Zooey Pinkerton- a Daughter's Right (3 page)

“She can't say here!” Sarah
chimed in as she walked up behind the old man.

Frosty eyes stared her into
silence as Charlie placed the hat back on his head. “That is not up
to you! You work here and I’m still the boss if I remember
correctly! Show is over, Sarah...”

“But....”

“No buts! If you want to keep
your job, you’ll do as you’re told! Now get going!”

Sarah stamped her high-heeled
foot before walking away.

“Damn, meddling woman,” Charlie
moaned. “Good thing she keeps patrons happy. Otherwise, I'd have
kicked her out long ago.” He turned to face Zooey and smiled. “You
can stay here as long as you need too. I got to know Andrew pretty
well over the last twenty years. He was good for business.”

Zooey cringed. She knew her
father loved his ranch…but he had obviously loved booze and
gambling just as much. It was hard for her to accept that his vices
had led to his untimely death.

“Thank you, Charlie. That’s very
kind of you. I promise I won't be here long. As soon as I catch Tom
Brennan, I'll be back and running the ranch for Pops.”

“Brennan?” Charlie raised an
eyebrow and looked at Joshua. “Don't get messed up with him. He's
not someone to be trifled with.”

Zooey placed on hand on her hip
and shook her head. “Neither am I. I've lost both my parents and he
thinks he's taking the ranch now, too. I won't allow it.”

Joshua placed a hand on Zooey's
shoulder. “What you need to do right now is get some sleep. I'll
let Charlie get you settled. I'll be back in a couple of hours and
let you know what I find out.”

“Listen to the Sheriff now,
Zooey. Come on and I'll give you the best room I've got. No renters
right now except Sarah, so you’ll have lots of peace and
quiet.”

“I guess,” Zooey yawned.
“Thanks, Josh. Promise you'll come back later?”

“You have my word as a lawman
and your friend.”

Zooey nodded and turned to
follow Charlie to the room she’d call home. For now, at least.

Sarah ducked inside her room and
closed the door quietly. A large lump snored under the thin
blankets on her bed. She quickly removed the blankets and poked the
lump straight in the back.

“What the hell?”

“Shut up, you!” Sarah growled.
“Charlie is heading up here with Pinkerton’s daughter. If they find
out you’re here, our plans are done!”

A large hand reached out from
the darkness to grab Sarah around the neck. She was drawn into the
big man's chest. “It's your squawking that will get me found out. I
could snap your neck like a twig. Don't you ever forget that!”

“Tommy, don't be like that,”
Sarah squeaked, breathless from the hold he had on her. “Please
baby!” Finally she felt the large hand loosen its grip on her
tender flesh. Sarah took a deep breath and pasted on her infamous
fake smile. “That's better, Tommy. Don't be mad. It's not my fault
she's here. Thank that do-gooder lawman Duncan.”

Tom Brennan sat up and grunted
his disapproval. “I should have killed her when I had a chance.
She's smart, I'll grant her that, but she's still a woman. I'll get
her in the end. Besides, I have more important things to do right
now. The Boss is coming to town to inspect his new property.”

“Do I finally get a chance to
meet him, Tommy? You promised I'd meet him one day.”

A steely sideways glance made
Sarah go quiet. Tom's wide shoulders shook with laughter. “It won't
be today, honey. Besides you aren't my wife, so don't get any big
ideas. As long as you do what you’re told, you'll get what you
deserve.”

Sarah's heart dropped. She had
foolishly hoped that Tom would realize he couldn't live without
her. She loved him “I deserve a lot, Tommy. I
always
do what
you say.” She pouted and hung her head.

Tom drew her in close, placing a
loud, wet kiss on her lips. He ran a hand over her breast and
pinched the flesh until her eyes watered. “Yes you do, because you
know where your bread is buttered.”

Without another word, Tom got
dressed, pulled on his boots, and slid out the open window. “I'll
be back soon. We'll have a good time later when I get back. I have
some business to take care of.”

Sarah watched as he jumped to
the alley below. Her whole body stung from the rejection. She wiped
away a tear and stripped the clothes from her body. She went
through the motions of washing her face in the basin on her dresser
and brushing her long blonde hair. She stopped and stared in the
mirror on the wall and grimaced at the reflection. Sarah knew she
was getting older. She looked tired. She supposed she should feel
lucky to have attention from a man like Tom Brennan when he could
have girls younger or prettier. “Maybe one day he'll realize how
lucky he is,” she sighed. “I just have to get his respect.”

As she said the words, a small
spark of an idea began to form. It was an idea she hoped would
finally get her into Tom' heart and not just his bed.

Zooey looked around the room. It
was large with icy white lace curtains and a bare wooden floor -
save for a violet threadbare square of carpet lying next to the
single bed. The bed had clean linen and a heavy, handmade quilt,
folded up in the centre of the mattress. To finish off the décor,
there was an old dresser with a cracked mirror in the corner.

“There's a wash up table, some
towels, and a basin in that closet if you like. Used to be my
wife's room before she passed on. Hope it's alright for you,
Zooey.”

“It's fine, Charlie. Thank you
again for this. I appreciate it.”

Charlie tipped his hat and
smiled. “My pleasure. I'll leave a pot of coffee and a bowl of
grits outside the door. You try and get some sleep.” When Charlie
finally left the room, she sighed heavily. Daybreak was only an
hour away and the room was cast with dark grey shadows. Not
bothering to light a lamp, Zooey kicked off her boots, hung up her
coat, and made the bed. She stripped down to her undergarments and
crawled in between the cool cotton sheets. All around her was
silence. It made her feel more alone than ever. Her father was gone
– and there was no escaping it now. Tears burned hot in the corner
of her eyes. “I will repay you for what you've done, Tom Brennan,”
she whispered. Eventually, exhaustion won out and she fell into a
restless sleep.

* * *

It was well after high noon when
Zooey woke up, stretched, and looked around the bedroom.
Disoriented from sleep, she felt panic rise in her chest until she
remember where she was and why she was there. “It's not a dream
after all, “she sighed.

The late afternoon sun cast an
orange glow on the walls of the room. Reluctantly, Zooey pulled
herself out of bed and gathered up her day old clothes. She washed
and dressed quickly, wondering what Josh had discovered at the
ranch.

“I'd love to hog tie them all to
a fence and leave them for the coyotes,” she whispered with venom
in her voice. Despite everything, Zooey was ravenous. She
hesitantly opened the bedroom door to see if Charlie had left
anything. To her delight, a tray was sitting just outside the door
with fresh coffee, bread, butter and a bowl of stew.

“Thank goodness something is
right today.” Zooey muttered as she took the lid off the stew bowl
and spooned up a mouthful. The tiny morsels of meat, potatoes and
thin gravy were not overly hearty but filled her empty stomach.

A soft knock on the door came
soon after.

“You awake, Zooey?”

“Come in, Josh.”

Zooey pasted on a small smile as
the Sheriff walked in, stone faced. Zooey could feel her stomach
drop.

“What's the news, Josh?”

Joshua sighed. He closed the
door and sat down next to her on the bed. “We found your father's
body, Zooey. So you can properly bury him.” He paused. Zooey
remained quiet even as a tear trickled down her cheek.

“Pops deserves that,” she
nodded. “Where did you find him?”

“It doesn’t matter, Zooey, just
be thankful we did so you can say goodbye.”

Zooey put down her coffee cup
and stood up. She walked toward the window and looked out, not
wanting Josh to see the turmoil on her face.
I have to be
brave,
she thought.
I can't let the anger consume
me.

“I need to know what that
bastard did to him. That way, when I find him, I can pay him back
properly!”

Joshua walked up behind Zooey
and gingerly placed a hand on her shoulder. He could see her jaw
clench, so he stepped back. He knew she wasn't looking for
sympathy, just revenge.

“It looks like they dragged his
body around behind one of the horse for a bit. I'm sorry Zooey but
you deserve to know”

It was heartbreaking for the
Sheriff to stand back and watch Zooey's shoulders heave with anger
and grief. She cried, staring out the window at the afternoon sun.
He jumped when suddenly she slammed a clenched fist against the
wall. “Damn the indignity!”

“Zooey, we will get this bastard
and
his men. Don't you worry about that.”

Very slowly, Zooey turned around
and revealed a look of cold fury. Joshua backed up and shook his
head. “I know this is frustrating for you, Zooey...”

“Frustrating? You think this is
frustrating? My home is gone, my father is gone, and no one seems
to know where this murderous outlaw is. This is more than
frustrating. I will find this man and make him beg for his
life.”

“If it helps any, from what we
can see, the ranch is fine. No fires or looting from what my men
have reported.”

“Well, that's something,” she
answered bitterly. “Has anyone seen Marta? Is she there? Is she
alive?”

“I don't know. There was no
report about her. I didn't see her.”

“And the horses?”

“They seem to be alright for
now. None have been moved or killed.”

Zooey shuddered at the thought
of her father's precious Palominos being hurt. “If Tom Brennan and
his boss are smart, they'll realize they have gold in those horses.
They damn well wouldn’t hurt them.”

Joshua looked at Zooey's face.
Even with those girlish pink cheeks and freckles, she looked aged
and tired.
She is much too young for so much heartache
, Josh
thought.

As if reading his thoughts,
Zooey looked up at him and smiled. “I'll be alright, Josh. As soon
as I can drag that sorry outlaws’ carcass in front of the law, I'll
feel even better.”

“You’re not still considering
that bounty are you?”

Zooey clenched her teeth and
nodded. “It's my right as Pop's only daughter. He has no son to get
justice for him, so it's up to me. I'll do it, Josh. Just promise
me when the time comes you won't stand in my way.”

“Zooey, I...” Joshua knew from
the look on her face that it wasn’t the time to convince her
otherwise.

“Sheriff! Sheriff Duncan?
Hello?”

Charlie Mark's voice was
frantic. Joshua opened the door to see the man scurrying up the
hall. “What's wrong, Charlie?”

Charlie spied Zooey trying to
peek around Joshua's broad shoulder. “Can we talk in private?”

“Sure, alright.” Joshua turned
to place a hand on Zooey's shoulder. “Don't go anywhere until I
come back.”

“What's wrong, Charlie? If this
has to do with Pops or the ranch I should know about it!”

“It's a rather delicate matter,
Sheriff,” Charlie whispered aside his hand. “It's about the
woman…the cook over there at the ranch.”

“Marta? What's happened? Did
they hurt her?” Zooey's heart was pounding wildly beneath her coat.
She couldn't bear the thought that her surrogate mother and friend
had been hurt.

“It's okay, Charlie. Zooey was
there when they shot her father. I doubt there’s anything you can
say that will make her feel worse.”

Joshua was surprised when the
bar owner removed his hat and stepped toward Zooey. Taking her
slender fingers in his, he said, “I'm sorry, Zooey. A few of
Sheriff Duncan's men brought her in. They found her on the road
near the ranch. She's hurt pretty bad.”

“Is she alive?”

Charlie nodded and wiped a bead
of sweat from his brow. “Barely, but Doc says he can patch her up.
She was beaten and well.... she was...”

Zooey grew frustrated by the
silence “What is it Charlie? Please tell me. She was...is like a
mother to me. I have to know what happened before I see her.”

“Damn it!” Charlie cursed as he
dropped Zooey's hand. “They hurt her bad after having their way
with her. You know what I mean Sheriff?”

Zooey's jaw dropped and she fell
to the floor on her knees; her stomach retched. “They raped her?”
she sputtered.

Charlie's pained look told
Joshua everything he needed to know. He bent low to help pick Zooey
up off the floor. “Come on now, don't fall apart now. She's going
to need you to be strong.”

“I will get Tom Brennan, bounty
or not, and alive or not!”

Zooey felt her heart sink as she
and Joshua walked down the road. With no hospital within a day's
travel, Dr. Martin and his wife had set up two private rooms where
seriously wounded patients could be tended to before making the
journey out of town.

The silence between the two was
deafening, but neither felt they had anything to say. Joshua was
seething that Tom Brennan had slipped through the cracks once
again. Zooey on the other hand, felt nothing but loss and
heartache.

“I can almost understand killing
Pops,” Zooey finally said. “But why hurt Marta?”

“Because he can!”

Zooey shuddered. As cold as it
sounded, she knew Josh was right. It was not personal. A man like
Tom was all about power and instilling fear, plain and simple.

Dr. Martins’ wife had the door
open before they could even set foot on the wooden stairs.