The Gunsmith 385 (13 page)

FORTY-FIVE

When they knocked on the front door, it was Dad who opened it again.

“Gentlemen,” he said, “it's late.”

“We're here to see your boss,” Catchings said.

“As I said—”

Clint brushed by Dad into the house. As he did so, he could tell the old man was armed.

“Adams—” Catchings said, following him.

Travis brought up the rear.

Clint remembered the way to the den and headed there. As he entered the room, Collingswood looked up. He must have been disappointed to see Clint, but he kept it off his face.

“Mr. Adams—”

“Stand up, Collingswood!”

“I don't understand.”

“You're under arrest.”

“This is ridiculous. I—”

Clint reached over the desk, grabbed the man by the front of his smoking jacket, and pulled him across. As he did, the jacket came open and he saw the gun. He grabbed it, disarming the man.

When Catchings entered the room, Collingswood was pretty much dangling from Clint's clenched hands.

“Adams! Damn it!”

“You better do something, Catchings!” Collingswood warned.

“Yes, Sheriff,” Clint said, “it's time to declare yourself. Unless you already did that by killing Charlie Beck.”

“Sheriff,” Collingswood said, “I'll have more than just your badge!”

Clint shook Collingswood, forcing him to quiet down.

“Hastings gave you up, Collingswood. You paid them to rob and shoot Rick Hartman. Maybe you even wanted him killed, but they didn't get the job done. So you sent them after me. Now Barry's dead, and Hastings is in jail. Which is where you're going.”

Collingswood gave Catchings a hard look.

“He's right,” Catchings said.

“Well, then do something,” Collingswood said. “What do I pay you for?”

Travis was behind Catchings, waiting to see if he was going to have to make a move.

Clint looked at Catchings.

“I'm taking him out of here,” he said. “You going to try and stop me?”

Catchings raised his hands and stepped back.

“Travis, clear the way down the hall. The old man has a gun.”

“He's harmless,” Collingswood said. “Don't hurt him.”

They made their way along the hall with Travis in front, Catchings behind them. Clint moved sideways, in order to keep his eye on the sheriff.

When they got to the entry foyer, there was nobody there.

“Now what?” Travis asked.

“We're going outside,” Clint said.

“They'll be out there,” Travis told him.

“I know.”

“Should I go out the back—”

“No,” Clint said, “let's just go on out. We can count on Mr. Collingswood to keep us safe.”

“I hope you're right.”

“Open the door and then get behind me. Watch our friend the sheriff.”

“Hey, now look—”

“Open it.”

Travis opened the door, then stepped aside so Clint could push Collingswood out first.

FORTY-SIX

They stepped out onto the porch. At the foot of the steps were five men, all armed.

“You better tell your men to back off,” Clint said to Collingswood.

“Why should I?”

“Because you'll get the first bullet.”

“If you take me to town, you'll put me in jail,” the man said, “or put a bullet in my back and claim I was escaping. No, I think I'll take my chances here.” He looked down at his men. “Watson! If he tries to take me away, start shooting.”

“Yes, sir.”

Clint heard something off to his left, turned, and saw the old man, Dad, brandishing a gun. He didn't move, but Travis drew and fired. The old man folded in half, and slumped to the floor of the porch.

“Dad!” Collingswood said. “You sonofabitch, you killed my father!”

“Take it easy,” Clint told Travis. “You didn't have to—”

“Get them!” Collingswood shouted. “Get them now!”

Clint reacted immediately. He pushed Collingswood down the stairs then went flying toward his men, who were in the act of drawing their guns. If they had fired, they would have hit him.

They had to duck to the side to avoid him. That gave Clint and Travis the time they needed.

Travis's gun was already out, so he simply started shooting.

Clint drew and began to fire with deadly accuracy. It was all over in a few minutes. The five ranch hands were down and not moving. Collingswood was on the ground, looking around with a stunned expression on his face.

Clint was reloading when Collingswood's eyes fell on a gun that was lying near him.

“Don't do it—” Clint said, but he was cut off by a shot from behind him. A bullet struck Collingswood, who stiffened, and then slumped.

Clint turned, expecting to see that Travis had fired the shot, but instead it was Sheriff Catchings who'd done it.

“He was going for that gun,” Catchings said.

“You shot him to shut him up,” Clint said.

“About what?”

“About you working for him,” Clint said.

“That's silly.”

Travis was moving in among the bodies.

“They're all dead.”

“Self-defense,” Catchings said. “There won't be any trouble.”

“Not for us,” Clint said, “but there will be for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You killed Beck.”

“I didn't,” Catchings said. “I didn't even know he was dead until you said so. Collingswood probably had him killed.”

“Yeah,” Travis said, “by you.”

Catchings looked at Travis, then back at Clint.

“You can't prove that,” Catchings said. “In fact, it's my job to find who did kill him.”

Clint looked around, saw some of the other hands coming up to the house to see what had happened. None of them were armed.

“We better get back to town,” Clint said.

“Yeah,” Catchings said, “we can settle this back in town. And I can have somebody come back for the bodies.”

“What happened, Sheriff?” somebody asked.

They went down the steps, stopped at their horses. The sheriff told the hands to cover the bodies, but not to move any. He'd have somebody come and pick them up. He also told them he thought they were all out of work.

“What are we gonna do?” Travis asked.

“Let the sheriff think he's gotten away with everything,” Clint said. “When we leave, we can send a federal marshal back to look into him. We did what we came to do.”

“Okay,” Travis said.

“But just in case,” Clint said, “we'll keep watching each other's backs.”

FORTY-SEVEN

Several weeks later Rick Hartman walked into Rick's Place in the morning. Clint was sitting there having breakfast with Travis and Delia.

“There he is,” Clint said. “Walking upright.”

Rick walked to the table and sat down. Cable, the new bartender, who was getting good at the job, asked Rick, “You want some breakfast?”

Rick turned and said, “Cable, is that you? Yeah, sure, bring me some eggs.”

“Comin' up, boss.”

Rick looked around.

“Surprised the place didn't fall down without you?” Clint asked.

“Actually, I am,” Rick said.

“Well, Delia and the girls did a great job while you and me were gone.”

“Sounds like somebody deserves a raise,” Rick said, looking at Delia.

“And maybe a promotion?” she asked.

“Don't push it,” Rick said.

She laughed.

Rick looked at Clint.

“I guess I owe you a lot.”

“You owe me nothing,” Clint said. “I only did what I had to do.”

“Killing Collingswood was a big favor,” Rick said. “Years ago we were partners, but I had to walk away from him because he was amoral. I guess it took him this long to make enough money to come after me.”

“Well,” Clint said, “it wasn't enough.”

“Only because of you, brother,” Rick said.

Cable brought out Rick's breakfast at that point. Clint stood up and walked to the bar to pour himself some more coffee. Travis joined him.

“So what now?” he asked as Clint poured him a cup of coffee, too.

“I'm going to rest here awhile and then move on,” Clint said. “Are you going to keep following me?”

“No,” Travis said, “I think I'm done with that.”

“So what's next for you?”

Travis looked at Clint and said, “I guess I gotta come clean at some point, huh?”

“I was hoping,” Clint said.

“The best way to do this,” Travis said, “would be for you to meet me in the street.”

Clint stared at him, then said, “You're kidding, right?”

“No,” Travis said. “The turning point came when that old man had the drop on you and you didn't fire. I had to kill him. That's when I knew I could take you.”

“I didn't kill the old man because he was no danger,” Clint said. “He wasn't going to shoot.”

“I think he was,” Travis said.

Clint continued to stare at the young man.

“Why are you so shocked?” Travis asked. “I kept you under surveillance for a few months, then rode with you on a mission.”

“And it was all because you were trying to figure out when to kill me?”

“What else?”

“Well, at one point I thought we were really getting along.”

“We were,” Travis said. “And we'd probably be friends if you hadn't killed my mother.”

“What?”

“My mother,” Travis explained. “It's very simple. Fifteen years ago you killed my father. Six months later, distraught, my mother died.”

“So you're saying you want to kill me because I killed your father?”

“No,” Travis said, “my father was a sonofabitch, but my mother loved him, and couldn't live without him. So . . . you killed my mother.”

“That logic is . . . ‘faulty' doesn't even say it.”

Travis stared at Clint and said, “The time has come. I'll meet you outside.”

Clint stared into Travis's eyes and saw a young man he had not seen before. A disturbed young man.

“Travis . . . what were your mother's and father's names?”

“It doesn't matter what their names were, or if you even remember them,” Travis said. “The fact remains you killed them.” With that, the young man turned and walked out the batwing doors.

Clint went back to the table, where Rick asked, “Where's he
going?”

“To wait for me in the street.”

“What?” Delia asked.

“That's what I said. Apparently, he says I killed his parents, and now he wants to kill me.” “Why didn't he say anything or try anything before now?” Rick asked.

“Again, apparently he was studying me.”

“And he's decided now is the time?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She studied him for a moment, then said, “Okay, either he's kidding, or you are.”

“I'm afraid not,” he said.

“What are you going to do, Clint?” she asked.

“What can I do?” Clint asked. “Whenever I go out, he'll be there.”

“Can't you just walk away?”

“It's not that simple, Delia.”

“This is Clint's life, Delia,” Rick said. “He can't escape it.”

“But . . . what if he kills you?” she asked.

“He can't,” Clint said.

“Why do you say that?”

“I've seen him use a gun,” Clint said, adjusting his holster on his hips. “He doesn't have a chance.”

Watch for

VENGEANCE RIDE

386
th
novel in the exciting GUNSMITH series from Jove

Coming in February!