Now playing: Night Riders
New to theses parts? To start the story from the beginning, click
Episode Fourteen concluded with:
But Rory Kagan was not about to give his killers
that satisfaction. “I guess I’m gonna die at the hands of a bunch of cowards;
it takes four of you jaspers to kill one man.”
“Shut up, kid!” Red Shirt was talking again. All
four men were now dismounted and standing around him.
“And you jaspers wear hoods. Of course, maybe
you have faces that need coverin’ up.”
Red Shirt slammed a fist into the boy’s face.
Kagan plunged to the ground where he received a hard kick in the ribs.
“I was gonna make this easy on you, boy. Jus’ a
quick bullet in the head. But now, I think I
might have me a little fun first.”
Episode Fifteen
“The
fun is over! Throw down your guns and put your hands up. Now!”
The
voice came from behind a boulder a few feet up the mountain. Red Shirt went for
his six shooter but was stopped by a rifle shot that blew open his chest. Another
outlaw already had his gun out but received a hard kick to his knee before
he could fire. He doubled over in pain
and dropped the iron. Rory kicked it away from him.
The
remaining two outlaws sent a hail of bullets toward the boulder but didn’t
bother to aim. Their shots served as a cover as they mounted their horses and
galloped off. The outlaw that Rory Kagan had downed looked around for his gun
and saw Kagan pick it up.
“Stop
right there!” Rory shouted as the thug scrambled not too gracefully onto his
roan. Kagan deliberately fired over the jasper’s head as he spurred his horse
into a fast retreat.
“You’re
using good judgment, Rory.” The voice came from beside the boulder. “No need to
shoot those hired guns. They won’t be back. One dead man is enough.”
“Who
are you?” Rory still held the gun in his hands. The man walking down the slope
was probably a friend. His gun was holstered and he now carried his Winchester
in one hand. Still, Rory wasn’t taking any chances. He had encountered enough
surprises on this night.
“The
name is Rance Dehner, I’m--”
“You’re
the detective Elijah Tantrall hired!” Rory tightened his grip on the six
shooter.
“That
I am,” Dehner’s voice remained calm as he walked over to check on the fallen
outlaw. His earlier statement had been right. The man was dead.
“Those killers wanted to shoot me here, so
they wouldn’t be too close to Tantrall’s herds.”
“Yeah,
that’s what I heard. Why don’t you toss down that gun and maybe we can figure
out how to stop a bloody land war.”
Rory
Kagan paused for a moment, then did what Dehner had suggested. “Look, Rance, I
don’t want Elijah Tantrall to be the one behind all this, but it’s the only
explanation that makes sense. Those owlhoots let Lila go. Even a no good
wouldn’t want harm to come to his own daughter. And there’s the order to stay
clear of the cattle…”
Dehner
spoke as if his mind had been far away. “We’ll have to come back and bury this
jasper later. Come on, we’re riding back to the Circle T.”
Tomorrow:
Episode Sixteen of Night Riders
