Monument Rock (Ss) (1998) (7 page)

"No," Talon said distinctly, "I don't believe so."

" You ridin' west?"

"To Carson City, probably."

"Make it definitely . . . you take my advice and don't stop this side." The gunma
n
grinned. "You might run into more Utes without me to protect you."

Talon said, "You know something? You're in the wrong business."

He loped his horse out of the basin without waiting for a reply, and Jones pulle
d
in alongside him. Jones looked back over his shoulder. "You should be careful," h
e
said. "That was Lute Robeck back there. He's a mighty dangerous man. You see th
e
way he emptied that six-gun?"

"He didn't empty it," Talon said. "He had one shot left."

The desert lay empty and still under the hot morning sun. Heat waves shimmered ove
r
the red-brown, sunbaked rocks of the distant mountains, but there was no other movemen
t
until a lone dust devil danced out of the greasewood clumps and gained size in th
e
flatland, then died away to nothing.

In the back room of the stage station at Ironwood, Dan Burnett lay on his back wit
h
a broken hip and three broken ribs. It was close and hot in the small bedroom an
d
he gasped painfully with every breath.

Kate Breslin, in the big main room of the station, wen
t
to the door for the fiftieth time and stared up the narrow, empty road that wen
t
down the flat and curved out of sight around the hill. The road was empty ... i
n
all that hot, vast, and brassy silence, nothing moved.

Kate Breslin was twice a widow, once by stampede and once by the gun, but at forty-fiv
e
she was all Western, with no idea of ever going elsewhere. She had rolled into Ironwoo
d
on the stage bound for Carson and they had found Dan Burnett dragging himself towar
d
the station door with a broken hip ... he had been kicked by a mule and was in ba
d
shape.

Immediately, she volunteered to remain until a relief man could come and somebod
y
to care for Dan. On impulse, Ruth Starkey had stayed with her. Now, as Ruth coul
d
plainly see, Kate was worried, and she was worried about something other than th
e
injured man in the back bedroom.

"Can you handle a gun?" Kate asked suddenly.

"I've shot a rifle, if that's what you mean."

"You may need to. . . ." Kate Breslin looked at her quickly. "You know what he tol
d
me? There's seventy thousand dollars in gold on that westbound stage ... sevent
y
thousand."

"Does anybody know?"

"You darned tootin', somebody knows. Trouble is, they don't know who. Feller worke
d
for the mining company, he suddenly took off, didn't even pick up his wages ... h
e
lit right out of town. They thought about holding the gold, then decided they woul
d
be safer to ship it. That's why Dan is so worried."

"But don't they know about Dan?"

"West they do, but that gold's shipped from east of here . . . and back there they'l
l
think Dan is on his toes. This is one place nobody will expect trouble."

Ruth was standing in the door. "Kate," she said, "tw
o
men are coming up the road ... from the east."

Kate Breslin joined her in the door. Two men riding toward them, both on fine, bloode
d
horses, definitely not the sort of horses ridden by cowhands. One man was short an
d
thickset, the other was a tall man.

"Be careful what you say," Kate said. "You just be careful."

When they rode up it was the tall man who spoke. "Ma'am, we've heard they serve
d
the best food along the line at Ironwood, and we're hungry. Could you manage to serv
e
a meal for two?"

"I reckon," Kate said. "Get down and come in."

When they had stabled their horses, the two men came in and the fat one walked t
o
the bar. "I'd like a whiskey," he said, "I surely would."

"Pour one for him, Ruth." Kate was already rattling dishes in the kitchen. "I'l
l
feed these men so they can get on their way. I expect they're in a hurry to get t
o
Carson."

Talon glanced at her and then at Ruth, momentarily puzzled by the presence of th
e
women. His eyes strayed toward the closed door of the bedroom, but what it was o
r
who was there, Talon had no idea. He sensed that for some reason his presence wa
s
not wanted, and he wondered why this was so. He was a sensitive man, aware of change
s
in the atmosphere, and he was aware of a subtle coldness now.

He had not expected to find women here, and the younger one, the one called Ruth
,
was extremely pretty... but an Eastern girl or one who had lately been east. Disturbed
,
he walked outside and went to the stable, where the mules that pulled the stage ove
r
this rough stretch were kept. There were twelve of them, and walking past the stalls
,
he suddenly glimpsed a gun, half-concealed by the hay on the barn floor.

He picked it up, a worn Remington pistol, but well kept and oiled ... the man wh
o
owned a gun so well kept would not be one to leave it lying carelessly on the dir
t
floor. Curious, aware of a mystery here, he looked slowly around the long building.

The fallen gun was directly behind a stall, and at that point the dirt of the floo
r
was stirred up by boot marks ... he tried to work out the sign but could make nothin
g
of it, although it looked like a scuffle had taken place. Whatever it was, it ha
d
made the owner forget his pistol.

Walking outside, he looked carefully around, and there was little to see. The mules
,
the barn, the corrals, and several haystacks aside from what hay was in the bar
n
itself. A couple of poles leaned against the side of the house with two coats buttone
d
around them to make a crude stretcher. So that was it... somebody had been hurt.

Strolling across the yard, he stopped to light a cigarette and glanced out of th
e
corner of his eyes at the stretcher. He was close to it now, but he could see n
o
signs of blood, such as would be visible if the man had been shot or injured so tha
t
he would bleed.

Jones stepped outside. "Woman in there is Kate
Breslin
," he said. "Dan's off i
n
the hills rounding up a beef."

"Dan a friend of yours?"

"Sure ... that is, we talk friendly, and we feel friendly. I don't know Dan the best
,
but I've stopped by here six, eight times."

"Doesn't make much sense, rounding up a beef when they've plenty of supplies in th
e
station . . . not with the Utes running wild over the country."

"Could be, though." Jones glanced at Talon. "What's wrong? You got something in mind?"

"They're hiding something." Talon jerked his head to indicate the women. "There'
s
something wrong aroun
d
here." He slid the Remington from his belt. "You ever see this before?"

"Sure. That's Dan's gun. I'd know it anywhere."

"Think he'd be apt to go into the mountains without it? I found it lying in the barn
,
half-covered with hay."

"Dan's hurt.. . got to be. He was a careful man with a gun, cared for 'em well, an
d
he never left one lyin' around careless."

Kate Breslin appeared in the door, staring at them suspiciously. "You can eat," sh
e
said. "I don't want to hold you up any longer'n I have to."

The food was good, the usual beef, beans, and biscuits of the frontier, but potatoe
s
had been added, and beside each plate was a healthy slab of apple pie. Dried apples
,
Talon reflected, but pie, anyway.

He glanced again at the carefully closed door. Ruth was pouring coffee, and he said
,
"Burnett should be getting back. What time's the stage due?"

The hands pouring the coffee trembled a little and the girl straightened. "There'
s
plenty of time. Dan will be back,
all
right."

He took out the gun. "Better give this to him. I found it in the barn."

She picked up the gun quickly, almost snatched it from him, and Talon glimpsed Kat
e
listening in the door to the kitchen. "It's all right... he has another."

Talon refilled his cup from the coffeepot and began to build a smoke. Were they worrie
d
because they were two women alone? It might be, but he doubted it. Maybe Ruth migh
t
worry, although she looked like a girl who could take care of herself, but Kate Bresli
n
wouldn't. She had been in such positions too many times to be daunted by the presenc
e
of men, and she would know what to do. So what, then, was wrong?

His thoughts returned suddenly to the gunman on the trail behind them. Odd, whe
n
a man came to think of it. "I wonder what became of our friends?" he asked mildly.

Jones looked up from his pie. "On their way, prob'ly."

"They were riding west when we met them."

Jones tore off a slab of bread and began to butter it, ignoring the biscuits. H
e
looked at Talon, his mouth full and chewing, then the chewing slowed and Jones looke
d
thoughtful. "Maybe they turned off," he suggested lamely.

"To where? This is a big, empty country." Talon lit his cigarette. "Remember hi
s
advice? To keep riding for Carson? He sounded like he didn't want us to stop thi
s
side of there."

"So?"

"So we've stopped . . . and this might be the place he didn't want us to stop."

"I don't figure it... what you gettin' at?"

"These women are scared about something, and this is the loneliest stage stop i
n
the country . . . and back along the trail we meet three very handy men riding horse
s
no cowhand could afford, horses with speed and staying quality."

"You think they were outlaws? I noticed them horses."

"What else?"

Jones stared at him thoughtfully. "Talon," he said carefully, "you ride a might
y
fine horse yourself. One with speed and staying quality."

Talon smiled. "That's right," he said quietly.

Ruth collected the dishes. "Do you plan to make Carson tonight? You can do it i
f
you push right along."

"You wouldn't be trying to get rid of us, would you?" Talon smiled at her. "I don'
t
think you women should be here alone with Dan Burnett laid up."

Ruth almost dropped the dishes. She turned sharply, but Kate spoke from the kitchen. "Dan may be laid up, but I'm not. You ride out o
f
here, both of you!"

Jones put his cup down hard and stared at her, his fat jowls quivering. "Now, look
a
here-!" he started to protest.

"Get!... Get goin'!"

Talon picked up the coffeepot and refilled his cup. "Like I said, you're going t
o
need help. Especially with a gold shipment on that coach."

Jones turned to stare at him, astonished. But Kate
Breslin
walked on into the room
,
and she had Burnett's Remington in her fist. "You know about that, do you? That mean
s
you're what I figured you were. You get goin', mister."

"What else would keep you scared?" Talon asked mildly. "Only that you were afrai
d
of something happening while Dan's laid up."

"We'll handle that.... Ride!"