Dawn was just barely breaking. A faint hint of rising sun was just starting to cast a coppery glow above the mountain tops to the east. The sky was beginning to pale into gray with a slight movement of heavy clouds merging together and starting to drift away to the south, leaving patches of empty sky between and promising a clear new day.
Rafe Price and Peso Martin crested the ridge above and to the east of Porter City. They halted their mounts and peered into the shadows below. “The mine entrance is right down there,” Rafe said.
“Can’t see a thing,” Peso Martin complained.
“That’s the way it’s supposed to be,” Rafe said. “The shadows hide it pretty good.” You’ll see why that’s important when we get there.” He lifted the reins and gigged his horse forward, slowly and headed down the hill. Peso followed close behind him.
The men in the carved out cavern just inside the entrance could see the two men approaching, sky-lined by the encroaching dawn behind them. “It’s The Sonora Kid,” Ace Dugan said to Butch Lowry. They had just loaded the last case of silver bars into the ore wagon. Two horses had been harnessed as a team to haul it and were facing the entrance to the tunnel.
“Who’s that he’s got with him?” Butch asked, not expecting an answer. Ace wouldn’t know any more than he would.
“I don’t know,” Ace answered. “He looks mighty salty. The Kid wouldn’t be bringin’ him, if he weren’t all right.”
The horses shod hoofs clip clopped on the hard rock floor of the cave and echoed against the hard rock walls, as Rafe and Peso rode in.
Peso whistled in astonishment as he looked around the large room. Lanterns hung on the walls, illuminating the area, revealing the stables, horses and supplies. “This is some place,” Peso remarked.
“This is our getaway plan,” Rafe said. “There’s a tunnel leading from inside the town to here. Nobody knows about it but us. If we ever need to make a fast getaway, this is it.”
Rafe and Peso rode up to the wagon, reining down their mounts to a halt. Ace and Butch stepped away from the vehicle and strode up to them.
“Hiya, Kid” Ace said.
“Good to see ya, Kid” Butch greeted. They were almost in unison.
“What’s going on here?” Rafe asked. He was obviously bothered by what he saw.
“Well…..” Butch said, not quite knowing how to say it, but busting out all over, just dying to tell. “We had a bit of a problem, but it’s going to be all right.”
“First of all,” Ace Dugan cut in. “Maybe you oughta tell us who this jasper is, before we go blabbin’ somethin’ maybe, we shouldn’t.”
“His name’s Peso Martin.” Rafe was irritated that he was being asked. “He’s all right. Now spill it. What have you got to say? And, just what is this little problem that’s gonna be okay?”
As he said it, he saw three young men emerging from the tunnel. Each of them were carrying money bags. Rafe’s dark eyes grew darker. His brows pulled together in consternation. His jaw was set firm. His face grim. “Who’re they?” He demanded, gruffly.
The three young outlaws were now stowing the bags in the wagon bed in between the wooden boxes that carried silver bullion.
“Now. Now, Kid,” Ace Dugan said. “I’m gettin’ to that. That’s part of what I’m tryin’ to tell ya. Snake Gunderson’s dead. And these fellas was took in by him, before it all happened. They was all right. On the lam too. Snake was hidin’ them out.”
“Okay, Okay,” Rafe said with irritation. “So how did Snake get dead?”
“I was comin’ to that,” Ace said. “It was that damn Wildcat bunch, what did it.”
Peso Martin started at that, but Rafe held him back. “How’d it happen?”
“A couple of lawmen came in here, lookin’ for these boys. The Wildcats killed them both and while they was doin’ it, they shot Snake and Harvey both. It was the little bitch herself what killed Snake,” he exaggerated, blaming it on Kitty. It sounded better than saying the rogue lawman did it.
“And what did you do about it?” Rafe demanded.
“Nothin’ we could do. Snake had already sent us down into the tunnel to smoke out a pair them Wildcats that was down in it.”
“Wait a minute,” Rafe scolded. “Why were they in the tunnel? Did you get them?’
“No. I’m afraid not……” Ace started, trying to figure out how to say it.”
“What he means,” Butch put in. “They kinda ...got us.”
“Whaaaat?” Rafe shook his shaggy head back and forth.
“Yeah they did,” Ace admitted,
“ Get on with it. What happened to The Wildcats? Are they still around?”
“No,” Butch said. “They just rode off. Didn’t even care about us. Didn’t care about Snake’s stash either.” He pointed to the ore wagon. “We figgered we’d just load it up and get out of here before Manuel finds out what happened. He’ll want his share of it.”
“Which he’ll figger all of it’s his share,” Ace added.
Rafe said nothing. Just stared angrily at the two henchmen.
“Wait a minute,” Ace put in. “You ain’t thinkin’ that we was gonna cut you out of it?”
“We just knew we had to get it out of here fast,” Butch explained. “We figgered on hidin’ it someplace and then we was goin’ to look you up and give you your share.”
Rafe stared at them for several moments, then he growled between clenched teeth. “Sure you were.” He leaned forward over his mount’s neck to get closer into their faces.
The two men trembled. Speechless.
“And what about those three boys?” He indicated the young outlaws who were just now going back into the tunnel. “Are we, and I mean we, sharing with those three too?”
Butch came a little closer, keeping his voice down and said conspiratorially, “Of course not. We just told them we would, to help us get loaded and away from here. But, we figger on killin’ them, first chance we get.”
“That’s the first smart thing you said, since I got here.” Rafe straightened in the saddle and his face relaxed a bit. The old glint was coming back into his eye.
“Those silver cases look mighty familiar to me,” Peso Martin finally said once Rafe and his two so called partners finished their heated tirade. “Seems to me, they belong to Simon Price.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Martin. But if this is your way of saying you want a cut, say so. Just remember, nothing goes back to Price. If it did, he wouldn’t give you anything, but if you take a cut, that’s all you get.”
“How much?’ Peso asked.
Ace and Butch were still standing there. Rafe said to them. “Go get the others out of the tunnel. We’ve got enough. Let’s get moving and get out of here before Manuel arrives.”
“Who? Me?” Both men asked in unison, not sure who was being addressed.
“Yes, you,” Rafe said emphatically. “Both of you.”
Ace and Butch looked warily from each to each. They shrugged, turned and disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel.
“Your share,” Rafe said to Peso. “Depends on how many partners we have.”
Peso smiled, knowingly, and nodded his understanding.
A few moments later Ace and Butch emerged from the tunnel with the three boys. Behind them was a fourth man. He wore a black suit. Snake Gunderson’s gun belt encircled the man’s lean waist and was tied down against his thigh. The right hand side skirt of his broadcloth jacket was pushed back behind the handle of the protruding six gun that rested in the holster. A preacher’s white collar was unbuttoned and hanging loose from where it had encircled his neck, before.
Rafe smiled when he saw this man saunter toward him. He quickly dismounted and walked toward him. “Glad to see you made it, Lonnie,” Rafe said as he came close. “I was hoping you would find a way to end up here. How’d you get away from The Wildcats?”
“They still thought I was a preacher,” Lonnie said. “I merely stayed behind, while they rode off. They said som
ething about not wanting to be here when this fella, Manuel got here.”
By now Peso Martin had dismounted and came up behind Rafe. Rafe noted the movement and moved out of the way. Peso had a curious look on his face. “Lonnie,” Rafe said. “This is Peso Martin. He works for Simon Price.” Then to Peso, he said. “Peso, you know this man as The Reverend Paul Lynch, but he’s really Lonnie Shaw, also known as The Blade. He’s an expert with a knife. He works fast and quietly. He’s the man your boss hired to kill the governor.”
Peso grinned. “Oh, I get it now. He pretends to be a parson at the wedding. Gets close to Stanton, probably in private some where.”
“And then I slit his throat,” Lonnie Shaw grinned. “Didn’t count on getting whisked away by a jealous girl and a bunch of crazy old men.”
Peso bumped Rafe’s right elbow to get his attention. As Rafe turned his head, he saw Peso’s dark eyes boring down at him. Peso nodded to the side, indicating, he wanted to speak privately.
“Just a minute, Lonnie,” Rafe said. Then Peso and he stepped back a ways.
Peso whispered low. “Is this another partner? You get my drift?”
“Don’t worry,” Rafe said. “It’s only me and you.” He stepped away and approached Lonnie Shaw again.
“Think you can still pull the job off?” Rafe asked.
“Sure.” Lonnie answered. “I’ll just go back and start the wedding all over. Same plan. Just delayed.”
“How are you going to do that without a groom?” Rafe asked. “Why did you have to kill him?”
“Kill who?’
“Matt Starr.”
“Matt Starr? What are you talking about? You mean, he’s dead?” Shaw said.
“Yeah,” Rafe said. “We found his body on the trail. Way back a ways.”
“Wasn’t me,” Lonnie said.
“Kitty must have done him in,” Peso surmised. “She’s crazy enough to punch his lights for ditchin’ her for someone else.”
“No,” Shaw said. “We never met up with him. Had to have been someone else.”
“But, who?” Peso said.
“Doesn’t matter,” Rafe answered. “But it does pose a problem for you, Lonnie, to get close to Governor Stanton again.”
“I think I can still make it work as long as no one knows Starr’s dead. Obviously, he must have been trailing The Wildcats to bring me back. We can simply be waiting for him to return. For all anybody knows, he may have taken off with the girl and her gang, after all. The governor and his daughter may need some consoling. You know what I mean?”
Rafe smiled. Said to Peso, “I told you and your boss that my man, here, is good. Now you see how smart he is.”
No response came from Martin. He wasn’t sure if he wanted Shaw to be smart.
“Lonnie,” Rafe said. “You’d best get back there as soon as you can and get the job done. My horse is already saddled. Take it and get going before Manuel Gonzales gets here. There’s liable to be big trouble and I’d as soon you weren’t part of it.” He turned and walked back to his horse and gathered up the reins. Shaw followed close.
As Lonnie took the reins and stepped his left foot into the stirrup, he said lowly, “This man, Peso. What about him?” He gave a furtive glance toward the loaded wagon.
“Don’t worry, Lonnie. I’ll take care of it.” Then he added, “Hell, it was his idea to have only two partners.”
Shaw smiled, knowingly. He turned his mount and rode off out through the mine entrance.
“No partners, is better than two,” Rafe thought to himself as he watched Lonnie Shaw ride off and disappear from view.
****
Chapter Twenty Six