Part seven
Cale had watched Johnny closely as the two men were lead away and though the gunfighter hadn't seem to show any emotion one way or the other toward the strangers, the would-be Sheriff was still wary of his old acquaintance.
Trying to settle the knot that had tightened his stomach, Johnny had to force himself to appear indifferent to the two 'bounty hunters' plight. "Well, now that you've got them out of my way, are you ever gonna to tell me what this is all about, Cale?"
"Patience, Madrid. I've learned over the years that if you wait long enough, you get everything you want." Delivering a bitter snort in Johnny's direction, Cale stood up and made his way toward the bar.
Trying to keep busy and stay out of the gunmen's way, the skittish barman was unprepared for the sudden and snake-like attack as Cale stepped up to the bar and grabbed him by the front of the shirt, pulling him down hard over the counter.
"I want you to do me a favor. I want you to get that young daughter of yours to whip up something nice for our prisoners," Cale ordered softly into the frightened man's ear. "Then I want you to deliver it 'in person' to our 'guests' and get to know them--become their friend."
"B--But, Mr--Sheriff Cale, Sir--I--,"
"Just do it, Trumble! By the time you get back, I want you to know who they are and what they want. Do it, and that 'pretty' little girl gets to live untouched for a little while longer." Cale threatened.
At only fifteen, Verity was one of prettiest girls in town. Isaiah knew that some of Cale's men had already been looking at her. If one of them were allowed to get his hands on her, his darling daughter's life would be ruined forever and he couldn't let that happen. After the death of Sheriff Horton, the townspeople had decided that if they did what was asked of them, the men would eventually ride away and leave them alone. Isaiah wiped his mouth with his shaking hand, before doing what he had done since the nightmare had begun. He agreed.
"Good man," Cale grinned as he pushed the man away.
Watching as the flustered barman meekly scurried from the room, Johnny couldn't help himself. "Still like making grown men feel like dirt, don't you Cale."
"Him? A man?" Bede Cale laughed before his lips curled back in disgust. "No one in this town is worth an ounce of the air they're lucky to be still breathing. Not one of them."
"Then why stay here?" Johnny asked as he brought the conversation back to why he was there in the first place.
"Because you'd be amazed at the things you find in a small town like this and you find yourself not wanting to leave."
"Money?"
"Money I've got. Took a stagecoach couple of weeks ago. Carried pay for some miners down south. It'll keep us going for sometime to come. No, Madrid, it's not money." An amused Cale watched as Johnny trying to think of what Los Almos had that was worthy of keeping the gunman in the town.
"We both know it was something that you wanted me here for," Johnny remarked as he drained the last of the whiskey from his glass.
"Or is it, someone?" Cale asked with a malicious grin.
LRLRLRLRLRLR
After Murdoch and Scott were roughly pushed into the jailhouse and left alone, the younger Lancer wasn't about to give up so easily and raged at the cell doors as if hoping to break the iron strength of its lock. Once he was assured that he and his father weren't going anywhere soon, a bruised hand from punching the cell bars proof of that conclusion, Scott began to pace the small space of their prison. "Well, this was a good plan." He mused as he rubbed his sore knuckles.
"We're here and Johnny's still alive, that's good enough for now," Murdoch responded with a shake of the head at his son's painful and hopeless gesture, "And sit down, son, you're making me dizzy."
"Did you see Johnny?" Scott asked as he ignored his father's suggestion and continued to pace. "He still had his gun. Do you think he's here because he wants to be? Did we follow him for nothing?"
"No," Murdoch said emphatically, "If that was the case, Johnny wouldn't have lied about us. No, he was protecting us for some reason. He just didn't want this 'Sheriff Cale' to know that he's my son."
"And my brother," Scott sighed as he let himself drop on to the cot beside his father.
"And your brother," Murdoch repeated softly.
"Err, excuse me, gentlemen," Trumble called from the doorway where he had been standing. And listening. "I was told to bring you something to eat."
TBC
Cale had watched Johnny closely as the two men were lead away and though the gunfighter hadn't seem to show any emotion one way or the other toward the strangers, the would-be Sheriff was still wary of his old acquaintance.
Trying to settle the knot that had tightened his stomach, Johnny had to force himself to appear indifferent to the two 'bounty hunters' plight. "Well, now that you've got them out of my way, are you ever gonna to tell me what this is all about, Cale?"
"Patience, Madrid. I've learned over the years that if you wait long enough, you get everything you want." Delivering a bitter snort in Johnny's direction, Cale stood up and made his way toward the bar.
Trying to keep busy and stay out of the gunmen's way, the skittish barman was unprepared for the sudden and snake-like attack as Cale stepped up to the bar and grabbed him by the front of the shirt, pulling him down hard over the counter.
"I want you to do me a favor. I want you to get that young daughter of yours to whip up something nice for our prisoners," Cale ordered softly into the frightened man's ear. "Then I want you to deliver it 'in person' to our 'guests' and get to know them--become their friend."
"B--But, Mr--Sheriff Cale, Sir--I--,"
"Just do it, Trumble! By the time you get back, I want you to know who they are and what they want. Do it, and that 'pretty' little girl gets to live untouched for a little while longer." Cale threatened.
At only fifteen, Verity was one of prettiest girls in town. Isaiah knew that some of Cale's men had already been looking at her. If one of them were allowed to get his hands on her, his darling daughter's life would be ruined forever and he couldn't let that happen. After the death of Sheriff Horton, the townspeople had decided that if they did what was asked of them, the men would eventually ride away and leave them alone. Isaiah wiped his mouth with his shaking hand, before doing what he had done since the nightmare had begun. He agreed.
"Good man," Cale grinned as he pushed the man away.
Watching as the flustered barman meekly scurried from the room, Johnny couldn't help himself. "Still like making grown men feel like dirt, don't you Cale."
"Him? A man?" Bede Cale laughed before his lips curled back in disgust. "No one in this town is worth an ounce of the air they're lucky to be still breathing. Not one of them."
"Then why stay here?" Johnny asked as he brought the conversation back to why he was there in the first place.
"Because you'd be amazed at the things you find in a small town like this and you find yourself not wanting to leave."
"Money?"
"Money I've got. Took a stagecoach couple of weeks ago. Carried pay for some miners down south. It'll keep us going for sometime to come. No, Madrid, it's not money." An amused Cale watched as Johnny trying to think of what Los Almos had that was worthy of keeping the gunman in the town.
"We both know it was something that you wanted me here for," Johnny remarked as he drained the last of the whiskey from his glass.
"Or is it, someone?" Cale asked with a malicious grin.
LRLRLRLRLRLR
After Murdoch and Scott were roughly pushed into the jailhouse and left alone, the younger Lancer wasn't about to give up so easily and raged at the cell doors as if hoping to break the iron strength of its lock. Once he was assured that he and his father weren't going anywhere soon, a bruised hand from punching the cell bars proof of that conclusion, Scott began to pace the small space of their prison. "Well, this was a good plan." He mused as he rubbed his sore knuckles.
"We're here and Johnny's still alive, that's good enough for now," Murdoch responded with a shake of the head at his son's painful and hopeless gesture, "And sit down, son, you're making me dizzy."
"Did you see Johnny?" Scott asked as he ignored his father's suggestion and continued to pace. "He still had his gun. Do you think he's here because he wants to be? Did we follow him for nothing?"
"No," Murdoch said emphatically, "If that was the case, Johnny wouldn't have lied about us. No, he was protecting us for some reason. He just didn't want this 'Sheriff Cale' to know that he's my son."
"And my brother," Scott sighed as he let himself drop on to the cot beside his father.
"And your brother," Murdoch repeated softly.
"Err, excuse me, gentlemen," Trumble called from the doorway where he had been standing. And listening. "I was told to bring you something to eat."
TBC