Novel 1966 - Kid Rodelo (v5.0) (4 page)

Rodelo, as he waited, was trying to think from Clint’s viewpoint. The man wanted to kill him, but he would not be likely to take a chance until he had some clue to the gold, or had the gold itself.

Hearing footsteps, Rodelo looked out. It was Nora, carrying the coffee pot and some cups.

“Sam said to bring it along, you might need it.” She placed a cup on the table and filled it for Rodelo, then one for Clint and one for herself.

Dan took his time about picking up the cup, allowing Clint and Nora to take theirs first. Noticing this, Nora said, “Don’t you trust me?”

He grinned at her. “Not when there’s fifty thousand dollars in the pot.”

She sipped some of the coffee, and he smiled and did the same. “You make a mighty good cup of coffee,” he commented, “and there’s nothing better.”

He listened to the night, alert for strange sounds. They would come, he was sure of that. Though how could he be sure? They had been locked up in Yuma prison when he left, but men had escaped from Yuma before, and if anyone could do it, Tom Badger could and would.

His waiting, his listening seemed to taunt the two with him. It was deliberate, for he was hoping to get a move from them at once. He had to locate that gold.

“You’re expecting someone?” Nora asked.

He nodded. “That I am. I’m expecting the men who buried that gold.”

Clint turned his head around sharply, half rising.

“But they’re in Yuma prison!” Nora objected.

“I’m gambling they’ll be here before daybreak,” Rodelo said calmly. “There was a bit of a ruckus at the prison before I got out of town. I’m betting it was them.”

Clint sat up. “They’ll kill us all!” he exclaimed. “Every one of us!”

“Maybe…maybe not.”

Chapter 4

T
OM BADGER DREW up and swung his horse off the trail. “Get out of sight, Joe. Somebody’s comin’.”

Harbin swung over, drawing his gun. “It can’t be anybody I want to see, and there’s nobody we want to see us.”

The horse was coming at a good gait, then it slowed, and drew up opposite them. The rider was standing in his stirrups, apparently listening.

“Must’ve turned off,” the rider said, “I don’t hear ’em.” He spoke aloud to himself, as many lonely men do.

“Hell!” Harbin was exasperated. “It’s Gopher!”

They rode out to meet him, Tom Badger with considerably more irritation than Harbin. Their own trail was, he was sure, lost back there by the river, and the Yaquis would be trailing south, hunting them. Gopher would know nothing about not leaving a trail and might have been followed right to this point. If so, all their efforts had gone for nothing.

“You fellers gave me a chance,” Gopher said. “When you made a break everybody got all excited an’ everybody was tryin’ to catch you. Three of us made a break. I figure the other two got shot.”

“Let’s get on with it,” Badger said impatiently. “Rodelo will have been there and gone before we get to Gold City.”

The night held no sound but the creak of their saddles. Tom Badger led off, walking his horse slowly until it was safely in the dust of the trail, then he put the animal to a canter and the others followed.

Gopher was a problem, but that could be taken care of, if it did not take care of itself. Gopher had been lucky to escape, for he was particularly inept; but he could not be lucky all the time, and the days ahead would leave no margin for luck.

When they came to Gold City, they walked their horses down the street. A light glowed from the store, but they did not stop. Down the street they saw that there was a light in the adobe as well.

“He’s got here first,” Badger said.

“He’s in the adobe,” said Harbin. “That don’t say he’s found my stuff. Nobody will find it but me.”

“Probably grabbed it and pulled out,” Gopher said.

“And leave the shack all lit up?”

Joe Harbin walked his horse up beside the nearest building to the adobe, then swung down, and drew his gun.

Inside the adobe, Dan Rodelo waited, his face calm. Nora had drawn back into a corner out of range of gunfire. Clint watched from the edge of the bunk. “There’s more than one man out there,” he said. “You goin’ to tackle them alone?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You’re a fool.” Clint looked at him. “What do I get out of this?”

“You bought in. You killed your partner. You can sit right there, or you can gamble and run for it. You might get away.”

“I’ll stay right here.”

“You do that. Joe Harbin’s out there.”

“So?”

“The only way you could know about this gold is through his woman. And Joe’s a mighty jealous man.”

“It wasn’t me!” Clint protested. “It was Jake.”

“You tell him that. Maybe he’ll listen.”

From out in front there was a sound of a boot scraping on stone, and then a voice called, “Hey, Danny! Come on out!”

“Well, there they are, Clint,” Rodelo said. “You sit right there and they’ll figure you’re in this with me.”

Clint got up suddenly. “I want out. I want to get out of here right now.”

“Go ahead.”

Clint started toward the door, then hesitated. “How about a gun?”

Dan Rodelo drew a pistol from his belt and handed it to Clint, barrel first. “Now face the door. If you turn around I’ll shoot.”

Clint took the gun and stepped toward the door. Then he called, “This ain’t Danny! I want to come out—I want to talk!”

Dan Rodelo was at the back door, easing up on the latch.

“All right,” Joe Harbin’s voice came clear. “Come out with your hands up.”

Clint opened the door, gun in hand, stepped quickly outside, and fired. Three guns cut him down before he got off a second shot.

“You stay there,” Rodelo whispered to Nora, and like a shadow he was gone into the night.

Gopher stepped through the door and paused, peering at the body on the floor. He came on into the room and was followed by Harbin and Badger.

Tom Badger looked slowly around the room, stared at Nora, then at the body on the floor. “Turn him over,” he told Gopher.

The convict knelt and turned Jake’s body over. “It ain’t Danny,” he said, surprised.

“That’s Jake Andrews,” Harbin commented. “And that was Clint Wilson we killed.”

“Clint
Wilson
?”

“The same,” Harbin replied grimly. He looked over at Nora. “And whose little girl are you?”

“I was with those men…I am nobody’s girl. I am Nora Paxton.”

“Let’s get what we came for,” Tom said impatiently. “Joe, get your mind off women. There’s plenty of them in Mexico.”

“You were with them?” Joe persisted.

“They were going down to the Gulf, and that was where I wanted to go. They offered to take me along, and there was no other way.”

“The Gulf? Why the Gulf?”

“Business…
my
business, and none of yours.”

Harbin grinned at her. “No offense, ma’am. If you still want to go, you can go with us.”

Badger was looking at her now. “How did they expect to make it to the Gulf?”

“They had a wagon up the street, and they were going to Papago Wells.”

“And then?”

“I know where there is a water hole between there and the Gulf. That’s one reason they wanted me along.”

“I never heard of any such water hole,” Badger said.

“It’s there…a good pool of permanent water, sweet water.”

“If that’s true,” Joe said, “our troubles are over. Okay, you can come along.”

Badger looked at the box and the scattered papers. “I don’t see any gold. You sure Rodelo didn’t get it and light out?”

“Was he the man who was just here? The tall, dark young man?”

“That’s our Danny.”

“He had nothing when he left here.” Then she added, “Clint shot Jake. He thought they’d found the gold when Jake located that box, so he just killed him.”

“Ain’t the first time…not for Clint.”

Nora was listening. Was Dan Rodelo outside? What was he planning?

“Get the gold,” Badger said. “Let’s get out of here!”

Harbin took a rusted poker from the fireplace and pulled a chair over to a place under the central beam that crossed the room from wall to wall. Standing on the chair, he inserted the end of the poker into what looked like a crack, then pried up. A crudely cut piece of beam lifted up, revealing a compartment within the heavy beam itself. As he lifted this a gold piece fell to the floor. Nora picked it up and handed it to Badger. “It’s gold, all right,” she said.

Harbin grinned his triumph. “You’re darned tootin’, it is! And there’s plenty of it, baby.”

Badger turned to Gopher. “Get the saddlebags. Quick, now!”

When he had gone out, Harbin said, “What about him?”

Badger shrugged. “We can use help on the trip. When we get to Mazatlan, give him fifty bucks and send him packin’.”

Gopher came back carrying two pairs of saddlebags, and swiftly they began loading the gold into them. “This is going to be heavy,” Tom commented thoughtfully. “I wish we had an extra horse or two.”

Dan Rodelo, moving quietly, had come in the front door. He held a gun in his right hand, and once inside he moved out of the doorway and stood a moment watching. Tom Badger saw him first, and slowly, carefully, he lifted his hands. He had never seen Dan Rodelo shoot, but he had an idea he would be good.

“That’s all of it,” Harbin said.

“Let me look,” Gopher pleaded.

“Go ahead.”

Gopher got up on the table and ran his hand back into the opening, feeling around. “Got it!” he yelled, and withdrew his hand, hitting it against the edge in his excitement. “Two of them.”

“Keep ’em,” Harbin said. “That will be your part of this.”

“You mean that’s all I get?”

“You’re out of prison, ain’t you?”

“Big-hearted Joe Harbin! You were always a generous man, Joe.” Dan Rodelo spoke softly, and Joe Harbin’s hand opened slightly as though for a draw.

“Don’t try it, Joe.”

Slowly, Harbin’s hands went up, as did Gopher’s. Joe turned carefully, grinning at Rodelo. “How are you, Danny? You don’t need that gun with me. We’re friends, remember?”

Rodelo smiled. Harbin had never liked him, and he knew it. “Then you will not object if I cut myself in for part of this?”

“You’re talkin’ crazy. I did this job all by myself, and you know it.”

“And I did time for it.”

“Let’s get out of here!” Badger interrupted. “We’ll have the law all around us if we don’t, and then there won’t be anything for anybody.”

Picking up one set of the saddlebags, he turned toward the door. “Come on. We’ll get their wagon and trail our horses behind.”

Dan Rodelo did not move. “How do you figure on going?”

“South…why?”

“It’ll be the wrong way. Go east from here first, then down the eastern side of the Gilas. By the time they’ve covered everything else you’ll be on board that boat down on the Gulf.”

They stared at him, their eyes hard with suspicion. “What are you talkin’ about? What boat?” Harbin said.

Dan Rodelo motioned with his gun barrel. “Get loaded up. You’re right, Badger, time’s running out. You made a mistake when you hit the warden. He’s a good man, but a hard man when you push him, and you pushed too hard.”

“What’s that mean?” Harbin demanded.

“He won’t quit, not even a little bit. You’ve got to run faster and farther than you ever did before. The warden, you know, used to be an army officer, and he has friends along the Mexican border that he helped during the Apache troubles. He’ll have them hunting you, too.”

Swiftly, they carried the loot out to the horse and, motioning Nora ahead of him, Dan Rodelo followed. Gopher carried the lantern.

Mounting up, they rode back to the store and went to the wagon Jake and Clint had driven to Gold City.

“What about him?” Harbin gestured toward the store.

“Forget about him,” Rodelo said. “He knows every man on the dodge from here to El Paso, and he’s never opened his mouth yet. Sam Burrows is a good man to have on your side, but if he got hurt you’d be ducking the outlaws as well as the law.”

“There’s water in the wagon,” Nora said. “We filled up some cans and water sacks before we started.”

“We’ll want more,” Rodelo said. He turned to Gopher, reaching into the sack for a gold piece as he did so. “Take this and buy every water sack or canteen in the store. Then we’ll fill ’em. That’s a long trek without water.”

The desert’s heat had not yet gone from the air, and there was no breeze now. Only the stars hanging low in the sky above them seemed cool. It was still, very still. Dan Rodelo stood at one side and watched them prepare. He watched the sacks and canteens filled; every one of them would be needed for the hell that lay to the south. There were water holes and tanks between them and the border, and perhaps beyond the border, too, but he knew only too well, and better than anyone here, how uncertain such desert tanks can be.

He tried to remember when it had rained last, but it does not rain often in Yuma, and many rains in these parts were local. That desert to the south was pure hell, but more than that, nobody had taken a wagon the way he intended to take them. Well, they would find that out in due time.

At the end he went inside. “Thanks, Sam,” he said. “It’s good to have my horse again.”

“That
grulla
is quite a horse,” Sam said. “I almost wished you didn’t come back.”

“He came from this country, Sam. South of here. He was a bronco two-year-old when I put a rope on him. When the going gets rough down south, I’m going to need that horse. He knows all the water holes in Sonora, I think.”

Sam put his palms flat on the bar and leaned toward him. “You’re runnin’ a long chance, boy. You sure you don’t want help? There’s some I could send—”

“It’s my job, and I’ll do it.”

“Joe Harbin,” Sam said, “has killed eleven men I know of…in stand-up gun battles.”

“Yeah.” Rodelo was serious for a moment. “But the one who really worries me is Badger. He’s cunning as a prairie wolf.”

“Comes by it natural. His pa was a half-breed, and he raised his youngsters mean.” Sam paused. “That girl, now. She doesn’t seem like their sort. I can’t make her out.”

“No.” Rodelo hesitated. “If I can, I’ll get them to leave her with you.”