Finish the Western

Cafe Society
81

When Johnny Boy and Matt had run into Boss Connell outside of town they had been surprised to see him, not expecting him so soon after their own task had been set.

But after the Boss told them to stay put and took off to see Gus Anderson, they got to talking.

“Matt, just what in tarnation is going on here? I know the boss wants to get his stuff back, but I don’t like being left out here like this.”

“JB, you know Connell, it smells like a set-up to me,” replied Matt.
If he wants to play both sides I thing we should at least be in on it."

“Yeah,” grunted Johnny “The more we know the better shape we will be in. I say we take off and follow him now. If he sees us we can always say we heard a shot or something and wanted to check things out. Let’s get going.”

Meanwhile, as Hank and Belle rode into town, they discussed their plans. They decided they needed to find the sheriff first and get filled in on what was going on, then get Bart. But as they slowly passed by the outskirts of town they rode by the church and were hailed by the Reverend Gray, who waved at them to hold up. “What’s would the parson want with us I wonder?” said Hank to Belle. “I been watching him lately and for a man of God he’s a pretty straight up guy. Doesn’t look down his nose at nobody.”

82

Slim went in to see Jesse, who was waking up again.

“Where’s Belle?” he asked.

“She rode into town to get the doc. We need to check you over, boy. You’ve been through quite a ride. I’m Slim McLeod, by the way.”

Jesse weakly stuck out a hand to shake. “Pleased to meetcha.”

“So, you got away from Connell? I’d be happy to hear it sometime, when you get your strength back.”

“Oh, damn, I forgot to give Belle sumpin’,” Jesse motioned to his frock coat. “Check the inside pocket. It’s how Connell cheated her Pa out of his land.”

Slim felt inside the pocket and pulled out a deck of cards, intricately designed with a “C” on the back.

“I got them from Connell’s office,” Jesse mumbled. “Notice anything funny about them?”

Slim fanned the deck, looking at the faces of the cards. Then he flipped them over.

“Well, I’ll be butched,” he said. “Bastard marked the cards.”

83

“Yeah, Jim, it’s me” replied Bart to his son. “I just heard about this not too long back.”

“Took you long enough to get here though, didn’t it? Gimme the bottle.”

“Son, you don’t need more booze now, the doc said you need…”

"I don’t mean liquor you old fart. I mean that little bottle over on that table there, the laudanum. Doc put it out of reach on purpose, said I have to be careful not to take too much. But hellfire, I hurt!.

“JIm, I know what it’s like to be hooked on something. I’m gonna do what I can for you but the doc must have put it out of reach for a reason.”

“What do you know you old boozehound? You want to help me, then help me get what I want!”

"Son, shut up! I may not have done right enough by you all those years, and I can’t do a thing about that. But since you’ve been here in the Gulch you’ve been nothing but trouble. I’ve done got staightened out, and I can help you over this. But if you’re going to keep acting like you are now, shooting places up and pestering folks who just want to be left alone, I’ll cut you right out. You hear me boy?

JIm glared at his father and turned his face to the wall. Bart waited a little while, for any further response, then, heaving a big sigh, left the room.

84

Belle and Hank rode into town, thundering past the stunned townfolk. They stopped near the Tumbleweed Saloon.

“I’ll go get the Doc,” Belle said, “if you’ll tell me where to go.”

Hank briefly gave her directions. “I’m going to find Gus Anderson,” he said. “He’s got some serious explaining to do.”

“Don’t you want to take the Sheriff with you?” Belle asked, wiping sweat from her brow.

Hank shook his head. “Best the Sheriff not be involved in this. I’ll catch up with him later. How about we meet at the jail?”

Belle briefly nodded, then galloped toward the Doc’s. He had a small but smart-looking clinic, and she couldn’t help but notice the sparking whitewash.

She hurriedly hitched up Diablo, stroking him absently, hurried up the steps and raised her hand to knock on the door.

“If you could spare us a minute, Miss Belle,” a voice said behind her. She turned, her hand on her holster, but it was too late. Matt and JB already had their firearms aimed at her.

“You skunks,” she growled. “Leave me alone. It’s over.”

“No, ma’am. It ain’t over until Connell says it’s over. Now, you come with us. Quiet now.”

“And if I don’t?”

Matt shrugged. “Guess we can take those papers off you just as easy dead or alive.”

85

I would try to write something here but I think ivylass missed something about Belle and Hank being hailed by Parson Gray a while back.

86

For Belle the next few seconds seemed to stretch into eternity. But then, as her shoulders started to slump in resignation, a new voice spoke up.

“Speaking of dead or alive, well, two can play at that game” drawled Bart as he stepped from the door of the clinic, guns at the ready.

“If it ain’t Bart Conroy” said Matt “think the two of us can take the one of him, JB?”

Johnny Boy seemed to consider “I think we should maybe back off a mite Matt” he said to his cohort. As he turned to go he gave Matt a wink that Belle and Bart couldn’t see. They went on a couple more steps, and suddenly spun around, guns blazing. Not expecting much else Belle had freed up her own pistol but a wild shot from Matt plowed a furrow in her shoulder, and she gasped in pain, dropping her weapon and falling to the ground. Bart shot at Matt and hit him in the head, but at the same time he grunted in surprise as JB’s pistol hit him square in the chest. JB moved forward to finish him off but he’d made a grave mistake. Seeing Belle fall he’d assumed she was out of the picture but then a voice as cold as ice spoke up “John, you take one more step and you’re dogmeat” Johnny Boy stopped and looked down at her and looked into two eyes totally devoid of pity.

By this time the commotion had brought other townsfolk running and JB, seeing himself outnumbered, stepped back and raised his hands, dropping his gun as he did so. Hands closed on him to drag him off to the jail and he gave Belle an ironic little salute as hewas taken away. But Belle didn’t see it as she dragged herself over to Bart. Doctor McCaulley had already emerged from the clinic and begun an examination but the blood pumping from his wound gave the diagnosis. “Bart, Bart, don’t you die on me, you hear?” He opened his eyes slightly and gave a weak grin “Like I said girl, you have your Momma’s spunk, and your Pa’s heart too. I’ll say hello to them for you” His eyes closed and his head slumped back. Doctor McCaulley felt for a pulse and said “He’s gone.”

87

Jeff Olsen I noticed that too, but since the timeline can be a little fuzzy we can work it this way. The church was on the “outskirts of town” as I wrote that one post. So Belle and Hank, “thundering into town” in the post by ivylass, can be read as “thundering the rest of the way into town”. And the thundering itself could be because of what they learned from the Parson. If you can fill * that* in, then all the pieces would fall into place. As for what time it is I figure it has to, by now, be mid or late afternoon.

88

As Johnny Boy was being hauled off to jail, Parson Gray came by to find out why Belle and Hank didn’t stop for him. The Parson was armed but not with firearms, he preferred less lethal means of defense. He had spent the past several years as a missionary in Australia and brought back a few souviniers.

89

:smack: I just realized Matt and JB were waiting outside town per Connell’s instructions while he went to go hunt up Gus Anderson.

Oh, well, they were none too bright anyway…maybe they got too hot and came to town for a spot of lemonade and saw Belle.

I knew one of the good guys was going to die…nice job handling Bart’s demise, Baker.

Jeff, I have no idea where you’re going with the Parson’s souveniers, so I’ll let you carry on with that one while I go this way…

Hank stepped into the cool jail. It was a sturdy structure, made of limestone, and although it got damp in the winter it was a mighty nice place to rest during the summer. Especially if you were on the outside of the bars.

Sheriff Wilson and Zeke were busy loading up the guns while Tommy kept an eye on Al and Clem, who appeared to be sleeping. Tommy smiled at Hank as he walked in.

“Sheriff’s been telling me you’re not quite the drunken loner you made out to be,” he said, handing over a pistol.

“Suits me sometimes to pretend,” Hank replied, expertly checking the loads. “What’s your plan, Sheriff?”

“I’m gonna start by asking you why you’re here. I thought you were at Charley’s place.”

“Belle’s sweetheart showed up, stumblin’ from a bullet wound. Caroline is tending to him, and Belle and me came to town, me to find you, her to get the Doc.”

Just then they heard the unmistakable rattle of gunfire. Sheriff ran for the porch and looked up and down the street.

“Sounds like it’s coming from Doc’s. Tommy, you stay here and guard the prisoners. Anyone come in to give you trouble, shoot them first and ask questions later.” Zeke and Hank were quick behind the Sheriff as he hurried out the door.

90

On his way to see Gus Anderson Boss Connell had caught sight of Johnny Boy and Matt following him. “Think they can double cross me, do they?” he muttered to himself, as he took a sharp turn in the trail and hid behind a rock outcropping. Finally JB and Matt caught up with him and he nearly startled them out of their boots when he spurred Buckskin forward, pistol already drawn.

"Well boys, looks like we got us a situation here, doesn’t it?’ he questioned. “The boys” were disgusted at themselves for being caught but as they tried to make excuses Boss cut in. "Stow it! I don’t have time for that now. I’m changing my plans. You two start off for town to find Belle, and this time I’ll follow you you get me? You tell her that it’s not over between us yet, you hear me? “Yes sir Mr. Connell” they blurted out, and took off again.

Connell waited as they rode away, then trailed a distance behind them. The light was just starting to fail as he witnessed the startof their encounter with Belle and Bart, but, in the excitement, nobody saw him slip in the back door of the clinic, where he searched for and found Jim, a loose end that had been bothering him. Hearing all the commotion out front Boss knew time was short.

Jim had been dozing again but came to awareness as Connell slipped stealthily into his room. “Hey Boss,” he said. "Sorry I didn’t get the job done like you told me , but…

“Shut up you! I don’t have much time here but you can make it up to me, and I’ll take care of you, if you can tell me. Did you or did you not tell them about all the plans, once you took off after Belle Kasson?”

“I swear Boss! They didn’t get nuthin’ from me”

“Good” rapped the Boss in reply. Here he looked around the room and his eyes hit on the bottle of laudanum. He said “You need anything now?”

“Yeah” Jim whined “They aren’t giving me enough to stop my leg hurting. Feels like it’s on fire”

“Alright, alright, how much you need of this?” the Boss wanted to know, as he held up the bottle.

“That damn doc said just one itty-bitty spoonful, about twenty drops, for a big guy like me. But it’s not enough, I know I can handle more!”

“Well, you didn’t squeal on me, and I said I’d take care of you” answered Connell. He reached for the water glass to put the drops in with, and it started to fall. But Boss was in control all the time, and as he righted the glass he tipped half the bottle into the water. He handed the glass to Jim, who slurped it gratefully, surprised the Boss hadn’t flown off the handle like he usually did when someone fouled off.

Just then Boss heard the noise of someone heading back into the clinic at the front… Not wanting to be seen he slipped out back quickly, thinking to himself as he went “Like I said Jim, I’ll take care of you.”

91

Boomerangs, mate!

92

Hank pulled a weeping Belle away from Bart’s body as the Sheriff yanked and dragged JB down the street. “You Connell boys are starting to tick me off,” he growled.

“Come, my dear,” Parson Gray said. “We need to finish our conversation. Let’s go to the Tumbleweed and have a wee dram.”

Belle nodded, wiping her dirty face. “I’m so tired,” she said, holding onto Hank. “Wait! I need to get Doc for Jesse!” She started to run back to the clinic.

“I’ll meet you at the Tumbleweed,” Hank said. “You’re about done in, Miss Belle. I’ll send the Doc up to Charlie’s to tend to Jesse. I won’t be two shakes.” He turned back to Doc’s, where Zeke was helping McCauley carry the bodies of Bart and Matt inside.

Boss stepped out from the shadows behind Doc’s. He faced a huge dilemma. Jesse was laid up at a nearby ranch, Belle was heading toward the saloon, and JB was being thrown in jail, presumably to join Al and Clem, and he still hadn’t found Gus Anderson.

He thought quickly, then made his decision. He would get the papers back from Belle. That was most important. And surely that weak-chinned Parson would be no trouble. More than likely, he’d try to preach his way out of it.

Then he would get some answers from Gus Anderson.

93

Belle stumbled a little as she entered the door of the clinic, and the Parson Gray put out a hand to steady her, and was startled when there was blood on his hand. The doctor had been washing up after pronouncing Bart dead, and Belle’s unsteady gait caught his eye.

“Hell’s bells, girl, why didn’t you tell me you’d been hurt too?”

After all the excitement Belle had only just started to notice the throbbing sensation in her shoulder, but now it began to be insistent. She glanced down and saw the rip in her shirt, that revealed an ugly flesh wound. “Guess I haven’t had time to think about it Doc,” she replied

“Well, here, I’ll take care of it. You’ll have to get another shirt though, this one won’t be worth putting back on. Reverend, would you mind stepping down the street to Hastings Mercantile and picking up something for the lady here? Tell them to put it on my bill.”

“Certainly, I’d be glad to” answered the parson, and he turned to go. “And I’ll be back as quickly as I can. Miss Kasson here is going to need a watchdog until that Connell fellow is found, or until we can get someone else sent out to the ranch for help.”

Dr. McCaulley joked with Belle a little as he cleaned and dressed her wound. “Well”, he said “it’s not near as bad as it looks. Won’t hardly even leave a scar for that fellow of yours to see. Speaking of which, I think I heard you all need me to go out and give him a once over?”

“Caroline Charging Bear said he would be all right until you got there” said Belle in a worried tone, “But he’d had such a hard time of it!”

“Well, soon as the reverend gets back we can put you down for a little nap here on the couch, and I’ll head out that way. But it’ll be getting dark soon, may take a little longer than usual.”

The doctor cocked his head “That’s funny. When I mentioned you sleeping it made me think of the fella in the room back there. I thought he might disturb things. When he’s asleep he snores like a snorting bull, and when he’s awake he’s complaining about one thing or another. Guess I’d better go check on him.” And the doc left Belle alone for a moment as he went to look in on his other patient.

94

Sheriff threw JB into the cell with Al and Clem, hard enough to send him sprawling on the floor. Al and Clem stood goggling.

Wilson slammed the cell door shut with a loud bang and locked it.
“I am sick to death of the trouble you jackasses are causing in my town,” he snarled, as Tommy sat back behind the desk, a gun trained on the cell. He snickered as JB sat up, rubbing his head. “The judge is going to be here tomorrow, and believe you me, a hangman’s rope is not out of the question.”

“No, Sheriff!” Al screamed. Clem tried to grab him. “I don’t want to die! I’ll tell you everything!!”

“Shet up, you fool!” JB hollered. Clem yanked Al back from the cell door.

“You shut up!” Al screamed back. “Connell’s done nothin’ for us! Nothin’! I ain’t kickin’ at the end of a rope to please his pride!”

“My, my, trouble in paradise, boys?” Sheriff Wilson cocked an eyebrow. “Tommy, get me the shackles.”

Tommy brought the chains, then held a gun on the three as Wilson locked Al in the shackles and escorted him out of the cell.

“Come with me, Al,” Sheriff said. “You and I are going to wet our whistle at the Tumbleweed and you’re going to tell me what’s on your mind. I’m not going to have any trouble with you, am I?”

Al shook his head. “No, sir, Sheriff. I don’t want to die.”

95

Connell saw Rev. Gray leave the clinic and thought he was finally getting a bit of luck. Only the doctor and Belle would be in the clinic, as Zeke had left after helping bring in the bodies of Bart and Matt. With only a wounded woman and that old fart of a doctor around he figured he wouldn’t have any trouble getting the goods from Belle. Twilight was really falling now as he once again slipped into Doc’s place, this time at the front door.

“Hello, you hellcat you,” he snarled as he came in. “Think you could outrun me, did you?”

“Oh great, just what I didn’t need right now” she spit back, pulling the blanket around her shoulders a little more tightly. “NOW what do you want? And I’m not alone here you know!”

“If you don’t raise your voice any more I don’t think we’ll have any trouble with the doctor. He’s probably really occupied just now with his former patient.”

Bele didn’t try to make sense of his words, and just glared at Connell.

“Now give me back what you took and I’ll go quietly” the Boss hissed. Belle’s eyes slid as if involuntarily to the pail that held her torn shirt. Boss noticed her gaze, and grabbed all the rags. “It all in here girl?”

“Yes! Now take it and get out of here you no-good, cheating snake.”

Connell’s brow arched sarcastically. “Now is that any way to talk to a guy who only wanted to be friendly” Again Belle just glared, and chuckling to himself Connell backed out, promising himself he’d settle her hash in a more personal manner at a later time. For now he had what he needed.

After he left Belle finally could yell for Dr. McCaulley, and he came running, puzzled to find her laughing out loud. “What happened now?” he wanted to know.

“Connell was just in here!” she smirked. “He took the rags in the bucket there, because I fooled him into thinking they were still in my shirt pocket when I was hit out there. Is he ever in for a surprise. I left the papers out at the ranch!” and she dissolved into laughter again, in spite of the ache it caused in her muscles just now.

Connell, although he didn’t know it, was actually running out of luck. His vaguely furtive manner as he left the clinic caught the eye of the parson as he returned with the shirt for Belle. Gray didn’t know for sure who it was, but he had a tingling sense of suspicion that was confirmed when he hollered at the retreating man, who promptly took off running.

Gray thought to himself it had been several months since he’d done any throwing practice, and now seemed as good a time as any to start again.

96

Parson Gray fingered his stack of boomerangs, pulled one from the pouch and let it fly. It was a few feet too high. He threw a second and with the same motion, caught the first one as it returned. The second one was closer, missed the retreating figure by less than a foot. The figure stopped dead, wondering what had just flown above his head and broke a window at the Mercantile.

Now that he had his range, the parson tossed a pair at the figure. They hit just seconds apart, one on the head and the other behind the knees.

97

Gray made an exclamation of satisfaction as he ran forward to the fallen man. He had learned that boomerangs were used primarily for sport, and not as a weapon, but they were hard and he’d learned to prefer a device that could stun without killing. He wasn’t the first to reach Connell however. Mr Hastings, who had just been about to close up for the day, emerged angrily from his store to find the culprit who had broken his window. There were few others in the street, as for most it was dinnertime, but as the parson came up on his target, he had already been surrounded.

“Anybody see what it was?” “What in tarnation happened?” “He was hit with this stick, see?” Connell had been turned over and was just coming to, with a lump already growing on the back of his head. He groaned a little and then a voice in the crowd said, “Why, that’s Sutton Connell! He’s that rancher that…”

Parson Gray bent down to Connell, and the little knot of observers, gave him room, thinking he was giving an injured man spiritual comfort, until they saw another stick poking of his bag.

“Reverend, did *you * do that?” asked Hastings. “I sure did” was the reply. “My aim is a little rusty but I stopped him. But say, you got a girl that can take this shirt I just got from you back to the Doc’s? Miss Kasson will be needing it. And someone ought to go for the sheriff. Try the jail and the Tumbleweed first.” Hastings turned and called for his teenage daughter who worked with him in the store, and she took off with the shirt, while a son went to find the law.

“What did you hit him for parson?What did he do?” came another voice.

“Let’s just say for now that he seemed to be showing a remarkable lack of Christian charity. Maybe we’ll know more when Sheriff Wilson gets here. And it’s a good bet that as soon as Miss Kasson gets that shirt the girl took, she’ll be around to say howdy.” Connell, his head hurting but more clear now, struggled to rise but was pushed back by more than one set of hands.

98

Back at the ranch, Jesse was getting worried. “Belle should have been back with the doc by now. Somethin’ must have happened in town.”

“I’ll go see what’s keeping them,” Slim siad. “'Twould be an opportunity to show her these cards, too.”

Slim took off for town as fast as his horse could go. He was just outside of town when he heard the sound of glass breaking. As he drew closer, he saw the small crowed that had gathered then heard someone calling for the sheriff. Slim decided to check it out. He rode up, jumped off his horse and drew on the figure that was trying to stand. “If I were you, I’d just wait here for the sheriff to sort everything out.”

Connell spat, “I’m not afraid of you, you two-bit card sharp. You couldn’t hit the side of a steamboat.”

Slim glanced down and spied a fancy hat in the dust. He kicked it over to the man with the sore neck. “That’s not entirely true, sir.” He stepped closer and his voice took on a menacing tone. “You of all people should know that I’m quite good hitting any target within six feet.”

99

Hasting’s son, Billy, rushed out of the Tumbleweed with the Sheriff right behind, dragging Al with him. He shoved the chained man at the Parson. “Take him back to the jail and help Tommy lock him back up.” He knelt beside the groaning Connell.

“Run get the Doc,” he said to no one in particular. “Can you hear me, Connell? Al gave you up. He told us everything, how you swindled folks to get their land, and even plan on taking over Anderson’s Gulch.”

“Why would anyone want the Gulch?” Billy asked. “There ain’t nothin’ here.”

“Tell them, Connell.” Sheriff pulled Connell up by the neck of his shirt, but either the Parson’s aim was better than he thought or Connell was faking, because Connell’s head just lolled drunkenly.

“Because the silver mine is not bust,” Gus Anderson said from behind them. The crowd turned to look at the elderly gentleman, flanked by his two brothers. “He faked the mineral reports to chase everyone away.”

“But you agreed with him!” Mr. Hastings said. “I lost a lot of customers when the mine went bust. I’m barely holding on as it is.” The crowd shifted, growing angry. It would soon turn from a crowd to a mob.

“I had very good reasons for going along with him,” Anderson said firmly. “If you will settle down, I will explain.”

100

Looks like the two previous posts were almost simulposts, but aside from a difference in how Connell is reacting, they aren’t really in conflict. The situation for the characters is chaotic just now, so if we assume that Slim speaks before Gus Anderson, and that the bump on Connell’s noggin has him going in and out of awareness, then everything is great.

I just want ivylass or Jeff Olsen to speak for Gus Anderson, as that post was so good and I don’t want to spoil it. Doesn’t it seem like everyone has a grudge against Connell, for one reason or another? What a rat!

Billy, having already fetched the sheriff, went running back down to the doctor’s clinic. He met his sister, Dr. McCaulley, and Belle already emerging from the front door. The doctor, if it was possible, looked even angrier than Belle as they all went tearing back down to the growing crowd. By now it seemed like the whole town was present.

“Just give me one minute with that crook!” shrilled Belle as she tried to reach for the fallen man. Slim caught her and held her back.

“Miss Kasson, it seems that we all want a piece of him, one way or another. Let the sheriff sort out who gets which part.” Belle subsided, grumbling loudly.

In spite of Gus Anderson speaking up the crowd was getting rowdier still, so Sheriff Wilson suddenly bellowed "QUIET!". For a tall and rather slender man, Clay Wilson had a remarkably loud voice when he wanted to, and the folks gathered around reeled back in surprise. “I want everybody, and I mean everybody to shut up and stand back a little. Connell here isn’t going anywhere, and it seems, from what I’ve been hearing, that Gus Anderson here may be able to give us the rest of what we need to sort things out, and after that we can all speak to the judge when he arrives in a few days. So let’s listen to Anderson now!” He turned to Gus, and, in a much milder tone, “Mr. Anderson, I believe you had something to tell us?”