Slocum at Dead Dog Page 8

  He had a sudden thought. What if they came back? They might. They could. And if they did, they could easily kill him. He did not have his guns. They were outside. With his boots and blanket. Damn, he thought, how could I have been so stupid? I should have brought them in with me. He heard a horse coming into the yard, and he felt a moment of panic. He tried to get up, but it hurt so bad that it took him three tries. By then, he dropped back onto the bed. If they meant to shoot him, well, let them. He heard the door open, and he heard the sound of footsteps. Then he heard a voice.

  “Slocum? Are you in here?”

  It was a woman’s voice. It was Charlene. What the hell was she doing here? He answered in a weak voice. “In here.” Charlene appeared in the doorway. She stared at Slocum for a moment.

  “My God,” she said. “They did give you a pounding.”

  “Might as well have gone ahead and killed me,” he said.

  Charlene walked over to the bed and put a hand on his forehead. “Where’s it hurt the worst?” she asked.

  “All over,” he said. “No. My ribs, I guess. They busted a few of them for sure.”

  “When did you eat last?”

  “Yesterday evening.”

  “You must be awful hungry, cowboy,” she said. “That’s damn near a whole day.”

  “Why? What time is it?”

  “Almost sundown.”

  “I been laying here all day,” he said.

  “Well, lay there a little longer. I’ll fix you some coffee and some food.”

  She left him alone again and went to the kitchen. In a short time, she brought in a cup of coffee. It took some effort, but she helped him to sit up, placing pillows behind him. Then she handed him the cup.

  “Careful,” she said. “It’s real hot.”

  Slocum’s lips were busted in a few places, and they were swollen. It hurt to sip the hot coffee, but it felt so good going down that he put up with it.

  “You all right?” she said.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll be back shortly with some food.”

  She left again. Slocum continued sipping the hot coffee. In a while, she returned with food. She sat beside the bed and fed him. When that was all done, she took the dishes back into the kitchen and returned with a bowl of hot water and a rag. She took his shirt off him and tossed it into a corner of the room. Then she got him back into a lying position and pulled off his trousers. Soon she had him stripped naked, and she bathed him all over, paying particular attention to any cuts. At last, she found a sheet, which she tore into strips, and sitting him up again, she wrapped his midsection tightly. He lay there breathing as deeply as he could. She reached out and fondled his cock, but she got no response from it.

  “I’ll have to wait a bit for that,” she said.

  “My guns,” Slocum said.

  “What?”

  “My guns, my boots, and a blanket are all outside.”

  “You want me to get them for you?”

  “Please.”

  She went outside and looked around until she found them. Then she brought them all in to him. He had her place the six-gun rig on a bedside table where he could reach it without too much trouble. He still hurt like hell, but he felt much better with his gun in reach and having been bathed and taped up. He relaxed a bit.

  “Tell me something,” he said.

  “What’s that?” she said.

  “What brought you out here?”

  “Are you sorry I came?”

  “I’m real glad you came. I just wonder how come.”

  “I overheard Kansas talking with his boys in the saloon,” she said. “They said you were out here by yourself. And then they said they had come out and beat you half to death. Soon as I could slip off, I came out.”

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “Sure,” she said. “Now, where can I find some clean clothes for you?”

  She left him with a fresh change of clothes within easy reach, with some cold but edible food in the kitchen, and a promise to come back when she could. Just before she left, she poured him a glass of whiskey. He drank it, and then he went back to sleep still naked on the bed.

  When he woke up, it was daylight again. He felt a little better than he had the night before. He was still sore all over, and his ribs still hurt like the devil, but he managed to get himself up and pull on his clothes. He strapped the six-gun belt on around his waist. Then he went into the kitchen and ate some of the cold food that Charlene had left for him. He made some fresh coffee and drank several cups. Then he went outside to sit on the porch and stare out at the landscape.

  * * *

  As Tex and Bobby approached Hang Town, they could hear gunshots. They moved ahead cautiously. Getting closer, they saw that it was only a couple of drunk cowboys firing into the air. There wasn’t much to Hang Town: a store and a saloon. A couple of other businesses. They rode up to the saloon, dismounted, and hitched their horses to the rail. Tex started toward the saloon door, but Bobby stopped her.

  “You shouldn’t be going in there, Tex,” he said.

  “I’ve got to find Booker Milam,” she said. “He knew Daddy. He’ll help me out getting a crew together.”

  “I’ll go in and find him for you, if he’s in there,” said Bobby.

  “You don’t know him. Do you?”

  “No, I don’t, but I’ll find him. You wait here.”

  Bobby went inside. He found the place packed with men, mostly cowhands. It shouldn’t be too much trouble to hire a crew in this place. But then, he didn’t know any of them. They might not be reliable. He walked to the bar, and a barkeep stepped right up.

  “What can I get for you?” he said.

  “I’m just looking for someone,” Bobby said. “A man named Booker Milam.”

  “I don’t know nobody’s name,” the barkeep said. “What do you want with this—Milam?”

  “I just need to talk to him is all,” Bobby said.

  “Well, I don’t know him,” said the barkeep, turning to walk away. Bobby turned and looked the room over. He started to leave, but a man standing at the bar reached out a hand to stop him.

  “What do you want to talk to Milam about?” he said.

  “It’s really not me,” Bobby said. “I’m just helping someone out.”

  “Who would that be?”

  “Miss Texas Kirk.”

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s waiting outside. I wouldn’t let her come in here.”

  “That’s a good lad. Let’s go.”

  “Wait a minute,” said Bobby. “Where’s Booker Milam?”

  “That’s me, God damn it,” said the man. “Let’s go see Tex.”

  11

  Milam rode with Tex and Bobby Hooper out of town, where he showed them a good campsite. He told them that there was no fit place in Hang Town for a decent woman to stay the night. They did not talk business in Hang Town. At the campsite, Bobby once again built a small fire, and Tex once again fixed a meal. When they had all eaten and were drinking coffee, Tex decided that it was time to talk business.

  “Booker,” she said, “I need to hire a crew.”

  “I heard that your boys all quit you after your daddy got killed,” said Milam.

  “They don’t need to be gunmen,” Tex said. “I’ve got a man to handle that end of things.”

  “Who is it?”

  “His name’s John Slocum, and he’s an old friend of Daddy’s.”

  “I’ve heard of Slocum,” said Milam. “From what I’ve heard, he can damn sure handle a big problem.”

  “I’ll help him out if he needs any help,” said Bobby. “Otherwise, I’ll work like any other ranch hand.”

  “Well,” said Milam, “you know how I felt about ole Vance. I’ll work if you want me. I think I can scare up five more men. We shouldn’t need more than that.”

  “We’ve got a barn to build,” said Tex.

  “Even so,” said Milam, “five more should do it.”

  “Can you f
ind them in Hang Town?”

  “I reckon so,” said Milam. “But they’ll be the last five decent men in town. If you hire them all out, this will be a good place to steer clear of.”

  The Kirk ranch had been quiet for a few days. Slocum was slowly mending. He was still sore, and his face still looked puffy, but he was better. He was fixing his own meals, his own coffee, and he was sleeping in the house with the door bolted. He guessed that Kansas and his assholes were temporarily satisfied with his beating. Charlene came around a couple of times and fixed him a good meal. He was glad to see her and have his food better prepared, but each time she came around, he hobbled a little more than usual. He was trying to avoid her getting too amorous with him. He just wasn’t in the mood. It was toward the end of the fifth day when he heard the sound of approaching horses. He grabbed his Winchester and moved quickly to the front window. He sidled up to it and peered out cautiously. There looked to be eight riders. He waited as they came closer. There were eight. He was ready for anything. Then he recognized Tex, and then Bobby. He put down the rifle and unbolted the front door. Opening it, he stepped out onto the porch. The riders came up to the porch and dismounted.

  “Slocum,” said Tex. “What happened to you?”

  “Is it still that obvious?” Slocum said.

  Tex ran up on the porch to him. “Who did it?”

  “Do you have to ask? They caught me off guard. It won’t happen again. What have you got here?”

  Tex turned and motioned toward Milam. “This here is Booker Milam,” she said. “He and Daddy were good friends.”

  Slocum stepped forward to shake Milam’s hand. “Then we’ll be good friends,” he said.

  “Glad to make your acquaintance, Slocum,” Milam said. “I’ve heard about you.”

  “Nothing too bad, I hope.”

  “All good,” said Milam. He turned toward the cowhands. “These are Goody, Tupper, Sandy, Marjo, and Abel. They’re all good hands.”

  Slocum stepped out and shook hands with each of them. “Boys,” he said, “I guess you’ve all been filled in on the situation here. There’s a man in Dead Dog named Kansas Totum. He’s got at least three men working for him, maybe more. He’s after this ranch. Almost for sure killed Vance Kirk, Tex’s daddy and my old friend. I just want you to know that he’s my job. You ain’t been hired to fight a range war. Just to be cowhands.”

  “Mr. Slocum,” said Marjo.

  But Slocum interrupted him. “Never mind the mister,” he said. “Just Slocum will do.”

  “All right,” said Marjo. “Slocum, I ain’t afraid to fight if it comes to that.”

  The other four all agreed with Marjo.

  “I appreciate that, boys,” Slocum said. “I’ll let you know if it does.”

  Slocum noticed that Bobby Hooper had not spoken one word since they had arrived back at the ranch. He had Bobby figured for a quiet one, but this seemed a little extreme. He looked Bobby in the face and said howdy. Bobby mumbled a greeting and ducked his head. Slocum did not think that Bobby was that shy.

  “Well,” he said, “where are all these boys going to sleep tonight?”

  “We’ve all got bedrolls, Slocum,” said Milam. “We’ll make out all right.”

  “You might ought to post a guard,” Slocum said. Then he told them about how the three men had jumped him.

  “We’ll do that,” said Milam.

  “There ought to be some lumber showing up most any day now,” Slocum said. “When it gets here, we’ll get started on a bunkhouse and then a barn. In the meantime you can all put your horses in the corral over yonder.”

  “I’ll take care of your horse, Tex,” said Bobby.

  “And I’ll get a meal started,” said Tex.

  Everyone headed for the corral except Tex and Slocum. They were still standing on the porch. Tex looked at Slocum.

  “They beat you up pretty bad,” she said.

  “Yeah. They worked me over all right.”

  “How did you manage,” she said, “out here all by yourself?”

  “To tell you the truth,” Slocum said, “I don’t know if I’d have made it, but that gal Charlene from Dead Dog—she heard about it and come out to help me. She come out a few times while you were gone.”

  “Oh,” said Tex.

  “All she done was just wash me off, tape me up, and feed me,” said Slocum. “That’s all.”

  “Well,” she said, “it wouldn’t be any of my business anyway.” She paused for a minute. “I’m glad she did, Slocum. Slocum?”

  “What?”

  “I’ve got something to tell you.”

  “Well, go on ahead.”

  “Me and Bobby, we got married over in Hang Town.”

  “You did?” said Slocum, and he felt like his jaw was hanging.

  “Yeah,” she said, and she smiled. “We did.”

  “Well, I’ll be. Well, congratulations.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “Well, I better go get that food started. Got a big bunch to feed.”

  She turned and walked into the house. Slocum stayed alone on the porch. He waited there until all the cowhands came walking back from the corral. “Go on in, boys,” he said. One by one, they walked through the door, but when Bobby started to go in, Slocum grabbed him by the arm and pulled him aside. Bobby looked at him, a bit startled.

  “I understand congratulations are in order,” Slocum said.

  “Oh,” said Bobby. “She told you?”

  “Yep.”

  “Well, uh, thank you.”

  “Bobby, Tex is the daughter of my good friend. You take good care of her. You hear me? If you don’t, I’ll take care of you.”

  “You don’t need to threaten me, Slocum,” Bobby said. “I mean to take real good care of Tex. For the rest of my life.”

  “That’s good,” said Slocum. “Go on in now.”

  Bobby went in the house, but Slocum stayed on the porch. He sat down in a chair that was there and stared off into the darkness. Tex had a husband now. She also had what looked to be a pretty good crew. Especially with that Booker Milam at the head of it. He wondered if there was any need now for him to hang around. This bunch ought to be able to handle things. One of them had said that he wasn’t afraid to fight, and the others had all agreed with him. Slocum thought about heading out. Leaving it with them. He thought about it, but he had no sooner thought about it than he rejected the thought. This fresh bunch that Tex had, well, they might be willing, might even be able, but they had best be left to take care of the ranch. He didn’t know what experience they had. He knew that he had dealt with shitheads like Kansas Totum plenty in his day. He had better hang around until the job was done.

  Slocum got up early the next morning and saddled a horse to ride into Dead Dog. He wanted to have a talk with Carl Benton. Beyond that, he did not really have any clear thoughts about why he was going to town. He just had a feeling that he wanted to go in. He rode easy. He was not in a hurry. It was the first time he had been on horseback, the first time he had ventured out at all, since his beating. His ribs were still sore and his face was still puffy and a bit tender. He made the ride all right, though, and when he rode into town, he went straight to Baker’s eating house. He had not waited around at the ranch for breakfast. When he went inside, there were no other customers. It was late for the morning meal. Charlene was there straightening things up.

  “Well,” she said, “you’re out and around.”

  “I thought it was about time,” Slocum said. “Am I too late for breakfast?”

  She poured him a cup of coffee and carried it to a table where Slocum sat down. “I’ll fetch you up something,” she said. “What’ll it be?”

  “Ham and eggs, biscuit and gravy. Some taters if you got them.”

  “I’ll have it right out,” she said. She started for the kitchen, but paused and looked back at him. “I’m glad to see you out,” she said. “But you be careful. Watch yourself.”

  “I’ll be just fine,” he said.
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  In a few minutes, she brought the meal out and put it on the table. There were still no other customers, and she poured herself some coffee and sat down at the table with him. “Hope you don’t mind some company,” she said.

  “Not yours,” he said.

  “So what brings you into town?”

  “I’ve been cooped up on the ranch too long,” he said. “I just wanted to get out.”

  “You’re not looking for revenge, are you?” she asked.

  “I ain’t looking for no trouble,” he said. “I want to stop by the sheriff’s office and have a little chat.”

  “Carl Benton?”

  “He’s the sheriff, ain’t he?”

  Charlene sipped her coffee. She put the cup down on the table and seemed to be deep thought for a moment. “Slocum,” she said. “Watch out for Carl.”

  He looked up from his meal, looked her straight in the eyes. “What do you mean?” he said.

  “Just what I said. That’s all.”

  “I don’t think that’s all. You can’t say something like that and then just leave it be. What are you talking about?”

  “All right. Benton’s working with Kansas,” she said. “But you never heard it from me. Just watch your ass. That’s all.”

  “Are you sure of that? Benton’s got a hell of a reputation as a good lawman. Tough, but good.”

  “I know what I’m talking about, Slocum. Mind what I said.”

  When Slocum finished his meal and paid for it, he went outside and stood for a moment on the sidewalk considering what he had just been told. It was hard news to swallow, but it did make sense. Slocum thought that if he had been in Benton’s position, God forbid, he would have arrested Kansas Totum and his whole crew long ago. True enough, the evidence was all circumstantial, but it was abundant. There was enough for a trial, and probably enough to convince a jury. If Charlene was right, it would explain why Benton had been so hesitant all this time. He lit a cigar and, taking the reins of his horse in hand, he walked to Benton’s office, leading the horse. In front of the office, he lapped the reins around the hitch rail and went inside.