Gun for Revenge (9 page)

After crossing the border into New Mexico they camped for the night in a remote dry gulch; then, rising early, they rode another half-day until they reached the outskirts of Santa Rosa.

Directly ahead of them stretched the Rio Grande. The river, slowly winding its way south from Las Cruces to El Paso before crossing into Mexico and becoming the Rio Bravo, was less than fifty yards wide here and shallow enough to ford on horseback.

Gabriel and Ellen dismounted beside a thicket of yuccas and let their horses drink while they talked in the shade.

‘I’ll wait here for ’em,’ he told her. ‘You ride on into town. Once you spread the word why you’re there, it shouldn’t take more than a few hours for it to reach the Double SS. Then it’s just a matter of me bracing ’em ’fore they cross the river.’

‘But what if they don’t come this way?’

‘They will. It’s the shortest way into town and knowin’ Slade like I do, once he hears you’re waitin’ for a gunfighter to arrive on the mornin’ train, he’ll want to get
to you as soon as possible.’

‘And if they’re already in town – then what?’

She sounded uneasy, and he wondered why.

‘We’ve already discussed that.’

‘I know, I know, but tell me again. I’m so nervous, Gabe, I can barely remember my own name.’

‘You hole up in the Carlisle Hotel and wait for me. Don’t open your door to anyone. If Slade and the Iversons don’t ride in by sundown, I’ll know they’re already in town. Then I’ll come in fast, and force a showdown with them.’

‘No, no,’ she exclaimed, ‘you can’t come into Santa Rosa.’

‘I don’t have a choice.’

‘But someone will recognize you and tell Sheriff Forbes. Then he’ll arrest you.’

‘He’ll try.’

‘More killing? Good God, is that what you want?’

‘What I want,’ he reminded grimly, ‘is what you want: Slade and the Iversons dead.’

But did she? Her growing uneasiness worried him.

‘OK,’ he said, trying to be patient, ‘tell you what: if I do have to come in, I’ll wait till after dark. That way, chances are nobody will see me until the gunplay’s over.’

‘And then what? You think you can just ride out before the sheriff and his deputies show up? After shooting three men in front of the whole town? Why, you wouldn’t have a prayer. You’d be shot to ribbons before you reached your horse.’

‘Simmer down,’ he said, seeing how upset she was. ‘We’ve gone over this a hundred times, Ellie. Trust me. It’s the best way to handle it.’

She was silent a long time. He could tell something was
eating at her and he wondered what it was.

‘No,’ she said suddenly, ‘the best way is to call
everything
off. For us to ride north, straight on up to Las Cruces and stay with Grampa Tate. His spread is way out of town. No one will ever know you’re around.’

He couldn’t believe his ears. ‘’Mean, forget all about Slade an’ the Iversons altogether?’

‘Yes, yes,’ Ellen said. ‘Grampa Tate would love me to stay with him. And I know he’d like to meet you, too.’

‘Kind of late to be changin’ horses.’

‘I know. But Cally would understand, Gabe, I know she would. In fact she’d want me to forget it. She hated killing as much as I do, and … now that I actually think of it, of actually having you kill someone on my account or even Cally’s, I don’t think I can go through with it. In fact I know I can’t. It’s too horrible to even contemplate. Do you understand what I’m saying, Gabe?’

‘No,’ he said after a long pause. ‘I don’t understand any of it. But then I ain’t a woman. An’ it wasn’t my sister who was raped and murdered. So how could I?’

‘Being a woman hasn’t anything to do with it.’

‘It has everythin’ to do with it. I’m not slighting women – most I’ve known were tougher than men in many ways or they couldn’t have stood givin’ birth. But they didn’t know diddly squat about killing. Their men handled it for ’em. That’s not to say men enjoy killing. Most don’t. But we do understand it. It’s taught to us when we’re young’uns an’ it sticks with us all the way through till we’re toes up in the dirt. If you were a man you’d understand that.’

She didn’t say anything.

‘Escalero understood – that’s why he gave his life for you.’

‘Don’t you think I know that?’ she said angrily. ‘Don’t
you think I won’t be carrying the guilt of his death – his and Cerrildo’s – for the rest of my days?’

Right now, he wasn’t sure what to think. An Apache on mescal could not have been more confusing.

‘But two wrongs don’t make a right,’ she continued. ‘Miguel would have understood that, too. He was closer to God than I ever was. In fact, during the ride he begged me to turn around and go back to the convent, more times than you can count. Killing Slade and the Iversons was wrong, he kept saying. No matter what they did or how despicable they were, or how much I wanted them dead, I shouldn’t—’

‘Sweet Judas!’ Gabriel said, suddenly realizing. ‘It was at the church, wasn’t it?’

‘Church?’

‘Back there at Cohiba, when you were praying? What happened, Ellie? Did you confess to the padre and he made you see the light of God?’

She avoided his gaze and he knew he’d hit pay dirt.

‘Killing is wrong,’ she said quietly. ‘I’ve known that all along. But all I could think of was revenge … of getting even for Cally’s sake. But when I talked to Padre Felipe—’

‘He put you in touch with your conscience?’

She let all her feelings out in a long troubled sigh.

‘Perhaps. I honestly don’t know. I do know killing is wrong and at the same time I know, God help me, I still want Slade and the Iversons dead. I just don’t know if I can be the one to kill them. Or worse, have you kill them for me. Oh Gabe,’ she said miserably, ‘I know how crazy I must sound. I can’t even believe what I’m saying myself. For weeks now I’ve been so consumed with hatred and the idea of avenging Cally, I couldn’t think of anything else. But now – now, I’m not so sure. I’m so confused I don’t
know what to do. I can’t even think straight any more.’

He gazed up into her face, into her distraught,
pain-filled
violet eyes and saw she was telling the truth. Immediately he knew what he had to do.

‘Then I’ll have to think for you, Ellie. For both of us, I reckon.’

‘Yes,’ she said wearily. ‘You will. You must.’

He swung up into the saddle and waited for her to remount before spurring the Morgan down the muddy bank and on into the river in the direction of Santa Rosa.

As they crossed the railroad tracks and entered the hot dusty town from the south, the wind changed direction – now it was in their faces and they could smell the
stockyards
. They rode past the holding-pens, the lowing of the densely packed cattle sounding like a desert wind, and turned onto Main Street.

‘Things haven’t changed much,’ Gabriel said. ‘Cattle still stink an’ most of ’em still wear a Double SS brand.’

‘And Santa Rosa still owes its existence to Stadtlander’s money,’ Ellen reminded him. ‘Including – no, especially – the law.’

Gabriel grunted. ‘If you’re tryin’ to scare me into changing my mind, Ellie, it ain’t workin’.’

As they made their way between the oncoming
buckboards
and other riders, Gabriel realized little had changed during his five-year absence. Main Street was still unpaved and rutted by heavy freight wagons; and though the boardwalks had recently been widened, allowing people to pass one another without bumping shoulders, the hotels, cantinas, stores, livery stables, law offices and barbershops lining them still looked familiar.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t changed much either. And he and Ellen had barely entered town when a passerby
recognized
him.

After a quick double take, the elderly woman ducked into Melvin’s Haberdashery and within moments she, the owner and several customers reappeared, eyes saucers, mouths agape, and watched as Gabriel and Ellen rode on up the street.

Faster than a common cold, word spread through town that Mesquite Jennings was back.

Shoppers turned to watch him and Ellen ride past.

Riders twisted in their saddles to get a second look.

Alarmed mothers dragged their struggling children away.

Street urchins ran alongside Gabriel, hands held like pistols, shooting each other and dying in gasping, dramatic ways.

‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’

‘Yer dead, Mesquite,’ one kid screamed at another.

‘No, I ain’t, Sheriff. I shot you first!

‘Didn’t.’

‘Did, too!’

Gabriel ignored them. But Ellen, distressed by their yelling, shouted at them to go away.

Her anger only fed their curiosity.

‘You a outlaw too?’ a carrot-haired, gap-toothed boy asked her. ‘Are ya, are ya, are ya?’ he demanded when she looked away. ‘I bet you are.’

‘How many people you shot?’ asked another.

‘She ain’t shot any,’ his friend said. ‘How could she? She ain’t even wearin’ a gun!’

‘But he is,’ said the redhead, pointing at Gabriel. ‘An’ I bet he’s shot more’n a hundred.’

Upset, Ellen kicked the roan into a faster gait.

‘Little monsters,’ she said when Gabriel caught up to her. ‘They act like you’re some kind of carnival freak. Please,’ she begged when he didn’t answer, ‘let’s ride out of here while you still have the chance.’

‘I’m done runnin’,’ was all he said. They rode on.

A few minutes later a deputy spotted them tying their horses to the rail fronting the Carlisle Hotel.

He froze in his tracks, praying that Gabriel hadn’t seen him and at the same time making sure his hands weren’t near his six-gun. He wasn’t pulling down enough wages to challenge a professional gunfighter; especially one who had reputedly killed ten men.

Waiting until they entered the hotel, he sprinted to the office to notify Sheriff Forbes that his old nemesis was back.

The desk clerk at the Carlisle Hotel was equally
intimidated
.

A prissy young Nellie with yellow hair slicked down with lilac-scented tonic, he was so sugary polite and ingratiating that Gabriel eventually lost his temper. Grabbing him by the lapels, he pulled his face close and said:

‘Quit runnin’ your mouth, you little squirt, an’ hand over the damn room key!’

Terrified, the clerk obeyed.

‘W-Will there be anything else, sir?’ he stammered.

‘Yeah, I need you to get a case of the forgets.’

‘Sir?’

‘If anybody asks you which room Miss Kincaide’s in, you tell ’em you don’t remember. Savvy?’

‘But, sir—’

‘ ’Specially anybody who rides for the Double SS. You got that? You don’t remember!’

‘Yes, sir. I understand, sir. Perfectly, sir. Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. Enjoy your stay.’ He watched his guests climb the stairs to the second floor and then had to sit down before he fainted.

Room 214 was small, clean and comfortable with a window overlooking Main Street. Gabriel pulled the sun-faded curtain back enough so he could watch what was going on outside, and saw a gangling young rider gallop out of town. His deputy star glinted in the sunlight and Gabriel guessed he was headed out to the Double SS. He knew then that any chance of surprising Stadtlander was gone. Now, when he rode out to the ranch, they would be
waiting
for him.

As if reading his mind, Ellen clutched his arm and begged him to change his mind.

He ignored her and continued staring out the window.

‘Please, Gabe, you don’t have to do this. There’s still time for us to ride out of here or to catch the 4:17 to Las Cruces. Please,’ she said when he didn’t answer. ‘I’m begging you. Oh dear God, why won’t you listen to reason?’

He turned from the window, cupped his rough hands about her face, and studied her with his flinty blue eyes.

‘If I agree,’ he said softly, ‘will you come with me?’

‘Of course.’

‘I don’t just mean to Las Cruces.’

His remark caught her by surprise.

‘W-Where then?’

‘Arizona. Texas. Maybe even California. Don’t matter much where or which direction. Just so we keep one jump
ahead of the posse.’

She hesitated, suddenly realizing he was asking her to run away with him. It wasn’t the life she wanted, but unable to face the thought of being responsible for the death of a third man, she said bravely:

‘Yes. Of course I will.’

‘I got your word on that?’

‘Yes.’

‘An’ the convent … your vows to the church an’ desire to do God’s work … you’ll sweep all that under the rug?’

She nodded, unable to actually say the words.

He searched her face with his eyes for another moment and then gently kissed her on the lips.

She tried to respond, but much as she cared for him it was useless. She had already given herself to another.

Gabriel smiled gratefully at her.

‘I figured as much.’

‘Wait,’ she said as he walked to the door. ‘Where’re you going?’

‘Where you can’t.’

‘To brace Stadtlander?’

He nodded, tight-lipped.

‘I don’t understand. What about us? I thought you just said … asked me to run off with you?’

‘An’ you lied ’bout as well as anyone could.’

‘I wasn’t—’

‘An’ for that I thank you.’

She realized he’d only been testing her.

‘That wasn’t fair, Gabe.’

Sorry for embarrassing her, he said: ‘I had to know.’

‘What if I’d been serious?’

‘I still would’ve told you no.’ His voice gentled. ‘You’re a fine woman, Ellie. I could do no better. But like I told
your sister: it wouldn’t work. Bein’ on the run’s akin to no life at all. It wears on you, drags you down no matter who you are.’

Surprised, Ellen said: ‘Cally wanted to go? She never told me that.’

‘No reason to. How we felt about each other, that was between us.’ He put his hat on and opened the door. ‘Now, you go wash up an’ then get on the train, Ellie. Get on that train an’ go back to the convent. Do what you were born for. An’ I’ll do the same.’

‘Gabe….’

He stopped, halfway out the door.

‘… I’m sorry.’

‘For what? Tryin’ to save my life?’ He smiled. ‘’Cept for Cally, you’re the only person ever cared enough to do that.’ He was gone before she could say anything.

Ellen moved to the door, looked out and along the green-walled hallway and saw him descending the stairs. She hoped he would look back, maybe even wave
goodbye
, but he did neither.

Eyes stinging with tears, she sadly closed the door.