Part five
~~Two days later in Los Almos ~~
A set of eyes peered over the saloon doors, scouring the near empty streets of Los Almos as they kept an eye out for any unexpected activity. Not that the new 'peacekeepers' of this small town were expecting any trouble. The townspeople had long lost the will to fight them after the tragic death of their 'beloved' Sheriff.
'Stupid ol' man,' Chavez chuckled as he kept watch on the street. The memory of the overweight, fifty-something Sheriff, trying to face Cale down in the street that day was still a puzzlement to him. The town did nothing, but watch from behind their drawn curtains as their Sheriff was left to die in a hail of bullets fired by not only by Cale, but also by the other members of the gang. The lengths the old man had gone to save the town surprised the Mexican, while the Sheriff's so-called friends and neighbors did nothing, but hide under their beds. If Cale had been the old man, he would have left them to their fate. None of them were worth dying for.
Needing to wet his parched throat, Chavez was about to head back to the bar, when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. "Rider comin' in," he warned the others.
"Can you see who is it?" A voice inquired from behind him.
Yellow stained teeth were revealed as a grin spread across the cowboy's face, "Looks liked yer Christmas has gone and done come early for ya, Bede?"
Sitting alone at the far end of the saloon, Sheriff Bede Cale showed no sign of emotion as he continued to deal himself cards.
Johnny Madrid saw no sign of life as he entered oddly quiet town. The only suggestion that the town was populated at all was the faint movement of curtains and the sure-fire inner knowledge he was being watched.
Tethering Barranca in front of the saloon, Johnny glanced around the street once more before heading to the swing doors and pushing them open. Pealing his hat from his head as he covertly eyed the room, Johnny noticed that all sets of eyes bar one had watched his entrance with great interest.
"Well, I'm here," Johnny announced as he begun to unconsciously turn his hat around in his hands.
"And that means what to me, Madrid?" Cale called from the back of the room, without looking up from his solitary card game.
"Well, that was the whole point of sending out those posters wasn't it? To get me here?"
"Ah, the posters," Cale tossed down the cards and leaned back in his chair until it rested on its back legs. "I do hope I didn't cause you too many problems there, Johnny boy. I was just having a little fun with -- an 'old friend'," he smiled as took a long hard look at his visitor.
"Fun?" Johnny said as he walked slowly over to Cale, eyeing the rest of the men in the room as he did so.
"I only sent out enough to get your attention." Cale shrugged as he rocked on the chairs back legs.
"Just enough to get me looking over my shoulder, or enough to get me killed?" Johnny asked as he stopped directly in front of Cale's table.
"Someone outdrawing Johnny Madrid?" Cale laughed as he let his chair drop back down to the floor with a thud. "Hell would freeze over first."
"Well, you'd be the one to know about Hell, wouldn't you, Cale?" Johnny sneered.
Cale sniffed as looked down his nose at Johnny, "Don't play the high and mighty with me, Madrid. We both know you've made your own visits to Hades."
Not wanting to give Cale the satisfaction of seeing his discomfort at the turn the conversation had taken; Johnny slammed his hat down on the table and stared Cale down. "What do you want, Cale?"
"Well, " Cale smiled. "Now, that's the five hundred dollar question, ain't it?"
TBC
~~Two days later in Los Almos ~~
A set of eyes peered over the saloon doors, scouring the near empty streets of Los Almos as they kept an eye out for any unexpected activity. Not that the new 'peacekeepers' of this small town were expecting any trouble. The townspeople had long lost the will to fight them after the tragic death of their 'beloved' Sheriff.
'Stupid ol' man,' Chavez chuckled as he kept watch on the street. The memory of the overweight, fifty-something Sheriff, trying to face Cale down in the street that day was still a puzzlement to him. The town did nothing, but watch from behind their drawn curtains as their Sheriff was left to die in a hail of bullets fired by not only by Cale, but also by the other members of the gang. The lengths the old man had gone to save the town surprised the Mexican, while the Sheriff's so-called friends and neighbors did nothing, but hide under their beds. If Cale had been the old man, he would have left them to their fate. None of them were worth dying for.
Needing to wet his parched throat, Chavez was about to head back to the bar, when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. "Rider comin' in," he warned the others.
"Can you see who is it?" A voice inquired from behind him.
Yellow stained teeth were revealed as a grin spread across the cowboy's face, "Looks liked yer Christmas has gone and done come early for ya, Bede?"
Sitting alone at the far end of the saloon, Sheriff Bede Cale showed no sign of emotion as he continued to deal himself cards.
Johnny Madrid saw no sign of life as he entered oddly quiet town. The only suggestion that the town was populated at all was the faint movement of curtains and the sure-fire inner knowledge he was being watched.
Tethering Barranca in front of the saloon, Johnny glanced around the street once more before heading to the swing doors and pushing them open. Pealing his hat from his head as he covertly eyed the room, Johnny noticed that all sets of eyes bar one had watched his entrance with great interest.
"Well, I'm here," Johnny announced as he begun to unconsciously turn his hat around in his hands.
"And that means what to me, Madrid?" Cale called from the back of the room, without looking up from his solitary card game.
"Well, that was the whole point of sending out those posters wasn't it? To get me here?"
"Ah, the posters," Cale tossed down the cards and leaned back in his chair until it rested on its back legs. "I do hope I didn't cause you too many problems there, Johnny boy. I was just having a little fun with -- an 'old friend'," he smiled as took a long hard look at his visitor.
"Fun?" Johnny said as he walked slowly over to Cale, eyeing the rest of the men in the room as he did so.
"I only sent out enough to get your attention." Cale shrugged as he rocked on the chairs back legs.
"Just enough to get me looking over my shoulder, or enough to get me killed?" Johnny asked as he stopped directly in front of Cale's table.
"Someone outdrawing Johnny Madrid?" Cale laughed as he let his chair drop back down to the floor with a thud. "Hell would freeze over first."
"Well, you'd be the one to know about Hell, wouldn't you, Cale?" Johnny sneered.
Cale sniffed as looked down his nose at Johnny, "Don't play the high and mighty with me, Madrid. We both know you've made your own visits to Hades."
Not wanting to give Cale the satisfaction of seeing his discomfort at the turn the conversation had taken; Johnny slammed his hat down on the table and stared Cale down. "What do you want, Cale?"
"Well, " Cale smiled. "Now, that's the five hundred dollar question, ain't it?"
TBC