THE DODGE CITY MASSACRE (A Jess Williams Novel.) (27 page)

             
“I don’t think so since you two have pretty much killed just about every one of them. I heard that Taylor Hamm quit on him and so did Brian McElroy once he found out you two were back in town. I think that only leaves Manny Welch with three men left on the payroll that are hired guns,” replied Justin.

             
“What are their names and do they have any bounty on their heads?” asked John.

             
“I don’t think so, but I’ll check on it. Their names are Brad Carouthers, Sulley Landry and Sam Bush,” Justin answered.

             
Connor walked back over to the three of them. “Yep, that third body was indeed Lee Thomas,” said Landon.

             
“I figured as much,” replied Watts.

             
“Well, John, let’s go over and wake up the doc and get this leg and your shoulder cleaned and patched up. Then, we’ll go over to The Long Branch Saloon for a few drinks,” said Jess.

             
“Don’t bother looking for the doc because he’s at The Long Branch Saloon right now. He was there playing some poker when the shooting started. I’ll run over to his house and get his bag and meet you at the saloon. He’ll patch you up right there in the saloon,” replied Watts.

             
“Well, ain’t it our lucky day, Jess,” exclaimed Bodine.

             
“Since when is getting shot lucky?”

             
“When you’re still alive to get patched up.”

             
“Well, I still don’t like it,” complained Jess.

             
“Maybe you need to shoot a little straighter and faster like me,” retorted John. Jess didn’t say anything. He just shot John a look that could kill.

             
They both headed over to the saloon and walked in and found a table in a corner. They sat down and the doctor, who saw that both men were bleeding, put his cards down on the table and walked over to them. “You men need some attention. I’ll go and get my bag and fix you two up right here.”

             
“Justin Watts is already getting your bag, doc,” replied Jess.

             
Justin came into the saloon a few minutes later and the doctor cleaned and patched up the wounds. Jess handed him twenty dollars, which the doctor gladly accepted. He was running low on funds in the poker game he was involved in. Jess scanned the saloon when he came in and it was all locals. He hadn’t seen anyone who might be a threat. Jess called over to Logan.

             
“Logan, bring us the best bottle of whiskey you have and some glasses,” said Jess.

             
Logan walked into the back and brought out a fine bottle of whiskey and two glasses. He poured them both a drink and left the bottle on the table. Jess and John slowly sipped the fine whiskey for almost an hour without speaking. They simply relaxed and enjoyed it. John finally broke the silence. “Well, I guess our work here is done. I ain’t got it figured out down to the last dollar, but I’m pretty sure I’ve made enough money to retire.”

             
“What makes you think we’re done?” replied Jess.

             
“We done killed every gunslinger in town and the three out at Welch’s ranch probably don’t have any bounties on their heads. Besides, we’ve pushed our luck a long way so far. I say we quit before our luck runs out,” said Bodine.

             
“I don’t know about you, John,” replied Jess. “But I ain’t quitting until Manny Welch gets a bullet and his ranch burned to the ground like I warned him. I’ll understand if you don’t want to throw in with me.”

             
“Who else will protect your ass,” replied John sarcastically as he poured them both another glass of the fine whiskey.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

              Jess and John retired for the night after finishing off the bottle of fine whiskey. They figured it was safe enough for both of them to get a full night’s sleep and not take turns at watch. They got up at daylight and headed down to Dottie’s Eats for a well-deserved, huge breakfast. Mattie waited on them and after they finished their meals, she brought them their bill. “Well, are you two finished yet?” asked Mattie.

             
“Almost,” replied Jess.

             
“So, you really are going to go out to the Welch ranch and kill Manny Welch?”

             
“Yeah, I would’ve left it alone, but then he sent those two hired guns out to murder Mr. Tillman because he wouldn’t sell out and that canceled out our agreement,” replied Jess.

             
“You sure are one stubborn man,” replied Mattie, as she picked up the money Jess left for the meal and the tip.

             
“You have no idea,” said John.

             
After finishing their coffee, they headed to the livery and saddled up. Jess stopped at a general store to get some more ammunition and a few supplies. They rode out to Manny Welch’s ranch. They stopped in a tree line about a quarter mile out from the house and Jess got out his spyglass and looked over the scene. There were two men on the front porch sitting in chairs. Jess figured that if there was a third man there, he was probably personally guarding Manny Welch. He spotted a man in the livery brushing down a horse, but the man wasn’t wearing any gun and Jess figured him for no trouble.

             
“What’s the plan?” asked John. “Are you going to ride straight up there shooting like someone with a death wish like you did before?”

             
“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” replied Jess.

             
“Yeah, but that didn’t make it any smarter,” John retorted.

             
“I could take out one of those men on the porch with my buffalo rifle from here, but that other man would make it inside the house before I could get off a second shot. I say we ride inside this tree line until we get behind that large livery barn. We’ll secure that man in the barn and then I’ll go to the side of the house and up to the front porch and plug those two men. You can give me some cover fire from the barn with your Winchester. Sound okay to you?”

             
“Sounds fine to me,” replied Bodine. They rode inside the tree line until they reached the back of the huge barn. They used the barn to stay out of sight from anyone who might be looking out any of the windows of the house or either of the two men sitting on the front porch. Bodine grabbed his Winchester rifle and Jess grabbed his Sharps buffalo rifle. They left their horses well inside the tree line and out of sight. Jess found a back door to the livery and he and John slowly worked their way up to the man who was now stabling the horse he had been brushing. Jess cocked his pistol and the man heard it.

             
“I ain’t wearing any gun and I ain’t a gunslinger. I only take care of the horses and do chores around here,” said the man.

             
“Well, if you want to live another day, you’ll keep your mouth shut and let John here tie you up,” replied Jess.

             
“As funny as it sounds, I would appreciate it. It will keep me out of trouble with Mr. Welch. I really need this job bad. I got two kids to feed and a sick wife who can’t work,” the man said as he placed himself up against a wooden pole and actually handed John a piece of rope.

             
“Too bad it wasn’t always this easy,” said Bodine, as he tied the man up real good and grabbed a rag he found on a table and stuffed it into the man’s mouth.

             
“John, stand by the edge of this barn door with that rifle and when those men see me, I figure they’ll both stand up and try to kill me. You shoot whoever is on the left and I’ll take the other one. After that, watch all the windows from your position while I go inside and find Manny,” Jess instructed.

             
“You don’t want me to go inside with you?” John asked.

             
“No, I want that lying bastard all to myself,” replied Jess.

             
Jess went back out the back door of the barn and ran over to the ranch house without anyone spotting him. He kept his back to the wall of the large house and ducked down when he passed a window. He looked at Bodine and gave him a sign and John propped his rifle against the barn door ready to take out one of the two men on the porch. Jess leaned the buffalo rifle against the side of the house.

             
Jess suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere at the end of the porch. “Hey,” said Jess.

             
Both men recognized Jess immediately and they both stood up and tried to draw their guns, but Jess fanned his pistol, putting a slug into each one of them. A half second later, the slug from Bodine’s rifle slammed into the man on the left before the man fell back onto the porch. Jess replaced the two spent cartridges and holstered his pistol. He picked up his buffalo rifle and slowly and deliberately walked up the steps and to the right of the door. He leaned the buffalo rifle against the wall. Then, he pulled out both of his cut-down double-barreled shotguns. As he peeked inside the house he saw a man in a huge open doorway that led into Welch’s office. As soon as the man saw Jess, Jess moved his head back out of the doorway as the man pulled the triggers of both barrels of the shotgun. Jess knew that it would take the man a second or two to reload so Jess took his left hand and reached around the corner and pulled both triggers of the cut-down shotgun and then dropped it. Buckshot filled the room and the man was hit with at least a dozen pieces of buckshot. Jess stepped into the door opening and saw that the man was hurt badly and had dropped the shotgun that he was feebly attempting to pick it up when Jess fanned two slugs into the man. Jess saw the movement of a shadow. Manny Welch had run over to the door and quickly slammed it shut and Jess heard a deadbolt being latched.

             
Jess peeked into the large house and saw no one else anywhere. He had accounted for the three men that he had been told still worked on Welch’s payroll so he figured there weren’t any other men in the house. If there were, they would most likely be locked inside the office with Manny. He walked into the lobby, which opened up into a very large living room. He spotted two very comfortable looking chairs with a table between them. There was a bottle of very expensive fine brandy on the table along with several nice glasses. Jess walked over to the table and poured himself a glass of the brandy and tasted it and it was indeed very good. Jess could see the locked door to Welch’s office from the chairs. He sat the drink down, walked out onto the porch and retrieved his Sharps buffalo rifle and the cut-down shotgun he had dropped. He replaced the two shells in the shotgun and he walked back over and sat down in one of the two comfortable chairs. He had one of his cut-down double-barreled shotguns on his lap.

             
“Manny, you might as well come out of there,” said Jess.

             
“I’m not doing any such thing. That door is two inches thick, made of solid oak and it’s got a custom deadbolt installed. Besides, if you come in here, I have this double-barrel and I swear I’ll use it,” replied Manny.

             
Jess took another sip of the brandy. “Manny, you have nowhere else to go. If you go out the window, I have John Bodine standing over at your barn with a Winchester rifle and he’ll plug you the minute you try, so you might as well open the door.”

             
“Well, I’m still not coming out unless you give me your word you won’t kill me,” replied Welch.

             
“You had my word on that already, but then you had to go and kill Howard Tillman and break the agreement I thought we had,” replied Jess. “Manny, I have to tell you though; this is some fine brandy you have out here.”

             
Welch was fuming. “You mean to tell me that you come out to my house, kill my last three men and now you’re waiting for me to open this door so you can kill me, and you’re out there in my living room drinking my brandy?”

             
“I think that pretty much sums it up. Maybe you ain’t as stupid as I thought,” replied Jess.

             
“You can still go to hell, I still ain’t coming out and anyone who tries to come is going to get both of these barrels,” replied Welch.

             
Jess took another sip and shook his head and smiled. “You know what’s wrong with men like you, Manny? Men like you think that they can get away with anything they want as long as they have a whole lot of money. The truth of the matter is, in most cases you do get away with anything you want. But then, after you do wrong by enough people, sometimes someone like me comes and takes it all away from you. You’ve had over a dozen local ranchers murdered and forced other ranchers out by using that banker in town to take their ranches and sell them to you for pennies on the dollars. How long did you think you’d get away with it?”

             
“I’ve been getting away with it for years and would have owned this town if you hadn’t shown up and caused all this trouble for me,” exclaimed Welch.