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  * * *

  Their customers stayed around a little later than usual on the night just passed, so Ben decided not to tell Rachel about his trip to Austin. He decided to wait until morning and not even then until he had a chance to see what kind of shape Billy was in. The prior night’s activity was played over again by Rachel and Tiny for Annie’s benefit. After breakfast, Ben went to the jail to see how his prisoner was doing. When he got there, Billy was in the process of eating his breakfast, delivered by Mack Bragg. He didn’t have to wait long to discover that Billy had recovered his mental faculties.

  “Well, well, well,” Billy drew out, “if it ain’t my old friend, Mr. Goody-goody Savage.”

  “Glad to see you’re feelin’ your old self,” Ben told him.

  “Yeah, I’m just fine and dandy, if you don’t count this damn cut on the side of my head. But everything on the inside is workin’ just fine, especially my memory. I’m rememberin’ real good how you snuck up behind me and slammed me upside my head when I wasn’t lookin’. That’s the kinda thing a feller don’t forget.”

  “It’s kinda like when a fellow set himself up watching the door with a gun in his lap, waitin’ to shoot you when you walk in, ain’t it?”

  “I was just gonna challenge you to a fair fight out in the street,” Billy claimed, causing Ben to chuckle in response.

  “Is that a fact? If I was like somebody I know, I reckon I woulda just shot you in the back, wouldn’t I, Billy?”

  “You shoulda shot me,” Billy replied. “The sheriff told me you were gonna transport me back to Austin. And I’m tellin’ you right now, I ain’t goin’ back to Austin. I’ll kill you first chance I get, first chance you get careless. You think about that.”

  “Fair enough,” Ben replied. “I ’preciate the warnin’, so I’ll give you one. I’ll give you the chance to have a fair trial, the same as any prisoner the Rangers capture is entitled to. The same as ‘Big Foot’ Kelley and Jack Queen down in Navasota were entitled to but didn’t get.” He looked Billy straight in the eye to deliver the rest of the message. “Make no mistake, Billy, I will shoot you down if you make the first wrong move.”

  “Then I reckon we both know the rules,” Billy remarked. “When are we gonna get started?”

  “When I tell you,” Ben answered and walked out of the cell room. Mack Bragg followed him outside. He went down the two steps to the street before he stopped to talk to the sheriff. “Mack, I probably don’t have to tell you this, but I will anyway. You be damn careful around that man. You heard him say he would kill me first chance he got. Well, the same goes for you. He’s as dangerous as any prisoner you’ve ever locked up, so don’t get careless around him.”

  “I don’t intend to,” Bragg said. “I’m just thinkin’ about that two-day ride you’re fixin’ to take with that scoundrel. You’d better not go to sleep till you turn him over to the authorities in Austin.”

  “I might not,” Ben said. “Looks to me like he’s ready to go. Maybe I didn’t hit him as hard as I thought, so I reckon I’ll take him tomorrow mornin’. It’s a little too late to get started today, so I’ll ask you to keep him just one more night.” He started to leave but paused again. “You know, I’ve been thinkin’, I arrested him for what he was fixin’ to do. If he was to behave himself and make it to trial, a good defense lawyer might say he couldn’t be sentenced on what would amount to bein’ nothing but my word.”

  “Maybe,” Bragg replied, “but he was sittin’ there watchin’ the front door with his pistol in his hand. That pretty much shows what he had in mind to do. And he did fire off one round.”

  “A lawyer could say he was just actin’ in self-defense when I sneaked up behind him.” He shook his head and grimaced. “I’d just hate like hell to tote his ass all the way to Austin and have him find a way to get acquitted.”

  “I heard him say he was gonna kill you, first chance he got,” Bragg insisted. “I could testify for you.” He shrugged and thought to add, “I don’t know if I could be away from Buzzard’s Bluff to go to Austin. I ain’t even got a deputy to watch the town while I was gone.”

  “There’s no use sweatin’ about it,” Ben finally decided. “Takin’ him in and lettin’ the court decide what to do with him is the only thing to do now unless we let him go. And I ain’t ready to do that right now—or ever.”

  “Amen to that,” Bragg stated.

  “So I’ll take charge of him first thing tomorrow mornin’. You can tell Lacy you won’t need breakfast for him in the mornin’. We’re gonna get away from here before breakfast. I’m goin’ to the stable now to see if he’s got any supplies in his packs. No sense in spendin’ my money on supplies for him, if he’s already got some.”

  * * *

  “Howdy, Ben,” Henry Barnes called out from the hay loft of his barn when Ben walked past on his way to the stable door. “You fixin’ to get your horse?”

  “Nope,” Ben answered, “but I’ll be takin’ him out first thing in the mornin’—that Palouse, too. Right now, I’m gonna look through Billy Turner’s packs to see if he’s got enough food to take both of us to Austin.”

  “He might have,” Henry remarked, “I ain’t looked to see what he had in them packs,” he lied. “I don’t reckon a man like that feller does much cookin’.” When he went through the sack the night before, he had found nothing in the line of food but bacon, hardtack, and coffee. “I’ll be right down to help ya.” He hurried back to the ladder and was in the stable alleyway by the time Ben walked in.

  After a few minutes, Ben announced what Henry already knew. “Nothin’ but bacon, hardtack, and coffee, but there’s enough to take us to Austin. So I’ll let Billy pay for our chuck on the trip. If he complains about the food, I’ll just tell him he shoulda put more thought behind his shopping. I’ll take his packhorse, too. It looks better than mine, and it’s used to followin’ along behind that Palouse. I expect I’ll be here about the time you get here in the mornin’. I wanna get an early start—before breakfast. So give ’em some grain tonight.” Henry said he would, and he would make sure they were watered well.

  With that settled, he said so long to Henry and went back to the Coyote where he found Rachel waiting with questions of her own. Her first one was “What will Mack do with that man? Cecil was already complaining last night about the cost of keeping him in the jail for any length of time.”

  “Nothing for the mayor or the rest of the town council to worry about,” Ben assured her. “Billy will be gone tomorrow.”

  “Where’s he goin’?” Tiny asked, overhearing Ben’s answer.

  “He and I are gonna take a little trip to Austin, where we’ll let the Rangers decide what to do with him.”

  “You just got back from Austin,” Rachel complained. “You leaving me here to run this place by myself again?” He smiled at her in reply and she realized how silly that sounded, since she was really the one who took care of the business whether he was there or not.

  “Oh, I think you’ll know what to do,” he japed. “If you run into something you aren’t sure of, ask Tiny what to do.”

  “Kiss my foot,” she responded.

  “If there’s any real trouble, don’t worry, I’ll ask Tuck to keep an eye on the place.” Although he was just joking with her, he still had concerns about the business with the Double-D. It was way too soon to accept the recent peace as a lasting one. Damn you, Billy, he thought. You would have to show up here right now. Getting serious then, he told them there was really no choice in the matter of transporting Billy to Austin. He was the only one who could do it.

  * * *

  The early rays of daybreak found Ben leading Cousin, the Palouse, and Billy’s packhorse down the street to the jail. When he tied the horses at the rail, he was surprised to see Mack Bragg already up and standing in the open doorway. He had halfway expected to have to bang on the door to wake both sheriff and prisoner. “Have any trouble?” Ben asked Mack, who was standing there holding a double-barrel shotgun.
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br />   “No, no trouble,” Bragg answered, “but I’ll be honest with you. If I got any sleep at all last night, it was with one eye open. I don’t believe he closed his eyes all night. Every time I checked on him, he was awake and most of the time talkin’ to himself.” He led Ben into his office and proceeded to unlock the door to the cell room.

  “It’s about time you showed up!” Billy greeted him when he followed Bragg into the cell room. “I’m ready to get started—coulda started last night, in fact,” he went on. “I’m ridin’ my horse, ain’t I? I didn’t hear no jail wagon pull up out front. Let me use this honey mug one more time before we get in the saddle. How ’bout some coffee? You bring my breakfast with ya?”

  Bragg turned to look at Ben. “See what I mean? He runs his mouth all the time, even when there ain’t nobody with him. You’re liable to be plum loco by the time you get to Austin.”

  “I expect he’s tryin’ to do that very thing, anything to keep you distracted,” Ben replied. “I rode with him for a couple of days before this, and he didn’t run off at the mouth then. I reckon he’s tryin’ to wear you out, so you don’t watch him too close.”

  “It’s sure as hell workin’ on me,” Bragg declared.

  “Well, let’s get him outta your hair,” Ben said. “I brought a pair of handcuffs with me. I’ll put them on him before we let him outta his cell.”

  “Hey,” Billy blurted. “Ain’t you gonna feed me no breakfast?” He stared defiantly at Ben. “You remember what I told you, I ain’t goin’ to Austin.” He looked at Bragg then. “Hey, Sheriff, I musta got hold of some rancid bacon last night. I had to sit on that slop bucket again.” He cast an evil grin in Bragg’s direction. “I didn’t wanna mess your bucket up, so I dumped it out on the floor. You might wanna clean it up before you put another prisoner in here.”

  “You son of a...” Bragg started, then raised the shotgun and aimed it at Billy.

  “Uh-oh, un-oh,” Billy mocked him. “Look at that, Ben, he’s fixin’ to shoot me! You’re supposed to protect your prisoner. Ain’t that the code of the Texas Rangers?”

  “It’s like this, Billy,” Ben finally answered him. “You’re goin’ to Austin one way or another. If you quit brayin’ like a donkey and behave yourself, you can go sittin’ up in the saddle. If you keep actin’ like a horse’s ass, you’ll go gagged, bound hand and foot, and thrown over the saddle. Might as well make up your mind which way it’s gonna be ’cause I don’t intend to put up with any trouble outta you. You’ll get breakfast when I get breakfast. So, what’s it gonna be?”

  “I’ll set in the saddle,” Billy said. “I’ll be good. It’s my saddle, ain’t it—on my horse?”

  “That’s right,” Ben answered, “your saddle, your horse. I want you to have a real comfortable ride to Austin. So put your hands behind you and back up to the bars.”

  “Ah, come on, Ben, is that necessary? I told you I’d be good.”

  “Put ’em behind you and back up, or you’re gonna ride lyin’ on your belly across the saddle,” Ben threatened.

  “All right, all right.” He backed up to the bars and put his hands behind him. Ben quickly locked the handcuffs on his wrists. “You’ll take these off while I’m in the saddle, right? It’s inhumane to make a prisoner ride all day with his hands behind him.”

  “Maybe,” Ben allowed. “It’s a lot more humane to shoot the prisoner, so he won’t mind the trip at all. If I remember correctly, that’s your way, ain’t it? You won’t need your hands, anyway ’cause I’ll be holdin’ the reins of that fancy Palouse. All you’ll have to do is relax and enjoy the ride.”

  “All right,” Billy said, “I’ll admit, I was havin’ a little fun with you, but I can’t even scratch my nose with my hands cuffed behind me. As one Ranger to another, I give you my word, I won’t try nothin’. I’d just be a helluva lot more comfortable with my hands free. And like you said, you’ll be holdin’ my reins. I can’t do nothin’.”

  “I appreciate your attitude, Billy. Oh, and by the way, when I saddled your horse this mornin’, damnedest thing! There was one of those little two-shot pocket pistols stuck back up in the gullet under your saddle horn. Well, don’t you know I pulled that outta there. You mighta accidentally shot yourself.”

  “You dirty swine,” Billy growled.

  “Open the door,” Ben said to Mack as he drew his six-gun and the sheriff unlocked the cell and stood back to let Billy out. Billy took a couple of steps back as if about to refuse to come out. Then he suddenly lunged toward Mack, pretending to attack. Startled, the sheriff jumped backward, almost stumbling, causing Billy to throw his head back and laugh. That was enough to make Ben lose his patience with Billy’s efforts to intimidate the sheriff. He placed a boot in the center of Billy’s behind with sufficient force to knock him off balance and send him stumbling out the cell room door. With his hands behind his back, he couldn’t catch himself, and crashed to the floor belly-first. “How much more do you wanna play?” Ben growled as he lifted him up on his feet. “Now, walk out that door, or do you need another boot in the ass to help you?”

  With an assist from Ben, Billy was settled in the saddle, sullen and silent until Ben grabbed one of his boots and slipped a loop of rope over it. “Hey!” Billy protested. “What the hell are you doin’?”

  “Just wanna make sure you don’t fall off and hurt yourself,” Ben said and tossed the other end of the rope under the horse’s belly, then went to the other side to tie it to Billy’s other foot. Satisfied that Billy couldn’t jump off the horse, even if he tried, he climbed up on his horse after securing Billy’s reins to Cousin’s saddle. To Mack, standing there watching the preparation to ride, Ben said, “If I don’t have any trouble with my prisoner, I oughta be back in four days, maybe five, depending what I have to do when I get to Austin.” He cocked his head to give Billy a look. “If I do have trouble with him, I’ll most likely be back sooner.” He started to turn Cousin away from the rail but paused. “I forgot about this.” He reached in his pocket and pulled the two-shot derringer out, then tossed it to Bragg. “It ain’t loaded. I took the bullets out.” Scowling, Billy made no comment.

  “Keep your eye on that black-hearted devil,” Bragg cautioned him. “He’ll kill you if you give him half a chance.”

  Ben nodded, saying nothing, but Billy leaned toward the sheriff as they pulled away from the jail. “You can count on it, Sheriff.”

  The initial signs of an awakening little town began to appear as lights in several store windows suddenly flickered into life. But there was no one on the street other than the two men riding down the middle of it, a long ride ahead of them.

  CHAPTER 19

  On a trail now familiar to him, Ben led his prisoner across a wide-open stretch of prairie toward a camping site he had used on his last trip to Austin. It was on a creek bank a little over twenty miles from Buzzard’s Bluff, and there was grass for the horses as well as plenty of wood for a fire. No longer japing and noisy, Billy Turner rode in stoic silence, a state brought about when he learned of Ben’s discovery of his hidden pocket pistol. Before that, his mood had been downright carefree, knowing that once he was back on his horse, he would have a weapon handy and the broad back of Ben Savage for a target. He was faced with a much more difficult task now to secure his freedom. There was nothing for him but to be ready when the slightest opportunity presented itself. And he knew from his brief period riding with Ben Savage that the opportunities would be rare. He had never harbored many fears in his life, and he had always enjoyed the powerful feeling he experienced when taking another man’s life. When he had joined the Texas Rangers, it gave him the opportunity to enjoy that feeling without fear of reprisal. There was only one fear that haunted him, and that was the fear of dying of strangulation by hanging. He had often been placed in circumstances that might have caused him to be shot. He had never experienced any fear of that possibility. But to be hanged by the neck, like a helpless pig at a hog killing, was abhorrent to his inner soul. For tha
t reason, he was sincere when he said he would not permit Ben Savage to hand him over to the hangman.

  They rode on in silence until reaching the first camp site. Ben picked out one of the occasional trees on the bank of the creek and pulled the horses under the shade of its branches before dismounting. He said nothing to Billy as he went about the business of unlocking his hands but leaving the cuffs on one wrist. He let him stretch his arms for a couple of minutes, his gun in hand, before he ordered him to put his hands together in front of him. Billy hesitated, the cocky smile returning to his face. “What if I don’t?” he threatened. “You gonna shoot me?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m gonna do,” Ben replied. “But I’m not gonna kill you. I’m just gonna give you a round in the shoulder, maybe another in the leg, to make sure you ain’t gonna give me any more trouble. If you ain’t willin’ to cooperate with me, I don’t plan to give you anything to eat till I turn you over to Captain Mitchell in Austin. So make up your mind now on whether or not you’re gonna put those hands in front of you, so you can eat.” To show he meant what he said, he cocked the hammer back on the Colt six-gun.

  Billy gazed stoically at him for a few moments before putting his wrists together. “You would, too, wouldn’t you?” He sneered as Ben quickly snapped the cuff closed around his other wrist.

  Ben untied the rope around one of Billy’s boots, so he could get his feet out of the stirrups, then stood back from the horse, covering him with his pistol. “All right, get down off the horse.” When Billy did so, Ben said, “Walk over to that tree and sit down with your feet on both sides of it.”

  “Ah, hell,” Billy protested. “There ain’t no need for all this fuss. You’re holdin’ the gun, I can’t do nothin’.”