Deadly Is the Night by Dusty Richards Read Free Book Online

think of her name in a minute. She’s a big man around town’s daughter. A very attractive woman. They have a ranch up near Hackberry, too.”
    Chet finally admitted, “I know about her. She was the one who really messed up my nephew Reg. I guess she messed up Buster, too.”
    â€œWell after she left him, he and all his deals went to hell. I knew he was over-financed but I figured he’d climb out of it. After she left him, I think he fell off the wagon and went to staying drunk, not minding his business and so it all failed.”
    â€œI will think of her name. As I said, she did the same thing to my nephew. She’s a black widow. He was running our place up there near Hackberry and when she spurned him he ended up committing suicide.”
    â€œI didn’t know about that, but I do know that when Weeks lost her he lost his way. That house place had a great view of all the country north of Lemon. I think it’s what sold that place so quickly and that the bank might come out with very little loss. On the other hand Rob Nye at the Tucson Territorial Bank has the number two ranch. I don’t think much besides the ranch land is up there. I heard the ranch houses are old adobe jackals and nothing as nice as on number one.”
    â€œThe banker want to sell it?”
    â€œHe is no cowboy. Acted like he’d sell it cheap and cut his losses. But you can talk to him. He’ll be in his office. Nye’s an on-the-up-and-up guy to me.”
    â€œI’ll do that. Thanks. What do I owe you?”
    â€œNothing. Come by more often to talk and tell your lovely wife I said hello.”
    â€œI can do that.”
    A young man met him in the Tucson Territorial Bank lobby and asked if he could help him.
    â€œI’d like to see Mr. Nye. Is he available?”
    â€œI think so. Let me check. Who may I say is calling?”
    â€œChet Byrnes of Preskitt.”
    â€œNice to meet you, sir.”
    In a short while he was ushered into Nye’s office. A large portly man rose up and shook his hand firmly. “Nice to meet you, sir. What can I do for you?”
    Chet took the seat indicated before the desk as Nye sat back in the chair. “My lawyer told me you had Weeks’s ranch number two for sale north of Oracle.”
    â€œNumber two is right. They got the gold and I’ve got the shaft. He tell you they have a buyer ready to pay full price for number one because they’ve got that damn fancy house that he fixed up for the rich bitch he married and who shortly after that divorced him?”
    â€œHe did. Weeks is not the only one she screwed up. My nephew had the same fate and he never even married her.”
    â€œI would not have kicked her out of bed. But she’s something else. Originally, in the second ranch deal, Weeks messed me up on it by bringing his cattle from the first place onto that land, joining with the cattle already there, making the herd look big. My men are bankers. They’re not cowboys and never noticed different brands while they were counting the cattle. I thought they’d got a good count, but it was two herds.”
    â€œSo what do you have left?”
    â€œA count short of a hundred cows. Probably all culls. I have a good man running the ranch. He made a list of the cows and he reported many were old ones. You may go look but there is no hacienda -like setting for the headquarters, only some jackals. Seriously, there is a solid title to all the lots of land with it, but it is all cactus country. The deed calls for thirty sections.”
    â€œIs it a good deed? That’s over twenty thousand acres.”
    â€œI know that part is good. We double checked the deed and it is all legal.”
    â€œI am interested.”
    â€œWhat would you do with it?”
    â€œThat is a big ranch. Let me go look at it and I’ll be back. What was the first ranch’s size?”
    â€œAs I recall like four