Chapter 35

Even though I had a lot going on, I dropped everything to accompany Sheriff Faulkner to the courthouse. Matt wasn't the kind of guy who would ask for help if he didn't really need it.

It took us about five minutes to walk the two blocks to the courthouse. As we walked, Matt told me more of the story.

Howard's version of the shooting was that he, Braxton and a cowboy named John Atkinson had gone to San Elizario to try to reason with Cardis about taking Howard's salt without paying at least something for it. Howard claimed that Cardis became enraged and pulled a shotgun from behind a pickle barrel. The two men wrestled over the weapon and it accidentally discharged in Cardis' chest. Atkinson and Braxton both supported Howard's story.

The San Elizario constable claims that, although the only witnesses to the shooting were with Howard, Mister Schultz, the owner of the store, swore that Cardis didn't have a shotgun in his store. Schultz had been in the back and came running out when he heard the shotgun blast. Howard gave Schultz his story and told him he wasn't sticking around to face a mob of Mexicans who already wanted to lynch him. Matt was worried about that mob storming the courthouse when they found out Howard was there.

Given the concern Matt expressed, I wasn't that surprised to see three of the other auxiliary deputies already nervously standing guard by the big oak double doors when we entered the courthouse. Inside the courthouse, it was as quiet as a tomb. Even the annoying and supercilious clerk was gone from his post. I followed behind Matt as he stomped back to District Attorney Percival Davenport's office. Davenport was hurriedly stuffing some papers in his valise when we walked unannounced through his door. Davenport looked up at the Sheriff in annoyance.

"The judge is long gone Faulkner, so we don't need you and your deputies here. I charged him with involuntary manslaughter at his request, and he made the bail I set. I am closing the courthouse early to avoid any unpleasantness. The Rangers will be here tomorrow and we'll reopen under their protection Monday. I've wired Governor Hubble and asked him to appoint me interim judge until all this is sorted out."

Since I don't know who will be reading this in the future, I'm not going to repeat what Matt had to say to Davenport. I will tell you that it was about the best cussing out I've ever witnessed, as Faulkner called Davenport everything but a child of God. When Matt ran out of steam and stepped out of the way, Davenport scurried out of his office as if, in the immortal words of Charlie Daniels, "his head was on fire and his ass was catching."

That Charles Howard was one oily snake because by convincing Davenport to charge him with manslaughter he would avoid almost any jail time even if he were tried and convicted. However, since the only witnesses were his friends, the charges would probably be dropped when it was convenient for Howard.

Matt was still fuming that Davenport had let Charles Howard off the hook so easily, when we arrived back at the front doors of the court house. Matt thanked the other deputies and sent them home, then sat down on the steps to wait for the San Elizario Town Constable. He asked me to sit with him because my Spanish was better than his. I pulled out my pocket watch and checked the time. It was just before three, so I had an hour or two before I needed to head back to the hotel.

We sat and speculated about where this was all going while we waited for the constable. Matt was all for dumping it in the hands of the Rangers, or better yet, the Army, because of the men coming across the border from Mexico. I kept it to myself that before this mess was all over, both those things would happen.

The constable was slightly mollified when he showed up and Matt told him that Howard had been charged with killing Louis Cardis, but he wasn't thrilled that Howard was out on bail. I told the man that it was probably best that way, because with Howard out of town, it would give tempers a chance to cool. He saw the truth in that, when I reminded him about the angry mob in front of his jail just three days ago. The constable was also relieved that the Rangers had been called, because he was in the same boat, or worse, than Faulkner. Since most of the trouble in the county had traditionally been in El Paso, he only had two deputies and himself to police San Elizario.

As I walked back to the hotel, I thought about what I could do to turn events aside enough to allow Charles Howard to meet his fate, while keeping the Rangers from being humiliated and San Elizario from being wrecked. See, in the original history of the Salt War, only about a dozen people died, but half of those deaths were from the rioting and looting that happened after Howard and two other men with him were executed by a Mexican firing squad.

As soon as I arrived at the hotel, I went to the restaurant to see if Anna was there yet. Of course she was. Even though it was an hour before opening, Anna was there helping set the tables for the evening. I asked for a minute of her time, and she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the lobby.

"What is on your mind, mí amor?" she asked.

I took a breath and told her.

"Have you heard what happened in San Elizario today?"

When Anna shook her head, I told her about Howard shooting Cardis. She was shocked and saddened by the violence, even though she had little or no respect for anyone involved. I agreed and made my next point.

"I don't think that's the end of things by a long shot. Howard has managed to convince the mayor to call in the Texas Rangers. When they arrive, I look for Howard to use them to enforce his claim to the salt flats. He can pretty much ignore any agreement he made, now that Cardis is dead. You know that if he comes back to San Elizario, there is going to be a major confrontation, and people on both sides are going to be hurt."

Anna agreed with that one hundred percent, because she'd seen the ugly mood of the mob a few days ago, when she made me the appointment with Cardis.

"But what can we do about it, Tyler? If Judge Howard shows back up, I don't believe anything can save him."

It was my turn to agree.

"Yes, but maybe we can turn the mob away from rioting afterward and destroying the town."

Anna's eyebrows shot up in surprise at that.

"Do you actually think that might happen?" she asked.

I nodded grimly.

"Believe me, I know it will," I said.

When Anna said that she would speak to some people about what I said, I felt better about things. I had yet to figure out why, but Anna was a tremendously well respected woman. I think every Spanish speaking person in El Paso County idolized the Madonna (Our Lady) Anna. I gave Anna a hug and kissed her on the cheek before I started to head towards my apartment. I made it as far as the exit door to the lobby, when I literally ran into Connie as she was coming in. Connie had her arms full of my clothes.

"What's up, Comanche Woman? You want to wrestle again?" I asked.

When she answered my teasing question, I knew she'd been spending way too much time with Belle.

"No dear, I love you too much to hurt you," the little minx said as she thrust my clothes at me. "Belle said for you to change in your office, because we are busy in the apartment."

I stared at her as if she was one of the patrons at the bar in that movie 'Star Wars' I saw just before I left Phoenix in my last life. She giggled and gently pushed my chin up so my mouth would close.

"It's a surprise, so don't try to spoil it," she admonished as she scooted back out the door.

Belle at least had found a way to take my mind off the looming unpleasantness in San Elizario, because now all I could think about was being banned from my own apartment. As I trudged towards my office, carrying my clothes for the evening, I vowed that it had better be one heck of a surprise, or Miss Belle was going to get her pretty little ass tanned.

I was still bitching to myself when I plopped down on the couch in my office for a well deserved cat nap.

I woke up forty-five minutes later as the big Westminster Clock in my office gonged out the five-thirty half hour. I was still wondering about being banished from my apartment as I changed clothes. I think that Belle's ability to keep me off balance was one of the things I loved most about her. With Belle, nothing was predictable, so there were seldom any dull moments in my life with her.

At five-forty-five, I exited my office and walked over to the desk at the foot of the stairs. Ray was in another morning coat with epaulets, this one was dark blue. Since I'd dressed myself, my tie was slightly askew, so we couldn't discuss business until he had straightened it and fixed the knot. When he was through fussing with my tie, Ray told me that fifty-two club members were already upstairs. That was the kind of information I liked, because the more time members spent here, the more money they spent here. I looked at the members sign in book, and found that fifteen members were still there from last night. I had to smile about that. Rooms and meals were not part of their membership, so we were making money on top of our money, just as I had hoped.

I hung out at the desk and personally greeted club members as they arrived for another forty-five minutes, before leaving it to Ray and the redhead whose name I couldn't seem to remember. I walked across the lobby and into the restaurant. I didn't know whether to be happy or not that there were fewer people sitting in the lobby waiting for a table. Anna put my mind at ease by telling me that every table, inside and out, had been filled since five-fifteen.

"We're actually even busier than we were last night," she added.

With that good news in my pocket, I snuck back to the kitchen and cadged a plate of food from Miranda's mother, Alisia. I sat at the break table, and since I had missed lunch again that day, I made short work of the excellent pork chops she served me.

I felt much better with my tummy full of warm food, so when Belle met me in the lobby and insisted we check upstairs first, I shrugged and let her lead me away from the ballroom. Belle kept me dawdling in the club rooms as she breezed around charming the members and complimenting the girls working up there. Finally at a few minutes after eight, she took my arm and we headed for the ballroom. As we neared the double doors leading into the ballroom, I could hear someone playing some classical music on the piano. Now I didn't know beans about classical music, but I knew whoever was playing was damned good.

"Who is that playing in there?" I asked Belle.

She smiled and pushed me towards the door.

"That's Mina; I hired her after she auditioned for me this afternoon. She is incredibly talented."

I stopped dead in my tracks.

"You mean Wilhelmina Proctor?" I blurted. "She's a missionary and this is a nightclub, I don't see that combination working."

Belle shook her head and gave me a shove towards the door.

"It's not as bad as all that, silly, and listen to how beautifully she plays."

It was obvious, even to a guy who thought classical music was pre-Beatles rock and roll, that she was talented, but what I said was still valid I thought. As we walked into the ballroom, I glanced around for Missus Proctor. I spotted her right away, sitting at Belle's baby grand piano off to the right of the stage, her fingers flying over the keys. I didn't focus on her hands for long though, and as I looked at her, I thought I must be hallucinating. It was my turn to drag Belle along as I walked around the edge of the room toward the piano.

The closer we came to Mina, the prettier she looked. Her hair was swept up in some sort of intricate style that let ringlets frame her face. She wasn't wearing her glasses, but her eyes were closed in concentration as she played. She was wearing a fitted gown that covered her from throat to toe, yet made it obvious that she had a fine, although very slender, figure.

We moved up in front of her and stood there until she finished the number she was playing. Before she could start another, I complimented her talent.

"That was beautiful, Missus Proctor," I said.

Wilhelmina's eyes flew open and she squinted cutely, as she fumbled to put her glasses on. Once she could see, she gave me a shy smile.

"Thank you Mister McGuinn," she replied shyly. "I never thought I could do this, but when Belle told me to take off my glasses, close my eyes and concentrate on the music, it was much easier than I thought."

I nodded my head in understanding then threw out the next thought I had.

"You are a pretty and talented woman, Missus Proctor; I have a feeling you are going to be a success if you stick with it."

Mina looked down at her keyboard and turned three different shades of red.

"Pretty?" she squeaked.

Belle put her hand on Mina's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze.

"See Mina, I told you he'd think that, just like every man and most of the women in here do also. And by the way, his name is Tyler or Ty for short, if you keep calling him Mister McGuinn, he'll get a swelled head and think he's the boss. Now play something else before the natives get restless."

Mina giggled, took off her glasses, closed her eyes and launched into some Mozart or Shakespeare or whoever. I was going to have to sit down with the girl and teach her some Floyd Kramer or better yet, Jerry Lee Lewis. Man oh man, it would be out of sight having her play that honky-tonk, boogie-woogie piano while I stood on top of it and belted out 'Whole Lot of Shaking Going On'. I almost slipped into a trance thinking about that, until Belle elbowed me in the side.

"Stop daydreaming, Honey, you have a club to run," she reminded me.

When we had walked out of Mina's hearing, I told Belle that I still had my doubts about Wilhelmina Proctor working out, regardless of how talented she was. Belle stopped walking and turned me to face her. She had on as serious a look as I had ever seen her wear.

"You just don't get it, do you Tyler. Mina will be living with us in less than a month. She will be totally in love with you like the rest of us by then, because she'll discover that you were put on this Earth to fix broken women like her and me and the others."

I stared at her, stupefied speechless. As I thought about it, what she said made a weird kind of sense. I mean, I'd figured out that the primary reason for being here was to straighten out the kink in time caused by the death of Chet Benton. Could it also be that what or whoever put me back here was using me to make things right for the women who were seemingly falling out of the sky and into my lap? Let's face it; even though I was a reasonably good-looking cowboy, I wasn't movie star material by a long shot. There had to be another explanation for why so many women were falling all over themselves to be with me. As hard as it was on the old ego, what Belle said made much better sense than me being some sort of super stud.

Belle smiled when she saw the comprehension in my eyes.

"You get it now, don't you sweetheart? We all realize what you are doing for all of us, that's why we aren't jealous of each other. Instead, we are drawn to you as if you were magnetic."

What she was saying was making me slightly uncomfortable, because I knew I was nothing special. I changed the subject and asked her what she was going to do for a piano upstairs. She told me that she had borrowed Molly's and ordered another baby grand through Mister Pritchett that afternoon. It was a testament to Belle's skills of organization and persuasion that she'd been able to get two pianos moved at the drop of a hat.

Feleena came by again that night, looking gorgeous as always. I was able to spend some time with her and we even danced a couple of times. Feleena was as smoothly graceful as a panther on the dance floor, and she fit in my arms as perfectly as Belle. While we were dancing, Feleena said she'd like to see more of me, even if we weren't going to be exclusive. She even asked could I visit her Monday afternoon, because she was going back to work Monday night. I replied that I liked that idea very much. Heck, she even agreed to sit with my friends and me at church the next day.

While I was busy making my club work that Saturday evening, Charles Howard was sitting in Mesilla, New Mexico with his son George, most of George's gang, and William Braxton. The group was plotting their return to El Paso. I found out later from one of the men present at the meeting, that the scheme to have George's gang team up with Rangers was hatched that night.

Sunday morning, Braxton and all of George's gang and ranch hands, except Clive Blevins and George himself, rode back to the Lazy H. Sunday was also the day that Captain John B. Jones and Lieutenant John B. Tays of the Texas Rangers rode into El Paso. They met with Mayor Cosgrove and William Braxton that evening, and received a very one-sided account of the situation. Later, after events had played themselves out, we learned that the Rangers didn't visit Sheriff Faulkner, because Braxton said Matt was weak and might even be involved with the Mexican cutthroats terrorizing the citizenry.

Captain Jones thought the threat was credible enough, based on the picture Cosgrove and Braxton painted, to recruit a company of twenty Rangers and place it under the command of Tays. Braxton allowed that he knew a man that might be able to help with the recruiting.

On Monday morning, Braxton introduced John Atkinson to Captain Jones and Lieutenant Tays. By that afternoon, the El Paso Company of the Frontier Battalion of the Texas Rangers was formed. The company was composed of one real Ranger and twenty men loyal to Charles Howard.

Sunday was a hoot for me and one of the most fun days of my life. It was crazy that in the midst of all I knew was happening, that I could have such a great day.

That morning, I rode Melosa beside Belle's carriage on the way to church. If I had wanted to ride in the carriage, the only seat available was next to Jose on the driver's seat. Inside the carriage, besides Belle and Connie, were Molly, Naomi, and two surprises for me, Ray Jarvis and Mina Proctor. I shook my head in awe when Belle told me who all were going. I mean I could sort of understand Mina, she was a missionary after all, but Ray Jarvis being along took some getting used too. When I told Belle that, she laughed and slapped my arm.

"We all love Raymond. He's charming, has good taste, and the only one of us who has to watch out for him making a pass is you. He has been working with Naomi on some new outfits for the women at the club, and we're even taking him with us to Austin shopping next month. Now close your mouth before a bug flies in it," she said.

See what I mean about never a dull moment with Belle?

As soon as we arrived at the Church, I excused myself and hustled off to find Los Hombres Feliz. The hombres were here like me in full charro regalia, because today's service was a Wedding Mass for Pedro and Rosalinda. After the Mass, the Hombres and I were the entertainment at the outdoors reception that was being held inside the mission's adobe walls.

Except for Pedro being nervous enough that he quivered like Barney Fife, the wedding went off without a hitch. Rosalinda was a beautiful bride in the white satin gown that Naomi had made for her. By now, I couldn't imagine Rosalinda looking any different than she did, because her beauty came from the inside. Her personality and heart were even bigger than her body.

It took about an hour to get everything set up for the wedding fiesta. My girls, including Feleena, pitched right in and helped. As I was moving tables with Homer Bearclaw, Pedro's best man, I had to smile at the way Feleena was fitting right in. I was proud of Belle and the other women as they quickly made her a part of the team.

There were at least three hundred people at the fiesta, most of the crowd was Mexican, but they accepted us Gringos without any reservations at all. The marvelous time we had was all the more poignant, because I knew the animosity that was about to descend on us. I said that very thing to Anna Lopez as she and I shared our first ever dance. She patted my cheek affectionately when I said that.

"It is people like you who can help heal the wounds when this is all over. After all, you are already a well respected man to most of us Tejanos."

I corrected her immediately.

"It's people like us, Anna. Your family is an excellent example of one that can live in both worlds. Now forget that I brought that up and press your gorgeous body against me some more."

That Sunday was the last enjoyable day celebrated in El Paso County for a good while.