Emerson ran back to his horse and urged him into a gallop. It wasn’t that he needed to report this right away—speed meant nothing to Sam Kirk now. But Emerson didn’t want to be here, and he had to tell someone.
* * *
It took about an hour for Emerson to get to Sky Meadow and back, and when he returned, Duff and Elmer were with him. Elmer was driving a buckboard, so they would be able to take Sam Kirk’s body back with them. When they arrived, the three men stood for just a moment, looking at the blackened pile of burnt lumber.
“Who would be mean enough to do somethin’ like this? ’N poor Sam, look at ’im. A shotgun can sure make a mess,” Elmer said. “What I don’t understand is, how Sam let ’im get so close.”
“His pistol is still in his holster,” Duff said. Duff reached for the Colt, took it out, and gave it a closer examination. “It’s fully loaded, except for the chamber under the firing pin. Apparently, he was nae expecting any trouble.”
“Then that means whoever done this was pure dee cold-blooded about it,” Elmer said.
“It also means he may have known them,” Duff said.
“Steve, are you sure there’s nae a steer on the place?” Duff asked. “Have you had a good look around?”
“No, sir, I didn’t exactly look aroun’, but I know this ranch just real good, seein’ as me ’n Percy is real good friends. And it don’t take a lot of lookin’ to see that they ain’t so much as a single cow on the entire place,” Emerson replied.
“That’s two of our men that have been killed now, Duff,” Elmer pointed out. “Both of ’em right here, on Percy’s ranch. Keegan ’n Kirk, ’n they was both good men, too.”
“Aye, ’n Asa Hanlon ’n his wife, too,” Duff said.
“This here ain’t just rustlin’,” Elmer said. “I been aroun’ rustlin’.” He paused for moment, then because he was with two close friends who already knew some of his background he added, “Fact is, I’ve done a little rustlin’ of my own back in the day. But this here is murderin’ ’n burnin’ down a feller’s house. It ain’t just rustlin’, Duff. For some reason, whoever done this thing wasn’t satisfied with just stealin’ cows. They’re actual out to hurt people. And I tell you true, I just cain’t hardly see no reason why somebody would be a-wantin’ to do somethin’ like that.”
“I think it might be time that we had a meeting.”
“A meetin’ with who?”
“With the cattlemen of the valley,” Duff replied. “Only this time, we’ll invite all the cattlemen, the wee as well as the large.”
“I don’t figure Houser is goin’ to be wantin’ to invite the little ranchers, ’n besides which, the boardroom in the bank ain’t big enough to hold all of ’em, anyhow,” Elmer said.
“Mr. Houser will nae be calling this meeting, I will. And I dinnae intend to hold the meeting at the bank.”
* * *
After Duff put out word of the meeting, he waited at Fiddler’s Green for the appointed time.
“Did you send word to Houser about the meeting?” Biff Johnson asked.
“Aye, I sent word.”
“What did he say?”
“I have nae heard back from him.”
“Do you think he’ll show up?”
“We’ll just have to see.”
* * *
The meeting was held in the ballroom of the Antlers Hotel, a room that was large enough to hold many more people than the boardroom of the bank. And, as it was Duff who had issued all the invitations, this meeting, unlike the first one, welcomed any small rancher as might want to come.
Even with the extended facilities provided by the Antlers Hotel, the room was crowded as all the area ranchers, large and small, showed up for the meeting. And it wasn’t just the ranchers; many of the smaller ranchers brought their wives, because after what had happened to the Hanlons, they were afraid to leave them alone.
Unlike the previous meeting, held by Houser, there was no guardian posted at the door to keep people out. That was because Duff believed that the subject of this meeting was germane to everyone who lived in the valley, whether they were ranchers or not, big or small.
The pre-meeting conversation of all those who had gathered was about the murders, not only of Sam Kirk, but of Asa and Jenny Hanlon and Ollie Keegan before.
“This ain’t like shootin’s we’ve had in the past where a couple of men get into a fight ’n shoot it out,” someone said. “This is someone just goin’ aroun’ ’n murderin’ people for no reason.”
“No, they was reason. The cows was all took, so it was rustlin’.”
“They wasn’t no cows took when they kilt Keegan,” somebody pointed out.
The conversation continued in that vein until, at the appointed time, Duff walked to the front of the room and stood there for a moment. That had the effect of getting everyone’s attention, so the room grew quiet.
“Hello, friends. I would like to thank all of you for coming to the meeting today.
“As I’m sure you know, by now, one of my hands, Sam Kirk, was recently killed. I had sent him over to watch over Percy Gaines’s ranch, while Percy was in Kansas City to get married.”
“I heard that Percy’s house got burned down, too,” Ethan Terrell said. “Is that true?”
“Aye, ’tis true, all right.”
“We’ve had cattle rustlin’ before,” Prosser said. “But I’ve never heard of any rustlers that kill ever’ body then take the whole herd. That’s two whole herds that’s been took now.”
“What is going on in here?” Brad Houser called angrily, charging into the room at that moment. “I called no meeting of the Chugwater Chapter. What right do you have to be gathering without due warrant and approbation?”
“I called the meeting, Mr. Houser. Did you nae get your invitation?” Duff answered, the agreeable tone of his response in direct contrast to the
