Those Jensen Boys! (25 page)

“The man who has the money makes the rules,” Wheeler said. “That's the way it's always been in this world. I reckon that's the way it'll always be.”

“Doesn't mean it's right,” Tanner growled.

Buckhorn laughed.

They all looked at him in surprise, even the prisoners.

Ace thought Tanner and Wheeler acted like they had never heard Buckhorn laugh before, maybe hadn't entertained the notion that the gunfighter even
could
laugh.

“That's where you're making your mistake,” Buckhorn said. “Thinking that this world has anything to do with right and wrong. Thinking that life should be fair, at least every now and then. It never has been and it never will be, so what the hell does it matter?”

Obviously irritated, Tanner snapped, “What in blazes are you talking about, Indian?”

“This.” The Colt on Buckhorn's left hip seemed to leap into his hand with blinding speed, and before any of the people in the room had a clue what he was doing, he crashed the gun against Tanner's head and sent the railroad man sprawling to the floor.

Ace and Chance were as stunned as any of the others by Buckhorn's sudden action, but they recovered first and lunged toward Wheeler while the crooked lawman was still staring at Buckhorn. If they could get their hands on Wheeler's shotgun, it could change everything.

Buckhorn was too fast for all of them. He leveled the Colt at Wheeler before the lawman recovered from his shock and could lift his weapon far enough to use. The gun was also pointed in the general direction of the Jensen brothers.

“All of you just hold it,” Buckhorn ordered. “Claude, I don't want to kill you. I don't have anything against you except your choice of employer, and hell, I made the same mistake. Toss that Greener onto the bed.”

“Joe, what in the Sam Hill are you doing?” Wheeler asked.

“Trying to make the world a little more fair, I reckon. Now do what I told you.”

Wheeler sighed and threw the shotgun onto the bed.

“Now your pistol, too, and be careful how you take it out of the holster.”

Wheeler drew the handgun carefully and tossed it onto the bed next to the shotgun, then backed off when Buckhorn motioned for him to do so.

“I've got a hunch you're gonna be really sorry about doin' this,” Wheeler said with a sigh.

“You may be right about that. Sometimes a man just has to do something, even though he knows it's futile.”

“No offense, but you're just about the damn oddest half-breed hired gun I've ever come across.”

Buckhorn laughed again. “None taken, Claude.”

Ace asked, “What
are
you going to do, Buckhorn? Are you double-crossing Eagleton?”

“Don't get your hopes up,” Buckhorn replied with a sneer. “I told you, I haven't forgotten it was you who shot me, or that you two have caused me a lot of trouble. But I finally realized I don't really give a damn about that stage line or the railroad that Eagleton wants to build or the fact that he wants to set himself up as the tinpot dictator of this whole end of the territory. I just want the truth to come out for the first time in this whole miserable business.”

Ace could make no sense of that. “The truth . . . ?”

“I want one woman to see Eagleton for what he really is. I won't rest until I find out what she thinks of him after that.”

Ace and Chance glanced at each other. Neither of them had any idea what Buckhorn was talking about, but clearly, it was important to the gunfighter. Since it offered them their only shred of hope, they were willing to play along with it.

“Listen to me, Buckhorn.” Ace held out a hand toward the man. “Let me and my brother get those guns on the bed, and we'll back your play, whatever it is.”

“That's right,” Chance added. “As long as it's not going to hurt Emily and Bess and their pa any more than they already are.”

Bess took a step forward. “Please, Mr. Buckhorn. My father needs a doctor. If he's kept prisoner here until tomorrow night and Mr. Eagleton won't let anyone help him, he'll die. I'm sure of it.”

Buckhorn looked at Emily. “What about you, girl? You going to beg, too?”

“Hell, no. But if you do the right thing for once in your miserable life, I might not kill you.”

Buckhorn shook his head. “I admire you, Miss Corcoran. You might not have much sense sometimes, but you're not short on sand, I'll say that.” He frowned in thought for a couple seconds, then reached a decision. “You boys pick up those guns and keep Wheeler and Tanner covered while I'm gone. Don't try anything funny, though. Neither of you is fast enough to stop me from killing you if you do. And don't double-cross me. Even if you think you've gotten away with it, I'll hunt you down and make you sorry.”

“We're not interested in a double cross,” Ace said as he moved warily toward the bed. “Just in protecting the Corcorans.”

Chance added, “Whatever problem you've got with Eagleton is your business.”

Ace picked up the shotgun, Chance scooped Wheeler's Colt off the bed, and they backed off to cover Wheeler and the still stunned Tanner.

Ace asked Buckhorn, “Where are you going, anyway?”

“This room's fixing to be a little more crowded,” the gunfighter replied. “We're gonna have us a little come-to-Jesus meeting.”

 

 

Buckhorn locked the door behind him when he left. Emily turned immediately to the window and said, “We can get out of here—”

“Wait,” Ace told her. “You heard Buckhorn. If you want this thing with Eagleton to end, your best bet might be to play along with him. He's gone down a path where he can't turn back.”

“I agree,” Chance said. “We talked before about letting the hand play out, Emily. My gut tells me this is the time to do it.”

She glared at them, then sighed. “All right. You may both be loco, but you've had pretty good ideas so far. Just don't make me regret it.”

 

 

Buckhorn tried the knob on the door of Eagleton's suite, turning it carefully so that it made no noise. The door was locked. That didn't matter. He had a key, although Eagleton didn't know that. The gunslinger had always figured that in order to properly do his job as the man's bodyguard, he ought to be able to get into the suite any time, day or night.

He slipped the key into the lock and turned it slowly enough that the tumblers made only the faintest click as they came free.

When he swung the door open, the two people in the sitting room had no warning that he was there until he said, “Hello, boss. Rose.”

No more Miss Demarcus.

They were drinking brandy by the sideboard. Eagleton spilled some of his as he jerked around and roared, “Buckhorn! What are you doing here? Get back over there with those—” He stopped abruptly and glanced at Rose.

As usual, she was much more cool and self-possessed. If she was surprised by Buckhorn's entrance, she wasn't going to show it.

“With those what, boss?” Buckhorn asked mockingly. “Those people you had kidnapped when trying to kill them over and over didn't work?”

“Shut up,” Eagleton said, scowling. “You don't know what you're talking about.”

“
I
don't know what he's talking about,” Rose said, “but I'd like to. Joe, does this have something to do with all that shooting in town earlier this evening?”

“It has everything to do with it,” Buckhorn said. “You two are coming with me. You can see for yourself, Rose. You can see what Eagleton's been doing and what sort of man he really is.”

Spittle flew from Eagleton's mouth as he roared, “You're fired, you filthy redskin!”

“Too late for that,” Buckhorn said, smiling thinly. “I've already quit.” He motioned with the gun in his hand. “Now come on, both of you.”

“You don't need the gun for me,” Rose murmured. “I very much want to know what this is all about.”

Buckhorn backed through the open door into the hall and gestured for them to follow him. As they did, Buckhorn saw something from the corner of his eye.

At the landing where the stairs from the lobby ended, Marshal Jed Kaiser from Bleak Creek had just appeared. The lawman stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening as he saw Buckhorn holding the gun on Eagleton.

“Marshal, stop this Indian!” Eagleton cried. “He's gone crazy!”

Kaiser fumbled, trying to sweep his coat aside and claw his gun from its holster. He had no chance before he was looking down the barrel of Buckhorn's Colt.

“Don't do it, Marshal,” Buckhorn warned. “I'll kill you if I have to.” A thought occurred to him. “Anyway, you ought to come with us. Somebody's about to confess to a crime. A whole heap of crimes, in fact.”

“What are you talking about?” Kaiser had moved his hand away from his gun.

Buckhorn pointed at Eagleton with his chin. “He's got a lot he wants to get off his chest.”

Eagleton growled curses.

Buckhorn ignored him. He turned so that he could cover both Eagleton and Kaiser and backed toward the door of the next room. “All of you come with me,” he ordered.

Desperately, Eagleton said to Rose, “Don't believe a word this man says. He's insane, I tell you.”

“I think I can judge that for myself, Samuel,” she replied, still cool and deliberate.

Buckhorn reached the door and said, “Marshal, come over here and take the key out of my pocket and unlock this door. Please don't try any tricks.”

“I don't believe I will,” Kaiser said in his usual stuffed-shirt manner. “I'm as curious as this . . . young woman here . . . to find out what this is all about.”

Buckhorn didn't like the disapproving tone in the marshal's voice when he mentioned Rose, but he was willing to let that pass.

Kaiser was true to his word. He didn't try anything as he took the key from Buckhorn's coat pocket and unlocked the door.

Buckhorn stepped back and motioned with the revolver's barrel for the others to go first. “It's going to be a little crowded in there, but this shouldn't take long.”

Ace heard what Buckhorn said, and the gunfighter was right. With eleven people in the room, the place was cramped. Brian Corcoran lay on the rug, still unconscious, as did Jacob Tanner, and that cut down on the available space.

With guns in their hands, the Jensen brothers stood in front of Bess and Emily, in the far corner next to the bed. Wheeler was on the other side of the bed.

The first man through the door was Kaiser, who paused and exclaimed, “My prisoners! My God, Marshal Wheeler, you released them? I trusted you!”

Wheeler shrugged. “You might have made a mistake there, Jed.”

Eagleton was next, red-faced and seething, followed by a very attractive brunette in a bottle-green gown that flattered her figure.

Buckhorn came last and heeled the door closed behind him. “All right. All the players involved in this little drama are assembled at last.”

Always the bold one, Emily said, “Except for poor Nate. You killed him and had his body dumped out of town, remember?”

“What?” Kaiser exclaimed.

Buckhorn signed, but kept his gun ready. “Just let me tell this.”

Over the next few minutes, as he laid out the affair from start to finish, it became apparent just who he was telling it
to
. He directed all of it to the brunette, who listened with her lovely face remaining impassive. He didn't know all the details because he hadn't been around for all of it, but the gunfighter did a pretty good job of sketching in the big picture . . . and left no doubt where the blame for everything in his story fell—squarely at the feet of Samuel Eagleton, who was growing more and more apoplectic as Buckhorn talked.

Finally, Buckhorn said, “Now you know what sort of man Eagleton really is, Rose.”

“Is that why you've done all this, Joe?” she asked quietly. “To show me the truth?”

“That's right. I thought maybe if you knew about all the blood on his hands you'd feel differently about him. I thought maybe you . . . that you . . .”

“That I'd have feelings for you, instead?”

Buckhorn didn't answer, just stared at her.

“Joe, I already knew what sort of man Samuel is.” She leaned forward. “He's a rich man. And he's going to be even richer. Why do you think I got involved with him in the first place? As for hoping that I might turn on him and take you instead . . . you stupid 'breed. I was never doing anything but making fun of you.” Her hand came up from a fold in her dress and flame spat from the muzzle of the little derringer as she fired it into Buckhorn's chest at close range.

At the same time, Jacob Tanner surged up from the floor, having regained consciousness without anyone noticing while Buckhorn was talking. Tanner clubbed a fist into Kaiser's face and snatched the marshal's gun from its holster. He whirled toward the Jensen brothers and fired. The slug whipped between Ace and Chance and shattered the window behind them.

Moving with surprising speed and grace for a big man, Wheeler bounded onto the bed and leaped across it, tackling Ace. The shotgun Ace held boomed as it discharged one of its barrels into the ceiling and he and the marshal fell into the narrow space between the bed and the wall as they struggled.

Chance crouched and fired at Tanner before the railroad man could get off a second shot. The slug lanced into Tanner's chest and turned him halfway around, but he managed to pull the trigger again, striking Rose Demarcus between the shoulder blades, making her arch her back and cry out.

Eagleton shouted, “Rose!”

Chance fired again, drilling Tanner in the forehead. The man's head jerked back as the bullet bored through his brain and exploded out the back of his skull. He dropped, dead before he hit the floor.

On top of Ace, pinning him to the floor with his weight, Wheeler tried to wrestle the shotgun away. The weapon still had one shell in it.

With limited space to maneuver, Ace twisted the barrels until both of them were shoved up under Wheeler's chin and fumbled for the trigger.

Realizing that he was about to get his head blown completely off his shoulders, Wheeler cried out in panic and jerked away.

That brought him within reach of Emily Corcoran, who grabbed the empty chamber pot from under the bed and smashed it down on his head. Ace followed that with a stroke from the shotgun's stock. The butt crashed into Wheeler's jaw, breaking the bone and knocking him out cold. He fell forward onto Ace again.

“Get him off me!” Ace shouted, his voice muffled by Wheeler's chest pressed into his face.