BUTCH CARSON AND THE SUNDANCE HOUSEKEEPER
A/N: First of all, thanks to you all for sticking with this story thus far, even after that long break we had in the middle there. I want to try and update as much as possible in days to come, because I will be away on vacation for a week or so. Hopefully, we can get in some exciting parts between here and there! - cfjj
Chapter 6: The Shootout
Sheriff Gillingham looked out the window at the dusty road below. He and Deputy Green had been called to a meeting with the Dowager Mayor to discuss the recent episode of vigilante justice. The Mayor cleared her throat.
"Sit down, please, Sheriff. I didn't put these chairs in my office so that people could stand and look out windows," she snapped, annoyed. "Now, we all know that yesterday's episode was unacceptable. I will not allow my town's disciplinary status to drop any further than it already has with you two bozos in charge," she plowed on before either man could interrupt. "It's a good thing you have me, or we'd be living in the epicenter of all crime in the West. Now, the question is, what do we do about this mystery shooter?"
Green hesitated. "If I may, Ms. Mayor, I think that before we consider the question of what to do about them, we must first find a way to identify the shooter."
"Yes, of course, but how?" Gillingham wondered. "We haven't found a bullet; we haven't found a gun; we have no leads whatsoever! Whoever that vigilante was, he was very careful at covering his tracks."
All three sat in silence, no new ideas occurring to any in attendance.
"Well, I guess we will have to begin interrogations of every townsperson!" the Dowager exclaimed, exasperated. "And I mean every single one, Mr. Gillingham. Don't think your past shortcomings have gone unnoticed."
Gillingham was about to protest, but then he thought to himself, Maybe if I do this right, the Mayor will speak well of me to Mary. With that thought, he assured the Dowager of his willingness to get the job done right.
"Yes of course, Ms. Mayor. Consider it done."
The Dowager raised an eyebrow. "It had better be done well, Sheriff, because if it is not, you will have to answer to me. And my stockades are always open."
oOo
As Mr. Bates walked down Ripon Street on his break, he saw something that caught his attention. He walked over to the mail post board to take a closer look. It was a "Wanted" poster, and an old one at that. It was yellowing and burnt at the edges, but he thought he recognized the person portrayed in the picture. All of a sudden, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye that made his stomach churn. It was that dreadful Deputy Green, who was walking out of the town hall alongside Sheriff Gillingham. Bates had no quarrel with the Sheriff; he thought him nice enough, even though he was a bit of a simpleton. It was his deputy whom Bates despised.
Green said something to the sheriff, and then began to walk over to the bank, where some ladies from the ranch were standing gossiping. One of these women, Bates realized with a start, was Anna. His blood began to boil at the thought of Green coming anywhere near her. However, he held back for a minute to see what would happen. He was close enough to hear their conversation, but far away enough not to arouse suspicion.
"Why, hello, Anna! Fancy seeing you here! I didn't realize it was payday," Green teased.
"Oh, no, Deputy, I'm not here on my own errands. I was picking up my lady's monthly dress allowance. She wants to head out to the specialty seamstress later on," Anna replied.
Green smiled. "Ah, will you be going with her, then?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I will. Any lady needs her maid along on a visit to the seamstress - for fashion advice and the like. What's it to you if I go or not?" Anna asked him.
"I was just wondering if you might like to come over to my place instead. It's not as luxurious as the ranch, of course, but you'd be surprised. The Dowager is kind to those in her favor," Green mused with a sly smile.
Anna frowned. "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly... Lady Mary and the girls need me. I'd love to, truly, but I'm busy..."
Green cut her off. "Oh, surely you could get away for a while! Who would deny a chance to spend time with me?" He gestured towards himself and stepped closer. Anna was worried, and she was about to say something when a shadow fell across the deputy's face.
Bates was pleased to see that he stood a good three inches taller than Deputy Green.
"Excuse me, Deputy. Do we have a problem here?" Bates said. Anna shot him a grateful smile.
"No, Mr. Bates, not at all. I was just asking Anna here if she would like to spend a day with me in my spacious accommodations," Green said. He stressed the word 'spacious' and emphasized the fact that his salary was considerable. Bates's eyes flared, and he started to lose his temper.
"And I believe the lady said she's busy, Deputy," Bates growled in a low, threatening town.
All of a sudden, Green drew his .45 pistol and swung it around to aim at Bates. Anna screamed, and all the women outside the bank scattered.
"Are you sure you want to cross me, Mr. Bates?" Green raised an eyebrow.
Instead of answering, Bates pulled out a pistol of his own. He backed up until he was about 20 feet away from Green, and the men faced each other, each fixing the other with a hard stare.
Sheriff Gillingham finally caught on to what was happening and began to run over, screaming for the men to stop. But Green brought him to a halt, holding up his hand.
"Stand back, Tony. I can handle this," Green said calmly, although there was an edge to his voice, as if he was worried about Bates' capabilities with a gun.
Bates stood calmly opposite the deputy. On his face was a stare that would stop even the Dowager dead in her tracks. He looked cool and collected, as if this wasn't the first time he'd been in a shootout. The women and the Sheriff stood by, wondering who would make the first move.
All of a sudden, Green drew his pistol and held it up to shoot Bates. But Bates was much quicker, and he pulled his own pistol, firing of several rounds and hitting Green in his right arm. Green's face turned white as a sheet. He dropped his gun and began gasping in pain. Sheriff Gillingham ran over to him and helped him up. He fixed Bates with an angry stare.
"YOU!" He screamed, enraged. Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, Gillingham drew his gun and fired with it aimed right at Bate's chest. It would have killed him, if Anna hadn't run into Gillingham, knocking him over at the last second. The bullet missed Bates's heart, but a splotch of deep red began to blossom on his lower left leg.
Anna ran over to him, crying. He waved off her efforts to help, and slowly began to stand on his own. He manage to rise, but was unsteady and needed her support to remain upright. With his arm around Anna for balance, Bates stood and looked at Green and Gillingham, who were both sprawled in the street.
"Don't you ever come near her again," he threatened, and hobbled away.
A/N: Well, that was a long chapter. Hopefully, it met expectations and was as exciting as promised. In case I forgot to mention, Bates and Anna aren't married yet in this fic. They merely work alongside each other, but something more is beginning to form. So, this is the story of how Bates got his limp in the Western world! :) The next installment should be up soon; please let me know what you think of this one!