I arrived at Hector's a few minutes after five. I sat down with Anna and told her what I had done. I also told her how my conscience was twinging, because I pretty much knew I'd bargained one devil away to another. Anna heard me out, squeezing my hand and nodding sympathetically. When I was finished, she slipped out of her chair and into my lap.
"That you feel bad for helping a man as evil as Judge Howard receive his just desserts, is one of the reasons I love you, mà Charro. Another reason is that you did all of that to spare people you don't even know from suffering hardship."
I could always count on Anna Lopez to make me feel better, not especially by what she said, but by just loving me as she did.
In the early morning hours of September nineteen, 1877, six heavily armed, masked men broke into the San Elizario jail and absconded with Charles Howard, William Braxton, and John Atkinson. According to the deputy on duty at the time, one of the attackers told him that they were taking the captives to Mexico, where a tribunal awaited to try them for the murder of Louis Cardis.
Matt Faulkner, Ranger Tays and I met and talked about the situation at lunch, the day after it happened. Sheriff Faulkner was suspicious that Georgie Boy and some of his men had broken Charles Howard, Braxton and Atkinson out of jail, pretending to be Mexicans, and that the mention of a tribunal was a cover story. Tays was thinking along the same lines, but insisted that none of his Rangers were involved.
For my part, I wired Marshall Cahill for a federal 'John Doe' warrant against the six men that Constable Cortez's deputy described. My argument for the warrant was that, if the men were foreign nationals and they took Howard to Mexico, it was a federal crime. If the six were Howard's men and they took him to New Mexico, it was also a federal offense.
Two days later, word began circulating in San Elizario that the men had been executed by a firing squad, and their bodies thrown down an abandoned well. It was a sad and sorry end for anyone, even a man of Howard's ilk. I had a few second thoughts about the part I played in all of this, but knowing that I saved San Elizario from being looted and the Rangers from being humiliated, eased my mind quite a bit.
That same day, a troop of Buffalo Soldiers from the Ninth Cavalry rode into San Elizario. John Tays disbanded the El Paso Company of Texas Rangers as soon as the horse soldiers arrived, and washed his hands of the whole mess.
The following day, the commander of that cavalry troop, a white Lieutenant named Louis Rucker, dropped in at the hotel to visit me.
Lieutenant Rucker picked a propitious time to drop by, because I was trying to train a chorus line when Lola, the girl working the desk, led him into the ballroom. Lola curtsied when she came up to the table at which I was sitting, and announced the Lieutenant as if he were an ambassador reporting to the King of Siam.
"Mister McGuinn, this is Lieutenant Rucker, he wishes for a few minutes of your time."
My eyebrows went up at the way she was acting, because she sure was putting on the dog. She caught my look and gave me a broad wink, letting me know that the Lieutenant might be on the pompous side.
I nodded slightly and answered her right back.
"Thank you Lola, please see to refreshments for our guest while I have a word with the ladies."
Lola curtsied again and was asking the young and proper Lieutenant his preference for a beverage, when I eased over to the stage and caught Susan, the unofficial lead dancer's eye. She bent down and I whispered what I wanted to happen in her ear, as I looked down into her impressive cleavage. Susan gave me a nod and a grin at where I was looking, then she huddled up with the other dancers. It was hard to keep a straight face as I walked back to where Rucker was standing, especially when I heard the dancers start tittering.
When I arrived back at the table where I had been sitting, I turned and told Susan to give the girls a break while I talked to the Lieutenant. When I said that, Susan gave the dancers the high sign and they all swarmed the table and started making a big fuss over Rucker. I don't think all of it was an act, as Rucker was a handsome young man. Before you could say cheese, Susan was sitting in Rucker's lap, wearing his hat and playing with the buttons on his coat, while big bosomed Charlotte had her breasts pressed into the back of his head. This was just too much fun! I gave the young officer a stern look and cleared my throat.
"I say, Lieutenant, are you here for a reason, or did you just drop by to play the libertine with my employees?" I asked in mock consternation.
Rucker was beet red by then, and trying desperately to free himself from Susan and Charlotte's tender clutches. As he tried to formulate a reply, I winked at Susan. She immediately stood up, bent over and kissed Rucker on the lips and sailed out of the room with Charlotte and the other dancers in tow. The stammering Lieutenant finally stated his business. My little exercise had the desired effect, because it took away the mantle of authority that his uniform normally gave him.
"Mister McGuinn, at the behest of Governors Wallace and Hubbell, my superiors have directed that I put myself and my command at your disposal to resolve the matter of the kidnapped judge and his compatriots. I was so directed because the kidnappers were foreign nationals, and you have already requested a warrant for them."
I managed to keep my poker face intact, even though I was shocked by what he said. It took me a few seconds of furious thinking to remember that the Posse Comitatus Act that prohibited the military from engaging in civilian law enforcement activities wasn't passed until 1878. Rucker had just told me that I had about one hundred highly trained and heavily armed soldiers at my disposal, should I need a posse.
Lola returned then with a cup of coffee for both the lieutenant and me. She was a welcomed interruption, because the break gave me a chance to formulate a reply to his statement. When Lola departed, I told Rucker that I thought it best if his troops reoccupy Fort Quitman, over in San Elizario, and aggressively patrol along the border with Mexico and around San Elizario in general.
My concern now was keeping any violence from flaring up between Mexicans and Anglos, because both sides were riled up now. Even though Howard was a missing person no one really missed, the fact that Mexicans allegedly took him stuck in the craw of many Anglos.
By the time Lieutenant Rucker left the hotel, we were on very cordial terms with each other. Since it was Saturday, I invited him to return to the club that night in uniform, as my guest. He eagerly accepted my offer. When the dancers trouped back in, I told Susan that the handsome young officer would be back that evening, and asked her if she minded paying him a little attention. Susan had a predatory look in her eye when she said yes.
My chorus line needed more work, dang it, so I decided to hold off introducing it until the following week. The chorus line would be part of a members' only burlesque show I was trying to assemble. I also wanted something to balance out the burlesque show, something fresh and new that would be acceptable to the women of El Paso as well as the men. I had an inkling of an idea that I sprang on Ray Jarvis that evening.
It was a few minutes past six when I walked up to what we now called the Gentlemen's Club Concierge's Desk. I shook Ray's hand and kissed his redheaded partner on the cheek. It finally came to me that her name was Prudence.
"Raymond," I said, "it occurs to me that I am vastly underutilizing your talents."
Jarvis looked at me questioningly.
"What do you mean by that, Sir?" he asked.
"Well, Mister Jarveaux, I have recently learned that you are a talented thespian (Ray's eyes widen that I knew the word 'thespian'). I'd also wager that you have a talent for directing as well as acting, so I am appointing you Artistic Director of the El Paso Ballroom. The job will be an additional duty to the one you have now, but I'll thoroughly compensate you for the extra work. One of the tasks I have for you is to find a ballet company that is willing to play a two or three night engagement here."
"The Ballet!" he exclaimed, excited enough that I thought he'd pee his pants, "I adore the Ballet, and there is a troupe in Austin. I'll contact them first thing Monday morning."
I smiled at his enthusiasm and continued my train of thought.
"I'd also like to have a talent night where local amateurs audition for you, and if they are good enough, we'll let them perform on stage. And finally, I want you to develop some comedic skits, lampooning people and everyday events in El Paso that people would recognize. I want you to use the women working here as your actresses, and have them fill both the male and female roles. The more over the top or naughty the characterizations are, the better they'll go over, but you have full artistic control."
Ray was positively aquiver by the time I finished talking. I made a quick exit, stage right, before he could hug me.
As I read back over this, it comes across as if nothing that had happened recently concerned me in the least. Well, that notion couldn't be farther from the truth. I was acutely aware of everything that had happened. Hell, if you think about it, I had to be, because I was walking on the edge of a razor, trying to keep myself alive while assisting the flow of time to correct the anomaly that was El Paso in 1877. Getting time back on track was why I hadn't ridden to Mesilla and arrested George Howard. Deep inside me, I knew with absolute certainty that the showdown between George and me had to happen right here in El Paso. I also knew that all I had to do was be patient, because George would be back, if not to avenge his father's death, then to at least claim his inheritance.
The Monday after Howard and Braxton disappeared, I asked Anna into my office as soon as she came to work. When she was comfortably seated on the couch, I reached into my safe and pulled out the stack of money that Louis Cardis gave me to hold. The money was in limbo, because Howard forfeited it as bond when he rode into San Elizario and tried to collect for the salt. However, the person the forfeited bond should have gone to, Louis Cardis, was dead, and the man who paid it, William Braxton, was missing and presumed dead. I explained all that to Anna and asked her if she knew of any ways we could use the money to benefit the Hispanic community. I told her a school for girls had my vote.
Anna cracked up over me saying that.
"And I suppose you'd be the headmaster, eh, Charro?"
Hey, low blow!
"Not at all, Anna, heck I'd like it better if it were a Catholic School taught by nuns anyway. I simply think that we are short-changing young Mexican women by not providing them with an education."
Anna laughed at my indignation.
"I was teasing, Corazón, I'll talk to Father Estaban (The priest at the San Elizario Mission) about it tomorrow."
I threw myself into running the club as a way of diverting my thoughts from dwelling on what the future held. See, here's the rub: everyday that I was alive as Ty Ringo McGuinn was uncharted territory. By my reckoning, the original Ty had been killed two months ago. Even though I was frenetic in working on improvements to the club, I was still wary and constantly vigilant. I even slept with a gun tucked under my pillow and one concealed beside the bed.
Belle and the other women fretted and worried that I was working too hard, so they created lots of very pleasant diversions for me. At any time day or night, I was subject to be dragged off by one or more of them. Since Pedro and Rosalinda's wedding, Belle and the others have insisted I court Mina Proctor, and they consider her part of the group, even though we weren't having sex. Belle was exasperated at Mina and me, because we hadn't tumbled into bed together yet. Oh, Mina and I knew that was coming, but neither of us were in a rush for it, and we had fun frustrating Belle.
Tuesday, September twenty-fifth, 1877, dawned overcast with steel grey clouds thickening ominously. The darkened sky wasn't an unwelcome sight, as it hadn't rained a drop for over two months. The somber weather didn't dampen my mood a bit. As was our custom, Connie and I jumped out of bed a few minutes after seven, dressed and headed to the restaurant for breakfast. Juanita was in a good mood that morning, too, but not because of the weather. No, Juanita was on cloud nine because she and Emilio were becoming man and wife Sunday.
Once they were married, Emilio planned on them living on the other side of the river and for Juanita to work with him at his family eatery. Hector, Ramona, Anna and I were trying our damndest to convince Emilio to move over here and work for us. So far we hadn't had any luck, but we kept trying nonetheless.
Juanita was busy again training her replacement that morning, so we didn't have much of a chance to gab. The new girl was another cousin. Juanita and Maria must have a hundred female cousins, all pretty and all with at least some degree of that Lopez thing I found irresistible. To compound the problem, the attraction seemed to work both ways. Thankfully, Estefania, the cousin, was only thirteen, so I figured I was safe from her for a few years. Estefania is the female version of the name Esteban or Stephen, so I started calling her Stevie.
After my morning trip to Clem's and a nice hot bath, I went back to work at the club. I was doing my books and preparing for a trip to the bank, when one of Matt's deputies came careening through the door.
"Sheriff needs you," the man said as he gasped for breath. "He said arm yourself, and meet him at the stables quick as you're able."
I was at the stables, armed to the teeth, in fewer than ten minutes. Jose had already saddled Melosa and Matt was astride his horse, holding my filly's reins. Sitting on a big army mount next to Matt, was a soldier wearing corporal stripes. I mounted up and we were moving away from the stables, before Matt spoke.
"This here is Corporal Higgs. He was part of a patrol that found a man and woman's bodies while they was patrolling between here and San Elizario."
I was along because the couple were Mexicans and Matt thought I might be able to identify them. I did recognize the couple, although I wished they had been strangers. It made me cry to see Joaquin Hernandez, Anna's suitor, and his daughter, Inez, dead there on the ground. It also filled me with cold fury that Inez had been savagely raped before she was killed. Matt recognized Joaquin, of course, and he also knew Inez. Joaquin had been a well liked and respected man in El Paso. I had spoken to both Joaquin and his daughter Sunday after Mass. Our conversation was about the trip the pair was making today, as a matter of fact. Today was the day that Joaquin was to deliver Inez to Father Borrajo to begin her life as a nun.
The soldiers put the bodies in Joaquin's wagon and I covered them with the blanket I kept in my saddle bag. Matt tied his horse behind the wagon, mounted the seat and drove off back towards town. I wiped my eyes and climbed into the saddle; it was my sad duty to take the news to Anna.
When I arrived at Hector's hacienda, Anna was tending her little garden with her granddaughter. She could tell by the look on my face that I wasn't bringing good news. I walked her up onto the porch, sat her down, and as gently as I could, told her Joaquin and Inez were dead.
Anna cried of course, but she didn't fall apart. Instead, she told me what a sweet and gentle man Joaquin was, and she wanted to know how he died. I tried to spare her the details, but she was insistent, so I told her everything. Like mine had, Anna's sorrow turned to rage when I told her of Inez's defilement. When she spoke, her liquid black eyes glittered with hatred.
"Death is too good for whoever did this, Charro. You must find them and bring them to justice."
I told her she could count on it.
I sat with Anna for another hour as she reminisced about Joaquin. I was slightly surprised when she said that although she had a great fondness for him, she had not been in love with him. That was the reason she had deflected his marriage proposals. We also talked about how the Mexican community was going to take the news. We both feared that Joaquin and Inez's murder would undo the fragile peace for which we'd worked so hard.
I left at two when Juanita walked up from work. After what happened to Inez, thinking about Nita making that two mile long walk by herself scared the hell out of me. I was going to have a word with Louie (Susan's pet name for him) Rucker about having his men patrol this area. Lieutenant Louie was a regular at the club now, as I had fixed him up with a temporary membership. And if he was in the club, Susan made sure he was near her.
Juanita took over sitting with Anna, so I excused myself and headed back to the hotel. It was after three when I made it back to my office. There was a note on the door stating that Belle needed to see me the minute I came in, so I detoured back through the lobby to our apartment.
I opened the door to the sight of Feleena sitting on the davenport with Connie on one side of her and Belle on the other. Feleena was obviously distraught as she clutched a handkerchief and kept dabbing her eyes with it. When I walked in, Feleena jumped up and hugged me fiercely.
"George Howard is at Rosa's and he is looking for you. One of the girls came to my room and told me he was there, so I slipped out the back door and came here to warn you."
I nodded and held her for a second, then sat her back down. It was not so odd a coincidence that George Howard arrived back in town on the same day that a prominent Mexican was murdered so foully.
"I guess I better not keep him any longer," I said.
Try as I might, my voice was hard edged with anger. All three women flinched when I said that, and Belle spoke up.
"Why not go get the sheriff or the soldiers to help you arrest him? You know he's not there alone."
I replied that the soldiers and Matt were busy, and gave them the reason why as I prepared myself for the trip to Rosa's. I checked both my pistols, made sure the shorter barreled Colt was on my right hip, and retied the leather thong around my thigh. Then I took off my herringbone vest and put on the tighter leather one. I seated the leather flip case Joaquin made me in my vest pocket with my Deputy US Marshall's badge showing. If this was my swan song, I was determined to go out looking good.
I kissed the women as they sat there in worried silence.
"Wait for me here and I'll be right back," I promised.
I exited the front door of the hotel out onto San Francisco Street and pulled out my pocket watch. It was exactly three-thirty in the afternoon, although the thickening clouds made it seem later. The street was pretty much deserted, as it was the hottest part of the day and everyone usually stayed inside from two until five. I turned left out of the hotel and walked to the end of the block. Rosa's was across the street from me and half way down the next block. I counted five horses tied to the hitching rail in front of the cantina.
I crossed the street, but did not turn back to the east. Instead, I walked south until I reached the alley behind Rosa's, and made my way down to Rosa's backdoor. I paused for a second before opening the door; this was the exact spot where, in some other version of time, I had very likely died. Was me being there significant for the same reason in this version of time? I put that thought out of my mind and made sure my Colt was loose in my holster and that the hammer guard was out of the way. I took a deep breath to help calm my nerves.
The gloomy weather made it a good day for a cowboy to die, I
thought, as I gently pushed open the door...