would have, old-timer,” Ned smiled.
“I’da made Sophie bring my supper right on out here,” the fellow chuckled. “I ain’t so old but what I can eat and watch horses at the same time.”
Ned laughed. “Well, you’d better toddle off before your supper gets cold.”
“You sure you won’t be needin’ me no more?”
“Not right now,” Ned said. “We just came for our horses.”
The old-timer’s knees creaked when he stood up. “You young pups be careful,” he said as he hobbled toward the door. “Like I told ya, this town’s full of wicked people. Used’ta be a feller felt safe in his own home. Not anymore. I don’t know what’s happening to this new generation,” he said as he went on out the door.
Ned could hear Gramps mumbling to himself right up to the time the old man went into his own house and closed the door. “What a character.” Ned shook his head and walked over to his horse.
“Gramps couldn’t have done much to protect our gear if it came to that,” Shaw said.
“No, but he was the only friendly face in town.”
Lina opened her saddlebag and took out the wrinkled dark brown shirt she’d been wearing when they started out from Tishomingo two days ago.
“If you gentlemen will turn your backs, I’ll change my shirt before we leave,” she said.
The four men walked over to the open door.
“Are we going out to Van Hook’s now?” Beck asked.
“Yes,” Ned said. “And I hope Gaton and Haskins are out there, too, so we can round them all up and get the hell out of here.”
“I’m through,” Lina called.
The men went back to their horses. Ned walked on over to the girl.
“Lina, we’re going to Van Hook’s ranch, but I don’t want you to go.”
“Why not?” she said.
“Too many people know you’re a girl and if Van Hook finds out, it won’t take him any time at all to figure out who you are. We can’t risk it now.”
“But how would he find out?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me any if that fellow Danny beat us out there. And Van Hook owns most of the people in town. Somebody’ll tell him.”
Charlie Killbuck walked over and stood next to his niece.
“I guess you’re right,” Lina said.
“Yes, he is,” Killbuck said.
“Do you want me to wait for you here?” Lina asked Ned.
“No. Charlie, I want you to take Lina over to the Nocona Hotel while my deputies and I ride out to arrest Van Horn. Don’t leave her alone for a minute.”
“I will watch over her,” Charlie promised. “I will get a room on the second floor, if I can. It will be safer.”
“Maybe you should leave your horses here and take only your weapons,” Ned suggested.
“Yes,” said Killbuck. “We can walk along behind the buildings and no one will see us.”
“Good.”
Lina stood up on tiptoes and kissed Ned on the cheek. “Be careful, Ned,” she said.
For a brief moment, Ned thought about Katy and how she used to stand on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. She always used to laugh and tell him he was too tall. And the sickening feeling came to his stomach when he remembered that it had been three long years since she’d kissed him that way.
“You, too, Lina,” he said. “You be careful.”
Ned mounted his horse. Already he could feel the knot of tension at the back of his head. He had no idea what he and his men would be facing when they got to Van Hook’s ranch, but he knew it wouldn’t be pleasant. A feeling of apprehension and uncertainty settled over him as he rode out of the stable.
Red River Revenge (Remington Book 1) Page 10