Dorothy Garlock (46 page)
Authors: A Place Called Rainwater
“Blue said he was good. The best he'd ever seen, ”Joe answered.
The telephone rang. Almost immediately shots came through the floor.
“He does that every time, ”Jill said. “I wish the operator would stop ringing. I'm worried about Radna.”
“Blue will take care of her, honey, ”Thad said.
“She could be dead.”
“Don't think that.”
“I thought he was strange-acting, but to kill that woman …and cut her up — ”
“Jelly said that they think he did the same thing in Springfield.”
“He's crazy. He's got to be. I'm glad Laura and the baby are safe with Mr. Westfall.” Nettie Cole clasped her work-worn hands and went over to stand beside Skeeter Ridge, who sat quietly in a chair in the corner.
On the side of the restaurant, out of sight of the upstairs window, Thad got a glimpse of two men attempting to boost Jelly to the roof. He signaled to Joe. Joe relayed the silent message.
“Madison, ”the sheriff called. “Let's talk about this. Did you know the Bakken woman? It was smart of you to burn down your house so we couldn't find where you'd cut her up.”
“Of course it was, you fool. It was a bloody mess. The judge burned down the back shed where I cut — ”Two shots came through the door. “I killed that whoring bitch we buried today. I cut her black heart out.”
The sheriff shook his head at Hurt. “Why did you do that, Lloyd? ”
“The judge told me to. He said, Find the bitch and kill her. I practiced on a cat, then a dog, then when I was twelve I — ”He laughed. “You'd like for me to tell you what I did, wouldn't you? I'm not going to. The judge said never, never, never say that I did it. They caught a bum and hung him.”
“Sweet Jesus, ”the sheriff whispered. “He's a lunatic and I never suspected a thing.”
Joe scooted up the stairs. “Jelly got across the roof.”
Six rapid shots and the sound of shattered glass came from inside the room. The sheriff looked at Joe.
“How many windows in that room? ”
“Two on the front and one on the side.”
“Let's hope he goes by one on the front.”
Joe went back down to the lobby as Hunter Westfall came in from the back.
“Laura is worried about her mother.” Hunter went directly to Mrs. Cole. “Are you all right? ”
“I'm all right. Laura and the baby? ”
“They're at my house with Dinah. I left two men there with them.”
“I'm glad she isn't here.”
“I went by the doctor's office.” Hunter turned to Jill and the others. “Bluefeather said for me to tell you that Radna was shot in the shoulder and the thigh. She lost a lot of blood, but she's conscious and the doctor thinks she will be all right. He's now working on the man who was shot in the back. He managed to crawl to the side of the street, where a couple of fellows ran out and dragged him out of the line of fire. He's in bad shape.”
“Were they not able to get to the other man? ”Joe asked.
“They're sure that he's dead.”
Thad groaned. “That was Sample, the one I belted out at the oil fire. He thought the sun rose and set in the man who killed him.”
“I hope Jelly gets Lloyd before he kills anyone else.” Joe took up his position beside the window where he could see the roof of the restaurant across the street.
In the upstairs hallway, the sheriff wiped the sweat from his face and spoke to Hurt. “How good a shot is this Jelly? ”
“He hits what he aims at ninety-nine percent of the time.”
The sheriff whistled through his teeth. He cocked his head toward the door. “Let's hope this doesn't fall into that one percent.”
“It won't. He — ”Hurt's words were cut off by the sound of more shots coming from the room.
“Jesus! He's used up a lot of bullets.”
Suddenly they heard a different sound. A heavy thud. Seconds later, Joe bounded up the steps.
“Jelly's standing up with his arms raised. He's coming down off the roof.”
“It means that he got him.” Hurt stood on his cramped legs. “Thank God.”
“Are you sure? ”
“I'm sure. Jelly wouldn't be coming off that roof if he wasn't sure. Got a key, Joe? ”
It took three men to push the heavy bureau aside so that the sheriff could squeeze into the room. Lloyd Madison lay dead on the floor, a bullet in his heart.
A week later, Jill, Thad and Joe stood on the platform waiting for the train that would take them to Kansas City, where they would transfer to another train for St. Joseph. There, Jill and Joe's brother-in-law, Evan Johnson, would meet them and take them home to Fertile.
Blue had brought them to the station in the car that Thad and Joe insisted on leaving with him.
“As soon as Radna is well enough, bring her and come to Fertile. Among our families there will be plenty of places to stay.” Joe's face was all smiles.
“But don't drive, ”Thad said seriously. “Jill wants Radna to get there in one piece.”
“We're talking about going to Colorado. Now that Radna's got money from the hotel, I've got to help her spend it.”
The three men clasped hands. “Thanks, Blue, for everything.” Joe choked up.
“Yeah, Blue, you dumb Indian.” Thad cuffed him on the back. “At times you were a pain in the ass, but I'd not have missed knowing you for the world.”
“Keep your tail out of a crack. Listen to the girl. She seems to have more sense than both of you.” Blue's voice wasn't quite as steady as he wanted it to be.
Jill went to the edge of the platform to say good-bye to Laura, who arrived with Hunter and Mary Pat. She hugged the shy girl.
“I'm going to miss you, Laura. I hope you and Mary Pat have a happy life.”
“They will, if I have anything to say about it.” Hunter, holding Mary Pat with one arm, put his other arm around Laura.
“Fertile is about fifty miles east of St. Joseph. If you get up that way, please come to see us.”
“Have you set a date for the wedding? ”
Jill laughed happily. “Thad's giving me three weeks from the day we arrive home and not a day more.”
“Don't worry about Radna. Mama will take care of her until she can get around, ”said Laura.
“Aunt Justine would be glad that you bought the hotel, Mr. Westfall, and that Mrs. Cole will be running it. Nettie knows a lot more about it than I did when I came here.”
Thad came to Jill and put his arm around her. “Honey, the train is coming and there's someone else you should say good-bye to.” He tilted his head toward the station house, where a familiar figure was leaning against the wall.
“'Bye, Laura. 'Bye, Mary Pat and Mr. Westfall.” She kissed Laura and the baby on the cheeks. Thad shook hands with Hunter and Laura.
Jill found her eyes filled with tears as she approached Skeeter Ridge.
“I'm going to kiss you whether you like it or not, ”she said gruffly and pecked him on the cheek. “If not for you, we'd not have known Lloyd had gone up to his room and he might have escaped and gone on to kill someone else. Besides, you can't be all bad. Aunt Justine liked you.”
“You're kinda like Justine was …twenty years ago.”
“That's the nicest thing you could say. Keep your eye on the hotel, hear? Aunt Justine would want you to help Mrs. Cole if she needs it.”
Jill hurried away. Thad shook hands with Skeeter and followed.
The train came to a screeching halt, the iron wheels grating on the rails. The conductor stepped down and placed a stool beside the steps.
“All aboard! ”
Jill made a dash for Blue and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Come to Fertile, Blue. Please come and bring Radna.”
“Might just do that. By then those two clabberheads will need straightening out again.”
“'Bye, Blue.” She kissed his cheek. “'Bye Elmer, Rose, Skeeter, Laura, Mary Pat, and Mr. Westfall. 'Bye, everybody.”
Thad steered Jill up the steps and into the half-filled railroad car. Joe stored their suitcases in the compartment at the end of the car and came to where Thad was waiting for Jill to be seated. He gave Joe a sour look.
“Go sit in the next car. I want to sit with my girl without any interference from you.”
“Get smart with me, ”Joe said in a loud whisper, “and I'll tell these folks about your connection with Al Capone and the Valentine's Day Massacre.”
“Sit down, Joe, ”Jill said sternly. “Behave, now, or I'll take both of you back to the insane asylum.”
The other passengers turned their heads toward the small girl giving strict orders to the two young men. They saw the one still standing move obediently to a seat several rows behind the other two.
The train lurched. Jill waved to those on the platform. When they were out of sight, she settled back in her seat and took off her hat.
“Good-bye, Rainwater.” She reached for Thad's hand. “Did Blue mean it when he said he would help Radna spend the money from the hotel? ”she asked with a worried frown.
“Don't worry about Radna, honey. Blue's probably got more money than Hunter Westfall. He inherited a pile of it from his father and his grandfather, and he's got an interest in a big hotel in Oklahoma City. He's far from broke.”
“For goodness 'sake. Then why was he working in the oil fields? ”
“Because he wanted to. Randolph Frazier Bluefeather is a very special man. He plays the dumb Indian if he wants to, and lays pipeline in an oil field if he wants to. He's been lonely. Radna is the first woman I've known of who can hold her own with him. He's crazy about her. They'll be good together.”
“Well for goodness 'sake, ”Jill said again. “I'm glad he fell in love with her. She hasn't had an easy life.”
“Are you going to let me help you spend the two hundred dollars your aunt left you in her will? ”
“If you'll let me help you spend the fifty dollars you got from Mr. Westfall for what you did the day of the fire.”
“I'll have to think on that. You're getting pretty sassy.” He put his arm around her. “I'm going to take you in hand after we're married — in more ways than one.” He cupped his hand as if to fit it around her breast and nuzzled her ear with his nose.
“Thad Taylor! You're the limit! ”Jill whispered as she grabbed his wrist to hold his hand away from her breast.
“But…sugarpuss, I want to …”His mouth curved in a happy smile, his eyes teasing her.
“And I want you to. But not now. Not here.” Then she turned, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. “Oh, Thad! We're going home! ”
He chuckled and tightened his arm around her. “Yes, sweetheart, we're going home.”
T
HE OIL TOWN OF RAINWATER, OKLAHOMA, as well as the characters in this story, are imaginary, with the exception of Clarence Hurt and D. A. “Jelly ”Bryce. Hurt and Bryce were Oklahoma City police officers in 1929.
Jelly Bryce became legendary among lawmen of the Southwest as possibly the best sharpshooter the FBI ever had. When a hostage standoff with a dangerous killer occurred, Jelly would be called in. He was reputed to be accurate ninety-nine percent of the time.
Bryce grew up along a creek bank with a rifle in his hand. In 1926, just out of high school, Jelly was planning to enroll at the University of Oklahoma when he heard of a pistol contest, with a prize of a hundred dollars in gold. He entered the contest, won and was asked by Night Chief Clarence Hurt to join the Oklahoma City police as a detective. He was twenty years old.
Bryce was always a fancy dresser, usually favoring white slacks, shirt and either a vest or a sweater. Shortly after joining the force, he shot a crook who then looked up at him and said, “I can't believe I was killed by a jelly bean.” Following the remark, Bryce quickly became known as “Jelly, ”a name he grew to like.
Jelly Bryce was an easygoing, relaxed, friendly man. He was well liked by everyone who worked with him and extremely intelligent. Gifted with what seemed to the average man as supernatural eyesight, he claimed to see a bullet when it left his gun and his eyes could follow its trajectory to the target. That, Jelly said, was why he could do the things he did. He could hit a Mexican peso thrown through the air with a .22 and he never, ever missed.
During the twenties and thirties, the indestructible lawman killed nineteen men. In 1974, he died in his sleep of a heart attack. He had a clear conscience. He had never killed anyone he didn't have to kill in order to save a life.
If you would like to know more about Jelly Bryce, take a look at
Jelly Bryce, the FBI's Legendary Sharpshooter,
by K. B. Chaffin.
In 1927 the Oklahoma City oil field was discovered and soon became the largest in the nation.
By 1929, forty major producing oil fields were spread across Oklahoma. Boomtowns sprang up on the prairies. That same year, in October, the stock market crashed — the beginning of the Great Depression.
More Dorothy Garlock!
Please turn this page for an excerpt from
MOTHER ROAD
available soon from Warner Books.
1932
Route 66
Sayre, Oklahoma
T
he powerful automobile, racing along the newly paved Route 66, slowed as it crossed the bridge over the north fork of the Red River, then picked up speed. At the top of the grade, the Hudson was pulled to the side of the road and stopped. For the last ten miles the driver had been reading signs attached to fence posts: