Harps For a Wanted Gun by Ty Walker

Author:Ty Walker
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780719821431
Publisher: Robert Hale

SEVEN

The desert did not appear quite so dangerous beneath the full moon and multitude of sparkling stars, but that was a delusion. The unholy terrain became no safer when the sun dropped low in the sky to disappear beyond the distant mountains. The lone horseman was well aware of the fact that there was a very good reason for its being known as Satan’s Lair. You had to be prepared when you set out for Apache Pass, otherwise you would die. The deadly gunman had no intention of dying.

Lightning Luke Cooper drew rein, stopped his mount beside a tall cactus and stared ahead to where two moonlit shapes lay. Cooper steadied his mount, then tapped his spurs just hard enough to encourage the big horse to trot forwards.

From the cloudless sky moon cast its eerie illumination across the vast desert around him. He aimed the large black horse directly to where the strange shapes lay. He eased back on his long leathers as he realized what he was looking at.

Two of Brewster’s men lay where they had fallen. A dark pool of blood surrounded the corpses and glinted in the moonlight like precious gems.

Lightning Luke dismounted and, keeping a tight hold of his reins, he approached the bodies. The surrounding sand was littered with bullet casings. Cooper leaned down and turned one of the dead men over on to his back. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the pale face.

Cooper removed his gloves and checked both bodies. They were still limp. He straightened up and put his hands back in his gloves thoughtfully.

He could tell that the men had not been dead long. Neither body had been feasted upon by the desert buzzards, so that meant they had been killed after sundown. The more he considered it, the more it looked as though Judge Brewster had something to do with this.

Lightning Luke thought about the telegram he had received, which had promised him a highpaying job in Apache Pass. He led the stallion across the sand to where the ground had been churned up by other horses’ hoofs.

The deadly outlaw noted one set of tracks and then another set, made by a larger number of hoofs. It was obvious to Cooper that a solitary rider had been ambushed by several horsemen and had then fled for his life. The two dead men must have belonged to the bushwhackers, he concluded.

Lightning Luke remounted his black stallion. He leaned back against his cantle, pulled out a cigar from his pocket and placed it in the corner of his mouth. He pondered the situation as he struck a match and raised its flame to the tip of his cigar.

As smoke drifted through his lips it became clearer what exactly had happened. Brewster had tricked him into returning to Apache Pass. The wily old fox had never forgiven Lightning Luke for getting the better of him years back.

Brewster had probably decided that he would collect the reward money on Cooper’s head as recompense.

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