The Quest for Bowie's Blade by J. T. Edson

Author:J. T. Edson [Edson, J. T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Piccadilly Publishing
Published: 2019-08-01T07:00:00+00:00

Ten – He Knows I Killed His Nephew

‘Hello down there,’ called the shorter of the two riders who sat their horses on the rim above where the Ysabel Kid and his party were setting up camp on the third night after their departure from San Antonio. ‘Can me ’n’ my nephew come in?’

Contrary to the Kid’s fears, Marshal Anse Dale had neither recognized Belle Starr nor exposed the Rebel Spy. On the peace officer’s arrival at the Bon Ton Restaurant, the girls had kept in the background and allowed the Kid to make the explanations. He had told what was basically the truth. Omitting the fact that he and Silk had already known about the Frenchmen, he had stated that they were compelled to defend themselves when the pair had started to draw on them. There had been sufficient independent witnesses to corroborate the story without the need to involve either of the Belles. Nor had there been any difficulty in establishing a motive for the unprovoked attack. In fact, Dale himself had provided it.

The idler from the livery barn had been found murdered earlier that afternoon. In the course of his investigation, the marshal had discovered that—as he and the Kid had suspected—the victim had been hired, along with a man at every other livery barn, to report on the arrival of any members of the OD Connected. Having obtained a description of the men who had done the hiring, Dale was satisfied that they were the Kid’s and Silk’s victims. He had also assumed that, having recognized the young Texan and been afraid it might be mutual, the pair had tried to kill him and escape. So the marshal had not pressed the matter any further, beyond asking pointedly when the Kid would be leaving. He had been assured that the departure would be in the near future and that to the best of the young Texan’s knowledge, there was not likely to be any more trouble. Dale had said that he hoped there would not be.

Even without the marshal’s hint that—due to the shooting—he was not too popular in San Antonio, the Kid had already realized that too long a stay would be inadvisable. Being equally aware of the risk of meeting somebody who knew the real Betty Hardin, Belle Boyd had turned the incident to their advantage. On returning to the Sandford Hotel, she had suggested that—as they disposed of both sets of watchers—it might be wise to leave for Casa Serrano before any more could arrive.

Octavius Xavier Guillemot had seen the wisdom of making an early departure. Asking Belle Starr how soon they could leave, he had been told that it would be possible to go at sun-up the following morning. Acting upon the instructions which she had received at the start of her assignment from the ‘Pinkerton National Detective Agency’, she had already hired a buckboard, horses, supplies and had employed a leathery old timer called Salt-Hoss to act as wrangler. Pointing out that

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