Wanted! Belle Starr! (18 page)

“
Give them my
felicitations when you get there,” requested the elderly
conjuneero. “And tell them I’ll be dropping by the next time I’m in
the Indian Nations.”

“
I’ll do tha—!” the lady
outlaw commenced, but there was an interruption before she could
finish what she was saying.

“
Turn around slow and
easy, with both hands showing empty!” commanded a harsh voice with
a Chicago accent from behind the couple.

Hearing what was clearly an order directed
at them, Belle Starr and Reginald “Parson” Higgert were brought
back to a conscious awareness of their surroundings. Discovering
the nature of the location they had reached whilst engaged in their
conversation, they came immediately to a stop. A quick exchange of
glances informed each that the other did not know who was
addressing them. However, both were equally certain of one thing.
No friend who had penetrated their disguise, even if otherwise
given to practical joking, would have spoken in such a fashion.
Realizing that the speaker was unlikely to have failed to take the
precaution of having the means to back up the threatening words,
they concluded it would be advisable to comply. Having ascertained
who and what they were up against, they could decide how best to
deal with the unexpected situation.

The
maitre d’hôtel
had not made a mistake when
telling Hubert Charles Penfold the Third in which direction the
lady outlaw and the elderly conjuneero had turned on leaving the
Crystal Room Cafe.

On checking into the Cattlemen’s Hotel the
previous day, having told Belle that attempting such an economy
always brought him luck, Higgert had deliberately sought to avoid
having to pay in advance for the room they would be occupying
overnight. Although he would have had a couple of suitably weighted
old trunks delivered, should the matter of baggage been raised
later, the timing of their arrival had allowed them to obtain
admittance with only such of their belongings as could be carried
upon their persons. Therefore, when taking Penfold for the lunch
which was the prelude to springing their trap upon him, they had
had no intention of returning. Because neither had left anything
behind which needed to be collected, having served their purpose by
presenting them with an apparently innocent reason for making the
acquaintance of their proposed victim, there was no reason for them
to go back.

Having brought the confidence trick to its
successful conclusion, Belle and Higgert were making their way to
the home of the mutual friend at which they had met the day before.
Once there, each would make changes to clothing and appearances
ready to leave Fort Worth.

While talking, the lady outlaw and her
companion had been walking in an apparently unhurried fashion away
from the business section. Confident that it would be some time
before Penfold realized he had been tricked, they had sought to
avoid doing anything which might draw unwanted attention to them.
Aware that an alert peace officer who saw them behaving in such a
fashion might become suspicious, they had refrained from looking
behind them. Even when turning from the street, to pass along an
alley between two stores which had already closed for the day, they
had not heard anything to suggest they were being followed.

The first indication of possible danger had
come with the command to stop!

Following her usual habit, unless wearing
its unmodified mate in the fast draw holster of her gunbelt, Belle
was carrying her short barreled Manhattan Navy Model revolver in
the bulky black reticule her left hand was grasping. However, she
made no attempt to reach for it with the right as she began to
turn. Nor, although she knew he had weapons concealed upon his
person, did the elderly conjuneero try to arm himself. Being
equally cognizant with the danger such an action would create, if
performed prematurely, he too did nothing more than carry out the
instructions they had been given.

Running her gaze quickly over the men who
were approaching along the alley, the lady outlaw decided she was
not acquainted in any way with either. A quick look at Higgert told
her, without the need for words, he too did not know them.
Returning her attention to them, she concluded it was the one at
the left who had spoken. Just over middle height, bulky and hard
looking, his features were sallow and heavily mustached. Despite
wearing clothes indicative of city living, he held a Merwin &
Hulbert Army Pocket revolver with an air of being sufficiently
competent to prove dangerous at such close quarters. If no longer
in the peak of physical condition, the second man was taller and
well built. He too was dressed after the fashion of a town dweller,
but more fashionably and expensively. Exuding a suggestion of
comradely bonhomie frequently cultivated by one class of
politician, he did not appear to be armed in any way.

“
If robbery under arms is
your intention, brothers,” Higgert boomed, reverting to his sternly
religious demeanor, but making sure he kept both hands clear of his
sides. “You’ve chosen badly. I’m but a poor servant of the Good
Lord and—!”

“
Damned if you ain’t
good’s I’ve allus heard, Parson!” interrupted the man with the
revolver, confirming Belle’s assumption that he had delivered the
orders. “If I didn’t know better, you’d take me in the same’s
you’ve done to plenty of suckers.”

“
Just a moment, Mr.
Steeples!” the second man put in, having given all his attention to
the lady outlaw. He had a Southern drawl, with the timbre of one
long used to public speaking. “You’ve made a mistake!”

“
How do you mean?” the
armed man demanded, neither relaxing his vigilance nor offering to
lower his short barreled revolver.

“
You promised to catch the
woman who swindled me in Dallas,” the Southron reminded and waved a
hand towards Belle. “And this isn’t her!”

“
It was Belle Starr’s took
you,” the armed man asserted. “And here she is!”

“
She may be Belle Starr,”
the Southron replied, still studying the lady outlaw and paying no
attention to Higgert. Although far from flattering in one respect,
his all too obvious disbelief was also a tribute to her powers of
disguise. “But—!”

“
She’s Belle Starr for
sure!” the armed man declared and gestured with his revolver
towards the conjuneero. “I got word’s how this old bastard’d asked
her to side him ’cause his own gal’d got throwed in the pokey. So
this’s her.”

“
That’s as maybe,” the
other man answered. “But I don’t care whether she’s Belle Starr or
not. She isn’t the one who swindled me.”

“
Are you sure?” the
Chicagoan demanded.

“
Of course I’m surer the
Southron stated, his manner suggesting he was not used to having
his words questioned. “Damn it all, man, don’t, you think I’d
recognize the woman who took me for two thousand five hundred
dollars?” He did not wait for a reply, but continued just as
heatedly. “Well, she isn’t the one!”

“
Then it looks like you
lose out,” the armed man commented. “But not me. There’s dodgers on
both of them. Top of that, they’ve likely just took some poor
suckers’ll be willing to pay up for getting his money
back.”

While the pair were talking, Belle had been
surveying the situation and thinking fast. The name given to the
man with the revolver had struck a responsive chord in her memory.
Their paths had not crossed, but she had heard him mentioned more
than once during her recently ended sojourn in Kansas. Along with
his brothers, Albert “High” and Wilfred “Little”, Joseph “Church”
Steeples had begun to acquire a reputation as competent bounty
hunters since coming west from Chicago. According to the accounts
which had reached her, if falling short of the standards reached by
many range country trained gun fighters, he was sufficiently
skilful to pose a very serious threat under the circumstances.
Certainly, he was not a man with whom it would pay to take
chances.

Hearing the reference to ‘dodgers on both of
them’, the lady outlaw swung a look at her companion. His gaze was
turned her way and, having given a shake of his head, he mouthed
the words, “On you?” to which she gave a negative response. To the
best of her knowledge, because she always selected victims who
would be disinclined to report their losses to the authorities, no
law enforcement agency had put out wanted posters offering a reward
for her capture.

Yet, taking into account that Steeples had
been operating in Kansas, Belle realized there was a possibility of
a bounty on her. If Town Marshal Kail Beauregard had discovered her
connection with David Icke, he might have circularized other law
enforcement agencies without her having heard of it. Even if this
was not the case, however, she had no desire to be handed over to
the local peace officers. Nor, she felt sure, had Higgert. If this
happened, Penfold could supply all the evidence needed to make a
case against them.

Regardless of being convinced
that her companion had an equal wish to escape, the lady outlaw
knew any attempt would be fraught with danger. They were faced by a
man who, unless rumor lied, would not hesitate to use his gun if
given provocation. What was more, ostensibly a law abiding citizen
dealing with criminals, he could open fire without needing to worry
about legal consequences. The same did not apply to them, if either
should shoot him. Therefore, their only hope of escaping was to
render him
hors de combat
without killing. However, unless they were able to
create a diversion and distract him, at least one of them was
certain to take lead should they try to do so.

Belle did not realize it, but she was in
grave danger!

While no law enforcement agency had put a
bounty on her, Steeples knew he could collect money for killing
her!

When contacted by Armond Chauvelin, who was
seeking vengeance after having learned the true identity of “Señora
Donna Maria Constanza del Santa Rosa”, the Steeples brothers had
known the risks they would face if they were successful in the
proposition he made to them. These had increased, they realized,
when their search for the lady outlaw had led them to Texas.

As far as the brothers had been able to
ascertain, despite her participation in numerous lucrative
confidence tricks, there were no outstanding warrants for the
arrest of their intended victim. On the other hand, her close
association with members of Ole Devil Hardin’s floating outfit in
particular meant she could not be dealt with as if she was an
ordinary wanted outlaw. If they wished to avoid bringing those
deadly efficient young Texans down upon them, it was imperative
that she was killed in what would have the appearance of
self-defense whilst resisting a citizens’ arrest.

Having separated from his brothers, who were
following up other leads, Church Steeples had seen the opportunity
of seeking the excuse he required, and also a witness to
substantiate his story of what happened. Learning that a prominent
local politician had fallen victim of a confidence trick
perpetrated by a beautiful woman, he had offered his services.
Blaming Belle Starr, who he had discovered was making for Fort
Worth, he had persuaded Owen O’Brien to accompany him so as to
recover the money. Searching for her, having been told she was
helping Higgert, he and O’Brien had seen them leaving the Crystal
Room Cafe. Following them until they had left the sight of the few
people on the street, he had drawn his revolver and forced them to
a halt.

Now Steeples was waiting for anything which
would offer him an excuse to start shooting, with his companion a
man of some importance in the area available to support his claim
to have acted in self-defense against two known criminals.

Before the bounty hunter could say or do
anything to bring about the response he required, there was an
interruption!

Having discovered he had been tricked, much
sooner than was anticipated by Belle and Higgert, Penfold had
settled the check and was preparing to leave the cafe. At the sight
of them walking along the street, his first impulse had been to
shout for assistance. However, failing to locate a peace officer in
the immediate vicinity, he had realized that to do so would put
them to flight. Satisfied he could deal personally with the old man
and expecting no trouble from the ‘daughter’, he had set off in
pursuit. Although he had noticed the two men following his quarry
into the alley, his only thought was that they would be available
to help him make the capture. On reaching it, being unable to see
the revolver held by Steeples, he failed to attach any significance
to the way in which the group were standing.

“
Got y—!” the red-faced
young man yelped, rushing into the alley.

“
Get him, Hank!” Belle
yelled, startled by the sight of the victim she had believed would
still be awaiting the return of her ‘father’, but having the
presence of mind to try and take advantage of the unexpected
development.

At the sound of the voice and footsteps
behind him, Steeples glanced over his shoulder. Seeing the clearly
angry figure approaching, he reached the conclusion which the lady
outlaw had hoped to produce and, spitting an obscenity, he began to
swing around. Also deceived by her words, Penfold threw himself
forward with his hands reaching for the revolver being turned his
way.

The instant Steeples was distracted, Belle
and Higgert made the most of the opportunity her quick wits had
created!