Trail Hand

to Don Enrique and his caporal.

Pierce and his bunch might simply have trailed the herd from a distance, but I had been far out in front when I was shot. So how could Pierce have possibly gotten into position to dry-gulch me, unless he knew well ahead of time where I was going? But how could he know that?

According to Chavez, no one left camp that day and nobody reentered camp until the attack. There was no telegraph on the trail, and, if anything were being left behind as a signal, the drag riders would have noticed and they were rotated too often to be suspect themselves.

As I sat there thinking, the glare of reflected sunlight off his mirror hit me squarely in the eyes, causing me to squint in pain. Dr. Grumet almost drew blood when I jerked my head.

“Sorry about that, mister. Sun always does that around this time of day. Been meaning to put some curtains on that window. Here let me fix it.” He adjusted a knob on the side of the chair and began to swivel it in an attempt to avoid the glare. As the chair moved back and forth in front of his mirror, the sunbeam kept reflecting on and off into my eyes. I suddenly knew! Planting my feet on the ground to stop the chair, I jumped up and pulled the sheet from my neck, using it to wipe the lather off.

“Something the matter?” he asked.

“It’s OK, Doc, I just remembered something important.” I tossed him a few coins. “You’ve been a great help. Nice close shave, too,” I added.

“Sure you won’t let me check that mouth for you?” he asked.

My jaw clamped down instinctively and I flinched a little. “No thanks, maybe some other time.”

Chapter Twenty-four

Later that afternoon Rosa, Chavez, Sonora, and I were waiting next to her buckboard when Miguel emerged from the livery, leading his horse.

“?Oye, Miguel, ven aca!” I shouted, calling him over.

He tied his horse to the nearest hitch and crossed the street to join us.

“What’s up?” he asked, smiling.

Rosa was the first to answer him. “My father is riding to town to join us, but he is a little overdue. Would you please ride up into the hills outside of town and watch for him?”

“Si, Senorita Rosa, I’ll leave right away,” he replied, turning toward his horse.

Chavez stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Perhaps it would be a good idea to signal us when he is in sight. But…,” he hesitated, “it will be too far for us to hear you shout and a rifle shot might give the don the wrong idea. What do you think, gringo?”

“You’re right,” I answered. “After all that he’s been through, the last thing Don Enrique would want to hear is more rifle fire.” I paused a moment as if deep in thought.

“Wait a minute, I’ve got an idea,” Sonora chipped in, right on cue. “How about usin’ a mirror?”

“That’s a good idea,” Rosa agreed. “There may be one here in my wagon.”

I rummaged around in the back of the buckboard and pulled out a small piece of mirror that we had planted there earlier. I tossed it over to Miguel. “Here, you can use this to signal us with.”

“Andale, Miguel, before it gets too dark,” said Chavez.

It had all happened so quickly Miguel didn’t have time to think things out. He just nodded to us and hurried back to his horse. Just before he reached it, however, I called out to him again.

“Oye, Miguel, un momento. One more thing.”

He turned around again. “What is it?”

“You sure you know how to send mirror signs?”

“Por supuesto …of course, my father taught me. Many in our village use mirrors that way.”

“That how you let the Four Box brand know where our herd was goin’? Is that how you sent them after me, amigo?” I stared him right in the eye, and stepped away from the rest, facing him in the middle of the street.

Miguel looked around desperately, but had no cover nearby.

Rosa moved out of the way, back behind her buckboard, while Chavez and the other vaqueros on both sides of the street moved to block his escape.

“I never could understand how those rustlers managed to anticipate all our moves without a mistake, and without us knowing,” I said.

“You see, Miguel, they knew Chavez and I always double checked our back trail. They had to stay far enough away so that we’d never pick up their tracks. Hard to follow if you’re that far back. But then they could do it easily enough if they already knew ahead of time where we were going, couldn’t they? A mirror shines light for miles, doesn’t it, Miguel?”

“?Como? You are wrong. It was not me,” he answered nervously.

In the corner of my eye I noticed Pili standing behind the cantina doors. Several of the townspeople were lined up along the walk watching us, but none seemed threatening.

“Had to be you, chico. Luke Pierce used the town telegraph before we left town. So he already knew all about the drive. Francisco and you were the only ones in town after the drive was planned. Remember, that’s how we met. But you see, the caporal and I already know Francisco can’t read mirror sign….”

Miguel’s gun hand dropped slowly to his side.

“Always seemed to me you spent just a little too much time shaving in the morning. I understand now. Good opportunity to use your mirror. I’ll bet Joaquin wouldn’t have appreciated your generous offers to help him shine his pots so much had he known you were also using them to signal with. It got him killed, didn’t it?” I started walking slowly toward him, my right hand down at my side.

“Miguel, you betrayed us just for money?” Francisco shouted from across the street. “Why? Didn’t Don Enrique treat us fairly?”

“This is between us two. Stay out of it, Cisco!” I yelled, without once taking my eyes off Miguel.

“You sent them after me, Miguel, didn’t you? Had them bushwhack me from hiding. Why’d you do it? ?Porque?”

“A man needs enough money for his own place. I would never be good enough just working for others.” As he answered, I caught him releasing his holster thong.

“Who gave you that idea, Miguel?” I asked. “Never be good enough for who?”

He never gave me time to find out. Instead, he dropped quickly to one knee, drew, and fired. He was very fast, and the sudden move might have worked had he only waited a touch longer and not jerked his shot so much.

Pa’s words echoed in my ears. “Shootin’ first don’t always cut it. Ya got to hit what you aim at, too. And, Son, don’t trust to one shot, either, you keep shootin’ until the threat is over. Remember, boy, only a fool stands still in a gunfight.”

Miguel had aimed too quickly, firing at the very spot where I had been standing only an instant before. I side-stepped to my left just as he dropped, causing him to lose whatever edge he might have hoped for. My first shot didn’t miss him, though, nor did the next three. Miguel died in the middle of that street, curled into a lifeless ball.

Although I got no satisfaction from what had just happened, there was no remorse this time. It was his call, not mine, and he, like others in the past, had gotten what he deserved.

I holstered the Colt, suddenly feeling very weary, but relieved that the ordeal was finally over. I had fulfilled my promise to Rosa Maria, and could now begin seriously to consider the possibility of building a future with someone I cared deeply for. I felt a warm sense of well-being come over me, and was anxious to be with her