Love Child
Page 16
Then I want to thank my faithful beta readers. This group of incredible people read this book before others and make suggestions and corrections that make this a better book. This group includes: Teresa and Phil Lauer, Richard Barnes, Philip Placzek, Chris Bryan, and Michael Porter. Thanks so much for your helpful suggestions! (If you are interested in being a beta reader, please email me directly at Roy@TopWesterns.com.)
Once again, I have borrowed the names of friends and family members for this story. Snookey Moore has been a friend for more than twenty years. I had a good time envisioning him as the pistol-packing judge. The sheriff of Laredo has the name of my grandson JD Lasiter.
And Amelia Carpenter, a relatively new friend, has a classic name from the old west so I couldn’t resist borrowing it for this book. I wrote much of one of the previous books on a tour bus as Amelia along with my wife and I enjoyed sightseeing on a trip to Spain and Portugal. Unlike the character in the book, she is happily married and is not a schoolmarm.
Joseph Cotulla was the founder of the city that bears his name. His character is portrayed as historically accurate. A favorite eating-place in Cotulla is Uncle Mo’s Cafe. While I have not met Uncle Mo, my wife and I did enjoy a wonderful meal there with local residents. I borrowed his name for the cook on Cotulla’s ranch, known as “the most popular man on the ranch” because of his great cooking.
While I never met Ruby, I did meet the inspiration for her character on a research trip to south Texas. She is portrayed exactly as she presented herself to us at a little hamburger stand in a small city (that will remain unnamed) in south Texas. My wife and I talked about what a wonderful and unique character she was for the next hundred miles.
Etta Mae is the name of my paternal grandmother who died before I was born.
For readers who are not fortunate enough to have been born in or now live in Texas, I would encourage you to get to Texas as soon as you can. Pick a city, rent a car, and drive out into the most beautiful country God has created. Stop in all of the small towns and enjoy the local color, along with the local eateries. Find out about the history of the town and get to know some of the residents. However, I must warn you; if you do this, you do so at your own peril. You may find yourself quitting your job and moving to Texas. Not that your move would be a bad thing. Just be aware, your trek to our great state comes with a wonderful unintended consequence.
I’m always glad to hear from readers. You may email me at Roy@TopWesterns.com. I make it a point to answer every letter. Please be patient if it takes me a few days to respond. I may be on a writing retreat or traveling but I will reply.
The next book in the Midnight Marauder series will be released soon. The title is Bad to the Bone. You may read a preview on the next few pages.
Bad to the Bone
Preface
May 1874
Bandera, Texas
Please don’t hurt my husband anymore.” Thelma Jamison watched in horror as Butch “the Butcher” Granger stomped on her husband’s hand. Jack Jamison shrieked as he pulled back his mangled paw.
When Granger talked, his top lip was pulled back exposing his teeth. He appeared to have a permanent smile. His hair was gray and he wore long sideburns. While he didn’t wear a beard, he did have a week’s worth of whiskers that caused his face to appear dirty. Granger had big ears that stuck out from his head giving him an elf-like presence. His ample gut hung over his belt completely obscuring the buckle. Wide suspenders attached to his trousers accomplishing the herculean task of keeping his pants up.
“Where is it? I know you have gold hidden on your ranch. Everybody knows it. Old man you better tell me now. I’m runnin’ out of patience.”
“We don’t have no gold mister. I’m just a worn-out old farmer. I ain’t never had more than fifty dollars to my name.”
“Everyone in Bandera knows you’re rich. You’ve been sittin’ on a pile of gold all your life. Now where is it?” Granger took off Jamison’s belt and looped it around Jack’s other hand and dragged him roughly across the room. Thelma ran to her husband’s aid and tried to pull the belt away from Granger. Butch pushed the elderly woman to the ground. As he stood over her, he took his six gun from its holster, pulled back the hammer and shot Thelma in the middle of her forehead. Jack cried out and tried to crawl to his wife.
“Thelma! Thelma! What have you done mister? Why did you shoot Thelma?”
“You better tell me where your gold is or I’ll kill you too.”
Jamison let out loud wails as he looked at his dead wife. “All right. I’ll tell you. There’s a little strongbox buried in the barn. Please don’t hurt me no more.”
“Show me. Get up old man and show me where you have your gold.”
Jack Jamison wiped his eyes as he stood. He walked over to the body of his wife and bent to kiss her. Granger savagely kicked the old man to the ground.
“I said show me where you buried the gold.” Granger grabbed the belt and started dragging the old man out of the house.
“Please mister, let me walk. I’ll show you where I it’s buried.”
Jamison got to his feet and staggered off of the porch and across the yard to the barn. He walked to the back of the barn and pointed to a barrel. “I buried it under this here barrel.”
“So dig it up.” Granger found a shovel and threw it at the feet of the old farmer.
Jamison used his uninjured hand to roll the barrel out of the way and began digging. After a few minutes, Granger lost patience with the slow progress, grabbed the shovel, and pushed Jamison to the ground. Granger dug down a little over two feet when the shovel struck the box containing the gold. After a few minutes later, Granger had freed the box from its hiding place. When he dragged it out of the hole, he opened it and found it filled with gold coins. On closer inspection, Granger realized the coins were all Double Eagles with dates from 1849 to 1866.
“How many you got?” asked Granger as he lifted out a handful of the Liberty Head coins.
“There are five hundred in that box and a few more in the cookie jar in the kitchen. That’s over ten thousand dollars mister. You can have it if you will just ride away and leave me in peace.”
“I can have it all right because it’s mine now. And I’ll be riding away just as soon as I put the gold in my saddlebags.”
Granger pulled his gun from its holster and pulled back the hammer. With a sinister grin, he shot Jack Jamison twice in the chest. Granger retrieved his saddle bags, emptied them of the supplies he carried, and divided the gold coins between them. He guessed each bag weighed a little over fifteen pounds. Granger looked through the discarded supplies and retrieved the two sticks of dynamite he kept for what he called “special occasions.” He walked to the house lit the fuse on both sticks, threw them inside and ran back to the barn.
The explosion was deafening but Granger was not worried about being caught. He knew the closest ranch house was a couple of miles away. Even if someone heard the blast he knew he would be long gone before anyone showed up at the ranch.
Butch Granger grew up in Bandera and was known for his cruelty. When he was only five years old, the marshal rode out to his parent’s ranch and saw young Butch hacking up a dog with a long knife. The marshal swung down to scold the boy and discovered the remains of another dog. Granger’s parents laughed it off when the marshal told them of their son’s actions. “Boys will be boys” was all his father said.
No one recalls Butch’s given name. When he started school, the other kids called him The Butcher because of his fondness for killing pets. They eventually shortened it to Butch. The moniker stuck. Butch liked the name and the reaction of people when they found out about his fondness for murdering small animals.
Granger left town when he was fifteen. His parents died in a fire that was of suspicious origin. It was assumed Butch started the fire but no one knew for certain. As far as anyone knew, Butch Granger never again came to Bandera until he killed the Jamison’s, blew up their home, and rode away with
their life savings.
END OF PREVIEW