The Valeron Code Read online

  Richard turned to look at him. ‘I only wear spectacles when I’m working on a journal or tallying figures. If you wish to get fed today, you will refrain from calling me names.’

  The man pulled a face. ‘Durned if you ain’t starting to sound like one of them Valerons.’

  Rotating about to keep watch out the barred front window of the office, Richard hid the smile that came to his lips. He found Sandoval’s comment to be a compliment, and it felt . . . good.

  ‘What do you think?’ Wyatt asked Julia. ‘Are they the same?’

  The doctor had a small scale and had placed each slug on it to get a reading. She rose up, putting her hands to the small of her back and stretched from having been bending over for several minutes.

  ‘The size and weight are the same,’ she announced. ‘That doesn’t mean both bullets came from the same gun, but it does mean the gun used was the same caliber.’

  ‘It will be good enough,’ Jared said. ‘We know Baron is the man who pulled the trigger.’

  ‘Is there anything else we can use?’ Wyatt asked her. ‘Anything you can tell about the body that might give us more evidence?’

  ‘Mort Walters was in his night clothes, meaning whoever killed him probably dragged him from his bedroom.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Wyatt agreed. ‘We didn’t even find any shoes. This was about as cold-blooded as any murder I’ve ever seen.’

  ‘Shooting Mr Mason in the back was equally cold-blooded,’ Julia said. ‘Any word on when to expect the circuit judge?’

  ‘Two or three days, according to Landau,’ Jared was the one to answer. ‘The judge had one case to hear at Fairfield before he headed our way.’

  Julia took a moment to study the two Valerons. ‘You know Rutherford will have to act. He won’t wait around to stand trial. You’ve gathered too much evidence against him.’

  ‘We are taking every precaution possible,’ Wyatt responded. ‘Now that we know the bullets were likely from the same gun, we can make an arrest or two.’

  ‘You’re out of room at the jail. Where are you going to put any more prisoners?’

  Jared raised his hand like he was in a classroom. ‘We can hang three or four of them? That would make room for new arrests.’

  Julia fixed a quizzical look on Wyatt. ‘Did this character ever meet an outlaw he didn’t want to hang?’

  ‘No, ma’am,’ Wyatt replied. ‘Not to my knowledge.’

  Richard was sitting behind the desk when he heard a rush of footsteps come up to the bolted door. There came a sudden rapping, followed by a panicked voice.

  ‘Open up, Sheriff! Hurry!’

  Richard went to the window and peeked out. It was Dealer Gilmore. He didn’t appear to be wearing a gun, but was looking around expectantly, as if he thought someone would be watching or following.

  Picking up the shotgun, Richard unbolted the door and opened it a few inches. ‘What’s the trouble?’

  ‘It’s Baron and Rudy!’ Dealer gasped the words. ‘They are going to grab your sister. I tried to talk them out of it, but they’re running scared.’

  The news shocked Richard. ‘Why would they take Lynette?’

  ‘For security. They are going to keep her hostage until they get out of the country.’

  Richard frowned. ‘I thought you and Rutherford were in this together?’

  ‘You remember my shooting one of the Barkley brothers? The one who had you by the collar?’ Dealer grunted. ‘Well, that kind of ended our friendship. Rutherford is the one who put them up to kidnapping you!’

  ‘The Valerons are over at the doctor’s house,’ Richard told him.

  ‘There’s no time to waste!’ Dealer said, looking around nervously. ‘They wouldn’t believe me. You’ll have to tell them!’

  ‘But I can’t leave the jail.’

  Dealer hesitated but a moment. ‘I’ll watch the jail. You have to save your sister. I’ve loved her since I met her,’ he confessed. ‘But Rudy holds her responsible for everything that’s gone wrong. He won’t ever let her go. If they take her with them, they will kill her!’

  Richard didn’t know what to do. He had promised to guard the jail. But his sister was in danger; she might be fighting for her life at this very moment.

  ‘All right!’ Richard gave in. ‘You bolt the door and wait for me or Wyatt. I’ll go alert them and hope we’re in time to save my sister!’ Pushing past Dealer, he took the scatter-gun and darted off toward Julia’s place.

  ‘Hurry!’ Dealer called to his back. ‘Don’t let them take Lynette!’

  Richard burst through the mayor’s door to see Julia and the two Valeron boys. They were standing near the covered body of the banker. He practically ranted the story of how Lynette was in danger. Seconds later, the three of them were making their way to the newspaper office.

  Jared went through an alley so he could come in from a different direction. Wyatt and Richard approached cautiously from the front. There was no sign of life as they approached the office door.

  ‘Looks quiet,’ Wyatt whispered to Richard. ‘Keep the shotgun handy.’

  Jared came from the back, panting from the strenuous run. ‘Nothing!’ he gasped. ‘And no one moving around at the livery, not that I could see.’

  Richard tested the front door. It was locked, but it was still an hour before opening time. He put his knuckles to the wood, knocking loudly. After a few moments, both Mason and Lynette appeared on the stairway at the back of the room. It was Lynette who hurried over to open the door for them.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked, immediately concerned.

  ‘Anything wrong?’ Richard asked. ‘Anyone try to get inside in the past few minutes?’

  ‘No,’ Lynette replied. ‘I was having breakfast with Rodney.’

  Jared uttered an intentional grunt. ‘Tell us again, Brooks. Who did you leave in charge of the jail?’

  ‘Dealer said he’d had a falling out with Rutherford, due to his killing one of the Barkley boys.’

  Wyatt sighed. ‘Except we know he only fired on the kidnappers to keep them from telling who had hired them. Dealer was protecting himself.’

  Jared eased out of the office far enough to look up the street. The front door to the jail was open and men were filing out, all of them armed.

  ‘Looks like a major jailbreak taking place, Cuz,’ he spoke to Wyatt. ‘I’d guess this was the plan – get Richard out of the way and turn loose the prisoners.’

  ‘I’m in this with you this time,’ Mason spoke up. ‘Lynette, get me my gun.’

  The lady gave him a loving gaze. ‘I know you have to do this, Rodney,’ she murmured. ‘I’ll help you, but don’t you dare get yourself killed!’

  ‘I promise,’ he said. Then as she swiftly went up the stairs, he turned toward Wyatt. ‘Where is Landau?’

  ‘Room number seven at the hotel. You go get him and meet us out in the street. We’ll try and slow down Rutherford and his men.’

  ‘Has everyone got a gun?’ Dealer asked. ‘We don’t have much time.’

  Rutherford snorted his contempt. ‘What can two or three men do against all of us? If the Valerons take us on, we’ll leave them lying in the street, face down in a pool of their own blood.’

  ‘Don’t look like they are all that scart of us,’ Connor sounded off. ‘Yonder they is and they’re headed this way.’

  Rutherford moved up next to Dealer. His partner heaved a sigh. ‘We should have grabbed the money and had the horses ready. I didn’t want to have to deal with them.’

  ‘Two men and a banker,’ Rutherford dismissed his concern.

  ‘That banker is packing a 10-gauge scatter-gun,’ Baron spoke up from behind the two of them. ‘And Wyatt Valeron is ’bout the most dangerous gunman in this part of the country.’

  Rutherford was smug. ‘There are ten of us. He’d be a complete fool to take on such long odds.’

  ‘They sure enough look like they mean business,’ Sandoval put in.

  ‘I’m not eager for a gunfight,�
� Lafferty muttered.

  ‘You’ll stand with the rest of us,’ Rutherford warned, ‘or else we’ll leave you in one of the jail cells.’

  ‘Everyone get ready,’ Dealer told the group of men. ‘No one get too eager to fire his gun. We might be able to talk our way through this without any killing.’

  ‘I never agreed to that!’ Rutherford sounded off.

  ‘Yeah, well I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. If we kill those two Valerons, their kin will hunt us forever.’

  ‘All right,’ Rutherford conceded. ‘We’ll try it your way first. If you fail, we mow down the three of them and walk over their dead bodies on our way to get our money and pick up the horses.’

  ‘Fan out, men,’ Dealer ordered, moving out to confront Wyatt and his two men.

  Wyatt and Jared slowed to a stop, fifty feet away, as an uneven skirmish line of outlaws formed opposite of them. Wyatt moved one step closer, taking up the position of spokesman. Dealer had already done the same. Every man had their hand on the butt of their gun, all of them primed for a fight.

  ‘I’m asking you men to throw down your weapons,’ Wyatt said in a clear voice. ‘Rutherford, Baron and Dealer, you three are under arrest for the murder of Mort Walters. Surrender your guns; we don’t want a lot of dead bodies today.’

  ‘You are holding a pair of deuces in a jacks-or-better game of cards, Sheriff,’ Dealer replied with a mocking simper. ‘What can you do against so many of us?’

  ‘First off,’ Wyatt ignored the question, pausing to evaluate the string of men. ‘Scraps,’ he spoke to the big man. ‘I’m told you have sore ribs and a fractured jaw. I don’t believe you want to try pulling and firing a gun. The sudden movement would put you on your knees.’

  Dealer laughed at the observation. ‘He’s right, Scraps. Drop your pistol and step over to the porch. We don’t need your gun.’

  The large brute unhitched his gunbelt and let it fall to the ground. Then he lumbered a few steps away to be out of the line of fire.

  ‘How about you two, Sandoval and Connor?’ Wyatt targeted the pair. ‘You boys are only looking at a few months’ time in jail for covering up a murder. Do you really want the law after you for killing a sheriff?’

  There was no humour on Dealer’s face this time. ‘You men work for us!’ he snarled at them. ‘If this comes to gunplay, you’ll do your part and shoot to kill. There’s nine of us and only three of them. We can—’

  ‘Best count again,’ a voice called out, cutting him short.

  All attention went to the walkway leading to the hotel. Rod Mason and Landau were approaching, both armed and ready to fight.

  ‘Mason?’ Dealer was aghast. ‘How the hell—?’

  ‘There are still only five of them!’ Rutherford asserted, moving up to side Dealer. ‘We’ve still got two-to-one odds in our favour.’

  Mason and Landau kept coming until they joined up with Wyatt, then Landau spoke up.

  ‘Got word from the authorities down in Texas,’ he announced. ‘Rudy’s Renegades are wanted for murder, extortion and numerous other crimes. The warrants name all five men: Rutherford, Gilmore, Lafferty, Baron and Scraps.’

  ‘Sounds as if a noose is waiting for each of them,’ Jared said. ‘Are the rest of you willing to die to protect them?’

  ‘Don’t listen to their lies!’ Rutherford shouted to his group.

  ‘Then listen to this!’ Wyatt retorted. With a deadly gaze, he purposely examined the faces of every man in the group. ‘I can kill two of you before you get off a shot, possibly a third man as well,’ he coolly assessed. ‘Jared here will also take a man or two with him. Lightning Rod Mason has beaten two men in a gunfight before, so add that into the mix. As for Landau, he’s nearly as good as Jared – which means he’ll get another one or two of you before he goes down. Brooks here has a shotgun and he’ll fire both loads into your line. I figure his buckshot will kill at least one man and maybe wing a couple more.’

  Wyatt gave his head a negative shake. ‘Way I see it, if this comes to a shootout, every man-jack of you will end up dead or dying on the street.’

  ‘He’s bluffing, men!’ Rutherford growled. ‘We are nine guns to their five. They have no chance against us if we stick together!’

  His declaration was followed by a stressful few moments in time. Stillness, quietude, the air barely stirring with a slight morning breeze. Every man was primed to kill or be killed. Hearts pounded with anticipation and nerves were strained to breaking point. One hiccup, a deep breath – anything could signal the start of a bloody battle.

  Abruptly, the sound of two horses approaching broke the tense moment. Everyone’s attention was averted to a pair of riders. They continued right up to the squared-off units, not stopping until they were next to Wyatt’s position. Purposely, the two turned their horses to face Rutherford’s gang.

  ‘I reckon you need to tally the numbers one more time,’ Wyatt said, displaying a confident grin. ‘These are my cousins, Shane Valeron and Rod Mason’s brother, Cliff. If my count is correct, that makes the reckoning seven to nine.’

  The two climbed down from their horses and moved to stand alongside Wyatt’s group. Both were young, but they were packing iron and appeared capable.

  Wyatt took advantage of the doubt he saw on some of the faces of Rutherford’s men. ‘What about it, Sandoval? Last chance for you and Connor to survive this. Do you want to die for the simple crime of burying a body?’

  Sandoval lifted his hands up, palms out and backed up a step. ‘No way,’ he said. ‘Me and Connor are out of this.’ Giving a signal to Connor, they both dropped their guns.

  ‘Stand over with Scraps,’ Wyatt ordered.

  Rutherford couldn’t believe it. He swallowed hard and looked around. The numbers were now even – seven on each side. And he and Dealer were not gunmen. They had always hired others to do their fighting for them. Before he could get his brain working, Jared directed a challenge to Markum’s three remaining gang members.

  ‘How about you boys?’ he asked the trio. ‘Are you ready to die for Rutherford and Dealer?’

  The one who had surrendered during Markum’s failed ambush replied. ‘We ain’t never done no killin’,’ he said. ‘We rustled a few head of cattle – that’s all.’

  ‘Time to decide if you want to spend a year or two behind bars or end up dead,’ Jared said. ‘No way any of you survive if this comes to gunplay.’

  The one looked at his two companions. At his nod, all three loosened their gunbelts and let them fall. ‘We’re out of it,’ he said. ‘We’ll be in our cell.’

  Even as Rutherford was cursing their cowardice, the three men walked back to the jail.

  Now faced with unbeatable odds, Lafferty threw up his hands.

  ‘It wasn’t me who gave the orders to kill the banker or shoot Mason in the back!’ he cried. ‘Rudy and Dealer – they told Baron to do those jobs. Baron’s the one who did the killing!’

  Baron swore and spun on the ex-mayor. ‘You big-mouth, yella’ dog!’ he snarled. Then, without warning, he drew his gun and pulled the trigger, drilling Lafferty in the chest!

  Wyatt and Rod Mason reacted instantly, both men firing with deadly accuracy. Baron was hit twice and sank to his knees. As his gun slipped from his fingers, he fell alongside Lafferty, both of them stone-dead, sprawled together on the dusty street.

  Jared and Landau had also pulled their guns, but Dealer and Rutherford weren’t about to test their skill against the sheriff or his men. Slowly, deliberately, the two remaining outlaws lifted their hands in defeat.

  ‘Put them four to a cell, Deputy,’ Wyatt instructed Jared. ‘Brooks, you keep them covered with your shotgun until they are safely locked away.’

  Jared waved his gun to start the pair walking. ‘By Jingo!’ he said happily. ‘Looks like we have a couple left to hang.’

  Brooks gathered up Sandoval, Connor and Scraps, and they all filed into the sheriff’s office.

  Soon
as they were off the street, Shane grinned broadly and stuck out his hand to Wyatt. ‘Looks like Cliff and I arrived in the nick of time,’ he said.

  ‘Good thing Rutherford and his men didn’t come out shooting,’ Rod commented, moving over to join them, ‘or you’d have got here too late.’

  ‘Me and Shane had the town in our sights,’ Cliff spoke up. ‘We’d have come in like twin tornadoes if a gunfight had started.’

  ‘Well, I’m durn glad you made it when you did,’ Landau joined the group. ‘I don’t mind telling you, I was sweating blood for a time. That little standoff cost me five years of my life.’

  ‘Funny, you don’t look no older,’ Shane quipped. ‘You’re what – thirty-eight or -nine?’

  Landau grunted. ‘I take it back – we were doing fine without you two.’

  Cliff came forward to shake hands with his brother. Then he stepped back and looked him over. ‘You don’t look any worse for having been shot in the back.’

  ‘Only hurts when I laugh,’ Rod said. ‘If you start telling us again about saving all of our lives, it’d plumb buckle me in the middle.’

  ‘You too?’ Cliff wailed. ‘All I get from the Valerons is flack about this or that. I swear, if it wasn’t for being responsible for taking care of Nessy, I’d ride off and never look back.’

  ‘Shucks, Clifford,’ Wyatt told him, seriously. ‘You know we only rib you because we like you.’

  Jared added: ‘Sure, it’s almost as if you’re one of the family.’

  ‘Besides that,’ Shane concluded, ‘it isn’t your fault that you’re such an easy target. You were pretty much born that way.’

  Cliff pulled a face. ‘Thanks a lot.’

  ‘Wyatt,’ Shane chortled. ‘Wait’ll you hear about the great deal Cliff made with Tish. I tell you, my little sister ought to become a lawyer or politician. She can wheel and deal like no one else on the ranch.’

  ‘Maybe later,’ Wyatt gave Cliff a reprieve from the teasing. ‘You two put up your horses; Rod, you get back to bed; and we’ll all get together in an hour or so to decide what needs to be done here in town.’

  ‘I’ll tend to these two bodies,’ Landau offered. ‘Soon as I get a couple men to help get them off the street, I’ll join Shane at the livery. We need to check on our livestock and figure what to do with any extra mounts.’