Justice in Sweet Springs

July Round-Up Challenge

By Bakerj

~~~

Boot heels scuffed across the wooden floor.  Back and forth, each pass across the room faster than the last.  Joe had shed his jacket when they’d entered the stuffy hotel room, but that didn’t stop the oppressive heat crawling down his back and clinging to his shirt.  He flicked a glance at his companion stretched out on the bed.  Candy was always a cool customer, but this was different.  This was Hoss’s life.

They’d split up to save time, so why had he stayed that extra night?  Joe’s fingers raked the back of his neck.  He knew why.  A pretty little blonde.  If he’d been here on time, Hoss wouldn’t have become a target.

Running a hand through his thick curls, the motion took him back to the moment they’d walked into the saloon to find that kangaroo court.  The gavel cracked down for silence, and the judge’s words froze him to the spot.   “Hoss Cartwright, you have been found guilty of murder.  I sentence you to hang tomorrow at noon.”

It took a moment for the words to register, then a rush of fire consumed his chest.  Meeting his brother’s eyes, his instinct to barrel forward and demand answers was curbed by the slight shake of Hoss’s head and by Candy’s hand clamping over his arm.

The words, “Let’s go,” hissed into his ear.  Candy turned him around and marched him out.  Leaving the booze-laden stench of sweating men behind, he drew a shaky breath.  The sound of cheering crashing through the swing doors made him whirl to head back inside, but Candy didn’t let go and pulled him down the street. 

Joe yanked his arm free.  “Why’d you stop me?”

“You saw Hoss.  Whatever’s going on here, he doesn’t want them to know we know him.”

Joe wrapped trembling fingers around the boardwalk post and took another hard breath to steady himself.  “They’re going to hang him.”

A crowd erupting from the saloon ended further discussion.  Stepping back into the shadows, they watched as Hoss was led past them back to jail.

Candy shot Joe a look.  “With a bit of luck, the cells will be at the back, and they’ll have windows.”

When they ducked down the alleyway leading to the back of the jail and he saw Candy was right, Joe’s lips pressed into a grim smile.  The cell window overlooked the jail’s outhouse, which sat between the two corrals.  Crouching under the window, Joe could hear Hoss loud and clear.  “You won’t get away with this.  I told you, Sheriff, you’ve picked the wrong man to pin this on.  My pa’ll move Heaven and Earth to find out what happened here.”

“By the time he gets here all he’ll find is you buried on boot hill for murder.”

“He’ll know that ain’t so.”

The sheriff’s reply oozed through the bars.  “Well, you can say that, Boy.  But let me tell you what I know from all my years of experience.  Any man will kill under the right circumstances.  Sure, it’s a sad day when it happens.  But I’ve seen it happen.  And that’s what I’ll tell your pappy.  Do you think he’ll believe that?”

The sheriff’s chuckling faded.  When everything was quiet, Joe stood on tiptoe and peeked inside.  “Hoss.”

“Joe?  That you?”

Seeing his brother’s eyes, Joe rolled his.  “Who else would it be?  What happened?”

“I arrived here, right as planned, and booked a room at the hotel.  All I did was grab some grub, a beer, and go to bed.  The next thing I know, the Sheriff and his deputy kicked down my door and arrested me for murder.”

“How?  You didn’t murder anyone.”  No hint of a question entered the statement.  Joe knew his big brother.

“Seems a witness saw me leaving the dead man’s room just before his body was discovered.”

“Who?  We’ll go talk to him.”

“That might be a problem.  It was the sheriff.  I’m telling you, Joe, this whole town’s in on it.  They got some fella here for some big business deal.  Now he’s dead, and the money he had with him is gone.  But from what I overheard, the town bank is suddenly a whole lot richer.  From that poor fella and the money from the horses I sold.  Now they’re just looking to wrap the murder up neat and tight, so no one comes asking questions.”

A pit opened in Joe’s stomach.  If he’d only been here as he’d promised.  His fingers found Hoss’s.  “We’ll get you out, brother.  Don’t worry.”

The promise made, plans were in place to keep it.  Joe walked to the window.  The street was emptying now that the excitement of the trial had died down.  A dog prowled the boardwalk looking for whatever it could scavenge to keep its scrawny carcass alive. 

Joe resumed his pacing.  Sweat trickled down the side of his face.  He swiped it away.  Heading back to the window, he cast another glance toward Candy, who looked up from the paper he was reading.  “That won’t make the time go any quicker.”

“Maybe if it were your brother, you wouldn’t be so relaxed.” 

Candy’s easy grin spread over his face.  “If you’d hung around army barracks as much as I did, you’d have learned patience too.”

Already ducking his head, regretting his sharpness, Joe mumbled, “Yeah, sorry.”

“Don’t mind me.  I’ve this real grouchy boss.  I’m used to it.”

Joe fought the smile, but it broke through.  Taking a beat, he looked hard at Candy.  “Sure you wanna be part of this?  If we get caught—”

“We’ve been through this already.  This is Hoss.  Now, if it was you…”

“Haha.”

Candy tossed aside the paper.  “Although, I can’t wait to see you explain this to your pa.”

“Long as Hoss is safe, he’ll understand.”

“I like your confidence.”

He threw the funny man a look and turned his gaze back out the window.  “The sooner we get out of this place, the better.”

Sweet Springs?  What a laugh.  The whole town stank.  His efforts to poke around for information had turned up nothing.  Everyone told a similar story.  Too similar.  Only one person had said more, and it hadn’t helped any.  Glancing over his shoulder, he’d muttered, “If the sheriff says he’s guilty, then he’s guilty.”

The view beyond the window was changing.  Dropping beneath the horizon, the sun melted in an orange haze.  Dusk followed, bringing its welcome shadows.  It wouldn’t be long now.

~~~

The plan went like clockwork.  Grabbing the keys off the sheriff’s desk, Joe found the right one to Hoss’s cell.  He’d slipped the key into the lock and turned it when the familiar sound of a rifle being levered had him raising his hands and turning.  The sheriff stepped into the light.

“When they told me someone was asking questions, I just knew you’d turn up.  Who are you?  Friend—no, brother.”

“That’s right, Sheriff.  And you were about to hang an innocent man.”

“Well, let me tell you, son, I ain’t about to hang anybody.”  Joe’s gaze flicked to Hoss, catching the surprise and hope that flared in his brother’s eyes.  “No, sirree, I’m about to shoot me two fellas committing a jailbreak.”

The fingers of his raised hands curled and Joe swallowed.  “That won’t work.  Hoss told you who our father is.  You might get away with murdering one of us, but two?”

“I think your pa will believe me.  You’re here, ain’t you?”

Biting his lip, Joe glanced at Hoss again.  Upright and on the balls of his feet, he was ready to make a move.  It would be suicide, and with a shake of the head Joe let him know it. 

The sheriff grinned.  He thought he’d won and was ready to enjoy himself.  Except, Joe knew something the lawman didn’t.  When they’d interrupted the deputy’s trip to the outhouse, Joe had left Candy to hide the unconscious man before he followed Joe inside. 

Candy poked the tip of his Colt into the sheriff’s back.  “Drop the rifle.” 

Joe breathed and lowered his arms, but the sheriff of Sweet Springs had other ideas.  Sweeping around, he slammed his rifle into Candy’s arm.  Thrown off balance, he staggered sideways.  Tackling the man, Joe carried him down to the ground, and grappled for the rifle.  The cell door slammed back, and Joe found himself hauled upright.  Pushed to one side, Hoss reached down and grabbed the lawman by the front of his shirt before delivering a punch. 

“That’s for framing me.” 

They left the jail at a run, heading for the other side of the livery stable where they left the horses. Behind them, the sheriff bellowed for help.  People poured out into the street from every direction.

“In here!”  Ducking into the livery, Joe hauled the doors shut.

“Dadburned sheriff.  He had a harder jaw than I thought.”

“Either that or you’re getting soft, Big Brother.  Come on.  We need to find a way out.”

A quick search revealed they were trapped.  Clenching his teeth, Joe pushed the planks of the back wall.  “Can we bust through?”

“We’re dang well gonna try.”

Grabbing a pitchfork as a lever, Candy returned to help pry open the boards. 

Joe smelled the smoke. Turning, his eyes widened.  Flames crept under the stable doors.  Tinder-dry, the old boards succumbed to the fire, which fed with quickening ferocity.  The noise grew as the stalled horses reacted to the blaze.

Hoss glanced behind him, grim-faced.  “They don’t care what they burn, do they.”

Joe clutched his brother’s shoulder.  “Candy and I’ll free the horses.  You keep working on getting us out, okay?”

Thick smoke shrouded the top of the livery, and the flames ran to engulf the roof.  Candy moved to untie the horses, and Joe headed for the doors. A billowing sheet of flame consumed them. The heat seared Joe’s cheeks, forcing him back a step. Snatching up a broom, he slammed the middle of the doors.  When they swung open, the rush of air hit the roof, and the fire exploded.  Candy yelled, but the screaming horses hunched together.  Joe went straight for the black at the front of the group and slapped its rump with everything he had.  The animal bolted, right under the arc of flame, and the others followed.

Burning wood rained down.  Running back to Hoss, Joe was relieved to see the hole he’d ripped.  Sending his brother and then Candy through, Joe followed.

Shouts and screams rose behind them.  Joe paused to see that the fire had leaped from the livery to feed on other buildings.

When he reached the horses, Hoss asked, “They following?”

He shook his head.  “They’ve got bigger problems now.”

From the crest of the foothill, they looked down on Sweet Springs.  A halo of red and orange covered the town as it burned.

~ ~ ~

“Pa, you shoulda seen it.  The whole place was ablaze.  By the time we got to the next town, the news was everywhere.  We heard that when the sheriff realized there was no saving it, he robbed the bank and skedaddled!  That’s when the town turned on him.  Turns out he’d been killing folks for years and blaming it on innocent passersby like me.”

“The whole business sounds terrible.  I hate to think…”  His gaze flicked to Joe.  The look, fleeting but enough.  “But, son, what about your sentence?”

“We went and saw the judge in town, and he set aside the conviction.  I’m an innocent man again.”

Ben rested a hand on Hoss’s shoulder.  “You always were.”  Pouring another round of brandy, he raised his glass.  “To Joe and Candy.  Thank you for doing the right thing by doing the wrong thing.”

Joe met Candy’s eyes and winked.

~The End~