The Quest: Countdown to Armageddon: Book 6 (16 page)

-34-

     The first rays of sunlight the next morning brought with them a peaceful calm. The passing rain showers were miles away now, and the concrete deck beneath the overhang was almost dry. Birds were singing softly in the distance.

     It was the kind of morning when sleep would seduce Tom, like a long lost lover, and coax him into staying in bed just a little bit later than usual.

     But then he heard the unmistakable sound of a hammer being cocked, mere inches from his face.

     Hearing a hammer cocked in front of a man’s face tends to get his attention fairly quickly.

     Regardless of how much he wants to go on sleeping.

     Tom’s eyes were wide open in an instant.

     “Sit up slowly, stranger. Don’t make any sudden moves, or you won’t like what happens.”

     The words came from the tall man behind the pistol, crouched over Tom and aiming the weapon at his forehead.

     Tom did what he was told.

     “What’s this all about, Mister?”

     Then Tom’s eyes cleared enough to notice the badge on the man’s leather vest.

     It was made of dark brass, a five point Texas star, surrounded by a ring of the same color. Above the star was the word “TEXAS.”

     Below it was the word “RANGER.”

     “That depends.”

     “On what?”

     “On who you are, and who the girl is.”

     The “girl,” by this time, was wide awake and sitting up a few feet away.

     And she was terrified.

     “Take it easy, Ranger. I’m Sheriff Tom Haskins from Kerr County. This is one of my deputies, Sara Harter.”

     “You got a badge to prove that, Sheriff?”

     “There in my boot, along with my wallet.”

     “Move slowly.”

     Tom produced a leather badge holder, and showed the man a gold shield that proclaimed

                                SHERIFF 

                      Kerr County Texas

     The tall man relaxed, but only slightly.

     He turned to Sara.

     “Ma’am, are you in any danger?”

     “No, sir. He is who he says. He is helping me find my mother.”

     The Ranger moved the barrel of his weapon away from Tom’s face and released the hammer. Then he placed it back into his leather holster and said, “My apologies, Sheriff. I had to be careful until I found out who I was dealing with. Men in my profession who get careless wind up dead.”

     It wasn’t the first time in his life Tom had a gun pointed at him, and it wasn’t a feeling he liked. It took him a moment to regain his composure.

     Once he did, he extended his hand to the man in front of him.

     “I understand, Ranger. These days it pays to be extra cautious. I’m Tom.”

     “Randy Maloney.”

     “Randy, are you tracking somebody in particular? I hope you don’t greet everybody you meet at the end of your Colt.”

     This struck the Ranger as a bit funny, and he chuckled.

     “No, not at all. Usually I’m a bit friendlier. But you just happened to match the description of a man I’ve been after since Abilene a month ago.”

     “Really? What did he do?”

     “Stole a teenaged girl from her parents. Said he needed her more than they did. When they tried to stop him, he shot them both, right in front of her eyes. Then he lit out with the girl. His friends said he was headed for Castroville.”

     Sara gasped audibly and her hand went to her face.

     The tall ranger looked at her.

     “That’s where we’re going too.”

     “Castroville’s not a friendly place, ma’am. The police chief went bad. Let his cronies take over the town and run roughshod over it. For a long time now the good citizens have either stayed in their homes or have run away. The mayor made it to Austin and met with the Texas Rangers. That’s how we got involved.”

     Tom asked, “Are the Rangers going in to clean up the town?”

     The Ranger chuckled again.

     “Well, in a sense, yes. If you mean Ranger, as in one. As in me.”

     “You by yourself?”

     “Yes, sir. I was headed this way anyway, chasing the man with the girl. When I checked in at San Antonio they told me that since I was going to Castroville anyway, to see what I could do to relieve the citizens of their plight.”

     Sara said, “But you’re only one man.”

     “Yes, ma’am. But I’m a Texas Ranger.”

-35-

     As Tom restarted the fire to boil some coffee, Sara studied the tall figure before her. He was handsome and rugged in the way of an old western cowboy.

     She couldn’t decide whether he looked more like the Marlboro man, or like the Matt Dillon character in an old western TV show.

     She was sure that with his chiseled face and rugged good looks he left a wake of heartbroken women behind him. She could easily imagine herself swooning over him, were it not that she was happily married to a good man of her own.

     She suddenly wondered how he got there.

     “Hey Ranger?”

     “Please. Call me Randy.”

     “Randy, how did you get here? Where’s your vehicle?”

     “My vehicle has four legs. His name is Tex.”

     He let out a loud whistle.

     “He’ll be along in a minute.”

     Tom asked the man, “What’s your plan once you get to Castroville, if you don’t mind me asking?”

     “I don’t have one yet. Not really. I thought I’d pocket my badge and go in as a drifter, get a look at things. Find out what I’m up against. The man I’m after probably has friends and family there that may not cotton to me going in to arrest him. So it might be helpful to know ahead of time how many guns I’ll be facing.”

     “You’re welcome to join us if you want. May make you look like less of a lawman.”

     “Well thank you, Tom. I just might do that. If you’re sure you and the lady don’t mind.”

     Tom looked at Sara, who smiled.

     “The lady doesn’t mind at all.”

     A magnificent black and white appaloosa pony came trotting out of the brush. He went right to Randy and used his long nose to grab Randy’s hand and force it up to scratch his muzzle.

     “Sara, this is Tex. He likes to be scratched and rubbed.”

     “So I see. You have him trained to come when you whistle?”

     “Yes. He’s a free grazer. I trust him not to wander too far away from where I leave him. He appreciates not being tied up, and he knows not to mess with a good thing. So he always comes quickly when I call.”

     “Sounds like a smart horse.”

     “Yep. And faithful too. He’s been my best friend for ten years now. He and I have been through a lot together.”

     “How long have you been a Ranger?”

     “Four years. Going on five now, I guess. I was still a rookie when the blackout hit. Like everybody else, we took a big hit. But the brass made some key decisions early on that worked out for us.”

     “Such as?”

     “Most law enforcement agencies either gave up early on, saying they couldn’t do their job without vehicles. Or they tried to police using bicycles or tried to procure horses and teach their officers to ride.

     “The Rangers already had a stocked stable. Horseback policing was in our roots. So it was second nature to us. We deployed Rangers around the state, with instructions to check in by ham radio every few days for our assignments.”

     “So, you like living the life of a nomad?”

     “Yes. I love it. I’m like the cowboy of the old west. I sleep under the stars every night, ride the range every day.”

     “Must be hard on your social life.”

     “Social life? Haven’t had one of those in a long time.”

     “So tell me, Randy… what does a Texas Ranger do that the local police or sheriff can’t do?”

     “Well, since the blackout we’ve been mostly doing what the police or sheriff
won’t
do.

     “Most of my assignments are to clean up a town where the local law enforcement has abandoned the town or gone bad. Or, sometimes they’re still there and trying to do their job. But the bad guys outnumber them and they need help.

     “So somebody calls the Rangers and they send you in, wearing a Superman cape and riding a big white horse?”

     “A black and white horse.”

     “Yeah. That’s what I meant.”

     Tom brought over the coffee pot and a couple of cups.

     “I wish I had an extra cup for you, but you can use mine. It’s relatively clean.”

     “Give him mine, Tom. I’m not thirsty anyway.”

     Randy raised an eyebrow when Tom handed him a pink Hello Kitty cup. But he didn’t say anything other than “thank you.”

     Tom sat down and joined in the conversation.

     “Randy, what happens if you ride into Castroville and find out you’re way outnumbered?”

     “Then I’ll call into Austin and ask for reinforcements. There are six other Rangers within a hundred miles or so. They’re my backup.”

     “A hundred miles is several days’ ride. What do you do in the meantime?”

     “I generally leave my calling card.”

     “Huh?”

     “After I scout out the town and get a good feel for it, I’ll ride back out and plan my first move. What I typically do is identify one of the town’s kingpins that I can take from right under their noses.

     “Then I’ll find a temporary holding cell. Maybe an abandoned mine or business out in the middle of nowhere. Say, maybe three or four miles south of the town.

     “I’ll go back into town and arrest the kingpin, but I’ll wait until he’s not surrounded by his henchmen. Like, for example, when he’s at home with his woman. Then I’ll take him and ride north, and tell the woman to spread the word that I’ll be coming back for the rest of them.

     “She’ll spread the word, and tell the henchmen I rode north. And they’ll send out some thugs to look for me and get their boss back. But they won’t find us because I’m very good at doubling back. I’ll actually be south of town, and will deposit the kingpin there, in my temporary holding cell. He’ll be wearing leg irons and chains and have a gag over his mouth.

     “Then I’ll go back into town for round two. This time, I know that half the bad guys will be out looking for me. That’ll make the odds a little easier to deal with. If there’s only three or four left, it’s pretty easy to round them up and arrest them. If there’s more than that, I’ll grab a couple more and do the same thing. Head north and double back.”

     Tom was mesmerized.

     “That sounds like quite a plan. Does it actually work?”

     “Actually yes, usually.”

     “So what happens when the search party gives up and comes back to town?”

     “They find out that the guys left behind are now gone. On their way to another town to stand trial in a district court. And they find something else, too. On the front door of the saloon I’ll post a sign that lists them all by name. It’ll say that I’ll be back to collect the rest of them.”

     “Won’t they be waiting to ambush you when you return?”

     “Nope. Because the note doesn’t say when I’m coming back. And it doesn’t say whether I’ll be alone, or will have a hundred other Rangers with me.”

     Sara asked, “So what
do
they do?”

     “Most of them move on. They figure it’s safer and easier to find another town to live in than to fight a hundred Rangers. And some of them mend their ways and become law abiding citizens again.

     “And here’s the funny part. That note, and the fact that I’ve cut the head off the snake by arresting one of their leaders, is usually all it takes to clean up the town for a while.

     “That’s why I usually don’t go back. The note runs some of them off, straightens others up, and keeps everybody guessing. And it frees me up so I can take in my prisoners. Then I typically go on my next assignment.”

     “Damn,” Sara thought to herself. “Handsome
and
smart too.”

     Tom was more vocal with his thoughts.

     “Randy, if you ever get tired of Rangerin’ let me know. I’ll offer you a job as one of my deputies.”