Prisoner of Gun Hill by Paul Lederer

Author:Paul Lederer
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781480487512
Publisher: Open Road Media

SEVEN

There was no way to reach Dee Dee on that afternoon except to send Susan back to the house, and Luke would not do that. The girl’s mind was made up. She would have done anything for her father, but with Frank Rafferty gone, she would do nothing at all for what she called a ‘bunch of leeches’.

So, Luke figured, the outlaws would have to make their own sandwiches, Emma Sears would have to boil their coffee and Dee Dee Bright would have to rinse out her own dainties. Probably it did not matter to the gang members. Their movements made it all but certain that they would be leaving in the morning to take care of whatever business they had in mind. As for Emma Sears, no one could care much what happened to her except possibly her son.

Which brought to Luke’s mind something that had to be settled and so he sat down softly beside Billy Rafferty on his bunk and told the blond kid honestly, ‘We have to take Dee Dee Bright with us or the plan won’t work.’

Susan, who had taken the second bunk along the opposite wall, lifted her head. She seemed about to voice an objection, but held her tongue.

‘Just why is that, Luke?’ Billy asked with something close to unhappiness.

‘Well, for one thing,’ Luke replied, ‘I gave her my word.’ He glanced at Susan who had turned over to face the wall. ‘For another, she’s the one who has my guns hidden somewhere. And I have a feeling we will need them.’

Billy was quick to remind him, ‘Virgil Sly won’t take it kindly if we spirit his woman away.’

‘Probably not, but that’s the way it has to be.’ Not that he thought Sly had any deep affection for Dee Dee, at least none that was obvious, but in his eyes she was his possession, and a useful one. To take her would be an insult to his manhood. Yet, Dee Dee Bright had made it clear that she was ready to cut ties with the Red Butte gunman.

After all, she was the key to this whole business. She could tell them when the gang was leaving and hand out Luke’s weapons – without which, they did not doubt, they had no chance in the wild country.

‘All right, all right,’ Billy said after a moment of conferring with himself, ‘she goes. Tell her to come to us the minute she hears when they’re pulling out.’

‘I can’t get in to talk to her,’ Luke said. ‘Sly would shoot me out of hand if he saw me around her.’

‘I can do it,’ a reluctant Susan said from her bunk. ‘But Luke … are you sure you can trust that … woman?’

‘Far from it,’ he was forced to admit. ‘But we have a plan now, and I suggest we stick to it.’

Susan rose heavily in a flutter of skirts and moved toward the front door, obviously unhappy about her task.

When she had slipped outside, Luke asked Billy:

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