[Texas Rangers 04] - Ranger's Trail (34 page)

Rusty grabbed up his pistol from the ground. Lacey shouted, “Ma!” He reached for the weapon at his hip. It had just cleared the holster when Rusty’s bullet struck him. He teetered, trying to level his pistol. Rusty fired again, twice. Lacey crumpled.

Rusty muttered, “That’s for Josie.”

Newley went to his knees, sobbing as Rusty and Andy swung smoking pistols in his direction. “Don’t kill me. Please don’t.”

Alice found her voice. “Don’t shoot him. He’s harmless.”

Rusty felt his finger tightening again on the trigger. He had to stop himself from following through as Andy moved in front of him.

Andy said, “Maybe you know him, Alice, but we don’t.” He took Newley’s pistol. “I hope you ain’t goin’ to give us any trouble, Bascom. Been killin’ enough already.”

Newley shook. He tried to speak but brought forth only a little jibberish.

Andy surveyed the carnage. “Lord, what a mess.”

Wearily Rusty seated himself on the ground. He extended his arms across his knees and rested his aching head on them. He felt his stomach churning. He had hoped avenging Josie would give him satisfaction. It had not. “I thought I’d shoot Corey and that’d be the end of it. I didn’t figure it would come to all this.”

Alice knelt beside Corey. She could do nothing for him. She lowered her head and wept.

Andy said, “Looks like he did love you, after all.”

She was slow to answer, her voice subdued. “In his way … I guess he did.”

Andy turned to Rusty. “At least it was the old lady that killed him, not you. You don’t have to carry Corey on your conscience.”

Rusty looked at the still form of Bessie Bascom. He felt he should have some regret about the old woman, but he did not. His only sympathy went to Alice. “You don’t have to report that Alice shot her. Tell them I did it. It’ll save her some trouble and grief.”

Andy nodded. “Trouble maybe, but not grief.”

Alice held Corey’s limp hand. A tear rolled down her cheek. In a thin voice she said, “I never saw anybody so poisoned with hate as she was. She always talked about protectin’ her family, but she destroyed it herself.”

“
All but one.” Andy nodded toward Newley, who was still on his knees, trembling.

She said, “He never was quite like the others. They always drug him along against his will.”

Andy asked Rusty, “What do you think we ought to do with him?”

Rusty felt empty. At this point he did not care. “You’re the law. You call it.”

“
I don’t have a fugitive list with me. If he’s wanted for anything I don’t know about it.” He approached Newley. “Stand up.”

Newley arose on wobbly legs.

Andy said, “Get on your horse and see how far you can go before dark. Don’t let your shadow fall on this side of the Colorado River ever again.”

After a silent final look at his mother and brothers, Newley hurried to the barn where the Bascoms had hidden their horses. Shortly he rode out of the corral and put his mount into a lope, heading northward.

Andy returned to Alice. “Does that suit you?”

She nodded. “He’s got the Bascom taint in his blood. It’ll probably get him killed, but it won’t be our doin’.”

Andy said, “I’ll have to go tell Tom Blessing about this. I’m still a ranger, but he’s the local law.”

Rusty raised his head and gave Andy a long study. He did not look like a boy anymore. He said, “You did good today. It’s a pity you’ve decided to resign.”

“
I never said that. I said I was comin’ home to heal up and to think about it. I’m still thinkin’ about it.”

Rusty arose, his legs weak. He walked into the cabin’s kitchen and slumped into a chair. He felt wrung out, exhausted.

Alice followed him worriedly. “Are you all right?”

Rusty shook his head. “No. Maybe next week I’ll be all right again, or next month. Right now I just feel used up.”

Alice looked at him with sad eyes. It struck him again how much she resembled her older sisters. But she was not them, not Geneva and not Josie. She was Alice, just as Josie had been Josie and not Geneva.

Well, at least Josie could rest easy now, he thought. He wondered when
he
would.

Several days’ ride brought a nagging ache back into Andy’s shoulder, but he had no intention of telling anybody about it. He followed the San Saba River, hoping the cook had been out there with his pole and line. A mess of fresh-fried catfish would make for a tasty supper after all the fat bacon he had eaten on the trail.

He saw the tents ahead and was pleased that the ranger camp had not been moved in his absence. If he ever decided to get a place of his own and settle down he might very well choose such a pleasant spot on this river where tall pecan trees spread their heavy shade along the banks and the water ran clear and cool. It carried him back in memory to some of the better times he had spent with the Comanches.

The Comanches. Reports lately from the high plains had left him with mixed feelings. It was said the army had defeated them after an almost bloodless encounter in a faraway canyon and had run off their horses. They had no choice but to give up and start a long, sad walk to the reservation. That meant he would probably never be called upon to fight them again. The rangers could shift their main attention to lawless white men instead of Indians. Yet his sympathy went to the People, like his foster brother Steals the Ponies, afoot, confined, forced to accept the dubious charity of the federal government. It was too much for a proud race to have to bear. He grieved for them.

Len Tanner was on horse guard. He hollered and put his mount into a long trot to overtake Andy. “Hey, button, how’s the shoulder?”

“
What shoulder?”

“
You back to stay?”

“
If the captain will have me.”

“
He’s been hopin’ you’d show up. Where’d you leave Rusty?”

“
At home. He’s decided bein’ a farmer is more restful than bein’ a ranger.”

“
Rusty ain’t gettin’ no younger. The ranger life is for young men like me and you.”

Tanner had some gray streaks in his hair, but Andy knew that to mention it would set him off into a longer speech than Andy wanted to hear. “Where are the Morris brothers?”

“
On patrol. We been havin’ a lot of fun chasin’ after outlaws over in Kimble County. You’ll enjoy it.” He turned serious. “Did Rusty ever find that feller he was huntin’ for?”

“
Corey Bascom? Yes, that’s over and done with.”

“
And Alice?”

“
Rusty took her back to her folks. She’s safe now.”

“
I sort of hoped her and Rusty … well, it would kind of make up to him for losin’ Josie like he did.”

“
Who knows? Rusty took a mighty deep wound, a lot worse than what I got in my shoulder. Such things take a long time to heal.” Andy looked toward the row of tents. “I’d better report to the captain. Let him know I’m ready for whatever he wants me to do.”

A broad grin creased Tanner’s freckled face. “He’ll be tickled to see you.”

The captain stood in front of the headquarters tent, watching Andy approach. Andy dismounted and gave him what passed for a salute in ranger circles.

The captain returned the salute in a manner even less military than Andy’s. “I’ve been wondering about you, Pickard. Have you healed up?”

“
Enough, sir. Reportin’ for duty.”

“
Glad to have you. I’ll put you back on the pay roster. And Mr. Shannon?”

Andy shook his head. “He won’t be comin’.”

“
A pity. But we must all make choices in this life. If you’re hungry, go ask Bo to fix something for you.”

Andy saw a boy sitting at the mess tent, peeling potatoes while the black cook watched. He asked, “Is that … ?”

The captain nodded. “It’s Scooter.”

“
I thought the Indians got him.”

“
So did we all. But when the boy saw they were about to overtake him he ran into a cedarbrake and hid. The Comanches hunted for him. They came so close that he said he could hear them breathing. He laid in the cedar all night, scared to death. But at daylight they were gone. He wandered around afoot for several days, hungry, dodging rattlesnakes. Finally some cowboys found him, fed him, and brought him to us.”

“
Maybe he learned somethin’.”

“
That he did. This experience took him to the edge of hell and showed him what death looked like, face-to-face. It turned him completely around. He even says ‘sir’ now.”

“
I guess I ought to go speak to him, tell him I’ve still got my horse.”

“
Good idea.” The captain smiled. “Welcome back, ranger.”