Doing Time In Texas, Book 3

by James E Ferrell

  Bart headed for town to make an appearance. His shoulders dropped from the stress. ‘That was close!’ he thought.

  The fire began to climb the walls all around the building. The smoke was boiling and filling the building. Unable to move, Willy thought of Bonnie laying on the other side of the car.

  ‘OH GOD! NOT BONNIE! SAVE HER!’ he prayed. Looking back at Bonnie he saw nothing but love in her eyes. Their eyes locked one last time as the smoke thickened. Willy’s eyes dimmed and he lay still.

  Driving towards the Baker’s house Cage said, “I don’t know what is burning up ahead, but it looks like the whole world is on fire! It looks like the fire is coming from the vicinity of the Bakers.” Cage drove up to the ranch house where farmers were already assembling. The barn fire was so intense they couldn’t get close. The sound of an explosion in the barn sent showers of sparks through every crack in the barn as the car’s gas tank exploded. Looking around, the rangers saw several farmers trying to save what they could.

  Seeing the rangers, Ben Wilkerson moved over to where they were standing and said, “I really don’t know what happened. It was standing when we drove up and the next minute it all went up at once. I was able to move the tractor, but the hay wagon was too close to the barn.”

  “Try and keep everyone back! It doesn’t look like there is much we can do except, keep it from spreading,” Cage said. “Let’s take a look around. Mike, you go around the front and I will go around the backside but make a wide swing in case it collapses.”

  Recent rains kept the fire from spreading to the pasture and surrounding trees. On the far side of the barn Mike came across a trail with fresh shoe prints. Cage soon joined him and the two followed the trail back into the woods until they came to a place where several cars had been parked.

  “I hate to think of what was in that barn,” Mike said. Without a word Cage, shook his head.

  Entering the yard Silas Delaune and Ellis Cooper looked at the confused situation. They noticed the rangers circling the burning barn. Getting everyone back from the fire, Silas noticed the Wilkerson’s and introduced himself and Ellis. “You must be Bonnie’s mother. The resemblance is easy to see. We’ve been moving furniture to accommodate your arrival,” he said.

  “Where are my daughter and her husband?” Ginny asked.

  “They may be in town. I hate they lost that barn. Does anyone know how it started?” Silas asked.

  “I don’t know, but all we can do is let it burn itself out. If we put it out now, we will just end up with a bigger mess to burn later,” a farmer said.

  “Hey! Boys, come over here and make yourselves useful. Let’s unload the truck and get the furniture in the house,” Silas said. With the neighbor’s help it didn’t take long to get the truck unloaded.

  Back in the woods Mike said, “Cage, I don’t like the looks of this. Do you think this was set intentionally?”

  “Yes, and I’m afraid of what we might find in the ashes. I wish Lightfoot would show up, we need his help here,” Cage said. Burning timbers snapped and the barn collapsed sending sparks skyward.

  Bart watched a spectacular shower of sparks through his windshield as he drove up to the Baker’s ranch. He didn’t intend to stay long; just make an appearance. Coming back from their walk around the barn, Cage and Mike noticed the sheriff’s car sitting among all the local farmer’s trucks that had responded to the fire.

  “What brings the rangers out to investigate a barn fire?” Bart asked as they walked up.

  “We were out this way, Sheriff and saw the smoke. It’s quite a fire and no one seems to know how it started,” Cage said.

  “It’s a good thing we don’t have a wind today or it may have got up in the pines. It’s not unusual to see a barn fire around here. I have never seen one that big burn,” Bart said as he walked away from the two rangers.

  “So that is the famous Sheriff Bart Wells,” Mike said. Cage did not answer but stood intently looking at the barn. Fear of what they may find in the ashes gripped his soul.

  C4 - Back to the Valley

  Marvin West opened the passenger side of Buford’s old truck and walked up on his front porch. “Where’s my wife? She should be here! I’ve been gone for two years and nobody is here to welcome me home. Not even the hogs!” he yelled.

  Across the creek smoke rose lazily from the smokehouse, representing the only movement around the house. Buford walked up behind his brother and said, “The young hog is in the smoke house, Marvin. Now what we going to do about Odell?”

  “Where’s Rayford?” barked Marvin.

  “Back at the still. We got it up and running and selling every drop we make. Rayford got a new recipe off the wall in Sonny’s jail. It’s the best shine we’ve ever made. We figured you would want to celebrate your homecoming,” Buford said.

  “Well, I’m home! You want to tell me where my wife is?” growled Marvin.

  “She left with Christine and Sonny yesterday morning. She said, ‘Tell Marvin I’m making a change,’” Buford said.

  Marvin simmered for a few minutes. “You let that law man walk around here like he’s family. You got a shine recipe off the wall in his jail. What’s going on here? The next thing I know you boys are going to church with Christine and Sheriff Green! This will never be! I will deal with all three of them later!” Marvin said.

  “Marvin, Green is not the sheriff anymore. There is a new sheriff in Huntsville. Guess who it is?” Buford asked.

  “Okay, who is the new sheriff and where has my son-in-law taken my family?” Marvin asked.

  “Sonny has taken a job as sheriff of a small town out in the hill country. Christine and Thelma are with him. The new sheriff is Bart Wells. Remember him? He ran shine for us a few years back,” Buford stated.

  “Next question, what have you found out about Snake?” Marvin asked.

  “Marvin, did you hear me? The new sheriff is none other than Bart Wells. How about that for a sheriff? All right, Snake disappeared. He double-crossed the mob and they are after him. He sent us a message that he wanted to talk. He said that he didn’t kill Odell. He said he would be in touch,” Buford replied.

  “Snake is a lying dog! Do you really believe that a man who is stupid enough to double-cross Southern Crest is telling you the truth?” Marvin asked.

  “We need to hear him out. Besides he has 200 thousand dollars hid out somewhere. I heard from our sources in Houston that Albert Swift was looking for Snake, so Rayford and me, we just backed off,” Buford said.

  “You numbskulls! Elmer Hayes had two hundred thousand dollars in his possession. You telling me you backed off?” Marvin yelled.

  Buford began to chuckle, and Marvin turned red. Marvin asked, “What do you know you haven’t told me, Buford?

  Moving over to a stump Buford sat down and sipped clear liquid from the fruit jar in his hand then said, “Listen, Brother! You told me we were the thinkers in this family. That is what I have been a doin’. Snake went back to the place where he was from. He and the sheriff were friends growing up. He paid the sheriff a bunch of money to declare him dead and then he hightailed it out to the pine country. Now if he killed Odell, would he be a-coming out here to get us to hide him? He is willing to split the money and give us the man what killed Odell. As a matter-of-fact, he will prove the man killed Odell and then kill him for us. I’ve got this figured, Brother. How’s that for using my noggin? I’m on top of this just like when you were here. Now you want a jar of Rayford’s shine?”

  ααααααα

  Across Texas, Earl Kaminski sat on a shaded park bench in La Fuerte, Texas, watching a group of children playing in the park. He had taken to using a variety of disguises to alter his appearance. “Hello, Sonny,” Earl said as Sonny Green made his way through the park.

  “Is that you, Mr. Kaminski? I recognize the voice, but the person is not the man I knew back in Huntsville!” Sonny said amazed.

  “It’s me,” Kaminski said. “I have decided to investigate some new av
enues for Hamilton International’s security. Being able to change one’s identity and appearance just might be a real addition to the company’s security. The reason I asked you here is to let you know it seems that the situation has taken a turn for the better. Drew Hamilton’s problems have been resolved. He and his daughter are no longer at risk. However, just in case we need your services in the future, Drew sent you a nice check to show our appreciation. There is one other thing I would suggest you do, post-haste,” Earl said.

  “I figured you had a reason to meet me here. I came all this way because you beckoned me. There must be something I’m not seeing. Can you elaborate on what this is all about?” Sonny asked.

  Kaminski stood from the park bench and looked around the park. He then spoke, “Mr. Green, La Fuerte is a perfect town to raise a family don’t you think? Just yesterday the local sheriff quit his job and left town. There was no experienced deputy, and no one wanted to take his place. I took the liberty of recommending you to the local city council. They, by the way, were very interested in you and will be contacting you immediately.”

  Sonny looked along the main street that moved into the center of town and considered what Earl had said. “Alright, Earl! There must be something else you have on your mind after bringing me all this way!” Sonny stated.

  “There is! My security personnel have been trying to bring all the loose ends together and find Snake. Our investigation led us here. To be more specific, to a house that belongs to an old doctor that died about a year ago. Inside the home my investigators found the body of a man. The local sheriff was summoned. That all happened a week ago. The body was disfigured but the sheriff positively identified the body as one Elmer Hayes, the son of the dead doctor. Between you and me, it appears someone has made the sheriff a much wealthier man and he retired and went on his way sudden like,” Earl said.

  “According to one of our security boys who has seen Elmer Hayes, the tattoos on this body didn’t look the same as the ones he remembered when he saw Hayes years ago. The wayward boy had chosen the baser road through life which brought him to an untimely end or so we think. It appears the person had committed suicide. My people don’t believe it. In any case, no one wants the home of Dr. Samuel Hayes, be it superstition or whatever. Anyway, one could get a good deal on the property if they wanted it,” Kaminski said.

  “Kaminski, I suppose this house would already be on a retainer pending a sell…to me?” Sonny said.

  “Sonny, it would be in our best interest to have you here in La Fuerte,” Earl stated.“So, if this is not Snake, who is the dead man?” Sonny asked.

  “We don’t know. We are hoping you might solve the puzzle and find the real Snake and discover who his dead double is. Unknown to anyone here in town, the real Elmer Hayes disappeared with two hundred thousand dollars of Hamilton International’s money. The house is a nice three-story home. Finder’s fee would be at least fifty percent,” Kaminski said

  “Kaminski, I like the way you operate. I know a con job when I’m being conned. Your boss wants me here to help your security folks. I also like the particular make-up you are wearing. You look exactly like Lincoln, except you are a foot too short. So why did you pick Abe Lincoln to impersonate today?” Sonny asked.

  C5 - It’s Written in the Code Book

  Smitty pushed the door closed and left at a fast run. He had had enough of Texas for a while. Behind him in the barn suddenly the false floor burst open! Standing in the trench almost up to his chest was Ranger Lightfoot. With quick strokes, he cut the cords that held Bonnie and removed her gag. “Willy’s on the other side of the car,” she shouted.

  “Get down in the ditch! I will get him!” His words came too late. Bonnie was crawling around the car to stay below the smoke and by the time Lightfoot got to her she was pulling on Willy’s arm. Choking from the thick smoke, the two of them pulled Willy around to the hole in the floor. Coughing and gasping for breath Lightfoot pulled him into the tunnel behind him. In just a few seconds the fire had become an inferno. Burning hay floated around in a swirling motion in a heat generated twister. Air being sucked through the holes in the walls made a wailing sound in the middle of the barn. The only relief from the increasing heat was the cool air in the tunnel. The air cooled them as it was sucked through the tunnel into the barn. Bonnie crawled down the gully first with the chief dragging Willy’s limp body behind him. The vines and foliage above them began to snap and crackle as they withered and burst into flames. Willy was a large man but fortunately the pull was downhill, and Lightfoot was able to handle the heavy load dragging him by the back of his shirt collar. The gully dumped into a dry creek bed and Lightfoot fell against the bank exhausted. Shielded from the heat by the high bank of the creek bed, Bonnie crawled over to her unconscious husband.

  “He’s still alive!” she cried with joy. “There’s a cabin back there in the woods,” Bonnie pointed back down the gully and said, “It’s a far walk from here. Can you get him back there?”

  “I don’t think I have a choice; lead the way,” the chief said. After several stops Lightfoot finally carried the unconscious Willy to the cabin and placed him on the bed. Drenched with sweat and exhausted, he slumped to the floor while Bonnie ran for a bucket of cold water from the well. The flames from the fire could be seen for miles around. A white pillar of smoke from burning hay covered the sky and lingered over the countryside.

  “Is he still alive?” she asked.

  “I don’t know! Give me the water and ladle,” Lightfoot directed.

  Bonnie looked at the bloody shirt and said, “Ranger, we must get him help!”

  “I am way ahead of you! I have to leave you while I go for help. A doctor is the only chance he has. Will you be ok while I’m gone?” Chief Lightfoot asked.

  “Don’t worry about me, just get the doctor as fast as you can!” Bonnie said.

  One hour later the old engine in Dr. Mueller’s car strained to get more speed. “Lightfoot, it won’t do Mr. Baker any good if you kill us trying to get me to him!” Doc said.

  “Doc, this car is a real dog. Don’t you ever drive it over forty miles an hour?” Lightfoot asked.

  “Forty is plenty fast for me at my age!” Mueller said.

  Sitting on the passenger side of the car, Doc Mueller had his feet firmly planted on the floor board and a tight grip on the medical bag in his lap.

  “Doc, hold on! I don’t want to go by that bunch at the fire. I’m going to take a short cut!” Making a sharp turn sent a hubcap sailing out through the trees.

  “This is a fire lane, Lightfoot, not a road! slow this thing down!” Doc said.

  “Keep your shirt on, Doc. This lane leads to the east side of the property. You need to put your hub caps on tighter. We just lost one,” Lightfoot said.

  “Watch that cow! She looks like she…wow! That was close. She just lost a few inches off her fly swatter,” Doc said. A few minutes later they parked the car and walked through the woods to the cabin. Inside, Bonnie sat next to Willy bathing his face with a damp cloth and encouraging him.

  Doc quickly assessed the situation and said, “Okay, Young Lady, bring me another lamp and then I need you and the chief out of here so I can examine him.” Walking outside to get a breath of air, Bonnie wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “You saved us from a horrible death,” Bonnie said.

  “Just another service of the Texas Rangers. It’s written right in the codebook,” Lightfoot said with a grin.

  “Who was in the barn?” he asked.

  “The men I knew were mobsters named McDonald and Smitty. I don’t know the rest of the men,” Bonnie replied.

  “Was the sheriff in the barn?” Lightfoot asked.

  “I don’t know, I didn’t see anyone after I saw Willy laying on the floor…. right now, I just can’t believe we are alive!” Bonnie responded.

  “You didn’t hear the sheriff’s voice or any other voice you would recognize?” the chief asked.

  “Sorry, but I was a m
ess when I came in and saw Willy laying there,” Bonnie admitted. “How did you find us in the barn?”

  “I was snooping around the place and found cars parked in the woods and followed their tracks to the barn. I saw a big truck leave and snuck in your house to use the phone. I’m glad I got back to the barn when I did. Another five minutes and it would have been too late. I found the gully when I was circling around the barn trying to get close enough to hear what was going on inside. Seeing no other way to get close to the barn, I crawled up the gully under the blackberry vines, just in time, I might add. From under the floor I didn’t get any of the conversation and I couldn’t see anyone. I smelled the smoke almost instantly. Right now, you two are safe but if they find out you are alive, that will change. My captain is on his way from Austin. He should be here before dark. I need to go and collect a couple of young rangers. I will be back as soon as I can,” Lightfoot said.

  “Ranger Lightfoot, I believe my parents are up at the house. I don’t want to see them yet. Get Annie to settle them in and tell them we are away for the weekend,” Bonnie said.

  “This cabin is as good a place as any for you right now. We will get your family settled. I will be back before the captain gets here!” Lightfoot walked back through the woods to the house unnoticed. Walking up behind Mike, he asked, “Where is Cage?”

  Startled, Mike Walker turned and looked at Lightfoot. He said, “Man, how in the world did you get so dirty? We’ve been looking for you. Where have you been? Cage and I have a bad feeling about this fire!”

  “You ask too many questions. You and Cage might try and get dirty once in a while,” Lightfoot brushed the dirt and sand off his uniform and continued to talk, “The intended victims are still alive. Bonnie is okay…Willy has been shot and I don’t think he will make it. He may have died by now. Where is the other half of the junior rangers?”

  “Cage is at the horse pen behind the house with Annie,” Mike replied.