“Neither did I. But can we see yet?”
“No. But my anger fires me.” He pounded his chest with his fist.
“Me too. Let's give it a little more light. They have to sleep too.” Raphael agreed.
Chet's eyes felt like they had been sanded by a dust storm. He hoped they soon would become wet from his lashes fluttering over them. If those outlaws dumped the bodies they might be hard to find. They could not afford spending much time on the search and let them get away. As much as it sickened him, they needed to hound these men's trail or they'd evaporate. That was something he didn't want to happen no matter how far they had to go to get them. He left the posse a note they could hardly miss, mentioning they thought the rustlers had taken the two bodies. He added, If we find any evidence of the bodies we will leave a note for you where they are
. Personally he intended to keep after the thieves, no matter the outcome.
The first light showed the trail went to the east and off the mesa. This jumble of mountains was a real wilderness. Raphael told him the Apaches had used this country to hide in as well.
“I can see why. Are there any ranchers in here?”
“I think so. But I have never been here before either.”
Mid-morning, they spotted smoke and could smell it on the wind. It proved to be a ranch. Not much of one, but they must have water and their horses needed some. The adobe jacal and the corrals did not look prosperous, but several tanks held water, no doubt from a spring. Some goats greeted them and a few burros stood hipshot around the house.
The shock came to Chet when they rounded the house and faced a woman in a wash-worn dress armed with a .22 rifle. Her hair was dark and unkempt. Thin faced, she looked like she was badly upset.
“Stop right there. I can shoot this damn gun and it'll kill you.”
“Whoa, ma'am. Our horses need water. We are after some men that stole our horses and killed two men. Have you seen them?”
“Get your horse watered and get the hell out of here. I can shoot you both and I will.”
“Did you see these men?” He knew they had been there. The shod hoofprints and fresh horse apples showed they might have been there for a while.
She shook her head. The rifle butt was against her shoulder. Her dark eyes looked hawklike.
“Lady.” He led his horse toward the trough. “I can read signs. Those men were here. If you gave them any comfort, the posse of lawmen behind us may arrest you as an accessory to murder and horse theft.”
“Shut up and water those horses and get the hell out of here.”
“Do you know the men who killed our ranchmen?”
“Shut up!” She stepped over so she could aim the rifle, threateningly, at him.
“You know these men?”
She never answered and he felt she was so upset she might really shoot him. The situation was close to exploding. Concern written on his face, Raphael had mounted his horse and looked like he wanted Chet to do the same.
Chet had one more question. “Did those men rape you last night?”
She looked ready to squeeze the trigger. Then she dropped the barrel and shook her head. “Did they say they did?” she asked.
“Ma'am, I'm sorry. Raphael and I are not going to rape you. Those men killed his boss, a man he really liked and a fellow worker. They stole those horses from the ranch he works for. A lady I like owns that ranch and I am here to get those men. Do you know their names?”
She staggered backwards against the wall of the house and cried. “I know one was Robert someone. I heard them call him that. They allâ”
He took the .22 rifle from her. She moved away, so he didn't touch her and she shook in her resolve not to even have a hand on her.
“Who else?”
“A breed called Wolf. Another man was Jeff, he has bought some cows from my man.”
“There was a boy with them?”
“He was no boy. His name was Bud, he said. He was bad as the rest.”
“Where is your man?”
“Working at a mine.”
Raphael tossed his head toward the west, meaning the direction of the mine. He looked more concerned about her as she huddled against the wall in her own arms away from Chet.
“Who besides this Jeff had been here before?”
“I never saw the others before.” Her thin shoulder shook. “I never offered them a thing. They tore my clothes off me and thenâ”
“My name is Chet Byrnes. Did they have two bodies on the horses?”
She nodded and then she took his kerchief that he gave her to wipe her wet face.
“Do you have any supplies to eat here?”
“Not much.”
“If we come back we will bring you a deer.”
She nodded. “I could use it.”
“Do you know where this Jeff lives?”
“No. My husband sold him three steers that had his brand on them. They were mavericks. He never stole them.”
“I never said that. Will you be all right now?”
“I have to be.”
She handed him back the kerchief.
“There will be a posse behind us today. Tell them what they did and who they were. They won't hurt you.”
She nodded, but never looked at him.
He leaned her rifle against the wall, stepped up on the bay and followed Raphael who acted anxious to be away from her. When they were going down some wagon tracks away from the ranch, Raphael looked back and then turned forward. Still upset over their confrontation with her, he said, “I thought she would kill you.”
“No, she was very upset and I hated for us to have to leave her but we can't afford to lose their trail.”
“How far will they take those bodies do you think?” he asked.
“No telling. We should watch for buzzards I guess.”
“These horse turds in the trail look fresh.”
“They are. If they all four raped her, they spent some time there. From the fresh horse shit around the yard I'd say they were there for several hours. They would need to sleep and we may run into them before this day is over.”
Raphael still sounded concerned about the matter of the woman. “I thought she would shoot you.”
“She was upset all right. But she also was not a real killer like a man would have been. I agree it was very dangerous but now we have names for some of them.”
“Anyway I think you are a
mucho
brave
hombre
.”
Chet nodded. He'd merely found out from her what they needed to know. They'd bring her a deer to eat when they rode back. Several mule deer had broken out of the brush at their approach. They owed her one. No telling what she had to eat. He doubted she had much of anything. Those four killers needed to be stopped before this was over.
Midday, they found a wet spring and some cattails that offered water to their mounts. The tracks were fresh and the dim road easy to travel. They pushed their horses hard.
Chet reined up at the sight of another ranch. He wished for his telescope or field glasses. They rode off into the junipers to be less visible in case they had a lookout.
“Did you see any horses?” Chet asked him.
“I thought there were some down there. What should we do?”
“We need to circle and see if they are there.”
Raphael nodded his sombrero in agreement. “They will watch their back trails.”
“We better hobble our horse and tie them. I'd hate to walk back empty-handed.”
“
SÃ
.” He bailed off and they soon had their horses tethered good. Chet took his rifle and the ammo. Going low, they used the bushy evergreens for cover and moved fast to come in from the north side of the house and corrals. This way would be time-consuming getting there, and the killers might be gone when they got into place. Still, to ride in with only two men would be deadly, considering they knew the killers could be there.
They soon were in the corrals. Then Chet realized a low flying buzzard came gliding in close over his head.
Raphael tugged on his sleeve. “Those bodies are still on the horses.”
“Good, if we get between them and their horses, we'll be in charge.”
“Hold it.” Raphael caught his sleeve and pointed to a man on the roof with a rifle.
Chet set the rifle on the corral rail to take aim. “Shoot to kill when it starts,” he whispered.
The rifle roared in Chet's hands and the lookout was struck hard, and pitched head first off the roof. He swung the lever out and reloaded the chamber and aimed at the edge of the house. A man armed with a pistol came running around the house and began blasting it at them. He met a .44/40 slug in the chest and crumbled to the ground. The long gun reloaded, Chet looked for any more. No more appeared. Chet and Raphael moved closer to their horses using the cover of the corral. Those men had to have their mounts to ever escape in this wilderness. Chet felt confident he and Raphael had them under their control. Then there was some commotion in the yard but they could not see what it was from their position.
Soon two horses were racing away on the far side of the house and Chet shot at both riders fleeing the ranch. But the gap they passed through between two buildings was too small to be sure he hit anything. That must be the horses that were left. They moved carefully toward the house, making sure no one remaining in the house shot at them.
Then a woman screamed, “I am coming out with my kids!”
“Watch her. It may be a trick.”
A woman herded her three small kids from the house. “We have no guns.”
“Get over to the side.” Chet waved her to get more toward the sheds in case the outlaws began to shoot at them.
She took the children back into a shed and crouched down. He crossed there and kept his gaze on the house.
“Who rode away?” Chet asked her quietly.
“I don't know these men. They beat up my husband. I fear he might die unless he has care.”
“I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner. Are they still in the house?”
“No. The other two rode away.”
“Raphael, she says those two are gone. The one on the roof and the other man we shot makes four. Her man is badly beaten in there.”
Raphael holstered his gun and they hurried for the house. Chet took the lead. The man who had charged them was dead or unconscious. He told Raphael to see about the one shot off the roof. With a nod, he headed to check the west side.
He set the rifle down at the wall before entering the house. A man sat up on a bed with his head in bandages. “Who the hell are you?”
“A man who came to save you and your family. Who got away?”
He laid back down, obviously in extreme pain. “I only knowed Jeff. He'd bought some cattle from me. They came in here and slapped my wife around and beat the hell out of me.”
“You're lucky. They shot two men and raped a woman up the road.”
“Did they rape Annie Smart?” He looked upset.
“If she lives north of here, yes.”
“Oh, that is bad. Are my wife and kids safe?”
“They'll be in here shortly.” Chet looked up when Raphael came in the door.
“The one that was on the roof is dead.”
“We need to lay out the bodies for the posse. Those two killers that got away don't have any horses except this man's I'd guess.” He turned to the beat-up rancher on the bed. “Were they saddled?”
“I had a fresh one saddled, and I'd rode the bay horse all day. That other outlaw rode off bareback on him, I guess.”
Chet closed his eyes. “Raphael, you stay here and meet the posse. Get these bodies ready to take back. If a few tough ones or if Roamer comes they'll want to follow me. I'll leave notes until I catch them or they kill me.”
The man looked sad. “I can handle this. You be careful
mi amigo
.”
“Try to shoot Mrs. Smart a deer on the way back.”
“I'll get that done. What will I tell
Señora
Stephenson?”
“Tell Marge I have to settle this deal if I can. She knows my ways.”
“
SÃ
,
mi amigo
. I was proud to ride here with you.”
“Any time I can help you, call on me.”
“Gracias.”
He went out and walked uphill to where their horses were hitched. Holdem was ready when he swung up, holding the rifle in his right hand, and rode out to the east past the ranch house. When Raphael waved at him, he shouted to him. “I'll get them.”
Raphael nodded like he expected him to do that
The last two killers were on the run. He needed to track them down and quickly.
The rifle back in the scabbard, he wondered where they'd light next. Holdem's rocking gait was carrying him steadily after them.
He could lean over and read the tracks in the dry dirt. In an hour or two, he knew they were going downhill to the riverâit must be the Verde. When he reached the shallow river it smelled fishy. They had crossed it and came out the other side. The ground was still wet where they'd charged out and their horses had scrambled up the bank.
When had he eaten last? He let Holdem get a drink and bellied down himself to get his fill. The water tasted fishy too. If they discovered he was tracking them, they might set a trap and kill him. From here on, being this close to the pair, he had to watch himself.
They'd lost the horses they'd stolen. Two of their buddies were dead and if they found someone was on their trailâhis hours would be numbered and no one would ever know what happened to him. Eerie business to be in a strange wilderness like this and not have a destination. No wonder they couldn't ever catch the Apaches in this land. Too much wild country. Steep-sided mountains. Lots of junipers, like the hill country had cedars.