Ralph Compton Brimstone Trail (9781101612637) Read online

  Kyle scooped up the pennies, collected the cards, and pushed the barrel back against the wall to the spot where he’d found it. Sprole was left sitting on a stool in the middle of the floor with his hands propped on his knees.

  “Seems like you’ve had a busy day,” Sheriff Noss said as he settled into his chair. “Busted apart the second floor of a hotel, killed two men, and knocked another one senseless.”

  “To be fair,” Paul said, “I was the one who knocked out that man.”

  “Right.” Noss leaned forward to place his hands on his desk as he said, “I already heard the story from them ladies who rushed over to heap their praises on you two. To be honest, they’re the biggest reason both of you are on this side of the bars in that cell I got over yonder.”

  The cell in question was a large cage built into the back corner of the office. Bars set into the floor stretched up to the ceiling, broken only by a narrow door. Having visited plenty of prisoners requesting solace for one reason or another, Paul was very familiar with it. The prospect of spending time inside that cell made him look at it in a different light, however.

  Sensing that he’d struck a chord in at least one of the two men in front of him, Sheriff Noss removed his hat and tossed it onto the coatrack behind him with a well-practiced flick of his wrist. “I’ve heard from everyone else. The mess is mostly cleaned up and the bodies are being fitted for coffins. That leaves you two.”

  “Glad to see we’re so high in your pecking order,” Sprole grunted.

  “Why should I let you roam free in my town?”

  Since the lawman’s eyes were leveled squarely at him, Sprole said, “Because I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Those men came looking for trouble and I defended myself.”

  “Who were they?”

  Sprole shut his mouth and shrugged.

  “Were they part of Jack Terrigan’s bunch?” the lawman pressed.

  Another shrug from Sprole.

  “Why don’t you ask the one that’s still alive?” Paul asked. He didn’t flinch when every eye in that office turned toward him. “The man that I knocked cold. He’s still alive, isn’t he?”

  The sheriff nodded toward one of his deputies.

  “He ain’t sayin’ much, but he’s up and about,” the deputy replied. “I got him chained to a bed at Doc Chandler’s place, so he ain’t exactly up, but he’s awake. Wasn’t saying much of anything that bears repeating.”

  “Then make him talk,” Paul said. “That’s your job, isn’t it, Sheriff? Get to the bottom of why they’re here.”

  “That’s mighty tough talk from a preacher,” Noss said.

  Sprole chuckled. “I’ve been noticing the same thing.” Just when Paul thought the bounty hunter was going to repeat what they’d talked about at the hotel and outside the Red Coyote, Sprole let out an exasperated breath. “Those men were with Jack Terrigan. I can tell you that much.”

  “How can you be certain of that?” Noss asked.

  “Because I’ve been chasing the son of a . . .” Casting a quick glance over to Paul, Sprole chewed back the words he’d been about to say and continued with “I’ve been chasing Terrigan for months. He’s riding with anyone who can fire a gun, surrounding himself with men he can use as bait or fodder for any bullets that have his name on ’em.”

  “You know it’s Terrigan?”

  “Yeah,” Sprole replied without hesitation. “I’ve seen him plenty of times with my own eyes. Now, you can question that man you got chained to a sickbed all you want, but he won’t tell you anything I can’t tell you. In fact, you shouldn’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth. He’ll try to throw you off the trail of the rest of Terrigan’s gang so he can wait for them to come and bust him out of here.”

  Noss straightened up as if his honor had just been smeared. “Ain’t no one’s ever busted out of my jail.”

  “That’s just because you’ve never had custody of a man who rode with the likes of Jack Terrigan. One of the men I killed back at that hotel was named Hollister. Of the three that came sniffing around for me, he was the one that’s been riding with Terrigan’s bunch the longest. If Jack were to come back and bust one of his men out of a jail cell, it would be Hollister. The one the preacher knocked out was just some kid who started riding with Terrigan less than a month ago. That’s why he was sent to watch over some woman in a food pantry.”

  Slowly digesting what he’d heard, Noss looked once again in Paul’s direction. “What about you, Father? Why were you at that hotel?”

  “I went to see Mr. Sprole.”

  “What for?”

  “To try and convince him to let me ride with him when he goes after Jack Terrigan.”

  “I thought you were smarter than that. You truly think you can save every man’s soul?”

  “That’s my job, Sheriff,” Paul replied.

  Although that caused Sprole to shake his head, it was enough of an explanation to placate the sheriff for the time being. “I’ve met plenty of bounty hunters in my day,” he said to Sprole. “Usually they’re just interested in collecting money or figuring out who would be the juiciest target to track down next. I hardly ever seen one as cooperative as you.”

  “That’s funny,” Sprole said. “I didn’t think I was being particularly cooperative.”

  Looking toward the deputy with the pocketful of pennies, Noss asked, “Did this one try to skin out of here before I got back?”

  The younger lawman shook his head. “Nope. He just sat there playing cards.”

  “That’s because he wanted to stay here to see if the man chained to his sickbed had anything to say,” Paul said. Despite the venomous stare coming from Sprole, he went on. “Since the young man is new to the gang, he would probably let something slip. Something that could be used in tracking down the rest of them. Since he’s not saying anything at all, sitting around here is just a waste of time.”

  “That’s mighty insightful of you, Father,” Noss said.

  “We’ve stayed put long enough for you to check on our story,” the preacher said. “Since you don’t seem overly interested in hearing what else Mr. Sprole or I have to say on the matter, I’m guessing you’ve already pieced together enough to know that what you were told was the truth.”

  The lawman nodded. “Seems pretty straightforward all right. Those men came in looking for trouble and they found it. I recognize one of them as a no-good horse thief, so there’s no reason to think any better of the company he kept. All I got left is a bounty hunter, the town preacher, and two women who swear both of you are saints.”

  “It all adds up,” Sprole said impatiently. “Are you gonna cut us loose or not?”

  “I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t.”

  “Good. Then I’ll have my guns back.”

  Upon hearing that, the two deputies in the room put themselves between Sprole and the cabinet in the corner where the weapons were kept.

  “You can have them tomorrow,” the sheriff told him.

  For a moment, it seemed the bounty hunter might lunge at any of the men in his sight. “Why keep me until tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Because I can see your temper is frayed,” Noss said. “And a man in that frame of mind don’t need a pair of pistols at his side.”

  Sprole shifted his gaze. “Just had to open your mouth, preacher. Next time you feel the need to stick your nose into my affairs, you’d best remember this moment because it’s when you wore through my last bit of patience. Bible or no, I won’t have you get in my way again.”

  Drawing in a breath, Paul steeled himself so as not to show any sign of nervousness. “This is a small town, Sheriff,” he said. “News doesn’t leave here very quickly. What happens if Terrigan comes looking for this Hollister person under the assumption he’s been captured?”

  “I’m coun
ting on it,” Noss said.

  Sprole shook his head. “Terrigan ain’t stupid. He must have sent someone else along with them other three to ride back and let him know what happened.”

  “Ain’t nobody left town once the shooting started,” the sheriff insisted.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I know who to ask, that’s how!” the lawman snapped as he pushed his chair back and got to his feet. “I know how to do my job! Me or my men already got wind that Terrigan might be coming along, so we were watching the trails leading away from town.”

  “Right,” Sprole sighed. “That’s why you and your deputies were right there when I was attacked in that hotel.”

  “If you must know, the shooting started soon after we were in position. Those gunmen must have already been in town by the time I heard Terrigan was nearby. We were on the lookout for trouble outside town, which is why we were late in getting to the hotel. Since then, I’ve had lookouts posted and would have known if anyone had left.”

  “So they could still be here?” Paul asked.

  “No,” Sprole said. “If Terrigan was here, he would have led the charge or taken a shot at us while we were all outside the hotel. There’s no reason for him to hang back and watch them other three walk into a hotel for what should have been a simple shooting. He ain’t here.”

  “And nobody’s left town to send word out to anywhere he might be camped,” Sheriff Noss said with absolute certainty.

  “Which puts us in an excellent position,” Paul said. “Terrigan should be waiting for word from his men. It’s been long enough and he might be getting anxious. He may even come into town searching for answers himself.”

  Noss and his deputies exchanged a few nervous glances. Sprole picked up on that right away and was quick to say, “Terrigan’s gang has spent a lot of time on the trail. I know because I’ve been hot on their heels for some time. It wouldn’t be strange for those men to take some time for themselves in town once their job was done, so Jack may not think much if they’re not back just yet. If he doesn’t see them soon after sundown, he may start getting anxious.”

  “Then I best try to get some useful talk out of Doc Chandler’s patient,” Noss said.

  “In the meantime, perhaps you should turn me loose,” Sprole offered. “If I find Terrigan, I’ll bring him straight back here for my reward and you can take all the credit you want for seeing he gets what’s coming to him.”

  “And if you don’t find him?”

  “Then you’re rid of me. It ain’t as if I got any reason to stay here.”

  Paul could tell the sheriff was teetering on the brink of a decision and just needed a gentle nudge in one direction. “Either way,” he said, “you win. You could always ride with him to make sure the job gets done properly.”

  The sheriff grinned widely. “I like the sound of that.”

  Sprole, on the other hand, was far from amused.

  Chapter 6

  Dr. Chandler’s office was slightly smaller than the sheriff’s. It contained a single row of cots on one side and a little rolltop desk on the other. The young gunman Paul had hit with the pot was chained to the bed farthest from the door. His shirt was soaked through with sweat, and the one leg he hung over the side of the cot was shackled to the frame. His right hand was wrapped in a thick bundle of bandages. His left was stretched back and cuffed to the thick iron arch where a headboard would have been on a proper bed. When he noticed the sheriff and Paul had stepped inside to have a few words with the physician, he began grousing loudly.

  Doc Chandler was in his late forties and had a long face with sunken cheeks. Despite looking more like a patient than a healer, he was a friendly sort who always had something for the collection plate when it was passed his way during services. Paul shook his hand and got a warm smile in return.

  “How has our young visitor been?” Paul asked.

  “Apart from the wound in his hand, he’s got one beauty of a goose egg on his head. Says you gave him both. Could that be true?”

  “Could be,” Paul replied with a smirk.

  The doctor stifled a laugh and knocked a fist against Paul’s shoulder. “It’s like we always say, never underestimate the quiet ones, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  “What about him?” Chandler asked as he nodded toward Sheriff Noss. The lawman hadn’t been interested in any of the other two’s banter, so he’d walked straight past them to approach the gunman’s bed.

  “He’s just here to ask some questions,” Paul explained. “Didn’t you think he’d be back for his prisoner?”

  “Sure, but . . . do you think I should oversee the questioning?”

  “I think the sheriff can handle himself.”

  “Yes,” Chandler replied, “but that young man hasn’t exactly been easy to get along with. He’s tried my patience, and I’m someone sworn to heal.”

  As if to prove the doctor’s point, the gunman grunted something that Paul couldn’t quite make out before snapping his head forward to spit a large wet mess at the sheriff. Almost immediately, Noss snapped his fist out to punch the outlaw in the face. It wasn’t a vicious blow, but landed hard enough to send the outlaw’s head straight back into the bed’s frame. Skull met iron with a dull clang and the outlaw went limp for the second time that day.

  Sheriff Noss turned around, walked back to the front portion of the room, and said, “Might want to have another look at your patient, Doc. He seems to have had another bout of unconsciousness.”

  As Dr. Chandler rushed to the outlaw’s bed, Noss wiped off his cheek using a handkerchief.

  “That didn’t get you very far,” Paul said.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

  Seeing a faint glimmer of hope, Paul asked, “What do you mean?”

  “When I walked up to him, he was full of himself and ready to tell me where to go. When I told him his two friends were dead, he lost his confidence real quick. All he had left was that desperate little display you saw in order for him to try and feel like a big man. He was scared. Real scared. And that didn’t start until he knew them other partners of his were gone.”

  “Which means Terrigan or any of the rest of the gang aren’t here in town with them!”

  The sheriff motioned for Paul to keep quiet, but he nodded all the same. “That’s exactly what I mean. If there was someone here that we missed, that young fella back there would have some thread of hope to hang on to. Someone would either be coming for him or would skin out of town to tell Terrigan what happened here. When I told him about the other two being dead, he turned white as a ghost. There ain’t no way for a man to put on a show that good unless it’s the truth.”

  “Perfect!” Paul had to rein himself in when he saw the doctor glance back at him. Lowering his voice, he put his back to the rest of the room and asked, “Where does that leave us?”

  “It don’t leave us nowhere, Father. You did your part. More than your part, to be certain. You can go back to your church and write up a good sermon for Sunday with my thanks. I’ve got a job to do, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention anything you heard to anyone other than me or my deputies. No need to spread another rumor or stir up commotion. There’s been more than enough of that already.”

  “Is Mr. Sprole still in town?”

  “He’s being watched closely by my deputies,” Noss replied. “Nothing against my men, but I should probably get back to them sooner rather than later.” With that, the sheriff tipped his hat and strode out the door.

  Paul followed him outside. “You should consider working with Mr. Sprole,” he said. “That man can help you track down Mr. Terrigan.”

  “I’ve done a good spot of tracking in my day. I don’t need the help of some bounty hunter.”

  “But Terrigan needs to be found! He�
��ll get suspicious when those other men don’t come back, and he’s bound to ride into town looking for them. There could be trouble and more innocents could be hurt!”

  “You’re preaching to the choir, Paul.” When the lawman smirked at his own joke, he gave the other man a calming pat on the shoulder. “You did well with all of this and I don’t intend to let an animal like Jack Terrigan get anywhere near my town. Go back to your church and rest easy. I’ll be rounding up some men to head out to find that outlaw’s camp.”

  Paul brushed the sheriff’s hand from his shoulder and said, “I want to go with you.”

  “What good could you do on a posse?”

  “I’ve met Jack Terrigan before. I can help you find him.”

  The lawman’s brow furrowed. “When did you meet Jack Terrigan?”

  “Some time ago. If I see him, I think I can help convince him to give up before anyone else gets hurt.”

  “If Terrigan or his men get hurt, it’s because they brought it on themselves. Some might say they got plenty of hurt comin’ after all that they’ve inflicted upon so many others. Isn’t it in the Good Book? Eye for an eye and all that?”

  Paul shook his head solemnly. “The lessons taught in the Bible are there to learn from and use as guidance. Anyone who’s read the entire book and has taken it to heart knows the intention of the passage you mentioned isn’t for it to be . . .”

  “Sorry I brought it up,” Noss was quick to say. “But you ain’t gonna convince me otherwise. You’re a preacher and your place ain’t riding out on the trail of an outlaw. I’m the law in this town and it’s my job to get my hands dirty. You get in the way of me or my men and I’ll lock you up just to keep you safe.”

  “Be serious, Sheriff,” Paul said with a forced chuckle. “I hardly think such drastic measures would be necessary. Besides, how long will it take you to round up a posse? A few days?”