Trail West (A Sam Spur Western Book 6) Read online

  “Have you come right onto my side of the fence, Ranee?” he asked.

  Straffer said: “Yes, I have. I see now you mean business. I’ll do anything I can to help.”

  “Then I want to stick around for the rest of the evening. Nobody must know I’m here. I want to know everybody who talks to Ruby tonight. That means everybody. She may pass the word in a casual conversation.”

  “I’ll tell the boys.”

  “No, don’t tell anybody. We don’t know who’s working for Roach. He could have other agents here beside Ruby.”

  “All right. It won’t be convenient, but I’ll do it.”

  “It isn’t very convenient being killed either, Ranee.”

  Straffer swallowed hard and went to the door. He turned to look at the marshal, went to speak, thought better of it and went out. Malcolm helped himself to whiskey and settled himself down to wait.

  Straffer walked down the hall and entered the salon. Here were three or four girls entertaining several gentlemen of the town. There was some professionally gay conversation going around and some laughter. The girls served drinks and saw that the men drank plenty. When on the job the girls stayed sober and drank a soft drink that passed for champagne. If a girl started to drink seriously, she was out. There was nothing lower in Ranee’s mind than a drunken whore. He kept high standards and found it paid. He saw that Ruby hadn’t come down yet. Which meant probably that Roach had roughed her up again. Straffer was a pretty hard man, but there was something about Roach that turned him a little sick.

  The girl Jenny was doing well. She was one of the best on his payroll. There was something simple and honest about her that appealed to men. Only last week a visiting businessman from the East had wanted to marry her. The men were greeting Straffer. They all liked to keep in with him. It was a matter of pride with them to be treated as his friend. He was a man of influence in the capital. He smiled around and shook hands, accepted a drink, laughed with them. One impatient man who was already well gone in drink took one of the girls upstairs. His companions sent him on his way with some cheerful sallies.

  Ruby appeared a half-hour later. She was dressed impeccably in green velvet and her face was carefully made-up, but that could not hide the fact that she had been struck on the face. She smiled brightly, returned greetings and was soon in the company of a visitor from Santa Fe.

  More men came in and the large room started to fill up. Some of them drifted away to play cards in another room. Straffer’s three Mexican musicians appeared and the music started up. It became noisier and the air started to turn blue with the smoke of the cigars. More girls came in and paired off with men, a few couples went into another room for supper. Business was good. Ruby was still with the stranger. Straffer checked on him discreetly with a couple of other guests and they thought he did so as a routine matter. They knew he was careful whom he had here. They appreciated that. But he appeared to be harmless enough. After a while he and Ruby disappeared upstairs. But they were gone no more than thirty minutes. When they came down Ruby was laughing gaily and clung flatteringly to the man’s arm. He liked that. He bought drinks all round.

  Straffer walked to his office and told Malcolm that nothing had happened yet.

  As soon as Straffer left the salon, Ruby excused herself from the company of the Santa Fe man and left the room. She hurried to the kitchen and found the boy who was simply known as Ricky. He was said to be the offspring of one of Straffer’s girls in the past. The mother was said to be dead and Straffer had made himself responsible for the lad. He was about ten years old now and was learning fast. The girls all spoiled him and used him as a general errand boy. He seemed to thrive on the life.

  Ruby now went up to him and said: “Rick, you want to earn a dollar.”

  “Sure.”

  She told him what she wanted and took a folded piece of paper from the front of her dress. She gave this to the boy and said: “Don’t you come back till he gets it.”

  The boy nodded and slipped out of the rear door. Ruby returned to the salon and was gayer than ever. The Santa Fe man was delighted with her.

  Straffer came back into the room.

  Rick ran all the way through the town and out onto the low-lying land that lay beside the creek to the south. Here there was a decaying adobe that smelled to the boy as if it were inhabited by Mexicans and goats. He was right on both counts. The goats were penned against the side of the house and a Mexican sat smoking against the front wall.

  “Mr. Rigbee here?” Rick asked.

  “The señor is not here,” the Mexican replied. “What do you want with him, my little one?”

  “I have a message for him and it’s urgent.”

  “Oho. You will wait here.”

  The man unhurriedly rose and went into the darkness of the house. Rick stayed where he was, hearing the murmur of voices. A short while after he saw the white of a shirt come out of the dark maw of the house. It was worn by a tall man in dark pants and black shiny boots.

  Ricky admired the big gun on the man’s hip.

  “What do you want, button?”

  “You Mr. Rigbee?”

  “That’s me.”

  The boy took the piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over. Rigbee took it and fired a match. By its light, he read the note. By its light, the boy took a look at the man’s face. It was long and dark and the upper lip was crossed by a jet-black mustache. The face was smooth and cruel. The boy sensed evil.

  The match went out.

  The man spoke.

  “Go back, boy. It’s all right. There’s nothing to tell Ruby.”

  The man reached in his pocket and gave the boy a quarter. Ricky turned and went back the way he had come.

  The man re-entered the adobe. Sometime later he emerged. He was perfectly dressed, a fine coat now lying snug over his shoulders. He had dispensed with the belt-gun and now carried a small up-and-over in the pocket of his crimson and gold flowered vest. His tall figure walked slowly through town until he came to the door of Straffer’s place. Here he knocked on the door. When the bouncer opened it, Rigbee said: “Miss Ruby?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know you, sir.”

  “She’s expecting me,” the man said.

  The bouncer invited him in and asked him to wait. A moment later, he returned with Ruby who greeted Rigbee warmly as Dude. They went up the stairs to her room together. This did not go unnoticed by Straffer who had followed Ruby from the salon. He went to his office and told Malcolm: “Ruby just went up to her room with Dude Rigbee.”

  “Rigbee?” exclaimed Malcolm. “By God, they mean business.'' He and Straffer both knew Rigbee by reputation. They knew the kind of work he handled. Now they were certain that Roach was going after Spur and the prisoners in earnest.

  “Ranee,” he said, “I want that boy of yours.”

  Ricky was sent for again. Malcolm told him to get along to the livery and to have his horse saddled at once. He wanted him waiting down the street, say outside the courthouse. Ricky ran off.

  “I shan’t forget you helped,” he told Straffer.

  As they entered Ruby’s room, Rigbee said: “Like old times, Ruby. You’re as beautiful as ever.”

  She closed the door and turned the key.

  When she looked at Rigbee, she saw that he was eyeing her hungrily. She noted that there was a slight shabbiness to his dress which she hadn’t seen in the dim light below. Normally the man was a careful dresser; he must be having a run of bad luck. Dude never wore anything but the best and the newest unless he could help it. Maybe she could get him cheaper if he was a little desperate and reap a larger profit on the deal.

  “This is strictly business, Dude,” she said.

  “I always like mixing business with pleasure,” he said.

  She ignored the remark.

  “I’ll give it you straight. I’m acting for a certain party who intends to remain unknown. If you try to find out who it is, the deal’s off. And it’s a good deal.”
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  “Shoot,” he said. “So long as the money’s there, I don’t give a damn who it comes from.”

  “Right. Three men killed Wayne Ulster.” Rigbee started. He realized suddenly that he was onto something big. The stakes would be high here. “Lin Travers and George Malcolm went after them. They laid a trap for the lawmen. Travers was killed and Malcolm was wounded. The three men got away.”

  “Who were they?”

  “Lucky Lincoln, Henry Strange and Pete Offing.”

  All good men, Rigbee thought. This girl hires nothing but the best.

  The girl went on: “The three of them lit out for Mexico. Malcolm wasn’t in any state to go after them himself. And maybe he didn’t like crossing the Border. It looks like he swore three men in as special deputies and sent them. Three outlaws.”

  “Outlaws?” Rigbee showed surprise. “Who the hell would tackle those three. They’re poison.”

  “Sam Spur.”

  Rigbee started to feel uneasy. This was something even bigger. He didn’t know he liked it much.

  “Who were the other two men with Spur?” he asked.

  “Cuzie Ben and the Cimarron Kid.”

  Rigbee went a little pale. He said: “Jesus.”

  The woman didn’t miss his dismay. She said: “It’s dangerous and you’ll be paid accordingly.”

  With a touch of bitterness, he said: “I’ll need to be.”

  “Spur and these two traced Lincoln and his boys below the Border and Lincoln was killed. He was killed by the Kid because we wanted all three of Lincoln and his boys dead in case they talked. The Kid’s thrown in with us. He’ll take you to where Spur has the other two hidden in the hills.”

  “Spur’ll be waiting for me. I’ll need men.”

  “You can hire two other men, but you needn’t be scared of Spur. He’s dead by now. Jenner took him.”

  Rigbee gave a sigh of relief. This looked a little better. He and two men with the Cimarron Kid on their side could handle even a tough cookie like Cuzie Ben.

  “I’m your man,” Rigbee said. He started to feel tough now.

  “Do you have a couple of men in mind?” she asked.

  “Sure,” he said, “Rufe Britton and Art Huffaker. They always work with me.”

  She knew the men. She nodded.

  “They’ll do,” she said.

  They then started on a lengthy haggling for the price to be paid. Finally, they came to an agreement. After that Dude Rigbee went quietly out of the house, not unnoticed by Straffer, to recruit his helpers. He found Rufe Britton in a saloon a little more than half-drunk. Art Huffaker, a family man, he found at home preparing for bed. Both men agreed to come along with him. They didn’t like the idea of facing a man like Cuzie Ben much, but they needed the money. They agreed that they would be at Dude’s place in short time with their horses ready. Dude told them that the trip should take them four days at the most. They had a guide to take them directly to the spot where they could start work.

  They were ready to move out by dawn. They mounted outside Rigbee’s place, armed to the teeth and ready for anything. Well, almost anything.

  Art Huffaker, a big bearded man with a slight squint in one eye, said: “Rider comin’, Dude.”

  Rigbee turned and saw a man riding out from town. He looked like he was in a hurry. As he drew nearer Rigbee saw that it was Mike Jenner.

  When Rigbee left, Ruby broke a rule and poured herself a drink. She had earned it and she needed it. What with Roach and Rigbee this had been quite an evening. After she finished the drink she started to repair her make-up when she heard a sound on the stairs. She went to the door and opened it.

  The first man she saw was Mike Jenner and it didn’t need more than a glance to see that something had happened. The man looked distraught. His hat was gone and his hair was all over his face. There was a wild look in his eyes that she had never seen before. If this wasn’t enough to tell her that something was wrong, one look at the man he was supporting told its story. This was Martin Goodyear and he had been shot. The right leg of his pants was soaked with blood.

  The fools, she thought, why did they have to come here? Had Jenner lost his head?

  Coming up the stairs behind them was Ranee Straffer. He looked furious with rage.

  Jenner gave her a desperate look and helped the wounded man into her room.

  “He can’t come in here,” she almost screamed.

  Jenner snarled: “Where the hell else do I take him?”

  Straffer came into the room.

  “What the hell is this?” he demanded. He seemed almost too angry to speak. “What kind of a house do you think I run? Jenner, get this man out of here.”

  “Think about it, Ranee,” Jenner snarled. “You throw this man out and you’re in trouble.”

  “Not as much trouble as I’ll be in if he stays.”

  “Mr. Straffer,” Ruby said, “they’re friends of mine. It’s natural they should come to me if one of them’s hurt. I’ll see to Mart and then we’ll get him home. Nobody need know.” She had to make it right with Straffer. “I promise he’ll be quickly out of here.”

  Jenner said: “There’s nothing for anybody to be scared of. This man was wounded carrying out his duty as a citizen.” Goodyear had collapsed on Ruby’s bed and was bleeding all over her silk bed-cover.

  “What does that mean?” Straffer demanded.

  “We took Spur,” Jenner said. “He’s an outlaw. There’s a price on his head. He made his escape.”

  Ruby thought she would faint. Her mind raced furiously. She had told Rigbee that Spur was dead. She had told him there was nothing to be scared of. Now … She must pull herself together, think calmly.

  “Where’s the Kid?” she demanded. She must be careful what she said in front of Straffer. She had to think of so many things at once that she found herself almost overpowered by the situation.

  “He threw in with Spur,” Jenner said.

  This was even worse. Rigbee would be massacred. She must do something to stop him. Or he must be reinforced. He’d need an army against those three. She found that she was shaking violently.

  “All right,” Straffer was saying, thinking that he must get back to Malcolm and report, “patch this man up and get him out of here. Maybe you should fetch a doctor.”

  “That’s it,” Ruby said.

  “Can you get that boy of yours to fetch a doctor?” Jenner demanded. He wanted Straffer out of here. He needed to talk to Ruby alone.

  “Sure,” said Straffer. “I’ll do that.”

  He left the room.

  Ruby darted to the door and turned the key. She swung around on Jenner.

  “You made a hell of a mess of things, didn’t you?” she hissed.

  Jenner stuttered on his answer for a moment. He was still dazed by the happenings of the night.

  “We didn’t stand a chance,” he said lamely. ‘the Kid threw in with Spur.”

  “You should have been ready for that,” she snapped back at him. “You knew he wasn’t to be trusted. A man who turns as easily as that …”

  Jenner said: “All right, so I fouled things up. No good going over that now. We have to think. What do we do now?”

  “For Chrissake do something about my leg,” Goodyear said. “I’m like to bleed to death.”

  The man and the woman no more than glanced at him and went on talking. Goodyear was out of it for the moment and of little use to them.

  “I sent Rigbee and two men after Strange and Offing. They only want the Kid to show them the way,” Ruby said.

  “The Kid’ll be waiting for them with a gun. Spur and he headed for the hills. A hell of a note. Will Rigbee move without the Kid?”

  “No.”

  “All right, this is what we do. I’ll go with him. And I’ll need some more men.”

  “Can you find ’em this time of night.”

  “I’ll find ’em.”

  “You’ll need horses.”

  “Leave that to me.”

>   “You’d best get moving then. You realize, Mike, if this goes wrong, we could be finished here.”

  “Don’t I know it.”

  He turned the key and went from the room. Ruby turned back to the groaning Goodyear.

  Straffer had sent the boy for the doctor and now he stood in his office in front of the marshal. He told him all that had taken place in the room upstairs.

  “Thank God,” Malcolm said. “I thought Sam was dead.”

  “What’ll you do now?” Straffer demanded.

  “Go after them. Maybe Sam’ll need help.”

  Straffer said: “This is one time I’d like to throw caution to the winds and come along with you.”

  “Why don’t you?” the marshal said. “I could do with a good man.”

  Straffer spread his hands.

  “Too much at stake,” he said. “I have to come out on the winning side.”

  The lawman went to the door.

  “You could regret saying that,” he told Straffer. When he got outside, he stood on the sidewalk, thinking. He had no idea where he was headed. He could only follow Rigbee and he wouldn’t find where to go without the Kid. The only thing that Rigbee could do was to pick up Spur’s and the Kid’s sign and follow that. He was going to need a good tracker. Malcolm wondered if he had one. Malcolm needed Rigbee to find Spur. He had to catch the man in the act, as it were, before he could arrest him.

  He walked along the street to his horse, untied it and mounted. He rode to the outskirts of town, took shelter behind a corral wall and stood dismounted with his hand over the nostrils of his horse. He waited. It wasn’t long before he heard a rider coming from town.