The Devil's Work

  The Devil’s Work

  It is December 1880 and snow covers the town of Devil’s Lake in northern Dakota Territory, where there have recently been two connected killings on the outlying homesteads. Angie Sutter, the attractive young widow of one of the murdered men arrives in town, seeking help from local marshal Rance Toller.

  But having jailed a particularly menacing individual who appears out of place in such a quiet town Rance is reluctant to head out into the frozen wasteland, especially as there is only an ageing deputy to stand guard. On returning to Devil’s Lake, Rance and Angie find the deputy dead and the prisoner gone. . . .

  By the same author

  Blood on the Land

  The Devil’s Work

  Paul Bedford

  ROBERT HALE

  © Paul Bedford 2013

  First published in Great Britain 2013

  ISBN 978-0-7198-2254-4

  The Crowood Press

  The Stable Block

  Crowood Lane

  Ramsbury

  Marlborough

  Wiltshire SN8 2HR

  www.bhwesterns.com

  This e-book first published in 2017

  Robert Hale is an imprint of The Crowood Press

  The right of Paul Bedford to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him

  in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

  Chapter One

  Chet Barclay sniffed the air apprehensively as he eased out of his cabin on to the hard-packed snow. Propelled by some mysterious urge, he had ventured across that threshold countless times in the previous twenty-four hours. The biting cold tore at his nostrils as he carefully scrutinized the desolate terrain. The landscape was gripped tight in the dead hand of the December Solstice, and yet it wasn’t the appalling chill that disturbed him. Any damned fool who chose to winter in Dakota Territory had better expect hardship. No, something other than the cold was gnawing at him!

  Squinting against the snow glare, Chet shuffled off to his left, around the side of the log cabin. Before him lay the stables housing his all-important livestock. Although not a man given to introspection, it occurred to him that a Spencer Repeating Carbine was a strange choice of companion for the mundane tasks awaiting him in there. Yet the sense of unease that assailed him was so intense that he found himself abruptly retracting the hammer. After years of living alone, he was reconciled to solitude, yet at that moment the homesteader would have given anything for some companionship.

  An icy gust swept around the rear of his cabin, buffeting him and vainly searching for chinks in his heavy buffalo hide coat. The barn beckoned, offering a modicum of shelter. Yet, strangely, he was reluctant to enter. Dark and suddenly forbidding in the weak winter light, the familiar building only added to his sense of unease. Someone or something was on his land. He knew it for a certainty, and in the open he could at least hope to see them coming.

  The .50 calibre soft lead bullet punched down into Chet’s left cheekbone and then shattered his lower jaw, before finally embedding itself in his right shoulder. Its crushing momentum smashed him on to the virgin snow. Gagging on blood and teeth, his carbine discarded and forgotten, he desperately tried to claw his way towards the barn. From inside came the whinnying of startled and troubled animals. A second bullet slammed into his lower back. Jerking under the impact he tried to cry out, but only a bloody froth emanated from his chapped lips. Gradually and irrevocably life ebbed away, and with it went any chance of discovering the identity of his deadly assailant.

  Angie Sutter watched apprehensively as her husband prowled the frozen barren ground in front of their cabin. Such was the temperature that she really should have kept the window shutter tightly barred. Yet the overwhelming anxiety that had driven him to such manic activity had given her the jitters. Never had she seen him in such a state. At well over six feet tall and massively built, Jacob normally enjoyed a calm and placid disposition. Such an agreeable nature had all changed the previous night.

  In the dead of winter, and with their chores completed, there had been little to do other than retire to bed. Keen to put down roots and make a life for themselves, the young couple were eagerly trying for a child. As the fire receded in the stone chimney, passions mounted on the straw mattress. The sudden pounding on the cabin’s only door had rendered them immobile with shock. Angie’s ardent caresses abruptly forgotten, Jacob had finally lumbered to his feet. Reaching for his old Henry rifle he had bellowed out, ‘Who’s out there? Account for yourself, damn you, or I’ll surely fire!’

  The silence that greeted such a forthright challenge was unnerving. Finally, after some anxious deliberation, Jacob had unbarred the door and poked his gun muzzle out. A biting north wind swept into the cabin’s single room. Crouching on the bed, Angie had shivered with both cold and fear.

  ‘Show yourself,’ demanded her husband addressing the apparently empty blackness beyond. The complete lack of any response was far more terrifying than the sudden appearance of some intruder could ever have been. Finally Jacob had reluctantly closed and barred the door. Nothing more was heard from their mysterious visitor that night, but neither of them had enjoyed the blissful solace of sleep.

  Morning had brought with it a weak sunlight, which had little effect on the awful chill. To Angie’s appraising eye, Jacob appeared afflicted by a sheer dread that far outweighed the effect of the previous night’s disturbance. It was as though he was a party to some terrible secret from which she was excluded. Briefly she wondered if their situation had any connection to the solitary stranger who had approached her husband near the lake some days before. He had been dressed in black from head to foot and even at a distance appeared vaguely menacing. Afterwards Jacob had seemed preoccupied, but flatly refused to discuss the matter.

  Angie’s recall of that event ended abruptly when her husband bleakly reported a complete lack of any footprints in the day old snow that blanketed the whole valley. That seemed to unhinge something in his mind, because he then flatly refused to return indoors. Muttering vague imprecations, he chose instead to pace up and down outside the cabin, all the time fingering the trigger of his weapon.

  ‘Jacob, please come in,’ pleaded Angie again. ‘No good can come of this.’

  Something in her voice brought him to a halt. Turning to face her, his haunted eyes settled on hers. He opened his mouth as though to speak. An unseen force abruptly launched him towards her. A gobbet of blood flew from his lips. The muted boom of a distant gunshot shattered the silence as it echoed around the valley. Despite his bulk, Jacob could not resist the projectile’s momentum. Falling full length, he came to rest directly before her. Released from his dying grip, the Henry had landed at her feet. Instinctively she crouched down to pick it up. Blood stained the snow next to her husband’s head and pumped from the terrible wound in his back. His body twitched uncontrollably in its death throes.

  A woman of weaker disposition would have collapsed at his side, perhaps stroking his face and sobbing in vain over their shocking loss. For Angie such gestures could wait. Tucking the rifle into her shoulder, she aimed down the valley and squeezed off a shot. She recognized it as being a futile gesture, but the noise and recoil made her feel less vulnerable. And somehow she just knew that only Jacob was meant to die that morning. As the sulphurous smell of black powder smoke wafted into her nostrils, she vowed that there would be a reckoning for the death of the fine man lying before her.

  Chapter Two

  How anyone could embark on a momentous drunk in such weather, was completely beyond his comprehension.

  ‘Doesn’t that idiot know it’s likely going to hit fifteen below tonight?’

  His deputy merely shrugged. His mild reaction hinted that he too fancied the
prospect of alcoholic oblivion. Grunting with distaste, Rance reached for his sawn off. Carrying that fearful weapon with him at all times was a rule he had made long before and never broke. Town drunk or road agent, the magnitude of the arrest made no difference to his state of readiness.

  ‘I’ll handle it,’ he continued evenly. ‘You just keep that stove going.’

  ‘Sure thing, Marshal.’

  His elderly subordinate’s relief was obvious, and in truth Rance was glad to get some air. Due to their regular diet of steak and beans, the flatulent atmosphere in the jailhouse had been growing decidedly unpleasant.

  The barfly who had brought news of the disturbance had made himself scarce, but it mattered not. Marshal Rance Toller knew exactly where he was going. The town of Devil’s Lake boasted only two saloons. Solid citizens favoured the Starr, whilst those of a more dissolute nature headed for Pearsall’s Emporium. Overly painted Dutch gals and dubious card games only seemed to add to its attraction. Rance permitted it a loose rein, understanding that it allowed the rougher elements the chance to blow off a head of steam. He drew the line at drunken gunplay.

  Winter’s icy tentacles seized him the moment he stepped on to the boardwalk. Street lighting was non-existent, so he stood motionless for a few moments. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he scrutinized his surroundings vigilantly. Such care had been learned fast and had stayed with him through the years. Resisting the temptation to pull up his collar, Rance strode swiftly through the slush that covered the town’s only main thoroughfare. As always he took the shortest route across open ground. From Pearsall’s there came a loud detonation followed by a scream and the sound of breaking glass. He defied the urges of his impatient temperament. A novice lawman might have rushed through the main entrance and very probably found himself in a world of hurt.

  Slipping down an alleyway, he entered the rear of the saloon. As expected the storeroom was empty and little warmer than the street. A single oil lamp flickered in the corner. Moving carefully over to an inner door, the marshal gently eased it open. He was greeted by a blaze of light and a heady mixture of gunsmoke and urine. Unnoticed by the room’s mostly frightened occupants he carefully surveyed the scene.

  Unsurprisingly, a dishevelled oaf waving a revolver held centre stage. He was unacceptably drunk. Overturned chairs and shards of glass covered the floor around him. All the other revellers were keeping well clear of the unshaven, wild-eyed brute, as he was quite clearly a danger to nearly everyone in the room. It was this particular realization that probably saved Rance’s life.

  A heavyset character in a black frock coat was the only occupant of the saloon to appear completely unthreatened by the ruckus. Securely seated, with a cynical half smile playing on his features, he calmly observed the pantomime playing out before him as he nursed a shot of whiskey. To the town marshal’s experienced eye he appeared to be the more dangerous of the two by far. So his course of action was now quite clear.

  As the drunk lurched over to the bar intent on a refill, Rance made his move. Transferring the shotgun to his left hand, he drew a Remington 1875 Model revolver and then reversed it so that he was holding it by the barrel. Whilst the majority of citizens of the United States favoured one of the many revolvers on offer from Colt, the marshal had a particular reason for choosing the Remington. The earlier cap and ball Colts suffered from frame weakness, and if employed as a club could bend so badly as to be unusable. Such shortcomings could taint a man’s perception of the newer models. The Remington had no such history and with its solid frame, entirely suited the needs of a man in his profession.

  Drawing in a deep breath, he burst through the rear door and made straight for the trouble causer. That individual was far too inebriated to register the sudden activity behind him. He just happened to glance in the mirror behind the bar and caught a brief glimpse of the revolver butt as it descended on his skull. Using that same mirror as a guide, Rance holstered the Remington and swivelled a rapid 180 degrees. Behind him there was a heavy thump as his victim slumped to the floor.

  Gripping the twelve gauge, he retracted both hammers and pointed the fearsome weapon directly at the man in the frock coat. As the twin muzzles lined up on that individual’s face he exhibited a brief jolt of shock and for the first time Rance took a good look at him. Dark brooding features were topped by prematurely grey hair. He was probably around forty but looked older. The harsh realities of life were etched deeply into his pitted face. Recovering swiftly from the unexpected turn of events, those features now relaxed as he in turn appraised his captor. His hard eyes took in the badge pinned to Rance’s jacket.

  ‘Very neatly done, Marshal,’ he commented softly. ‘But why the big gun? That fellow is nothing to me.’

  ‘Mister, you and I both know that that’s a damn lie. Now slowly unbuckle your gunbelt and place it on that table.’

  For a few seconds the other man made no move. Then a slight smile crept on to his face. It entirely failed to reach his eyes and was completely bereft of humour. Rance felt a chill spread over him. He had encountered enough killers in his time to sense that he was in the company of a very dangerous individual.

  ‘I won’t tell you again. Unbuckle, or face the consequences.’

  As though growing suddenly bored by events, the gunnie emitted a slight sigh and complied. Rance kept his scattergun trained, as he used his left hand to rapidly scoop up the belt containing an 1873 single action Colt Army revolver.

  ‘Now, pick up your compadre and carry him over to the jailhouse.’

  His prisoner appeared about to protest, but thought better of it. Shaking his head in apparent disbelief, he rose up out of his chair, heaved the unconscious man over his shoulder and headed for the door. The ease with which he accomplished this showed him to be a man of uncommon strength. Following him out, Rance called back over his shoulder to the barkeep, ‘Tot up the damage before I release them, Jed. And keep it realistic!’

  If the lawman had troubled to look back, he would have seen more than just habitual resignation on the saloonkeeper’s face. For once in his grubby existence, Jed was displaying genuine emotion: fear.

  The jailhouse had received a new visitor by the time Rance returned, a highly attractive one, going by the name of Angie Sutter. Sitting quietly in the corner, her drab bulky clothes could not entirely hide a young and shapely figure, neither of which was enough to unduly distract the marshal from his prime concern of locking up the two prisoners. Devil’s Lake was a small town; therefore the jailhouse was a small structure. The only cell was at the back of the marshal’s office, in full view of any officials or visitors. It was not an ideal arrangement. Privacy was non-existent, but since most inmates were just one-nighters sleeping off a skinful it served well enough.

  His deputy’s eyes boggled at the arrival of two prisoners, one carrying the other. Rance kept his gaze firmly fixed on the gunman.

  ‘Search them both, Clem. And keep out of my line of fire.’

  His assistant appeared bemused at the fuss made over a couple of drunks, but clambered from his chair to comply. The man in the black frock coat dumped his still unconscious burden on a cot, before raising both arms out to the side. He stood motionless, eyes down, as Clem frisked him. Something about his very presence made Rance’s flesh crawl, and he did not feel any better when his deputy discovered a cut-down Colt Navy Sheriff tucked away in a shoulder holster. A cap and ball revolver, it was awkward to reload, but made a good hold out weapon.

  ‘You’re packing a lot of iron, mister,’ commented Rance flatly. ‘You must think Devil’s Lake’s a real dangerous town.’

  ‘It pays to be careful, Marshal. I might have to demonstrate the benefits of that to you one day!’

  Something popped in Rance’s head. He had just been threatened in his own office.

  ‘All right, just what is your name?’

  Completely ignoring the deputy now patting his legs, the other man favoured his captor with another cold smile.

 
‘My name’s my business. You’ve got no call to lock me up and you certainly can’t charge me with anything.’

  He had a point, but Rance wasn’t finished yet. Something about the man had set his teeth on edge and he didn’t much enjoy the feeling.

  ‘Maybe so, but you don’t walk away from here until I get a name. Who knows, there might even be some papers out on you. Oh, and don’t even bother thinking about waving any greenbacks under my nose. I run an honest jail here!’

  With Clem out of the way, he slammed the cell door shut and turned the key. His body seethed with unaccustomed anger. He wanted to hit something, anything. Unfortunately he couldn’t, because his office was full of people. Taking a deep breath, Rance tested the lock on the door. Only then did he ease the hammers down on his shotgun. Replacing it on the gun rack, he finally turned his attention to the young lady. She had remained seated in the corner. Her eyes were red rimmed, either from the cold or from shedding tears. She had fine sandy hair and apparently good teeth. Her once flawless skin was just beginning to show the punishing effects of a northern winter. Gloved hands tightly gripped a Henry rifle and her demeanour hinted at an inner turmoil. With a sigh he sat down on the edge of his desk. It was shaping up to be one of those nights!

  ‘I’m Rance Toller, the town marshal, ma’am. What can I do for you?’

  The young lady trembled but said nothing, as though the original disclosure of her name to Clem had been sufficient. Gesturing to his deputy for a cup of coffee, Rance tried again.

  ‘It’s hellish cold to be out travelling, especially alone. People usually come to me if they have a problem. Do you have a problem, ma’am?’