Gunsmith #361 : The Letter of the Law (9781101553657) by J. R. Roberts Page B

between the boards.
    â€œI don’t see anything,” Clint said.
    â€œMe neither.”
    â€œIs there a back door?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œOkay, you take the back, I’ll take the front.”
    â€œI got the badge, Clint.”
    â€œAll right, then,” Clint said. “I got the back. I’ll move in when you do.”
    Kelly nodded, and they moved.
    Â 
    Clint got to the back door, cracked it, and waited. When he saw Kelly go in the front, he opened the door and stepped inside, gun held out in front of him.
    â€œThis is the sheriff,” Kelly yelled. “Anybody in here?”
    No answer.
    â€œBoys, it’s Kelly.”
    Still no answer.
    They started looking in stalls.
    â€œThese two ain’t our horses,” Kelly said. “And they been rode some.”
    â€œSo they did come here, and they got fresh mounts,”
    Clint said. “The question is, what happened to your men?”
    â€œI don’t think I’m gonna like the answer.”
    Â 
    They found them behind a stack of hay bales. All four of them, dead.
    â€œDamn!” Kelly said, falling down to one knee.
    â€œLooks like they got one of them before they died,” Clint said.
    Kelly angrily pulled the body of the bank robber away from the bodies of his three friends. Then he kicked it a few times.
    â€œGoddamnit!”
    Clint put his hand on Kelly’s shoulder.
    â€œI’m sorry about your friends.”
    Kelly looked at Clint with rage in his face.
    â€œWe’re gonna catch these bastards!”
    â€œYes, we are,” Clint said.
    He knelt by the body of the dead bank robber, went through his pockets. His body had been stripped of anything that might identify it.
    â€œHe must have a saddle around here somewhere. Maybe some saddlebags.”
    They searched, found the robber’s saddle, but no saddlebags.
    â€œHis partners must have taken it with them.”
    They walked outside. Clint studied the ground, walked a ways from the barn.
    â€œTracks clear up over here,” Clint said. He came back to Kelly. “Why didn’t they take some of the mustangs? That’d be a good animal to have in this terrain.”
    â€œAin’t been broke yet, none of ’em,” Kelly said.
    â€œWe better stock up on whatever supplies you have in the house,” Clint said. “Unless they thought of that, too.”
    â€œWe got some stores hidden away,” Kelly said. “In case of Indians, or Comancheros.”
    â€œOkay, then.”
    Kelly led the way.

THIRTY-FOUR
    They decided not to take the time to bury the dead men. They’d do that on their way back, after they caught Garver and the other man. They covered them up as best they could and left them in the barn. They included the dead bank robber, so his body wouldn’t attract any scavengers, who would then find the others.
    â€œLook here,” Clint said as they were covering him up separate from the others.
    â€œWhat?” Kelly asked.
    â€œHe’s shot in the hip, and the back.”
    â€œSo?”
    â€œSo I’m wondering who shot him in the back.”
    â€œYou think Garver took the chance to kill his own man?”
    Clint shrugged and said, “Why wouldn’t he? Makes for a bigger split.”
    â€œThat’d be the way that kind of man thinks,” Kelly agreed.

    They mounted up, each carrying some of the supplies they’d found. They took water, coffee, beef jerky, some canned fruit, pans, cups, and a coffeepot. Kelly figured they should use one of the other horses as a pack animal, but Clint disagreed.
    â€œThat’d slow us down,” he said. “I’m sure they’re riding without a pack animal.”
    â€œI’d say you’re right,” Kelly said. “There’s four of our animals missing, but if you look way out there, you’ll see two of ’em, just standin’.”
    The foreman had good eyes. There were two horses