Payback at Morning Peak Read Free Page B

that, Billy.”
    “Sorry, Al, but what in God’s name gets into that brother of yours?”
    Al Wetherford was the oldest in the group, which consisted of two Hispanics, Jorge and Oscar, a Ute Indian with a shriveled arm, the two drunks Ed and Robert, the brothers Wetherford, and leader Billy Tauson, along with the wounded young man, Ty Blake.
    Tauson shuffled around the devastated farmyard, taking a long pull from one of the jugs. “I told all of you people we were just going to put a scare into these folks, didn’t I say that? Didn’t I?”
    The Ute looked at Tauson. “Crook Arm keeps weapon in rawhides.” The tall bronzed Indian grasped his crotch with one hand, the other gripping a jug. “Save child-maker for squaw women.” He giggled and did a little dance in a tight circle, still holding himself while he took a deep slug of whiskey. The men stood around with half-smiles, enjoying Crook Arm’s dance.
    “Well, hell’s fire,” came a voice from behind him. “That farmer came at us like the clappers from hell. Inever seen such a determined bastard.” Pete Wetherford walked up behind the tall Billy Tauson.
    “Where the hell you been, Petey?” Tauson was careful with him. It wasn’t that Pete looked formidable, it was more a sense of compressed energy that you didn’t want to mess with.
    Pete took in the assembled group. “I been behind your old farmhouse, Billy. Heard everything you said. You got a burr in your saddle about me, boss?” He gave Tauson a mocking smile. “Truth be told, I been washing up. Seem to have gotten a little blood on me.” He winked at his brother Al.
    Tauson stomped around the sad little vegetable garden. “Why’d you have to do that pile-o’-rags woman out there that way? All crumbled and nasty, lying dead. Why’d you do her like that? We didn’t come out here to rape and kill, dammit. I told you that on the way, didn’t I?”
    “You said a lot of stuff, Billy. Mostly horseshit. You wanted us to be your strong right arm while you poked around like a rooster in heat, lording it over those sodbusters.” Pete looked for help from his buddies. “Would you all agree, fellers?”
    Most of them kicked the dirt and shrugged their shoulders.
    “Now,” Pete continued, “who was that little yellowbelly with the .22 rifle? I’d like to do some serious work on that youngster.”
    The wounded Ty Blake called out to his cousin Tauson, “Billy, get me to a doctor, would you? I’m hurting real bad.”
    Tauson turned toward him. “We got to scamper into the woods and find that kid with the rifle. Then we’llcome back and take care of you, Ty.” He called to the men, “Mount up. Let’s find that shooter before he takes off and spins a tale to the law.”
    Al Wetherford spoke up. “Before, you told us we had to split up and hightail it out of here.”
    “I know what I said, but now it’s better if we all hunt out that little rotter so there’s no witness to talk about all this.”
    Pete looked at brother Al and rolled his eyes. His smile toward his boss Billy Tauson was not a warm, agreeable treat. An average-sized man, Pete made up for his lack of height with a wicked sense of self.
    Tauson called out for Crook Arm to take the lead. They trailed out of the little valley, heading up toward the towering peak that looked down onto the formerly tranquil meadow.
    Pete sidled up next to Al. “This jackanapes needs to be taken down a notch. Always ordering people around, it boils me.”
    “You signed on for it. What did you expect? By the way, I saw you ride off with that bundled-up flower girl. What happened?”
    “We had a quiet wedding in the glade back yonder.” Pete grinned. “She professed her undying love and insisted on anointing me with the flower of her virginity.”
    “Oh, ain’t you the elegant talker.”
    Pete grinned even more.
    “Where is she?”
    Pete gestured with his thumb. “I suspect she’s still lying in that pleasant grassy clearing, gazing at the