Cutner swatted at flies buzzing around his crotch. “Ole Ax is obsessed,” he said. “Wanted that brother of his dead. Wanted all the man’s money. And by God he’s intent on having both of ’em.”
“Safe fulla money, huh?” Boz said.
“Yeah. Swear that’s all I know, fellers. Swear it.” He cried and whimpered some more before adding, “Don’t know nothin’ else. If you’re gonna kill me, might as well get at it right now. Gonna leave me here to bleed out, best head east and burn leather for Uvalde. Bet everything I ever had, that’s where Ax Webb is right this minute.”
I turned to Boz. “If Axel didn’t find whatever it is he’s looking for the first time he searched the place, it’ll likely take him a spell this time for sure. Bet he’ll still be digging around inside the senator’s house a week from now. Means he’ll likely have to tear the place down to the foundation ’fore he finds anything.”
“Guess there’s no real hurry then, is there,” Boz said.
“Not for you and Glo,” I said.
Boz strolled over so he could stand next to me. He turned his back on Cutner and went to whispering. “What the hell’s that mean, Lucius?”
“I want you and Glo to take the girl back to the ranch. See to it she’s cared for. Figure the ordeal should be a lot easier on her if she’s back there. I’ll deal with her sorrier’n hell uncle.”
Boz twisted his neck back and forth. I could hear the bones grind and pop against each other. “We’ve been through somethin’ of a shit storm with this ’un, Lucius. I figured on seein’ it right up to the gruesome end—whatever that might turn out to be. Cain’t say as how I’m all that happy with your plan.”
I placed a hand on my friend’s shoulder. “You’ve gotta get Clementine out of here and back to the ranch, Boz. Doubt Glo can do the job alone. Might turn out a full-time nursin’ task ’fore she’s able to get up and get around again. Not sure any of us should take on such a chore single-handed. Figured as how you wouldn’t mind goin’ on back with him. Girl’s life might depend on it. ’Tween the two of you, I have no doubt Clem’ll be seen to with all proper diligence.”
“And Ax Webb? What’re you gonna do about him, Lucius?”
“Don’t you worry bout that skunk, ole friend. I’ll take care of Axel Webb myself.”
About then, I heard Glo say, “Mistuh Dodge. Mistuh Dodge. Gots to get over here. Little girl done woke up.”
With Boz hot on my heels, I hoofed it to a spot beside the filthy bed. I took Clem’s tiny hand in mine. The beaten girl’s eyes were so swollen, I bent as close as I could in the hope she might be able to see me. Near to whispering when I said, “Clem. Can you hear me, Clem? It’s Ranger Dodge. Come on, darlin’, say something for me.”
A single, crystalline tear rolled from the corner of one blackened eye and streamed down the side of her bruised, encrusted cheek like a miniature salty creek. Her voice sounded like a rat-tailed file going through petrified oak when she said, “Ranger Dodge?”
Tell you true, friends, at that unexpected moment, my heart soared. Never figured to get such a response from anyone as badly beaten as she appeared. “Yes, child. It’s Ranger Dodge. I’m right here with Boz and Glo. We came for you, darlin’. Came as fast as we could. You’re gonna be okay. We’ll see to it.”
She twisted atop the sorry pile of raggedy, blood-spattered bedding. “Sorry I ran away. S-should’ve waited. But I was so angry. So angry. Made a terrible, terrible mistake. All my fault. Hope you can forgive me.”
I bent over and placed as tender a kiss as I could manage on her blood-smeared brow—perhaps the only undamaged spot on her entire body. Leaned back and whispered, “Oh, none of this is your fault, darlin’, none of it. Whole of this tragedy falls on the head of a single man, and I’m gonna make it right. Just like I swore to you I would out by Devils River. Gonna make it right.”
Not sure the terribly damaged child heard anything I said after I planted that kiss on her forehead. When I’d wiped away a tear of my own and checked once more, she looked to have lost consciousness again.
I placed her limp hand on the bed. “Glo, I want you to carry Clem outside. Take her up on the hill where we left the horses. Got one more thing I’ve gotta do. Then we can all be on our way.”
Glo nodded. He lifted Clem from the bed as if she didn’t weigh any more than a bag of feathers. Boz and I watched as they disappeared through the door.
I glanced over at Boz. He forced a tight, crooked smile, then said, “Misjudged you, Dodge. Sounds to me like you’ve got somethin’ special in mind for the phantom-like Mr. Webb.”
Came near whispering again when I said, “Yes. Something special. Something very special.” I bumped him on the arm with my fist and added, “Gimme ole Mad Dog’s pistol.”
On my way to the sorry pile of human flesh propped against the back wall, I shucked all the shells from his big Smith & Wesson. I squatted in front of the man and made a show of shoving one bullet back into the empty revolver. Snapped the piece closed, then said, “Should kill you for what you did to her, Cutner.”
Eyes clenched shut, brows pinched in pain over his hawk-like beak of a nose, Eagle “Mad Dog” Cutner slobbered on himself. I thought the man would break down crying when he sniveled, “Prolly. Yeah, you prolly should, Dodge. Wouldn’t blame you if’n you did. Know I’d k-kill you, given half a chance. ’Sides, never fooled myself. Always figured my life would come to some such sorry end.”
I got to my feet and pitched the pistol onto the floor. The heavy weapon made a loud thumping noise when it landed at Cutner’s feet. “One shell in the gun. If’n I was you, I’d use it wisely. But you know, I’m figurin’ you for gutless, Cutner. Yeah, figure you’ll just slink off and vanish into nothing.”
Ole Mad Dog groaned like he might die just any second. He twisted his head to one side, as if he didn’t want to look at me, or hear what I had to say. But his behavior didn’t stop me.
“But should you decide to get off your worthless behind and go on with the rest of whatever remains of your sorry life, know this. You commit so much as one crime that comes back to my ears—spit on a sidewalk, get drunk and rowdy, kick a wayward dog, say so much as howdy to the wrong woman, whatever—we’ll drop everything we’re doing to come find you. And when we do, I swear on my mother’s grave, I’ll hitch your arms and legs to horses, whip ’em up and let ’em pull you apart. String your guts on barbed wire fences all over south Texas.”
And with that, I motioned for Boz to follow me. We hit the door and headed for the hill where Glo had laid Clem out in the dwindling afternoon shade. He’d already started work on a pole drag, so she’d be as comfortable as possible for the trip back to our Devils River lease.
Had just thrown a leg over my mount when I heard the shot—muffled, barely discernable up where we were. I gazed toward heaven and said, “Thank you, Lord. Already spilled enough blood over this business as it is.”
Boz slapped me on the leg. “Yeah, but you’ve got one more to go. Sure you’ll recognize Axel Webb, Lucius?”
I pulled my bandanna and set to wiping the sweat out of my hat. “Well, we buried his brother. Been my experience that brothers do have a tendency to look a lot alike. So, figure I shouldn’t have any trouble in that particular area.”
He extended his hand and shook mine. “You be careful, Lucius. Webb’s already proven himself an extremely dangerous man. Responsible for more killin’s in a shorter time than anybody we’ve brought to book in years. Be more’n willin’ to bet the ranch, he ain’t gonna like bein’ run to ground for this mess.”
I grinned back and said, “Yeah, think you’ve hit that nail right on the head, Boz. But, hey, he doesn’t know me, either. Or that death’s coming along for the ride.”