Doing Time In Texas, Book 2

by James E Ferrell

  Back along the dusty road Willy laid in bed listening to the music that radiated through the morning air. He no longer covered his head but quietly listened. The songs had a soothing message that he could not deny. Nothing in his past had prepared him for a Christian type of influence. Had he been born to a Christian family, maybe things would have turned out differently. As it was, there was no hope. He hated to see Bonnie get her hopes up. He knew that it would never work for them. His brother was a Christian. He smiled as he remembered the little black testament John had carried in his back pocket. Often it had been the source of much pleasure to Willy as he would grab it and run. Faster and more athletic than John, he had loved to torment him. He missed his brother but that was ages ago, in another lifetime. Good memories were always overshadowed with bad memories and they kept him from dwelling on the past.

  Putting a pillow over his head, he dozed off and for a while slept soundly. Suddenly, the shrill voice of his drunken mother shot through his dreams. Then came a vision of his brother John running for a place to hide from her. She stormed through his dreams robbing him of his fond memories and the long-ago love of his brother. This time he got up, warmed the coffee and moved to the porch swing where he listened to the singing and enjoyed the peaceful morning. He had to admit the times spent here had made him more at peace with himself. His headaches were less frequent while his new thoughtfulness played a part in his coming to love Bonnie more and more.

  He had to be careful. This country living was taking the edge off him. In Chicago, he had always been wheeling and dealing. He was exploring new angles of making money; always with a hidden plan in the back of his mind. The fast pace life never left him time to consider his life and the bad memories. Now he enjoyed just sitting in the swing and listening to the wind through the tall pines. There had never been such times as these in his life. But why pretend that there might be a future here for them? Bonnie would just get hurt when they were found out and when the good folks of Huntsville rejected her. Checking his watch, he got in his car and headed for a certain phone booth to await a phone call. A breakfast at the roadhouse diner would be good this morning since Bonnie was not home.

  Pulling up to a little service station by the highway, he acknowledged the attendant and asked, “Mr. Jackson, has there been a call for me today?”

  Mr. Jackson replied, “No, Sir, Mr. Baker. The coffee is fresh. Make yourself at home.”

  Right on time the phone rang, and Willy closed the phone booth door that sat beside the station. “Hello, friend,” the voice said.

  “Hello to you…I have missed our conversations of late. I’m glad you called. Did you have a chance to pass the information to Pat or Sam up north?” Willy asked.

  “Per your instructions, Amy and John went to Chicago and met with Pat and Sam. They are excited to know some will be headed south soon. Pat, the bartender, said to let you know the storm is coming your way. It’s so big that it will end a legend!” Jesse said.

  “Sounds serious! What do you make of this?” Willy asked.

  “Well, I know that a couple of freelance operators have been retained from down around New Orleans,” Jesse said.

  “Sounds like heavy weights!” Willy said.

  “Yes, indeed they are. LaSalle is serious about revenging his kin. Pat says they are fast and effective. I’m surprised McDonald has not made you a public example. Strangely quiet in Chicago about you,” Jesse said.

  “Good! I was counting on Mac keeping me for himself…for a while anyway. How did you get up north so quickly?” Willy asked.

  “My compadres are flying a new plane. We can make things happen!” Jesse said.

  “I am trusting you to figure a way to help save the legend. It’s getting dangerously close to show time. I have a kid Texas Ranger breathing down my neck. If I don’t stay a jump ahead of this stumblebum, he will mess up my plans. I never counted on a wet-behind-the-ears ranger birddogging me,” Willy said.

  “Cousin, just keep moving forward. There is nothing else we can do. I put the legend in a lot of trouble. We must work fast to make sure this ghost lives on. My people can make this work only if you stay on course. It will all hinge on our plan meshing with your plans. It will be tight, real tight. At some point, I must bring in the medicine man. If I bring him in too soon, he could blow the whole thing,” Jesse said.

  “Jesse, you have to handle this. Don’t bring in the medicine man until the very last minute…not a minute sooner. I don’t trust how he will react to this,” Willy said.

  “I left a special phone number with Mr. Jackson, the man that runs this station. He will have the line monitored day and night; should you need to talk. I will be waiting for times and dates. We’ve got to make this work for all concerned. It’s going to be just another school play,” Jesse Rash said.

  “When can I expect the freelance party?” Willy inquired.

  “Pat says trouble should be arriving real soon probably within the week. There are two of them and have a contact down there to head them in the right direction. I don’t know who their contact is. Birdie Stein is certifiably crazy and Grey Jack Mahoney is one rough customer. Good luck, Cousin!” Jesse said.

  The phone went dead, and Willy grimaced. ‘Huh…a school play…about dead people, Cousin. If you don’t get this right, we will have dead people. Oh, what a terrible web we weave,’ Willy muttered.

  C29 - The Ranger Pain

  Cruise had placed Dave Smith on the town’s square the morning of the robbery. He had decided that the cemetery was nothing more than an isolated meeting place they had chosen. The local pool hall and tavern was their hangout, like every other cowboy in Huntsville. He needed some way to tie them to someone in particular and a way to put them together on the morning of his death.

  Standing in the tavern, Cage contemplated what he needed to do next. Mitch Riley stood cleaning a glass at the far end of the bar watching the ranger. The law had always been a pain to Mitch, but this ranger had been a rather friendly boy and Mitch had known his dad. Walking over to him he struck up conversation.

  Mitch asked, “You want another coke or something?” Shaking his head Cage said no.

  “Mitch, you knew Smith. What’s your take on this mess? This is the main hangout for Huntsville, so everybody that’s having a night on the town ends up in here at some time in the night. Did Smith come by here the night he was killed?”

  Mitch pulled the big apron aside and looked at his pocket watch and said, “That night Smith came in about 9:30, drunk as usual. You know how some boys have a few drinks and begin acting the fool. That was Dave for you. He sure took after his old man. John Smith was a foolish drunk, too.”

  “He settled at the table over by the window and started nursing a beer. Judy Clark came in after her shift at the diner and bought him a beer; she sat with him for a while. Judy works in here occasionally and helps me out, but she didn’t stay long before she called it a night.”

  Mitch was talking, so Cage just sat and listened. “There were several people in here at that time. The night was as cold as a mountain top and that seemed to drive people in off the street. I stayed busy the early part of the night with the usual crowd. Lots of people came and went most of them in better shape than Smith. You might check with Judy and see if she remembers if he left that night with anyone.”

  “Can you tell me where I can find her now?” Cage Cruise asked.

  “Take a look over at the diner, she was working there the last time I talked to her,” the bartender said.

  “Thanks, Mitch. If you think of anything else, let me know,” Cruse said.

  Up the street it was a busy time of day at the diner. People from the courthouse were gathering for lunch when Cage entered. Seeing him, Judy’s eyes brightened, and she headed for his table with a menu. After giving Cage her best smile she asked, “Hello, Ranger! What would you like to drink?” For a moment he considered what the menu had to offer then placed his order.

  “I’ll have a cup of coff
ee and a piece of your apple pie. Judy, when things slow down can you come and have a talk with me?” Ranger Cruise asked.

  “How did you know my name?” Judy questioned.

  “I’ve been talking to Big Mitch over at the Longhorn. He pointed me to you.”

  “As soon as things slow down, I will come sit a spell,” she said.

  After the lunch break was over the diner cleared fast. Watching the activity in the diner, Cage decided it was time for a report to Captain Eastman and to see when some help would be arriving. It had been a week and he didn’t have a solid suspect yet. It wouldn’t hurt to have some more experience on this case. He would call Eastman today and make his report asking also for an extra ranger to sort through this with him.

  Judy came back to the table and sat in the chair across from Cage and said, “I have a few minutes, what do you want to talk about, Sugar?”

  “Tell me about the night Dave was killed. I understand you talked with him for a while.”

  “Well, what can I tell you? He was always looking for a good time and was as sneaky as the day is long! He always wanted a free drink or food. Wanting me to sneak him a pack of cigarettes or something from behind the counter when I worked for Big Mitch. The night of the murders I came in and was playing pool when Dave came in. He was drunk and loud. Dave sat in the booth under the window. You could always tell when he was broke, he hung onto a beer for a long time. Bart, our new sheriff, came in and sat with him buying a round. When he left, I talked with Dave for a while.” Her face became serious and she became thoughtful. “Strange isn’t it? We sat and talked but had no clue in a few hours he would be dead.” Judy rubbed her arms briskly; the memory gave her goose bumps.

  “Death is certain and it’s certain we don’t know when it’s going to happen,” Cage said.

  “That sends cold chills up my spine! You just never know, do you? Ed came in and sat with Dave for a while,” Judy stated.

  “The mechanic?” Cage asked.

  “Yes, he is the local mechanic. He dresses nice, but he can’t get the grease from under his fingernails,” Judy stated blatantly.

  “Was Ed a good friend of Smith's?” Cruise inquired.

  “I don’t know if you would call him a friend. Ed is big and brutal; nobody calls him friend,” Judy said.

  “What about Bart? Was he a close friend of Smith's?” Cage asked.

  Judy’s face tightened and she said, “The new sheriff is a hateful man! I stay away from him. If he comes near me, I leave as quickly as I can. I never seen a man that could laugh at someone else’s hurt, but Bart is that way. He has no conscience; he likes being hateful. To answer your question, Dave Smith didn’t have friends. Most everyone avoided him as much as possible and that went for Bart and Ed.”

  “Did anyone leave with him?” Cruise continued his questions.

  “Not that I saw. It was so cold most people went home early and got by a warm fire and that included me,” Judy said.

  C30 - Another School Play

  "Ididn’t catch all of that. One of you two tell me, I didn’t just hear, ‘rob another bank’! Did I hear that?” Amy Rash said.

  “Actually, you did hear rob another bank. The way you said it is not in the context of what John and I were discussing,” Jessie Rash replied.

  “I was just telling John that we have been called upon to setup and carry out another school play, similar to the robbery on the bank,” Jesse said.

  “Then I heard right. You two are planning another bank robbery,” Amy said.

  “Amy, Dear! I would never do anything that would be stepping over the line. No, we are not robbing a bank,” Jesse said. “John, you’ve read all the papers and articles about the Shine Ghost, the wizard who has eluded every state trooper in the country. You both know the ghost is a kid just barely in his twenties…Thomas Taylor. Well, Chicago has put a contract on the Ghost. They mistakenly believe he was the one who killed BB Crawford and Alvin LaSalle, the nephew of Gino LaSalle. We know that is not true. It will be necessary to fool the hit men, all the while protecting Taylor and getting him out of danger permanently.”

  “We could just go tell this LaSalle character the Shine Ghost didn’t kill the two mob guys. He was just driving the car his men were trying to steal,” Amy said.

  “Now why didn’t we think of that, John,” Jesse said in jest.

  “Amy, LaSalle would want to know the name of the other man in the car. That would get a contract on the other man and us as well. If this came to light, it would bring a lot of scrutiny down on us and that is not what we want,” John said.

  “So, Jesse, you better get to writing the script. It sounds like this play might get us more than just jail time,” Amy said.

  “I’ve been thinking on that. We need a way to protect him until we can fix this,” Jesse said.

  C31 - The Comanche

  David Lightfoot sat pondering the information being relayed to him from across the desk in Captain Eastman’s office. Lightfoot was a full-blooded Comanche Indian that had served with Eastman in the war where he had been useful sending messages from his company in the Comanche dialect. He was not a large man, but the scars of battle were on his face. He had been a chief in his tribe and out of respect Eastman always addressed him as Chief Lightfoot. After leaving the war, he had come back to Texas with the captain and joined the Texas Rangers.

  “Chief, I have a ranger in Huntsville investigating the murder of two males. There is evidence one of the men was involved in a robbery of a local store. It appears he was murdered over the money stolen from the store.”

  “How much money was taken?” Lightfoot asked.

  “The sum of $400.00 dollars was reported to have been taken,” Eastman stated.

  “He killed for a small amount of money. Anyone who would kill for such a small amount is a very dangerous man indeed,” Lightfoot said.

  “It also seems that the other victim ventured up on the scene and was killed. I waited until I could put you on the case before sending anyone else down there.”

  “Who do you have down there?” Lightfoot asked.

  “Cruise; he was the only ranger I had to send. But it looks like he is doing a good job. I am really interested in how he handles this,” Captain Eastman stated.

  “Captain… a kid just out of the academy. His first time out and he’s going it alone?” Chief Lightfoot inquired.

  “Spare me the lecture I always give you. I have been waiting for you to get through with your assignment for that very reason. I want you down there to add some experience.”

  Lightfoot sat looking over the report and asked, “Who is this Baker character?”

  “He is new man in town and Cage says his suits have a cut common to carrying a gun in a shoulder holster. He showed up the morning of the murders,” Eastman said.

  “Get a good look at him and his wife. I will need a picture of him if you can get it. We will run it through the prison system mug books for a start. He has a southern drawl but talks like he came from up North. I want you to be there in the morning. Several other men are mentioned in the report. One or more could be the murderer. Watch yourselves. Chief, I know it is a waste to tell you this, but whatever you do don’t tell the junior ranger I told you to look after him.”

  “Captain, the idea never crossed my mind,” Lightfoot said.

  C32- A Different Perspective

  The ringing of a hammer in the early morning aroused Bonnie’s curiosity as she opened the side door of the barn. Willy was stripped to the waist as he dragged heavy bales of hay across the floor to one side of the barn. Surprised to see Bonnie, Willy exclaimed, “What are you doing out here? We had an understanding did we not? You would stay away from the barn.” Bonnie stood still, her complexion white as a sheet, her appearance caused him to stop the argument long enough to ask. “What’s the matter with you? You sick or something?” There was no time to answer. Bonnie rocked back and forth before she threw up. Willy caught her and helped her to a bale of hay he had
been moving.

  Bonnie said, “Willy, I think I’m pregnant.” With that bit of news, he sat back on another bale of hay and looked at Bonnie with astonishment.

  “Bonnie, your timing is terrible! This is not the time for a baby,” Willy admitted.

  “What do you think…it’s entirely my fault? What are you going to do about this?” Bonnie asked.

  “What can I do about it?” asked Willy.

  “Well, you better marry me as soon as you can. That is if you intend to stay in this house another day. This is Saturday, we can find a preacher somewhere and get married today,” she said.

  Willy pulled hay from his hair and sat looking at Bonnie. He said, “This just takes the cake! How did I ever get tied up with you anyway? I should have left you in Chicago when I had the chance.” Bonnie’s big brown eyes started watering and she began to cry softly. They both sat for a few minutes without saying anything. “I’m sorry. I had no call to say that. I will get cleaned up and we will go to Bryan. There should be a preacher over there that will marry us. Let me finish what I’m doing, and I will be in to clean up.”

  “What is this hole in the floor? Where does it go?” asked Bonnie.

  Willy explained, “Over the years rainwater running down the hill washed a gully under the barn. The farmer just filled it in with hay. I’m afraid if a heavy truck drove over it the truck would get stuck. The hay is rotten and stinks, so I cleaned it out and covered it with boards. The gully runs all the way to the bottom of the hill. It’s not visible from the outside of the barn. The blackberry vines have it covered. Let me finish moving the hay and I will come in. Go on Bonnie and promise me you will not come back out here.”