Killing Halfbreed by Zack Mason Read Free Book Online Page B

thing was, that everybody knew it was Talbot who shot Logan.  Started going on about justice and all that, saying we ought to throw in with Jeb, when the sheriff grabbed his ear and gave it a good twist."
    "Luckily, I was close enough to hear.  I heard the sheriff tell that deputy that if he didn’t shut up, he was not only gonna be out of a job, but he gonna to have to deal with him on top of it.  For a minute, he looked like he was gonna take the sheriff up on it, but then he cooled his heels."
    "Jeb did too. With all them town leaders ag'in his plan, ever’body just kind of drifted away.  Strange, though, ‘cause those councilmen lowered that hung man’s body right away an’ sent it off to the undertaker.  Ain’t never seen ‘em take somebody down so quick.  They usually leave ‘em up there for a day or so as a lesson.  They even gave the undertaker some extra money for a decent coffin.”
    I stopped listening after that.  I'd heard enough.  At least I could breathe a bit easier now that I knew there wouldn't be a posse coming after me.  I couldn't believe my luck.  Who'd ever heard of anything like this happening anywhere in the world, much less in this unforgiving part of the country where a noose was ten times easier to find than a judge?
    Somehow, I'd been dealt some extraordinary cards.  I knew it and I sure wasn't going to forget it.  I had to figure out what my next step would be.  Even without a posse on my trail, there were others who might decide vengeance was the only route to satisfaction.  I'd best be on my guard.
    Cottonwood was off limits, but my stubborn streak wouldn't let me quit the area.  I still had to find my brother.  Nothing could erase that mission.  I’d sooner hang than give up on him.
    I headed to Rio Perdido, which was a town about twenty miles east of Dry Spot.  A known outlaw haven, it would be a good place to hide out for a while.  I might even hear some trail gossip that would help me find Ben.  Bidding Dry Spot a silent good-bye, I snuck out the back door, snagged my horse, and lit a shuck.
     
     
    ***
     
    Sheriff McCraigh's office door flew open with a loud bang.  Bill Hartford strode through.  Hartford owned the Double B ranch, the largest in the valley.  He was a burly man of less than average height, known for his quick and unforgiving temper.  This morning it was boiling for all the town to see.
    McCraigh sat calmly behind his desk, awaiting the onslaught he knew was coming.  Even though Hartford was one of the valley's most powerful men, he was not on the town council and had not been privy to their decision.
    Following Hartford, Jim Dunagan stepped into the small office building which doubled as a jail.  The rest of the councilmen trickled in after them, along with a few curious bystanders, until the already cramped office felt positively claustrophobic.
    "What's going on, Sheriff?" Hartford demanded.  "Where's the prisoner?  Why isn't he out there swinging?  Jim tells me y’all let him go?"
    "That's right."
    The heat from Bill Hartford's eyes could have bored a hole in his chest, but McCraigh knew he couldn't afford to let this man see him sweat, so he coolly returned the stare.
    Hartford had not been at the hanging this morning, which was a miracle in of itself.  If he had, McCraigh doubted whether they could have shut down Hawkins’ attempt to form a posse so easily.  Bill's explosive character would have only made matters worse.
    "By my mother's grave, Sheriff, that scum killed Tom!  What in tarnation are you thinking?  You let him go?  On whose authority?"
    "On my own authority and that of the town council.  I assure you, Bill, it was not an easy decision.  We planned to hang Talbot this morning.”  McCraigh grit his teeth through clenched jaws.  “ Believe me, most of me still wants to.  However, this morning, we were presented with evidence we could not ignore, and we made the decision to hang Joshua Miller in Jake