The RECKONING: A Jess Williams Western

by Robert J. Thomas

  “Damn right! What the hell you think we came in here for?” one of them said. The other one laughed, revealing the four teeth he had left.

  The other man spoke in a sarcastic tone and said, “We came in for a drink, so why don’t you go get us two whiskeys?”

  “We don’t serve drinks in here, just food,” she replied nervously.

  “If we wanted whiskey, we would have gone to the saloon. But we wanted something to eat, so we came in here; and you ask us if we came in here to get something to eat. See how dumb a question that is? That’s why they shouldn’t let people like you work in a public place. Now, get us two plates of grub and hurry it up, bitch!” barked the first man.

  Becca was standing there speechless. She was just about to open her mouth when Jess, without looking up from his meal or even looking over at the two men said in a soft voice, “Becca, why don’t you go wait on a different table, since it seems these two men don’t seem to know what they want yet.”

  Becca gave the two men a look of contempt as she walked over to another table and continued to stare at the two men like everyone else in the place. Jess kept eating slowly and the two men were so surprised they were dumbfounded for a few seconds. They looked at each other and figured the odds were two against one so they felt somewhat daring.

  “Mister, this ain’t your business,” said the first man nastily.

  “Yeah, you’d be better off if you’d just keep eating your grub and keep your nose out of other people’s business,” said the second man. Jess still did not look up at either of the two men. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a silver dollar. He threw it over onto the men’s table, still not looking up at them and continuing to eat as if nothing was happening. The silver dollar spun around for a few seconds, both of the men watching it spin, and then it fell flat on the table.

  “What the hell is this for?” asked the second man.

  “You said you wanted two whiskeys, didn’t you?” replied Jess, still not looking up.

  “No, you dumb-ass!” hollered the second man. “What we said was we wanted something to eat. Mister, you’re as dumb as that woman over there.”

  Still not looking up at the men, Jess said in a firm, quite voice, “That very nice lady over there happens to be a friend of mine. She has a name and it’s not what you’ve called her. Now, I suggest you pick up that dollar and go buy yourselves some whiskey at one of the local saloons while you still can. I’m not going to spoil my meal by eating in the same room as you two idiots.” The two men stood up and they were pissed. Jess watched them out of the corner of his eye. He knew from the start these two were just talkers and he wasn’t one bit worried.

  “And just who the hell are you to tell us what we will or won’t do, mister!” hollered the first man.

  “The name is Jess Williams,” he stated bluntly. Both men stiffened like oak trees on a windless day. They heard of Jess Williams since they had come to town this morning. Neither of them spoke for what seemed like a whole minute. Jess still never looked up from his meal.

  “Uh…we’re sorry Mr. Williams,” said the second man. “We didn’t mean no harm. We ain’t looking for no trouble, especially with you.” The second man picked up the silver dollar and put it in his pocket.

  “Thanks for the whiskey,” said the second man. Both men started to walk out when they both stopped dead in their tracks as they heard Jess speak up again. “You two forget something?” They knew exactly what Jess meant without asking. They both looked over at Becca and with their eyes down to the floor they both apologized sincerely.

  “We’re mighty sorry, ma’am. We won’t ever bother you again,” the first man said.

  Becca said nothing. She simply looked at the two men with disgust. She was satisfied enough at the fact Jess had stuck up for her. No one, except her husband, had ever done that before. She walked over to Jess and put her hand on his shoulder as the two men left the café.

  “I can’t tell you what that meant to me, Mr. Williams,” said a sincere Becca. “No one’s ever done something like that for me before. Being a black woman ain’t easy.” Jess quickly looked up at Becca with a surprised look on his face.

  “Earl is a black man?” he asked in a serious voice. Becca was startled for a moment until she saw Jess smile a big smile. Becca slapped Jess on his shoulder and laughed.

  “So you do have a sense of humor under all that hatred you got bottled up inside you,” laughed Becca. “You had me going for a second or two.”

  “Well, I don’t see black or white when I look at you, Becca. What I see is a friend and a nice person. I like you and that’s all that counts.”

  “You sure ain’t like most people I ever met, Mr. Williams,” Becca said.

  “Judging by the likes of those two idiots who just left here, I hope not,” he said, as he finished up with his plate of food. “Now, what are the chances of me getting me a second helping?”

  “For you, all you want, anytime you want,” she replied with a proud look. “And thank you again.”

  Jess finished up his second helping of food while everyone else in the place seemed to be watching him. When he finished up, he placed two ten dollar gold pieces next to his plate and left before Becca got back to his table. He knew she would refuse to accept the money from him. Jess went back to the hotel and got a pretty good night’s rest. In the morning he stopped in to thank the sheriff one more time and headed for the livery to get Gray. Earl had him all saddled up and ready to go.

  “Mr. Williams, I sure do want to thank you for what you did for my Becca yesterday,” said earl with a thankful look on his face. “She told me all about it.”

  “I don’t stand for any man picking on a woman,” he replied. “It makes my blood boil.”

  “All the same, you sure made some friends here and that’s a fact,” he said with meaning. “You ever need something, you call on old Earl, you hear?”

  “I’ll certainly remember that,” he said.

  “Oh, and Becca said to stop by the café on your way out,” he added. “She’s got something she wants to show you.”

  Jess climbed up in the saddle and headed out of town for Red Rock. As he came up to the café, there was Becca in the most beautiful yellow, flowered dress. She was standing in front of the door of the café and just beaming at him.

  “I wanted you to see what I bought with some of that money you left me yesterday,” she said, a wide smile washing across her face. “You sure didn’t have to do that. You already did enough for us.”

  "Becca, just seeing how lovely you look in that dress was worth it all,” Jess said smiling. “You take care of yourself and my friend, Earl.”

  “I sure will, Mr. Williams, and thank you so much for everything. You are sure one person we will never forget.”

  Jess nodded to her and turned his horse around. As he rode past the sheriff’s office, Sheriff A. J. Rubel was standing there and had a look of respect on his face that was a rare thing to see. There weren’t many men he had respect for, but Jess Williams was undeniably one of them. The usual deputy was sitting in the chair next to the sheriff and Jess thought the deputy had a strange look on his face. It was as if he was trying to figure out something about Jess. He shrugged it off, not giving it any more thought.

  ***

  The trail along the way to Red Rock was lonely, but Jess didn’t mind it at all. It gave him plenty of time to think about things and to practice his shooting skills. He stopped in a few towns to get supplies; but whenever he did, he arrived in the morning, got what he needed, and headed straight back out. Usually he spent no more than an hour or two in town, depending on whether or not he wanted a hot bath bad enough. It was a long haul to Red Rock from Largo, and after about six days of riding, he finally arrived at the outskirts. As usual, he camped outside of town, planning to go into Red Rock in the morning. He fried up some potatoes, cooked some beans and then he made some pan bread. He got his bedroll out. As he lay there, sipping hot coffee, he thought abou
t all that had happened up to now. He thought about Taggert and hoped that he was still in Red Rock. He finally dozed off thinking just how he would kill Blake Taggert. He wanted to make him suffer for what he did to his family, especially Samantha. He was sure now that Taggert was the one who raped and killed her. He was sure in his mind that Taggert was the one who committed the murders in Red Rock. Taggert was about to finally pay for his crimes and the cost would be a slow, painful death. Jess fell asleep with a slight smile on his face.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Jess woke a little before daybreak. He was anxious to get to town so all he had was coffee and a piece of leftover pan bread. He figured he could get a good meal once he arrived in Red Rock. He arrived in town about an hour after daybreak and the town was already bustling with activity. He found the first livery and met the stable owner, a young man who seemed to always have a smile on his face.

  “Morning, mister, need to stable your horse?” asked the man. “I got plenty of room and you won’t find a cheaper price in town. I brush each horse down once a day and they get good feed here, not that cheap crap you find at some of the other liveries in town.” Jess noticed that the man was wearing a pistol, which was kind of odd for a stable man.

  “Sounds like this is the place for my horse to be,” implied Jess. “I like to make sure he gets the best feed and if you make sure he gets a little extra feed each day, I’ll throw in an extra dollar tip every day.”

  “You’ve got yourself a deal, mister, and I can sure use the extra money,” the man said. “I just bought this place last month and trying to build up the business isn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be.”

  “I’ve never seen a stable man wear a six-shooter before. You use that thing often?” asked Jess.

  “No, not really,” he replied. “You need to carry a gun around here though, what with all the outlaws and drifters coming in and out of town every day. This place just seems to attract the worst of the lot. Hell, we have a shoot-out just about every night in one of the saloons. I’m pretty good with a pistol ‘cause I practice and all, but I'm no gunslinger. Just figure it might save my life one day as long as I don’t have to go up against someone really fast. Are you a gunslinger? Because if you're not, you sure got a nice pistol,” the stable owner said, as he looked closer at Jess’s odd looking pistol and holster.

  “What’s your name?” asked Jess.

  “Name is Ted Watkins,” replied the man. “Nice to meet you,” he said as he stuck out his hand out to shake.

  “Nice to meet you, Ted,” he said. “My name is Jess Williams.”

  “You don’t say?” asked Ted. “Why hell, I’ve heard of you. They say you’re like greased lightning with that pistol of yours. Are you one of them bounty hunters?”

  “I guess that’s what I seem to be doing so far,” he replied, with somewhat of a puzzled look on his face.

  “Man, I sure wouldn’t want you hunting me,” said Ted. “Who are you looking for here in Red Rock?”

  “The man I’m hunting is the last of three men who killed my family,” he replied in a serious tone. “The man’s name is Blake Taggert.” Ted had a look of surprise on his face.

  “Hell, I know Blake Taggert,” replied Ted. “He stables his horse here sometimes. He always seemed like a pretty nice fellow. His family was murdered when he was just a kid and he took off scared to death when it happened. Now, he’s damn fast with a leg iron. If you plan on taking him on, you’d better be real good with that pistol.”

  “I am,” replied Jess. “Is Taggert still in town?”

  “Actually, he left about a week ago with another man. He should be back any day now. I didn’t like the guy he was riding with though. He seemed like trouble and he weren’t exactly a nice fella, if you get my drift. Real young too, like you. As a matter of fact, he kind of looked like you. Always had something smart to say. Quick with a gun though. I heard he taught Taggert a thing or two and from what I hear he’s quicker than Taggert, if you can believe that.”

  “What was his name?” asked Jess.

  “Don’t know,” replied Ted. “He came into town and only stayed one night. Then, he and Taggert took off and Taggert said he would be back in about a week.”

  “I can wait. Now, how about pointing me in the direction of the sheriff’s office and tell me the best place to get a good meal and a room,” he asked.

  Ted gave him the information he asked for and Jess headed for the hotel first. He figured that since Taggert wasn’t in town right now, he might as well get his room and a meal before paying a visit on the sheriff’s office. He got a room at a place called the Boardman Hotel and a meal at Little’s Eats, which was a perfect name for the place. It only had four tables, but the food was good, hot, and served quickly. While he was eating, a young boy who looked to be about ten years old ran in and went back to the kitchen area. He could hear the kid talk real quick and the kid ran back out the door without even giving Jess more than a quick glance. He finished his meal and headed for the sheriff’s office. The door was open and Jess knocked on the outside wall before entering. He found Sheriff Clancy, a man who looked tired and about in his sixties with more lines in his face than a piece of crumpled paper, sitting behind a rickety old desk. He looked up at Jess but said nothing.

  “Afternoon, Sheriff. My name is Jess Williams and I’m looking for a man by the name of Blake Taggert,” he said. “I hear he’s out of town at the moment, but I hear he’ll be back soon. I was wondering if you could tell me anything about him.”

  “So, you’re that young shooter everyone’s been talking about,” said Sheriff Clancy. “What do you want with Blake Taggert? There isn’t any bounty on his head as far as I know and you sure look like a bounty hunter.”

  “He’s got a bounty on his head, but I’m not worried about it, although I’ll collect it anyway. I’m just looking to kill him,” he said firmly. “He’s the last one left of three men who killed my family back in Black Creek, Kansas.”

  “What happened to the other two?” the sheriff asked, already guessing the answer.

  “They died.”

  “Well, he’s not wanted for any crimes here and he has friends here in Red Rock,” said the sheriff. “They’re not about to just let you shoot him down like some dog.”

  “Any of his friends who get in my way will go down with him,” warned Jess. “That will be their choice, not mine.”

  “Well good luck, son,” he said. “I think you’re making a huge mistake, but a man has to make his own decisions. If I were you, I’d make sure you’ve made your peace with the man upstairs. If Taggert don’t kill you, one of the other gunslingers who run through here might, and there sure ain’t been any shortage of them lately.”

  “Sheriff, I’d like to know where you stand in this matter?” he asked. “Are you planning on getting between me and Taggert?”

  “Hell no,” he said flatly. “You think I got this old by getting in the middle of gunmen hell bent on killing each other? Not me. I just drag out the bodies after it’s over. If it isn’t a fair fight and someone back-shoots someone, I try to arrest him. I’m not getting shot over wearing this tin star, I can tell you that for sure. If they want better law than that, they can get someone else for the job and I’ve told the Mayor exactly that more than a dozen times myself.”

  “I appreciate the honesty, Sheriff.”

  “Just watch your back here,” he warned.

  “Don’t worry about me, Sheriff. I can take care of myself, and luck doesn’t have anything to do with it.” Jess turned to walk out and stopped at the door and turned back around to the sheriff.

  “Sheriff, the man at the stables said Taggert rode out of town with another man,” said Jess. “You know who he is or if you think he’ll throw in with Taggert?”

  “That sumbitch is one big heap of trouble,” replied Sheriff Clancy. “Don’t be messing with him if you can avoid it. He was only here one night and killed one of the locals over a card game. I was in the salo
on when it happened. It was a fair fight, but almost didn’t seem so. That Sloan fella is mighty quick with a pistol, and meaner than a rabid dog.” Jess stiffened a little at the name of Sloan.

  “Sheriff, did you say his name was Sloan?” he asked probingly. “Is that his last name?”

  “I believe so.”

  “Did he say what his first name was?” asked Jess in a serious tone.

  “Jim or Tim, something like that,” he replied. “I can’t remember for sure. Glad he’s gone and I hope he never comes back this way. Don’t know what his business with Taggert is.”

  Jess felt like he had just been hit in the chest with a ten-pound hammer. Could this be his twin brother he had been told about before he left Black Creek? If it was, is he the kind of man that Jess would hunt? What would he do if that were the case? What was he doing with Taggert, and if it was Jess’s brother, did he know that he was riding with one of the men responsible for murdering their mother?

  Jess calmed himself down. It was too much to think about right now. He would just have to play whatever cards were dealt him. If it was his brother, and he came back to town with Taggert, Jess figured he would have to face him and get at the truth. Jess’s subconscious was trying to tell him something, but he wouldn’t let it through. It was too awful of a thought. Jess didn’t say another word. He turned back around and walked out of the sheriff’s office.

  Jess realized that the sheriff would be of no help, but at least he wouldn’t get in the middle of it. He didn’t want to kill a sheriff, but he might if he were forced into it. He headed down the street to one of the saloons. He found a place called Little’s Drinks. He wondered if the same person who owned the small café where he had eaten earlier owned the saloon too. Jess pushed through the swinging doors and looked around. Even though it was early in the afternoon, the place was quite busy. There were people playing cards, some sitting at tables and drinking, and several men bellied up to the bar.