Scarlet Sunset, Silver Nights

by Leigh Greenwood

  “Now who’d want to do a thing like that?” the marshall asked. He knew Slade was up to something and he became very alert.

  “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”

  “Try me.”

  “Let me try you with something else first. Would you like to know what’s been going on these last few months?”

  “Everybody would.”

  “Okay. Some time back, one man looked around him and saw two million acres of grazing land, the best of it owned by Josh White, and asked himself how he could get it for himself.”

  “And what did he decide?”

  “Probably that it couldn’t be done. So things remained real quiet until Mongo came in with his herds and gave him the opening he needed.”

  “I was wondering when you’d get to Mongo.” His disgust showed how little credence he put in Slade’s words.

  “Oh, he’s not the man, just the pawn.”

  “Mongo, a pawn?” The marshall became interested again.

  “He didn’t know it. In fact, if I hadn’t known Mongo’s type so well, I might never have realized there were two people at work here.”

  “Two?”

  “Yes. The real villain was here long before Mongo arrived.”

  The marshall didn’t know what to say, so he said, “Go on.”

  “Mongo’s herds put pressure on everybody. All the ranchers had reason to want to be rid of him just as he had reason to want to be rid of them. When he started paying court to Pamela, they realized he didn’t mean to leave. Everyone could also see his real objective was the Bar Double-B.”

  “But Mongo’s not a killer.”

  “I agree with you. He’s not above burning a barn or two, shooting at cowhands, branding mavericks, or swimming his herds across the river, but he’s no murderer. The other man is. He knew why Josh White was going to Santa Fe. That was his chance. He followed him, and because Josh knew him, he got close enough to kill him. He buried the body and the horse because he didn’t want them found until much later, if ever.”

  Slade paused. The marshall waited patiently.

  “I imagine he planned to sit back and see what Mongo did. About that time I arrived on the scene and made things even easier. Mongo tried to bum the barn and brand mavericks. I got into a fight with him and dared anybody to put their cows on Bar Double-B land. Everything was all set for an explosion at the roundup.”

  “Why didn’t it come off?”

  “Me again. First day there, I saw six men, one from each crew, talking together under a tree. They were obviously meeting secretly, and that started me thinking there might be more to this than Mongo, that somebody was wanting to cause trouble for everybody. I made sure I was never out of sight of at least two people, and I made Pamela stay in camp. That way he couldn’t do anything to us, or to somebody else and blame it on us.”

  “Then who shot Mongo?”

  “He did. It was a desperate attempt to start trouble. My cinch is loose,” Slade said and pulled up. “I need to tighten it.”

  “Don’t be fool enough to try anything,” the marshall said.

  “What could I do on foot without cover?” Slade asked as he dismounted, his tone openly sarcastic.

  “You never know.”

  Slade started to readjust his cinch and the marshall relaxed.

  “What was your villain planning next?”

  “To get rid of me. I was supposed to stay just long enough to start trouble. Either I was to be killed, blamed for a killing, or drift on. When Pamela and I fell in love, it changed everything.”

  “Is that why you said you’d be killed if you went with me?”

  Slade stopped pulling on the cinch and rested both his hands on the saddle where the marshall could see them.

  “There never was anybody in Brazos named Ben Warren. Somebody’s set me up.”

  “Then you are the man they’re looking for.”

  “What name did this fella give me?”

  “Slade Morgan. What else?”

  “My real name is Billy Wilson. That’s what anybody who grew up with me would have called me. They might have told you I was calling myself something else now, but they would have asked for Billy Wilson.”

  “Did you kill those men?”

  “They were trying to kill me. I had some money, quite a lot as it happens, and they seemed to think they’d enjoy spending it more than I would. They killed an innocent kid and dynamited the soddy where I was hiding.”

  “If you’re so almighty good with a gun, how come you didn’t kill them first thing?”

  “They knew me and stayed out of sight. It took me four days to get the three of them. In the meantime, Joe died.”

  “If what you say is true, then why the warrant?”

  “Their father is a judge. Their uncle is the sheriff. There were no witnesses. Their sister told them about the money. Now you see why you have to let me go.”

  “I see you’re in a heap of trouble, son, but there are some serious charges to be answered. If what you say is true …”

  “They’ll hang me in Brazos. I probably won’t even get a trial.”

  “Hurry up and finish with that cinch,” the marshall said irritably. He wanted to believe Slade, but when you looked at everything he said in a critical light, it had to be the most preposterous farrago of lies he had ever heard.

  “I’m done,” Slade said, and suddenly the marshall noticed the gun in his hand. “I’m sorry you forced me to do this, but I can’t go any farther with you.”

  “Shoot me, son, and you’ll be in even worse trouble.”

  “I don’t plan to shoot you, but if you force me, let me warn you I can disable your shooting hand and hardly break the skin. It’s obvious you don’t believe a thing I’ve said, so I’m going to have to prove it to you.”

  “Do you know who’s responsible?”

  “I didn’t before, but I do now. It’s the same man who hid this pistol under my saddle.”

  “Do you take me for a fool? That must have been Dave’s doing, misguided though it was. He’s the most loyal foreman any man ever had.”

  “That’s probably what Josh White thought, and it got him killed.”

  “Then why should he help you? If Pamela’s going to marry you, he’ll lose the ranch in the end.”

  “This gun opens up all kinds of possibilities. You could kill me as I try to escape. That would end the trouble, but the way I shoot, I could kill you. That would also end the trouble because I would really be guilty of murder this time and I would have to leave Arizona. Not totally satisfactory because I’m bound to want to see Pamela again. I’d most certainly try to get back to the ranch, or at least convince her to meet me. I’d be a fugitive. They could shoot me with the law’s blessing.”

  “She’d be a fool to meet her father’s killer.”

  “But I didn’t kill Josh White, and Pamela believes me.”

  “The more fool she.”

  “Don’t ever call Pamela a fool. And if you want to be worthy of that badge, learn never to discount the intuition of a truly good woman. I imagine Dave’s men are already on the lookout for me. It might not be too difficult to kill me, especially if my attention is on something else. For your information, I don’t think Dave Bagshot’s ambition is limited to Josh White’s ranch. The other ranchers have been having their men shot at, their range overrun with strange cows. Start a range war where all the ranchers are somehow killed, and Dave could step in and take over. But there’s no point in going on. You clearly don’t believe me….”

  “I certainly don’t.”

  “… so I’m going to have to come up with the proof myself. I’m afraid I can’t do that from inside your jail. I’d find it even more difficult from the inside of a pine box.”

  “Don’t waste your breath telling me how anxious you are to find proof against Dave. You’ll be in California before the week’s out.”

  “You know, for a man who’s been a successful marshall for close to twenty years, eith
er you don’t know much about people or you’ve drawn a complete miss on Pamela and me. I killed those men because they tried to kill me first, but I’m through running now. I love Pamela. I mean to marry her and raise a family. And I mean to do it right here.”

  “This is no way to begin, escaping from an officer of the law at the point of a gun.”

  “You give me no choice. It wouldn’t do either Pamela or me any good for you to tell her you were wrong about me when you came out to tell her somebody shot me dead in my cell.”

  “I can protect you.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I’d still have no proof of my innocence or Dave’s guilt. And nobody knows everything I know. I didn’t even tell Pamela because I wasn’t sure until I found that gun.”

  “That’s pretty slim evidence.”

  “It’s as much as you’ve got on me, but I don’t have time to give you the rest of it. He may be waiting for us along the trail. That’s one man I don’t trust. I have a feeling he shoots nearly as well as I do. Now I don’t like to do this, but I’m going to have to ask you to step out of the saddle and give me your guns.”

  “What kind of man are you to take a man’s horse and guns and leave him in the desert?”

  “I need to make sure I get away, and I don’t want you shooting at me from behind. I’m going to leave your horse a little ways down the trail, just far enough to make sure you don’t follow me. I may leave your guns too. I haven’t made up my mind about that yet.”

  “You realize that by doing this, you have made yourself an outlaw in the eyes of every law-abiding citizen in the territory,” Marshall Alcott said. “They’ll all be out to find you.”

  “By that time I hope to have enough evidence to show you that you were wrong.”

  “Look, young man, why don’t you give me back my gun and go with me quietly? I’m right fond of Pamela, and I’d hate to see her in trouble. According to what you say, she’s smack dab in the middle of a great bunch of it. I promise to look into these charges of yours.”

  “I can’t take that chance. You’d probably let Dave sweet-talk you into thinking everything I’ve told you is a lie. Up until now, he’s been too smart for me. If he hadn’t left that gun under my saddle, I still wouldn’t be sure he was the one. You’ll be more likely to trust him than me. And if you decided to take me back to Texas … No, I think I’d rather have things in my own hands. Now give me your guns. And remember, in case you get any ideas, I can shoot your watch off and never scratch your skin.”

  “You’re making a big mistake.”

  “I made my mistake when I didn’t turn away from the Bar Double-B. After that, everything else was in the hands of Fate.”

  “I’ll get terrible blisters if I have to walk far,” Marshall Alcott called out as Slade started his horses forward.

  Slade laughed unexpectedly. “Next time you come out to the ranch, ask Pamela about my feet when I walked into her valley.”

  “Damned fool boy,” Alcott muttered as he started walking. “And I liked him, too. How does he expect anybody to believe such a cock-and-bull story, especially with him running away like that? And without a shred of evidence either. Dave Bagshot’s never done a suspicious thing in his whole life.”

  But the Marshall wasn’t so sure of that when, a short time later, Dave came riding up unexpectedly. Instead of coming down the trail from the ranch, he emerged from the low hills. Alcott looked up at those boulder-strewn slopes and felt a deep scowl between his eyes. He knew that a few miles farther, those slopes closed in on the trail. He didn’t like the idea that came to his mind, but in light of what Slade had said, it made sense. Anyone hidden up there would have a perfect shot at a passing rider.

  “What happened, Marshall?” Dave asked. “Where’s Slade?”

  “Morgan had him an extra gun. Caught me by surprise.”

  “He take your horse, too?”

  “Said he’d leave it up ahead. Didn’t want me following him too soon.”

  “When did all this happen?” Dave scanned the horizon as though he hoped to catch a glimpse of Slade disappearing over a ridge.

  “Barely half hour ago. Too late to go after him now. You mind giving me a ride? These boots are killing my feet.”

  Dave gave him a hand up. The marshall got the feeling Dave wanted to leave him on the trail, but he was soon settled behind the young man.

  “What are you doing out this way?”

  “I was on my way to meet Sid. When I saw you walking, I knew something was wrong.”

  Alcott didn’t know why he didn’t tell him that Slade said Dave had left him that gun. He hadn’t done anything really suspicious, but Dave’s showing up just as Slade had said he would was too pat. Maybe he was a fool for not trusting a man who in five years had given him no reason to distrust him, but Alcott decided to keep Slade’s confidences to himself for the time being.

  “You ought to leave here this minute and not stop until you reach Baltimore,” Belva was telling Pamela. “With all this shooting and killing going on, there’s no telling what’ll happen next.”

  “I can’t leave Slade,” Pamela said, hardly aware of the young woman’s words. Slade and the marshall had only been gone for thirty minutes, but she was crazy with worry. What were they going to do to him? She wasn’t worried about Mongo and Jud’s accusations, but suppose this Ben Warren identified him as the man from Brazos? Would Marshall Alcott insist upon sending him back to Texas?

  “That man’s been taking care of himself for a long time. And if I’m any judge, hell get himself out of this scrape, too. It’ll take more than your marshall to hold him in a jail. It’s yourself you ought to be worried about.”

  “But I’m not in any danger. It’s Slade the sheriff arrested.”

  “Why are you so stubborn?” Belva asked, her voice rising in frustration. “Didn’t you hear what that man of yours said?”

  “What do you mean?” Pamela demanded.

  “Nobody cares about Slade, not really. They’re after this ranch. Your father’s dead. There’s only one thing keeping any man who wants this place from riding in here and claiming it. You. Nothing else. I heard Slade tell you that time and time again.”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “Somebody wants this place, and they mean to have it one way or the other. If they have to kill you to get it, they will.”

  “But I can’t leave. This is all I have. I do know enough to realize that a poor woman is a forgotten woman, especially in the East.”

  “If you insist on trying to keep this place, go to Santa Fe and hire some gunfighters to hold it for you. But you stay away. There’s going to be a fight soon, and a lot of people are going to be dead when it’s over.”

  “How do you know all this?” Pamela demanded, aware that Belva knew more than she was telling. “If you know anything about what’s happening to Slade, tell me.”

  “You don’t ever listen, do you?” Belva said, completely out of patience. “It’s not Slade they’re after. It’s you! It’s your ranch.”

  “Who is they? Tell me if you know.”

  “I don’t know nothing for sure,” Belva replied.

  At first Pamela thought she was merely sulking, but then she realized she saw fear in the girl’s eyes. Suddenly she remembered Slade’s words. “Who are you afraid of, Belva?”

  “I don’t know no names,” the girl insisted, “but I do hear things. Dave and the other boys, they talk around me without watching what they say. There’s going to be a fight soon. A big one.”

  “What do you mean? Is it Mongo?”

  “It’s everybody. When it’s over, all the ranchers will be dead.”

  Pamela felt a chill of fear course through her. “And then?”

  “One man will have everything. He’ll have you, too.”

  “Who, Belva? Who is this man?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied. She started to back away.

  “You do know.” Pamela grabbed her by the arm. “I’m no
t going to let you go until you tell me.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can. And you’re going to tell me. Slade’s life may depend on it. I don’t really care about the rest of the ranchers, or the ranch if it comes to that. All I care about is Slade, and you’re going to tell me if I have to beat it out of you.”

  “You won’t hurt me because you’re too soft. But he would. He’d beat me to death if I whispered one word. That’s why I’m leaving.”

  “But what about the baby?”

  “It’s because of the baby I’m going. I don’t care much for myself. I ain’t never been worth much, but I want things to be different for my baby. I found me somebody who’ll care for me and it. He doesn’t. He only wants to use us.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  A smile of affection momentarily banished Belva’s haunted expression. “I like you, Miss White. You got spunk, but you’re in too deep. Leave. Let your man handle it. He’ll find you when it’s over.”

  “I can’t. I’ve got to be here when he comes back.”

  “Then you’re a fool, and I can’t do nothing for you.”

  And with that declaration, Belva marched out of the house.

  Chapter 21

  Slade stared down at his cup of coffee. Once again he found himself driven out into the wilderness, a fugitive from justice. It hardly mattered whether the charges were just. By now there probably wasn’t anybody but Pamela who believed in his innocence. You can’t be called a killer but so many times before people start to believe what they hear.

  Escaping from the marshall was bad enough, but he could have gotten around that. The accusation that he shot Mongo was more difficult, but it was the warrant and the offer of a huge reward that could turn him into a permanent fugitive and destroy any chance he had of building a life with Pamela. With a thousand dollars riding on his head, it was only a matter of time before some sharp-shooting bounty hunter would come looking for him. Even the Bar Double-B crew might be tempted by that much money.

  And then there were the people anxious to make a reputation by killing a famous gunman. That reward alone would make him famous. There couldn’t be more than two or three outlaws in the entire West with that kind of price on their heads. This guy claiming to be Ben Warren might be an outlaw himself, one who was clever enough to have the marshall do his looking for him. It didn’t seem there was any way he was going to escape being Billy Wilson.