“No,” Butler said.
“You better go,” Short said. “I can handle this. I’ll come to the jail later with a lawyer.”
“Luke, don’t you see? This is what they want, to split us up. It’s a plan.” Butler looked at Courtwright. “A plan that’s not going to work.”
“Take him, boys,” Courtwright said.
Butler and Short both drew their guns.
“Don’t touch those guns,” Butler said.
“Are you crazy?” Courtwright asked. “Drawing your guns on the law?”
“Right now we don’t recognize your authority, Courtwright,” Short said.
“Yeah,” Butler said, “it’s more than a little suspect, at the moment.”
Courtwright turned and looked at his deputies.
“I said take him—take ’em both.”
Both deputies gave him a look that said, “Why don’t you take them yourself?”
“Goddamnit!” Courtwright said. “I’ll have your badges.”
The two deputies exchanged an anxious glance, then both unpinned their badges.
“You can have ’em,” they said, handing their tin to the sheriff.
The two men walked away, leaving a confused Courtwright behind.
“Sheriff,” Short said, “time to move along.”
Courtwright turned a murderous gaze on Short.
“We’re not through,” he said. “I’ll be back for you two with deputies I can trust.”
“Make it a lot of them,” Butler said.
Courtwright looked toward the house, then turned on his heels and stormed off.
“What the hell—” Sutherland said, inside the house. “What’s goin’ on?”
“Looks like Short and Butler stood them off,” Newman said.
Sutherland dropped the curtain and looked at the lawyer.
“What now?”
Newman wasn’t sure, and to cover up that fact he said, “Give me a minute.”
Butler and Short watched Courtwright until he was out of sight, then holstered their guns and turned back to the house.
“We’re going to have to pay for that,” Butler said.
“We’ll deal with it later,” Short said. “Let’s deal with this now. I think we’ve got him trapped in there.”
“Back or front?’ Butler asked.
“I’ll take the front.”
“Be careful.”
“You too.”
“Two minutes,” Butler said, and then moved.
CHAPTER 57
When Butler reached the back, he tried the knob and found the door unlocked. He drew his gun, opened the door, and stepped in. He was in the kitchen and from there could hear Short’s knock at the front door.
He crept through the kitchen and peered into the next room, the living room. It was empty. He entered and moved quickly to the front door. When he opened it he startled Luke Short.
“Jesus,” Short said, “I almost shot you. What’s goin’ on?”
“I don’t know,” Butler said. “The house is empty.”
“Somebody was in here,” Short said. “They were watching us from that window. Let’s check upstairs.”
They did so, creeping up the stairs slowly. They found two bedrooms, both empty. They checked closets, and even looked under the beds. Convinced there was no one on the second level they came back down to the first, both baffled.
“Now what?” Butler asked.
“We couldn’t have been wrong,” Short said. “The sheriff showin’ up when he did tells me that. You were right, they were tryin’ to split us up. Maybe we should’ve let them do it.”
“You really think Sutherland would face you fairly, with no ace up his sleeve? Somebody probably would have back shot you from a window.”
“Do you think Newman has chosen sides that clearly that he’d pick up a gun?” Short asked.
“I don’t know what to think about him anymore,” Butler admitted.
They both stood there, looking around them.
“There’s got to be another way out of this house,” Butler said finally. “Let’s find it.”
They split up and searched the house with their guns in their hands. They expected to find someone behind every door, but it wasn’t until Butler tried a cupboard in the kitchen that he finally did.
“Luke?”
Short came running into the kitchen, found Butler in front of a walk-in cupboard. The shelves that held provisions stood open, having been built with hinges. It led to a staircase.
Butler pointed down.
“Root cellar?” Short asked.
“Only one way to find out.”
Short peered down.
“It’s dark.”
“You got matches?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s find some candles.”
They found some right on the shelves in front of them. They each took one and lit it. With a candle in one hand, gun in the other, they went down.
It wasn’t a cellar, but a tunnel that had been dug years ago. The wood shoring it up had started to collapse. There was dust on the floor, and three sets of footprints stood out starkly.
“I doubt anyone’s used this tunnel for a long time before today,” Short said.
They followed it until it ended at another staircase. The second step had recently broken beneath someone’s weight.
“Let’s hope the sonofabitch broke his leg,” Butler said.
“Either one of them.”
They went up the stairs, mindful of the fact that another step could also give way. They came to a door, opened it, and stepped into what appeared to be a storeroom.
“How far did we walk?” Short asked.
“A hundred yards or so.”
They moved across the storeroom into the store proper. Empty shelves, a dusty counter. They were in a shop that had been closed up a long time.
“I don’t get it,” Short said. “Why take Mrs. Newman with them?”
“As a hostage?” Butler suggested. “Or to use as a shield?”
“Even I don’t think Al Newman is that much of a sonofabitch,” Short said.
“Maybe she’s the brains,” Butler said.
“Yeah, I’d believe that.”
They had to force the front door to get outside. They found themselves on a block of stores right around the corner from the residential neighborhood where the Newman house was. When they turned and looked to see where they had come from, they saw a sign that read: NEWMAN’S HARDWARE.
“Newman’s a lawyer. Was his father in hardware?” Butler asked.
“I don’t know,” Short said. “Does it matter? We’ve lost Sutherland, and Courtwright’s going to be comin’ for us with an army of deputies. Why don’t you just mount up and ride out, Butler?”
“Save myself, you mean?”
“Yeah.”
“Can’t do that, Luke.”
“Why the hell not? I would, if I wasn’t knee-deep in the White Elephant.”
“Sell out to Ward.”
“I don’t want to sell out,” Short said. “I bought in for a reason.”
“Well, I can’t just ride out, so let’s figure something out.”
Short looked at his suit, which was now covered with dust from the tunnel.
“Let’s get back,” he said. “I want to wash up and change. I’d like to be clean when we face whatever’s coming.”
CHAPTER 58
They went back to the White Elephant, had baths, changed their clothes, and met in the dining room. Short had decided he not only wanted to face what was coming while clean, but also with a steak in his belly. They both ordered a sirloin with all the trimmings. That was when Bill Ward found them.
“I’ve been looking all over for you two,” Ward said, seating himself at their table. “Tell me what’s going on with Al Newman?”
“Do you really want to know” Short asked.
“I asked, didn’t I?”
Short looked at Butler who shrugged, giving him th
e floor. Short told Ward everything they knew, and everything they thought they knew.
“Jesus,” Ward said, “are you sure about all of this?”
“No doubt.”
“Well, I know Newman’s father did have a hardware store,” Ward said.
“Great,” Butler said, “now tell us why he’d get mixed up with someone like Sutherland, and why he’d drag his own wife into it?”
“I don’t know,” Ward said, frowning. “The sheriff was here looking for you two. He had half a dozen deputies with him. I’m getting the feeling you should turn yourselves in. Luke, let him lay out his evidence against you in a court of law.”
“Courtwright will make sure Luke never gets to court,” Butler said.
“He just wants to run you out of town, Butler,” Ward said. “Why not let him do it?”
“I’ll let him do it, all right,” Butler said, “as soon as we finish with Sutherland and Newman.”
“Well…”
“Bill, do you know something?” Short asked.
“Nothing definite,” Ward said, “but if Al Newman has kept his father’s shop closed up all these years, he might have also kept his father’s house.”
“And you know just where that is, don’t you?” Butler asked.
Ward looked at both of them and nodded.
“This is some big old house,” Sutherland said. “Why keep it boarded up? Why not live in it instead of that smaller one you’re in?”
“It was my father’s,” Newman said. “Not mine to live in.”
“Albert,” Helen Newman said, “I insist you make this man go away.”
“Ma’am,” Sutherland asked, “just what is it you don’t like about me?”
“I don’t like the way you act, the way you look,” she said, “and I most assuredly do not like the way you smell.”
“Yeah,” Sutherland said, with a laugh, “but other than that?”
“Sutherland, I think my wife is right,” Newman said. “I think perhaps you should stay the night here, and then be on your way.”
“On my way where?”
“Well…leave town.”
“Why would I leave Fort Worth?” Sutherland asked. “I like it here.”
“Well, the law…”
“The law’s not lookin’ for me,” Sutherland said. “They’re lookin’ for Luke Short, and for Butler.”
“Then why not let the law have them?”
“Because I want them,” Sutherland said. “Those two have been up my ass for too long. It’s because of them I had to kill Cramer and Zeke. It’s because of them the Bloody Spur is boarded up.”
“You…are a murderer?” Helen Newman said, shocked.
“Aw, Ma’am,” Sutherland asked, “what did you think I was?”
CHAPTER 59
“Here we are again,” Short said.
They were outside the house on Pennsylvania Avenue where Al Newman’s father had lived and, presumably, Newman himself had grown up.
“They’ve got to be inside,” Butler said. “Sutherland’s got no place else to go.”
“He can go home,” Luke Short pointed out. “The law’s not lookin’ for him, they’re lookin’ for us.”
“Okay,” Butler said. “Let’s knock, this time. They’re not expecting us.”
“Fine,” Short said, “we’ll walk right up to the front door and knock.”
When the knock came at the door, Sutherland looked to Newman.
“Who knows we’re here?”
“No one.”
“You sent for the law before, for Short and Butler,” Sutherland said. “How do I know that ain’t the law at the door for me?”
“Like you said,” Newman pointed out, “the law isn’t looking for you.”
Sutherland moved to Helen Newman’s side, grabbed her arm and pulled his gun.
“Hey, there’s no need—”
“Find out who it is,” he said to the lawyer, “and get rid of them.”
When Newman opened the door and saw Butler and Short standing there he said, “He’s inside. He has a gun on Helen.”
“Tell him to come out,” Short said. “Tell him we’ll do it, just him and me. After all, that’s what he wants.”
“Luke—” Butler started.
“Just tell him, Newman.”
Newman went back into the house, leaving the door open.
“Should we go in?” Butler asked.
“Let’s wait,” Short said. “Let’s just give him what he wants and get this over with.”
When Newman reappeared in the doorway, Sutherland was behind him, still holding Helen.
“Sonofabitch,” he said. “It is you.”
“Come on, Sutherland,” Short said. “Let’s get this over with so I can get back to my life.”
“What about you?” the man asked Butler. “You just gonna watch?”
“Yep,” Butler said, “and if you kill Luke, you’ll have your try at me.”
Sutherland frowned.
“How do I know this is on the up and up?” he asked. “What if I step out there and you both gun me?”
“You have my word,” Short said.
“And you?” Sutherland asked Butler.
“My word, too,” Butler said. “We just want to end this.”
“So do I,” Sutherland said. “I can’t find anybody good enough to send after you two, so I might as well just do it myself.”
Butler looked at Newman.
“You got a gun on you?”
“No.”
“In the house?”
“No.”
“If you come up with a gun,” Butler said, “I’ll kill you.”
“I have no gun.”
“Okay, then,” Short said, “can we get this under way?
“Back up, both of you,” Sutherland said. “Down the stairs. Butler, you stand off to the right where I can see you.”
Butler and Short did as they were told. Butler moved off to the right, wondering if they should have gotten his word that he wouldn’t try to kill them while standing behind Newman’s wife.
“Counselor,” Sutherland said, “here. You take your wife.”
He pushed Helen Newman toward her husband, who caught her.
“As my lawyer, am I in any trouble after I kill these two?”
“Not with us as witnesses that it was a fair fight both times.”
“I won’t say—” Helen Newman started.
“Shut up, Helen!” Newman snapped.
“That ain’t no way to talk to your wife, Al,” Sutherland said, and stepped down off the porch.
CHAPTER 60
Sutherland holstered his gun, pointed at Butler.
“Now you stand your ground, gambler.”
“I’m waiting my turn, Sutherland,” Butler said, “but don’t think I’ll be getting it.”
“You got that much confidence in your friend, here?” Sutherland asked.
“You know Luke Short’s reputation,” Butler said. “What do you think?”
“You’re a gamblin’ man,” Sutherland said. “How much money you got in your wallet right now?”
“A couple of thousand.”
“That much?” Sutherland was impressed.
“Like you said, I’m a gambler.”
“You willin’ to put that much money on your friend?” Sutherland asked. “I’ll match it. If I kill ’im, you pay me before we face off.”
“I’m right here,” Luke Short said. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not right here.”
“That’s a bet.”
“You heard him, Counselor,” Sutherland said. “We got a bet.”
“I heard him.”
“Let’s do it, Short.”
“They’re betting their lives?” Helen said to her husband.
“They’re gamblers, Helen.”
“And this is what you aspire to, Albert?”
“All my life,” he said. “My father would never let me.”
“And I held you back, too?”
“Yes.”
“I suppose I don’t really know you at all, do I?”
“No,” Newman said. “I suppose not.”
Butler had the urge to simply draw and fire, killing Sutherland where he stood. Why play it fair? He’d already tried to ambush, or have them ambushed, several times. Why should they play fair with him?
What if he really was good enough to kill Luke Short?
Short pushed back the flap of his coat, transferred his cane to his left hand.
“For such a little man,” Sutherland said to the diminutive gambler, “killin’ you is sure gonna make me a big one.”
“You might kill me, Sutherland,” Short said, “but you’re never going to be a big man.”
“I guess we’ll see.”
“Not if you don’t stop talkin’.”
Sutherland laughed and went for his gun…
To Butler it happened within a split second. Sutherland’s move was like lightning, and yet by the time he had his gun in his hand, Luke Short had already shot him once. He added a second bullet for good measure. Both shots hit Sutherland in the chest, around his heart, and could have been covered by a palm.
Butler walked to where Short was standing over the man’s body. Short kicked the man’s gun away, replaced his spent shells with live ones, and holstered his own weapon.
“He had a helluva move,” he said.
“Yep,” Butler said.
“You know,” Luke Short said, “after all we’ve been through, it wasn’t much of an ending.”
“At least it’s over, though.”
“We’ll have to explain it to the law.”
“We have witnesses,” Butler said.
“Do you think Newman will back us?”
While Luke Short and Butler watched, Al Newman turned to his wife, guided her inside, and closed the door behind them.
“I think she will,” Butler said.
“And what about him?” Short asked. “What happens to him?”
“I’m still not sure what his part in all of this was,” Butler said, “but like you said, he won’t be playing in any of your games anymore.”
“Nope.”
Short used his cane to nudge Sutherland’s body just once, then looked at Butler.
“Guess you’ll be leavin’.”
“As soon as we get the loose ends cleared up, get you straight with the law.”
“Hey, that bet you made on me? The two thousand?”
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