Milo Talon (25 page)

But how? When?

The old woman was not all that old and she was spry. She was quick when she wished to be, and she was very cool, very careful.

As for her, what weapon did she have? She stirred, reaching for her cup on the table, and the chains clanked.

Of course. She had her chains.

The old woman got up suddenly. “Dickie’s coming!”

Please, God! Not yet! There will be two of them!

“No, it’s not Dickie. It’s some men.”

“They’ll be looking for me,” Molly said.

With surprising quickness Bess hustled her into the other room and drew the door shut. Only in time. There was a sharp rap on the door.

Bess crossed the room and opened the door. “Yes?” she asked.

Rolon Taylor removed his hat. “Ma’am, we’ve been lookin’ for some runaways. We tracked ’em this far.”

“Of course. You mean the young man and the girl? Yes, they were here. They stayed the night. They rode out west, I believe, or was it northwest? I wasn’t watching but I believe it was northwest, toward Texas Creek.”

Another rider came into the yard. “There’s tracks, boss, two horses, maybe three. They headed off to the north.”

“There’s two trails,” Bess said, “the one by Texas Creek, but there’s another goes northeast up Copper Canyon toward Canon City.” She paused. “They didn’t get a very early start. They bought fresh horses from my husband, paid for them in gold.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Rolon slapped the dust from his hat. “Let’s go, boys, they can’t be far ahead.”

When the sound of their horses died away Bess walked back and opened the door. “A rough lot of men,” she said disapprovingly, “certainly not the kind who should be looking for a young girl.”

“There will be more,” Molly said. “You haven’t
met the worst of them. There may be a girl, too. A very pretty girl.”

“This gold you tell of? Would it be far off?”

“Not if I’ve read the paper right. If I’ve read it clear it’s not very far away.”

“You’ve got it?”

“No, that other girl has it. Or I think she has. I might be able to remember—I don’t know, but I think I could find it. If you’d give me half.”

“Of course,” Bess replied. “Why not?”

She turned away and as she stepped Molly threw a loop of her leg chain forward, neatly catching the older woman around the ankle. Molly had been thinking of just that and she was watching her chance: it came suddenly when Bess was momentarily distracted, considering the gold.

Molly made a quick sweep with her ankle, looping the chain around the older woman’s leg and jerking back hard as she stepped. Bess fell, striking the floor with her head, momentarily stunned. It gave Molly a chance to draw back her arms ready to swing her handcuff chain at the other woman’s head.

“Don’t do it, Molly,” Milo said and stepped into the room.

Caught in mid-swing, Molly stopped. “I thought you’d been killed,” she said. “I thought—”

“I know.” He stooped and took the keys from Bess’s pocket. “Don’t try to get up,” he told the older woman. “You just lie still and make it easy on yourself.”

T
HAT WAS THE way it happened, and when I look back on it I guess I got there just in time to keep Molly from having to kill Bess. Or maybe just to knock her out, you never knew.

We didn’t waste time around. I caught up her horse, saddled up, and we rode out, hitting the trail south for Westcliffe, a town we’d heard of off to the south. Before we rode out I told that old lady, “I don’t know what kind of a shebang you’ve been running here, but you better get yourself a new partner. That one who followed me, well, he fell into something he wasn’t expecting.”

That extra pistol I had, taken from the old man, I handed that to Molly. “You may need this. We’ve got a far piece to ride, and some rough country in between.”

“I never thought I’d be so glad to see anybody.”

“Looked to me like you were doing all right,” I said. “Would you have killed her?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I don’t know. I was scared.”

“I been scared, too,” I said, “I’m scared right now.”

When we topped out on a slope of Mitchell Mountain I looked back. There was dust hanging near Falling Rock Gulch.

Well, we had two good horses and a clear track.

M
IDNIGHT HAD LONG been past when we rode into the dark and silent streets of the town. There was a light in the hotel, as usual, but aside from a scattered light or two from homes it might have been a ghost town. We rode down the street to Maggie’s, and German opened at our knock.

“Been worried,” he said, “there’s been all sorts of talk about town. Folks are sayin’ you stole two of Maggie’s horses?”

“We rode out on them, then turned them loose. They should find their way back today or tomorrow.”

“She’s mad, mad as all get out. Wants Molly out of here. I told her she had a third share and she said she’d heard that but didn’t believe it. When she was still all wrought up, I offered to buy her out.”

“And—?”

“She sold. Never thought she would but she was mad, mad clean through. She sold and I bought.” He grinned ruefully. “All I’ve got to do is come up with the rest of the money—today.”

“Has John Topp been around?”

“Almost every day. The car’s back. That private car’s on the siding yonder, just where it used to be.”

“Baggott?”

“He’s been in. Eats, minds his own affairs, leaves.
Goes to church of a Sunday. Talks to nobody except to the parson at church.”

“You a churchgoer, German?” I was surprised.

“Raised thataway.” He smiled slyly. “Used to sing in a choir one time, when I was a boy. Ain’t sung much but campfire songs since.”

He fixed us something to eat in the kitchen. “Lots of talk,” he repeated, “words gotten around that old Nathan Albro left some money. Folks say there’s millions hid someplace.”

“Maybe,” I said, “but Nathan Albro was a canny man. My bet is that those millions aren’t hidden at all. They are nicely invested some place and earning money. He didn’t make many mistakes.”

Finishing my coffee, I stood up. “I’m going to the hotel to try to get some sleep. Luckily, I’d been paying well in advance these last few days.”

“Be careful. Milo, please be careful,” Molly put a hand on my sleeve. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Better than with me, probably,” I said. “But stay close. This is going to be a bad, bad day. I can feel it.”

Taking the horses to the stable, I rubbed them down and fed them. The last they liked, the former was a surprise, but I had an idea we might need them and I wanted them in good shape and ready.

So far as could be seen, my room was undisturbed. A quick glance at the roofs across the way showed nothing, and the street below was empty, although morning was not far off.

The first order of business was Jefferson Henry. I’d
found the girl he wanted and he could have her. They deserved each other.

No bed ever felt so good as that one. I stretched out, groaned a little from sheer relief, and went promptly to sleep.

The sun was bright when I came down the stairs in the morning. For a moment I hesitated at the foot of the stairs, searching the street.

It was busy, as expected. A man sweeping the boardwalk, a wagon and a team tied near the supply store, a rider going past, and two women picking up their skirts as they stepped up on the boardwalk.

“Get back last night?”

The clerk was leaning on the desk. “Folks been asking for you.” He paused. “You staying on?”

“A few more days.”

“Maggie said if you came back to throw you out.” He smiled, shrugging. “Maggie doesn’t come down very often and she’ll not know you’re staying. Anyway, as long as you pay your bill I’ve no excuse.”

“Thanks.”

“A couple of Taylor’s men have been around. You’d better take the thong off that gun.” It was good advice and I acted accordingly. “You buy that story about Albro’s millions being around here somewhere?”

“No. He was too canny a man.”

“Folks say that’s what they’re all after, him in the private car, Maggie, Rolon Taylor, Pride Hovey, and you.”

“People like to talk.” I was watching the street and thinking. “If you think about it you’ll realize Albro wasn’t the kind to have idle money lying about.
Wherever that money is, it’s well invested, you can bet on that.”

“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Ain’t as much fun as buried gold. That’s the story people like. Some of them say you and that girl know where it’s at.”

“Wish we did,” I said grimly. “I’d have ridden out of here like my tail was afire.”

First, Jefferson Henry. Moving to the door, I glanced up and down the street, then at the upper windows across the street. Only then did I walk outside.

Oh, I was noticed all right! From what the clerk and German had said I knew the whole town was talking and it made an exciting story.

The car stood on its siding within a few feet of where it had been before. I swung aboard and rapped lightly. Almost at once the door opened and the tall, dignified black man ushered me back to the office. A moment later, Jefferson Henry came in, buttoning his vest. There were bags under his eyes and he looked tired.

He stared at me without pleasure. “I wasn’t expecting to see you,” he said, “running around the country like you’ve been.”

“You asked me to find a girl. I found her.”

He did not seem surprised. “Oh?”

“And if I were you I’d leave her alone. She’s trouble.”

“I hired you to find her, not for your opinions.”

“All right, I’ve found her. She calls herself Anne now and she is living, or was living, in Fisher’s Hole. She has some very tough characters with her but she seems to be in charge.”

“All right. You can go.”

“First, one thousand dollars bonus. I found her.”

He stared at me, and I waited. “You don’t deserve it.”

My smile only irritated him the more, but I said, “Whether I deserved it or not was not the question. That was your offer and I’ve completed the job.”

He sat down heavily. “All right.” He wrote out a check on the local bank. “Take it and get out.”

“This had better be good,” I said.

“It’s good.” He looked up suddenly. “Had you ever seen her before?”

“Yes. She’d been to our ranch. Stayed a little while.”

That at least pleased him. “I thought so. Did you know where she was hiding out?”

“No, I didn’t, and I don’t think she was hiding. I think she was just waiting.”

“Waiting?”

“Yes, I believe she was just waiting for you, or for somebody else, to find her. I think she wanted to settle matters out of sight and in a place she could just ride away from when it was over.

“She was waiting for you, and looking for somebody else.”

That puzzled him, and disturbed him, too. He glanced at me. “Now who would that be?”

“You’ve paid me,” I said, “I’m no longer in your employ, but just a little advice, whether you want it or not. Don’t go looking for Anne Henry or whatever she calls herself. Leave well enough alone. Take what you’ve got and run.”

He lunged up from the desk, eyes bulging. “Take what I’ve got? What do you know, you damned cowboy! What do you know about what I’ve worked for,
planned for, struggled for all these years? Leave
now?
I’d have to be crazy!

“I could finish what Albro started! I could run that railroad through to the Gulf! There’s millions in it! Albro knew! If I give up now, what will there be left?”

“Your life,” I said, and walked out.

Not being a trusting man, I went at once to the bank. The check was good.

I had my money, the job was done, and I could ride out with a clear conscience. After all, I had agreed to find a girl. I’d found her. I’d wanted a stake so I could drift for a few months without worry. On this much I was good for a year, maybe two if I was careful. The livery barn was yonder and my horse getting too fat for his own good. Half my riding here lately had been on other people’s horses.

So why didn’t I go?

Well, I hadn’t had breakfast, for one thing. Least I could do was drop around and see German one more time. And Molly, of course.