Ride for Rule Cordell

“You think there won’t be a hearing?”

“Not one that’s going to help.”

Bartlett patted his gun belt. “You want to take ’em right here?”

“No. We’ve got to let them have the first move. They are the law. It won’t help anything to challenge that right now,” Checker said.

After seeing his friend ride off from the livery where their horses were stabled, Checker saddled his own mount, in case he had to leave town in a hurry. He expected the sheriff, with the judge’s support, to release Jaudon and his men—and deputize them to bring in Emmett Gardner. What should he do? What could he do? He was certain the two local authorities would already know the Rangers had been dismissed.

What would Stands-In-Thunder do? The aging Comanche war chief had become the father he had never known and the great warrior saw him as a son to replace those lost in war. They had met two years ago when Checker was trying to find a half-breed accused of robbing a bank and suspected of hiding on the Fort Sill reservation. He found the old man, but not the half-breed, and a strong friendship began. Whenever possible, Checker went to visit the old man, both enjoying the company of the other.

Stands-In-Thunder would attack, he told himself. Attack.

He rolled his shoulders, took a Colt from his saddlebags and shoved it into his back waistband. Then he pulled the Winchester from its sheath on his saddle. He hurried along the planked sidewalk toward the jail, passing several couples and one whiskered gentleman smoking a pipe, who stopped to watch him after he passed. Coming from the other direction was a harried Sheriff Hangar. Checker guessed he had just left the judge’s office.

“Where are you headed, Hangar?” Checker barked.

Checker’s voice jolted the lawman from his focused destination. He shuffled his feet and stopped. His hand began an instinctive move toward his belted handgun; then his mind rejected the idea.

“Well, well, look who’s here,” Sheriff Hangar snorted. “You’re just in time to help me let Mr. Jaudon and his men go. Judge Opat ruled they’re innocent.” His smile indicated a return of his confidence. “Oh, and I’ve been authorized to deputize them. Your buddy, Emmett Gardner, is wanted for rustling Lady Holt’s beef.”

“Since when does a judge have a hearing without the prosecution present?” Checker barked, closing the gap between them.

Hangar forced a laugh. “Guess he didn’t think it was needed. You see that bunch of steers come in? They’re all Lady Holt’s animals your friend stole an’ stuck his brand on.”

“You know that’s a lie, Hangar.” Checker’s statement was a bullet.

“You callin’ me a liar?” Hangar’s eyes reddened and his cheeks flinched.

“What do you think I’m calling you?”

Hangar hesitated, unsure of what to do or say. He was certain that to move for his gun was to die.

“Turn around,” Checker ordered, “and bring the judge here. Do it now.”

Biting his lip, Hangar spun and retreated his steps, yelling over his shoulder, “Won’t change nothin’.”

Checker watched him go, then strode the remaining yards to the sheriff’s office and stepped inside.

“Sacre Bleu! What the hell? Where is Hangar?” Sil Jaudon snorted, his heavy jowls shaking with the words.

Without speaking, Checker strolled over to the growling stove where a blackened coffeepot gurgled. He leaned his rifle against the wall, took a cup from the gathering of mismatched cups on the adjacent counter. Looking around, he spotted a rag that had been used as a handle buffer. He poured himself a cupful; a thin line of steam sought freedom. Sipping the hot liquid, he returned to the marshal’s desk and leaned against the corner of the well-worn surface as if no one else were in the jail.

“Vous vill die, Ranger Checker,” Jaudon said. “Vous an’ that stupid Emmett Gardner. An’ that other Ranger.”

The men in the other cells watched mostly in silence. Even Jaudon seemed mesmerized by Checker’s nonchalant style. Only the curly-headed gunman was unimpressed.

“Hey, Checker, what are you going to do when the judge lets all of us go?” Tapan Moore said, grabbing the cell bars. “All of us. Think you can stop us? We’re gonna pour so much lead into you that you’ll draw magnets from the general store.” He looked over at Dimitry. “Then this half-breed’s gonna scalp you. How ’bout that, Ranger?”

Without responding, Checker drank his coffee, then took out the silver watch from his pocket and flipped open the case lid. On the inside lid was the tiny cracked photograph of a young woman with two small children, a boy and a girl. He shook his head. That was a long time ago. His sister might not even be alive now.

Banter began to come from the other men as their courage propped their words. Finally, Sheriff Hangar banged open the door with Judge Opat a few steps behind him. Checker’s rifle was pointed casually at the lawman as he entered.

“Here you go, Checker. Here’s the judge.”

“Come on, Hangar, get us outta here! You heard the judge before,” Tapan commanded.

Other voices joined his declaration.

“What is this crap?” Judge Opat snarled. “I already ruled on this. They’re innocent, protecting their own property. I issued a warrant for Emmett Gardner’s arrest. For rustling.”

Checker thought the skinny magistrate looked like a rooster with his narrow, curved nose. A lock of brown hair even perched on his head like a rooster’s comb. His too-big suit coat made his thin frame look more so.

The tall Ranger kept his rifle pointed at Hangar, but his attention moved to the judge. “Interesting decision, Judge. You didn’t hear the testimony of the two lawmen who brought them in. How convenient.”

“Didn’t need to. I saw them steers. Outside in the corral,” Opat declared, raising his chin defiantly.

Checker described the rebranding. The original Lady Holt brand was a symbolic fire, a jagged line with an H above it. Most called it the “fire brand.” In quiet circles, it was referred to as the “hell brand.” The rebranding to look like Emmett’s mark was as good as possible. The “fire” had been blurred over. Above it was a single line. The H had been turned into the EG with the backward E covering the H as best it could to represent Gardner’s Bar EG.

“In the first place, did you ask Mr. Gardner if he had a bill of sale for those animals?” Checker asked.

“No, I—”

“Wouldn’t a real judge do that? Did you look at the brands at all? Do you think anyone could see those altered brands and think they weren’t changed? Did you ask where these steers were found? Were they bunched together? Do you think it makes any sense that a small rancher would take on the most powerful rancher in the region? Why did Holt’s men take this long to bring those cattle in? Why didn’t they come to the sheriff here first?” Checker’s questions were strung together like a Gatling gun in full fire.

“A sorry excuse for a judge you are, Opat,” Checker concluded.

“You don’t have any authority, Checker,” Opat shouted. “Or haven’t you heard? Governor Citale just had you and your partner dropped as Rangers. Good riddance, I’d say.”

“All the authority I need is in this gun.”

Hangar froze.

Opat licked his lips and folded his arms. His face narrowed and his eyes sought Checker’s. “Matter of fact, you’re under arrest, Checker. For the murder of three innocent men last night. You an’ that partner of yours.”

From the cells came an outburst of laughter.

“Au revoir, John Checker,” Jaudon spat. “I cut out votre eyes when I see vous next.”

Checker said, “You bring in real law an’ we’ll give ourselves up to him. But not to you. Or Hangar.” He stared at Jaudon. “Jaudon, you talk better than you do. I’d be careful of that.” He motioned with his gun toward the far cell. “I want both of you in there. Hangar, get rid of your gun belt. Judge, take that derringer out of your pocket.”

“What! How’d you? You can’t do this. I’m the law in this town,” Opat snorted, and withdrew the small gun and laid it on the desk. “Me an’ Hangar.”

“No, you’re not. Lady Holt is—and you’re dancing to any tune she happens to play. I feel sorry for you, Opat,” Checker said, watching Hangar unbuckle his gun belt and let it slide to the floor.

At the doorway, Checker turned back to the cells. “Now you listen. All of you. We’re no longer Rangers, so we