The Spurs of Iron Eyes (Iron Eyes Western #3) by Rory Black

souls as they drifted on through his
small town, but none of them ranked in the same league as Iron
Eyes. The legendary bounty hunter who was infamous for never
showing any emotion or pity for anyone or anything had left his
mark upon the sheriff Bass knew the man had ridden to help the
Mexican villagers fight off the evil Manillo and his gang, and even
with all the explosives and extra weaponry, it had seemed a doomed
gesture.
    Hearing the distinctive
sound of the shuffling sandals belonging to the robed Father Jose
behind him, the sheriff raised a hand.
    ‘ That
you, Father?’ Bass called out, without bothering to look
around.
    ‘ Si, Sheriff Bass. It is another fine morning, is it
not?’
    The sheriff nodded as he
sighed thoughtfully.
    ‘ You
reckon Iron Eyes knew what he was riding into with old Pablo,
Father?’
    The priest could hear the
concern in the sheriff ’s voice as the man kicked at the dusty
trail.
    ‘ You
liked the strange Iron Eyes, did you not?’
    Bass glanced at the robed
man.
    ‘ I
can’t figure out why but I did like him. Most men are complicated
but not Iron Eyes. Maybe he was just plain honest.’
    ‘ You
are concerned for his safety?’ Father Jose had felt the same
worries filling his own conscience.
    ‘ They
rode out two days ago, Father,’ said Bass running his tongue over
his teeth. ‘Whatever was going to happen, must have happened
already, I guess.’
    ‘ You
feel he might have ridden to his death?’ Father Jose rested a hand
on the firm shoulder of the lawman.
    ‘ Yep.
He seemed like he was ready to die, Father.’ Bass shook his head at
the thought.
    ‘ I do
not think he was ready to commit suicide, Sheriff The voice seemed
almost musical as it floated over the words.
    ‘I don’t understand it.’
    ‘ Understand what? His bravery? His willingness to help those
weaker than himself?’
    Bass turned to face the
shorter man.
    ‘ He
had a fortune in gold and silver coin in his saddlebags and yet he
was unhappy. He seemed unable to come to terms with the fact he did
not have to hunt men any longer. Then he comes along and says he’s
lost the money and has to take a job helping Pablo and his friends.
Does it make sense, Father?’
    Father Jose began to smile
knowingly.
    ‘ Do
you know where he lost all that money, Sheriff?’
    ‘ Nope.’
    ‘ He
lost his money in my chapel.’ The priest smiled and crossed himself
as he stared at the sky above them.
    ‘ Would
you repeat that, Father.’ Bass scratched his chin and stared hard
into the face of his companion. ‘You say he lost the money in your
chapel? How?’
    ‘ After
Iron Eyes left with Pablo I went into the chapel to pray for the
safety of their souls,’ Father Jose began. ‘I had no sooner knelt
down before the altar when I noticed something beneath the altar
cloth.’
    ‘ He
hid the money underneath the altar?’ Sheriff Bass shook his
head.
    ‘ Every
golden eagle and silver dollar somehow found itself beneath the
altar of the chapel.’ Father Jose began to smile.
    ‘ It
don’t make any sense. Why would the critter do that?’
    ‘ Perhaps the fortune was nothing more than a heavy weight he
no longer wished to burden himself with, Sheriff,’ Father Jose
said, walking along with the lawman at his side.
    ‘ Yeah,
by losing the money he gave himself the excuse to help old Pablo.’
Sheriff Bass began to understand.
    ‘ Si. Iron Eyes is one of those strange men who cannot admit he
would ever help anyone.’ The priest gestured with his hands as they
paused above the glistening waters of the clear river.
    ‘ But
by pretending to be broke he gave himself an excuse to help them
folks.’ Bass shook his head.
    Iron Eyes is a very unusual
man, ’ Father
Jose sighed.
    ‘ I
never met his like before and that’s a fact.’ Sheriff Bass wondered
if he would ever cross paths with Iron Eyes again.
    ‘For all his deadly skills, he could not
turn his back on his fellow man.’ The priest suddenly remembered
the figure on