Brother's Keeper (24 page)

been outside the store since yesterday.”
“Why, what happened?”
“That damn brother of yours pulled a gun on Jim and
threatened to shoot him and then Sara next if they didn’t
tell him what he wanted to know about you. I damn near
plugged him with my Winchester but I didn’t.”
Tony could see Jess’ face harden some more. “He
shouldn’t have done that.”
“Don’t I know that for sure,” replied Tony, knowing
what that meant. Jim and Sara was the closest thing to
family that Jess had and he would not allow anyone to
harm them in any way and if someone did, they would
answer to Jess for it. Everyone in town still remembered
the Sheriff Newcomb event.
“Well, let’s go over and visit with Andy and have a
little talk with my brother,” said Jess, as he removed the
hammer strap from his pistol. Tony and Hanley walked
about two steps back from Jess as they headed for Andy’s.
They hadn’t gotten more than a hundred feet when Tim
Sloan walked out of Andy’s Saloon and stood on the
porch, watching as Jess and the other two men approached.
Their eyes locked on one another. Life was ironic
sometimes. Two brothers separated at birth and never
knowing one another and now they were going to engage
in a gunfight where one was sure to kill the other. “Well, well, well, I finally get to meet my brother, the
great Jess Williams. They say you are pretty fast with that
side iron of yours.”
“I’ve heard the same about you.”
“I guess it runs in the family.”
“Speaking of family, where is my so-called father who
abandoned our mother?”
Tim Sloan slowly walked down the few steps and into
the street. “My guess would be that he is already down in
Mexico somewhere where it’s warm. Then again, you
never know with him. He’s a wanderer for sure. Why do
you care, he ain’t having anything to do with you
anyway.”
“You are wrong about that. I intend to find him just
like I found you and face him.”
“What makes you think you’ll get the chance?” “Oh, I’ll get the chance, you can count on that.” “That would mean that I would be dead.”
“You might be able to count on that too,” said Jess, a
hardness forming on his lips.
“You sure are a cocky little bastard, I’ll give you that.
I like confidence in a man.”
“I have another question for you.”
“Go ahead. I believe in granting a man his last wishes;
especially my own kin.”
“What were you doing riding with Blake Taggert?” “Why would you want to know that?” asked Sloan,
puzzled by the question.
“I’m asking because he was one of the three men who
murdered my family, including your real mother.” “What do you mean was?”
“Yeah, he seemed to have gotten himself killed?” “Taggert was pretty fast with a pistol, who took him
down.”
“That would be me.”
“Taggert was a good friend of mine. We worked
together on a few card games and shared some whores. I
didn’t know he was involved in your family’s demise but
why the hell should that matter to me anyway? I ain’t got a
mother, just a father.”
“You have a mother who gave birth to you. She is
buried out at the ranch right beside my pa and my little
sister Samantha. She would have raised you and taken care
of you if you hadn’t been taken away from her by your
father. Now you tell me that one of the men who did it was
a good friend of yours?”
“Hey, I don’t give two shits about your mama or your
little sister. I’m only here for one reason. I’m getting paid
ten thousand dollars to put a slug in your chest. What do
you think about that?”
“I’ll tell you what I know for sure. Cal Hardin gave
me the ten thousand dollars and I have it on me right now.
If you want it, you’ll have to take it from me.”
Sloan sneered at Jess. “I don’t think that will be a
problem.”
“I hope you haven’t spent any of the money yet.” “Not yet, but I’m thinking about buying Dixie’s. I like
the women there and I wouldn’t mind coming back to
town from time to time and causing all your friends here in
town a little grief.”
Jess realized now that his brother was no better than
the Blake Taggerts of the world. He was just one more
man that needed to be put down, brother or not. Tim Sloan
would go through life causing innocent people nothing but
grief. He would continue to kill, rape, lie, cheat and steal.
Maybe it wasn’t ultimately his fault and he was simply a
product of his environment; but that didn’t matter. In the
end, no matter how you try to reason it out, Tim Sloan was
a bad man and had to suffer the same fate that many others
already had and many more to come, if Jess had his way. Just then, Randolph Jackson walked out of Andy’s
and stopped on the porch. He had a shot of whiskey in his
left hand, leaving his right hand free. “I just want you to
know that I’m here to finish things if your brother can’t.” Jess spoke to Randolph without taking his eyes off
Tim Sloan. “You must be Nevada Jackson’s brother I take
it?”
“That’s right, and you’re the little bastard who killed
him.”
“You know it was a fair fight. I didn’t want to draw on
your brother. The truth is; he forced it.”
“That don’t mean squat now. He’s still dead and as his
only brother it’s my job to avenge his death.”
“That’ll be your choice but I’m going to warn you not
to make even the slightest move until this is over. If you
do, Andy, who is right behind you with that scattergun
pointed at your back will blow you off the porch. If that
don’t kill you, I’ll put a bullet in you without even thinking
about it, understand?”
“I don’t mind waiting my turn. I’ve been looking
forward to it,” replied Randolph, finishing his whiskey and
throwing the shot glass out in the street. Jess’ eyes turned
to ice and Tim Sloan saw something that he hadn’t noticed
until now. There was a sense of seething rage in Jess. It
made Sloan wonder for just a second or two, but nothing
mattered now except the ten thousand dollars. He sneered
at Jess.
“Time to find out which one of us is faster,” said
Sloan.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way…” Jess had barely
finished his last few words when Sloan went for his gun.
Sloan got it partially out of the holster when Jess’ first slug
hit him square in the chest. He staggered back a few steps
and dropped his gun, his hands trying to stop the flow of
blood that was now making a large red spot on the front of
his shirt. He stood there wobbling back and forth with a
look of amazement on his face. He coughed; a little spittle
of blood on his lips. He wheezed when he spoke. “I guess we found out who was faster, huh?” Jess still had his gun trained on his brother. “I guess
so.”
“I suppose there’s no sense in getting the Doc either,
huh?”
“Nope,” replied Jess, the hardness showing in his
voice. “I wouldn’t let him save you anyway, even if he
could. I will do you one last favor though. I like your idea
about granting a dying man his last wish.”
“And what might that be?”
“I can put you out of your misery right now.” Sloan’s knees were beginning to buckle a little now
and he knew he didn’t have much more than a minute left
and it just didn’t matter anymore. “Go ahead and finish it
now and let me die in the street standing with my boots
on,” Sloan replied, only a second away from collapsing. Jess did not hesitate. No sooner than Sloan had gotten
the words out of his mouth, Jess fanned two shots. The
first blew out Sloan’s heart and the second hit him just
above his eyes. He flew back and hit the dirt flat with a
thud. Jess stood there for what was probably a whole
minute looking at what he had just done. He had killed his
own kin, his own brother. He had taken a big step over that
imaginary line that most men won’t cross under any
circumstances, and he was okay with it. He searched his
heart to find some remorse for killing Sloan, but he could
only find pity. He felt sorrow for the fact that his brother
never got the chance to turn out to be something other than
what he had turned out to be but that was not Jess’ doing.
He had kept an eye on Randolph who seemed to act
somewhat different now. He hadn’t moved during all of
this and probably some of the reason for it was that Andy
was aiming his scattergun at his back and Tony had his
Winchester trained on him at the same time so Jess knew he was covered. Of course, the main reason he hadn’t moved a muscle was that he had just witnessed the incredible hand speed that Jess had just demonstrated. Jess began to empty the three spent cartridges from his pistol and reload it. He looked up at Randolph with a look that
could make most men shudder.
“Well...Mr. Jackson, I guess it’s your turn now,” said
Jess, his voice low but firm. Jess could see that Randolph
was visibly shaken and still wouldn’t move.
“I…I think I might have changed my mind about it. I
mean…well…my brother is dead and this won’t bring him
back or nothing…so…I’d be willing to call it off if that’s
okay with you.” Jess holstered his pistol and looked at
Tony. Tony saw the look, he had seen it before and he
knew it wasn’t anything good for Randolph.
“I don’t think so,” said Jess, almost nonchalantly. Randolph looked puzzled, as if he hadn’t expected
quite that answer. “So, you don’t agree with me getting on
my horse and riding out of town and forgetting this whole
matter?”
“No, I don’t,” replied Jess.
“I don’t understand. You know I can’t beat you. Hell,
even I know it now after I saw you draw.”
“Let me explain it to you so you do understand,”
replied Jess. “You came here to kill me because I killed
your brother, even though you knew it was a fair fight
between Nevada and me. Now, you’ve seen me draw and
you don’t want to face me now. What you will do for sure
though, is wait to see me somewhere in another little town
or maybe follow my trail and shoot me in the back like a
coward. I know men like you. You won’t give up until you
kill me and since you know you can’t do it fair, you’ll do it
any way you can, but you will try to do it, of that I’m sure. So, you’re going to do it right here and right now. Get
down off that porch and face me.”
“What if I refuse?” exclaimed Randolph, still nervous
but now agitated.
“Then I’ll just plug you right there on the porch where
you stand. If you don’t want to draw, that will be your
choice and I won’t take any blame in it, but don’t make the
mistake of thinking I won’t do it because I surely will.”
Jess heard Andy’s voice holler out from inside the Saloon. “He’ll damn sure do it, I saw him do it before myself,”
hollered Andy.
Randolph was beside himself now but he was smart
enough to know he had run out of time. He had just
watched this young man kill his own brother and that made
him a man who would do the unthinkable. He knew he was
doomed but there was no way out of it now. And, he had
his pride to think of. He would rather go out in a blaze of
glory than be known as a coward who wouldn’t draw. He
walked down the steps and into the street.
“Well, at least I’ll be remembered as one of the many
men who braced Jess Williams,” said Randolph, mustering
all the courage he could.
“Yes you will, and you will have something in
common with your brother Nevada.”
“Yeah, both murdered by the same man,” replied
Randolph, a hint of defiance in his voice.
Randolph went for his gun and when he did, Jess
hesitated for a fraction of a second. Randolph saw it but he
didn’t stop his motion, hoping he might have a chance. He
didn’t. Jess had given him that fraction of a second but no
more. Jess drew and fired two rounds into Randolph’s
chest and he staggered back and fell right next to Sloan’s
body. He was dead as he hit the ground. Jess holstered his
pistol after reloading it and Tony walked up next to him. “Jess, why did you hesitate like that?” asked Tony. Jess looked at him. “You know, I’m not really sure.
Maybe since I didn’t give him any choice, I felt I owed it
to him, but I don’t quite know for sure. It just seemed to
happen. Maybe something in the back of my brain was
trying to stop me from killing Randolph and let him ride
out of town and that made me hesitate. I’m not sure I’ll
ever know for certain.”
“Maybe there’s hope for you yet.”
Jess looked at Tony, not quite sure of what he meant.
“I do know one thing for certain.”
“What’s that?”
“I figure I’m always going to have a long list of men
to watch for over my shoulder, but these two won’t be on
it.” Andy came out of the saloon, his double-barrel slung
over his shoulder. He looked at Jess with a frustrated look.
The onlookers all started to go back to their shops and
homes.
“Are ya finished fer jest a little while now?”
exclaimed Andy. “I’d like ta have a little peace and quiet
for maybe a day or two.”
Jess put his hand on Andy’s shoulder. “I think that’s a
great idea, Andy.”
“Might as well, you done killed everybody what
needed killin’, ‘cept for that man, Randolph,” said Andy.
“I’m not sure you shoulda done that.”
“Yeah, but it wouldn’t have been you he would have
been looking for tomorrow or the next day, it would have
been me.”
“I can’t argue with ya on that one.”
The Undertaker came and took the bodies away, but
not before Jess removed his brother’s gun belt from him.
He took Randolph’s pistol and holster. He kept his
brother’s but gave Randolph’s to Tony.
Tony took it and smiled at Jess. “I suppose this is your
way of building up some credit at the livery?”
Jess smiled back at him. “You could say that.” “Let’s go have a drink and relax for a bit,” said Tony. “Damn good idea,” exclaimed Andy, “and I’m a
buyin’.”
“You sure are getting generous lately, Andy,” replied
Jess.
“Well, I figure I gotta stay on your good side, I seen
what you do to people on yer bad side,” Andy replied with
a grin.
Jess grabbed the envelope that Hardin had given him
and showed it to both Andy and Tony. “I have a better
idea, Andy. I think it’s only fair that Tim Sloan pay for the
drinks since he won’t be having any use for this money
now.” Both Andy and Tony nodded in silent agreement.
Both also noticed that Jess had not referred to Tim Sloan
as his brother.