MacCallister Kingdom Come (22 page)

“Jaco, you are going to have to do something about those two boys,” Sherazade said.

“What do you propose that I do about them?”

“I don't know, but they can't stay here, tied up in the corner of the saloon. This is no place for them. This whole town is no place for them. It's not safe.”

“It's not safe for who? If you're talking about them, I don't care whether it is safe or not. But consider this. One of them is the son of the sheriff of Maverick County. The other belongs to the richest man in Maverick County. As long as we have them, nobody is going to come in here with guns blazing. They won't dare take a chance for fear of one of the boys getting hurt. In fact, I guarantee that they
will
be hurt, because if we are attacked here in this town, I will kill them. I will kill both of them.”

“It's not just their safety I'm worried about. Having them in the saloon all the time isn't good for business— not for my girls' business, not even for the drinkin' business.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“I don't know. I don't have any suggestions. I just don't want them down here, tied up in the corner of the saloon, in front of everyone.”

“Yeah? Well for the time bein', that's where they're goin' to stay. Unless you think you can come up with a better idea.”

 

 

Sitting at a table away from Jaco, Forney and Crump were nursing a beer. They had put the beer on their tab, which Morris allowed since they had participated in the bank robbery and would be getting money when Jaco divided up the proceeds of the robbery.

“Did you hear them say where one of them kids is from?” Forney asked.

“Yeah, I heard. One of'em is the sheriff's kid,” Crump replied.

“Yeah, but that's not the one I'm talking about.”

“What about the other kid? He ain't nothin' is he?” Crump asked. “Belongs to some cattleman, they said.”

“Yeah, but not just any cattlemen. Don't you know who he is?” Forney asked. “He's the one we tried to rob.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I'm sure. Crump, this ain't no place for us.”

“You mean because of the kid?”

“Not just because of the kid. I mean because of all that killing that went on in that town where we robbed the bank. Whoever heard of doin' somethin' like that? We rode in 'n everyone began shootin'. Dane told me it was always like that with Jaco. Hell, Dane was even laughin' about it. He enjoyed it. But, I didn't shoot nobody, and I don't think you did, either.”

“No, I couldn't hold with all the killing for no reason at all.”

“So like I said, we need to get out of here.”

“Even before we get our money?”

“I'm not sure Jaco will even give us our cut. I say we leave tonight.”

“Do you think he will let us go?”

“I don't plan on even askin'. I say we just leave when nobody's payin' any attention to us.”

 

 

Jaco had told the others that he would divide up the bank money that night, so the entire gang was gathered in the saloon in anticipation of their share of the loot. “I tell you what, boys. Before I divide up the money, let's have a good time. Morris, drinks are free. You keep a count, then let me know how much the bill is.

“Sherazade, your girls are going to get a workout tonight,” Jaco added, and the others laughed. They shouted in eager anticipation of the activities of the night.

“This ain't right,” Sherazade said to the other girls.

“You mean we aren't goin' to get paid?” one of the girls asked.

“No, we'll get paid. What ain't right is to keep these two kids here in the saloon while all this is goin' on.”

“I'll take them,” Belle said.

“Take them where?” Sherazade asked.

“I'll take them to my room and keep them with me up there.”

“Ha!” Sherazade replied with a laugh. “That would be worse than leaving them down here. If those two boys stay in your room, they are going to get an eyeful. They will grow up real fast.”

“No, they won't. They won't see anything. As long as I have them with me, I won't be with any of the men.”

“If you don't plan to be with any of the men, how do you plan to make any money?”

“I've thought about that,” Belle said. “Maybe everyone can pitch in just a little bit and pay me to keep an eye on the boys. That way it won't cause any of them any trouble.

“Yeah,” Sherazade said. “Yeah, that might work. All right. I'll put out the word. You'll get fifty cents for every man any of the girls have tonight. And all you'll have to do is keep your eye on the two boys. I'll have to clear it with Jaco, though.”

 

 

“Yeah, go ahead,” Jaco said in response to Sherazade's request. “I'm gettin' a little tired of lookin' at 'em myself.

“Thanks. It'll be much better this way.” Sherazade looked over at the two boys. “You boys have been tied up down here for three days now. I'll bet you'd like to have a bed to sleep in, wouldn't you?”

“Yes, ma'am!” Timmy replied.

“Ha!” Jaco laughed. “Saying yes ma'am to a soiled dove. Now there's a boy that's got hisself some manners.”

“Something you obviously never had,” Sherazade said. “Come along, boys.”

“You keep them tied up, you hear me, Sherazade?” Jaco called. “You keep 'em tied up.”

She took the two boys up the stairs, then down a hallway flanked on both sides by doors.

“Is this a hotel?” Ethan asked. “I've never been in a hotel before.”

Sherazade chuckled. “I suppose you could call it a kind of hotel.” She knocked on the door and Belle opened it. “Here they are. They're all yours.”

“Jaco agreed to it?”

“Yes. But he said you have to keep them tied up.”

“All right. I will. Come on in, boys. My name is Belle, and you're going to be my guests for a while.”

 

 

Downstairs the party was getting louder and drunker.

“I wonder when Jaco plans to divide up the money?” Crump asked.

“In due time,” Mattoon said. “In due time.”

“Yeah. Don't get in such a hurry. What would we spend it on but liquor and ladies of the night, anyway? Right now, the liquor is free, and you have to stand in line to get a woman, so just keep your britches on.” Cyr laughed. “That is, keep your britches on until you do get one of them women.” He laughed again. “Did you get that joke, Mattoon? I said he can keep his britches on till he gets with one of them soiled doves.”

“I got it,” Mattoon said. “Speakin' of which, they's two of 'em comin' downstairs now. You want to stand here jawbonin' with these two or get your turn?”

“I'll take my turn,” Cyr said, hitching up his trousers as he and Mattoon started toward the foot of the stairs to meet the two women.

“Let's go now, while nobody's payin' any attention to us,” Crump said to Forney after the two men left.

“You mean don't wait for any of the money?”

“We don't want any of the money. If we take it, we'll be as guilty as anyone else.”

“We already are. We was there, remember?”

“Yes, but what we do now is goin' to be the thing that says whether or not we're really guilty. I say let's go now, without the money.”

“Damn! You're cheatin'!” a loud voice shouted.

The exclamation was followed by a gunshot.

Looking toward the table where the charge of cheating had been made, Forney and Crump saw one of the townspeople grabbing the bullet hole in his stomach, shocked at the sudden turn of events.

The shooter, still holding the smoking gun, was Manny Dingo. “Nobody calls me a cheat.” He returned the gun to its holster.

“Let's get out of here, now,” Forney said.

“How we goin' to do it? If they see us both walkin' out, they might get a little suspicious.”

“We'll go out the back door,” Forney said. “People been goin' out back to take a leak all night long. Nobody will even notice.”

“Yeah, good idea.”

The two men left through the back door, then slipped away from the saloon. Saddling their horses, they rode off into the night. True to Forney's prediction, nobody noticed their absence.

 

 

“Miss Belle, what are they going to do to us?” Ethan asked. “Are they going to kill us?”

“No, honey, they aren't going to kill you. I wouldn't let anything like that happen to you.”

“I don't think they want to hurt us because if they do, they know that Pa will come after them,” Timmy said.

“And I think your pa would,” Belle agreed. “Your pa is a good man.”

Timmy's eyes grew large. “You know my pa?”

“No, honey, I don't really know him. I just know who he is, him being the sheriff and all.”

Timmy smiled. “Almost ever'body knows my pa. He's kind of famous, isn't he?”

“You might say that.”

“I think we should try to escape,” Ethan said.

“I wish you wouldn't try that,” Belle said. “I think it would be too dangerous for you.”

Forney and Crump rode into town the next morning. Locating the sheriff's office, they dismounted and stepped inside.

The man at the desk looked up. “Can I help you?”

“Are you the sheriff?” Forney asked.

“I'm Deputy Smith.”

“We need to talk to the sheriff.”

“He's not here right now, and anyway, this isn't a good time to be talking to him.”

“Because of his kid?”

Deputy Smith's eyes narrowed. “What do you know about Timmy?”

“If you'll get the sheriff, we'll tell him what we know.”

Deputy Smith drew his pistol and pointed at them. “Take off them gun belts.”

“What for?”

“Just take 'em off.”

Forney and Crump looked at each other for a moment, then Forney shrugged. “We may as well take 'em off,” he said as he began unbuttoning his gun belt.

Once their pistols were on the floor, Smith made a motion toward the jail cell. “Get in there.”

“What? Look here, what's goin' on here?” Forney demanded.

“You came here bringing news about the sheriff's son. The only way you could have information about him is if you are involved. Now, both of you get in the cell. I'll bring the sheriff to you.”

“This ain't right,” Crump said. “This ain't no way right at all.”

“Just do it,” Smith ordered with a wave of his pistol.

Grumbling, but compliant, the two men allowed Smith to put them into the cell, then close and lock the door behind them.

“Wait here,” Smith said.

“Yeah? Well, where else would we wait, Deputy?” Forney asked, his voice dripping anger.

“This ain't right,” Crump complained after Smith left. “This ain't no way right a-tall. We shoulda just kept on a-goin'.”

A moment later, Deputy Smith returned with another man with him. “This is them, Sheriff.”

“Is it true, what my deputy said? Do you have news about my son?”

“Is your son named Timmy?”

“Yes,” Jason said. “What has happened to him? Where is he? Is he all right?”

“A feller by the name of Jaco has him,” Forney said. “And yeah, he's all right. Leastwise, he was all right when we left him last night. But I don't know just how long he will be all right. Jaco is about the evilest damn man I done ever run into.”

“We ain't like that, which is why we left,” Crump added.

“And also to tell you about your son, and Mr. Hanson about his.”

“Cal Hanson doesn't have a son,” Jason said.

Forney frowned. “Is that true? We thought . . . that is, I thought the other kid was his.”

“No, he belongs to Mr. Hanson's cook.”

“Maybe so, but knowin' Mr. Hanson, I don't doubt but that he'll be a-worryin' about that kid 'bout as much as he would if it was his.”

Jason paid close attention. “‘Knowing Hanson'? Are you telling me that you two actually know Cal Hanson?”

Both outlaws nodded. Crump spoke. “Yeah we know 'im. We . . . uh, done some business with him a while back. And we sure don't want to be a party to somethin' that might hurt him.”

“I'll see that he gets the word,” Jason said. “You haven't told me yet where the boys are.”

“We'd like to tell you 'n Hanson at the same time, if you don't mind,” Forney said.

“All right. You two just wait right here, and I'll ride out to get Mr. Hanson,” Deputy Smith said.

“We'd rather you take us out to see 'im,” Forney said. “We don't want to be talkin' to him from a jail cell. Besides which, neither of us actual done nothin' to make you want to put us in jail in the first place.”

“Let 'em out, Smitty,” Jason said.

“But, Sheriff, don't you think—”

“Let 'em out,” Jason repeated.

“Yes, I do indeed remember you two,” Hanson said when Forney and Crump confronted him.

“They know where the boys are,” Jason said.

“Are they all right?”

“Yes, sir, they are for now. Jaco is holdin' them back in Shumla.”

Hanson frowned and looked to Jason. “Shumla?”

“It's a small town in Uvalde County,” Jason explained.

Hanson looked back at Forney and Crump. “Who is this man, Jaco? And what do you mean he is holding them?”

“Have you read anythin' in the newspapers about an outfit that's called the Kingdom Come Gang?” Forney asked.

“Yes, I believe I have.”

“Well this man, Jaco, he's the head man of the gang.”

“Is he demanding ransom for the two boys? Because if he is, I will gladly pay it to see to their safe release.”

“No, sir, I ain't heard him say nothin' like that. I think he's just holdin' them to keep anyone from comin' after 'im.”

Hanson looked at Jason again. “What about the sheriff in Uvalde County? Can we expect any help from him?”

“You don't understand, Mr. Hanson,” Forney said. “Jaco ain't just holdin' them two boys in the town. He's holdin' the whole town.”

Surprised, Hanson asked, “What do you mean?”

“Shumla is what you call an outlaw town. There ain't no law there a-tall 'ceptin' whatever law Jaco says there is.”

“That is totally unacceptable,” Hanson said sharply. “We must do something.”

Jason has listened carefully to the conversation, keeping his thoughts to himself. Finally, he stepped in. “I agree, but there's no sense in going off half-cocked. I have sent a telegram to Duff MacCallister. I expect him to be here soon. Once he arrives, we'll come up with a plan.”

When Duff and the others reached Eagle Pass, they were met by Jason, who asked them to go with him out to Regency Ranch. “There are a couple men out there I would like you to meet. Actually, Mr. Hanson says you've met them before. They have some information that might be helpful.”

“Where is Melissa?” Megan asked immediately. “I want to go to her. Bless her heart, I know she has to be having a very difficult time with this.”

“She is. We both are,” Jason said. “She is already out at the ranch. She and Mrs. Garrison are sort of comforting each other.”

“Mrs. Garrison?”

“Jennie Garrison. Her son Ethan is Timmy's age, and the two boys were out horseback riding when the Kingdom Come Gang came upon them.”

The name rang a bell with Duff. “The Kingdom Come Gang? I believe I read something in the paper about them. A gang of outlaws?”

“Much more than just a gang of outlaws,” Jason said. “They are cold-blooded killers . . . and there are at least twenty of them. Well, two less now, since the defection.”

“What defection?”

“The two men you'll be meeting defected from the gang.”

A half hour had passed by the time they got their horses off-loaded and rode out to Hanson's ranch. Everyone had gathered in the large keeping room. Melissa and another woman had obviously been crying, and Megan hurried over to embrace her sister.

Melissa wiped her eyes. “Megan, this is Jennie Garrison. Her son Ethan was with Timmy when they were taken by those evil men.”

Megan embraced Jennie. “Have you heard anything else about them? Do you know where they are?”

“Yes, they are in Shumla,” Melissa said.

“Duff, it was good of you to come,” Hanson said. “I've two men I would like you to meet. They are out in the bunkhouse with Mr. Taylor.”

“They would be the defectors Jason spoke of?”

“Yes. You have met them before.”

“I have?”

“Yes. Ah, here they are. I told them to come up to the house when they saw you arrive.”

Duff looked toward the two who were arriving, and remembered, at once, where he had seen them before. “
Och
, you would be the two men who attempted to rob Mr. Hanson now, would you?”

“Yeah, we're awful sorry 'bout that,” one of the men said. “He's Crump, I'm Forney.”

“You are a long way from your territory, aren't ye now? 'Twas thinkin', I was, that you were in Wyoming.”

“Yes sir, well, that's where we mostly was, but we decided it would be better for us if we left Wyomin' an' come to Texas,” Crump said.

“Which is how we come to join up with Jaco. Only, we seen our mistake soon as we joined up,” Forney explained.

“Jaco? What is Jaco?” Duff asked.

“Jaco is a who, not a what,” Jason said. “His name is A. M. Jaco. He and an albino by the name of Blue Putt were about to be hung over in New Mexico, but they managed to escape the night before they were to hang. I've got paper on both of them. According to Crump and Forney here, Jaco and Putt are heading up the Kingdom Come Gang.”

“And they're the ones who have the two boys?” Duff asked, to clarify.

“Yes.”

“Tell me about this other boy, the one who was with Timmy when they were taken. There's
nae
chance he's mixed up in it, is there?”

“No chance at all,” Hanson said. “His mother works for me, and they live here on the ranch.” He explained that Ethan's father had been killed, most likely by the Kingdom Come Gang. “I needed help and Mrs. Garrison needed a job,” he concluded. “That's how they wound up here.”

“And you two”—Duff wagged a finger at Forney and Crump—“how did you two wind up here?”

“Look, Mr. MacCallister, me 'n Forney ain't goin' to lie to you. We ain't exactly led what you would call decent, law a-fearin' lives. Only we ain't never done nothin' like what Jaco 'n his men are doin'. We ain't neither one of us ever actual kilt anyone, 'n soon as we seen what this here gang was like, we know'd we'd made us a big mistake.”

Forney told about the bank robbery in New Fountain. “Only, it warn't like no bank robbery I ever heard o' before. You'd think that all you would want to do is take the money 'n git, 'n if you can do it without no shootin', the better it be. But not these men. When we first rode into New Fountain, well Jaco, he told us to commence a-shootin'. It was real crazy.”

“Not so crazy. I can see that. By discharging your weapons into the air, it would generate a degree of shock, enough to divert people's attention,” Duff said.

“No, it warn't nothin' like that a-tall,” Crump said. “What Jaco told us to do was to start shootin'
people
. Men, women, even little children. If they was out on the street, we was s'posed to shoot 'em. 'Cept me 'n Forney, we didn't do none of that.”

“How did you avoid it?” Jason asked.

“We just commenced to shootin', but we wasn't shootin' at nobody in particular,” Forney said.

“Then, what we done,” Crump continued, “is we made up our mind that soon as we got our share of the money, we was goin' to quit the gang 'n ride back up to Wyomin'. I mean, me 'n Forney, we'd done a little robbin', but we ain't never kilt no one a-fore.'

“When we brung in them two kids, we didn't want no part of that, so we decided we wasn't goin' to even wait around for our cut,” Forney said. “We was goin' to go right back to Wyomin'.”

“Only you came to my office,” Jason said.

“Yeah, we come there.”

“Why?

“We come there when we larn't that one o' them two kids belonged to Mr. Hanson,” Crump said.

“He was real good to us, if you remember,” Forney said. “I mean, here, we tried to rob 'im, 'n what does he do? He gave us money.”

“So we decided to tell the sheriff what we knew,” Crump said.

“You did the right thing,” Duff said.

“Yeah, well, truth is, even if it hadn't been for the kid belongin' to Mr. Hanson 'n all, we woulda prob'ly done the same thing, anyway. There wouldn't nobody in their right mind want to be around Jaco,” Forney said.

“That's how it is. I mean, nobody around him is in their right mind. 'Cause Jaco 'n near 'bout ever'one with 'im is crazy,” Crump added.

“Who are some of the people with him, do you know?” Duff asked.

“Well, sir, there's Jaco and Putt. They're the two leaders of the gang,” Crump said. “Jaco, he's some kind of a breed, half Mex or half Injun, I don't know which. And Putt, he's one of them people that ain't got no color. All white, you know.”

“An albino,” Duff suggested.

“And Manny Dingo. You ever a-heered o' him?” Forney asked.

“He's a young gunslinger,” Jason said, interrupting the conversation. “He's fast with a gun. I mean he is really fast, and he likes to use it.”

“Then there's a feller by the name of Johnny Dane. He's kinda funny,” Crump said.

“Funny? How is he funny?” Hanson asked.

“I don't mean funny so's he does things to make you laugh. I mean he's funny 'cause he's odd. He likes little girls.”

“And when Crump says little girls, that means real little girls, like maybe thirteen or fourteen years old,” Forney added.

“What you are saying is, he is a pedophile,” Hanson suggested.

Crump frowned. “I don't know what that word means. I just know that he likes real young girls.”

“Then there's a couple men that I think are brothers. Can't recall their names though. Do you, Crump?”

“I think one of 'em is Larry or Lenny. Somethin' like that. Oh, and there's Mattoon. He's sort of an odd duck, too.”

“Mattoon? Wyatt Mattoon?” Jason asked.

“You've heard of him?” Duff asked.

“Yeah, he was a peace officer once. People like him give anyone who has ever worn a badge a bad name.”

“The only other name I recall is the one called Cyr. He's the oldest of the lot, and damn well may be the meanest.”

“Cyr?” Elmer asked, speaking up for the first time. “Would that be Val Cyr?”

“I don't know. I never heard his first name spoke,” Forney said.

“Well, let me ask you this. What about his right ear? Is there a piece of it missing?”

Forney nodded. “Yeah. Now that you mention it, he is missin' 'bout half his right ear.”

“Elmer, how is it that you knew that?” Duff asked.

“I know it, 'cause I'm the one that bit it off.”

“My word, you bit off half his ear?” Hanson exclaimed.

“Yeah, I done it when we was kids.”

“You and Cyr knew each other when you were children?” Duff asked.

“Val Cyr is my first cousin. We joined up with Quantrill together, 'n some later, when I first come back from the sea, we rode the outlaw trail together for a while.”

“You heard the way Forney and Crump have been describing this gang of brigands as thieves and murderers. And you say this fellow is your kinsman. Do you think he is capable of such a thing?” Duff had a lot of faith in his foreman.

“Yeah,” Elmer said with a single nod of his head. “Yeah, I do.”

“What about the townsmen?” Duff asked. “Does Jaco enjoy their support?”

“I'm not sure I know what you mean by that,” Forney admitted. “He enjoys the soiled doves that work in the saloon.”

“I mean, do the townspeople support Jaco? If it came down to a battle between Jaco and someone from outside, would everyone in the town fight for Jaco?”

Forney shook his head. “No, I don't think they would. Most of the folks that was in town left when Jaco took over. The ones that stayed thought they'd be makin' a lot of money, and I s'pose they are. Folks that's come to town since then done it just 'cause it is a outlaw town. Onliest thing is, it's costin' them a lot just to live there. Plus, Jaco is collectin' what he calls a tax.”

“Forney's right. I ‘spect more 'n half of the ones that stayed would just as soon Jaco move on.”

“That's good to know,” Duff said.

“But that don't mean he don't have a lot who would fight for him.”

“How many?” Duff asked immediately.

“At least twenty. Maybe a few more,” Crump said.

“But that ain't all of it,” Forney said. “I know that he plans to use them two kids as a way to keep anyone from comin' after 'em.”

“We can't just let those boys stay there,” Jason said. “We've got to get them out, one way or another.”

Wang spoke for the first time. “You know this town,” he said to Forney and Crump. “Are there any Chinese people there?”

“Any Chinamen? No, I don't think so,” Crump said.

“Yeah, there are,” Forney said. “The laundry is run by some Chinamen, don't you remember?”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot about them.”

“That is good,” Wang said.

Duff turned to his cook. “Wang, you have an idea?”

“Yes. I will go into town and get the two young Americans out.”

Frustrated, Jason asked, “How are you going to do that?”

“No one will see me.”

“Ha!” Forney said. “Believe me, Jaco will be keeping an eye on those two boys.”

“I will be invisible,” Wang said.

“What do you mean, you'll be invisible?” Forney asked. “Somethin' else I don't understand.”

“I do,” Duff said. “Remember, Mr. Crump didn't even know there were Chinese in the town.”

“Yes, I, too, am aware of the phenomenon,” Hanson said. “The ubiquitous servant is often invisible because of his lack of standing in the perceived social order of the elite.”

Forney and Crump looked at each other and shrugged. Hanson's explanation offered no help in understanding.

“All right, Wang. So you can get into Shumla without being seen. Then what?” Jason asked.

“I will find a way to save Timmy and his friend.”

“You can't do this all by yourself,” Jason said.

“I have seen Wang in action,” Duff said. “I believe he can do it.”

“How long will you need?” Jason asked.

“Two days.”

Jason nodded.