Lookout Hill by Ralph Cotton

Author:Ralph Cotton [Cotton, Ralph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781101606735
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2012-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Inside the ragged tent cantina, at a table near the rear canvas wall, Bobby Hugh Bellibar and Hot Aces Siebert sat drinking steaming hot chicory from earthen mugs. As suggested beforehand, they’d ordered huevos y gallo asado—eggs and roasted rooster—from a young prostitute wearing the same soiled white peasant gown she’d worked in the night before. As she’d turned to leave, Siebert grabbed her wrist.

“That capon better be fresh,” he warned, giving her a sharp, deadly stare. “You would not want me sinking my teeth into a sour rooster.”

“Sí, rooster más fresco,” the girl said, looking frightened, eager to get away.

“Bueno,” said Siebert, turning her wrist loose, “and get some clean clothes on. We’re eating here.”

“Sí, I will,” she said, grateful that his rough hand unwrapped from around her wrist.

When the girl had left through the rear tent fly, Bellibar started to speak, but Siebert held up a hand, postponing him. The two sat in silence for a moment until out back, the majestic crow of a rooster transformed into a cry of pain.

“Fresh enough for you?” Bellibar asked.

Siebert gave a slim smile.

“Yep. Now go ahead,” he said.

“All right,” said Bellibar, taking up where he’d left off, “I figure Pettigo took me for a hard case as soon he laid eyes on me. I’d lit out the back of this tent in a hurry. The livery boy warned me Pettigo and his men were here, and he knew that two Lookout Hill boys had killed one of his men—turned out the man was his accountant, who liked walking the dark side, so to speak.”

“And…?” said Siebert.

“And out back of the tent I ran into two of Pettigo’s men. To get off a tight spot, I killed the two Lookout Hill boys. Pettigo hired me, put me in charge here—leastwise that’s what he wanted me to think.” He grinned. “I think I scared him. He saw in my eyes I might just kill him for the hell of it, and he figured it better to hire me, get me on his side.”

“Fear is a wonderful thing,” Siebert said.

“Well said,” Bellibar replied. He grinned. “So my job is to keep an eye on Copper Gully. I see anybody who might be Lookout Hill boys, Bang! I kill them flatout. Keep them from gathering up in strength. Not a bad job, as jobs go,” he added.

Siebert sipped his chicory.

“So, if you and I was to repartner up, we get with the Cady brothers, set up a raid on Pettigo-American and ride away with our saddlebags full.”

“Every miner working there gets their pay in gold coin,” Bellibar said. “Instead of us taking a small cut riding for the Lookout Hill boys, we’ll take a bold share for setting it up and getting them up from Copper Gully without me warning the Pettigos.”

Siebert’s expression turned sour.

“I see some things that could go wrong for us,” he said. “How do we know the Cady brothers will take us in?”

Bellibar stared at him.

“Aside from me leading them through the front door,” he said.

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