Slocum #396 : Slocum and the Scavenger Trail (9781101554371) (22 page)

“We’re goin’. With the gold.”

Slocum edged back into the forest and put a tree between him and the outlaws. He held out his arm to keep Baransky from rushing out to confront the scavengers. They hitched up the wagons and within fifteen minutes rolled away. The campfire still burned. Otherwise, there was no trace that anyone had been in the clearing.

“Now we go,” Slocum said, after the second wagon had rumbled out of sight.

“I have to know,” Baransky said. “I have to know if that son of a bitch is dead.”

Slocum took his six-shooter back from Melissa.

“Let’s see,” he said softly.

He and Melissa followed Clem Baransky to the campfire and beyond to where a body lay stretched out on the ground. Slocum knew it was Trueheart from the gaudy clothing, but he didn’t know if the man was alive.

He aimed for the head as Baransky kicked Trueheart hard in the ribs. No one living could have taken such a blow without reacting.

“He’s dead,” Baransky said. “The son of a bitch is dead!” He fired his rifle into Trueheart’s back, then kicked him again.

Slocum understood Baransky’s rage. Trueheart had died, but maybe he ought to have lingered awhile longer to appreciate his fate.

“I—” Baransky never got further. A shot from where they had been in the forest caught him in the chest and knocked him back so he tripped over Trueheart’s body.

Slocum spun, thinking the gang had decided the deal was too good to be true.

“Drop it, Slocum. I ought to kill you outright, but I won’t since you did me the favor of bringing both of them here.” Stephen Baransky held his rifle snugged to his shoulder.

“Stephen, you—”

“Shut up, Melly. Just
shut up
! I’m sick of you and him telling me what a wastrel I am. He spent all our money on Ma when it was obvious she wasn’t going to make it. It was kinder to kill her outright and put her out of her misery.”

“Stephen,” Melissa said. “What are you saying?”

Slocum knew. He went cold inside.

“She was hurting, Melly. She was hurting bad. I helped her. I
helped
her!”

“Why’d you come out here after your pa?” Slocum asked. “Why not let him prospect for gold?”

“You don’t know anything. Grandpa Nate’s in a sorry way. When he dies real soon now, he’d have left everything to him.” Stephen jabbed the gun in Clem Baransky’s direction. “He’d find a way to waste the money. My money! My inheritance!”

“Grandpa Nate’s not sick,” Melissa said. “He’s in better shape than Papa. He—oh!”

“You were planning on killing your own grandfather,” Slocum said. “Why not? You already killed your ma.”

“It’s my money. By rights, mine.”

“So you are going to kill your own pa so you’ll inherit?” Slocum almost wished he was dealing with Trueheart again. The scavenger didn’t kill blood relatives.

“We can share, Melly.”

“Go to hell.”

“I thought you’d say that. I’ll tell them you and Pa were killed by road agents. They’ll believe me. Grandpa Nate will be so distraught over the death of his last son and his only granddaughter that he dies of a heart attack. They’ll believe it.”

“And you’ll get his property? Is it a lot?” Slocum asked.

“He owns a shipping company worth a fortune. I’ll be a shipping magnate and turn it into a worldwide business. I can do it!”

“You’re going to murder your entire family?” Slocum asked.

“What did they ever give me? Nothing. Yeah, I’m going to!” Stephen turned to shoot Slocum, but Clem Baransky moaned and stirred, pulling his son’s attention back to him.

Before Slocum could close the distance between him and Stephen, a shot came from a few feet away. Stephen grunted, yanked the trigger on the rifle, and sent a round high into the night sky. Then he toppled backward and hit the ground hard.

Melissa stood, both hands holding Slocum’s Colt. She stepped forward and started to shoot her brother again.

Slocum took the pistol from her before she could duplicate her pa’s punishment of Trueheart. He held her wrist to keep her from advancing to kick the downed man.

“He’s dead,” Slocum said softly. “Your pa’s still alive. See to him.”

Melissa wrenched free of his grip and clung to her father, sobbing bitterly. Slocum prodded Stephen, but his sister’s aim had been deadly. He picked up the fallen rifle and went to where father and daughter clung to each other, sobbing.

“I’ll see you into town,” he said.

Melissa looked up at him, her eyes wild.

“Go, John. Just go. We’ll be all right. Get out of here.”

He started to ask if she wanted him to bury Stephen, then thought better of it. Slocum made his way back to his horse and mounted.

On the road, he considered directions, then a slow smile came to his face. There was only one place to go. He put his heels to the horse’s flanks and started back to where Mackley had driven the gold-laden wagon over the side of the
road. He might not be able to carry much of the gold, but a couple bars riding in his saddlebags would be decent payment for all he had gone through.

And with the gold, he could ride anywhere, if it was far away from Desolation Mountain and the Baranskys.

Watch for

SLOCUM AND THE MISTY CREEK MASSACRE

397
^th
novel in the exciting SLOCUM series
from Jove

Coming in March!