The Governor's Gun Read online

  He went outside to tell the Rangers what he intended to do.

  “Sir, we were told to take you right to the Capitol,” one of the men said.

  “Why don’t you come with me then,” Clint said. “After I’ve seen the lady safely home, we can go directly to the Capitol. I’ll take full responsibility.”

  The two men exchanged an anxious glance and then one of them said, “All right, sir.”

  * * *

  Clint had one of the Texas Rangers get him a buggy. He helped Adrienne up into the seat and then joined her. The two Rangers mounted their horses and, armed with the address Adrienne had given them, led the way.

  They went to a residential area of one- and two-story homes and stopped in front of one of the smaller houses.

  “Is this it?” Clint asked.

  “I don’t know,” Adrienne said. “I’ve never been here.”

  “This is the address you gave us, sir,” one of the Rangers said.

  “Okay,” Clint replied, “we’ll check it out.”

  He stepped down, helped Adrienne down, and they walked to the door. He knocked. When there was no answer, he knocked again.

  “Maybe she went to meet you and we missed her,” he offered.

  “I hope that’s the case,” she said, trying to see through the curtained window on the door. “I hope she’s all right.”

  Clint tried the door, found it locked.

  “We’d better go in,” he said.

  “There should be a key under a rock somewhere.”

  Clint checked both sides of the door, found the key under a large rock.

  “Okay,” he said, fitting the key into the lock, “let me go in first.”

  He opened the door.

  FOUR

  Clint entered the house carefully. He hadn’t donned his modified Colt when he dressed to travel, but he did have his Colt New Line in his jacket pocket. Adrienne came in behind him, holding her breath.

  “Hello?” he called out. He should have asked the sister’s name so he could call her. She might be hiding somewhere in the house, not about to come out because some stranger was calling out.

  He turned to Adrienne and said, “Call her by name.”

  “Eve?” she called out hesitantly. “Eve, are you here?”

  There was no answer.

  The house was small and they went through it quickly. Nothing seemed amiss, but Adrienne’s sister was nowhere to be found.

  “Well,” Clint said, “it looks like she just went out. Maybe she forgot you were coming in today.”

  “That could be,” she agreed. “Clint, you’ve done enough. I’ll just wait here for her to get home.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Oh, yes,” she said. “I’m sure she’s fine, and you have something important to do at the moment.”

  “I just have to see the governor.”

  “The governor,” she said. “Oh my, I’m keeping you from the governor?”

  “Don’t worry,” Clint said. “He’s not going anywhere.”

  “Oh, you have to go,” she said. “You have to! I’ll be fine.”

  “Let me see if these Rangers know what hotel I’m staying in,” he said. “I’ll just be a second.”

  He stepped outside, asked the question, and got his answer. He went back inside and told Adrienne where she could find him.

  “Send for me, or come and see me, if you need anything,” he told her.

  “You’re very kind,” she said. “I’m sure everything is . . . is fine.”

  She walked him to the door, watched him climb up in the seat of the buggy.

  “Remember,” he called out. “If you need anything.”

  “Thank you, Clint.”

  “Okay, boys,” he said, looking at the Rangers, “the governor’s waiting.”

  “Yes, sir!” one of them said, and they were off.

  FIVE

  Clint had never met John Ireland, the governor of Texas. All he knew was that the man was coming to the end of his first term. He knew that Ireland had been a lawman, a supreme court judge, and finally, a politician, but that was all.

  He reined in the horse in front of the Capitol and turned over his borrowed buggy to a uniformed soldier. The same man also took the two Texas Rangers’ horses.

  “This way, sir,” one Ranger said.

  He followed them up the stone steps of the Capitol building, and through the front door, past an armed soldier. They went through a great entry foyer and down a long hallway. When they came to a pair of double doors, one of the Rangers said, “We were told to bring you right in, sir.”

  “Then let’s go in,” Clint said, “but there’s no reason we can’t knock first.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  One of the Rangers knocked and the other opened the two doors wide.

  As they entered, one of the Rangers announced, “Mr. Adams, sir.”

  “It’s about damn time!” someone said.

  There were three men waiting in the room. One of them wore the uniform of the Texas Rangers, with a captain’s bars on his shoulders. The other two wore suits and looked like politicians.

  “Yes, sir,” one of the Rangers said. “We, uh, had to make another stop first.”

  “Never mind!” one of the men wearing a suit said. “He’s here now. You men may wait outside.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The two Rangers left and closed the door behind them.

  “Mr. Adams,” the younger of the two suited men said, “My name is Harold Wheeler. I’m the administrative aide to the lieutenant governor.”

  Clint shook hands with the man, who appeared to think the title was impressive.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said.

  “This is Captain Henry Monk of the Texas Rangers.”

  Clint exchanged nods of the head with Monk.

  “And this,” Wheeler said, as if he were making some sort of grand announcement, “is Lieutenant Governor Miles Edgerton.”

  “Governor,” Clint said. The man didn’t move, so Clint approached and stuck out his hand. Edgerton shook it loosely.

  “Very glad you could make it, Mr. Adams.”

  “Well,” Clint said, “it’s not often I’m requested by the governor of Texas.”

  “Actually,” Edgerton said, “the governor doesn’t know anything about your coming here.”

  “I don’t understand,” Clint said. “The telegram I received said the governor requested my presence.”

  Edgerton looked to his aide for the explanation.

  “Um, yes,” Wheeler said, “that was my fault, sir. I sent that telegram.”

  Clint turned and faced the aide, waiting for the explanation to come.

  “Mmm, yes,” Wheeler said, “you see, we would like you to make us a gun.”

  “A gun?”

  “You are actually a Gunsmith, are you not?” the lieutenant governor asked.

  “Yes, I am.”

  Edgerton nodded and fell quiet again.

  “We would like to present Governor Ireland with a pistol made for him especially by the Gunsmith.”

  Clint stared at the aide.

  “Is that something you can do, Mr. Adams?” the lieutenant governor asked.

  “It’s something I can do, of course,” Clint said. “The question, do I want to do it?”

  “Why wouldn’t you?” Edgerton asked.

  Clint looked at the man.

  “Well, maybe I don’t like the fact that I was brought here under false pretenses.”

  “Mr. Adams—” the aide started.

  “Excuse me, gentlemen,” Captain Monk said.

  All three men looked at him.

  “Maybe we should let Mr. Ada
ms go to his hotel, get some food, some rest, freshen up, and talk about this tomorrow.”

  Wheeler looked at the lieutenant governor.

  “Sir?”

  “Yes, yes,” Edgerton said, “that’s a good idea. Wheeler, see to it—”

  “That’s all right, sir,” the captain said. “I can see that Mr. Adams gets to his hotel.”

  Edgerton didn’t hesitate.

  “Yes, all right,” the lieutenant governor said. “We can talk again tomorrow.”

  “Come on, Mr. Adams,” the captain said. “Let’s get you situated.”

  “Yeah,” Clint said, “come on, Captain. Let’s get me situated. Gentlemen.”

  Clint followed the captain out.

  SIX

  Outside they found the two Rangers waiting for them, along with two armed soldiers.

  “How did you get here?” the captain asked Clint.

  “Buggy.”

  “Get Mr. Adams’s buggy,” the captain told one of the Rangers.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Captain Monk looked at Clint.

  “I told them this wasn’t right. I told them not to do it this way. You should have been told right from the beginning why they wanted you.”

  “I agree,” Clint said.

  “I wouldn’t blame you if you got on the next train out of Austin.”

  Clint thought about Adrienne and her problem and said, “Well, I’m not going to do that.”

  “That’s good. We’ll get you to the hotel so you can rest.”

  “And think,” Clint said.

  “Of course.”

  * * *

  They had registered Clint at the Alamo Hotel, put him in a two-room suite. They stopped at the front desk and had a bellhop take his bag and rifle up to his room. His two Rangers remained outside.

  “Why don’t we go into the bar and talk a bit?” Captain Monk suggested.

  “Sure,” Clint said, “why not?”

  They entered the bar, picked up two beers, and carried them to a table. It was early in the evening and the place was not yet busy.

  “Edgerton and Wheeler are politicians,” Monk said. “There was no way I could talk any sense into them about this.”

  “Well, I appreciate that you tried.”

  “But now that you’re here,” Monk went on, “I’d suggest you think about their offer.”

  “What is their offer?” Clint asked. “I mean, I know they want me to construct a special gun for the governor, but what do I get out of it? I mean, besides the honor of having done it?”

  “Oh, there’s money involved,” Monk said. “They’ll pay you well.”

  “My equipment is back in Labyrinth,” Clint pointed out.

  “You’ll be supplied with the best equipment.”

  Clint sipped his beer. “I haven’t done this kind of work in a long while.”

  “You forget how?”

  “No, of course not,” Clint said. “What’s your interest in this?”

  “The governor,” Monk said. “I believe in him.”

  “You don’t sound like you have a high opinion of politicians.”

  “I don’t,” Monk said, “but I don’t see John Ireland as a politician.”

  “I know his history,” Clint said.

  “He’s a good man,” Monk said, “and I hope he gets reelected, but I’d like to see him honored with this gun made by you. He’d really appreciate it.”

  Clint took another drink before answering.

  “All right, I’ll listen to their offer again tomorrow.”

  “Good,” Monk said. “Thank you. By the way, this hotel serves a good steak.”

  “Thanks for telling me. Did your men tell you what happened at the train station?”

  “No,” Monk said, “I haven’t had time to talk to them.”

  Clint ran it down for him, telling him about the men who’d tried to kill him.

  “I’ll make sure the injured man is taken in,” Monk said. “I’m sorry my men didn’t get there in time to prevent it.”

  “It’s okay,” Clint said. “I handled it.”

  “What about the man who got away?” Monk asked. “Do you want me to take his description—”

  “No, let him go,” Clint said. “He was just trying to make some money for his family.”

  “By killing you?”

  “He was desperate,” Clint said. “Have you ever been desperate, Captain?”

  “Not that desperate,” Monk said. He finished his beer. “I have to get back to work. Do you want me to leave my men outside?”

  “No, that’s fine,” Clint said. “But I might need an introduction to the local law.”

  “What’s that about?”

  He told her about Adrienne and her sister.

  “Well, I can take you to see the chief of police,” Monk said.

  “Hopefully, it won’t come to that, but thanks,” Clint said.

  They got up and walked back out to the lobby.

  “Do you want us to come and pick you up in the morning?”

  “No, that’s okay. I can find my way to the Capitol. What time should I show up?”

  “Whatever time you come, they’ll see you. I don’t know that I’ll be there, but I think I can trust three grown men to get along.”

  “I hope so.”

  Monk put out his hand.

  “A pleasure to meet you, sir.”

  “And you, Captain.”

  “I’m sure I’ll see you again sometime tomorrow,” the captain said.

  Clint watched as the captain went outside, collected his two men, and left. He then headed for the stairs, and up to his room to get some of that relaxation. After he washed up and changed, he’d come down and try the steak that Captain Monk had told him about. He hoped it was as good as the man said.

  SEVEN

  The captain had been right. The steak was excellent, cooked to perfection, as were the onions and other vegetables that went with it. The beer was cold, and the coffee was just strong enough. All in all, it was a fine meal.

  Clint walked through the lobby, on his way to the stairs, when the clerk called out his name.

  “Mr. Adams?”

  “Yes?”

  “I have a message for you.”

  Clint walked over to the desk.

  “Was it here when I checked in?”

  “No, sir.”

  “All right, let me have it.”

  The clerk handed over a piece of paper. Clint unfolded it, and read it. It was from Adrienne, who said her sister had not yet returned, and she didn’t know what to do.

  She needed help.

  Clint went directly out to the doorman and asked him to get a cab.

  * * *

  Clint remembered the address of the house and gave it to the driver. It took about twenty minutes to drive there.

  “You want me to wait?” the driver asked.

  “Sure,” Clint said. He paid the man, then handed him something extra for the wait. “I’ll find out how long I’m going to be here and let you know.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Clint walked up to the door and knocked. When Adrienne opened it, she looked frantic.

  “Oh my God,” she said. “I thought it might be Eve.”

  “You still haven’t heard from her?”

  “No, not a word,” she said. “Come in.”

  He followed her inside, closed the door behind him.

  “I don’t know what to do,” she said, wringing her hands. “Oh, I’m sorry. Thank you for coming, Clint. Can I get you something. Coffee? A drink? I think Eve had some wine in the house.”

  “No, that’s fine,” Clint said. “I just had supper.
Sit down here and try to calm down.”

  They sat on the sofa together.

  “Do you know any of your sister’s friends?” he asked.

  “No,” she said. “I told you, I’ve never been here before.”

  “She didn’t write to you about friends?”

  “Oh, I’m sure she mentioned some in letters,” she said, “but I don’t remember.”

  “What about neighbors?”

  “She has them, I’m sure.”

  “No, I mean, did she ever mention her neighbors?” Clint said.

  “I don’t . . . remember,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Well,” he said, “there’s a way to find out.”

  “How?”

  “I’ll go next door and ask them.”

  He stood up.

  “Wait!” she said. “I’ll come with you.”

  “Why don’t you wait here—”

  “I’ve been waiting all day,” she said. “I can’t wait anymore. I have to do something, or I’ll go mad.”

  “All right,” he said.

  “Just let me get a jacket,” she said. “I’ll be right with you.”

  * * *

  There was a similar-looking house on either side. They left Adrienne’s sister’s house and turned left first. They found a middle-aged woman alone at home and asked her if she knew Eve Hancock.

  “Of course I know Eve,” the woman said. She was in her fifties, a plain-looking woman who immediately informed them that she was a widow. She said her name was Alice Hellman. “She’s a lovely girl. You say you’re her sister?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I didn’t know she had a sister.”

  “Have you seen Eve today, Mrs. Hellman?”

  “Today? Hmm. No, I don’t think—no, I haven’t,” she said. “Why?”

  “I just arrived today and she was supposed to meet me at the train station,” Adrienne said. “She never did. When I came here, she wasn’t around. I’ve been waiting all afternoon, but . . .”

  “Mrs. Hellman,” Clint said, “is there a man in Eve’s life?”

  “Well . . . I don’t like to gossip . . .”

  “It won’t be gossip if it’s helpful,” he said.

  “Well . . . there have been more than one man,” she said.