Blood trail a jess willi.., p.1
BLOOD TRAIL (A Jess Williams Western Book 9), page 1
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or publisher. They are solely the imagination of the author and/or publisher and the imagination of events that may or may not possibly happen.
Copyright© 2012 by Robert J. Thomas
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, or stored into or introduced into any electronic or mechanical method without the express written permission of the author and publisher. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the author and/or the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.
A Jess Williams Novel.
Westerns. Revenge. Violence. Action. Adventure.
ISBN#13—978-0-9838056-3-2 --- E-Book
LCCN# 2012916662
AMAZON AISN# B009H8LB0E / AMAZON ASSIGNED E-BOOK NUMBER
The Last Scene from “Death Dance,” the eighth novel in the series
Jess stopped and talked to Sheriff Baxter for a minute and then he headed out of town and straight to the spot where he was shot at by the same long-range shooter who killed one of the three rich ranchers in Abilene. He made a huge fire and untied the cloth he got from the general store. He bunched the cloth up as tight as he could and stuffed the new shirt with it and laid it down against the same log he was sitting on when the bullet tore through his shirt sleeve. Then he carefully placed the new hat he bought on top of the stuffed shirt. He looked at it and made a few adjustments. When he was satisfied with the way it looked, he tied his packhorse up to a tree, since if he didn’t, Sharps would simply follow his other horse, Gray. He climbed up in the saddle and rode Gray over to the spot where he found the two empty shell casings by the huge boulder the shooter used to take the two shots at him. He looked around and saw a stand of trees and he rode Gray over to it and left him deep inside the trees. He walked back to the edge of the tree line where he had a good view of the boulder that the shooter had propped his buffalo rifle on when he tried to murder Jess. He stood behind a large tree and patiently waited.
Jess didn’t know if the shooter would come back to this spot again or not. He didn’t even know if the shooter was tracking him right now, but he figured that maybe the shooter would return here hoping that Jess might use the same camp area, since that was a fairly common thing for a man to do out on the trail. Jess frequently used the same camps when traveling along trails while hunting down bad men. He waited for about two hours and he was about ready to give up on the whole idea and head out and begin his search for the shooter when he saw a little dust coming from the main trail.
He stayed behind the large tree and watched as a man got off his horse and walked his horse to a tree and tied the horse up. Then the man pulled a long barreled rifle out of a scabbard and then reached inside one of his saddlebags and pulled out a spyglass. The man was wearing a cartridge belt and it was loaded with large caliber ammunition for the buffalo rifle. Jess tried wearing a cartridge belt before, but he found it too cumbersome with all the other weapons he had strapped on him.
The man walked over to the large boulder and sat his buffalo rifle on top of the it. He extended his spyglass and looked in the direction of Jess’ camp. He stuck his finger in his mouth and held it up in the wind to check on the direction of the wind as well as the wind speed. The man reached inside one of his front pockets and threw some kind of fine powder in the air and watched where the powder went. Then, he picked up his buffalo rifle and chambered a round into it and leaned on the huge boulder and took careful aim at the empty hat Jess set up on the stuffed shirt that was leaning on the log in Jess’ empty camp.
Jess pulled his pistol out and carefully walked toward the man, who stuck his finger in his mouth again and stuck it up in the air, still bent over and leaning on the huge boulder. The man put his right hand down and carefully placed his right finger on the trigger and began to slowly squeeze back the trigger when he heard it. It was the distinctive clicking sound a pistol made when the hammer was being cocked back. The man froze when he felt the cold steel of a barrel being pressed against the back of his skull. Then the man heard the words—“You looking for me?”
BLOOD TRAIL
By Robert J. Thomas
A Jess Williams Novel
(Ninth in the series)
CHAPTER ONE
The man who killed the rich rancher, Lem Biden, in Abilene, Kansas, was also the same man that George Halsten had paid to murder Jess. But the attempt on Jess’ life had failed; only putting a bullet hole in his shirt sleeve and giving him a burn mark that now had healed. The scar would remain as a reminder that sometimes he was the one being hunted. Jess was standing behind the man now and had his pistol cocked and pressed to the back of his skull. The man gently laid his buffalo rifle on the boulder and slowly raised his hands away from it.
“Whoa, hold on there Mister,” exclaimed the man.
“I could say the same thing to you, whoever you are,” replied Jess.
“Name is Joseph Rhodes now can I at least stand up?” asked the man.
“Why?” asked Jess.
“So I can see who I’m talking too,” replied Rhodes.
“You didn’t seem too concerned to see me when you put a bullet through my shirt sleeve the last time you were here,” replied Jess.
Joseph Rhodes thought on it for a few seconds. “So, that ain’t Jess Williams leaning his head against that log over there?” asked Rhodes.
“Nope; but it is a pretty nice new hat and shirt that I bought back in Abilene,” replied Jess.
“Seems like I’ve been outfoxed this time,” said Rhodes.
“It would seem so,” replied Jess.
“Well, can I stand up now?” asked Rhodes.
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“I like you right where I have you.”
“But I’d like to know if it’s really you.”
“Why?”
“Well, I don’t rightly know. I guess I figured if I was still talking, I’d still be breathing,” replied Rhodes.
“You want to talk?” asked Jess.
“It’s better than dying.”
“Well then, tell me how much did George Halsten pay you to kill Lem Biden?”
“How do you know it was me that did it?”
“I know.”
“How could you, there was no one who saw it.”
“I saw you out at the Halsten ranch talking to George Halsten the day after you gave me this new scar on my left arm,” replied Jess.
“But how do you know for sure that it was me that did it?”
“Well, for starters, I tracked your sorry ass back to the Halsten ranch the day after you took those two shots at me from that same boulder you’re leaning on right now,” replied Jess, still pressing the barrel of his pistol against Rhodes skull. “On top of that, United States Deputy Marshal Derrick Callahan found a fifty caliber shell casing by a tree in front of Lem Biden’s house. And then there is the little fact that I picked up two of the same shell casings at the bottom of this damn boulder you’re propped up on right now. Now when I add all those pieces together, I have to come to the conclusion that you are the same man who killed Lem Biden and attempted to murder me.”
“But you got no proof of it, just a theory,” retorted Rhodes.
“Don’t need any proof.”
“A man has rights under the law,” refuted Rhodes.
“You have rights?”
“Every man does.”
“I agree.”
“So, can I stand up now?”
“Nope.”
“But you just agreed that every man has rights.”
“Yeah, and I have a right to take a nap on that log over there without you trying to blow my damn head off with that buffalo gun, which is exactly what you were about to do before I stuck this pistol against the back of your skull.”
“That Deputy U.S. Marshal, Callahan; you friends with him?”
“You could say that.”
“You can turn me into him.”
“I could.”
“Well, that would be acceptable to me.”
“I said I could, but I didn’t say that I would,” replied Jess, as he pulled the trigger on his pistol and blew Joseph Rhodes’ brains all over the huge boulder he was lying on. Jess stepped aside as Rhodes’ body slumped down off the boulder and then backward and onto the sand. Jess went through his pockets and found two wads of bills containing exactly five hundred dollars each. It was most likely the money that Halsten paid him to murder Lem Biden and Jess. Jess took the money and stuck in in his pockets. He looked at the buffalo gun that was still lying on the boulder. He thought about keeping it, but it was covered with blood and brain matter. He left it there and went to retrieve his horse Gray from the trees. He climbed up in the saddle and rode back over to get Sharps and his new hat and shirt. Then he headed for Wichita to see United States Marshal Frank Reedy and hopefully find out some information about the other three men who had ambushed Marshal Reedy.
***
Jess arrived in Wichita in the afternoon and the town was quite busy. He went thro
“Here comes trouble, Sheriff,” said Reedy.
“Hell, I’d better check my watch so I can see how long it takes before he kills someone,” laughed Sheriff Davies.
“I heard that,” said Jess, as he reached the boardwalk and climbed the steps and shook hands with both men.
“I see you’re healing up pretty good from your wounds,” said Jess.
“That Doctor sure knows how to patch a man up real good,” replied Reedy.
“Maybe he can do something about your hearing,” said Jess, referring back to the time when he had claimed that Reedy was losing his hearing.
“I told you down by the Rio Grande that I don’t have a hearing problem,” retorted Reedy, loudly.
“Well don’t bust a stitch over it,” replied Jess, smiling.
“I won’t if you’ll quit carrying on about my hearing,” replied Reedy.
“Sheriff, is it just me, or is the Marshal here getting a little cantankerous?” asked Jess.
“Hell, he’s been that way since the day I first met him,” replied Sheriff Davies.
“Oh, so now the both of you are going to give me a hard time?” asked Reedy. Jess and Sheriff Davies started laughing and even Reedy joined in after a few seconds.
“Now, tell me about this Death Dance thing you got involved in over in Abilene,” said Reedy.
“I’d rather forget about it. Those damn easterners are plumb loco,” replied Jess.
“I heard you were paid a handsome sum of money in the end,” said Reedy.
“Yeah, I’m to receive about thirty five thousand dollars after that damn Haney Mendhal takes his cut of ten percent,” replied Jess.
“You know, I think you’re about the richest friend I have,” replied Reedy.
“Yeah, I guess it comes in handy sometimes,” said Jess.
“Like when a man want’s to buy a Gatling gun from a less than honest captain in the United States Army,” laughed Reedy.
“Damn thing sure came in handy when we needed it,” laughed Jess.
“Well, it’s nice to see you made it back alive anyway,” said Reedy. “I suppose I’d be right in saying that Henry Lucas and Billy Lott ain’t kicking dirt in the air anymore.”
“You could say that. And Lott’s mother ended up with her face all black and blue on top of it all,” replied Jess.
Marshal Reedy leaned forward in his chair. “I know you’ve got a mean streak in you; but are you telling me that you punched Billy Lott’s mother?” asked Reedy, a disconcerted look on his face.
“Well, I didn’t really punch her, she kind of did it to herself when she was trying to beat me with a broom,” replied Jess.
“You know, I’m beginning to think that General Zoreles was right. You are El Diablo himself,” said Reedy.
“Maybe, but I did catch up with Jack Riley and Melvin Dudley and three of the other men who ambushed you outside of town,” replied Jess.
“Then I suppose I can assume they’re not sitting in any jail cell?” asked Reedy.
“You’re a right smart man, Marshal,” replied Jess.
“Who were the other three men?” asked Reedy.
“”Their names were Wick Petersen, Stan Bender and William Wooster and they met with the same fate as Riley and Dudley, and now I’m looking for the other three that ambushed you and Chance Hannon. I was hoping you knew something about their whereabouts,” replied Jess.
“Not really, but I do know that Wick Petersen had an older brother by the name of Brendon, who I put in prison some years back,” replied Frank Reedy. “I hear he got released a few months ago so he might know something about the other three men who ambushed me and poor Chance.”
“Do you know where he might be?” asked Jess.
“Last thing I heard about him, he was kicking around down in a town in southern Kansas called Hope. If he ain’t changed his ways, he’s probably trying to put a bunch of thugs together and raise holy hell like he did before, which is how he ended up in prison in the first place,” replied Reedy. “Once he finds out you were the one who killed his younger brother, he’ll come at you for sure.”
“The Marshal’s right on that one, Jess,” interjected Sheriff Davies. “Brendon Petersen has one hell of a temper and it don’t take much to send that boy on a tear.”
“I received a message from my deputy, Derrick Callahan, about you helping him with that rancher problem over in Abilene,” said Reedy.
“That boy needs all the help he can get,” replied Jess, smiling.
“He said that one of the ranchers hired a long-range shooter to kill off the other two ranchers,” said Reedy. “I also heard that he got himself shot before his shooter could take out the other rancher. He was shot from a distance of about four hundred yards out from what Callahan informed me. So, are you still using that Sharps buffalo gun?”
“Sure am,” replied Jess.
“I suppose you could make a shot like that,” said Reedy.
“I sure could,” replied Jess.
“Well did you?” asked Reedy.
Jess though on that for a moment. “Well, a good friend of mine once told me that he doesn’t always tell the truth, but he never lies,” replied Jess, referring to the time that Reedy had made that same comment.
“So the answer is?” asked Reedy.
Jess smiled an evil grin as he looked down at the boardwalk. “Yeah, I could have made that shot.”
CHAPTER TWO
Jess left the Sheriff and Marshal on the boardwalk and headed for one of the saloons in town where he knew the barkeep, Walter Hayes. When he got to the saloon, he noticed the saloon had a new name painted on it. The name on the saloon was Walt’s Saloon. Jess walked in and looked around. There were a dozen or so men sitting at tables and four men standing at the bar. Jess walked up to the end of the bar just as Walter came out from the back.
“I’ll be dammed,” exclaimed Walter. “I didn’t think I’d see you back here so soon.”
“I came to check up on my good friend Marshal Reedy and to find out anything on three of the men who ambushed him and Chance,” replied Jess.
“Still drinking the good stuff,” asked Hayes.
“Same as always,” replied Jess. Hayes went into the back and came back out with a fine bottle of whiskey and poured Jess a glass of it.
“Do you know the names of the men you’re looking for?” asked Hayes.
“No, and I don’t even know what they look like, so it won’t be easy finding them,” replied Jess, taking a sip of whiskey.
“Well, there ain’t anyone in here right now that’ll be of any interest to you,” said Hayes, knowing very well that Jess was a bounty hunter.
“That’s good, since I had a busy time of it over in Abilene,” replied Jess.
“Yeah, we heard about the Death Dance with Jess Williams. What the hell was that all about anyway?” asked Hayes.
“It’s a long story and one I’d like to forget,” replied Jess.
“I hear you and that first one is on me for what you did with helping out the Marshal,” replied Hayes as he walked over to serve some of the men sitting at tables. Jess stood there and watched some men playing cards. They were enjoying themselves and he liked to see men having a good time instead of trying to kill one another for something as little as a ten-dollar pot in a poker game. He was on his second drink when two men, who looked like they had been on the trail for a quite a while, walked into the saloon. They had a look about them and he noticed it right away. He glanced at Hayes who gave him a look that said he didn’t know the two men. The men sidled up to the bar and ordered cold beer. They looked around the place, but their eyes kept looking over at Jess; probably because of all the weapons he was wearing.
The two men finished with their first beer and ordered a second beer. When Hayes brought them two more glasses of, the one man turned to face Jess as he took a long drink of the cold beer. Their names were Hadley Barber and Jerome Booth and they were both wanted by the law, but Jess didn’t know that.
