Escape from Five Shadows

3

Willis Falvey dismounted in front of the Pinaleño adobe. There was no sound in the sunlit yard. His gaze went to the stable shed, then back to the screen door of the adobe. He hesitated uncertainly before going inside.

“Demery?”

There was no answer. His eyes moved from one end of the low-ceilinged room to the other, past Demery’s open roll-top desk, past the plank table where the stage passengers ate to the small mahogany-stained bar. The dimness was a relief after the outside glare. It was quiet here, restful, and momentarily it occurred to Willis Falvey that perhaps he might stay here instead of riding all the way to Fuegos.

No, he thought then. He would want to remain all night, and that could prove embarrassing. Not like at Fuegos where he could drink all he wanted in the privacy of a hotel room-in what passed for a hotel room-then sleep it off.

Well, he could have one here…at least one. He called for Demery again, waited, then walked to the bar and poured himself a whisky. This would be the start. Perhaps by this evening he would have forgotten, for a time, Frank Renda and the convict camp and his wife, Lizann.

A horse whinnied-the sound coming from the backyard where the corral was located-then Karla’s voice.

Falvey listened, then drank down the whisky. He left the bar, walked through the kitchen, and from the back door saw Karla outside. She was rubbing down one of the relay horses in the shade of the long, main stable that extended out from the back of the adobe almost to the corral.

Willis Falvey’s eyes raised suddenly. No, there was nothing there; but for a moment he thought he had seen someone standing on the far side of the mesquite-pole corral.

“Karla.”

She looked up, seeing Falvey coming out from the adobe, his gaze shifting now and again to the corral. He was unnaturally conscious of himself, she knew, and he had to be occupied when he thought someone was looking at him-even if it was only to glance at corralled horses. The few times he had been here before, Karla noticed this-his obviously self-conscious actions, his almost complete lack of anything to say-and in a way she felt sorry for him. He was out of place at the convict camp, especially as government superintendent, and Karla was sure he realized it more than anyone else.

“Just passing by, Mr. Falvey?”

He nodded, and hesitated before saying, “I helped myself to a drink. I’ll put the money on the bar when I go back in. I heard you out here and-”

“That’s all right,” Karla said easily. “You could pay the next time for that matter.”

“I didn’t see your father inside.”

“He had to go to Fuegos.” She said then, “Your friend Renda was here to pick up supplies. I suppose you passed him coming in.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“They only left about an hour ago.”

“I took the horse trail,” Falvey said. Then asked, “Are you alone?”

She nodded, seeing his gaze move to the corral again.

“I thought I saw someone out there,” Falvey said, “just as I came out of the house.”

Karla looked out from the shade. “I don’t know who it would be.”

“No, it was probably the way the horses were standing.” Falvey was silent for a moment. “You’re here all alone?”

“I’m used to it,” Karla said. “Pa has to go to Fuegos every once in a while, to the telegraph office.”

“Oh-” Falvey nodded. “What about your mother…is she-”

“Dead?” Karla smiled at his uneasiness. “No, she’s in Willcox with my two sisters.”

“I didn’t know you had sisters.”

“Younger ones. They’re still in school and my mother stays with them for the term. They’ll be back soon for the summer.”

Falvey seemed more relaxed. “It must be hard not seeing them most of the year.”

“It is, but my mother says we all have to be educated. She was born in Sonora…You see, her mother was Mexican, but her pa was an American, a mining man, and she didn’t go to school at all. That’s why we have to, even if it means being away.”

“She must be a fine woman.”

Karla grinned. “I like her.”

“Listen,” Falvey said eagerly. “Why don’t you come inside while I have a drink?”

“I don’t serve the bar, Mr. Falvey.”

“I didn’t mean that. Just…so we can talk.”

“There’s a stage due just before eleven and the change team’s not nearly ready.”

“It’d only be ten minutes.” Falvey smiled. He was trying to make the proposal sound offhand.

“I’m sorry,” Karla said. “There’s just not time.”

“Oh, come on.” He was still smiling as he reached out to take her hand, but she stepped away from him. For a moment he stood awkwardly, his arm still extended, then moved toward her again.

Karla backed away. “Maybe you’ve already had too much to drink.”

Falvey stopped. “Karla…I swear, I only want someone to talk to.”

“And I told you I didn’t have time.”

“Karla-” He hesitated, but stepped toward her again as he said more calmly, “Didn’t you ever want to relax and talk to someone? Just talk about anything, as long as it wasn’t important. Even the weather. I mean talk without raising your voice, without arguing, without knowing someone’s going to snap at the next thing you say.” He paused. “That’s all I want to do, just talk.”

“Don’t you talk to your wife?” Karla asked hesitantly.

“Have you ever?”

“Talked to her? A few times. But I don’t know your wife very well.”

“You’re fortunate,” Falvey said.

Karla stared at him. “I think you’d better go.”

“Karla, you don’t understand.”

“Mr. Falvey, I’m not going to stand here and discuss your wife with you.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said what I did. I started wrong.”

“Why don’t you go in and serve yourself?” Karla said. “I’ll come in when I can.”

Falvey nodded. “All right.” He asked then, hesitantly, “We can be friends, can’t we?”

The girl smiled uneasily. “I don’t have any enemies, Mr. Falvey.”

“Damn it, just say yes or no!”

Karla’s eyes showed irritation, and suddenly, anger. “You don’t force friendship! It either happens or it doesn’t happen!”

“I’m sorry-”

“I’m not even sure,” Karla said, “I know what you’re looking for.”

“I’m looking for someone who acts like a human being! Is that too much to ask for?”

“It is when you ask like that!”

“I’m sorry, Karla.” He seemed suddenly very tired. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to talk the way I did.”

“That’s all right.”

“I’ll come back some other time…if it’s all right with you.”

She nodded, then watched him turn and walk back to the adobe. A moment later she heard his horse, the sound fading into the distance.

The yard was quiet.

Then, as she turned to the horse again, an arm came around her shoulders, jerking her off balance, and a hand covered her mouth before she could cry out. She struggled, her nails digging into the arm across her chest, trying to twist away, trying to turn to see who it was, then glimpsing the bare sun-blackened upper arm close to her face she stopped struggling.

She could feel his arm relax. His hand loosened on her mouth, then came away slowly, brushing her lips.

“Don’t call out.” His voice was quiet, close to her face. Karla nodded her head and the hand dropped to her shoulder.

“I’m going to take this horse. You just stand still.”

Karla nodded again. “All right, Mr. Bowen.”

The hands on her shoulder tightened suddenly and pulled her around to face him. “How’d you know who I was?” His face showed open surprise.

“I…recognized your arms.”

“My arms?”

“From this morning.”

“But how do you know my name?”

Karla half smiled. “Mr. Renda told us.” She added quickly, “You jumped off at the grade, didn’t you?”

“Before that.”

“And they couldn’t chase you because of the other prisoners.”

“That’s right.”

“But the trackers are probably already following.”

“That’s right,” Bowen said again. Still he did not move. His hands were on her shoulders and he continued to study her dark face, trying to understand the calm way she looked up at him.

“Then you’d better hurry,” Karla said. “The saddle’s on the wall behind you.”

Bowen turned, almost reluctantly. He bridled the big mare, spread the blanket, and as he swung the saddle up, Karla started to walk away.

“Where’re you going?”

Karla looked back. “To get you some clothes.” She waited as he stared at her and she felt that she could almost read his thoughts. “Don’t you trust me?”

“I don’t know why I should.”

“All right, ride around with those numbers on your pants.”

Bowen shook his head. “I don’t understand you.”

“What would you like to know?” Karla asked.

“Why’re you helping me?”

“I’m not. You’re taking a horse. What good would it do if I objected?”

“The clothes-”

“You would have thought of it sooner or later,” Karla said. “Hurry now.”

Unexpectedly, Bowen said, “Was Falvey bothering you?”

Karla smiled again. “Maybe you’re not in a hurry.”

“Was he?”

“Mr. Falvey was looking for a friend, that’s all.”

“He could use one.”

“So could you.”

“I was trying to figure,” Bowen said hesitantly, “if there was something between you.”

“You’d better think about getting something between you and Renda’s trackers.” She turned. This time he did not stop her and she went on to the adobe.

Bowen was leading the horse out when she returned carrying a blanket roll. “Shirt and pants are inside,” Karla said. “And something to eat.”

Bowen’s eyes remained on her. “I’d like to know why you’re doing this.”

“I’m not sure why myself,” Karla answered quietly. She said then, “If you’re caught, they’ll make it hard for you.”

“Like what, working on a road?”

Karla hesitated. “Did you really steal cattle?”

“Now how would you know that?”

“That doesn’t matter now. Just tell me.”

“Why would you think I didn’t?”

Karla’s shoulders moved, her dark eyes still watching him. “I just have a feeling you didn’t.”

“You can sure simplify things,” Bowen said.

“But did you?” Karla asked again.

“I got to go.”

“Tell me!”

Bowen swung up to the saddle, then looked down at her.

“That man with the beard this morning-Earl Manring-he hired me in Prescott to help him drive a herd, even showed me a bill of sale for the stock. But the second day out we were arrested to stand trial for rustling. The man who’d sold Earl the stock said he never did such a thing and that the bill of sale Earl had was no good, and he said he could prove it because there wasn’t any copy of the transaction in his books.”

Karla said, “Didn’t you have a lawyer?”

“The court appointed one. We didn’t have any money for our own.”

Karla frowned. “But the man who sold you the stock-”

“Sold Earl the stock-Earl already had the bill of sale when I met him. The man’s name was McLaughlin. He took an oath that he’d never seen the bill of sale Earl had before in his life.

“Earl told me he should’ve known better than to deal with a man he didn’t know, and no wonder the stock was offered at such a good price. He said McLaughlin took advantage of him-got his money for the stock, then didn’t register it in his books, called out the law, then even got his stock back. We were arrested one day, tried the next, and there wasn’t anything we could do about it. The fastest trial I ever heard of.”

“And,” Karla said, “you were sentenced to Yuma.”

“Seven years each.”

“You needed a good lawyer,” Karla said thoughtfully.

“We needed more than that.”

“You needed a lawyer like Mr. Martz, the Hatch & Hodges attorney. He’s in Prescott. He’s-” She stopped abruptly, looking up at Bowen.

Bowen shook his head. “The trial’s over.”

“But if he could prove you didn’t know anything about it-”

“He’d be awful good.” Bowen reined the mare around. “I hope I can pay you back for this.”

“Don’t worry about that now.”

He looked down at her and seemed reluctant to leave, then said, “Goodbye, Karla.” That was all.

She watched him circle the corral and disappear into the pines and only then did it occur to her that he knew her name. He could have heard Renda say it-that was it. But he remembered it-that was the important thing.