go raiding. They make war to 'take death from their enemies." They raid
to fill their bellies. I haven't met an Apache yet who would leave dead
cattle scattered with the corpses of men."
"Who the hell knows or cares what Apache!" von Heusen thundered.
"It doesn't matter. Maybe it was Comanche" -- "Running River denies it."
"There are more tribes of Comanche!" "Yes, there are," Jon said softly.
"But the Comanche know what doin too.
it to man.
"Of course, the whites have been scalping for a long time now. I read
somewhere that they started scalping way back in the east in the sixteen
hundreds. But still. White men in a hurry do a sloppy job. Neither a
Comanche nor an Apache would do a sloppy job. No matter what his hurry."
"Takes an Inj un to know I" someone muttered.
"Maybe we ought to string him up. Who knows? Maybe he's some renegade in
charge of the party that did it himself!" von Heusen said.
"Let's hang him!"
"Let's see you try!" Jon said very softly. "Hold it! Hold it!" von
Heusen said.
"Now listen, Joe Smart and his family are dead. And this property is'
going to go up for public auction. Now I have" -- Tess had taken his
statement as her cue. She threw open the door and stepped onto the porch
behind Jon.
"Correction, von Heusen. I am not dead."
Even in the dusky light that sifted down from the moon and the stars,
Tess could see the startled look that flashed briefly across yon
Heusen's features.
He was a lean man, tall, spare. His features were almost cadaverous, his
cheekbones sucked in, his chin very long and pointed. His eyes were coal
black, and they seemed to burn from his skull. He sat atop his horse
well, though. Jon had his repeating rifle aimed right at his heart, and
von Heusen still sat casually, his hands draped over the pommel.
Around him were four of his men. He had about twenty hired guns on his
place. Only four of them were with him.
Tess didn't like it. He usually paid his visits with an escort of at
least eight to ten.
It made her wonder where the rest of his men might be. Von Heusen found
his voice at last.
"Why, Miss. Smart.
I am delighted to see you alive and well."
" Like hell you are, von Heusen.
"That's uncalled for, ma'am."
"Be damned, you carpetbagging riffraff, but it is."
"Someone ought to wash your mouth out with a little soap, lady. I just
came by" -- "You just came by to rob Joe of everything he ever had, now
that you've murdered him!"
"You watch your accusation there, Miss. Stuart."
"It's the truth. You know it, and I know it. And somehow, I'm going to
prove it!"
Von Heusen was smiling.
"I don't think so, little lady. No, I don't think so. You want to know
what I do think?" He leaned toward her. It was just a fraction of an
inch and he was still far away, but the gesture made her tremble inside.
"I think that this ranch was meant to be mine, Miss. Stuart. Now I've
offered you good money for it. Real good money.
And you still don't want to sell. Miss. Stuart, I want you out of town."
"I'm not leaving."
"I wouldn't be so adamant, little lady. You may find that you leave in
one way or another."
"You threatening her, von Heusen?" Jori asked. "She seems to think that
I'm guilty of something," von Heusen said.
"The whole damned town can tell you that I was in the saloon playing
cards the day the Indians attacked the Stuart train. The whole damned
town can tell you that. But still, if the lady is so worried and so
certain, well then, maybe she ought to plan on riding out of town. What
do you think?"
"I think that you should give reasonable thought to the idea of riding
out of town yourself, yon Heusen," Jon warned quietly.
Von Heusen started to laugh.
"On the word of a half- breed Indian?"
He started to Urge his mount closer to the porch. Jori fired a shot that
must have sizzled a hairbreadth from the man's cheek. Von Heusen went as
pale as the clouds. boss"-- one of Von Heusen lifted a hand.
"Calm down now, boys. Just because Miss. Stuart's resorting to violence
is no reason that we should. We'll be riding off now. But you remember
what I said, Miss. Stuart. I'd hate to see you leaving town other than
all dressed up right pretty and in a comfortable stagecoach!" He smiled
at her.
"It is good to see you alive and well. Such a pretty, pretty woman. And
all that blond hair. Blond hair alone is worth a pretty penny in certain
places, did you know that?"
He stared at Tess. As he did so, she suddenly realized that she could
smell smoke.
Suddenly she knew where the rest of yon Heusen's men were. The smoke was
coming from the direction of the card age house. The printing press was
in the wagon still, and the wagon was next to the buckboard and the
chaise in the carriage house.
And so far, it had been a dry summer. If the carriage house went up in
flames, the blaze could quickly spread to the house, to the barn, even
to the stables. Von Heusen was smiling.
"You bastard!" she hissed at him. Jon hadn't moved; he didn't dare.
If he moved the rifle a hair yon Heusen just might decide to take
advantage and shoot them all down. They stood there, locked in the
moment, yon Heusen staring at Tess with a smile, Tess staring at him,
hating him so fiercely that she should have been able to have willed him
dead. It was lost now.
All lost. The house, Joe's house. The press.
It didn't even seem to bother yon Heusen that he would slaughter all the
horses.
Then suddenly, in the midst of yon Heusen's triumph and her own despair,
a commotion sounded from the direction of the carriage house. There was
still smoke issuing from it--no sign of fire yet.
But men suddenly spilled out of it. Four of them, their hands held high
above their heads. They nearly tripped as they walked, for someone had
apparently ordered them to lower their breeches, and their pants were
tight around their ankles.
Three of them wore long johns; the fourth must have been buck naked.
Tess only caught a glimpse of his bare legs, as he managed to stay
behind the other three.
"Tarnation!" yon Heusen swore.
"You fools! What in bloody hell is going on" -- He broke off and never
finished his question. From the smoke of the carriage house, another man
appeared.
Tess felt her heart catch.
It was Jamie. He had a single gun trained on the men and he followed
them out with the casual air yon Heusen had had.
The men kept walking forward. The half-naked one paused, and Jamie
nudged him forward.
"Ladies, do excuse me," Jamie apologized, "but they seemed to be a
little more docile and trustworthy in this fashion."
"I'll kill you yet!" one of them muttered. "Well, I don't doubt that you
intend to try," Jamie assured him. Then he stared at the men still
mounted upon their horses.
"Which one of you is yon Heusen?"
"I am Richard von Heusen. Who the hell are you?"
"Jamie Slater. But that doesn't matter. What does matter is that I own
part of this spread now. And I'll thank you kindly to keep yourself and
your half-sawed ruffians off my property, is that understood?"
"Your property" -- yon Heusen began.
"My property, yes. Now, take your arsonist friends here and move."
"You must be mistaken. Why would my men set fire to anything here?"
"Who knows why? But that was what they were doing. Ordinarily, of
course, I'd want to get to know my new neighbors. But since you and the
Stuarts don't seem to be very good friends, I really don't think you