Slocum at Dead Dog Read online

  Coy Ball was standing on the sidewalk in front of the Range Boss Saloon when Slocum rode into town. He took a quick last drag and tossed the butt away. He recognized Slocum from yesterday in town. He could not yet recognize the stiff, but he figured it must be Billy Bob. Someone had been out at the Kirk place the night before when the three of them had been shooting up the place, and that someone had killed Billy Bob. This must be the man. Coy hurried back inside the saloon, where he rushed over to join Kansas Totum and Jimmy Reardon, who were sitting at a table sipping whiskey. He jerked out a chair and sat down.

  “Hey, Kansas,” he said, “that stranger we seen in town yesterday just rode in lugging a body. I never got a close look, but I bet my ass it’s Billy Bob. I ain’t for real sure either, but I think he’s got Kirk horses.”

  “Keep your voice down,” said Totum. “Let me think.”

  “You reckon he’s the one that shot at us last night?” asked Reardon.

  “Shut up,” said Totum. He stood up and walked to the window to look out. Ball and Reardon followed him.

  “That is Billy Bob,” said Reardon.

  “What’s left of him,” said Ball.

  “Shut up,” said Totum. “Shut up and let me think. Let me think. Wait a minute. I’ve got it. I know what to do. You two go out the back door and walk around and come up behind him. When you get behind him, pull out your shooters, but don’t shoot. Not unless he starts it. I’m going out the front door and stop him. You got it? Get going.”

  The two sorry bastards hurried across the room and went out the back door. As soon as they did, Totum walked out through the front door. He stepped into the street and walked out in front of Slocum. He stopped, and Slocum halted his horses. Totum walked over to the body and lifted the head by a handful of its hair.

  “Yeah,” he said. “That’s ole Billy Bob all right. We was wondering what become of him.”

  “I’ll bet you were,” said Slocum.

  “You kill him?”

  “I damn sure did.”

  Totum walked away from the gruesome load and stood once again in front of Slocum.

  “You want to get out of my way,” said Slocum, “or you want me to ride over you?”

  Totum watched while Ball and Reardon walked up behind Slocum and pulled out their six-guns. “Neither one, saddle bum,” said Totum. “I want you to raise your hands up over your head.”

  “Better do what he says, saddle bum,” said Reardon.

  Slocum did not need to turn to know what he had ridden into. He heard the click of two hammers being thumbed back behind him. The two he had let get away last night were back there, and they had him covered. He raised his hands. He had not expected an act this bold in Carl Benton’s town. Totum stepped forward and removed Slocum’s Colt from the holster.

  “Coy,” he said, “get that rifle.”

  Coy Ball moved up beside Slocum and slid the Winchester out of the boot. Then he moved back to his place behind Slocum.

  “I had ought to let these boys kill you, mister,” said Totum. “Billy Bob was a special good friend of theirs. But we got law in Dead Dog, and I’m going to let the law handle it. We’ll have us a legal hanging.”

  Slocum saw the sheriff walking toward them just then. For once in his life, he was glad to see the law coming. People were lining the street to watch the spectacle and to see what might happen next. Benton ambled slowly up to Kansas Totum. He looked from Totum to Slocum. His face wore a tired and disgusted expression.

  “What’s going on here, Kansas?” he asked.

  “This stranger here come riding into town with Billy Bob’s body,” Totum said. “He admitted to killing him. I want you to arrest him for murder.”

  “Sure I killed him,” said Slocum, “but it wasn’t murder. I was on my way to see you with the body. Does that look like murder to you?”

  Benton looked at the six-gun in Totum’s hand. “That his gun?” he asked.

  “Yeah, and Ball’s got his Winchester.”

  “Give them to me,” said Benton. Ball and Totum handed Slocum’s guns to the sheriff. “Now you two,” he said, nodding toward Ball and Reardon, “take Billy Bob to the grave digger and take these horses down to the stable. Kansas, you go on back to the saloon and have yourself another drink. I’ll talk to you later. You,” he said to Slocum, “get down off that horse and come with me.”

  “What the hell’s going on?” Slocum asked.

  “Just come along,” said Benton.

  Slocum walked along with Benton to the sheriff’s office and jail, and Benton motioned him into a cell.

  “Sheriff,” Slocum started, but Benton shut him up.

  “Get on in there,” he said. Slocum went inside the cell, and Benton shut the door and locked it. “You’ve been charged with murder by one of our leading citizens,” Benton said. “You were apprehended with the body, and you admitted to killing him. You told me yourself that you were just passing through town. I’ve got to hold you here while I investigate.”

  “God damn it,” said Slocum, “I was bringing that body in here to show it to you and tell you what happened. If I had murdered the son of a bitch, would I be doing that?”

  Benton dragged a chair up near the cell and sat down. “All right,” he said. “I’ll hear your story, but first I want you to answer me two questions.”

  “Okay,” said Slocum.

  “First of all, you told me you was just passing through. How come you’re still here?”

  Slocum started to speak, but Benton stopped him.

  “The second question is, what are you doing with Vance Kirk’s horses?”

  Slocum mentally kicked himself in the ass for having come to the law in the first place. All of his instincts told him that he knew better than that. All of his life he had kept as far away from the law as possible. Most lawmen, he thought, were a bunch of crooks with badges. The best of them were bullies. It must be those paternal feelings he was having about Tex. They were making him feel responsible or something. He would know better next time—if there was to be a next time. He moved over to the cot and sat down heavily on it.

  “Like I told you, I was just passing through. I was passing through on my way out to visit ole Vance Kirk. Vance and I go back a long ways. We worked together on a few different jobs. We were good friends. It’d been a few years since I seen him, and I just wanted to stop and see him for a bit for old times’ sake.

  “Well, I got to his place and found out that he had been killed—murdered. I found his daughter out there all alone, without a single ranch hand, and she sure as hell seemed to need some help. So I hired on as her foreman.

  “Middle of the night last night, we was woke up by gunshots. Three men was out in the yard shooting the place up. She grabbed her rifle and went to the door, and I took my Colt and went out the back way, sidling around to a front corner of the house. I dropped one of the gunmen, and the other two rode off fast. First thing this morning, I loaded up the body to come in and tell you the story.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Hell, yes, that’s it. You know damn well that Tex has been having problems ever since her daddy was killed. She talked to you about it. She even told you who was behind it all, but you said there wasn’t nothing you could do without some hard evidence. Well, I brought you some. That Billy Bob was one of Totum’s men. The other two with him were almost for sure those two that snuck up behind me out there. There were two witnesses to what happened last night, me and Tex. Now what more do you want?”

  “Did you recognize the other two men last night?”

  “Well, no,” said Slocum, rising up and moving to the cell door, “but I seen Billy Bob and them two with Totum twice yesterday here in Dead Dog. They was thick as thieves, and I think that’s what they are. Thieves and killers.”

  “You think,” said Benton. “Did Texas Kirk recognize the other two men?”

  “No, but—”

  “Assuming you’re telling me the truth, all you’ve got is the dead
body of Billy Bob. You’ve got no proof regarding who he was working for or even if he was working for someone. You certainly got no proof that the other two men with him was Coy Ball and Jimmy Reardon. Now, I’ve got to ride out and check out your story with Miss Kirk. That’s going to take most of the day out and back. In the meantime, you might just as well set still here and relax, ‘cause you ain’t going nowhere.”

  Benton turned to leave the office, and Slocum kicked the shit out of the cell door, stubbing his toe something fierce. “Ow,” he said, hopping around on one foot back to the cot. He sat down on the cot and pulled off his boot. “Damn it,” he said as he sat rubbing his sore toe.

  7

  Benton hustled his ass out of the office and headed straight for the saloon. He knew right where to find Totum and his gang, what was left of it. They were sitting at their favorite table slugging down whiskey. Benton walked past the table. He didn’t look at them. He didn’t slow down. He gave a nod with his head as he passed them by headed for the back room.

  “What?” said Totum. Benton kept going. Totum picked up his glass and the bottle and said, “Come on, boys.”

  Ball and Reardon picked up their glasses and followed Totum to the back room, where Benton was waiting, standing in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips, looking pissed off. “Sit down,” he said. The other three took seats around a table there. Benton paced.

  “Well, what’s up?” said Totum.

  Benton whirled to face them, his eyes flashing anger. “What’s up?” he said. “What’s up? That’s what I want to know. What the hell have you been up to? What was this bullshit out in the street? What happened to Billy Bob?”

  “That stranger killed him,” said Ball.

  “I know that, damn it,” snapped Benton. “He said it.”

  “And you got him in jail, ain’t you?” said Totum. “So what’s the problem?”

  “I can’t hold him in there for long,” said Benton. “I’m going to have to let him out, and then we’re going to have to deal with him some more. What the hell did you do to create this mess?”

  “We just—”

  “Did you ride out to the Kirk place last night?”

  “Well, yeah,” said Ball.

  “Tell me about it.”

  “We just went out there to throw a scare into the gal,” said Ball. “That’s all. We rode up into her yard and commenced to shooting and hollering around. We figured that her being alone and all, it would throw a good scare into her and she’d sell out to Kansas.”

  “We didn’t have no idea that stranger would be there,” said Reardon.

  “He come around a corner of the house and shot Billy Bob,” said Ball, “so we took off.”

  “That’s it?” said Benton.

  “Yeah. That’s it.”

  “And you just left Billy Bob laying out there?”

  “Well, if we’da tried to pick him up, that bastard coulda shot us too.”

  “But you left him laying there, so now Slocum knows who it was shooting up the place.”

  “It’s their word against his,” said Totum. “Two against one, and he’s a stranger.”

  “It’s their word against his and the Kirk girl,” Benton said. “If we have a trial, who do you think a jury will believe? These two shit-asses or that girl? I don’t know what’s the dumbest thing you did. Riding out there to shoot up the place, leaving a dead body just laying out there, or jumping Slocum when he come into town today. Now I’ve got a man in jail, and I’m going to have to let him go. It don’t look good.”

  “What the hell was he doing out there in the first place?” asked Totum.

  “Her daddy was a friend of his,” said the sheriff. “He was just dropping by for a visit. If you had just set still, he’d be on his way and no harm done. Now you’ve dealt him a hand in this game. Damn it, I’ve got a reputation to hang onto. I told you when we first got together that I’d go along with you as long as you were careful. I’ll look the other way as long as I can without making me look bad.”

  “You’ve profited from our arrangement,” said Totum.

  Benton smashed his fist down on the table and glared into Totum’s face. “My reputation,” he said.

  “Well,” said Totum, “what do you want us to do?”

  “Nothing. Don’t do a damn thing. I’ve got to ride out to the Kirk place and have a talk with the girl. She’ll back up Slocum’s story. Then I’ll have to come back in here and let him go. Now listen to me and listen good. If it ever comes up, and it most likely will, you three was sitting right here last night all night long. You don’t know where Billy Bob went nor who he went with. But the three of you was here all night. I don’t care what you was doing. Drinking, playing cards, playing with each other’s dicks. I don’t give a damn. But stick to that story.”

  “All right,” said Totum. “We’ll play it your way.”

  Benton turned without another word and stalked out of the room slamming the door behind him.

  “He hadn’t ought to have talked to us like that,” said Ball.

  “Oh, shut up,” said Totum.

  “Well, I ain’t going to say that I was playing with no dicks,” said Reardon. “No matter what, I ain’t never going to say that.”

  * * *

  Slocum asked himself a dozen times why he had ever ridden into Dead Dog, why he thought he needed to see ole Vance Kirk at all, what the hell difference it would make. Had he stayed away, he would never have known that Vance was dead, never have known that he had a daughter. It would not have made a damn bit of difference in his life. But having gone through all that, he realized that he would not have wanted Tex to face this all alone. He was in Dead Dog, in the jailhouse, and he would just have to make the best of it.

  He wondered about that goddamn Benton locking him up on the say-so of Kansas Totum. That was a little out of character, he thought. Benton could have checked out Slocum’s story before making such a move, but then, how would Benton know if Slocum was telling the truth? After all, Slocum was a stranger in town, just passing through. For all Benton knew, Slocum could ride out of town and never look back. Maybe the sheriff was doing the right thing. Maybe. But what if he was in cahoots with Totum and the others?

  Slocum started thinking of ways to break out of jail. Someone would have to bring him some food sooner or later. That would be a chance. Of course, Benton might bring it, and having a tangle with Benton, especially when Benton was armed and Slocum was not, was not a very appealing idea. Maybe Tex would come in to see him and maybe she could smuggle him in a gun or something. These thoughts were getting him nowhere.

  Thinking of Tex, though, he wondered what Totum’s bunch would do with him locked up. She was defenseless, a woman alone out away from anyone. They might try anything. He wanted more than ever to get out of this stinking place.

  It was well past dark when Slocum heard the front door open. He jumped up off the cot and went to the cell door. Benton was walking in. He went straight to his desk, opened a drawer, and took out a ring of keys. He walked to the cell and opened the door.

  “All right,” he said. “You can come out.”

  “Just like that?”

  “I had a talk with Texas Kirk. She told the same story you did. You’re free to go on back to your job. Foreman, huh? You look to me more like a gunslinger than a cowhand.”

  Benton reached back into the drawer and took out Slocum’s six-gun. He handed it to Slocum, who buckled the rig on around his waist. Then Benton fetched down Slocum’s Winchester and handed that to him.

  “So Tex knows where I been all this time?” Slocum asked.

  “She knows.”

  “And you’re done with me?”

  “What do you want? An apology? All right. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

  “What about Totum and them?”

  “What about them?”

  “Are you going to arrest them?”

  “For what? You killed Billy Bob, who was shooting up the place
with two other men, unidentified men. You said you couldn’t recognize them. Tex said the same thing. Totum says that Ball and Reardon was playing cards with him all night long. There’s nothing I can do.”

  “No hard evidence, huh?”

  “That’s right.”

  Benton shuffled some papers on his desk. Slocum looked down at him and tipped his hat.

  “See you around, Sheriff,” he said.

  * * *

  When Slocum at last reached the Kirk ranch late that night, he found Tex waiting up for him. She ran out onto the porch to meet him and threw her arms around him.

  “Hey,” he said, “what’s this all about?”

  “I’m just glad you’re back safe,” she said. “Benton came out to see me. He said he had you locked up. He said—”

  “I know what he said. He told me all about it.” Slocum took hold of Tex’s arms and gently removed them from around his neck. “And thanks for your concern. I appreciate it. Right now I better take care of these horses.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Benton never did feed me,” Slocum said.

  “I’ll have something ready for you when you finish with the horses.”

  Slocum put the horses away and went back to the house. He was thinking that it had sure been a long day. When he stepped into the house, he saw that Tex had laid out a spread on the table, and she had brought Vance’s whiskey bottle from the bedroom.