One Went to Denver and the Other Went Wrong (Code of the West) (15 page)

  “No.”

  “No? There’s got to be a back way out. What if you had a fire, an emergency?”

  “The Pearly Gate has only one entrance. Sounds sort of Biblical, doesn’t it?”

  “Have you got a good lock for that walk-in closet?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’ve got to lock him in there. I have to get to the governor’s office and try to stop the hanging.”

  “It will be closed.”

  “I’ll find someone around.”

  “Why not go see the governor himself?”

  “He’s out of town. Up at Hot Springs or something,” Tap reported.

  “He arrived back in town early this evening.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “There is nothin’ that happens in state government that doesn’t make its way to the Pearly Gate.”

  “I’ll need you to come with me. He might believe two witnesses to Barranca’s confession.”

  “I know. But you can’t go dressed like a driftin’ drover. The governor’s having a big ball tonight. Everyone will be wearin’ their finest.”

  “I got a suit over at the hotel.”

  Rena pulled out a heavy coat as Tap rolled a bound-and-gagged Victor Barranca into the closet and tied him there.

  “He might get out of there,” she cautioned.

  “I’ll have to deal with that later. There’s no time to do anything else. Are you willing to risk it, Rena?”

  “Oh, I’m real brave as long as you’re around. Besides, I’ve always wanted to know what it was like to lock a man in a closet.”

  “How’s it feel?”

  “Real good. Now give me a little time to get the Pearly Gate situated to run awhile without me.”

  Tap walked slowly though the crowd and out the front door, not stopping to say anything to anyone. The cold night air caused him to tug down his hat and roll up his collar. He shoved his hands into the deep pockets of his long coat and found the open slot that allowed him to rest his right hand on the walnut handle of his holstered .44. He stepped back away from the red lantern that served as a guide to the Pearly Gate front door.

  Lord, this keeps gettin’ more and more complicated. I just want to keep Wade from gettin’ hung. I didn’t plan to solve the Billingsly case. But now with Rena here, she might be able to get me off the hook in Arizona without Wade’s legal help. But I can’t leave him there, Lord. He’s a friend. I just can’t let him hang.

  And, Lord, take care of Pepper tonight. She’s back there at McCurley’s worried sick about me wonderin’ when I’m comin’ back .
 . . or if I’m comin’ back. I surely pray that she’s havin’ a quiet time visitin’ with folks and relaxin’ in her room. Help her to be so busy tonight she doesn’t think about me at all.

  “You go to sleep?” Rena slipped her arm into his.

  “I was thinkin’ . . . about Pepper.”

  She pulled her hand away and shoved it into her pocket.

  “She’s really caught you, hasn’t she?”

  “It’s a mutual feelin’.”

  “I often think about what would have happened if Harold hadn’t stumbled upon us that night in Globe City.”

  “Yeah, you never know how close you are to an event that turns your life upside down.”

  It was after 9:00 P.M. when they finally walked up to the front door of the governor’s house. Tap tried to straighten his tie. “Do I look as awkward as I feel in this suit?”

  “I’ve seen gamblers lose a thousand dollars who looked happier than you.”

  “Thanks. That’s reassuring,” Tap groaned.

  “Now pretend like you’ve been invited to a party.”

  “We’re goin’ to barge right in?” he asked.

  The man with the badge at the governor’s front door tipped his hat and held the door for them.

  “We make a handsome couple, Mr. Andrews. Of course, Victor will shoot me when I return home. But then it just might be worth it.”

  One of the first men Tap spotted was the governor’s secretary, Mr. Whitney.

  “Did you present those papers to the governor?”

  “Oh, yes. He came back from Hot Springs to review the case.”

  “What did he decide?”

  “I don’t think he’s come to a conclusion.”

  “Can I talk to him? There’s more evidence. Miss Rena and I heard a man confess—”

  “At the Pearly Gate?”

  “Eh, ye-yeah, as a matter of fact,” Tap stuttered.

  “That hardly qualifies as hard evidence.”

  “How about this? He revealed that Billingsly was really shot straight on. One shot in the neck. The other in the heart.”

  “And he was paid big money to do it.”

  “By whom? Who hired him?”

  “He didn’t say. Did Billingsly get shot from the front?”

  “Eh . . . yes. That’s what the examining doctor reported.”

  “But the papers reported it was in the back.”

  “They didn’t know what they were talking about,” Whitney reported. “I’ll take you upstairs to see the governor. This case has been bothering him.”

  They slid past the well-dressed guests and started up a wide staircase.

  “The governor’s up here visiting a house guest who had a nasty accident. We’ll just wait. As soon as he comes out, I’ll have you talk to him.”

  For several minutes Tap paced the hallway and Rena stood at the top of the stairway glancing down at the party.

  Finally Tap burst out, “I don’t want to seem disrespectful, Mr. Whitney, but if I don’t get to present this to the governor pretty soon, Wade Eagleman will hang.”

  “Yes. Quite so.” The man rapped softly at the door.

  A Mexican maid with long, black hair swooped into the hall.

7

M
ost times government matters move slowly:

 
Forms to fill out.

 
Committees to convene.

 
A dozen people to see.

 
Stiff wooden benches in the hallways that give you a backache after several hours of waiting.

  For Tap that’s exactly the way most of the day had gone.

  Until now.

  The governor now seemed almost anxious to postpone Eagleman’s hanging. He granted an immediate extension and sent authorities to the Pearly Gate to apprehend Victor Barranca for questioning.

  While Rena mixed with the guests at the party, Tap had a long discussion with the governor.

  “You really believe this Eagleman is innocent?”

  “Yes, sir, I do.”

  “I haven’t felt good about this all along. I keep thinking it might be the biggest mistake this state’s made since Chivington’s debacle out at Sand Creek. But I’m going to need a confession from the Barranca fellow or some hard evidence that will be enough to take him to trial.” He paced the library with his arms behind his back. “Can we get those two drifters back to speak to the court?”

  “I doubt if we could find them now. On the other hand, they might still be at the Seven Mile Saloon. But if they lied to the jury last time, they sort of destroyed their usefulness at stating the truth, haven’t they?” Tap walked back and forth alongside the governor. His tie was loosened and his collar was unbuttoned.

  “Yes, I suppose. Still there’s got to be some connection. Some evidence. Something.”

  “I’m goin’ to nose around and see what I can find. Wade’s a friend of mine, and this just isn’t fair. I don’t think this country knows what to do with a successful Indian.” Tap waved his arms as he talked.

  “I think you might have something there,” the governor agreed. “Most folks think the Indians ought to play by our rules. Then when they get good at it, everyone is upset. That whole Billingsly matter went much too quickly from the start. But I’ve got to have some confirmation.”

  The governor walked Tap and Rena to the front door of his house. “I’d appreciate it if you would stop by my office in the morning. We’ll see if we learn anything from this Victor Barranca.”

  “Yes, sir, I’ll do that.” Tap shook the governor’s outstretched hand. “I’m mighty sorry for disturbing your party like this.”

  “Oh, no . . . no. Listen, Mr., eh, was it Andrews?”

  “Yep.”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, you’re certainly invited to stay for the ball.”

  “Thanks anyway. But I want to go over to the jail and see if they’ll let me report all this to Wade Eagleman.”

  “Yes, that’s quite understandable. Good night then.”

  Tap tipped his hat, and he and Rena began to walk up the street. She slipped her arm into his.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Andrews. What do you know about that?”

  “For one thing, I’m glad Pepper’s a hundred miles away.”

  What am I doin’? I don’t even want to be here. And I surely don’t want a lady hanging on my arm. Lord, I need to get back to McCurley’s. As soon as Wade gets out of jail, I’m haulin’ out of here. Pepper’s right. I should just leave this whole Arizona thing behind.

  After a brief late-night stop to see a jubilant Wade Eagleman, Tap escorted Rena back toward the Pearly Gate.

  “I suppose they’ve carried off Vic by now,” Rena was saying.

  Tap jammed his cold hands into the side pockets of his suit coat. “Unless he escaped that closet. I have a gut-level feelin’ that I should have shot him.”

  “Has your gut-level feelin’ ever been wrong?”

  “Yep.”

  “When?”

  “In a hotel down in Globe City.”

  “Will every conversation we have keep coming back to that?” she asked.

  “Probably. It’s the whole reason I’m in Denver.”

  “Tap, I don’t think I can help you like you want me to. I know I should. I know that I owe you something . . . but I guess I’m thinkin’ some of this tonight sort of pays you off. This cost me, Tap—this thing with Vic cost me, but he’ll have to find me first.”

  Tap glanced through the dark night at Rena’s soft blue eyes. “Find you?”

  “I sold my share of the Pearly Gate.”

  “What do you mean, sold it? How? When?”

  “At the governor’s party. My silent partner was there, so I sold my part back to him.”

  “But .
 . . I didn’t want you to have to—”

  They sauntered past a row of darkened shops.

  “Look, Tap, let’s get some things straight. I ran out on you in Globe City. It’s been eating at me for years. Now I find a way to help you out. I don’t regret doing it. I stood by you this time and didn’t run. But, I can’t stick around. Vic will find a way to get out of jail. Then he’ll get drunk and come slice me up. I’m not going to wait around for that.”

  “But the Pearly Gate .
 . . ”

  “. . . was a constant, embarrassing disappointment to everything decent in me. And believe it or not, Tapadera Andrews, there is still a little decency left.”

  “So where are you headed?”

  “San Francisco. Virginia City. Who knows?”

  “How about Globe City, Arizona?”

  “I can’t, Tap. You could serve prison time for me. I know that. But I can’t do it. This is it. I helped you in Denver. You’ll remember that, won’t you?”

  “I won’t forget. But you can’t skip out now. Not until we help Wade get out of jail. They might need us to give the judge a statement on what Vic stated.”

  “Only if Vic’s in jail.”

  Tap felt uneasy about going back into the Pearly Gate, but he buried his reluctance and held the door for Rena. The noisy, smoky warmth of the crowded saloon and dance hall came as sharp contrast to the clear, cold cleanness of the Denver night. One of the men met them before they made it halfway across the room.

  “Miss Lena, the marshal was here lookin’ for Vic. I thought they was goin’ to close us down.”

  The man studied Tap from boots to hat.

  “It’s all right, Rudy. This is Mr. Andrews, a friend of mine. Did the marshal take Vic with him?”

  “Nope.”

  “What?” she gasped.

  “They were too late. Vic left with Sarah about five minutes before the marshal got here. I thought he went out to find you.”

  “I should have shot him,” Tap mumbled.

  She took the man by the arm. “I need to tell Rudy a few things.”

  “I’ll check upstairs,” Tap told her. He scooted through the crowd.

  The man at the bottom of the stairs glanced at Tap’s eyes and stepped aside without saying anything. He climbed two stairs at a time with his suit coat pushed back and his hand on the handle of his Colt.

  The room was empty, as was the closet. Other than the ropes and gag tossed on the floor, everything looked the same as earlier in the evening.

  A few minutes later, Rena burst into the room with a rustle of petticoats and an aroma of lilac perfume.

  “Did you get Rudy set up to run the place?” Tap asked.