Killers Never Sleep, page 19
Earnshaw frowned. “Riding into town was a bad idea before and it hasn’t gotten any better, George. The town’s still standing, and I don’t care how many wounded there are, we’re still outnumbered by plenty. That fire or whatever it was hasn’t changed that.”
Mahaffey was starting to wonder if his old friend had finally lost his killer instinct. He could remember a time when Ben had to practically throw a rope around Earnshaw to keep him from doing something dangerous. Maybe the years had started to catch up to Earnshaw. He was glad they had not caught up to him yet. For his own sake as well as Ben’s.
“You don’t see it, do you, Earnshaw? This isn’t a tragedy. It’s a blessing.”
Earnshaw’s eyes narrowed. “Blessing? How do you figure? They’ve got wounded in the courtyard right next to the jail. We’ll never be able to bust in there now.”
Mahaffey was almost embarrassed for his old friend. He was sorry that he had to explain it to him. “That town is flat on the ground right now. All the fight has just been pounded right out of them. Trammel and his deputies are hurt, so now’s the time to make our move before they can catch their breath. We’re going to hit City Hall and get Ben out of there, boys. And we’re going to do it this very night. The odds have never been more in our favor.”
He enjoyed watching the expressions on the faces of the men slowly change from doubt to confidence. They were beginning to come around to his way of thinking.
Everyone, that is, except Earnshaw. He gripped his rifle tightly and dropped to a crouch as he whispered, “You hear that? Someone’s out there.”
Mahaffey and the others drew their pistols and turned to the same direction Earnshaw was facing.
A man’s voice called out from the darkness, “Hello in the camp. There’s three of us coming in. We’re armed and we’re keeping our hands where you can see them.”
Every member of the Washington Gang raised their guns and aimed in the direction of the voice.
Mahaffey answered, “Make sure you come in real slow, mister. If you know what’s good for you.”
He watched as three horses stepped into the clearing. The lead rider had his hands up, as did the two men behind him. None of them were wearing badges and did not look like deputies.
“That’s far enough,” Mahaffey told him when they were ten yards away. “What are you doing here?”
“Name’s Rick LeBlanc,” the lead rider said. “We saw your man riding through town just now, and we took the liberty of following him back here. There weren’t too many men on horseback down there today, so we got curious. Seeing as how we’re kind of on the run ourselves, we mean you no harm. We’ve already caused our share of trouble for one day.”
Earnshaw kept his rifle aimed up at Rick. “How do you figure?”
“Your friend there has just been telling you all about our handiwork down in Laramie. That burned out building? Those wounded? All our doing.” He gestured to the rider behind him. “It was my brother’s dynamite that caused it.”
“That so?” Mahaffey knew it was easy for a man to take credit for another’s bad deeds, especially when there was no one around to call him a liar. “Why’d you blow up the hotel?”
“Because we couldn’t get into Hagen’s safe,” Rick told him. “And because Hagen killed our brother, Wayne, last night. We didn’t set off to burn the place down, but it seemed like a good idea when the safe wouldn’t open.”
Mahaffey told the men to lower their guns while Earnshaw kept his rifle trained on Rick. “Sounds awfully severe to kill all those people over one lousy brother.”
“A man will get all sorts of crazy notions in his head when his brother gets killed. Like you boys looking to spring Ben Washington from jail and he’s not even your kin. Besides, I wouldn’t expect the Washington Gang to shed any tears over a few dead civilians. I heard you boys are supposed to be the bitter end.”
Earnshaw adjusted his rifle. “I reckon we’re bitter enough to take care of the likes of you without breaking a sweat.”
Rick kept his hands in the air. “We didn’t come up here to fight, boys. We came here to see if you’d let us join up with you. Figured we could throw in with you.”
Mahaffey gestured for Earnshaw to lower the Winchester. “We don’t need you and we don’t want you.”
“Sounds to us like you do,” Rick said. “We heard you boys talking while we were sizing you up back there in the bushes. You’re looking to bust your friend out of jail now that you think Trammel and his men are hurting.” He slowly shook his head. “It won’t be as easy as you think.”
Mahaffey admired the stranger’s gall, even if he did not like it. “No one said it was going to be easy.”
“But the way you’re thinking will only get you and all your men killed,” Rick said. “Mind if I lower my hands while I tell you why?”
Mahaffey saw his men may have lowered their guns, but they still held them at their sides. “Go ahead, but talk fast. We’re anxious to get started, so if we have to kill you, we’d just as soon do it now.”
Rick and his brothers lowered their hands. “No need for anyone to die. Not me or any of your men. From what I overheard just now, you’re thinking about riding into that courtyard, taking the wounded as hostages, and forcing them to let Ben go. Did I get that much right?”
Mahaffey did not appreciate being that easy to figure out. He had not gotten around to telling his men what he had been thinking. “It’s the general idea.”
“A bad one because it won’t work,” Rick explained.
“Trammel might be hurt, but he’s not dead. You can’t get at him by taking captives. Believe me, I tried that. I had the pit boss of The Laramie Grand bound and gagged in Hagen’s suite while my brother Burt here was trying to get that safe open. I threatened to kill him if Trammel tried coming after us. I even set to beating on Miller enough to make him cry out just to prove I was serious. You know what Trammel did? Had his men start shooting at us while he and Hagen busted through the door.” Rick smiled in admiration. “He’s one tough customer, that Trammel. Smarter than he looks.”
Dib Bishop spoke up. “How’d you boys manage to get away before the whole place went up?”
“I always like to have a back way out whenever we pull a score, so I had my brother Jim here bust a hole in the bedroom wall so we could get out through the room next door. We were already out of there when Trammel’s men started shooting. Took the pit boss with us when we left. Trammel and Hagen caught up to us in the alley and killed two of my brothers while we were trying to get away. Good thing I rigged a delayed fuse to burn the way I did, or else we might not be having this conversation with you fine gentlemen.” Rick looked at Mahaffey. “And you wouldn’t have this chance to free your friend. I could be forgiven for expecting a bit of gratitude right about now.”
Mahaffey had taken just about as much sass as he could stand from the stranger. “You can expect a bullet in the belly unless you start making some sense really quick.”
Rick leaned forward in the saddle. “How’s this for sense? While you and your men have been moving Deputy Brandt all over the territory, my brothers and I have been watching how Laramie works. We’ve seen and heard how Trammel does things. Threatening a bunch of wounded civilians won’t get you anywhere with the likes of him. He and his deputies would just fire down on you from City Hall and believe me when I tell you he won’t miss. One of them shot my brother out of the saddle while he was getting away. You’ll all be dead, and Ben Washington will still be behind bars. That seems like a waste from where I’m sitting.”
Earnshaw looked as frustrated as Mahaffey felt. “So far, all you’ve done is tell us what we can’t do. You haven’t said what we should be doing. I’m starting to think you just like to hear yourself talk. You’re wasting time we don’t have.”
Mahaffey saw the others begin to raise their guns, causing Rick to quickly say, “You can only beat Trammel’s men if you spread them out all over town. You can’t hit the courtyard and expect him to just roll over. The town was already on edge about you being around before the hotel blew up, so you have to use that to your advantage. Cause trouble in different parts of town at the same time. Make the deputies run from one place to the other and cut them down one by one.”
“We’re outgunned,” Coombs told him.
“Which is why you hit and run and hit again.” Rick spoke directly to Mahaffey. “You tried to draw Trammel out when you grabbed Brandt, but he didn’t go for it. The people are tired, and his deputies are exhausted. They won’t put up much of a fight, especially if you don’t give them anything to shoot at. You can whittle the deputies down one at a time. You might even catch Trammel in a moment of weakness and end this quick. Getting whoever’s left to let Ben go free will be much easier if there’s not any law left to stop you. And if it all breaks your way, you’d not only have Ben but an entire town ripe for the taking.”
Mahaffey moved between the men and the LeBlanc brothers. He was beginning to appreciate the way Rick thought. “You got any ideas on where we could hit them first?”
“It just so happens that I do.” He tapped his temple. “It’s right up here. And if you let me get down from this horse, I’ll be happy to draw it in the dirt so you can see it, too.”
Mahaffey beckoned him and his brothers to dismount. But as Rick went to take a stick from the fire, the outlaw grabbed his arm. “What are you doing this for, LeBlanc? We’re going into Laramie to free a man, not rob a bank or a gambling hall. You came here to get steal money, not this.
Rick pulled his arm free. “I also came into town with five brothers. I’m leaving with only two. Buck Trammel and Adam Hagen owe me a debt no amount of money could repay now. I intend to collect tonight with or without your help.”
LeBlanc squatted by the fire, took a stick, and began to draw a square representing the town in the dirt. “Gather around, boys, and let me show you how we’re going to spring your friend free.”
CHAPTER 22
Given Trammel’s condition, the mayor had summoned Hagen and Brandt to Trammel’s office to discuss the latest figures of dead and wounded.
Trammel remained on the couch as Hagen and Brandt sat in front of the desk while Mayor Holm began to read from a sheet of paper.
“The latest count provided by Doctor Emily Trammel stands at more than thirty people dead. Since we haven’t been able to reach those closest to the blast, we should expect that number to only go higher in the days ahead. One-hundred-and-ten wounded with the vast majority of them suffering from severe burns and broken bones caused by fire and debris. Several people rescued from the hotel have since lost limbs.”
Trammel said, “Including Deputy Sherwood Blake, who lost an eye.”
Holm sighed as he removed the glasses from his nose and placed them on his desk. “An unmitigated disaster any way you look at it. And I thought Clay’s jailbreak was the worst thing that could ever happen to this town. I suppose we should be grateful that there were no children injured in all of this. I don’t think the town could recover if there had been.”
Hagen sagged in his chair. “I take full responsibility for what happened. The dead and the dying are on my head.”
Trammel was surprised by how quickly Holm shut down that kind of talk. “This is no time for misguided chivalry, Adam. You won’t win any points with anyone here by falling on your sword. It wasn’t your dynamite, and it wasn’t your fault.”
“It wouldn’t have happened if I’d been in the hotel where I belong instead of out looking for Brandt.” He glanced over at the deputy. “No offense.”
“None taken,” Brandt said.
Mayor Holm said, “You might have a point if you had been out gallivanting somewhere, but Trammel tells me you were tracking the Washington Gang in the hopes of freeing Deputy Brandt here.”
“And I’m grateful to you,” Brandt said. “I truly am.” Holm continued. “My strong dislike for both you and Trammel aside, no one can blame either of you for this. How’s your head, Sheriff? I understand you weren’t quite yourself earlier.”
“I’m fine as far as it goes. So are my men. Even Blake insisted on going out on patrol tonight with the others. I’m proud of them.”
“As you should be,” Holm confirmed. “It’ll do the people good to see the law is still keeping an eye on the town despite all of this.” He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. “However, there are some nasty rumors sprouting up that the Washington Gang may have had something to do with this. I’ve done my best to nip that kind of talk in the bud, but between us, there’s no reason to suspect them of being part of it, is there?”
“None,” Brandt said. “They only let me go when we were through the pines across the creek. I didn’t get here until after it happened. There’s no way they could’ve reached Laramie much before I did, not even with hard riding. Besides, they were aiming to stay away from town. I was with them for a long while. I didn’t see any dynamite around and they never mentioned anything about the LeBlanc boys.”
Trammel had already gotten the full story from Hagen earlier. “The LeBlanc boys out of New Orleans did this. They came to town as part of Adam’s cattlemen’s convention, even though they don’t have any cattle. They spent the last few days looking the town over, hoping to get Adam to hire them on as part of his operation. When they saw how much money he was getting by taking bets on this Washington business, they got greedy and decided to go after the safe. Their older brother Wayne got himself killed behind the hotel last night. They blamed Hagen for doing it.”
Holm cocked an eyebrow as he looked at Hagen. “Well? Did you kill him?”
Hagen looked away.
Trammel continued, “From what Rick LeBlanc said before he got away, when they couldn’t open Hagen’s safe, they lit all the dynamite they had to bring down the hotel. He said if they couldn’t get Adam’s money in one way, they’d cost him something in another.”
Holm drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair again. “Any sign of this Rick LeBlanc or his remaining brothers anywhere in town?”
Trammel said, “I killed one of them in the alley and Blake shot another LeBlanc who was trying to escape from the livery. It looks like Rick and his two remaining brothers got away in the confusion after the explosion. I’d have my men look for them—”
“But they don’t know what they look like,” Hagen spat, “and neither do I. They were careful to never allow themselves to be seen together. I only know Wayne and his brother Burt and now Rick. Either of the other two brothers could walk in here right now and I wouldn’t know them.” He pounded his own leg in frustration. “I allowed myself to get rolled in my own place by a bunch of Cajun grifters.”
Holm folded his hands on his desk. “I’m sure you’ll exact a measure of revenge when the opportunity presents itself, Adam, but we have other concerns at present. That’s the other reason why I wanted to meet with all of you tonight. Laramie was troubled when they thought the Washington men were going to ride into town and start shooting everyone. After they’ve had time to get over the initial shock of what’s happened here today, some will be looking to blame someone for it. I don’t think I have to tell any of you what a potent combination fear and anger can be. Add whiskey to the mix and it gets even worse. That is why we need to take some drastic but necessary steps to keep order at all costs.”
Trammel could see where Holm was headed. “Don’t do this, Walt. We’re not up for it.”
The mayor continued. “I’ll be imposing a curfew starting tomorrow night. I want all saloons to close at seven o’clock. No one will be allowed on the streets after eight. LeBlanc and Washington thugs aren’t the only criminals we have in Laramie, and I don’t want anyone getting the idea they can take advantage of the situation.”
Trammel said, “My men haven’t had a chance to rest since this happened. Blake’s hurt bad and the others have been helping out where they can all over town. They’ll be pretty ragged by morning. You can order a curfew if it makes you feel any better, but enforcing it will be a tall order.”
“Which is why I’ll start asking for volunteers to help you out tomorrow. I’m sure there won’t be any shortage of willing men looking to protect their homes and families for a short while. That should give your deputies some time to rest and tend to their injuries.” He looked at Hagen. “Any objections to closing your saloons early?”
“Whatever you think is best. I don’t have it in me to fight you.”
Holm said to Brandt, “Deputy, I hope I can expect you to help out wherever we need you. Having a federal man in town could go far in allowing us to keep everyone calm.”
“A federal man who got himself captured by the Washington Gang probably won’t make people feel any safer, but I’ll do whatever you and Sheriff Trammel want.”
“Then it’s settled.” Holm stood to leave. “I’m sure you men have a long night ahead of you. I plan on making the rounds to see how the rest of the town is faring. I should be easy enough to find if you need me.”
Trammel waited until Holm left before resuming his seat at his desk. He opened his top drawer, found Brandt’s star, and handed it to him. “You ought to have this back. Dib Bishop had it on him when he came to deliver Mahaffey’s demands about you.” He had to remind himself that it had only been a day since Bishop had been in his office. It felt like a lifetime ago.
Brandt pinned the star on his shirt. “What do you want me to do now?”
“Wait until Hawkeye gets back,” Trammel told him. “Have him take you around town. He’ll show you the places you ought to keep your eye on. The streets are pretty straight in all directions, so you won’t have to worry about getting lost. Do anything he asks of you.”
A thought nagged at the back of Trammel’s mind. “You have any idea where Mahaffey was taking his men?”
“No, but I wish I did. They told me to ride straight on for Cheyenne, but with Lefty gone, I figured it would be best if I came back here to help you with Washington. I’m kind of glad I did.”
