The Company of Strangers

Jantallian

7

The finding of the rowing boat, several miles downstream from the mansion, had exactly the effect Jess intended. Turner's men did not stop to ask themselves why the boat should have been abandoned or how the escapees had continued their journey. They were only too glad to give some positive news to their irate boss.

This was because the discovery, following the breaking down of the locked door, that their prize prisoner was also missing had done nothing to improve Emory Turner's temper. He was not given to cursing. He simply directed all his malice and energy to pursuing and capturing the missing parties. He wasn't sure where June Dark fitted into all this, but he was not going to spare her either if he caught up with her. Since June had presumably also headed for Denver, Turner and his men focused their attention in that direction. And since there was no prisoner to guard in the house, every man was ordered out on the hunt, leaving the place deserted.

Thus it was that Jess and Jim Dark came within an ace of actually killing each other.

Jess and Chantal made a cautious approach to the stables, but found, as Jess had hoped, there was no sign of anyone. Even the stable-hands had been co-opted into the man-hunt. Traveller had obviously been tied to the hitching rail, judging by its dilapidated condition and the frayed rope still hanging from it. The horse stopped and stood obediently when Jess told him to.

"Can you remember what my saddle looks like?" Jess asked, and when Chantal nodded, he went on, "It should be on the back wall of the barn, with the bridle and saddlebags hangin' above it. If y' can find any guns or ammunition, put them in the saddlebags. Saddle Traveller and another horse. Then get on Trav and drive any others out of the paddock and chase them off. Don't make any noise. Just drive 'em hard!"

She nodded again and was about to start following these instructions, when she realised she'd have to walk through Jess to do so. He was standing looking down at her, with that appealing crooked half-smile which usually indicated he was up to something. But he just put his hands on either side of her face and tilted it towards his own. "And promise me somethin'!"

"What?"

She could tell it was serious, because he said in Spanish: "Haz lo que yo digo esto una vez!"

"Siempre hago!" Chantal told him, with much feeling but complete disregard for the facts.

Jess shook his head. "No, y' don't! But this time, it's important. Promise me!" His smile had been replaced by the kind of steely-eyed determination she had learnt, from the first time they met, not to argue with.

"Digame."

"If there's any fightin', you get on Trav and you ride hell for leather for the nearest cover. Then get to Denver, if you can."

"But –" She did not get any further with her protest, because Jess had more than one way of reinforcing his orders.

"Promise me!" he insisted very softly.

"I promise, but –" It was another few moments before she was allowed to continue, "But I'm bringing a posse back with me!"

"Yeah, good idea." Jess drew out his knife and handed it to her. "You may not find any guns. So if anyone tries to grab y', don't hesitate - slash their hand or their arm. Don't stop to do any fancy thinkin' – the pain of a knife-cut's usually enough!" And with that, he was gone.

Because Chantal was carrying out his orders in the barn, she and Jim Dark missed each other by moments. Jim was almost on Jess's heels up the path which mounted to the top of the bluff and the main entrance, but the steep and curving nature of the ascent meant that buttresses and shadows hid them from each other.

Once inside, Jess lost no time in making for the employees' quarters, where he was relieved to find his hat still hanging behind the door. His other minimal belongings were below in his saddlebags, which he trusted Chantal had retrieved. A smile flickered across his face as he recalled her protests at not being allow to join in whatever fighting might ensue. Maybe he shouldn't have taught her how to use a rifle quite so well! Or had he? He remembered momentarily her comment on the skill needed for that fake killing of Jim Dark, but pushed it to the back of his mind, to be dealt with later. More important now, he had to find his gun-belt.

The obvious place to look was the dining room, where it had been pulled off him. He had some hope of finding food there as well, but neither search produced any rewards. He figured they were both going to go hungry for a while longer. In this situation, weapons were the priority. A further search located a gun-store, where he was able to appropriate a hand-gun, a couple of rifles and ammunition. He shoved the gun in the waistband of his pants, hitched the rifles over his shoulder and stowed the bullets in another saddlebag for easy carrying. But he still hadn't located his own gun – and he had no intention of leaving without it. He decided the next most likely place would be Emory Turner's study. A good search for evidence in there would not come amiss either.

Jim had exactly the same idea.

Jess was busy trying to pick the locks on the desk with a letter opener and mentally wishing he had another knife. He had no doubt that Chantal would make good use of his if the need arose, but the opener was nothing like as effective. He was squatting behind the desk when he heard soft footsteps in the passage outside.

Jim had used his common sense and the details given him by June, in locating the main accommodation of the rather elaborate and confusing building. After drawing blank at several bedroom doors, he back-tracked past the main day rooms and eventually found the passage with the study. The door, unlike most of the others, was slightly ajar. He could hear faint sounds from within. He edged cautiously up to the doorway and peered through the narrow gap. As far as he could see, the room was empty. Nonetheless, he was sure that there was someone in there, probably hiding behind the big desk. He drew his gun.

"Come out with your hands up!"

No sooner had he burst into the room and put a bullet through the desk than another hit the carpet between his feet as someone yelled simultaneously: "Drop that gun!"

"Good God!" Jim found he was actually shaking with reaction. "You nearly put a slug in me for sure this time!"

"Did not!" Jess squirmed out from under the desk. "If I was aimin' at y', it would be in you!" He scowled and said irritably, "An' d'you realise you nearly took my head off?" He rubbed his face with his sleeve, where the splinters from the desk had contributed further to his already battered appearance. Then he began to laugh: "Ain't done much for Turner's fancy furniture, either!"

"Did you find anything?"

Jess shook his head. "Can't get the drawers open with this." He tossed the letter opener back on the desk with a growl of disgust. "Still, I suppose we don't need any more evidence because Armand is willing to testify."

"If we can get him back to court in one piece."

"What? He 'n June should be in Denver by now!"

"Really? I think he's got some idea about making sure his daughter is safe," Jim replied dryly.

"She's fine!"

It was a good job Jim was not yet familiar with Jess's peculiar use of this word. He merely asked, "Where is she?"

"In the stables, saddlin' up some horses for us," Jess told him briefly.

Jim eyed him with interest. If June's suppositions were right, Jess was being remarkable cool about the danger Chantal might be facing. He decided to hurry things up, just in case. He put a bullet into each of the locked drawers, remarking as he did so: "Furniture's got shot up already – and if he is guilty, he won't be in any position to lodge a complaint!"

In a rapid search of the drawers they discovered not only Jess's gun-belt and gun, but a number of interesting letters and some very revealing bank payments. Jim shook his head: "Some people are so stupid!"

"Maybe not. This place is like a fortress," Jess pointed out. "Guess y' wouldn't expect anyone to be robbin' it."

The reminder was timely. "Then let's get out of here before someone comes and traps us in it!"

This foreboding became a reality with alarming swiftness. Jim happened to glance out of the window while Jess was strapping on his beloved gun. His gasp of alarm drew the Texan swiftly to his side. They were looking down at the main approach to the mansion and the winding track leading back towards the woods where Jim had left his wife and his chief witness concealed.

Concealed no longer! The buggy was speeding along the track hotly pursued by a cloud of dust which could only hide the hostile search party. It was obvious that Armand was driving straight for the ascent to the house. It was less obvious that he was going to make it safely. Jim and Jess hurled to the rescue.

# # # # #

The buggy thundered into the yard and was immediately hustled out of sight into the shelter once more.

"Stay there!" Jim ordered June, not bothering to find out why they had fled from hiding. "We'll try to hold them off on the ramp."

"Ain't this where we started?" Jess asked plaintively as he handed Armand a rifle and some ammunition.

"Vraiment!" the Frenchman replied. "But they were too numerous, combing the woods. We barely got clear away to here."

"An' here we're gonna stay unless we can think of something fast!" Jess pointed out, as he snapped off a couple of shots to deter the horsemen from simply storming up the ramp.

Jim glared at him. "Very helpful!" he said ironically, adding a volley of his own.

Armand sighted carefully and picked of two of the enemy in rapid succession, before turning to his two-time rescuer. "I trust Chantal is not here with you?"

Jess grinned. "I trust she's doin' exactly what I told her – but somehow, I doubt it!"

"And that was?"

"To high-tail it for cover if there was any fightin'." Jess inched round a protective rock-face and continued to fire rapidly.

"Alas – the only cover is full of Turner's men," Chantal's father pointed out.

"Yeah. Well, she ain't stupid an' she's got plenty of courage. If she's found a gun, she's a good shot."

Armand was perfectly certain Jess would never have admitted any such thing if Chantal had been within hearing, but he was somewhat comforted by this assessment. "She may be in a better position than us."

"Can't be much worse," Jim told them realistically. "We're trapped."

"Yeah, but maybe we can turn that to our advantage," Jess suggested.

Jim's eyebrows shot up and he said sarcastically, "Really? How can this fortress do anything other than corral us? At the very least, we're dependent on the arrival of more forces to drive off the lot who've got us pinned down. Admittedly I asked Stan Peterson to send a posse out here if we weren't back by noon today, but we have to hold them off until then."

"Just listen!" Jess ordered. "Once you're in here, you're trapped. There's only two ways out an' we're defendin' one of them -" He paused momentarily to loose another volley of shots at the search party. When the enemy had momentarily retreated, he continued: "So we let 'em rush us – bust through this gate – an' you and me, we lure them further into the building, so they ain't thinkin' about what's goin' on down here. Then Armand and June make a break for it, lockin' the main gate behind them."

Jim regarded him with a look which suggested that his estimation of Jess's sanity had just fallen several notches.

Jess continued, undeterred: "We lure them into the building. Soon as they're in, we beat it through the back door, lockin' it behind us. The door's six inches of solid oak, bound with iron. There's no way they can easily break out. You said y'self the place is like a fortress. We'll have the keys to the only two entrances. So all we have to do is wait for a posse to haul 'em out and arrest 'em."

Total silence, apart from sporadic gun-fire exchanged with the enemy below, greeted this extraordinary plan.

Armand was the first to respond. "Are you sure the main gate will lock?"

"Yeah – there's a huge key in it. If y' take that, there ain't no way they're goin' t' find another in a hurry."

"And I suppose you're sure the back door will lock as well?" Jim sounded anything but sure himself.

"Tal says there's a key as well as bolts," Jess told him definitely, "an' I trust her."

Translations:

Haz lo que yo digo esto una vez. Do what I say this once.

Siempre hago. I always do. (Another frequent, if inaccurate, response from Chantal to Jess's orders)

Digame. Tell me.

Vraiment Truly