Breathless(38)

Buck was lying on the edge of the pond. Farley’s silent body lay a few feet away. Blood covered them both. Kent quickly dismounted, knelt beside the dying man and lifted his head. He knew his limited medical education wouldn’t be enough. “Hold on, Buck. Docs are right behind me.”

He grimaced a grin and whispered, “Too late. Farley and the old man are already pulling out my chair for the poker game.”

“Who did this?”

“Parnell. Had men with him. Made us run then shot us in the back.”

Kent’s anger boiled.

“Coward had his face hid, but couldn’t hide his voice. Get him for us, would you?”

“Will do. I promise.” A promise he’d keep.

By the time Jakes and Phillip Pratt arrived, they were too late. Kent gently lowered Buck’s lifeless body back to the ground. Seeing Portia, he shook his head to let her know he was gone. Her jaw tightened and a sheen of angry tears filled her eyes. Kent hadn’t known the two men long enough to call them friends but they’d impressed him as good people. They hadn’t deserved such ignoble deaths. “Portia, take Mrs. Salinas and your guests back to the hotel. Let your uncle know what’s happened. Have him tell the sheriff that Parnell was one of the killers. I’ll come soon as the fire’s out.”

She nodded. The doctors mounted, Cal took Mrs. Salinas up behind him and he and Portia led the party back across the meadow.

The fires were subsiding, leaving behind charred smoky skeletons. That it hadn’t been a windy day or the height of summer was a blessing. The wind would’ve spread the embers to the surrounding grasses, setting it afire, too. As it stood only a bit of the grass near the house had burned but both buildings would have to be replaced.

“Stock’s gone.”

Kent noticed the empty pens for the first time and swore softly. “Parnell must’ve run them off.”

“Riders coming.”

Kent looked up at Matt’s warning and watched them approach. There were four of them. They weren’t masked but he and Matt drew their guns and waited. As they neared Matt identified them. “Mr. Lane.”

Kent remembered meeting the big burly Howard Lane at the anniversary party. Lane and his men stopped to survey the charred house before continuing to where he and Matt stood by the pond.

“Saw the smoke. Sorry I didn’t get here earlier. We rode as hard as we could.” Only then did he see the bodies. He dismounted slowly and walked closer “Damn,” he whispered emotionally. “Who did this?”

“Buck said it was Ty Parnell and that he had men with him, but he didn’t say how many. They made him and Farley run and shot them in the back.”

Angry murmurs came from Lane’s men.

Lane didn’t hide his reaction. “In the old days we’d’ve hunted the bastards down and strung them up.”

One of Lane’s riders said, “Still might. Those two never hurt a fly.”

“Does Rhine know?”

Kent answered the question. “Sent Portia to tell him, and to let the sheriff know.”

Lane added, “One of my men is driving a wagon that should be here shortly. When we saw the smoke we weren’t sure what Farley and Buck would need so we piled it up. We’ll use it to take the bodies to the undertaker in Tucson.”

“They have family?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Then I’m sure Rhine will want to pay for the funeral.”

“I’ll contribute, too. Known them a long time. Should’ve died of old age in their beds like Blanchard. Not cut down with no dignity. What’s Parnell’s beef?”

Kent told him what he thought to be Parnell’s motive. “When Rhine introduced me as the new foreman, Parnell said Mr. Blanchard had promised him the job. Rhine told him his mind was made up, so Parnell spit tobacco juice at Rhine’s boots. I had to teach some manners, then made him pack up and leave.”

“He always did think he was the biggest bull in the pen. Can’t believe Blanchard made him any promises to be foreman. In fact, the old man was planning to let him go. Hadn’t cared for his attitude or his bullying the others into doing his share of the work.”

Kent turned to Matt and received a terse nod of agreement.

Lane continued, “If the sheriff needs men for a posse, he won’t have any problem finding volunteers, myself included. Farley and Buck were well liked.”

Kent would be volunteering as well. “Parnell wouldn’t be stupid enough to still be around would he?”

“Maybe. Especially if he doesn’t know Buck lived long enough to point a finger his way.”

The wagon arrived a few minutes later. The bed was filled with tin buckets, shovels, and other items needed to put down the fire. Once it was unloaded, the bodies were carefully laid in and a tarp placed over them. As the wagon drove away, Lane said, “May they rest in peace. But I won’t be at peace until Parnell and the others swing from the end of a rope.”

Watching the wagon bump along the track and disappear from sight, Kent agreed.

Kent and Lane’s men set up a line and used buckets of water from the pond to douse the last of the embers, then with bandanas tied over their noses and mouths to keep from breathing in the smoke, they used shovels, hoes, and pickaxes to turn over the debris to make sure no hot spots remained. Once they were finished he thanked Lane and his men.