Rio Loco (11 page)

At the same time that I was admiring the bastard, I was thinking about how it would feel to shoot the son of a bitch to death. Just then I
couldn't think a' nothing that would make me feel quite as good as killing ole Chugwater and then watching his little brother hang. I really had it in for the two a' them. They had caused me a whole world a' trouble, and then went and got me shot in the neck, and it was hurting me pretty damn bad, I can tell you. I didn't let on to no one other than my Bonnie that I was hurting so bad, though. I only let on to her on account a' she was taking so much pity on me and petting me up so much.

“How are you doing, Barjack?”

I jerked my head up to see who it was had snuck in on me like that, and it hurt me when I did, but then I seen that it were ole Sly. “Goddamn it, Sly,” I said. “You surprised the hell outta me.”

“Sorry, pard,” he said.

“Oh, hell,” I said, “I'm a-doing all right, considering that I damn near got my head shot off. I'll be up and at 'em again in no time.”

“I'm glad to hear it,” he said.

Just then the doc come in, and Sly excused hisself and went back out into the office. Whenever Doc come over to the cot, Bonnie struggled up to her feet and moved over to one side. Doc bent over me and pulled the bandage off a' my neck, and I hollered when he done that. He poked around on it for a bit, and then he said, “Well, it's healing up nicely.” He turned to Bonnie and said, “Just keep him quiet for a little longer. I'll look back in on him in another couple of days.” He left then and Bonnie set her half a' her ass back
on the cot. She smiled down at me real simpering sweetlike.

“He said it's healing up nicely,” she said.

“I heared what he said.”

“Ain't you glad of it?”

“Hell, yeah, I'm glad. I don't like laying here and hurting like this.”

“Well, it won't be for much longer, sweetie.”

I was a-wishing that the day would hurry up and go by and get to nighttime, so I could have her pull them blankets and rags tight around us and shut out the rest a' the world. I was getting a sudden urge to have me a romp with my sweet tits, but I never said nothing about it to her. Whenever she leaned over me, though, it looked to me like them big tits was just about to jump outta their sacks right into my face. Lordy, they was big and fine.

Butcher poked his nose into the cell just then. ”Barjack,” he said, “four cowboys just come a-riding into town.”

I set up on the cot real quicklike. “Is they Chugwater's men?” I ast him.

“I ain't for sure.”

“Well, where did they go?”

“They pulled up in front a' the Hooch House.”

“Find out who they are,” I said.

“Okay.” He disappeared again, and pretty soon I thunk I could hear him climbing up onto the roof. In another minute he come back down, and in another minute after that, he were back in the cell. “Happy said they was Chugwater's men,” he tole me.

“Just four a' them?” I said.

“That's all I seen.”

“Well, stay alert. Keep an eye out for them. As long as they're in the Hooch House a-spending money, it's all right.”

If they was a-spending money in the Hooch House, that meant that I was a-making money. I hoped that they would stay in there and spend till they was broke. Course, they could get more money real easy just by killing me, but I didn't intend that they would do that. Butcher come back in.

“Four more come in,” he said. “They went in the Hooch House too.”

“All right,” I said. “Just keep a-watching. Butcher.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Does Sly know about them?”

“Yes, sir. I told him.”

“Okay. That's good.”

“Barjack,” said Bonnie, “you know what Doc said. Lay back down. You need to relax and get some rest.”

She pushed me back down onto my back, but I struggled right back up. “Hell, that's all I been doing is resting,” I said. “I can at least set up, can't I?”

“Well, all right, if you'll set still.”

“I'm a-setting still,” I said.

She scooted around till her whole entire ass was on the cot, and she was a-setting right beside a' me. She wrapped a big arm around my shoulders and pulled me into her.

“Ow,” I said.

“What's the matter, dearie?” she said. “Did I hurt you?”

“You pinched my hurt neck some,” I tole her.

She loosened up her vise grip a little then, but she kept her arm around me. “I'm sorry, sweetie,” she said, and she give me a slobbery kiss on the cheek. “I didn't mean to hurt you.”

“Hell,” I said, “that's all right.”

I could see out into the office some by then, mostly the front wall and winders, and I could see that Sly and Butcher and Polly and Churkee was all lined up with their guns ready, looking out onto the street.

“What's happening out there?” Bonnie said.

“Ain't nothing happening just now,” I said.

“What do you think is going to happen?”

“I think that ole Chugwater's boys just might be a-planning another attack on us,” I tole her.

“Will we be ready for them?”

“Look out there and tell me what you think,” I said.

She actual got up and walked out into the office. When she come back in, she were a-pulling out her little Merwin Hulbert. “Everybody looks ready,” she said, “but I'm going out there to help.”

“That's good,” I said. “Just keep yourself hid back behind the wall. Don't go sticking anything out where they can shoot it.”

“Don't you worry about that none,” she said, and she left me alone in the cell. I picked up my bottle and had me a good slug a' whiskey. I was
using my left hand to lift the bottle on account a' if I done it with my right hand, it hurt my neck. It come to me just then that I had might just as well set in the cell and get drunk. I couldn't do no shooting, the shape I was in.

“I'm going up on the roof with Happy,” I heared Butcher say, and right after, Churkee said, “I'll go with you.” I heared them run across the office, and then I heared the back door slam shut. I could also hear them climbing the ladder and walking on the roof. I thought that was not a bad idee ole Butcher had. Now they was three men on the roof. They would get better shots at anyone down in the street than what they could get from the front winders. I tuck a good long drink.

“What are they waiting for?” said Polly. I was a-thinking the same damn thing. To tell the truth, I was getting kinda anxious to hear some gunfire. I didn't want no one shooting ole Chugwater, though, on account a' I was really wanting that privilege for my own self. And I weren't ready for it. Not the shape I was in. Just outta curiosity, I stood up and I hauled out my Merwin Hulbert with my right hand and raised it up to the firing position. Goddamn but it hurt my neck. I put it back into the holster and set back down. I tuck another drink, and I seen that my bottle was a-getting kinda low. “Shit,” I said.

“They're coming out,” I heared Bonnie say. “Polly, can you pick one off with that rifle?”

“Sure I can, but I ain't sure I oughta.”

“Barjack said to shoot them on sight,” Bonnie
answered, and then I heared a loud report. It were a rifle shot.

“You got him,” said Bonnie. “I think you kilt him.”

I could hear Polly crank another slug into the chamber a' her rifle, and then she said, “I can get another one.”

“Go on,” said Bonnie. Then there was another shot and another cheer.

“That's two more down,” Polly said. Then I could hear more rifle shots coming from up above me. Happy and Butcher and Churkee was a-shooting at the bastards from up on the roof. Pretty soon, the shots stopped. Bonnie come a-flouncing back into the cell.

“We run them outta town,” she said. “Polly shot two of them down while they was mounting up, and then the boys on the roof started shooting. They dropped two more, and the other four lit outta town.

“That's good,” I said. “And there ain't no more of them in town right now?”

“Not that we can tell.”

“Well, I damn sure hope it's clear,” I said, “on account a' I need someone to run over to the Hooch House and get me another bottle a' whiskey.”

“I'll do it,” she said. “I won't be long.”

She holstered her little gun in that holster what was hanging around her neck and went out. Just as she opened the front door, she tole Polly and the others where the hell she was a-going. Knowing that I had another bottle a-coming, I lifted the one I was holding and drained it down. Then I tossed
the bottle on the floor. Bonnie was as good as her word. She come back right quick with two more bottles. “I wanted to make sure you don't run out,” she said.

“You're a right champion,” I said, and I tuck one a' the bottles and popped it open. I tuck me a quick slug a' the good stuff, and it come to me that a slug out of a bottle what's just been opened is about the best drink a man can get. God, it was good. Bonnie tuck the other bottle out to my desk to put it in the drawer. When she come back she brung me one a' my tumblers. I poured it full. I meant to get my ass wiped out that night.

Hell, I was just about drunken whenever ole Butcher come a-running in to tell me something. He was in such a hurry that he never looked where he was a-going. That empty bottle what I had throwed on the floor was a-laying right smack in his path on its side, and, by God, he stepped right on it, and it went to rolling, and it throwed him right down on his back on that hard floor. Well, he roared like a old bear, and when he hit, it sounded like a huge sack a' flour had been dropped from a second-story down onto the floor.

“My God, Butcher,” said Bonnie, “are you all right?”

He never even answered her. He just moaned real loud. I set up on the edge a' the cot. “Get up, Butcher,” I said. “Hell, you're all right.”

“Oohh,” he moaned. “No. No, I ain't. I can't even move.”

I knowed that I couldn't get up (I was too drunk) and I couldn't help him up if I did get up (my neck was still a-hurting too much), so I just yelled out. “Help. Someone get in here and give us a hand.” Bonnie jumped up and picked up that bottle and
tuck it away to put it in the trash can. Churkee was the first one in, and then the rest follered. Churkee and Dingle got Butcher up onto his feet, but then they had to keep on a-holding him up. He couldn't keep hisself standing.

“Oh, God, I'm hurt, Barjack,” Butcher said.

“Why the hell don't you watch where you're a-stepping?” I said, not showing no sympathy a'tall.

“Barjack,” said Bonnie, who had come back in by that time, “that ain't no way to talk. Butcher's hurt. And how come you to throw your damned empty bottle on the floor thattaway anyhow?”

“I never thunk no one would go to stomping on the damn thing,” I said. “Get him to a chair.”

Ole Sly brung a chair to Butcher, and they eased him down on it. He groaned the whole way. “I'd better go fetch Doc,” Sly said, and he left. When he come back just a few minutes later, he said, “Doc's coming. Barjack, Chugwater's coming too. I saw him ride in.”

“How many men has he got with him?” I ast.

“He's alone,” said Sly.

“That's what I come to tell you,” said Butcher, kinda through his gritted teeth. “I seen him from on top a' the roof.”

“He can't be up to anything too dangerous,” said Churkee, “coming in by himself.”

“That's what I figured,” said Sly. “But he's coming.”

“Polly,” said Bonnie, “shoot the son of a bitch.”

Polly went and grabbed up her rifle and went to one a' the front winders. “I can get him,” she said.

“Don't do it,” I said. “Leave him come on, and let's find out what the hell he wants.”

“Barjack,” Bonnie snapped at me, “we could end this all right now.”

“I want to talk to him,” I said. “Bonnie, fetch me out another glass.” She went and brung me one. In another minute there was a-banging on the door.

“Barjack,” a voice called out. “It's Chugwater. I want to talk to you.”

“Let him in,” I said, “but keep your eye on him.”

Polly went and opened the door, and Chugwater stepped in. He stopped and looked around at the mess a' people in my office. He looked a little bit suspicious or maybe it was nervous. “Come on in here,” I called out, and Polly pointed him to the cell where I was a-setting. Chugwater stepped in kinda cautiouslike.

“I don't like coming into a jail cell,” he said.

“You said you wanted to talk to me,” I said. “Well, that's where I'm at.”

“I wouldn't stay in here otherwise,” he said.

I poured him a glass full a' my good whiskey and offered it to him. He tuck it and tuck a drink. “Thank you,” he said. “That's good whiskey.”

“It's my own personal stuff,” I said, “but I don't think you come here just to have a drink with me.”

“You're right.”

“Well, what is it?”

“How's my brother?”

“He's alive and being fed.”

“That's good to know. There's been a lot of shooting around here.”

“That there's your doing,” I said, “not mine.”

“Barjack, I can't just leave my brother in here to go to trial and maybe hang. I made a promise to my mother.”

“And I think that there's a admirable trait what you got, Chugwater. I thunk a lot about that, and I don't know if I would be able to do the same thing for one a' my brothers. It shows you got a lot a' character about you.”

“Thanks, Barjack.”

“But I got my character and my reputation to think about too. I'm a lawman, and I seen Owl Shit murder that man to death. He done it right in front a' my own eyes and right in my own establishment, the Hooch House. I got to hold him for the judge, Chugwater. You had ought to be able to see that.”