Coroner Creek (25 page)

Authors: Luke; Short

BOOK: Coroner Creek

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He came into Triumph from the west, and turned in the alley alongside the Hotel and dismounted in the rear of the livery. It was dark in the runway, and, framed against the lights from Miles' store across the street, Chris saw the hostler talking with another man. He was almost up to them when they heard him and turned. The tall man came off the grain chest, making a gesture for his gun, and then his hand ceased moving as Chris lifted his gun.

“You Rainbow?” Chris asked.

“Yes,” Arch muttered.

Chris came up to him and saw that his holster was empty, and he said, “He in the store?”

Arch nodded, and Chris waved him toward the street with his gun.

The sound of a horse being ridden hard down the street came to them then, and Chris put an arm out and halted Arch. They watched a rider, coming from the direction of the flats, pull up in front of Miles' store, dismount hurriedly, and go inside.

He's bringing the news of Ernie
, Chris thought.

The sound of someone upstreet running on the boardwalk came to him. And then he saw the figure cutting across the muddy street from the hotel in the direction of Miles' store. In that dim light, he made out Kate Hardison, small in a bulky slicker; and as she ran up the stairs and entered the store, his gray spirit lifted.
She cares enough to wonder what news he brought. She was watching
, he thought; and still he waited.

In a moment the rider came out of the store, hurried down the steps and turned in the direction of Melaven's saloon, and Chris supposed he was after help. Rainbow, most likely, would have their horses stalled out of the rain here at the livery. It was time to move.

“Go in the store,” he said to Arch and the hostler, and together they walked, across the street, mounted the steps and entered the store. It was deserted, save for a woman customer at the rear. The office door was closed, and Chris halted Arch and the hostler midway down the aisle and turned and listened. He picked up the sound of men running for the livery, and a minute later the first horse hit the planks of the runway at a run. In seconds the sound of the riders in the muddy street had died, and now Chris motioned Arch ahead and sent the hostler out.

As they approached the office door, Chris heard the voice of Miles from behind the partition, and it was cold with wrath.

“I'll hunt him down if it takes my crew a year. I'll hire another crew to hunt him down after that. Meddle somewhere else! Get out!”

Kate's voice was barely audible. “He's worth a hundred of that trash you've got hunting him.”

“Get out, Kate.”

“I make you a promise, Younger,” Kate said. “If they get him, I'll kill you.”

Younger laughed, and now Chris looked at Arch and motioned with his head toward the front door. Meekly, Arch turned and tramped back, and Chris watched him until he was out.

He heard Younger say now, “You like that drifter, don't you, Kate?” but the time was here for him. He tucked his gun under his right arm, softly turned the doorknob with his left, and when the door was ajar, he took his gun and gently shoved the door open with his foot and stepped in.

Kate and MacElvey were standing, their backs to him, and Younger was facing him. Younger was talking, his tone jeering, and now his voice trailed off and he closed his mouth. His face smoothed slowly, became slowly blank. Kate, seeing it, whirled, and Chris said gently, “Go out, Kate.”

She fled past him, and he did not even look at Mac, only said, watching Miles, “Mac, I'm going to kill him. I don't think you'll stop me.”

“Wait,” Mac said.

“No,” Chris said, still looking at Miles. “Before I kill you, Miles, I'm going to tell you why.” He paused, isolating this. “There was a girl on that stage that Tana trapped in Karnes Canyon along with Captain Jordan's pay chest. They killed her. She was on her way to me, because we were going to be married.”

Miles face showed he was not even going to protest his innocence.

And then Mac's voice cut in, “Her name was Bess Thornley, Miles, and she was my sister.”

Chris didn't take his glance from Miles as he heard this. He saw the fleeting amazement and terror come into Miles' face now, and he glanced swiftly at Mac and saw the gun in his hand, held down at his side.

Mac said, “I faked that letter from Coe, Miles. I'd worked a year to break you, and I did. I want you to know you're broke before you die.”

He raised his gun slowly, and Younger backed into the safe. Then he wheeled and vaulted for the window. Mac shot then. Younger had one leg on the window sill, and the force of Mac's first shot drove him into the window, and it broke. Then he sagged to his knees, both hands clutching the window sill, and Mac shot him four times in the back, coldly and carefully.

Chris watched Miles fall to the floor between the desk and the safe, and wedge there grotesquely, knees to chin. Chris discovered his gun was still leveled, and he let it fall to his side, and when Mac, his face fiercely exultant, turned to him, Chris said, “You're Perry, then, and you have known who I was.”

“Yes. Since I heard your name. I wanted to hurt him all I could before you killed him.”

They both looked at Miles then, and Chris walked over to Mac's chair and sat down wearily. He leaned his elbows on his knees and rubbed his closed eyes with the rough palm of his hand; he was thinking,
I'm rid of you now, Bess. At last I'm rid of you
.

Mac said to, him now, “So you got to Tana, too?”

“No. He was dead. I talked to one of the others.” He looked briefly at Miles again, and said, “How did you find him?”

“He had to do something with his money,” Mac said. “I tried a lot of things until I thought of the stockmen's journals. I went to the back issues and found mention of the sale, of the Finch holdings to him. I changed my name, in case he ever discovered Bess had a brother.”

Chris nodded and rose wearily. This was ended, and he knew suddenly the question neither he nor Kate could answer yesterday was ready to be answered now. He smiled slowly and put his hand on Mac's arm and pressed it, and went out into the store. A group of customers and clerks just outside the door parted for him, and he was shouldering through them when Mac called, “Chris.” Chris stopped, and Mac said, “I want to be tried for this, but I'd like your permission to see Mrs. Miles before you take me to O'Hea.”

“All right,” Chris said. He went out and stepped down into the rain and cut straight across the deep mud toward the hotel. And then he saw the figure at the corner of the hotel, standing in the slow rain, watching him. It was Kate.

He came up to her then, and she said quietly, “He's dead, Chris?”

Chris nodded his head in slow affirmation. “He's dead, and I didn't kill him, Kate, and it's over. She's gone, she's buried, and I'm done with it. I'mâ” He paused, realizing she did not know what he was talking about.

“You don't have to tell me, Chris.”

“I want to,” Chris said. “I want to tell you more, Kate. I want toâ” Again he stopped, reaching for the words, and she looked up at him, her face grave and waiting.

He touched her face gently with his hand and said, “Blessed Kate,” knowing that she could wait for the other words.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Luke Short is the pen name of Frederick Dilley Glidden (1908â1975), the bestselling, award-winning author of over fifty classic western novels and hundreds of short stories. Renowned for their action-packed story lines, multidimensional characters, and vibrant dialogue, Glidden's novels sold over thirty million copies. Ten of his novels, including
Blood on the Moon
,
Coroner Creek
, and
Ramrod
, were adapted for the screen. Glidden was the winner of a special Western Heritage Trustees Award and the Levi Strauss Golden Saddleman Award from the Western Writers of America.

Born in Kewanee, Illinois, Glidden graduated in 1930 from the University of Missouri where he studied journalism. After working for several newspapers, he became a trapper in Canada and, later, an archaeologist's assistant in New Mexico. His first story, “Six-Gun Lawyer,” was published in
Cowboy Stories
magazine in 1935 under the name F. D. Glidden. At the suggestion of his publisher, he used the pseudonym Luke Short, not realizing it was the name of a real gunman and gambler who was a friend of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. In addition to his prolific writing career, Glidden worked for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. He moved to Aspen, Colorado, in 1946, and became an active member of the Aspen Town Council, where he initiated the zoning laws that helped preserve the town.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover design by Andy Ross

ISBN: 978-1-5040-3979-6

This edition published in 2016 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

180 Maiden Lane

New York, NY 10038

www.openroadmedia.com