Now Playing: Full Moon
The gunman hung onto his weapon. Even wounded, Curt Tatum was a very
dangerous man. Dehner’s second shot took the killer down.
Tatum’s body lay still, his gun now
positioned only inches from his right hand.
Rance Dehner moved with caution and his Colt drawn until he could feel
for a pulse on the gunfighter’s wrist. Confident that Tatum was dead, Dehner
turned his head toward the strange sound coming from the shack.
A baby was crying.
Episode Two:
Rance again used caution. He crept
around the shack and approached the door on the side without a window. He
tapped gently on the door.
“Go away!”
The voice sounded female and scared.
“I won’t
hurt you. I’m a detective. I need to talk with you, for just a few minutes.”
The baby’s
crying became louder. The woman’s voice turned into a near scream. “Go away!”
Dehner
holstered his Colt. “I’m coming in.” The detective opened the door slowly,
stepped into the shack and faced an old Winchester which was pointed at him.
“Don’t you
move no more. I’ll shoot. I really will.” The girl looked about fourteen,
although it was hard to tell with her eyes squinting along the sights of the
gun. Her clothes were old, but clean. That description could also apply to the
inside of the shack and the blankets on the cot. The small table beside the cot
stood barren of dust. The kid had done everything she could to make an abandoned line shack safe for her child.
Dehner’s
eyes couldn’t spot any food. “When was the last time that baby was fed? When
was the last time you had anything to eat?”
“You never
mind. Git!” The girl’s body was shaking.
Rance held
up both palms in an effort to calm the girl. There was an element of self-defense
in the move. That old rifle could fire easily. “I’m not here to cause you any
trouble.”
“What are
you doin’ here?”
“Point that
gun down and I’ll tell you.”
She lowered
the gun, revealing a pretty face marred by paleness and red streaked eyes. Her
long dark hair was turning stringy through neglect. Dehner figured all the care
the girl had to give went to her baby.
“My name is
Rance Dehner.”
“I’m
Leona.” The sudden propriety seemed to confuse her. Leona looked toward the
crying infant. “His name is Samuel.” Hostility again returned to her eyes. “Why
are you here?”
“Like I
said, I’m a detective. I trailed a gunslick to this place, a jasper named Curt
Tatum, ever hear of him?”
“No.”
“Do you
have any idea why he was here?”
“Did you
kill him?”
“Yes.”
“Then what
difference does it make?”
Dehner decided
to pull back, figuring Leona had just evaded his question in order to avoid
telling a lie. She had a strong sense of right and wrong which was being tested
by fear and desperation.
Dehner
spoke quietly. “I have some food in my saddlebags. Don’t know if Samuel can eat
any of it, but at least it will help you. I have to ride into town. Let me know
what you need. I’ll bring it back.”
Leona’s
face contorted. The young woman pressed her lips together, then looked at
Dehner and named off some food and other supplies for both her and the baby. She
propped the Winchester against a side wall, casting a fast glance at the
detective. Leona then bent over the baby, who had stopped crying, and didn’t
look at Dehner as she spoke to him. “I gotta favor to ask.”
“Name
it.”
“When you
get to Colter, could you look up Del Burgess? He’s a bit taller than me. Green
eyes. Brown hair. Sixteen.”
“Where does
he live in Colter?”
Leona went
silent for a moment; she seemed to be wondering if she was betraying a trust of
some kind. “Del works at the livery. Sleeps there most nights.”
“What do
you want me to do when I find Del?”
She turned
and faced the detective. “You might could tell him I’d like to see him, and just
let me know he’s okay.”
There was a
lot behind that awkward request, but Rance decided not to look for it. He
settled for a quick “Sure”, then went outside to attend to a corpse. He
recovered his own horse and that of Curt Tatum. The detective laid Tatum’s body
over the saddle of the outlaw’s horse and tied it there. He found some jerky in
Tatum’s saddle bags, then, as promised, grabbed the food he had been carrying
and took it all into the shack where he placed it on the table.
Leona was
sitting on the bed cradling the baby, who was now sleeping. She was singing Jesus Loves Me in a soft voice.
Rance
Dehner felt very uncomfortable. “I’ll find Del Burgess for you, and I’ll be back
in the morning with some more food.” He hastily left the cabin.
The
detective knew the area well, and with the light from a full moon could ride at
a steady gait. He glanced at the corpse on the horse behind him. Curt Tatum had
been a gun for hire. Who had hired him to find Leona and for what reason? Was
Tatum supposed to kill the girl?
