CHAPTER 19
'How long are we going to have to wait here?' Putterman demanded.
Longarm levered a shell into his Winchester. He had ordered Putterman to drive the prison wagon into some trees about a half mile from the Ortega ranch house. Far enough that the women couldn't give anyone a warning if they set to howling.
'I expect that I'll be back in less than one hour,' Longarm told the man.
'You gonna need some help?' young Hawkins asked hopefully. 'If you do, I better come along.'
'The hell you say!' Putterman snapped. 'Hawkins, you take orders from me, and I'm not about to let you go off on some private feud leaving me alone with these... women.'
The young prison guard looked crushed, but Longarm was secretly glad that he didn't have to tell Hawkins that he would rather try to take Juan Ortega captive alone.
'Just keep the women under control,' Longarm said.
Longarm regretted those words the moment they were out of his mouth. They were overheard by the women, who began to shout and screech like banshees.
'Damn,' Longarm said, hoping that they could not be heard from the ranch house.
'Now you've gone and done it,' Putterman said with disgust. 'Tell 'em they can't do a thing like that and they'll do it to spite you every time.'
'So I see,' Longarm said, hurrying away.
He could hear the prisoners for the next quarter mile, and then their voices grew faint, and finally they vanished altogether. Longarm circled the ranch house, keeping out of sight. Having been inside before, he felt confident that he could make his way into the house without arousing anyone. He just hoped that Ortega hadn't fled to Mexico. Mainly, Longarm was counting on the man's greed tying him to this ranch.
Longarm came in from behind the house and slipped over the courtyard wall. Moving swiftly past the fountain, he entered the large living room, gun clenched tightly in his fist. He was reminded once again of what a beautiful home this was and how it and Lucy could tempt almost any man to plot and then commit a heinous act of murder.
The first person he saw was another maid, but she did not see him and he waited for her to move on. When she did, Longarm crouched behind a large walnut cabinet and listened to the sound of voices coming from what were probably bedrooms up the hallway.
Juan Ortega's voice was easily recognizable, and Longarm moved swiftly down the hall until he came to Ortega's door. He waited until he heard the voices stop and an inner door open and close, then he opened Ortega's door. The brother of Don Luis was sitting alone at a huge desk, writing furiously when Longarm entered the room.
'You're under arrest, Ortega.'
The man stiffened and his hand dropped out of sight. Longarm did not bother to ask what he was reaching for, but shot him in the shoulder. Ortega was seated in a plush leather chair, and the force of Longarm's bullet was so powerful that the front of the chair lifted and the man almost toppled.
Ortega's gun clattered to the tile floor and he cursed fervently as he tried to stop the blood from pouring out of his shoulder.
'Ortega, just put your hands up on the desk where I can see them!'
Ortega placed his left hand on the polished surface of the desk but shook his head. 'Marshal, I cannot lift my arm! Your bullet...'
Longarm thought the man was probably telling the truth. The slug from his six-gun did appear to have shattered Ortega's shoulder. Longarm walked over, grabbed Ortega by the shirt, and hauled him to his feet.
'You're going to prison,' Longarm announced. 'You helped Brodie kill your own brother so that you could gain an interest in this land. Then, when you became convinced he would implicate you, you staged that attack on the road down to Wickenburg. You'll be in prison for the rest of your life, Ortega.'
The Mexican's lip curled. 'If I have to go, I will trade you some information for a lesser sentence.'
'What information?'
Ortega's expression turned crafty. 'Maybe about another lawman, eh, Marshal?'
Longarm snorted with derision. 'No deals.'
Ortega was caught by surprise, and his thin lips turned downward with bitterness. 'Marshal Long, I'm not going to rot in the Yuma prison while Haggerty gets away free!'
'I suspected Haggerty was somehow a part of this. Are you willing to testify against him without any promises?'
Ortega vigorously nodded his head.
The maid that Longarm had seen earlier appeared with a pistol in her shaking hand. 'Senorita,' Longarm said, 'I am a United States marshal. Put that gun away.'
'Your badge, senor?'
Longarm quickly showed her his badge before she accidentally shot him. Satisfied, the maid dropped the six- gun.
'I need some bandages,' Longarm said. 'And hurry.'
A few minutes later the maid returned with clean bandages, and Longarm managed to staunch the flow of blood. He tied Ortega's hands loosely behind his back and led him outside.
