by Rita Hestand
"I resent this, Mr. Tatum. You are inferring that I had something to do with this?"
"I must do my job, it isn't pleasant, but they were here, and this Les was here a week, plenty of time to hide the money."
Seeing no way to get rid of this man, she went over it once more. "We didn't discover him until early next morning. My son and I brought him in the house, I took the bullet out and he was out two days from that. It took about a week for him to heal enough to ride a horse. And then the others showed up a week later."
"Your son took the bullet out?"
"No, I did!"
"Then these other fellas showed up!"
"That's right, about a week later. They held me, my son and Les Harper at gunpoint."
"Now why did they hold him at gunpoint? He was one of them, wasn't he?"
"They thought he had run out on them with the money. That's what they said, at least."
"Uh huh. And did he?"
His manners nettled. She sat fingering her coffee cup and trying her best to tell everything she knew, but without malice. He obviously didn't understand that.
"He said he knew where it was. That's all I know. But…" She was about to tell him that Less was a Texas Ranger, but he was asking more questions.
"So Les Harper killed this Junior fella?"
"That's right. My son managed to get a gun to Les, Les pulled it on them, but Junior drew on him, so Les shot him."
"And was he dead?"
"He's buried outside on the other side of where my husband lies." Anna told him.
"Why did he kill him?"
"Because Junior was fixing to kill him, self defense."
"What were their names again?"
"There was the one that seemed in charge, they called him Swanson he had a scar on his face, and another one Colby was a big fella, and Junior was quite overweight. He's the one that Les killed."
"And Les Harper?"
"That's right, but…"
"How come you know his full name and you don't know the others?" He squinted a frown at her.
"Exactly what are you trying to say Sheriff? I'm tired of the insinuations. Just say what you think."
"Just that you seemed to know this Les fella more than the others."
"Of course I did, he spent a week in my house." She frowned openly at him now. Her irritation had gone to full blown annoyance.
"Why was he here that long, if you didn't know him before."
"He was shot in the leg, it took a while for him to be able to ride a horse."
"Really?"
"Well, he'd been here a week. After I took the bullet out of his leg, he was grateful and told me his name, but there's something you should know Sheriff…"
Tatum rolled his eyes, "And what is that?"
"Les Harper is a Texas Ranger."
Tatum's mouth fell open. His eyes pierced her. "Is that what he told you?"
"Yes. But he is!" Anna insisted.
"And you believed him?" Tatum shook his head.
"I did, I do!" Anna frowned at the man.
"You got some personal relations with this Mr. Harper?" Tatum asked, his face turning sour.
"I do not! And I resent you asking such a question. Have you even noticed that I'm in a wheelchair sir?"
"Oh yes ma'am, but I also notice how you're eyes soften every time you mention his name. Your a woman with a woman's emotions, ma'am. Wheelchair or not, you still got feelings, ain't you?"
"If that's all, I'd appreciate you leaving." She huffed angry at him for guessing the truth.
"Oh I'll leave all right. And I hate to tell you this," He snarled his nose at her, "But this Harper fella made a fool of you. If he's a ranger then I'm the Governor."
After she registered indignation, he went on. "Women are suckers for stories like that one. You've been taken in, ma'am. He's as guilty or maybe even more guilty of robbing that bank than the others. He was in on it. If not the ringleader."
"He's not a Ranger?" She frowned.
"I'll check on that, but I doubt it." He told her as he put his hat back on.
"Mr. Tatum, there is one thing you should know."
"Oh what is that?"
"They were talking here in my kitchen about a man name Corporal Dobbs who told them about the payroll."
Tatum looked surprised and his superior attitude disappeared, he removed his hat again, "I'm sorry I was rough on you Mrs. Prescott, really I am. But a woman in your position is more likely to get tangled in something like this because you are so helpless. Corporal Dobbs you say? What did he have to do with anything?"
"Well Sheriff, that's who told them about the army payroll money, and when it would be there."
"Now that could be helpful. Yes ma'am it could."
"That's right. And I’m not helpless. May I remind you, I’m the one that removed his bullet."
He glanced down at her and smiled, "I guess you aren't. You've been quite helpful, good day."
"Mr. Tatum, Les Harper is a Texas Ranger, he's working under cover to catch these very thieves. He saved my son, and my life and I'd appreciate it if you would give him due consideration." Anna's face was red with anger and other emotions she didn't want to explore at the moment. "He even went to speak to a judge in your town on my behalf."
"You really believe in him, don't you?" the Sheriff seemed genuinely surprised.
"Yes." she said simply and didn't look up into his arrogant face any longer. "I know he went to see the judge. The judge wrote Mr. Ledbetter a letter to the effect. So, yes I do."
"I'll check it out Mrs. Prescott. Tell me, why did you bury an outlaw in your family cemetery? If you have no feelings for any of these men."
Now she looked up at him. "Where else would you have me bury him, sir? He was on my property, in my house, and he was very dead. I can't take him anywhere. So we just buried him here, to save time. Everyone deserves a decent burial. We even had a funeral for him, and Davy too."
"The deputy?"
"That's right."
"Tell me, did you bury the deputy here too?"
"No, the Sheriff took him to the town cemetery to be buried alongside his father."
He stared for a long moment. "You're an amazing woman Mrs. Prescott, I'll give you that, and you got more spunk than most women I know. I hope things turn out the way you're hopin'. Good day."
"Good day!"
Anna fretted all afternoon after the Sheriff left. He had put doubts in her head. Doubts she didn't want to consider. She had to believe in Les. She had to!
When Frankie came home from school he knew she was upset, so he tried to make her feel better.
"Somethin' wrong Ma?"
"It's nothing…but…tell me something Frankie. Did you believe what I said about Les Harper?"
"About what, Ma?"
"About being a Texas Ranger."
"Sure I believed him."
"Why?"
"'Cause he showed me his badge and that ship his grandpa built…he gave it to me, said it would get torn up in his saddle bags if he kept it there too long. Yeah, I believe him."
"Oh…he gave you the ship?" She sighed with a smile. "I'm so glad."
"About the ship?"
"No, that he's a Ranger. When did he give you that ship?"
"The day he did my chores for me. He was digging in his saddle bags, and pulled it out to show it to me, we were talking about Pa and how he loved to work with wood. He was gonna put it back, but he turned around and told me to keep it. I told him I thought he should keep it since his grandfather made it. He just said he'd rather know it was taken care of."
She smiled. The Sheriff was wrong. She was sure of that now. Les Harper was a Texas Ranger!
Chapter Nineteen
Les and Swanson went back to the well to look around. They were trying to find tracks, because Bird took the money after he got out of jail. That much they knew. They found a couple of funny looking horseshoe prints, like one shoe was about to fall off. So it made it very easy to trail.
>
Les found some tracks leading away. "You were right, he's headed south."
"Let's go." Swanson said.
They rode hard for several hours, making fairly good time. Still on horseback it would take a couple of weeks to ride to the border.
One night as they camped out Les was turning a bird on the spit and he asked Swanson. "Any places Bird might have mentioned about Mexico?"
Swanson rubbed his chin. "Well, let me think. He only talked about that place once. Said he had a gal down there some years back. One time we were just jawin' and he said he'd like to go back there and look her up."
"Did he say where?"
"Monterrey."
"Then I guess that is where we head, right?" Les asked.
"That'd be my best guess, since his tracks are leading us point south." Swanson sighed. "Long trip, and I hope he hasn't spent it all…"
"One can hope. Hate to go all that way for nothing. But you know, he'll have to get some distance away before he can relax any and even think about spending it." Les shook his head. "Don't even want to think of that."
"We'll find him. And when we do, he won't forget us, that's for sure." Swanson chuckled.
"I wonder how Colby's doing." Les said as he sipped the coffee they were sharing now. They'd gotten some supplies in Plainville and were more prepared for the trip they knew would be long.
"That leg sure looked bad, didn't it?" Swanson shook his head. "He was afraid of snakes before he went down, makes me feel kind of bad that I didn't go down there myself. I'd have already had my gun with me though. And I dang sure would have had my boots on."
"Yeah, that was probably what made the bite so bad, he got him right in the flesh."
"That boy had the rankest feet I have ever been around." Swanson shook at the thought. "It didn't matter where he took those boots off, it stunk."
"Well, a man on the run, can't be too choosy, you know."
"Yeah, I shouldn't complain, Colby was a good gun. Next to Bird he was fast. Gotta give you credit though, you whipped that knife out fast and cut into him, otherwise he'd have been dead before we ever got him to the docs. I guess…I'd rather have you around than any of the rest of 'em Les."
Les looked shocked. "I thought you didn't trust me?"
"Well, to begin with I didn't. But that's because of Bird. Bird never trusted anyone, and maybe that's why he thought he could get away with all the money too. But he thought you might be a lawman. But at that farm back there. What I saw was a man who fell in love…"
Les looked like a man that had been discovered and didn't know what to say. "She was special Swanson," he admitted in a low breath.
"Yeah, I figured that out. When Colby kissed her and you just stood there, I looked at your eyes. And if eyes could kill, he'd have been dead. But…she's crippled. What kind of life would you have with her?"
Les smiled, "If I had the money, we'd fix that."
"You mean, you were gonna get her fixed with your share?" Swanson frowned.
"I sure am considering it!"
"Damn, you really did fall for her, didn't you?"
"Guess I did…." Les' voice drifted off as memories of the kisses they shared flashed through his mind. "She needed a thousand dollars to fix her legs. Just a thousand."
Swanson stared at him with his mouth open. "I'll be damned. I was right. Your in love with that woman! I gotta ask you."
"What?"
"What's it like bein' in love. I ain't sure I ever been in love with a woman. Money yes, but not a woman."
"You see things different Swanson. She has such a sweetness about her. And a temper that is so cute too."
"Temper huh? You like 'em with a little fire then, I guess."
"She's got the prettiest eyes I ever saw on a woman. Like the eyes of an angel. And the softest lips…"
"So you kissed her, huh?"
"Yeah, twice. No…three times."
"I just don't understand how a grown man can fall in love with a woman, and you did it in just over a week's time, and only kissed her three times and you are in love. Enough to spend money on fixin' her legs."
Les closed his eyes, reliving those kisses for a moment, and his heart swelling. "Can't help it Swanson. Never loved anyone like her before. Being with her was like being in the arms of an angel. I like her kid too. That kid, he works hard, and he don't complain about it either. You don't find people like that everyday, Swanson."
"Well, I guess I'm just getting too old for the love bug to hit me." Swanson stretched out on his blanket. "But I'll say this. I hope we get the money back and you can fix her legs for her. Then you can make a home together maybe. Get out of this damn business. It shore don't pay like you expect it too, does it?"
"That'd be nice, but we're a long sight from that, Swanson. Say…what is your first name anyway?" Les asked as he laid down.
"Bertram…"
"Bert…"
"Yeah, that's why I always went by Swanson."
"Well I'll be damned."
"Hated that name…My ma named me after a traveling salesman. I always wondered about that. So did dad."
"Bert wouldn't be so bad."
"Don't want any part of it."
"So how did you and Bird get hooked up?" Les asked.
Swanson was about to go to sleep, but he leaned over and looked at the fire between them. "First time I met Bird I was seventeen and pretty rebellious. My folks were religious nuts and like to have drove me crazy with do's and don'ts. I got to hanging out in the saloons. That's where I met him. Bird was gonna hit a stage. I decided I would help. I mean at seventeen it sounds exciting. Making quick money. Nobody tells you that you're gonna have to run from the law half the time. But it scared me 'cause Bird killed the driver and the law was after us hot and heavy. I figured the way things were goin' we wouldn’t' have to hurt anyone. I don't like killin', not like Bird and Colby. I went back to my family for a while. Until I couldn't stand it no more and lit out for parts unknown. Hooked up with him later on, when he got into bigger things."
"How'd you get back with him?"
"Oh about ten years later, I was down south and I run into him again. He offered to let me in on a bank job. I didn't have any better sense and let him talk me into it. Been with him about ten years now. He's a good planner and usually knew what he was doin'. Problem with Bird though he'd kill for the heck of it. And it kept posse's on us all the time. Never could enjoy the money, we'd spend it as fast as we got it."
"Ever have regrets?" Les asked softly.
"Plenty. But by then I was pretty into robbin'. My picture came up on a wanted poster. Wasn't much I could do then so I stayed. Wanted to get out of the business a couple of times. Seems you never do get to enjoy the fruits of your labor, you're always one jump ahead of the law. Learned that too late. Learned a lot of things too late."
"You're not that old Swanson, you could quit."
"Maybe I should stay in Mexico and turn over a new leaf?" Swanson laughed. "As you get older you think about quittin'. You realize you never do get ahead. But I doubt I could quit, even if I was a mind to."
"What would it take to get you to quit?"
"A good woman maybe, or a place I could live without the law breathin' down my neck."
"Maybe we both should." Les chuckled. "Night."
Chapter Twenty
Monterrey Mexico was a thriving city. It hosted the best and worst citizens of Mexico.
Les and Swanson arrived two weeks later. They had no idea where to look for Bird. All they knew was the girl's first name, Esmerelda.
They both decided the best place to look for Bird was in the bars. As a man like that would spend some time frequenting the bars before he got down to seriously doing much with the money.
So they picked a street and started checking them out. The first week turned up nothing, no clues, no one had heard of him, no girl.
But they'd only hit a quarter of the bars in Monterrey.
It was a week later they got a nibble. Th
ey went in one bar where someone knew him. It was a woman.
Her name was Rosa and she was young and pretty. She had lovely breasts and nice shaped hips and Swanson couldn't take his eyes off her.
Les watched him eyeing her.
"Does he come in here often?" Swanson asked her.
"Si, every night…" She smiled at him. "You know him?"
"Know of him, yeah."
"He plays poker every night." Rosa told him.
"Thanks Rosa, and don't tell him we was looking for him, all right?"
"Sure…" She smiled at Swanson.
"That woman likes you Swanson." Les told him, as Rosa eyed him from across the room with a smile.
"Aw…she's too pretty for the likes of me." Swanson said adjusting his hat and staring at her.
"Why don't you ask her to dance…" Les encouraged.
"You think so?"
"Why not, what have you got to lose." Les laughed.
Swanson stood up and moved toward her. When he asked her, she nodded and he twirled her around on the dance floor. Swanson to Les' surprise was a great dancer and they had fun.
Les watched with amusement. He felt bad about Swanson. The man wasn't all that bad, if he could give up the stealing. Les thought about that for a while.
Bird deserved whatever he got, but Swanson he wasn't so sure. Had he gone soft after ten years of Ranger work? It would seem so.
Swanson sat down with her and had a few beers, they were talking and cutting up. Swanson seemed to have a pretty good time.
But Bird never showed.
It was disappointing. When they left the bar Rosa promised to get hold of him if Bird did come in. She had no idea what they wanted with Bird, but she didn't really care for Bird.
Every night they came in and sat, every night Swanson danced and talked with Rosa.
After a week of nothing Les was getting discouraged.
"Maybe we're on the wrong track." Les told Swanson.
"You don't think he's going to show up there?"
"I don't know. It's been a week." Les told him.
But the next night Rosa sent word to Swanson that he was there.
"How we gonna do this?" Swanson seemed a little restless.