The Premature Death of Beauregard Maverick

Chapter 1 – Ghost from the Past

"I told you he'd catch up to you someday, didn't I?" Those words came from Bentley Maverick, otherwise known as Ben, the younger brother of the nattily dressed man standing next to him at the bar.

"Yeah, but how did I know it'd be this soon?" This from the older brother, Beauregard Maverick.

"Soon? It's taken him twenty years, Beau!"

"That's what I mean!" Beau took another swallow of the black liquid in his coffee cup before setting the cup down. "How can you take a threat seriously when the man that made it waits twenty years to carry it out?"

"Vic's brother says he's been lookin' for you all this time."

Beauregard snorted. "And I been so danged hard to find, ain't I? I been livin' in the same small town all that time, not hidin' from nobody, just raisin' my boys and stayin' outta trouble. Unlike Vic."

Ben almost laughed. His brother had the strangest definition of 'stayin' outta trouble.' But, unlike Vic Hansboro, Beauregard Maverick had never spent longer than three days in a row in jail. And he'd certainly never been in prison. That was a claim Vic couldn't make, with at least ten years courtesy of Beau's testimony at his trial.

"Even so, you'd be wise to keep wearin' that pistol of yours. At least until you know if Vic still wants to kill you or not."

"Aw, he didn't mean it when he first said it. Too much time's passed since then; Vic probably don't even remember threatenin' me. Besides, what was I supposed to do? They were gonna take Bret and Bart if I didn't testify. Testify or run, those were my only two choices. Them boys needed stability – and I gave it to 'em. If he wants to get even with me for what I did, I guess he'll just have to."

"Make sure you're always heeled. Ya can't afford to get caught naked if he finds ya. I ain't gonna bury nobody else up on the hill."

Before Beau could say anything else, the two men that he and Ben had been waiting for walked up to the bar. Both tall and dark, the oldest one looked almost exactly like Beauregard; the younger one not as much, but there was still a resemblance that marked him as a Maverick, too. The aforementioned 'boys,' now all grown up, wondering just what had left so much concern on their Pappy's face. Beau's mirror image spoke first.

"Hey, Pappy, we got time for some coffee, too? We sure could use one."

"Or two or three," added the younger one, Bart by name.

Ben gave his brother a look that Beau ignored, instead draping an arm around each son. "Sure you can, boys." He turned his immediate attention to the older one. "Played all night, didn't ya?"

His look-alike nodded and yawned. "You knew we were gonna, Pappy. Ain't no sense comin' to Abilene and sleepin' in the hotel room all night. You'd never let us live that down, would you?"

"Besides, we won all night," Bart told him.

"Of course you did, Bartley, you're Mavericks."

The oldest son, Bret, winked at the younger one. They both appeared to be about twenty years old, although Bret was, in actuality, just about to turn twenty-two. The trip to Abilene had been a nice, early get-away birthday present, and they'd arrived just yesterday afternoon.

"Say, Pa, let's go get breakfast. And Bret will buy, because he won the most." Bart smiled at his brother, knowing that once the suggestion was out in the open, Bret wouldn't dare back down.

"Yeah, Pappy, let's do. Breakfast sounds real good, especially with the four of us here. I can tell you all about the three straight flushes that I drew last night."

Bart groaned. "Not again. If I have to listen to that story one more time . . . "

Ben nodded his head and grabbed Bret by the arm. "Breakfast is a real good idea, Beauregard. Especially when neither one of us has to buy it." He looked straight at the elder Maverick of the group and then inclined his head towards a Faro game going on in the back of the room. It took Beau a minute to catch on, but he finally saw what Ben was gesturing towards – a man that appeared to be a much older looking Vic Hansboro.

"Well, you're gonna hafta listen to it, Bart. Because we're goin' to breakfast and Bret's buyin'." Beau hooked his youngest son's arm and led them towards the dining room, away from the gambling saloon. His brother Bentley had been right, at least partially right – Hansboro was here in Abilene. Was that a coincidence, or was Vic still tracking him after all these years?

Beau let his mind wander back to the days when Vic and Tyler Wilkes were good friends with the Maverick brothers – gambling companions, as it were. Ben's wife Abigail had been dead for several years, but Isabelle Grayson Maverick had succumbed to Valley Fever a mere six months ago. Beau had almost lost his mind with her death; as a matter of fact, he made a serious attempt one night to kill himself. A few weeks later Vic and Tyler proposed a trip out of town – to Dallas, to try and get Beauregard's mind on something that wasn't Isabelle. Lily Mae (Ben's housekeeper) volunteered to take care of all three boys at Ben's house, and Beau was finally persuaded to go, against his better judgment.

The trip was a disaster from beginning to end. The four men were ambushed by robber's right outside of the city, and were dead broke by the time they arrived – all except for the thousand dollar bill Beau had secretly pinned inside his coat pocket. They parlayed the money into quite a bit more, but Vic was furious about the robbery and was determined to get their money back one way or the other. After a night of non-stop drinking he'd come up with a wild-eyed scheme – to rob the Dallas Bank.

Tyler was younger than the rest of them and a little on the reckless side; he agreed to Vic's proposal. Ben and Beau had three little boys to think of . . . and an abiding fear of bullets and prison. They told Vic no, in no uncertain terms, and tried to walk away from the whole thing. While Vic and Tyler headed for the bank, Beau and Ben packed their horses and lit out for home. It didn't do them any good.

Halfway back to Little Bend the Maverick's found themselves in the middle of an unfriendly posse. Hansboro and Wilkes had been caught making their escape, and the hotel clerk informed the marshal about the other two potential 'outlaws'. Even if they hadn't participated in the hold-up, they'd make good witnesses at trial.

Ben hesitated to co-operate, and Beauregard flat out refused. Thus began the threats – 'Testify or the judge will see to it you never have custody of those boys again.' Ben acquiesced immediately, and Beau intended to – but he wanted to talk to Vic first. He had to make his friend understand the situation he'd been forced into. There was nothing he wouldn't do for his boys, including being a witness for the prosecution.

Vic didn't care what threat hung over the Maverick's head. He could probably get off with a year or two without Beau's testimony, and after the paltry explanation offered by Maverick, Vic made his threat. "I swear on your hide, if you testify against me I'll kill you, Beau Maverick. No matter how long it takes me to find you, I'll kill you." Vic was sentenced to ten years.

"Pa, we're here. You payin' attention, Pa?" Bret asked as they turned into the dining room.

"I'm payin' attention, Bret," his father answered. Of course, he didn't explain what it was he was paying attention to. He sounded brave, fearless, when he'd brushed aside Ben's warnings earlier. And he was – but only for himself. If Vic was intent on pursuing vengeance, and he took it out on Bret or Bart . . . Beau reached down and felt the Colt revolver at his hip. He hadn't carried a gun in years . . .

"Pappy, c'mon. We're starvin'."

That was nothing new, and it brought him out of his reverie. "Don't worry, I ain't tryin' to starve ya," he told his oldest son. And for the moment Vic Hansboro was forgotten. But not for long.