Then Smoke, Sam, and the mountain men sat back and waited for the fun to begin.
Deputy Rogers had retrieved the stick. Since he couldn’t read, he had no idea what was going on. He took the stick to Sheriff Reese. Reese read the message and took off at a run for Stratton and Potter.
“It’s a trick!” Stratton said, his fat jowls quivering.
“I don’t think so,” Potter said. “You know perfectly well that by now all the ranchers know the road is blocked. There isn’t a day goes by a dozen or more cowboys don’t come into town to raise hell. Janey makes her grand appearance in town every day, weather permitting. No, I think we’ve been tossed to the lions.
God
“What are we gonna do?” Reese asked.
“I don’t know. Give me time to think.”
“If they try to send someone out of town, let them,” Smoke said. Turning to Sam, he said, “And the one person they’re going to meet will be you.”
“I don’t follow you,” the puncher said.
“Your being fired was just a sham. A trick to get you on my side and see who I really was. You make them believe you’re still working for Richards. Tell whoever they send out that Richards isn’t going to interfere with me —he wants me to destroy the town, and everybody in it. Think you can pull that off?”
Sam grinned in the twilight. “You just watch me.”
Sam rode out toward the north, reining up several miles from town. The mountain men built campfires to the south, the west, and the east of Bury. They deliberately left the north dark.
“That damned Jensen is so sure of himself he’s not even guarding the north road,” Reese said. He cursed under his breath.
“We got to be sure,” Potter said. “Reese, send one of your men out to the ranch. Or as close to it as he can get. I’ve been thinking about something else, too.” He looked at Reese. “Who gave the orders to fire Sam?”
“Richards said Mr. Stratton did.”
“I never gave any such orders! You’re sure Richards said it was my idea?” Stratton demanded.
“Well, yes, sir. But maybe he just used your name and forgot to tell you about it?”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because Sam worked for you, kinda.”
But the seeds of suspicion had already been planted and were taking root. “Bull!” Stratton said.
“Looks bad, Keith,” Potter said. “I’m beginning to think that just maybe Richards may have sent for Smoke.”
“Yeah,” his partner replied. “That would fit. That no good—” He bit back the profanity.
“Reese, you go snoop around town while your man is riding out. Go.”
“Hold up!” Sam called from the darkness.
Deputy Rogers reined up and tried to peer through the gloom. “Sam? That you, Sam?”
“Yeah. Don’t let none of them other riders catch you out here. They’ll shoot you on sight.”
“What other riders?” Rogers pulled in close to Sam.
“Crooked Snake, Triangle, Double Bar B—and any of Mr. Richards’s gunhawks.”
Rogers sighed. “Then it’s true, Sam?”
“It’s true.” An idea began to form in Sam’s head. He thought Smoke would like it. “I’m ridin’ between town and the ranch, carryin’ messages back and forth.”
“Well, heck!” Rogers took off his hat and scratched his head. “I ain’t got no messages to give you. Sorry.”
“That’s all right.” You big dummy! Sam thought. “I got one for you to carry to Potter and Richards.”
“They figured it out, Sam.”
“Figured what out?”
“That you was all the time not fired and really workin’ for Richards.”
Sam breathed a bit easier. “I figured they would.”
“And Mr. Richards sent for that there Smoke Jensen, didn’t he?”
“I think so.” This was gettin’ better and better, Sam thought. But, he reminded himself, don’t drop your guard. Rogers was big and stupid, but still a cold-blooded killer and cat quick.
“What’s your message for them in town?”
Sam thought hard. “They’re comin’ in at noon, tomorrow.”
“Well, then, I got a message for you. You tell ’em we’ll be a-waitin’.”
“No, we won’t be waiting!” Stratton said.
“Huh?” Rogers was getting confused.
“Damn right!” Potter said.
