Chapter Three
Deke Sperling strolled into the sheriff’s office and greeted the man with a smile. “You’re looking good, Sam,” Deke said.
“Morning, Deke,” Sam said. “I’ve been expecting you.”
Deke nodded and said, “Do you have anything to add to the information I already have?”
Sam shook his head. “All we know is what Tara Saunders told us. She hid in the tree line and saw Clyde Wilson walk out of the cabin once the screams stopped, he threw a match into the back door, and the cabin erupted into flames. If that girl hadn’t been in the privy when Clyde arrived, she’d be dead, too.”
Deke replied, “At least she got out alive, and she can testify to seeing Clyde set the cabin on fire. He’ll hang for murder whether he killed them before or after he set the fire.”
Sam shuffled papers around on his desk for a minute. He found a wanted poster, handed it to Deke, and said, “People in town are incensed by this brutal killing of four people. The merchants took up a collection, and they’re offering a five-hundred-dollar reward for Clyde’s capture, be it dead or alive.”
Deke took the poster, looked at it, folded it, and slipped it into his vest pocket. “I’ll find him, sheriff, and as usual, the bounty money will go to the victim. I’ll do my best to bring him in alive. Never did relish killing a man, whether he deserved it or not. I prefer to let the court handle that. Will you make sure that the young woman receives the bounty money when it comes in?”
“Of course,” Sam agreed.
“I understand that she has no living relatives, and the last thing I want to see is her having to turn to the life of a soiled dove to survive.”
“Yeah, I can do that,” Sam answered, “but you’re right about that girl. She’s going to need all the help she can get. She’s staying with the pastor and his wife right now. If some young cowhand doesn’t up and offer to marry her soon, I’m not sure what will happen to her. There just aren’t any respectable jobs for women here, and the family ranch was small and mortgaged. Not sure what—if any—money will be left for her when it sells.”
“One last question,” Deke said before turning to leave. “Any idea what set Clyde off? If I remember right, he was an ornery man, but he didn’t seem violent.”
Sam shrugged. “Best I can figure is he got into a fight at the saloon and hit a man with a chair. Someone yelled that the man was dead, and Clyde ran. The Saunderses’ ranch is close to town, and Clyde would have passed it on the way out of town. I think he might have been looking for traveling money and supplies and figured that if he’d already killed one man, why not kill off any witnesses, too.”
“Who’d he kill here in town?” Deke asked.
“That’s the hard thing about this,” Sam replied. “The man wasn’t dead. He’s recovering, and Doc said he’ll be all right. Clyde ran before he learned the truth and killed four innocent people, trying to get away.”
Deke nodded and asked, “The Saunderses’ place is north of town, so I assume that’s the way he’ll keep going. I doubt if he’s in too much of a hurry since he thinks he got away with killing the family. I’m sure I’ll catch up to him soon, but I need to leave now in case he runs out of money. I don’t want him killing anyone else.”
“Agreed,” Sam said. He rose to shake Deke’s hand. “Good luck. See ya when you get back with Clyde.”
“Thanks,” Deke called over his shoulder as he headed out the door.
Deke took the road north out of town, hoping that Clyde hadn’t decided to take a different route after he’d left town. When the sun disappeared over the western horizon, Deke decided to camp for the night and start his pursuit again in the morning.
He dismounted and was ready to tie his horse to a low-hanging branch near a small stream when he noticed an almost imperceptible bit of light in the distance. Deke pulled his field glasses from his saddlebags for a closer look at the hint of light coming through the trees. He was sure it was from a campfire less than a mile away and surmised that it just might be Clyde.
Deke slipped off his boots and pulled on his moccasins, knowing that sneaking up on Clyde in the dark would take all of the stealth he could muster. The moon was partially full, which gave him just enough light to keep from tripping over the branches and rocks as he made his way toward the light.
As he neared the light, he crouched low and took a few more steps forward to see a man fitting Clyde’s description through the trees, sitting on a bedroll and drinking from a whiskey bottle.
Deke slipped his Colt from its holster and proceeded toward the edge of the tree line. Clyde never saw or heard him until the click of the gun’s hammer echoed through the night.
Clyde tried to jump to his feet, but Deke said, “Hold it right there, Clyde. I’ve got you covered. Use your left hand, unbuckle your gun belt, and drop it to the ground. One wrong move, and I’ll take you back draped over your saddle instead of riding.”
“I didn’t do nothin’,” Clyde yelled across the clearing. “He went for his gun first.”
“Maybe, maybe not—the judge will decide. He’s not dead, anyway.”
Clyde, whooped and called back, “Then they ain’t gonna hang me?”
“Nope,” Deke answered. “Not for him, but I don’t like your chances when it comes to what you did to the Saunders family.”
“I don’t even know
