The Glenmore's: Caught (16 page)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Has someone been over to tell Justine about Ben?” James enquired as they walked up the street.

“Yeah, pa went over to see if Ben was there. He was hopin’ Dancer had been spooked and run off. Pa said she was real upset”

“I bet she was” James said as they pushed through the swinging doors of the saloon.

George, James and Walter talked to bar staff and patrons but nobody had seen Squeaky or Bill since they’d left there and been taken by Dan and James down to the sheriff’s office.

“Let’s try the livery” Walter suggested.

They walked down to the livery and talked to the young boy who’d been left to look after things. The young fella told them that Squeaky and Bill had taken their horses around lunchtime and neither had returned.

“It’s beginnin’ to look suspicious George” James told his brother.

“Yeah, I’m beginnin’ to think we might have found out who’s responsible for Ben’s disappearance” George said. “Not much we can do about it now so I’m gonna head home before Jenny starts to worry”

“Okay. I’ll come out at first light tomorrow and I’ll bring Dan with me just in case. I’ll call in and see him on my way home”

“Thanks James. I’ll see ya then”

George and Walter walked back to the livery to pick up their horses while James headed off to see Dan.

“Do ya think Squeaky and Bill would hurt Ben boss?” Walter asked George as they rode slowly home through the dark.

“I just don’t know Walt but it worries me that they may have him. If they do he probably is hurt ‘
cause he wouldn’t have gone easy”

“Let’s hope he ain’t hurt too badly boss”

“Yeah, we’ll know when we get him back tomorrow” George said confidently.

********

Ben didn’t sleep very well during the night. He was hungry, hot, thirsty and in pain. He was relieved when dawn was almost upon them and Squeaky and Bill woke up.

“Water please” Ben whispered through dry, cracked lips. His throat felt like it was full of sand
that scratched every time he swallowed.

Squeaky brought Ben some water and placed it on the floor where he could reach it. He wasn’t going to chance another punch in the belly; he was still sore from the punch Ben had given him the night before.

Ben gulped down the cooling liquid and asked for more. Squeaky refilled the mug and again placed it down on the floor.

“What are we gonna do now Squeaky?” Bill asked.

“We’re gonna wait for his gal to come and then she’ll sign the papers”

“She won’t come” Ben told them; she would be in a powerful lot of trouble if she did Ben told himself. “She cain’t sign papers; she don’t own all of the property anymore”

“WHAT!” Squeaky screamed out in anger. “Who owns the goddamn place now?” Squeaky was getting real fed up with trying to get hold of Justine’s ranch and to find out she didn’t own it all herself made him especially mad.

“What’s he mean she don’t own it all Squeaky” Bill worriedly asked. “Ya said when the old man died that she owned it?”

“Don’t worry pardner; he’s just joshin us so we’ll run off and leave ‘em alone” Squeaky was hopin’ that was the case anyway.

“Outside?” Ben asked. He badly needed to relieve himself.

“Yeah, c’mon; it’ll be dawn soon and I don’t wanna get caught outside” Squeaky grumbled.

Ben tried to rise to his feet but he was overcome with dizziness and nausea; he sank back down to the floor.

“Hey Squeaky I think he might be sick” Bill announced as he looked at Ben’s flushed face and the sweat pouring off it. He put his hand to Ben’s forehead and pulled it back quick. “He’s right hot Squeaky; he must be sick I reckon”

“Great, just what we need” Squeaky mumbled. “Give me a hand so we can help him outside”

Squeaky and Bill pulled Ben to his feet and helped keep him upright as he attempted to walk. Bill looked over his shoulder. “His legs look pretty messed up Squeaky and his back ain’t real good neither. Looks like he’s got infection”

“They can take care of it when they get him home;
there ain’t nothin’ we can do about it”

Ben got his relief and they half carried, half dragged him back inside the cabin. As his backside hit the floor; he passed out.

********

Justine was up before dawn and quietly got dressed. It was still too dark outside
to head off and she paced the floor like a caged lion while she waited for the first rays of sunlight to break through. Half an hour after she’d dressed she saw the rays on the horizon and slipped down the stairs and out of the door.

She knew where the cabin was and had decided to go on foot. The cabin was close by and if she risked getting Minx she could get caught by Josh or one of the men and she’d be forced to wait. Justine had decided she’d waited long enough!

She slipped across the yard and into the woods where she carefully picked her way through the trees. When she came up on the cabin she almost cried with relief. There were two horses outside the cabin and Justine knew they must belong to whoever had Ben. “Ben” she whispered. “I’m comin’ darlin’.” Justine walked quietly up to the cabin and listened for sounds from inside. She couldn’t hear anything and just hoped they were in there.

When she knocked at the door she heard both scrambling and voices.

Squeaky called through the door. “Who is it?”

“It’s Justine Saunders. Ya told me to come here at dawn” she said to the still closed door.

She heard the wooden plank holding the door closed being pushed back and the door opened slightly.

Squeaky peered around Justine, grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her inside. He then pushed the wooden plank back in place.

Justine saw Ben slumped in the corner and tears sprang to her eyes when she noticed his badly bruised and swollen face. She wriggled out of Squeaky’s grip and began to move towards Ben. Squeaky grabbed her arm again and held tight. “No ya don’t little missy. I want papers signed first”

Justine stomped on his foot as hard as she could; Squeaky yelped and let go of her arm so Justine ran to Ben’s side. She dropped to
her knees and as she leaned over to kiss him he groaned.

“Justine?” Ben asked groggily.

“I’m here darlin’. You’re so hot Ben, where are ya hurt?”

Ben opened his eye and saw Justine beside him; he wasn’t dreaming. “Shouldn’t have come; dangerous. Where are the others?” He asked in a whisper.

“They’re comin’ Ben but I couldn’t wait. Where are ya hurt apart from ya face?” she asked him worriedly.

“Back; legs”

Justine looked down and for the first time she noticed how shredded Ben’s pants were. She lifted one of his legs and Ben groaned with the pain. She was shocked by the angry bruises and cuts that covered his leg. Dust had congealed with the blood and infection had set in.

“Oh Ben” Justine rested her head on Ben’s chest and began to cry.

Squeaky reckoned he’d waited long enough and dragged Justine up by the hair. Justine screamed and slapped Squeaky’s face hard.

********

Josh got out of bed as dawn began breaking. He washed and dressed before making his way down to Justine’s room. He knew his men would just about have their horses saddled ready to ride to the Glenmore ranch where they’d arranged to meet.

He knocked softly on Justine’s door before he opened it. The room was empty!

“Justine; where are ya?” Josh called out but there was no answer.

Millie helped him look through the house.

“Goddamn it Millie. I’m gonna spank her backside so damn hard if she’s gone up there alone” Josh said angrily as they searched but Millie knew he was more worried than angry.

“She’s worried and frightened Josh. She loves Ben and she needed to find out if he was okay”

“Maybe but now we’ve got two of ‘em in danger. I’ll head off to Joe’s darlin’ and I’ll let ya know what’s goin’ on as soon as I can” Josh hugged and kissed Millie and went out to the barn.

The men were waiting with the horses saddled; Josh told them to mount up. “Bring Minx, Justine’s gone up to the cabin on her own and she’ll need a horse to come back on” Josh told Levi. “If she can sit down when I’m finished with her” Josh mumbled angrily.

They rode into the yard of the Glenmore ranch to find Joseph and the other men almost ready to go. “Josh, thanks for comin’; we’re almost ready”

Josh dismounted and walked up onto the porch where Joseph was standing with Virginia. He handed Squeaky’s note to Joseph and he and Virginia read it.

Joseph looked around Josh to where the rest of Josh’s men waited. “Josh, please tell me she didn’t take it into her pretty little head to go alone?”

“She sure did but I don’t know when she went Joe”

“Goddamn it; I’m gonna put her over my knee when we get her back” Joseph spat out as Nick, Max, James and Dan rode up.

“Get in line” Josh grumbled.

“George, James, Nick, Max, Dan. Can I see ya here?” Joseph called out and the men dismounted and walked up onto the porch.

Joseph held out Squeaky’s note and George took it from him. He held it where the other men could gather around and read it.

“At least we know where he is now Joe” Dan commented.

“Yeah but Justine’s there now too” Joseph told the men.

“Goddamn it. I’m gonna put her over my knee when we get her. Doesn’t she know how dangerous it is? George responded.

“Take a number” Josh mumbled.

“Awful lot of cussin’ goin’ on gentlemen” Virginia complained.

“Sorry ma. What got into her to put
herself in danger?”

“Ben is what got into her son. She loves him”

Virginia told George.

“Okay, we’re gonna have to come up with a plan but if Squeaky and Bill are the ones who’ve got ‘em it shouldn’t be too hard to get ‘em out. They have to be the stupidest pair of criminals” Dan declared.

“We’ll get up there quiet. Joe, Dan, James, George, Josh, Nick; we’ll surround the cabin close in and just watch to see what’s goin’ on. You other men surround it a bit further out just in case they make a run for it and we miss ‘em” Max was back thinking like a Ranger.

They mounted up and rode to within a hundred metres of the cabin before getting down and tying their horses’ reins to some nearby tree branches. With their rifles in hand they spread out and began creeping closer.

They’d almost reached the cabin when they heard Justine scream.

Fingers of fear raced down Josh’s spine and as he tried to break into a run; Nick held him back. “Josh, I know it’s hard but stick to the plan.

Josh relented and Nick let him go.

********

“Get these damn papers signed so we can get goin’.” Squeaky demanded. “I’m gettin’ mighty sick of waitin’ and bein’ hurt by you two”

Squeaky produced some paper and a pencil. Justine hoped if she wrote the note telling
them they could have the ranch they would leave and she could get Ben to safety. She knew the note would never be legal and hoped the pair would end up in jail.

“Alright, give it to me” Squeaky handed her the pencil and pushed the paper in front of her.

Justine quickly wrote that the ranch was now Squeaky and Bill’s and then pushed it back. Squeaky picked up the paper, folded it and then put it into his pocket.

“Okay, we’ll be leavin’ now but if ya tell anyone it was us we’ll come back and hurt ya”

“Yeah, we’ll hurt ya” Bill mimicked.

Justine went back over to Ben as Squeaky and Bill removed the wooden plank from the door and left. The men outside were now hidden close to the cabin waiting and watching.

When Squeaky and Bill came out laughing and back slapping each other the men knew their opportunity to capture them had come.

They waited patiently until Squeaky and Bill were almost at their horses and Max whistled. The men all stood up from their hiding places with their rifles pointed at Squeaky and Bill. The men saw they were outnumbered and raised their hands in surrender.

James handed Nick his handcuffs and Nick and Dan moved over and cuffed the two criminals while the rest of the men entered the cabin to check on Justine and Ben.

Justine was sitting next to Ben with her head on his chest and she was crying hard. Josh pulled her onto her feet and into his arms. Joseph, George and James bent down to check Ben and untied the ropes from his wrists and his ankles.

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

“He’s hurt real bad pa and he has a bad infection” Justine sobbed into Josh’s chest.

“We’ll take care of him darlin’.” Joseph reassured her. “We gotta get him home and get Doc to have a look at him as quick as possible though”

“I’ll go for the Doc, Joe. I’ll help Dan take Squeaky and Bill into town and bring Doc back with me” Nick offered and started off.

Josh called out for Levi and he appeared at the door. “Yes boss?”

“Go get the buckboard and some blankets. Our place is closer; let Millie know Justine and Ben are okay too”