The Last Buckaroo (5 page)

CHAPTER
SEVEN

Katie
showed up at the sheriff
’
s office the following
morning with a lawyer by her side.  She figured Preston Ames would not disclose
where he
’
d
taken Yancey Burke, so she sought the advice of Bryce Herford, Yancey
’
s
newly hired attorney.

Workers
were sweeping up glass, preparing to install new plate windows, when they
arrived. 
“
Sheriff,
”
Katie acknowledged,
seeing him behind his desk, looking as though a goodly amount of his snowy hair
had been singed black in the fire of last night.

“
What
can I do for you, Katie?  You do know Yancey is no longer here?
”

“
She
does,
”
Herford jumped in,
angry the sheriff hadn
’
t acknowledged him the
second he came through the door.  But then their standing feud was old news in
town. 
“
So
where is he, Preston?
”

“
I
don
’
t
have to tell you that, Bryce.
”

“
I
’
m
here to inform you
 — 
you
do!  I
’
m
his lawyer and I demand access to my client.  It
’
s
the law, Preston!
”
 
The sandy haired attorney, of some age,
stood to his full height of six feet and gripped the lapels of his charcoal
grey suit coat.

“
Not
when the prisoner
’
s safety is an issue. 
He
’
d
be barbeque now if it wasn
’
t for our quick
action.  Yancey is where those thugs can
’
t
get at him.  And that
’
s where he
’
s
staying until the trial starts in two weeks.
”

“
Those
thugs as you call them are citizens of this county, Preston.  And as I
understand it they were not here to harm Mister Burke, but more so to protect
the man from you!  After all these years it looks as though the people have
wised up to your way of serving up the law, and they
’
re
not going to tolerate it any longer!
”

“
Well,
if they want me out, they know what they can do about it,
”
Preston Ames said. 
“
Until
that happens, I guess you
’
ll be dealing with me,
Bryce.
”

“
Let
me tell you who you
’
ll be dealing with,
Sheriff.  If Yancey Burke isn
’
t back in
Blazedale by noon tomorrow, I
’
m calling the
U.S. Marshals office in Billings and asking for a full investigation.  And
while I
’
m
at it I
’
ll
ask them to look into a few other cases you and Judge Samuels have railroaded
through that court of his.
”

“
Is
that a threat, Bryce?
”
 
Ames twisted his face into an ugly snarl
and leaped to his feet.  He grabbed Herford by the lapels and with lightning
speed shoved him against the wall. 
“
Where
’
s
that pistol you
’
re in a habit of
carrying?
”
 
His
hands were all over the elderly man. 
“
Aha!
”
 
He came out with a revolver from under the coat.

Katie
screamed and began backing away.

“
As
an officer of the court, I
’
m allowed to
carry a gun anywhere I want!
”
Herford insisted.

“
Not
in my county!  Striker!
”
Preston shouted.

Deputy
Striker came on a run from the jail area, looking as though he
’
d
been awakened from a nap. 
“
Yes, sir
…”

“
Lock
this bastard up!
”

“
You
’
re
making a big mistake, Preston!
”
Bryce shouted
as Striker dragged him into the jail area and shoved him into a cell.

“
Yeah,
well, take it up with whoever you want,
”
Sheriff Ames said and
focused his attention on Katie, who was frozen in place near the open doorway. 
“
Anything
else I can do for you, Misses Peck?
”

Katie,
frightened for her safety, backed the remainder of the way through the doorway,
then set out on a run, where to, she didn
’
t
know.  When she finally came to her senses she was in the tavern with the door
locked behind her.  Glancing at the clock on the wall she saw it was just after
ten, two hours before it was time to open. 
“
Oh,
God!
”
she buried her face in
her hands.
 
“
What
now?
”

Going
behind the bar, she looked around for something to do that may ease her mind,
maybe something to clean.  Nothing.  Everything appeared spotless.  Then while
eyeing the rubble of the catch all lower shelf, she remembered under there
somewhere was a sawed off shotgun.  It came with the place when Helmer bought
it.  She didn
’
t think he even knew it was there. 
Actually she hadn
’
t found it herself for
a good year after the purchase.

Digging
where she thought it should be, before a lot of other stuff had found a home
there, she finally came up with it, covered in dust.  Grabbing a rag from
nearby, she wiped it clean before opening it to find it was loaded in both
barrels with twelve gage shells marked 00 Buck.  Having no idea what that meant
she closed the gun and tried to decide on a place to put it, so it would be
handy if needed in a hurry.  On the other hand, maybe she should just put it
back where it was and forget it was even there.  No doubt she was now
frightened out of her wits of Preston Ames.  After what she
’
d
seen today there was no telling how far that man would go if crossed.  And she
planned to do plenty of that if his intention was to railroad Yancey Burke all
the way to the gallows.

A
knock came at the door and Katie found herself whirling in circles with the
short shotgun in her hands, searching for a place it put it.  Finally she held
it behind her and went to see who was there.  Careful not to make a noise, she
put her eye to a fine shrinkage crack in the heavy door that had opened between
two of the planks over the years.  She hoped now it wouldn
’
t
be the white hair of Preston Ames she saw at that level, standing on her
tiptoes.

Thank
God it wasn
’
t!  It was the bald head of Ralph
Longley on the other side of it, and she quickly threw the lock. 
“
Ralph!
”
she said as the door
came open.  Then nervously she grabbed his arm, pulled him through and relocked
the door. 
“
Oh, God!  I
’
m
glad you
’
re
here.
”
 
Her back fell against it.

Ralph
didn
’
t
know what to think of Katie
’
s strange
conduct.  Could it be, after all these years, he was about to have his dreams
answered?  Had she found something in him she liked after all?

“
Listen,
Sheriff Ames has Bryce Herford locked up in his jail.  You should of seen him
…
he was like a wild man the way he pounced on that old man
…”

“
Herford
’
s
out, Katie.  I just saw him walking down the street.
”

“
I
wonder how ...  It couldn
’
t have happened more
than twenty minutes ago.
”

“
I
suppose Preston cooled down and came to his senses.  Those two have been
carrying on like that for years.
”

“
They
have?
”

“
They
have.  Bryce will threaten Preston, and Preston loses it after a time and has
him jailed.  Nothing ever comes of it.  Just two old men who
’
ve
been at each other
’
s throats for the past
forty years.
”

“
Maybe
it
’
s
a game they play so Bryce can impress a new client?
”
Katie said.
 
“
Only
this time it backfired on him.
”
  But then maybe
Preston did what he did to frighten Katie.  If that were the case, it worked. 
She was still trembling.

“
You
’
re
a client of Bryce
’
s
,
Katie?
”

“
I
hired him for Yancey.  Not a good idea?
”
 
She went to the end of the bar, rounded it and put the shotgun away.

“
Everybody
knows there isn
’
t a decent lawyer in
all of Burr County,
”
Ralph said.
 
“
If
there was maybe Sheriff Ames and Judge Samuels would have been put out of
business by now.
”

“
Now
you tell me!
”

“
I
didn
’
t
know you were looking.  But I
’
ll tell you who
I
’
d
get.  He
’
s
one guy Preston Ames and Judge Samuels hate to see come around.  And it
’
s
not that he
’
s that great a lawyer.  It
’
s
just that the people here that make up the juries like him so much.  They vote
acquittal every time.  He
’
s a real character.
”

“
Does
this character have a name?
”

“
Woody
Clampett.  He
’
s originally from Texas, as is the
case with most of the people around here, originally.
”

“
Where
do I find this Woody Clampett?
”

“
Terryville. 
It
’
s
located in the next county west.  In fact, I
’
ll
bet that
’
s
where they took Yancey,
”
Ralph said, as if just
enlightened by a revelation. 
“
It
’
s
all over town, what happened last night.
”

“
You
really think that
’
s where he is?
”
Katie said excitedly and sat a beer up for Ralph.

“
It
’
s
the closest jail around, unless you want to travel near eighty miles in the
other direction.
”
  Ralph took a long
drink of the beer.

“
They
weren
’
t
gone long enough for that,
”
Katie said. 
“
The
s
heriff
’
s
car was back over there at nine this morning, when I first looked down the
street.  How
’
d you know I was here, Ralph?
”

“
I
saw you run across the street, from the s
heriff
’
s
office.  I was going to tell you we got old Hank put under, just like you
asked.  Jessie Homes painted
Hank
on the marker.  We used a good sized
rock.  I didn
’
t think a cross was appropriate for
a horse.
”

“
Why
not?
”
 
She gathered a hurt look.