THIRTEEN
Gabriel sat on the bunk in the grim little cell and tried to collect his thoughts. It wasn’t easy. His face was bruised, lips swollen and his head throbbed with pain. And the heat, my God the heat was suffocating.
But bad as the heat was, the horseflies were worse. Their vicious bites kept him squirming. He swatted at them with his hat, wondering as he did why he’d been treated so harshly. Captain Morales had seen him many times before when he’d come to town and there’d never been a problem.
‘You! Gringo!’
Gabriel saw Captain Morales standing on the other side of the bars. The officer was holding a 44-40 Remington revolver. As Gabriel rose and came close he recognized it, and realized Ellie and Escalero must be in trouble.
‘This pistola – it is yours, yes?’
‘Yeah. Those are my initials, see,’ Gabriel pointed at the side plate. ‘How’d you get hold of it?
‘I will ask the questions, hombre .’
Gabriel waited.
‘The señorita ,’ Captain Morales said, ‘the norteamericano with the pale hair cut so short, what have you done with her?’
‘Nothin’. Why?’
‘Do not bother to lie. I found this,’ he brandished the 44-40 Remington, ‘beside her overturned wagon.’
‘That’s ’cause I gave it to her driver, Miguel Escalero, for protection against bandidos . The old pistol he had was one shot away from blowin’ up in his face.’
‘I do not believe you, gringo . The old man was found lying not far from the wagon. He was shot many times.’
‘Jesus,’ Gabriel said. ‘Miguel’s dead?’ His blood went cold. ‘What about the woman? She dead, too?’
‘Only you know that,’ Captain Morales snapped. ‘I ask you again – where is she? What have you done with her?’
‘Nothin’. I already told you that, goddammit. Last time I saw her she was—’
‘Was it her gold you were after?’ Captain Morales held up a US gold eagle.
‘Where’d you get that?’
‘It was on the ground where you dropped it after robbing her.’
‘Robb—? Hell, I didn’t even know she had any gold.’
‘Why else would you kill them?’
‘I didn’t kill them.’
‘How much more gold was there?’ Captain Morales demanded. ‘And where did you hide it? Tell me and it will go better for you.’
‘Mean won’t hang me twice?’
‘ Gringo , it is not wise to mock me.’
‘Then quit accusin’ me of somethin’ I didn’t do, for Chrissake! I liked that old man an’ I liked the woman too. But even if I hadn’t, there was no reason for me to shoot them.’
‘But you cannot deny they were at your rancho . I saw their wagon tracks there with my own eyes.’
‘Who’s denyin’ it?’
‘This makes you the last person to see them alive.’
‘Not the last. That’d be the hombre who pulled the trigger .’
Gabriel saw the officer didn’t believe him.
‘Look, Capitán ,’ he said, trying to control his anger, ‘I know it looks suspicious. And I understand why you think I killed them. But I didn’t, so help me God I didn’t. The last time I saw Ellie an’ the old man, they were alive. We said goodbye an’ they headed back this way.’
‘When was that?’
‘Early mornin’, day before yesterday. They’d spent the night at my place. I even gave them food and water to take with them. Does that sound like someone plannin’ to shoot them later?’
‘A man with gold on his mind will do anything to get it,’ said Captain Morales. ‘You will either tell me where it is, and what you have done with the señorita , or I will whip it out of you. And then I will hang you.’
‘For what? You got no proof I shot anyone.’
‘That is where you are wrong, gringo. El director de pompas fúnebres is burying the proof at this very moment.’ He walked off, slamming the jail door behind him before Gabriel could repeat that he hadn’t shot Escalero.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Alone, Gabriel lay on the bunk wondering if Ellie was still alive. And if she was, who had kidnapped
Gabriel sat on the bunk in the grim little cell and tried to collect his thoughts. It wasn’t easy. His face was bruised, lips swollen and his head throbbed with pain. And the heat, my God the heat was suffocating.
But bad as the heat was, the horseflies were worse. Their vicious bites kept him squirming. He swatted at them with his hat, wondering as he did why he’d been treated so harshly. Captain Morales had seen him many times before when he’d come to town and there’d never been a problem.
‘You! Gringo!’
Gabriel saw Captain Morales standing on the other side of the bars. The officer was holding a 44-40 Remington revolver. As Gabriel rose and came close he recognized it, and realized Ellie and Escalero must be in trouble.
‘This pistola – it is yours, yes?’
‘Yeah. Those are my initials, see,’ Gabriel pointed at the side plate. ‘How’d you get hold of it?
‘I will ask the questions, hombre .’
Gabriel waited.
‘The señorita ,’ Captain Morales said, ‘the norteamericano with the pale hair cut so short, what have you done with her?’
‘Nothin’. Why?’
‘Do not bother to lie. I found this,’ he brandished the 44-40 Remington, ‘beside her overturned wagon.’
‘That’s ’cause I gave it to her driver, Miguel Escalero, for protection against bandidos . The old pistol he had was one shot away from blowin’ up in his face.’
‘I do not believe you, gringo . The old man was found lying not far from the wagon. He was shot many times.’
‘Jesus,’ Gabriel said. ‘Miguel’s dead?’ His blood went cold. ‘What about the woman? She dead, too?’
‘Only you know that,’ Captain Morales snapped. ‘I ask you again – where is she? What have you done with her?’
‘Nothin’. I already told you that, goddammit. Last time I saw her she was—’
‘Was it her gold you were after?’ Captain Morales held up a US gold eagle.
‘Where’d you get that?’
‘It was on the ground where you dropped it after robbing her.’
‘Robb—? Hell, I didn’t even know she had any gold.’
‘Why else would you kill them?’
‘I didn’t kill them.’
‘How much more gold was there?’ Captain Morales demanded. ‘And where did you hide it? Tell me and it will go better for you.’
‘Mean won’t hang me twice?’
‘ Gringo , it is not wise to mock me.’
‘Then quit accusin’ me of somethin’ I didn’t do, for Chrissake! I liked that old man an’ I liked the woman too. But even if I hadn’t, there was no reason for me to shoot them.’
‘But you cannot deny they were at your rancho . I saw their wagon tracks there with my own eyes.’
‘Who’s denyin’ it?’
‘This makes you the last person to see them alive.’
‘Not the last. That’d be the hombre who pulled the trigger .’
Gabriel saw the officer didn’t believe him.
‘Look, Capitán ,’ he said, trying to control his anger, ‘I know it looks suspicious. And I understand why you think I killed them. But I didn’t, so help me God I didn’t. The last time I saw Ellie an’ the old man, they were alive. We said goodbye an’ they headed back this way.’
‘When was that?’
‘Early mornin’, day before yesterday. They’d spent the night at my place. I even gave them food and water to take with them. Does that sound like someone plannin’ to shoot them later?’
‘A man with gold on his mind will do anything to get it,’ said Captain Morales. ‘You will either tell me where it is, and what you have done with the señorita , or I will whip it out of you. And then I will hang you.’
‘For what? You got no proof I shot anyone.’
‘That is where you are wrong, gringo. El director de pompas fúnebres is burying the proof at this very moment.’ He walked off, slamming the jail door behind him before Gabriel could repeat that he hadn’t shot Escalero.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Alone, Gabriel lay on the bunk wondering if Ellie was still alive. And if she was, who had kidnapped
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