JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST
Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh. People said that the district
attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county. A look
of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.
“Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk,
Johnny? Let’s have it.”
“You hit the nail, Jim. Talk—a big order of it—is what I want to git
off my mind.”
“I’ve had my ears open, Johnny,” Kelsey said. “I wondered when you’d
drop in.”
“You hain’t heard _nothin’_. You wait. I’ve found out a-plenty since
I started puttin’ my nose into other people’s business, as Gallup
would say. I’m here to ask for a warrant.”
“So? For whom?”
“For the coroner of this county—for the murder of Crosbie Traynor,
same having occurred on the night of October 4th in a room at the
Palace Hotel. You listen to me and see if I’m crazy or not. I
suppose you heard all the talk that was made the night we found the
body? Well, I won’t waste no time on that, but—I found the dead
man’s horse. I went through the saddlebags and I found a picture.
Later, I got the dead man’s name. I just kept on putting two and two
together until I began to git scared at what I was findin’ out. Git
your pencil and make some notes.”
Kelsey did as Johnny asked, but he made small use of the pencil. His
mind grasped the facts as Johnny unfolded them. From time to time he
stopped the boy to insert a question. Whenever he did so, Johnny’s
answers invariably enabled him to leap ahead to the next move in
this game of life and death.
Sometimes Johnny raised questioning eyes as he wondered if he were
making himself understood. Kelsey merely grunted in the affirmative.
Once he whistled. Traynor’s letter to Molly caused that.
The boy knew his story grasped the man’s mind, for, shrewd as Kelsey
was, he could not keep all emotion from his eyes.
Johnny went on, bit by bit, until he had not only divulged his
information, but had convinced the attorney of the conclusions he
had drawn.
“Can I be wrong, Jim?” Johnny asked when he had finished.
“I don’t think so. But you’ve got a house of cards. One absolutely
provable fact is all you need to make your evidence steel proof. I’m
willin’ to go ahead. I know Roddy, he ought to be recalled. Lord
know’s you’ve got more than enough to arrest them on suspicion, but
I wouldn’t do it that way. Charge Gallup with it. Facts come out in
a trial that you never dream of. We’ll arrest the whole
clique—Gallup, Gale, Kent, and even the Indian.”
“I don’t want Kent charged with murder,” Johnny stated. “Can’t we
scare him into turning on Gallup? Aaron’s the boy at the bottom of
this pile.”
“If you feel that way about it, Johnny, why not wait? Gallup will
trip up if you give him time. Kent may put himself in the clear.”
“No waitin’ now, Jim. Trouble has caught right up with us. Roddy,
Kent, Gallup and some deputy are out gunning for me. They’ve got a
warrant chargin’ me with abductin’ Miss Molly. Havin’ done it once,
they’ve framed me into it again. It’s just a game. They’ve taken the
girl themselves. If Roddy gits a gun on me and I move a finger—good
night—I’m a dead man.”
Kelsey was on his feet. “We’ll go. You get Ritter, maybe Scanlon,
too. I’ll be at the hotel in fifteen minutes at the latest.”
“Come armed,” Johnny warned. “This is goin’ to be a battle. Gale is
no doubt on the Reservation. Gallup will bump him off if he gits a
chance. The same goes for the chief. It’s a nice little way to shut
men’s mouths. If we lose Gale or the Injun, we’re stuck.”
“That is not what I’m afraid of,” Kelsey answered. “Gallup is over
his head in going to Elk Valley. Thunder Bird has more power than
you suspect. Gallup has humiliated and shamed him. It’s the one
thing the old buck won’t overlook. You could put a regiment of
troops in Elk Valley and Gallup would still be in danger. When it
comes to a matter of tribal honor—look out! You can talk all you
want to about civilization and its effect on the poor, downtrodden
Indian; but he’s got a kick left in him still. Four or five men are
all we need.”
“That’ll be you, me, Doc Ritter, Scanlon, and Charlie Paul. We’ll be
ready when you git there.”
It happened, however, that when Kelsey rode up Vin had not returned
with Charlie and Johnny’s horse. A few minutes later, though, they
arrived. The delay had allowed a crowd to form, for, in spite of
Johnny’s demand for secrecy, the news that a posse was being
organized had spread.
Heavily armed, the five men rode out of the Rock. Soon after the
town was left behind, Kelsey held up his hand and brought them to a
stop.
“Men,” said he, “you know what we’re going after. I hope we won’t
have to fire a shot. I hold that shooting that goes unpunished
because it’s within the letter of the law is almost as bad as though
it weren’t. Law ought to mean justice and a square deal to all; when
it’s less than that, I don’t want any of it. Let’s go!”