The mountain mans badge, p.33
The Mountain Man's Badge, page 33
Martin knelt next to Bobby, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Nobody’d believe you’d kill Ev Downey,” Martin said. “What motive would you have?”
“None! I ain’t got no reason to kill Mr. Downey,” Wills said through his tears. “But the Rev says I was a regular at his club. ‘Maybe Downey was blackmailing you,’ says the Rev. ‘Maybe you owe him money.’ He had a thousand reasons, he said.” Wills broke into sobs again.
Martin rested his hand on Bobby’s shoulder again. “It’s all right, Bobby,” he said. “I believe you, no matter what Ferguson or anybody else says.”
Ruby sidled up next to Lehigh. “So, if Bobby didn’t do it, who did?”
“Bobby,” Lehigh said, “what was the reason you came here that night?”
Bobby slowed his crying and managed, with Martin’s help, to sit up again. “Just to keep Downey waiting,” he said, sniffling. “Keep stringing him along so he wouldn’t leave. Make excuses as to why, uh, the person he was meeting was late. That sort of thing.”
“What did you see?” Martin asked in a soft voice, still supporting Bobby with an arm around him.
Bobby shrugged. “Not much. Like I said, at first, he was right here. Then all of a sudden, Mr. Downey fell down. I swear, he fell before I even heard the gunshot. He was bleeding from the leg, real bad. I got scared and ran into the woods.”
“Which direction?” Lehigh kept his voice calm, steady.
Bobby lifted his arm and pointed across the meadow, into the woods. “Over thataway.”
“How far did you get?” Lehigh anticipated Bobby’s answer with a glance toward the spot he’d found the bullets.
“Just–just past the edge of the field, into the trees,” Wills said. “Then I fell down.”
“And where was the gunman at this point?”
Bobby’s tears flowed like faucets again, and his voice sounded pained. “He ran right past me, into the meadow. I was laying there, and then...it was so loud...”
“Another gunshot?” Lehigh said, still in the low, calm voice. Bobby nodded, and broke into sobbing tears again, unable to speak.
“So, you didn’t take the fatal shot?” Lehigh asked him. “The one that hit him in the chest?”
“I didn’t take either shot,” Bobby said. “I was supposed to, but I froze. I–I couldn’t do it.” He ducked his head, fighting tears. “I ain’t no good as a deputy, and I’m even worse as a criminal.”
“Oh, boo hoo,” Ruby said. “Save the crocodile tears for the jury.”
“Hey, Mac, ease up,” Martin said. “The guy’s helping us here.” He gave Bobby a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “What happened next?”
Bobby shut his eyes tight, shaking his head.
“Let me guess,” Lehigh said. “The gunman left the meadow, and walked right past you, didn’t he?” Lehigh asked. “Right where you were laying?”
Bobby nodded. “He laid the gun down right next to me. He used my damned gun to kill him!” Bobby’s sobbing resumed.
“Who did?” Ruby Mac asked. “Who was the shooter?”
Bobby gave Ruby a curious stare, and his tears stopped. “You don’t know?” he asked. “After all this?”
“Tell her, Bobby,” Lehigh said. He knew, but didn’t want to say it out loud. Even now, the shock of it still shook him.
“Tell us!” Martin said. “The suspense is killing me!” He picked Bobby up by the armpits as if righting a fallen chair and set him on his feet in front of the others.
Bobby glanced at each of them in turn, a puzzled frown forming on his face. “Why, it’s the only person who ever needed Ev Downey gone from this county. I mean, we all kind of wanted him gone—me included, even though I went to his clubs all the time—but only one person’s personal ambitions made it absolutely necessary.”
“You mean, George McBride did it after all?” Martin asked.
Bobby laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. McBride’s an egomaniac, but a total coward. He could never kill anyone. Anyway, he’s retiring from politics, ain’t he?”
“Elliott Jackson?” Ruby Mac asked. “Is he thinking he’d take George’s place in the senate?”
“That idiot?” Bobby said.
Lehigh shook his head. “He loves being the big fish in a small pond, where he can bully everybody. He knows better than to reach for anything higher than the county commission. Go on, Bobby. Name him. Tell me I’m right, as much as I can’t believe it myself.”
Bobby straightened his shoulders and looked Lehigh in the eye. “If I do, will you keep me out of prison?”
Lehigh exhaled through his teeth. “Bobby, I’ll be honest with you. It’s up to the district attorney as to what to charge you with. But I’ll do what I can, and under the circumstances, I think your willingness to testify will go a long way in this case.”
Bobby hung his head, tears flowing again. After several seconds, he lifted his head and gazed into the distant trees across the meadow. “I’ll never forget it,” he said. “It was the worst night of my life.” He shook his head, as if to shake the memory free. “The man who pulled the trigger,” he said, “was none other than Raymond Ferguson.”
Chapter Forty-One
And just like that, Plan C flew out the window, too. Damn that Wills! Damn that idiot-savant sheriff!
Assistant District Attorney Raymond Ferguson retreated into the woods, adding distance and visual interference between himself and the gathering of uniforms in the meadow.
Up until that moment, the deputies had had no clue about what had really happened. The looks on their faces proved it. Now, anything that happened to Wills, they’d trace back to him.
Unless he could break up their party, and somehow isolate Wills and Carter from the other two. Then he could make it look like an accident, or an act of police brutality. As deputy district attorney, he’d have influence, if not outright discretion, over who got charged for what. His boss, the D.A., would certainly believe him over these rubes.
Especially if the two other deputies somehow didn’t make it back either.
He retched at that awful thought, and covered his mouth to mute the sound. He hunched over on the ground and squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the black thoughts out of his mind. The body count was rising. He begged the Lord for forgiveness for even contemplating such thoughts. He’d have to beg much harder later, if he completed the awful deed.
He shook himself, forced his thoughts back to the current problem. Deal with the future later, Father always told him. He had enough problems in the present.
Such as, coming up with a plan to distract them without getting caught.
His stomach calmed, as did his tormented soul, and he crept forward, weapon drawn.
“FERGUSON?” RUBY MAC charged at Wills. Martin intervened just in time to prevent her from clobbering him. “You idiot!” she said. “Do you really expect us to believe such a desperate lie?”
“Ruby! Back off!” Lehigh grabbed her around the waist, with inches to spare between her swishing nightstick and Bobby’s unprotected face. He finally managed to swing her around and push her back into Martin’s arms. “Now hang onto her this time,” he said with a growl. He lifted Wills to his feet and held on to his arm. “I believe you, Bobby. But we’re going to need proof. You got any?”
Bobby sneered at Ruby Mac. “Yeah, I got proof. In fact, I got something that even The Rev doesn’t know. Heh.” He stood an inch taller, an expression of pride crossing his face and swelling his chest. “And it’s right nearby.”
“Don’t believe him!” Ruby said. “He’s going to lead us into a trap.”
“I have to agree with Ruby,” Martin said. “I mean, look where we are. He’d have no reason not to.”
“The Rev has sold me out,” Wills said. “It’s time to turn the tables. And I have an ace in the hole. Literally!”
“You mean to say,” Lehigh said, “you got something in an actual hole? As in, buried in the ground?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Wills said. “A key, missing piece of evidence. And I’ll bring you to it. But only if you keep me out of prison.”
“What missing evidence?” Martin asked. “The only thing missing so far is the—”
“Murder weapon,” Lehigh said. “Bobby, are you saying you know where the 30-30 that killed Ev Downey is buried?”
Wills looked from face to face and nodded. “Of course I do. It’s my own gun. I had to hide it somewhere. So, we got a deal, or what?”
Lehigh sighed, all out of patience. “Show us where it is first,” he said, “And no tricks. You try anything, and I may not be able to stop Ruby from doing whatever she wants to your face with that nightstick.”
Ruby cast an evil grin at Bobby. “Please double-cross us,” she said. “I could use the exercise.”
“I’ll show you, I’ll show you!” Bobby said. “Just get her away from me!”
“Good choice,” Lehigh said. “Now, which way do we go?”
“East, about two hundred yards,” Wills said. “If you uncuff me—”
“Not so fast,” Lehigh said. “First, you show us where. When I have the weapon in my hands, then we’ll chat about how much I can trust you with your hands free.”
“Not at all, if you ask me,” Ruby said.
Martin shook his head, his expression darkening. “I can’t believe you buried evidence here, of all places. It’s a burial ground, but for people, not murder weapons!”
Bobby’s head drooped. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Lead us to it,” Lehigh said. He clapped a hand on Martin’s shoulder and met his baleful eyes. “We’ll make this right, I promise,” he said to the deputy.
“Follow me,” Wills said, and trudged away from the setting sun into the forest.
FERGUSON LOWERED HIS weapon and cursed. That dirty double-crossing Wills! Unless he was bluffing, this was a very bad turn of events. Very, very bad.
He’d had one clear shot at Wills, but he couldn’t take out Bobby without also engaging with Carter and his two deputies. Even on his best day, he couldn’t win a gunfight with three armed cops. And if he failed, he was done for.
He’d have to bide his time. Wait for them to find the treasure, then find a way to separate them. Pick them off one by one. Or maybe just Carter and Wills. He smiled. Yes, that was an even better plan. Get rid of Carter, then blame Wills for killing the local folk hero. An escape gone bad. Then he’d make easy work of connecting him to Downey, since only Wills knew where he’d buried the murder weapon—his own gun, to boot. From what he’d seen, the two deputies would sooner believe that than some crazy story about Ray being a killer.
The four of them disappeared into the woods. Ferguson circumnavigated the perimeter of the meadow, staying out of sight but keeping them within earshot. They weren’t even trying to stay quiet. This would be too easy.
RUBY FOLLOWED BOBBY down a fading path through the woods, one that hadn’t been used much in recent years by area hikers. Low brush tangled their footsteps and slowed their pace. It took several minutes before Wills announced, “Left, here.”
Ruby grabbed his elbow and pushed Bobby ahead of her. “I can still outrun you, so don’t try anything,” she said. “Just march straight to the spot. You hear?”
“I’m not running,” Bobby said. “I’m telling you, I’m cooperating. No tricks.”
Ruby kept her eye on the center of Bobby’s back, two steps behind him. No way he could fake her out or get away from her. Still, part of her wanted him to try. She’d enjoy smacking that smug smile off his face, along with a few teeth.
Bobby slowed, staring at the right side of the path, and she slowed with him. “We’re getting close,” he said. “It’s just a little bit...here!” He stopped and pointed with his toe. “Right there, between those ferns. I’m sure of it.”
“Stay put.” She circled around him to the spot. Sure enough, the ground had been disturbed there. Where the rest of the forest floor sported a thick bed of evergreen needles and other organic debris, the spot in question had only a thin, haphazard layer, and the soil underneath sagged under her weight. She turned to Bobby. “How deep is it?”
“Three, four feet,” he said. “And it’s covered with rocks.”
“We’re going to need shovels,” she said to Martin and Sheriff Carter, coming toward her from the path.
“I’ve got one in the back of my truck,” Carter said. He turned to leave.
Martin stopped him. “I’ll get it,” he said. “You should stay here with Bobby.” Carter nodded, and Martin hustled off.
Ruby pointed a finger at Bobby’s face. “You’d better not be pulling a fast one here,” she said.
“I swear, I’m not,” Wills said, and his face blanched. Good. She wanted him afraid. She glanced at her boss, who eyed her with amusement. She smiled at him. He was a much better boss than the one she’d had in Wasco County, who spent most of his time trying to keep her “safe,” whatever that meant.
Actually, she knew what it meant. It meant “out of the path to promotion.” Not at all like Lehigh Carter.
Suddenly, a loud Bang! echoed through the woods, shaking her out of her reverie. A gunshot!
“What the hell?” she said. “Martin? Martin?”
The sheriff grabbed his radio. “Martin, you all right?” he asked in a calm voice. Like a true leader.
Ruby cursed herself and her immediate emotional outburst. She needed to learn how to keep her cool if she wanted promotional opportunities. They waited for the deputy’s reply. None came.
“His radio must be off,” Lehigh said.
“His radio’s never off,” Ruby said. “This is bad.”
Another loud bang. Definitely a gunshot.
“You want to go find him, or stay with Wills?” Lehigh asked.
She gave it a half-second’s thought. Maybe less. She didn’t trust herself with Bobby, and couldn’t bear the thought of her partner waiting alone for help, bleeding, or worse. “I’ll find Martin,” she said, and tore off through the trees.
FERGUSON WAITED. THE big Indian had broken into a run right after his first shot, then fell in a heap after the second. That surprised him—he thought he’d missed, which, at this distance and with all of the trees between them, was more likely than not. He debated going to check, to find the body, but hesitated. What if the man was lying in wait, tricking him with an ambush? He crept toward the spot, but dared not lift his head above the brush. He listened. Nothing.
Then, rustling, and footsteps...behind him.
He reacted without thinking, darting to his right, back into a thicket where he couldn’t be seen, a path perpendicular to the straight-line trajectory of the oncoming runner. She emerged from among the trees moments later, running at an Olympic clip. He’d never hit her, not with her running like that, and he dare not reveal his whereabouts. She zipped past him about thirty yards away. If she continued in that direction, she’d veer far from the spot where he’d last seen the big Indian, and run far past him before turning around. If he was unconscious, she’d never find him.
He doubled back in the direction from which she came. Back to where Wills had revealed his buried treasure, and the men he really needed to kill.
LEHIGH GRABBED BOBBY by the shoulders. “Did you bring friends?” he asked. “Was this all a trap, as Ruby suspected?”
“No, uh-uh,” Bobby said. “Like I said, I was waiting to meet The Rev—”
“Dammit!” Lehigh drew his weapon and clicked off the safety. “You said Ray didn’t know about this spot?”
“Nope,” Bobby said. “He tossed the rifle at me after shooting Downey and told me to get rid of it, where no one could find it. Including him.”
“Plausible deniability, eh? Well, he covered his tracks pretty well,” Lehigh said with disgust. “Especially since he was the one charged with uncovering all the tracks. Dammit. I should have seen this sooner. Tell me something. Why didn’t he have you bury the body with the weapons?”
“I don’t know. He had a plan, he said. That’s all he’d tell me.”
Another shot ricocheted through the woods. Closer.
“I can help fight him, if you take me out of these cuffs,” Wills said.
Lehigh laughed. The kid had nerve. “No way,” he said. “I don’t trust you yet.”
“But if he comes for us, I’m a sitting duck!” Bobby said.
“Better learn to quack, then,” Lehigh said. “And get low.” He listened, hearing only the occasional distant echo of Ruby Mac’s voice, calling for Martin Lightfoot, softer each time. Soon she’d be out of earshot. He tried the radio again. “Martin? Ruby? Someone, get back to me!”
The radio greeted his plea with static.
A twig snapped behind him. He whirled about, and just in time, flattened himself to the ground. A loud report shattered the quiet. To his right, he sensed movement.
Bobby Wills had not been fast enough to the ground. Blood smeared his uniform across the midsection. Shock filled his face, and he sank to his knees.
“Wills!” Lehigh shouted at him. Another loud Bang!, followed by the crunch of a bullet into a tree a foot away. Lehigh sprang to his feet and flattened Bobby to the ground as another shot whizzed past his ear.
“I’m hit, Sheriff,” Bobby said in a weak voice. “I think I’m gonna die.”
“Not on my watch!” Lehigh grabbed Wills and rolled with him into the brush to a downed tree, then lifted the deputy over to the other side. Another shot tore into the downed tree’s trunk, inches from Lehigh’s hip. He turned, saw movement in the woods, and fired. The sound nearly deafened him. But the movement continued, hustling away from them. Lehigh fired again. Another miss.
He did some quick math. He’d fired twice, leaving four shots in his revolver. Ferguson had fired twice at Martin, four times at him and Wills. But how many did his magazine hold? And had he reloaded?
Wills groaned. Lehigh ducked behind the log and tore off his shirt. He opened Bobby’s, nearly vomited at the sight of the all the blood. He pressed his shirt onto Bobby’s wound to staunch the flow. “Hold this,” he said, then remembered he’d cuffed Bobby’s hands behind him. He used Bobby’s belt to secure it, then fumbled for his keys—
