THE DODGE CITY MASSACRE (A Jess Williams Novel.) (16 page)

             
Parks carefully put his holster and pistol on, making sure it was exactly where he wanted it. He removed the pistol and Jess noticed that the barrel was slightly shorter than usual and he also noticed that the holster was cut away a little more than normal revealing more of the hammer and the top of the cartridge cylinder as well as more of the trigger. It had an extra heavy hammer strap similar to Jess’.

             
“That sure is a pretty nice setup you have there,” Jess said admiringly.

             
“It had served me well so far,” replied Parks. “Let me ask you something Mr. Williams. If I do happen to beat you on the draw when we finally finish up our business in town and have our little confrontation, will you take this holster and pistol and take good care of it?” asked Parks.

             
Jess thought about it for a moment as he looked over his holster and pistol again. “I promise I’ll take good care of it. As a matter-of-fact, I know someone right now that would love to have it,” replied Jess.

             
“Sheriff, I mean no disrespect to Mr. Williams here, but is he really good for the five thousand dollars?” asked Parks.

             
“Hell yes, he’s got more money than anyone else in town. Take a look at the new church and schoolhouse in town. Jess donated the money to build both of them and I just found out today that he’s donated one thousand dollars to renovate the jail here. He’s good for it, but if I were a betting man, you won’t be collecting it. Now, raise you right hand so I can swear you in as a deputy and pin this badge on you.”

             
The sheriff swore him in as a deputy sheriff and pinned the badge on Parks’ shirt. Jess and Parks walked out to east end of town to take a turn at watch. They watched for three hours and it began to turn dark. Two other men came to relieve them so they walked over to Andy’s Saloon to meet up with Bodine to have a few drinks and whatever food Andy’s cook was serving, which happened to be beef stew. Andy had already told Bodine about the proposition Jess had made to Parks and he wasn’t exactly happy about it. As soon as Jess and Parks walked into the saloon, Bodine turned around at the bar and looked at Jess.

             
“Are you going daft on me?” asked John. “Andy told me about the deal you made with that man there, who I know is Jeff Parks since I’ve seen him a few times before.”

             
“Well, nice to see you too,” replied Jess. “Andy, bring us three plates of some grub you got brewing back there and a good bottle of whiskey over to the table. John, come on and sit down and eat and quit worrying about me and my deal with Parks.”

             
“Yeah, but if he gets lucky for some unknown reason, who’s going to help me go and take care of the problem in Kansas City? I have to go and avenge the death of my good friend, Sheriff Kitchner,” complained John. Parks asked Bodine what the problem was in Kansas City. So he explained the entire story to him, especially the fact that John felt somewhat responsible for Sheriff Kitchner’s death because he had quit working for him as a deputy just before the sheriff was shot to death by a bunch of gunslingers.

             
“Well, Mr. Bodine, if I happen to outdraw you friend there, I’ll go with you to Kansas City to help you. I hunt down those types of men anyway, so I might as well hunt for some gunslingers to challenge in Kansas City,” replied Parks. “And from what you just told me, I don’t think you bear any responsibility for the death of your friend.”

             
“Okay, I’ll accept your help, but I wouldn’t count on beating this one here,” replied Bodine, nodding at Jess. “I’ve seen him draw and I don’t think there is anyone alive who can beat him on the draw and that includes you and I mean no disrespect by saying it.”

             
“I take no offense to it, but that’s what makes it such a great challenge,” replied Parks, as he refilled their three glasses with whiskey.

             
The three of them retired for the night. Jess informed Sheriff Fowler that the three of them would sleep through the night because he figured that tomorrow would be the day the bunch of men out in the hills would finally come to town and Jess wanted himself as well as Bodine and Parks completely rested up. The sheriff agreed with it.

XXX

              Doug Hammer was relieved when Charlie Diggs and the two men he took with him in the morning to look for any other men they could round up finally returned to the camp just after dusk. He was relieved because they found eight additional men to join in for the attack, which would be tomorrow afternoon. Diggs sat down next to Hammer and grabbed four steaks and placed them on the hot flat rock in the fire.

             
“Well, good job, Diggs. With the eight men you found and the nine we have left, that gives us seventeen men so I plan on us going into town tomorrow at noon and kill both the sheriff and his two deputies and then shoot up the town and burn as many buildings down as we can. Let’s make sure those men are fed and everyone gets a good night’s sleep and no whiskey tonight. I want all of our men at their best for the fight tomorrow. After we finish with the town, we are going to relieve the bank in town of their cash too. That way, every man who survives tomorrow will get paid well for their services.”

             
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” replied Diggs. “I’ve already started to cook up some steaks for them and I’ll make sure each one of them gets enough to eat.”

             
Hammer left Diggs cooking steaks and laid down on his bedroll and fell off to sleep thinking about killing the sheriff himself personally.

XXX

              Jess rose at daylight and had coffee and breakfast with Mayor Smythe. Bodine showed up and joined them. Bodine poured himself a cup of coffee and went about making another pot.

             
“Hey John, do you know much about cooking?” asked Jess

             
“Not much, just what we cook out on the trail. Beans and salt pork, pan fried bread, hardtack, jerky and fresh game, but not much more. Why?” asked Bodine.

             
“Because my good friend here might be good enough to get elected as mayor, but he’s not exactly what I’d call the best cook. I can’t wait until Sara gets well enough to whip up some of her great biscuits,” replied Jess.

             
“Well,” replied Mayor Smythe, looking up from his platter of overcooked scrambled eggs and burnt salt pork, “I see it hasn’t slowed you down any. That’s your second helping if I remember correctly.”

             
Jess looked up and smiled. “It is, but a man has to eat and I don’t think I’m going to get any lunch today,” replied Jess.

             
“Why do you say that?” asked John, helping himself to some of the overcooked breakfast.

             
“I’m figuring those men will attack today. I think the only reason they haven’t come into town the last two days is they were waiting for more men to show up. I think today will be the day,” replied Jess.

             
John sat down at the table with a huge platter of scrambled eggs and salt pork. “You might be right about that. Those boys sure have to be pissed off after what you did to them the other day.”

             
“Hey, you were there two,” said Jess.

             
“Like I made a difference,” replied Bodine, sarcastically. “I killed two men; you on the other hand killed the other seven.”

             
“You were busy placing the dynamite,” said Jess.

             
“Yeah, I want to thank you again for that and the bullet the doctor dug out of my leg,” complained Bodine.

             
“Oh shut up and eat,” retorted Jess.

             
Bodine looked over at Mayor Smythe. “You know, you might want to order some new dynamite. That other stuff we used the other day is pretty old.”

             
“It’s been sitting around for a while since there hasn’t been much mining the last few years. I probably should have took it out of town and blew it up long before, but I just kind of forgot about the stuff,” replied Mayor Smythe.

             
They all three finished eating and Jess and Bodine walked out and split up. Bodine went to the west end of town and Jess went to the east end of town where he found Parks already on the rooftop.

             
“You got here pretty early, Jeff,” said Jess.

             
“I figured that I have to protect my investment in you. I can’t let anything happen to you now that you are worth fifteen thousand dollars,” replied Parks.

             
“So that’s all I am to you, an investment?”

             
“Yes, but I did mean what I said the other day. I do respect your work and I do think you are a very nice man on the inside.”

             
“But you can’t wait to kill me just for the money.”

             
“The money is only a bonus. The real reason is so I can say I was the one who beat Jess Williams on the draw.”

             
“We’ll leave that for later. Jeff, we have to be on high alert today because I think today is the day those men will come into town for their two friends over at the jail and try to kill the sheriff and his two full-time deputies. They think that they were the ones who ambushed them out at their camp and killed nine of their men,” replied Jess.

             
“I heard it was you and Bodine who did it.”

             
“You heard right,” replied Jess.

             
“I also heard you killed seven of the nine men out there.”

             
“You heard right again,” replied Jess.

             
“One man killing seven men at one gunfight must be some kind of record I would think,” said Parks.

             
“Not really, I’ve killed more than that in one gunfight,” replied Jess, as he got out his spyglass and began scanning the horizon.

             
About an hour later, Sheriff Fowler showed up on the rooftop where Jess and Parks were standing guard. “I sure didn’t think that the two of you would be working the same rooftop together. Do you still think that today is the day?” asked the sheriff.

             
“I’d bet money on it, Sheriff. Make sure all your men are at the ready since we don’t know how many men they have. We’ll have the advantage because they probably don’t think we’ll be waiting for them.”

             
“I’ve got Bodine and three other men over at the other end of town. Do you want me to send one of them down here to join you two?” ask Sheriff Fowler.

             
“No, the two of us can handle it. You need to keep more men at the other end of town since that is the way they usually come in, but we have to be prepared for anything, Sheriff. Make sure all your men are awake and at the ready.”

             
“You’ve got it, Jess, and keep an eye on this one here. He might just get the idea to plug you for the money and blame it on those thugs out in those hills,” said Sheriff Fowler.

             
“Why Sheriff Fowler, I’m highly insulted by that comment. I’m a man of my word and would never do such a thing,” retorted Parks.

             
“Feel as insulted as you want, I still don’t trust you,” replied Sheriff Fowler, as he turned to walk over to the stairway.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

              It was about eleven in the morning when Jess finally spotted it. He saw the dust first and when he looked through his spyglass, he saw two riders coming toward town and riding fast. He quickly looked over at the rooftop at the west end of town where Bodine was and gave him a sign that he had spotted two riders coming by holding up his hand with two fingers. Bodine waved back letting Jess know he got the message. Bodine looked out the west end of town and saw three riders. He turned back to Jess and held up three fingers, which meant three men riding into town at the west end.

             
“Something’s not right,” said Jess.

             
“Why do you say that?” asked Parks.

             
“They only had five men left in their camp when we left that old mine up in the hills overlooking their camp. If they were only coming into town with the five men they had left, why did they wait two days? It just doesn’t feel right to me,” replied Jess.

             
Parks looked over to the other side of the main street of town and then behind the building they were on. “I think I know the answer to your question.”

             
“What’s that?” replied Jess.

             
“They did collect some extra men because I just saw some men ride in from the north and some men ride in from the south and they made it up to the buildings. That means this ain’t going to be so easy after all,” said Parks.