Six-Gun Nemesis

by Colin Bainbridge

  When he reached the open door he pressed himself against the wall, his senses strained to gather any information. The moaning sound was repeated. Gathering his courage, he flung himself into the room. He dropped to one knee to take stock and quickly saw that there was another doorway at the opposite end, leading to the balcony; lying across it was a partly clothed figure. He got to his feet and approached it cautiously. When he got close he could see that it was a woman. She was lying face down but when he kneeled and touched her she responded by turning her head. When she saw Kitchenbrand she gasped.

  ‘It’s OK,’ he said. ‘I don’t mean you any harm.’

  She looked over Kitchenbrand’s shoulder and saw the dim figure of Virginy. As far as Kitchenbrand could tell in the shadowy light, there were no obvious signs of injuries. The girl began to struggle and got as far as a sitting position. She cringed away from him, leaning against the door stanchion.

  ‘My name is Kitchenbrand,’ he said, ‘Hollis Kitchenbrand. This lady is called Virginy.’

  She didn’t reply but only continued to regard him with a frightened look. He noticed for the first time that her eye was bruised.

  ‘Let me help you to a chair,’ he said.

  She flinched away when he made to pick her up, but did not offer any further resistance. He took her in his arms and carried her to a settee. He could not help but notice how light and fragile she seemed. When he had laid her down he turned away as she pulled her clothes up around her. They were torn and dirty and there were traces on them of what looked like blood. For an odd moment she reminded him of Virginy when he had first found her.

  He looked about him. There was a lamp on a table; he took some matches from his pocket and succeeded in lighting it.

  ‘This place seems to be a saloon,’ he said. ‘It might be an idea if I went downstairs and got you a drink of brandy.’ He moved towards the door but was stopped when the girl suddenly spoke.

  ‘Don’t leave me,’ she said. ‘Just give me a little time.’

  Virginy sat beside her and took her hand. ‘It’s OK,’ she said. ‘I’ll stay with you.’

  Kitchenbrand quickly made his way back down the stairs and returned with a bottle of brandy and a glass. He poured some of the liquid and held it out for the girl. She took it and after taking a sip she seemed to gather herself together a little. Nobody spoke for a while. The lamplight seemed to assure her and it was she who eventually broke the silence.

  ‘I haven’t seen you before,’ she said, addressing Kitchenbrand. ‘Maybe you’re not one of Addison’s men.’

  Her words reminded Kitchenbrand of what he was doing there and confirmed his supposition that he had found the Yuma gang’s roost.

  ‘No,’ he replied. ‘You don’t need to worry yourself on that score.’

  For the first time she looked at him squarely. ‘You don’t look like any of them,’ she added.

  Virginy tightened her grip on the girl’s hand. ‘What’s a poor girl like you doin’ all alone in this place? You’ve no need to be frightened. Whatever’s happened, you’re safe now.’

  The girl’s face had been turned away; now she looked up at Virginy and for the first time the old lady noticed her bruised eye.

  ‘Lords a’ mercy, whatever happened to your eye? I figure that needs bathing. I’ll go get some water.’ She got up and shuffled from the room. When she had gone the girl turned to Kitchenbrand again.

  ‘You asked me my name,’ she said. ‘It’s Delta, Delta Trace.’

  ‘Only Trace I ever knowed is the Natchez Trace,’ Kitchenbrand replied.

  There was a flicker of response from the girl. ‘It’s funny you should say that,’ she said. ‘You see, that’s where I got my name from.’

  ‘Don’t you have a proper name?’

  ‘No. I never knew who my parents were. I can just about remember livin’ with some nuns and then I guess they musta passed me on. I can recall livin’ on the bayou but it weren’t long before I was lookin’ out for myself.’

  Kitchenbrand considered her words. ‘So how long have you been here?’ he asked.

  At his words the girl seemed to shrink away, but just as the situation threatened to grow awkward the sound of footsteps announced the return of Virginy. She came into the room carrying a bowl of water and what looked like a package.

  ‘Comfrey leaves,’ she said. ‘I always carry a few medicines in my bag. I’ll need to boil them in the water.’

  Taking his cue, Kitchenbrand volunteered to organize something. He was thinking that in any case they needed to set themselves up for the rest of the night. He made his way back down the stairs and through the empty saloon into the open. The dim shapes of the deserted structures loomed up out of the darkness. The horses nickered, reminding him of their presence. From an open window above him he could hear the muted voices of Virginy and the girl, but he could not distinguish what they were saying.

  He looked around. The place seemed to be deserted; only the girl, for whatever reason, had been left behind. Yet, even in the dark, he could see that it was quite an elaborate set-up. Not the sort of place that would be likely to be left empty indefinitely. The girl might have some of the answers. She had obviously suffered at the hands of the Yuma gang. He was chary of upsetting her; maybe Virginy would succeed in putting her at her ease sufficiently for her to provide them with the information about Addison and the Yuma gang that they needed if they were ever to get to the bottom of the affair and find Ty Garland.

  Landon Clovis ran the biggest ranch in the area, the Latigo, and was well on the way to owning the better part of Chaparral Bend. Anyone who knew Angel Addison would have been surprised, therefore, to see him sitting at a table in the restaurant of the High Pike hotel, deep in conversation with the town’s most respected citizen. The High Pike was owned by Clovis. Although Clovis was quite adept at concealing his true feelings, the same observer might have noticed a subdued tension in the atmosphere.

  ‘I ain’t in any mood for foolin’ about,’ Clovis said. ‘You tell me you got Garland. I figured somethin’ was afoot when I heard the marshal was wounded in some sort of shootin’ incident. I take it that was some of your boys?’

  By way of reply Addison raised his brows and depressed his mouth, giving a quizzical expression to his face.

  ‘I thought as much,’ Clovis said. ‘I already warned you about steppin’ outa line and takin’ things too far. I had to put myself in the front line the night the townsfolk took him in. That was your fault too. You took a big risk robbin’ the bank.’

  ‘I figured you’d be pleased about that. I gather Tom Farley was the only man around here who could stand against you.’

  ‘That’s beside the point. I coulda dealt with Farley in my own way. And OK, you didn’t know the townsfolk were goin’ to take against Garland in quite the way they did, but you’re a fool if you imagined there’d be no comeback. You could have put all our plans at risk. As it was, I had to guard against any of ’em lynchin’ him. But doin’ what you did to the old woman was unnecessary.’

  Addison’s lip curled in an ugly grin. ‘That was just some of the boys lettin’ off a little steam. They got to have some fun. It ain’t no hair off your hide.’

  ‘Don’t be stupid,’ Clovis replied. ‘The more you and your high-line riders indulge in that sort of behaviour, the more likely they are to draw attention not just to themselves but to me as well. I reckon the marshal already has some suspicions.’

  ‘You’re the big man around these parts,’ Clovis replied. ‘Why don’t you get rid of him and put your own man in?’

  ‘That’s none of your goldurn business. But there’s already one consequence of all this; Virginy Garland seems to have acquired some sort of ally.’

  ‘Ally?’

  ‘I hear she’s been seen in the company of a man. From what I can gather, he’s not been seen around here before but my information is that he looks like a real curly wolf. Now that’s just an added complication.’

  ‘Hell
, he must be hard up if he’s goin’ around with Garland’s old grandmother.’

  ‘Do you have to bring everything down to your level?’

  ‘Even if it’s true, what’s one man gonna do against all of us?’

  ‘I’d prefer it if you didn’t include me with the rest of your gang,’ Clovis said. ‘It may be the case that our interests so far have run in conjunction, but that don’t mean I want to have anything more to do with you than I have to.’

  Further conversation was interrupted by the return of the waitress. Addison looked at her with an openly leering expression.

  ‘We’re fine,’ Clovis said. ‘We won’t be wantin’ anything else.’

  She gave an obsequious bob and made her way back across the room.

  ‘Nice,’ Addison remarked. ‘I figure bein’ the big noise in town must have a lot of advantages.’

  ‘You disgust me,’ Clovis said. He gave Addison a disdainful glance. ‘However, for the moment our fortunes seem to be linked so let me get straight to the point. You got Garland. I want to have a talk with that young man. So what’s your askin’ price for handin’ him over?’

  Addison’s face twisted into an ugly grin again. ‘Now that depends on just how important you think his information is. You ain’t told us too much yet about just exactly what it is that Garland knows.’

  ‘That’s none of your business.’

  ‘I reckon it became my business the day you hired us on to scare folk into sellin’ out to you.’

  ‘Keep your voice down,’ Clovis said.

  Addison laughed. ‘You’re gettin’ a mite jumpy,’ he replied.

  ‘I warn you,’ Clovis said. ‘You’re already close to pushin’ things too far.’

  Addison stared hard at Clovis before replying. ‘OK, let’s say ten thousand dollars.’

  It was Clovis’s turn to laugh, but there was no element of humour in it. ‘Don’t waste my time,’ he said.

  ‘We got Garland. We could make him talk ourselves and find out that way just what he knows.’

  Clovis snorted. ‘Why don’t you do that?’ he said. ‘See where it gets you.’

  ‘I could start talkin’ and blow your whole show,’ Addison said.

  ‘You think anyone would take your word over mine? I rather think it’s you who should be worried about me spillin’ the beans.’

  Addison shuffled. He was goaded by Clovis’s air of calmness. ‘We know somethin’ about it already,’ he said.

  ‘OK, then go ahead. See if you can get Garland to tell you the rest.’ Clovis got to his feet and took a step away from the table.

  ‘All right,’ Addison said. ‘No need for us to fall out over this. Ten thousand dollars and we’ll hand him over.’

  ‘Five thousand,’ Clovis said. ‘Take it or leave it.’

  Addison was ruffled and when he was ruffled he found it hard to think straight. Through his confusion he hung on to one maxim. Let Clovis do the work. He didn’t believe that Garland knew anything that would be worth much money. Garland had boasted about a lot of things when he was riding with the Yuma boys. They didn’t amount to a hill of beans. But just in case there was a possibility that Garland was not boasting, that he did know something that Clovis wanted, then it made sense to let Clovis do the spadework and then, if it was worth their while, they could step in later to eliminate the rancher and take the rewards for themselves. When he had figured out that plan of action, it had seemed clever. It still did. He had to hang on to it.

  ‘Five thousand now, maybe more later if I get the information I want,’ Clovis conceded.

  ‘OK,’ Addison said. ‘It’s a deal. We’ll bring Garland over to the ranch later tonight.’

  ‘No. I don’t want Garland to suspect that there’s any connection between the Yuma boys and me. There’s an old line shack just on the edge of the Latigo spread near the lower ford.’

  ‘I know it,’ Addison said.

  ‘Meet me there at sundown. And don’t try any tricks. Remember you’ll still be on Latigo property and my men will have the place covered.’

  ‘I’ll be there with Garland,’ Addison said. ‘Just make sure you got the money.’

  Chapter Four

  Kitchenbrand had been reluctant to wait about the outlaw roost for long because he couldn’t be sure if any of the outlaws had been left behind. While Virginy and Delta were still sleeping, before the dawn, he had slipped out of the hotel and made a quick reconnaissance of the settlement. It was enough to satisfy him that the place was indeed completely deserted. The only living things he found were some horses, which had been left in a broken down corral behind one of the buildings on the hillside. Whether they had simply been abandoned or were an indication that the outlaws intended returning soon, he couldn’t be sure. If it was the latter it strengthened his inclination to be gone. He was for getting away as quickly as possible, but Virginy assured him that the girl had received a severe shock and there was nothing to be gained by rushing her.

  Virginy had found out a little more about her. It seemed she had been the main target of Angel Addison’s perverted lusts. The night he rode out she had been subjected to some particularly brutal treatment and there were less obvious injuries than a bruised eye. In such matters Kitchenbrand was more than happy to bow to the old lady’s superior know-ledge and experience. As the morning slipped by, however, Delta began to feel better and affirmed that she was ready to leave. They stayed long enough to eat and then rode out in the early afternoon.

  Kitchenbrand had tried questioning the girl about Addison’s plans, but talk of the outlaw leader and his gang only seemed to upset her and it was soon clear to Kitchenbrand that she knew nothing of Addison’s intentions. It didn’t matter because it was plain to see in which direction the Yuma boys had gone. There was plenty of sign. It was just a question of following it.

  It led them through a pass in the hills which seemed to be leading in the opposite direction from that in which Kitchenbrand and Virginy had approached the outlaw roost. After a time, though, it tended in a north-easterly direction and Kitchen-brand gradually began to feel sure that it was leading them back towards Chaparral Bend. If the timing had been different, they might almost have met the outlaws coming along the trail. The only thing that caused Kitchenbrand a little concern was that the sign indicated that fewer riders had been involved than he would have imagined.

  ‘Is there any more to the place you call Addisonville than what we’ve seen?’ he asked Delta.

  ‘No, but I haven’t been any further than the settlement.’ She paused for a moment. ‘But now you mention it, I have seen riders coming and going from different directions.’

  ‘You mean other than the way we’ve just come?’

  ‘Yes. I think there could be other places they hide out.. Maybe not so big. Maybe just a few shacks. I don’t know.’

  Kitchenbrand reckoned that the sign had been made by only about eight horses, and he concluded that there must be further outlaw hideouts scattered through the hills. Delta’s words only confirmed his growing suspicions. It seemed they had been lucky to find the outlaw roost deserted. It was going to take some effort if they were ever to be prised out.

  As they got close to town, the tracks they were following divided. As far as he could discern, two riders had continued into Chaparral Bend but the others had taken a side trail.

  ‘Any idea where this might lead?’ Kitchenbrand said to Virginy.

  ‘Can’t be certain,’ she replied, ‘but it seems to be goin’ in the general direction of the Latigo.’

  ‘Clovis’s outfit?’ Kitchenbrand said.

  Virginy pursed her mouth and then spat to one side as if at the mention of Clovis’s name. ‘Yeah. Clovis. But there’s other spreads out that way.’

  The recurrence of the rancher’s name set Kitchenbrand thinking again. Virginy had identified Clovis as being present when the mob had taken Ty Garland. Now what could have been his interest in the matter?

  Kitchenbrand and Virginy had
considered carrying on into Chaparral Bend and registering Delta at the hotel. However, they had both come to the conclusion that it might not be the wisest thing to do. Virginy’s shack was a useful base. It wasn’t far from town and it was out of the way. Until things became clearer, it seemed to Kitchenbrand and the old lady that discretion might be advisable. Even at an obvious level, if the girl was seen in town it would make it easy for Addison to trace her if he was so inclined and that could lead to unnecessary complications. Accordingly, they turned off the trail and set their course for the old shack.

  Ty Garland lay on a bunk in a dark room. He had been pretty well done in when they brought him and he must have slept. He had only a vague idea of how long he had been there. He got to his feet, walked to the door and tried the handle, but he knew it was no use. He had checked the room out carefully when they first locked him in and he knew there was no means of escape. The only thing he could do was to wait till the outlaws returned; at that stage, he might be presented with an opportunity. Could it only have been the previous evening that he had arrived at Addison’s roost after being taken from Marshal Purdom’s house?

  Whatever Addison had in mind for him, it wasn’t going to be good. The locked door was a token of that. After his arrival at the robbers’ roost, Addison’s attitude towards him had been friendly enough but Ty wasn’t fooling himself on that score. Addison was capable of extending the hand of friendship while concealing within it a deadly knife. He was not to be trusted and Ty was pretty certain that Addison had his own reason for busting him free.