The RECKONING: A Jess Williams Western (9 page)

             
“Jess, I have some bad news for you…” he stopped in mid-sentence…“What the hell…?” he said, surprised to see Jess with a gun and holster strapped to his waist, another pistol tucked in the front of the holster, and a shotgun handle sticking up behind his back. Jim stared at him for a few seconds before he spoke again.

             
“Jess; are you okay?” he asked in a concerned tone.

             
“Yes sir; I’m just fine.”

             
Jim was looking Jess over and he finally got a good look at the gun strapped around Jess’s waist. It was like no other pistol and holster he’d ever seen before. “Jess, where the hell did you get that holster? And what kind of gun is that?” asked Jim.

             
“I found it in the bottom of my pa’s lock box,” he replied, not wanting to explain how he had really found the gun.

             
“That doesn’t look like any pistol I’ve ever seen before, and I’ve never seen a holster quite like that either,” submitted Jim, still looking at the pistol and holster Jess was wearing.

             
“Jim, you said you had some bad news? What news?” he asked, trying to get Jim to tell him what was going on. Jim hesitated, still not sure what to make of Jess.

             
“Oh, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but the sheriff was shot dead not more than a half-hour ago,” replied Jim, still staring at the pistol and holster Jess was wearing. If Jess was surprised, he didn’t show it, but Jim could see a coldness washing across Jess’s face and a darkness looming in the back of his eyes.

             
“Who did it?” he demanded in a harsh tone.

             
“That no good son-of-a-bitch Red Carter. He came into town and got drunk again at Andy’s Saloon and he was trying to pick a fight with some drifter. The sheriff went into the saloon and warned Red he was going to put him in jail again. Red told the sheriff he wasn’t going to let him crack him on the head again with that shotgun. The sheriff gave him his last warning and Red just skinned leather and shot him. Then he went back to drinking at the bar again like nothing happened. That cold-blooded bastard is still over there drinking.”

             
“And the drifter?”

             
“Folks say he high tailed it out of there before the shootout. Sara went over to Doc Johnson’s place to see if she could help, but the sheriff was dead before they got him there. Shot right through the heart. I swear it seems like it’s always the good ones who go down.” Jim replied sadly.

             
“Not today,” said Jess coldly as he turned around and headed for the Doctor’s office to see for himself. As he walked away, and without looking back at Jim he said, “Jim, let me know if Red tries to leave town while I go over to the Doc’s.”

             
“Well, okay. I guess so,” replied Jim, a little worried about the different way Jess was acting.

             
Jess walked down to the Doctor’s office. Doc Johnson was a fair doctor, but not a great one. When Jess walked in, he saw the sheriff lying still on the table. There was blood all over him and his shirt was torn open. The Doc was standing over him with a grim look on his face and Sara was sitting in a chair in the corner of the small room with her head in her hands sobbing. Doc Johnson looked up at Jess.

             
“He never had a chance,” he said gravely.

             
Jess nodded at the Doc, but said nothing. The Doc pulled a sheet up over the sheriff. Sara had slowed with her sobbing only because she noticed that Jess had come in. She looked up at Jess with tears streaming from her red eyes, but before she could say anything she noticed what Jess was wearing. She was speechless for a moment and she just kept looking back and forth between him and the gun strapped around his waist.

             
“Jess, what…why are you wearing that?” she said as she nodded to the gun, “and where did you get such a thing?”

             
“That’s not important,” replied Jess. “Are you okay?”

             
“Yes, I’m not hurt, if that’s what you mean.”

             
“Alright then, you stay in here with the Doc, okay?”

             
“Okay; but why?” she asked. “The Doctor doesn’t need my help now.”             

             
“Just do as I say please.” he insisted. She nodded and started sobbing again. Doc Johnson said nothing else. He kept staring at Jess, startled at the change in the young man that, up until now, he had always thought of as a young kid.

             
Jess walked out and headed across the street straight for Andy’s Saloon. He wasn’t really thinking about what he was going to do. He just knew he had to deal with Red Carter. This town had been good to him and his family. They were there when he needed them and they were terrified of Red Carter. They would be even more terrified now, since there was no law in town and no one was going to step up to replace the sheriff now after what Red had done. He stopped in the middle of the street. He looked up and down the main road. He glanced over to the general store and saw Jim standing just outside the door, watching. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Sara looking out of the Doc’s office window. He looked down to the sheriff’s office and then looked back to the saloon. He realized once he walked in there, his life would take another turn and there was no coming back from it. He was ready.

             
He walked through the swinging doors of the saloon. As soon as he stepped inside the saloon, he stopped to look around. There were four men at a poker table, but they weren’t really playing cards anymore. They were just going through the motions, terrified that Red Carter would start in on them next. The barkeep was standing behind the bar cleaning up just so he’d have something to do. Red Carter was standing at the bar with a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass. He looked up at Jess.

             
“Why, little Jess Williams,” Red said sarcastically, “What the hell are you doing in a saloon? And what the hell is all that you’ve got on you? Are you wearing a six-shooter now?” Jess didn’t reply, he simply glared at Red.

             
“What the hell you got behind you,” continued Red. “Is that a shotgun? Are you going rabbit hunting or something? Speak up, boy, I’m talking to you!”

             
Jess looked him straight in the eyes with no discernable emotion. “You shouldn’t have killed the sheriff, Red. He was my friend and a good man. He didn’t deserve to be shot down like that.”

             
“The hell he didn’t,” he retorted. “He was gonna crack me on the head with that damn shotgun again.”

             
“You still shouldn’t have killed him.”

             
“What the hell is it to you, boy?” he asked sarcastically. “You gonna do something about it? Oh, you ain’t really going rabbit hunting are you? You mean to tell me that you came in here to square off with me for killing a two-bit sheriff? You gotta be kidding me, boy. You ain’t got the gonads to face me or any other man for that matter.”

             
The barkeep, William, who hadn’t said anything up to now, finally got up enough courage to speak. “Jess, do us all a favor and go on home,” implored William. “We’ve had enough killing here today. Red, you leave the boy alone.”

             
“You shut the hell up, barkeep, or there’ll be some more killing real soon, starting with you!” hollered Red. The barkeep quickly went back to minding his business.

             
Jess moved over to the left of the saloon. He knew that Sara was still looking out of the window across the street, and he didn’t want to chance a stray bullet hitting her. He moved toward a corner where no one could get behind him. He never took his eyes off Red. Red finally realized Jess was serious. Red moved himself away from the bar a little and straightened up his stance and dropped his hand a little closer to the butt of his pistol.

             
“Boy, why don’t you go home now before you get hurt,” warned Red. “I ain’t ever shot a boy, but if you plan on pulling for that gun you’ve got, I’ll kill you for sure. Don’t you ever doubt it, not even for one second.”

             
“You’re killing days are over,” replied Jess with a coldness in his voice. The cheeks on Red’s face quivered. His ears turned a cherry red and he was about all out of what little patience he had.

             
“Why you cocky little bastard!” hollered Red. “You think you can come in here and threaten me? I ain’t scared of no man, much less a wet behind the ears little shit head punk like you. You’ve got about five seconds to clear out of here before you catch a case of lead poisoning from this lead pusher on got on my right hip!”

             
“Then I guess you’ve got about five seconds to live; so I gotta ask, what’re you planning on doing with the time you have left?” he asked, his eyes locking firmly on Red’s.

             
“I guess I’m gonna kill me a punk ass kid,” he retorted angrily.

             
Red moved his hand a little closer to the butt of his pistol. Jess had already placed his hands into position without Red even knowing it. Jess could see in Red’s eyes that he was going to draw. Jess never moved. He waited until Red went for his pistol and Jess still never moved. Red finally got his hand on the butt of his pistol and pulled. Red’s gun barrel just cleared the top of his holster and then the gun fell backward and Red’s hand was no longer holding it. Instead, his hand was clutching his chest where the bullet from Jess’s pistol had burned through his heart exploding it instantly. Red slumped to his knees. He looked at Jess with a look of utter surprise. An instant later, he was lying face down in a pool of blood not more than ten feet from the drying pool of blood that had been left from Sheriff Diggs’s body. Jess watched Red’s death with no emotion. After Red fell to the floor, Jess put his gun back in his holster in one quick smooth movement.

             
“Jesus Christ!” exclaimed the barkeep. “I ain’t ever seen anyone draw like that before. If I hadn’t seen if for myself, I would have thought you drew on him before he had a chance. Jess, you’re lucky you got a witness or else they’d say it wasn’t a fair fight.”

             
Jess said nothing. He just looked at Red Carter’s dead body lying face down on the floor. Jess walked over to Red’s body and using his left boot, he rolled him over. He unbelted his holster and reached down and picked up Red’s gun and stuck it back in the holster. He checked Red’s pockets and found about fifty dollars and he placed ten dollars of it on the bar.

             
“This should help pay for any damages,” exclaimed Jess.

             
“I don’t know if you should be taking his stuff, Jess. It doesn’t seem right,” alleged the barkeep.

             
“He won’t need it anymore,” he replied briskly. “Besides, as far as I see it, I’ve earned it. Is that his horse out there?” The barkeep nodded affirmatively.

             
“I’ll be taking that, too then.”

             
“Don’t matter to me. I mind my own business, Jess,” the barkeep said timidly.

             
“I’ll be selling the horse and saddle. If you need any more money to clean up or fix any damages, you see Mr. Jameson at the bank and he’ll give you the money, okay?” Jess stated.

             
“Sure thing, but this is more than enough,” he countered. Jess walked out of the saloon and Sara was standing in the middle of the street with her hands over her mouth.

             
“Oh my Lord, Jess, what have you done?” asked Sara.

             
“I did what was needed, Sara,” he answered briskly. “I’ve got some business to take care of. When I’m done, I’ll stop by and see you and Jim before I leave, okay?”

             
Sara nodded and headed down the street toward the general store. Jess walked the horse over to the stables and sold the horse and the saddle. He sold the rifle he found on Red’s horse to the gunsmith and he took the money to Jameson and deposited it. He kept Red’s .45. He figured it was always good to have extra weapons handy. Then he walked over to Jim and Sara’s store. He found Jim behind the counter and Sara sitting in a chair at the end of the counter by the small wood stove that Jim used to heat up the front of the store. They both looked up at Jess when he walked in as if they didn’t even know him anymore.

             
“Jess,” said Jim, “I know what you’re planning to do and it’s no life for a young man. Is there any way we can talk you out of this?” Jess looked Jim straight in the eyes and gave a simple one word answer.

             
“No,” he stated firmly.

             
Sara wiped more tears from her eyes and said, “Jess, you just killed a man over at the saloon and you don’t seem the slightest bit bothered by it. I swear you are not the same boy.”