Confederate Express Closure
By Yankee01754
The smell of kerosene and smoke, from the fire at the blacksmith's shop, was still in the air when Mort Cory returned to Laramie. He looked around until he located the source of the smell.
"What happened here?" he asked the blacksmith as he approached the shop.
"Fella by the name of Grundy knocked me out, and set my place on fire before he went to rob the bank."
Hearing this, Mort headed for the bank. There he was told the story of the robbery and the gunfight between the three Kerrigans and Matt Grundy. He also heard about Slim Sherman being wounded when he called to Grundy to stop and warned the Kerrigans about the grenade Grundy had thrown.
On his way to the hotel he stopped to question witnesses to the events. When he met up with Long Kingsbury he heard how the Kerrigans had beaten Jess Harper so badly Lon, alerted by his son and a friend, had had to help him to the hotel where Slim was waiting.
Before going to the hotel Mort went to the saloon where he found the three Kerrigans sitting at a table in the corner where the men of Laramie were studiously ignoring them.
"Your name Kerrigan?" he asked.
"Yeah, what's it to you?" Amos, the oldest and leader asked.
"You're under arrest for the assault on Jess Harper. Hand your guns over. I'm locking you up until I have a chance to talk to Jess and Slim and hear their story."
Gathering their guns he waved his at the trio and took them to the jail where he locked them up and then headed for the hotel.
Jess was sound asleep in the bed of the hotel room Slim had paid for. His face was pale and bruised but the cuts inflicted by the rock splinter and the beating had been cleaned up. The doctor had reassured Slim that his friend would be fine but he wanted them to stay overnight so that he could check him out before letting him go home.
"I want to be sure that he doesn't suffer any lasting effects from the beating or the drug Grundy gave him," he explained to Slim "Keep an eye on him. If he has an trouble breathing or any pain send someone to get me." He patted Slim on his good arm as he left. "You get some rest too."
Mort stopped at the front desk, in the lobby of the hotel, to find out which room the boys were in. A wrathful Firth began complaining.
"I tell you sheriff, they've been nothing but trouble since they got here. Shootings, jeopardizing the lives of my guests..."
"Firth, I'm not interested in your complaints," the lawman told him. "Not now anyway. I just want to know which room Slim and Jess are in."
Indignantly, the mousy hotel manager told him. With a nod, Mort turned from the desk and started up the stairs. When the Laramie sheriff got to the door of his friends' room he knocked quietly and called Slim's name.
"Slim? It's Mort."
After a minute he heard footsteps and the sound of the bolt being slid back. A tired looking Slim Sherman cracked the door and smiled when he saw Mort's anxious face.
"Mort. When did you get back?"
"About an hour ago. Aren't you going to let me in?"
"Sure but let's keep our voices down. Jess is asleep."
Mort stepped quickly, and quietly, into the room. Keeping their voices to a whisper the lawman and the rancher brought each other up to date on the events of the last two days.
"I talked to Leroy at the blacksmith shop," Mort said. 'He told me about the fire. I also stopped at the bank and talked to the employees who were in the bank at the time of the robbery. They told me how you got shot trying to stop that Grundy fella."
"It's nothing," Slim said. "Doc fusses too much. I admit it was a bit painful at first, but I'll survive."
Mort walked over to the bed and looked down on the sleeping Jess.
"I also talked to Lon Kingsbury. He told me about the beating Jess took." He frowned as he looked at the young Texan's pale and bruised face. "I also talked to the doc. He told me about Jess being drugged."
"It made him pretty sick but the doc brought him around with some stuff he called digitalin." Slim briefly laid a gentle hand on his partner's forehead. "He wants us to stay overnight. I'm to keep an eye on Jess for side effects. So far so good. No fever or pain. He's worn out by the beating and the stuff Grundy gave him. Doc says he needs rest and sleep for the next couple of days but he'll be all right."
"I found the Kerrigans at the saloon. They're locked up in the jail for the beating. Jess is well within his rights to press charges against them." Mort frowned as he and Slim moved back to the doorway still speaking in low tones - almost a whisper.
Jess stirred slightly, then settled again with a sigh.
"The town owes you boys. The sheriff's office is footing the bill for your supper and the room. I'll tell Firth to refund your money." Mort grinned mischievously at Slim. What I ought to do is tell him that the hotel owes it to you to give you the room for nothing. After all it has money in the bank and so does he."
Slim grinned appreciatively and chuckled quietly. "You'll have to do it when Jess can see his face. He'll be very disappointed if he can't watch his face turn purple when you spring the news on him."
"You two stop by and see me before you go back to the ranch. I'd like to try the Kerrigans for assault but it's Jess' call. I'm going to hold them for a few days to give them time to think about what they did." Mort opened the door to leave. "Send word to the cafe when you're ready to eat. I'll make the arrangements to have your meals delivered when you're ready." He took one last look at his sleeping friend and said, "Take care of Jess and that arm of yours." Then he left the room and quietly closed the door behind him.
Sherman went back to the bed. He found Jess to have a slightly elevated temperature so he soaked a small towel the doctor had used earlier, wrung it out and laid it on his friend's forehead. Jess' eyes opened briefly.
"Thanks pard," he said before drifting off again.
Around six the invalid roused long enough to eat a bowl of soup before going back to sleep.
It was nine o'clock the next morning before the partners were ready to leave.
Jess was still a bit weak and unsteady, so Slim stayed right by his side as they made their way to the sheriff's office. One look at Jess' white face and Mort was all but pushing him into a chair.
"Are you sure you're ready to go home?" he asked his friend concernedly.
"I'm fine," Jess insisted.
"Doc said it was okay as long as he goes straight to bed when we get home," Slim said. 'He's going to feel the effects of that beating and the polo tokia for a few days yet." He rubbed his sore arm without knowing it and felt the sheriff's eyes on him. "I'm fine. Just restricted to light duty - no heavy work for a week."
"Hm. I'll bet Daisy will keep you two out of trouble until Doc gives you both a clean bill of health," Mort grinned at the thought.
"She'll probably put Jess to bed as soon as we get home," Slim grinned back.
Jess was quiet during the exchange. His friends looked at him in concern.
"I think you two need to start for home. Before you do," Mort said, "I want to know if you're going to press charges against the Kerrigans."
"Yes," Slim said.
'I don't know," Jess responded.
"You don't know/" his partner was astounded. "Jess, they lured you into that warehouse, threatened to kill you and beat you. They left you there, in that warehouse, badly hurt."
"I know that, but the thing is they were right about Grundy bein' no good. We didn't give them a chance to explain anything."
"They didn't ask for a chance, remember? They just rode in and demanded that we turn him over.
Jess looked at the other men earnestly, "Yeah, but don't forget that Grundy's the one who fired the first shot at the ranch - claimin' that one of the Kerrigans was goin' for a derringer in his boot."
"Jess, they practically beat you within an inch of your life."
"But Grundy's the one who drugged me."
Mort rolled his eyes, took a deep breath and put a stop to the argument.
"Enough! Both of you stop it right now!" He fixed them both with the fatherly glare he reserved just for them. "I'm going to propose a compromise here. The Kerrigans had no business taking the law into their own hands. The marshal, in Sheridan, isn't happy with them and he's going to have a lot to say to them when they get back there."
"Good!" Slim was happy to hear it.
"You said something about a compromise. What do you have in mind?" Jess asked.
"What I propose is this - I keep the Kerrigans in jail for a week. That gives them time to think about what they did - shooting up the ranch and beating you. After a week I hit them with a stiff fine for disturbing the peace and they pay the doc for taking care of you and tending to Slim's arm. They'll also pay the costs for Grundy's burial. The reward money goes to Slim by rights anyway since he's the one who caught up to Grundy and killed him in the act of attempting to escape after he robbed the bank." He frowned at his two young friends. "Will that satisfy you?"
Slim and Jess looked at each other for a long moment. Slim still wanted more in the line of justice but nobody had been hurt in that first encounter with the Kerrigans and, truth be told, Jess' temper probably was partly responsible for the fight in the warehouse. It also wasn't the first time he'd fought more than one opponent and came out on the short end of the stick.
For his part, Jess was more or less willing to let bygones be bygones. The Kerrigans hadn't hurt him any worse than Grundy's Cheyenne hunting stuff had. Maybe a week in jail for what they did was sufficient along with paying the fines, the doctor bills and burial costs.
Suddenly Slim grinned. "I don't care about the reward - except that I promised Grundy I'd make sure his wife got it but it certainly is ironic that they should have to forfeit it and pay the doc and burial expenses " He and Jess exchanged looks again.
"Yes. Do it. They came to the ranch on horseback. Maybe you should confiscate, and sell their horses. Leave them enough money for the stage and require an apology to Daisy and Mike for endangering them during the shootout when they came after Grundy."
"All right. Now you two go get on that stage. I had Leroy tie your horses to the back of the stage since I didn't figure Jess would be in any shape to ride home."
Mort saw them to the door and watched them get on the morning stage. Jess didn't look too good right now but the lawman knew Daisy to be a competent nurse who would see to his recovery as well as Slim's.
Once the stage pulled out he went back into his office. He really relished the idea of the conversation he was about to have with his three prisoners.