Hellraiser!

by Sam Clancy

  Joe’s eyes came back into focus. ‘Oh, hi, Pa.’

  ‘Where’s your brother, Joe? Where’s Billy?’

  ‘He’s dead, Pa. Billy’s dead.’

  Charlie Dent looked toward the mining supplies store, his face displaying the shock he felt at learning of his son’s demise.

  And then the store blew up, spraying the street with a hail of wooden splinters.

  Those inside the mining supplies store were about to leave when the door in the rear room squeaked on stiff hinges. Bowen was about to say something, but Ford held a finger to his own lips to quiet him.

  The deputy marshal eased back the hammers on the sawn-off shotgun in his hands, and moved silently across the floor to the opening which led into the back room.

  No sooner had he shown himself than the store filled with the thunder of guns. Billy fired first, a wild shot that flew to Ford’s left and punched through the paper-thin wall.

  The shotgun roared and the double charge of buckshot almost cut Billy Dent in half. Blood sprayed across Joe who was behind his brother. It caused him to panic and he fired three shots in Ford’s general direction without hitting anything.

  Ford dropped the shotgun and palmed up his Peacemaker. He fired at Joe who was now fleeing through the rear door. The slugs from Ford’s Colt dug splinters from the door frame as the young man disappeared.

  ‘Marshal! You have a problem!’

  It was Bowen, and from the sound of his voice, whatever it was, it had to be bad.

  Ford rushed back into the storefront and found Bowen crouched over Hiram Dent. ‘What happened?’

  ‘He was hit by a bullet that came through the wall,’ there was urgency in his voice. ‘I think it was a good idea you swapped the dynamite when you did.’

  Ford checked him out. It was obvious that the killer had been hit hard. Under normal circumstances, Ford would have left him there to die. But the situation wasn’t normal and he needed Hiram alive.

  ‘Help me get him up, Bowen, hurry.’

  The writer helped Ford free the wounded young man from the rope and got Hiram over his shoulder. Then Ford said, ‘Take the horse and hide him.’

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘Make this place go bang so I can get to the cathouse with Hiram. I’ll meet you there.’

  Bowen went to take up the roan’s reins when the animal pulled back and made to bite.

  ‘You do and I’ll blow you up with this place,’ Ford warned the animal. ‘Get out of here.’

  Thirty seconds later they were gone.

  With Hiram still over his shoulder, Ford lit the fuse to a stick of dynamite and then scooped up his Winchester. That done, he hurried out the back door.

  As soon as the store blew, he rushed across the dusty street amidst all the confusion and men as they ducked for cover. He slipped down a side alley and around the rear of the building. From there he found the back door and stomped up the steps. He tried the doorknob, and when the door sprang free, he walked inside.

  Ford found himself at the end of a long carpeted hallway and began walking along it when a door on the left opened.

  After a brief hesitation, he brought the Winchester up and waited to see who would emerge. It was a woman dressed in a red corset with black lace trimmings and black underwear. The blast must have drawn her attention because she was in the middle of putting on a red dressing-gown. She gasped when she saw Ford standing there with Hiram over his shoulder, the rifle pointed in her direction.

  ‘Who are you?’

  ‘Ford, United States Deputy Marshal.’

  Her eyes widened with recognition. ‘You’re him.’

  ‘Yeah, I’m him. Who are you?’

  ‘Gracey. This is my place,’ she said.

  Gracey was tall, slim, had black hair, and from what he saw before she closed her gown, was well formed. It was hard to tell in the dim light of the hall, but he figured her to be of similar age to him.

  ‘Are you a Dent?’

  She chuckled. ‘Good Lord, no. You won’t find anyone by the name of Dent working here.’

  ‘Good, this feller is getting heavy . . .’

  Her eyes widened again and she indicated the room from which she’d emerged. ‘Yes, follow me, you can put him in here. Is that Hiram?’

  ‘Yes, and I’d rather he goes upstairs.’

  ‘Only the girls’ working rooms are upstairs,’ Gracey told him.

  ‘Good. Lead the way.’

  Gracey thought to protest but instead nodded and said, ‘Follow me.’

  They walked along the hall to the far end and stopped before a door, which was ajar. She held up her hand and peered through the gap, then waved to someone on the other side and pushed the timber door wider to let the person through.

  Another woman. Red-haired, thin, medium-built, and unlike Gracey, no gown. She opened her mouth to speak when she sighted Ford. ‘Oh my God, you’re him.’

  Ford rolled his eyes. ‘Yeah. . . .’

  ‘Gracey, he blew up the mining supplies store.’

  ‘What?’ She turned to look at him.

  ‘That was the explosion just before. There’s nothing left. Except for junk.’

  ‘Listen,’ Ford snapped impatiently. ‘Help me get this killer upstairs and I’ll answer all of your questions then. OK?’

  The two women nodded.

  ‘I’m going to need a doctor, too. Preferably someone who can be trusted.’

  ‘There’s only one,’ Gracey said. ‘You’ll be able to trust him.’

  She turned her gaze to the redhead. ‘May, go and get Rosie. Tell her to find the doctor and tell no one else about it. Have her bring him to your room.’

  ‘Sure, Gracey.’

  May disappeared and Gracey turned back to Ford. ‘Follow me.’

  The doorway opened into a large, empty foyer. The floor was totally covered with carpet. Against the far wall were twin lounges and a hardwood desk. The walls were wood panelled, and from the ceiling hung an ornate chandelier. On the walls were five paintings of naked ladies reclining in various positions.

  There were twin doors at the entrance, their stained-glass sections at head height, and a large staircase that curved around to the right with a hand-carved balustrade.

  ‘Business is booming,’ Ford commented.

  ‘What can I say? Dents pay well.’

  On cue, Hiram moaned.

  They started up the stairs, and once at the top, were met by a young blonde woman in a plain blue dress. She stared at Ford and then said to Gracey, ‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’

  ‘Be careful, Rosie, you know what the Dents can be like.’

  Ford followed Gracey along another hall until she stopped at a doorway, second to last on the right. She opened the door and stepped aside. May was there waiting for them, the blankets on her double bed pulled back.

  Ford placed Hiram on the mattress and stood back while May began to undress him. He looked at Gracey. ‘You’ll need to keep an eye out for a feller called Bowen. He’ll be along directly.’

  Gracey nodded and said, ‘I’ll take care of it.’

  ‘Thank you. And thanks for putting us up here until things quiet down a piece.’

  Gracey’s lips set in a thin line and she said, ‘I figure I don’t have much of a choice. Something about you told me you were coming in whether I said yes or no. Right now I’d best get back downstairs, just in case Charlie and his brood come knocking on my door. The window over there overlooks the street, so you’ll be able to keep a watch out for what’s going on.’

  She turned to leave when Ford stopped her. ‘Before you go, what do you know about Cort Dent?’

  Gracey’s expression took a dramatic change. She looked at Ford with fire in her eyes and said bitterly, ‘I know that if he ever steps foot in here, I’ll kill the son of a bitch.’

  Ford opened his mouth to speak when a shout came up from the street below. One so piercing that even the closed window stood no chance of keeping it out.
r />   ‘Marshal! I’m going to kill you, Marshal! You killed my Billy, you son of a bitch!’

  Ford looked at Gracey. ‘You killed one of his sons?’

  He shrugged. ‘Seems to me he’s having a bad day.’

  ‘And your night is about to get a lot worse.’

  ‘Only if he finds me.’

  May said, ‘He’ll turn this town upside down to find you. Him and his kin.’

  ‘He’s kind of short on a few of them now, too. Someone named Joey, another named Jeb, and three or so others.’

  Sarcasm dripped from Gracey’s voice when she said, ‘Keep this up and there’ll be no Dents left. They’ll have to change the name of the town to Undamaged.’

  Ford gave her a wry smile. ‘I like that.’

  ‘Did you hear me, Ford? I’m going to turn this town upside down until I find you!’

  Both women stared at Ford. He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Looks like there’s going to be some more Dents need straightening out.’

  Chapter 6

  ‘I’m telling you, Jake, the only ones in there is Billy and Jeb.’

  Jake stared at Mart before turning and walking over to his father. ‘They’re not there, Pa. It’s . . . Mart said the only one there was Billy.’

  The old man glared at his son. ‘Turn this place over until you find them, Jake. They can’t have got out of town yet. Which means they’re hiding out somewhere. Find that damned marshal and the one who helped him. Then bring them to me. I want them to pay for what happened to Billy.’

  ‘Sure, Pa.’

  ‘And don’t let nothing happen to Hiram. Make sure.’

  Jake nodded. He looked about. ‘Have you seen Joe?’

  ‘He’s over at the saloon.’

  ‘OK. I’ll be right back.’

  ‘Where are you going?’ Charlie demanded.

  ‘Just to have a talk to Joe. He might’ve seen something.’

  Jake hurried over to the saloon and walked inside. He saw Joe sitting at a corner table with a bottle of whiskey in front of him. He set a course for the table and weaved through the chairs until he stood before his brother.

  ‘Get up and come with me,’ Jake said in a menacing tone.

  There was a nervousness to Joe’s eyes when he looked up at his brother’s grim face. ‘Why?’

  ‘Just do it.’

  Joe glanced around the room. ‘I . . . ahh, I’m right here.’

  Jake firmed the set of his jaw, walked around the table and grabbed a handful of Joe’s greasy dark hair. He then rammed the head forehead first into the table, stunning him. There was a loud bang as the hard bone met the wooden tabletop, followed by a yelp of pain and a moan.

  Without waiting, Jake dragged him to his feet and the chair was knocked over in the process. He then hauled Joe across the barroom under the watchful eye of those who remained inside.

  ‘Quit it, Jake.’

  ‘Shut up, Joe.’

  When they reached the door to the back room, Jake drew back his foot and gave it a solid kick. It smashed back, and Jake dragged his brother inside. He let go of his hair and turned to slam the door.

  Joe gathered himself and cursed, ‘Son of a bitch, Jake, what did you go and do that for?’

  The older Dent brother turned back and moved towards the younger one. Joe’s eyes widened. ‘Hang on a minute, Jake.’

  His protest did him no good. Once Jake was within reach, he cocked his fist and drove it into his brother’s jaw.

  Joe sprawled across the floor. He lay there stunned for a moment but soon started squirming when Jake hauled him to his feet once more.

  ‘Hold it, Jake. What are you doing?’

  Another blow and Joe crashed down again. This time, however, Jake stepped forward and kicked him in the side. A loud grunt escaped Joe’s lips and his brother leaned down and dragged him to his feet again.

  ‘What the hell were you and Billy thinking?’ Jake snarled.

  ‘He said we could get Pa to take us more serious if we could get Hiram back,’ Joe gasped as he climbed to his feet.

  ‘You’re an idiot. Both of you. Now Billy is dead, and Jeb too.’

  Joe gave his brother a sullen look. ‘It weren’t meant to go that way.’

  ‘Yeah, well, it did. Now get out there and search the town for the marshal and Hiram. They couldn’t have got out of town because the roads have people on them.’

  The doctor arrived around thirty minutes after they’d put Hiram into May’s bed. He was a serious-looking man in his early forties, wore glasses, his hair was thinning on top, and he had a medium build.

  After he’d finished examining Hiram he stared at Ford and said, ‘He’ll be dead before the sun comes up.’

  Ford cursed under his breath. ‘Isn’t there anything you can do for him?’

  ‘Not in this lifetime.’

  ‘Thanks, Doc.’

  The medico stared at Ford for a moment before saying, ‘If I were you, I’d cut my losses and get out of town right smart.’

  ‘That’s just it, Doc. You ain’t me.’

  The man shrugged and left the room.

  Gracey looked at Ford. ‘It was sound advice, you know.’

  ‘It probably was. But I can’t leave until I do two more things.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘Jake Dent was the one behind the deaths of the two previous marshals who came here, not his old man. Although I’m guessing I’ll still have to deal with him.’

  ‘And the second?’

  ‘Cort Dent.’

  Anger flared in Gracey’s eyes. ‘That son of a bitch.’

  Ford shot her a questioning look. ‘What is it with you and him? Didn’t he pay or something?’

  ‘Mind your own damned business,’ Gracey snapped, then turned and stormed from the room.

  He shook his head. ‘Good one, Josh.’

  Oh, well. He couldn’t worry about hurt feelings just at that point. He was trapped in a town where every second person wanted to kill him, there was a ranger to rescue, and his prisoner was about to breathe his last. On top of that, there was Jake Dent.

  Just maybe it would be best to cut his losses and live to fight another day when the odds were substantially more favourable.

  ‘What did your brother have to say for himself?’

  ‘He says they were doing it to impress you.’

  Charlie Dent rolled his eyes. ‘Did I raise nothing but fools? Damn it, I swear, near every one of you takes after your mother’s side of the family.’

  ‘Well, they can’t get out of town. We’ve got it sewn up.’

  ‘You want to hope so. If they get out of this town, I’m going to take the bullwhip to every one of you.’

  Bowen returned around the same time that Hiram Dent breathed his last. May showed him into the room where Ford and Gracey stood over the newly deceased body. It was almost midnight and the search was still well underway for the fugitives.

  ‘That doesn’t look too good,’ Bowen said.

  Ford nodded. ‘You could say that.’

  ‘Where to from here, Marshal Ford?’

  ‘I’ve one more thing to do, and then we’ll be leaving.’

  Gracey raised her eyebrows. ‘You’re leaving? Not without me, you ain’t. As soon as they find out I helped you, I’m done.’

  Ford stared at her. ‘What?’

  ‘I said . . .’

  ‘I heard what you said.’

  ‘Well, you ain’t. May and Rosie will be coming too.’

  Ford shook his head. ‘We’ll be lucky to get out of here without you along. It’s too dangerous. Besides, I’ll be back. I ain’t done with this place by a long shot.’

  ‘What about the swamp?’ Gracey asked. ‘That’s the last place they would think we’d go.’

  Don’t go into the swamp.

  ‘I don’t know anything about the swamp,’ Ford pointed out.

  ‘Cort does.’

  Don’t go into the swamp.

  ‘Shit.’

  Ford stared
at Bowen. ‘It looks like you’re about to become a horse thief.’

  The marshal was expecting a look of apprehension to appear on Bowen’s face. Instead, there was one of excitement. ‘Tell me what to do.’

  ‘Get them from the livery. Then put them with my horse. Once I get Cort out of the saloon, we’ll all be along.’

  Bowen nodded.

  ‘One other thing. Don’t get caught or they’ll kill you,’ Ford warned him. He turned to Gracey. ‘I’m going to need a distraction.’

  ‘What kind of a distraction?’ she asked.

  ‘One that’ll get heads turning the other way while I jump across to the other balcony.’

  She gave him a sly smile. ‘I can do that. Give me a couple of minutes.’

  She left the room with Bowen, and Ford walked across to the window. He waited for a moment before opening it. Then he stepped through and out on to the balcony. He slid along the wall to the railing on the saloon side. There was about an eight-foot gap between the two and he knew what it would take to negotiate the crossing.

  There were voices from down in the street and he saw Gracey walk out into the middle of it. She deftly glanced up to the balcony and saw Ford.

  Then something happened that gave Ford reason to pause. Gracey’s dress slipped off, and she was standing in the middle of the street in her bloomers. Naked from the waist up. Then she held up her left hand. In it was a bottle of whiskey.

  She called out at the top of her voice and started to dance. Twirling around, singing out loud, giggling. Men began to gather, all eyes on her.

  As Gracey spun around again, she looked up and saw Ford staring down. A fleeting angry expression crossed her face long enough for Ford to get the message and refocus on the job at hand.

  He tightened his grip on the Winchester and ran at the far balustrade. As soon as he reached it, he jumped up with one big stride. His right boot placed on the rail, he launched himself across the gap and landed on the other side.

  Ford glanced down at Gracey and saw her surrounded by ogling men. She looked up and saw that he’d made it. Her job done, she slapped one of the men across the face, which drew a howl of guffaws from the others. She then stomped her foot, picked up her dress, and stormed back inside her establishment.