Chapter Twenty-One
Stevie rode to the old Conner place, backtracking several times to make sure he wasn’t being followed. He thought Granny and Rose bought his act, but he couldn’t be sure about Morgan.
“What are you doing here?” Frankie asked, stepping from the brush before Stevie reached the cabin.
“I brought your horse back.”
“So Morgan returned your horse?”
“Yeah. I did like you told me and made them think I would do some work around the farm. They even invited me to their wedding in a couple of weeks.”
“The wedding that won’t take place. Do you know where the cattle are grazing?”
Stevie knew Frankie was talking about Morgan’s cattle. When he’d left the farm, he’d seen Morgan’s men moving cattle. “Yeah, I saw them moving part of the herd to the west. Are you planning on rustling soon? I wanted to tell you that I’m meeting Reuben tomorrow at the same place, if you want to come along.”
“I do want to meet him.” Frankie expected Walt to show up soon, and hopefully he’d have some information to share about Reuben. “What time are you meeting him tomorrow?”
Stevie gave him the time and place. “I’ll ride this way and we can ride together.”
“No, you go on your own just in case someone is watching you. I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay. I’ve got to go back now. I told Granny I’d do some work in the garden before tomorrow. Frankie, I still wish we could take that money from the stagecoach robbery and head on down to Mexico now.”
“I told you, we need a lot more money. Are Granny and Rose coming to the farm often?”
“Not much, but they’re coming back tomorrow morning for the vegetables.”
Stevie mounted his horse, and Frankie said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Not long after Stevie left, Walt returned and Frankie walked outside to talk to him privately. He hadn’t told the other men why Walt was in Denver. “Did you bring more whiskey?”
Walt pulled four bottles from his saddlebag. “That should hold you over.”
Frank opened a bottle and drank greedily. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “That’s good whiskey. What did you find out about Reuben?”
Walt shook his head. “Frank, that fellow don’t do nothing but work. He goes to work, goes home for lunch, eats dinner every night at the hotel, and then goes home. I don’t know if you’ve seen him, but I can’t imagine him being a help if you plan on robbing the bank. He doesn’t have family in Denver, and no friends according to the waitress at the hotel. Nobody knows much about him.”
That wasn’t the news Frank wanted to hear. He needed somebody on the inside if he was going to rob the bank. He didn’t want to pay Reuben half the take, but if he didn’t have someone or something to hold over his head, Reuben might not agree to help him. “Does he go to the saloon? Does he drink? He’s got to do something besides work at the bank.”
“He doesn’t go into the saloon.” Walt shook his head and smiled. “Frank, you have to see this guy to understand. He orders hot tea with his meals.” Walt held his hand in the air four feet off the ground. “He’s about this tall, and I doubt he weighs much more than a baby calf.”
Frank smiled at Walt’s description of Reuben. He figured a man like that would be easily intimidated. “Walt, I don’t want you to say anything to the men about Denver. I’ve got a lot to think through, and I don’t need their opinions on what I’m planning. I don’t want anyone running their mouths if they get a little liquor in their gut.”
Walt wondered if Frank would even include the boys in what he was planning. Walt nodded. “No problem. What about Stevie? Does he know what is going on?”
“Yeah, but I’m thinking the two of us could handle the bank robbery. We have no reason to split the money, not even with Stevie.” He inclined his head toward the cabin. “Remember if you get liquored up, keep your mouth shut.”
“Yeah.” Walt figured he just needed to watch his back and make sure Frank didn’t try to double-cross him, or eliminate him. If Frank was willing to double-cross his own brother, he wasn’t above shooting him in the back. He’d been smart to listen to Reuben last night at the restaurant.
* * *
Stevie waited until LeMasters, Rose, and Granny left with the vegetables the next morning before he left to meet Reuben. Frank had been watching all of them from his usual hiding place. He’d timed his trip to the farm hoping to see Stevie leave. After Stevie rode away, Frank waited a few more minutes to make sure no one was coming back. He left his horse out of sight, grabbed his saddlebag and quickly ran inside the house. In Stevie’s room, he wasted no time removing the loose board in the corner. He pulled the money bag from the opening, removed half of the contents, and stuffed it into his saddlebag. He replaced the money with old newspapers he’d removed from the walls at the Conner place. He palmed the bag to feel its weight, and then placed it exactly as he’d found it in the cubbyhole. Stevie would be none the wiser unless he looked inside the bag.
* * *
“Did you have any trouble?” Stevie asked when Frankie reined in at the designated area.
“No, I was just being real cautious.” Frank looked at Reuben. “I’m Frank Langtry.”
Reuben removed his glasses and peered at Frank. “I’ve heard about you.”
Frank didn’t like the sound of that. “Who’s been telling you about me?”
“Stevie, who else? He was quite concerned about you being hanged.”
Frank’s first thought was that Walt’s description of Reuben was dead-on. He couldn’t see how tall he was since he was seated in his buggy, but he was definitely a little fop of a man. This was going to be easier than he thought. He didn’t waste time getting to the point. “Stevie’s told me about the stagecoach robbery, and how you planned everything out. I think you could be very helpful with what I’m planning.”
Reuben glanced at Stevie. “Are you making plans to rob the bank?”
Stevie shook his head. “This is Frank’s idea.”
Reuben took his time responding as he settled his glasses on his nose. “I don’t think I’m interested in robbing the bank. I would be inside at the time, and that sounds very dangerous. It’s not like planning a stagecoach robbery out in the middle of nowhere. We have a sheriff and deputies, and I am told they are quite accurate shots.”
Frank felt like laughing. “No one would know you are in on it. We would point a gun at you like we would the others. All you need to do is tell me what would be the best day to rob. The day the vault is full.”
“And what would be in it for me?”
There was the question Frank had been expecting. “I’m sure you understand that it can’t be the same deal you had with Stevie. We have too many men and we all will split it equally.”
“That would not make it worth my time,” Reuben said.
Frank dismounted and walked toward the buggy. Reuben slid back in the seat. Frank leaned close to him and spoke in a low tone. “Let’s put it this way. If you don’t, we’ll shoot you when we rob the bank, because we are going to rob it one way or the other.”
Reuben’s eyes widened. Frank had the coldest blue eyes he’d ever seen. He felt as though he was looking into the depths of a soulless creature. “I could tell the sheriff what you are planning.”
Frank grinned. “Yeah, you could. But then I reckon someone could inform the sheriff how you robbed the stagecoach.”
“But I didn’t rob the stagecoach,” Reuben said.
“You had a hand in it. Oh, you might not get as many years in the territorial prison since you didn’t rob it yourself. But how do you think you would do in prison for five years or so?” If Frank wasn’t mistaken, Reuben paled a bit.
“I guess I see your point.”
Smiling wide at him, Frank said, “I thought you would. Now why don’t you tell me about the next shipment the bank is expecting?”
Reuben stared at him a minute, then said, “We are expecting a large shipment by Friday and the money will be at the bank for ten days.”
Frank and Stevie listened as Reuben explained the details of the shipment.
“Frankie, our take would be enough money so that we will never have to pull another robbery,” Stevie said.
Frank slapped his brother on the back. “Stevie, you may be right. Now let’s plan how we can pull this off.”
They sat for two hours discussing how and when to rob the Denver bank. Reuben was impressed with Frank’s devious mind and his thorough planning. He was not a stupid man, but Frank had weaknesses. Reuben thought two of those weaknesses would eventually destroy him: his greed, and his hatred for Morgan LeMasters.
* * *
They were riding back to the cabin when Frankie told Stevie of his plans to rustle cattle tonight.
“I already told the boys not to drink too much because we’re going to have a long ride after we get those cows. We’re going to drive them down to New Mexico Territory to sell. That’ll give us some money to tide us over.”
Stevie had hoped Frankie was going to change his mind about rustling on Morgan’s ranch. He hadn’t forgotten what had happened to Smiley. Sometimes he still had dreams about the screams they’d heard the last time they rustled on Whispering Pines. He knew the other men felt the same way about riding on LeMasters’s land.
“Frankie, we can use some of the stagecoach money. There’s more than enough to get what we need. If the bank holdup don’t pan out, we will still have enough to make a start somewhere else.”
“Stevie, I want us to keep that money just in case we can’t pull off this bank job. I’ll be in Denver watching Reuben for a few days. I want to make sure your friend can be trusted.”
“Reuben can be trusted,” Stevie insisted.
“As long as you were the one actually robbing, he didn’t have much at stake. If you got caught and said he was involved, it would have been your word against his.”
Stevie didn’t comment, but he thought Frank was being paranoid.
“But tonight we are going rustling. LeMasters needs to know he will never be safe from me.” Knowing Stevie was probably thinking about Smiley, Frank grinned and said, “Don’t worry about no spooks. We’ll ride in from the cabin after midnight. We won’t be in the pines that long if we go in from that direction.”
“Can I go with you to sell the cattle?” Stevie asked.
“I don’t plan on going with the boys to sell them. I’m going to stay here with you and Walt. If I decide to rob the bank, the three of us can handle it. They won’t have more than three employees there at any one time. You heard what Reuben said, Mr. Rivers isn’t hiring extra guards. I want you to stay around the farm until we decide when we are going to rob the bank.”
“What happens after the holdup?” Stevie asked.
“I’m going to tell the boys we’ll meet them in New Mexico territory. A town called Las Vegas. You remember I told you about that town. The men want some female company, and there’s no better place to get what you want than in that wild town. But don’t slip up and talk about robbing the bank. We ain’t sharing that money.”
Stevie remembered the stories about the lawless town where every outlaw in the West hid out in plain sight. He’d been wanting to go to Las Vegas and meet some of the fast guns. Maybe he could even call one of them out to see who was the fastest. “I can’t wait to see that town.”
“You’ll see it soon enough,” Frank promised.
“Frankie, we should rustle in the morning,” Stevie said.
Frank gave his brother a hard look. “You wanting to run the show now, little brother?”
“No, I was just saying we should wait until tomorrow morning because Morgan said they were all going to church. They invited me to go along. A lot of his men go to church, so I figured they’d be shorthanded. I’d bet no one would be on that west range if we strike before dawn.”
“Well, that’s good to know. Pretty smart thinking, little brother. Maybe the boys won’t be as skittish as little girls, riding through those pines in the morning. We can ride out a lot faster in daylight hours.”
* * *
“It’s a rustler’s moon tonight,” Deke said when Frank and Stevie arrived at the cabin.
“It’s a good night to be seen,” Corbin grumbled.
Frank looked at them and snorted. “Stevie had a good idea. Tomorrow is Sunday, and Stevie said most of the ranch hands go to church, so that’s when we are going to hit them. They’ll be shorthanded. And you girls may not be as scared to ride through the pines in the daylight.”
“Makes sense,” Walt said.
“Sounds good to me,” Dutch said.
“Okay, gather around, we’ll lay out the plan for tomorrow.” After Frank planned the rustle, he told them he would be meeting up with them later in Las Vegas. “You know where to sell the cattle, and I figure you boys deserve a rest. I know how you love that town.”
“What do you mean? You usually handle the sale of the cattle,” Deke said.
“I won’t be leaving with you. Me, Walt, Stevie, and Corbin are going to stay behind,” Frank said.
“Why are the four of you staying behind? That don’t sound like a smart thing to do,” Reb said.
“When the time is right we’re going to take care of LeMasters and that Sioux. I know you men don’t have nothing personal against LeMasters. So I trust you to sell the cattle and take the money to Las Vegas. You understand how important it is for Joseph Longbow not to testify against us?” He looked from man to man as they all nodded in unison. “Well, I’m going to make sure he don’t.”
“Why can’t I go with the boys to sell the cattle?” Corbin asked. “I ain’t got nothing against LeMasters.”
“I’m going to need you for a diversion when I go after LeMasters and Longbow.” Frank figured Corbin was the most expendable man in the gang. He wasn’t a good shot, and he was stupid enough to believe anything Frank told him. Frank needed someone he could sacrifice, and he nominated Corbin.
“How many cows are we going to take?” Deke asked.
“I’m hoping we can get at least fifty head,” Frank said. “Now I trust you boys not to spend all that money on whiskey and women. We’re going to need some of that money to get us to Mexico when the time comes.” He slapped Stevie on the back. “And Stevie will want to spend some of it when he gets there. He’s never been to Las Vegas, so find him a good-looking woman.”
The four men laughed. They were all relieved they wouldn’t be involved in killing LeMasters or Longbow.
“Sometimes the women ain’t bad looking,” Mason said.
“Yeah, especially after that first bottle,” Reb joked.
“How long should we wait?” Dutch asked.
Frank turned his eyes on Dutch. “You don’t expect us to be killed, do you, Dutch?”
“You never know. If we get down there and wait two or three weeks, more than likely you won’t be coming,” Dutch replied.
“Dutch, I thought you knew me better than that. I told you boys it’ll take more than these locals to do me in. We’ll be there. But if you boys get nervous after ten days, then take off to Mexico if you want.”
Dutch looked at Walt and Stevie. They were both quiet . . . too quiet. Dutch had a feeling something else was going on. He’d never trusted Frank, and he thought he could smell a double cross a mile away. But since they would have the money from the sale of the cattle, it was hard to figure out what Frank was plotting. “You ain’t planning on robbing a stagecoach without us, are you, Frank?”
Frank should have known it would be Dutch who would question him. “Why would you think that? If I was planning something like that, every man would be needed.”
Dutch saw the look exchanged between Stevie and Frank. “We’ll wait ten days, no more.”
“We’ll plan our next move when we get to Las Vegas,” Frank said. “Now let’s get some shut-eye. We’ll be pulling out early in the morning.”