[Texas Rangers 05] - Texas Vendetta (7 page)

Andy sensed that whatever intentions the five might have had, had been thwarted by Farley’s unyielding stand. They were not likely to try anything unless circumstances changed drastically in their favor.

Farley said, “Take a lesson from this, Badger Boy. Never give an inch or they’ll run over you.”

“You’d really have shot him, wouldn’t you?”

“If it was the last thing I ever did.”

Sweat rolled down Jayce’s face. He trembled in fear’s aftermath. “God, Ranger, but you’re cold-blooded.”

“I am, and don’t you forget it.”

“You don’t know what kind of a man I shot.”

“Makes no difference. Me and Badger Boy are paid to deliver you to the local sheriff. The rest is up to the jury that tries you.”

“The judge is old Judd Hopper. He’s a direct grandson of the devil himself. Him and the rest of them Hoppers’ll do all they can to see me hung.”

“You’ve got a brother who’s a Ranger. Have you got one who’s a lawyer?”

Landon looked behind him as if expecting pursuit. “This fight goes way back. Why can’t the law stand aside and let the families work it out for theirselves?”

“I know how crazy-mean these feuds can get. You kill an enemy, then one of his family has got to kill one of you. It goes on and on till just about everybody is dead. Better for the law to hang you instead of one of your enemies shootin’ you. Maybe that’d put an end to it.”

“It won’t end till that Hopper bunch is all dead and gone.”

Andy shook his head. “I’ll bet you don’t even remember what started it.”

“It commenced over an election for the county seat, but that don’t matter anymore. It’s a blood thing now.”

Farley looked at Andy and shrugged. “No use arguin’ with him. You can’t talk sense to people like that.”

Andy said, “It’s a good thing for Dick Landon that he joined the Rangers and got away from the trouble.”

Farley grunted. “Even Dick’ll bear watchin’. He’s got bad blood in him.”

Andy could count on one hand the times he had heard Farley speak well of somebody, and he could give back a couple of fingers.

Jayce said, “If you think the Landon blood is bad, wait till you meet the Hoppers.”

Hearing hoofbeats behind him, Andy turned in the saddle. He counted six riders. Farley demanded, “Who are they, Jayce?”

Jayce looked back in dismay. “They’re Hoppers … Hoppers and their kin.”

Andy said, “Five Landons in front, six Hoppers behind, and us in the middle.”

Farley growled, “Best thing would be for us to pull out of the way and let them settle their stupid feud for good.”

Andy considered the situation, then moved his horse toward the six men.

Farley shouted, “What do you think you’re doin’?”

Andy did not answer. He drew his rifle from its scabbard, laid it across his lap, and rode almost within touching distance of the horsemen. “Which one of you is in charge of this bunch?”

A big bear of a man with a short, curly beard said, “Ain’t nobody in charge. We’re workin’ together to see justice done.”

“And your name?”

“I’m James Hopper. Big’un, they call me.” He looked strong enough to wrestle a bull to the ground from a standing start. He was half a head taller and fifty pounds heavier than any of the men who rode with him.

Andy swung the rifle muzzle around to point at the man’s belly. He jerked his head. “Come on, Big’un. You’re ridin’ up there with us. The rest of you stay back. If one of you makes a move against us and our prisoner, I’ll blow this gentleman’s lights out.”

The bearded man protested, “I’ll have you know that I’m a deputy sheriff. Appointed by the county judge hisself. What gives you the right to tell me what to do?”

“This rifle does. Are you comin’ or do I shoot you right here?”

Hopper did not consider long. “I’m comin’. The rest of you better do like he says.”

One of the riders was a smaller man but had the same facial features as Big’un. He said, “He’s bluffin’. Say the word and we’ll take him.”

Big’un declared, “Shut up, Harp. We don’t need no blood spilled here. Not mine anyway.”

Andy started Big’un moving toward Farley and Jayce. Big’un said, “You look kind of young to pack so much authority.”

“A gun makes everybody the same size.”

Farley looked the deputy over, then turned critical eyes on Andy. “What did you bring him for?”

“For insurance.”

“You think you could really kill him if you had to?”

“You said to never give them an inch.”

Farley almost nodded in approval but caught himself. “Lookin’ at you right now I’d swear you’re a Comanche after all.”

Andy took that as a left-handed compliment, the only kind Farley Brackett gave.

Jayce’s face hardened, displaying his hatred of the bearded man. “Well, Big’un, looks like they’ve got you the same as they’ve got me.”

Hopper’s eyes burned with malice. “Not quite the same. They’ll turn me loose when we get to town. They’re already stackin’ lumber over by the jailhouse to build your scaffold.”

Farley broke in. “I’ve got half a mind to cut you two coyotes loose and let you go at one another, but there’s probably some fool law against it. So both of you shut the hell up.”

A mile from town they were met by the county sheriff. Jayce’s supporters pulled to one side but did not leave. The Hoppers started to move up, but Andy made a show of pressing the rifle’s muzzle against Big’un’s midsection. That stopped them.

Big’un complained, “Damn it, Ranger, you got to bruise my ribs?”

A middle-aged man with gray hair and a slight paunch, the sheriff reacted sharply at the sight of Big’un being held at gunpoint. “What do you think you’re doin’ with my deputy?”

Andy said, “He was fixin’ to get himself in trouble. We’re protectin’ him.”

The sheriff turned his anger on Big’un. “Damn it, I told you to stay home, and keep all the Hoppers there too.”

Big’un bristled. “We just come to make sure none of Jayce’s kinfolks let him loose.”

“That’s my job.” The lawman turned back to the Rangers, making no secret of his antagonism toward Jayce Landon. “Thank you, Rangers, for deliverin’ this murderer. I’ll take over from here.”

Farley gave Andy a severe look that warned him to be alert. “Our orders are to deliver him safe to your jailhouse. Till then, he’s still ours.”

Andy watched the Ranger and the sheriff glare at each other. He knew Farley would stand his ground if it took all afternoon. The sheriff evidently came to the same conclusion. He said reluctantly, “All right. Another mile won’t make much difference.”

Big’un looked back for support. “A trial is goin’ to cost us taxpayers money. There’s a good, stout tree yonder. I say we drag Jayce over there and hoist him like a fresh beef.”

The sheriff’s voice crackled, “Shut up, Big’un. The judge crowded me into takin’ you and Harp as deputies, but I don’t have to listen to you talk like a damn fool.” He pointed his thumb toward town. “All right, Rangers, Jayce is still yours till we get him to jail. Let’s go before some idiot takes a notion to show how stupid he is.” He looked at Big’un again.

A crowd had gathered to watch Jayce being brought to town. Andy had never seen so many angry people. Some supported Jayce, but it appeared that the majority were hostile to him. A couple of fistfights broke out as the horsemen approached the jailhouse door.

Farley muttered, “Keep a close watch. There’s no tellin’ what some hothead might do.” He cut the leather thong that bound Jayce’s hands to the saddlehorn, but the cuffs remained on the prisoner’s wrists.

Andy stayed in the saddle, holding the rifle in a firm grip. Big’un slipped away from him and rejoined the five who had ridden behind. The sheriff opened the front door of the jailhouse but stood in the middle, blocking it for what seemed to be several minutes.

Giving somebody a good chance to shoot Jayce, Andy thought. He studied the people with anxious eyes.

The long road to justice had many a shortcut.

Farley took a firm grip on Jayce’s arm and led him through the doorway, past the sheriff. This time Jayce showed no resistance. Instead, he seemed in a hurry to get inside away from the crowd. Andy dismounted and followed, walking backward, the rifle ready.

Farley said, “Badger Boy, would you mind fetchin’ my saddlebags?”

Andy could not remember that Farley had ever asked him to do anything. He had always just told him.

A woman burst through the door and ran to the prisoner, her arms outstretched. “Jayce,” she shouted. “Jayce!”

The sheriff tried to restrain her, but she was strong enough to break free. She embraced Jayce, sobbing loudly. Too loudly, Andy thought. He sensed that she was making a show of it. After letting her cry for a bit, Jayce’s brother Walter pulled her away. “Come on, Flora, you oughtn’t to act like that in front of these Hoppers. They’ve had too much satisfaction already, just seein’ him brought in.”

She launched a tearful tirade at the sheriff. “My Jayce is a better man than you, Oscar Truscott.” She turned on the crowd. “He’s better than the lot of you. All he done was kill a man that needed killin’. There’s a whole bunch of you Hoppers needs killin’.” She seemed to concentrate particularly on Big’un.

Andy thought he saw a look of satisfaction in her eyes as Walter Landon led her outside. He wondered about it.

Farley withdrew some papers from the saddlebags Andy had brought. He handed them to Sheriff Truscott. “Me and Pickard have done what the captain ordered. Jayce belongs to you, but you’ll need to sign this release.”

Truscott signed with a flourish, smudging a little ink. “It’ll be like havin’ a box of dynamite in here, but I’m glad to have him. I hope the trial don’t take long.”

Big’un grinned. “It won’t, not with Uncle Judd on the bench.”

The wooden floor trembled as an iron door slammed heavily. The sound made Andy feel cold even though he was not the one being locked away.

Farley told the sheriff, “There’s lots of people out yonder that would like to do the prisoner harm.”

“You don’t have to tell me my business. You Rangers have done your job. I expect you’ll want to head west and put some miles behind you before dark.” His voice was hopeful.

“Our horses need a rest. We’ll bed down at the wagon yard and make a fresh start in the mornin’.”

The sheriff shrugged. “Suit yourselves. There’s a fair-to-middlin’ eatin’ joint down the street yonder, run by one of my wife’s nephews. Nothin’ fancy, but it’s cheap.”

“Sounds fine to me.” Farley beckoned to Andy. “Let’s go see to our horses.”

Walking outside, Andy sensed the tension. His scalp tingled as if an electrical storm were building. It would take but little to set off a riot. The fight would be one-sided, for the Hopper crowd appeared to outnumber the Landons by a considerable margin.

Farley growled, “Don’t look to the left nor the right. Just walk straight ahead. This don’t concern us anymore.”

“Jayce won’t get a fair trial in this town.”

“Don’t matter. Even a fair trial would end up hangin’ him. He’s as guilty as sin.”

Andy rubbed his throat. The thought of a rope around it gave him a chill.

Farley said, “It would’ve been better for him if he’d made a break along the way. We would’ve shot him, and it would already be over with. Now he’ll sit in that jail cell broodin’ about it. He’ll die a thousand times before he ever feels the rope.”

They ate a mediocre supper. A good one would have had no more appeal to Andy under the circumstances. He asked, “Doesn’t it bother you that we brought Dick Landon’s brother here to die?”

“Jayce put the rope around his own neck when he took aim on Ned Hopper. He tripped the trapdoor when he walked up and shot him a second time. It wasn’t none of my doin’, nor yours.”

The stable keeper was a small man with a flushed face that indicated he was a favored customer at some bar up the street. He seemed to fancy the sound of his own voice. “You-all are the Rangers that brought Jayce in, ain’t you? Bet you didn’t know what a hornet’s nest you was fixin’ to stir up. Soon as it gets dark and some of the Hoppers get enough liquor in them, you’ll see the biggest fireworks we’ve had around here since the Yankee war.”

Farley said, “It’s nothin’ to us. We just want to get some sleep and head out in the mornin’.”

“May not be much sleepin’ done in this town tonight. Me, I ain’t takin’ sides. Their money all looks the same to me. I’ll still be here when it’s over.”

Farley scowled. “It’s a smart man who knows how to mind his own business.”

“But ain’t you Rangers supposed to keep the peace? Looks to me like you’d be out there amongst them, holdin’ the lid down.”

“Our orders were to deliver Jayce to the sheriff. From now on it’s up to him and the court.”

“The sheriff’s married to a Hopper. He’s got some inlaws he ain’t real fond of, like Big’un and the judge, but they come with the deal.”

Andy said, “It’s a cinch there won’t be anything fair about Jayce’s trial.”

The stableman looked around to see if anyone else could hear. “Ain’t goin’ to be no trial. Talk is that they’re goin’ to stage a fight and draw the sheriff away after dark. The jailer is a Hopper cousin. When his kinfolks come callin’ they won’t have to tell him twice to raise his hands.”

Andy’s jaw dropped. “They’re goin’ to take Jayce out and hang him?”

“No, they’ll shoot him right there in his cell and scatter before the sheriff or the Landons have time to do anything about it.”

Farley frowned. “Are you sure about this?”

“I got it from one of the Hopper boys. He was already tanked up on Kentucky courage.”

Andy told Farley, “We’ve got to do somethin’.”

Farley shook his head. “What’s the use? They’ll just keep tryin’ till they get him. Feuds are nasty business.”

He forked dry hay onto the ground and spread it evenly, then unrolled his blankets on it. “Best thing is to let the damn fools fight it out. Then we can hang the winners or send them to the penitentiary.”

“I’ll bet that’s not in the captain’s rule book.”

“The book has got blank pages in it so we can write our own rules when we have to.”

Andy did not consider long. “I didn’t make this ride just to stand back and watch them lynch our prisoner.” He drew his rifle from its scabbard on his saddle and dug into his saddlebag for extra cartridges.