Longarm and the Yuma Prison (5 page)

“I can do this alone,” Longarm told Jessica. “You don't have to come along.”

“I want to meet this despicable man,” Jessica insisted. “I want to look him in the eye and tell him he's dishonest and should be disbarred.”

“I doubt that you'll hurt his feelings,” Longarm told her. “I've seen Lee Monroe in the courtroom a few times and he's both ruthless and arrogant.”

“I don't care. Let's pay the man an unexpected visit.”

 • • • 

Twenty minutes later they entered Lee Monroe's handsome law office and when Longarm showed the receptionist his federal officer's badge, the woman asked, “May I tell Mr. Monroe what this is about?”

Longarm glanced over her shoulder to a closed door with the attorney's name. “Is he in right now?”

“Yes, but he's with a client. I can't just let you barge in on him right now.”

“It's not your choice,” Longarm said, taking Jessica's hand and marching past the receptionist to open the door.

The attorney was getting an energetic blow job. The woman who was giving it to Lee Monroe may have been a “client,” perhaps working off some of his fees during office hours. When Longarm and Jessica barged in, Monroe was sitting on the edge of his desk and the woman was naked with her face buried in his crotch.

“Holy shit!” Monroe cried in consternation. “What the hell are—”

“Excuse me for interrupting,” Longarm said, barely able to hold back a laugh. “But we needed to speak to you right away. However, if you want to let the lady finish up . . . we can wait a minute or two.”

The woman was in her forties, not pretty, and a bit on the heavy side. She straightened up fast, ran a forearm across her wet lips, and hissed, “Who are you sons o' bitches?”

“I'm Marshal Custis Long and . . . well, never mind. Are you finished with him or . . .”

“Gawdamn you, Marshal! I'll have your ass for this!” attorney Monroe screamed. “Cynthia!”

The receptionist appeared in the doorway behind Longarm and Jessica. She did not seem particularly surprised to see her boss with his trousers down around his ankles or the flabby woman grabbing her clothing. “Yes, Mr. Monroe?” she said with a smile.

“You're . . . you're
fired
!”

“I was going to quit anyway, you slimy bastard.” Cynthia laughed out loud. “This is the best ending I could ever have imagined, asshole.”

And then the receptionist turned around and left the office.

“So,” Longarm said as Jessica stood at his side with her mouth hanging open. “This is Miss Jessica Ray and I wanted to tell you that we have evicted a Mr. Willard Paxton . . . now deceased . . . and his worthless brothers. But while he was among the living, Willard told us that you have some papers that prove he owns the house on Plum Street. We'd like to see them right now.”

Monroe was frantically trying to pull his trousers up, but he was so frustrated that he was having a hell of a time. “You bastard!”

Longarm took two quick strides forward and backhanded the attorney so hard that he slid across his desk and fell on the floor. “Let's see some legal papers,” he commanded.

“Fuck you!” Monroe shrieked. “I'll have your asses for this! I'll . . .”

Jessica reached into her dress pocket and brought her pistol up. She aimed and fired before Longarm could react. Her bullet wasn't meant to kill the attorney, only scare the man half to death . . . and it was effective as it shattered a picture on the man's wall.

Lee Monroe dropped his pants and tried to dive behind his desk. “Don't kill me! Please don't kill me!”

“Get up,” Longarm ordered, his voice hard and flat.

“No, she'll shoot me!”

Longarm went around behind the desk and grabbed the half-naked attorney and hauled him erect. “You're going to write a statement saying that you have had nothing to do with any legal title to the Ray house on Plum Street and that . . . to your knowledge . . . Jessica Ray and her father have clear title to that property.”

“All right!” he yelled. “Just don't let her kill me! The woman is insane!”

Longarm turned to Jessica. “You need to step outside while I finish up here with attorney Monroe.”

“Gladly,” she said, voice dripping with contempt.

Once they were alone, Longarm took a chair while the attorney wrote out a statement. When Longarm read it and was satisfied, he folded it up and placed it into his pocket. “How much did you make on the property?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean how much did Willard Paxton and his brothers pay you to falsify ownership documents and let them have false title to the house?”

“I don't know what you're talking about! You got what you came for, now get out of my office.”

Longarm walked around the desk that separated them and once more he backhanded the crooked attorney, this time sending him reeling across the room. Monroe covered his face with his hands. “Please,” he whispered. “No more.”

“I've watched you in the courtroom before. I've seen how you've twisted the truth and lied and intimidated people to your advantage. You're a disgrace to your profession, Monroe. Give me all the money you have here.”

“What! You're robbing me!”

“No, you're going to pay Miss Ray for the mental anguish and trouble you've caused her with your dishonesty. Now, get the money.”

“It's in my pants over on that chair.”

Longarm found the man's wallet and emptied it. He counted the bills and saw that the cash added up to nearly two hundred dollars. “This will do,” he said.

“I will have you thrown in jail and you'll never be set free if I have anything to do with it,” Monroe said, voice trembling.

In reply, Longarm drove a wicked uppercut that shattered Lee Monroe's nose and dropped him sobbing to his expensive carpet. Then, without another word, Longarm left the office.

Outside, Jessica was talking to Cynthia, who was tossing some of her personal belongings into a box.

“I suppose,” Longarm said, “I should apologize to both of you ladies for what you had to see in there. It was a pretty disgusting sight.”

“You don't owe me an apology,” Cynthia told him. “I've seen it all before. I . . . I had to do what that woman was doing to get the job when I was desperate without anywhere to go or anyone to turn to.”

“What will become of you now?” Jessica asked as Cynthia finished cleaning out the desk.

“Believe it or not, I learned some legal skills in this office . . . enough to land me a job with another and this time ethical attorney. But right now, I need a little time to settle my thoughts and rid my mind of this filthiness.”

“Until then,” Jessica said, “I could sure use some help cleaning up my house on Plum Street.”

Cynthia looked up and managed a smile. “Yes, it is such a nice place.”

“You've seen it?” Jessica asked with surprise.

“Sure. Lee took me over there once and we spent a few hours on the bed, the table, and the floor. I'm sorry.”

“Then maybe you won't mind helping me clean it all up,” Jessica told the receptionist.

“I think that is the least I can do for you,” Cynthia told her as they all overheard Lee Monroe sobbing loudly through his office door. She looked to Longarm. “Marshal Long, did you hurt him pretty bad?”

“I blackened his eyes, broke his nose, and maybe his right cheekbone,” Longarm told her. “He's not going to want to go into a courtroom for quite a while.”

“Good!”

Longarm smiled at the two attractive women and they all left the office feeling as if it had been a very productive although brief and violent meeting.

Jessica showed up unexpectedly on Friday at the Federal Building and when she walked into Longarm's office, everyone stared. “Custis, could we talk for a few minutes?”

He came out of his desk chair to take her arm and lead her into a hallway. “What's going on?”

“That nice fella that you recommended has already found a buyer for my house,” Jessica told him. “The people want to move in this weekend and Cynthia and I have it all cleaned up. I'd have liked to have it repainted, but the couple said they'd take care of that and they seem eager to move in because the wife is expecting a baby.”

“That's good news,” Longarm said. “Cynthia was a big help.”

“I couldn't have done it without her. She's going to start looking for a job with another attorney and expects to have no trouble.”

“I doubt that Monroe is going to give her much of a recommendation.”

“Cynthia says all the other attorneys in Denver know he is an embarrassment to their profession so whatever dirt he may dish at her won't be harmful.”

“Well,” Longarm said, “that about does it, I guess.”

“Does it?” Jessica asked. “I'll have the money from the sale on Monday and I plan to get on a train and head back to Arizona that same afternoon. My father is counting on me to come to his aid. But . . . but I'm not too sure that I can handle the claim jumpers and see everything through successfully.”

Longarm knew what was coming and he'd already put a lot of thought into his answer.

“So,” Jessica continued, “I was wondering if . . . if you could take some time off and come with me to Yuma.”

Her eyes were pleading, and although Longarm knew the June temperatures in southern Arizona would already be scorching, he just didn't have the heart to refuse this brave young woman.

“I'd like you to meet my boss, Billy Vail.”

Jessica blinked. “Why?”

“Because he knew your father and mother. Billy remembers what a credit your father was to our profession and to this federal office. I think, if you were to meet him and ask him if he would give me some time off to help you in Yuma, he'd be hard-pressed to refuse.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Jessica lifted up on her toes and kissed Longarm, then slipped her arm through his and said, “Show me the way, Marshal Long.”

Billy was poring over his reports and paperwork when Longarm knocked on his door and was bid entry. When Billy saw Jessica, he popped out of his chair like a puppet on a string. “Well, you must be Tom Ray's daughter, Jessica!”

“That's right. Nice to meet you.”

“Sit down. You, too, Custis.”

“Thanks,” Custis said, barely able to conceal his amusement.

“Custis has told me a lot about you, Jessica.”

“Hopefully not everything.”

Billy blushed deeply. “Uh . . . uh, he said that you were here for only a short while and that he was able to help you reclaim your house on Plum Street.”

“That's right. I couldn't have done it without his help. You have a wonderful deputy working for you, Mr. Vail.”

“Well . . . well, sure. Custis is actually quite a legend. Sometimes, like this weekend at the Buffalo Saloon, he creates a lot of trouble . . . but he more than makes up for it in other ways. There is not a better man in the building.”

“Thanks, Boss.”

Billy offered him a smile before he returned his attention to Jessica. “Now, what is this I hear about your father being sentenced to life in the Yuma penitentiary?”

“Sadly, it's true.”

“I knew your father and even though I'm sure he changed after your mother was killed in that horrible accident, he must still be a fine man.”

“He is,” Jessica agreed. “He defended himself in a Yuma saloon against two card cheats and when they drew their guns, he had no choice but to do the same. My father, as you may remember, was quite the shootist.”

“Yes, he had the reputation for being both fast and accurate, and I'm sure he still is even though he's gotten a bit up in years.”

“Father is only fifty-three,” Jessica said a bit defensively. “But as you are aware, a lawman in a penitentiary is not going to survive all that many years. That's why I have to return to Yuma at once and now that I've sold my house here, I have some money to hire a good attorney to help clear his name and earn him his freedom.”

“I understand.”

“However,” Jessica added, “I believe that the local authorities in Yuma are corrupt and that they have a part in this sad affair. I have no doubt that they are stealing our mining claim and reaping huge profits.”

“But you've no proof.”

“None at all,” Jessica said quietly. “There were witnesses to the saloon shooting, but suddenly they turned mute. I think there were either bought off or scared off.”

“I see.”

“Good,” Jessica said, “then you can also understand why just having the money to hire a good Yuma attorney isn't going to be enough to free my father and regain our profitable mining claim. What I need, Mr. Vail, is your best marshal, Custis Long.”

Billy slumped back into his chair. “You're asking a great deal. I also need Custis.”

“Couldn't you give me a time off without pay?” Longarm injected. “And I do have a few weeks of vacation time coming.”

“Which I doubt you'd like to spend in Yuma during the hot season.”

Longarm shrugged his broad shoulders. “You actually knew Tom Ray, I just mostly knew
of
him. Don't you think we owe him a chance? I can get to the bottom of whatever is going on in Yuma where neither Jessica or a local attorney could not. We both know I could be Tom Ray's only chance.”

Billy scowled and studied his desktop for a moment before he looked up at Jessica. “What happened to your family was tragic. I know that your father deeply loved your mother. A loss like that could turn any man into a hate-filled, angry person. Can you really tell me that he shot those two men in the Yuma saloon in self-defense?”

“I can tell you that without a trace of doubt, Mr. Vail. My father was set up. I'm sure that the men who tried to cheat him didn't know who he was or what he was capable of doing with his gun. Most likely, they were just running their usual crooked poker game. But when they died, the marshal in Yuma saw his chance and I suspect that the judge there is part of this entire scheme to put my father into a prison where he will be murdered sooner or later. After my father is dead, the path will be cleared to sending thugs out to our mining claim so they can take it over.”

Billy turned to Longarm. “It sounds like a hornet's nest of trouble to me. Are you willing to go to Yuma and try to set things right even if Tom Ray is guilty as charged?”

“I am,” Longarm replied.

“In that case, I'll authorize your vacation time. I do know a captain stationed at Fort Yuma and although he won't be able to help you in a civilian dispute, he might know of someone who can. His name is Captain Maxwell Rodgers and I haven't heard from him in five or six years so it is very possible he has been reassigned or he might have retired just to get out of that awful desert country.”

“If I need his advice, I'll visit the fort and see if he's still there,” Longarm said, knowing that involving anyone in the army would probably cause him more trouble than it would be worth.

“Just as a resort. And if he is still at the fort, give him and his wife my regards.”

“How did you know him?” Longarm asked.

“We were childhood friends and he wanted to be a soldier from a young age . . . though I doubt he wanted to be stationed in a place like Yuma.”

“It isn't all bad,” Jessica said defensively. “Our winters are wonderful and it is fun to fish and swim in the Colorado River.”

“I'm sure,” Billy Vail said without enthusiasm as he rose back to his feet and extended his hand. “Best of luck to you both! And Custis, you will keep me informed of any . . . troubles and reflect well on your office.”

“As always, sir.”

Billy rolled his eyes and went back to his papers.

“He seemed very nice,” Jessica said as they were getting ready to leave the Federal Building. “And it's clear that he holds you in the highest regard.”

“And that he also held your father in the highest regard,” Longarm reminded the young woman. “That's the primary reason why he is allowing me to go with you.”

“Well,” Jessica said, “no matter what the reason, I'm very grateful.”

“And I expect you will show me how grateful you are when we get back to my place.”

She laughed. “Are you . . . you leveraging your help to get sexual favors, Custis?”

“I'm going to leverage something all right,” he told her with a chuckle, “and I'm sure you know what!”

They both laughed then as they walked arm in arm down Colfax Avenue toward Longarm's living quarters knowing they had a long and enjoyable weekend ahead of them before they boarded a train bound for hell.