Creation Ranch 14

Chapter 14:  At the Meadow

 

 

They took Hap away to a jail cell that night.  His plan had been foiled and in a way his mind could not accept.  Leading him like one would describe as an old, half dead, horse, directing his walk one step at a time, and even then almost making the legs move properly enough for the next step to take place, they crossed the street and walked all the way to the other end of the town so that anybody who lived in Ghalb knew it was Hap who had not only returned, and who had very nearly assassinated a couple of Havoll’s in doing so.

Hatred of the Havoll’s persisted in Ghalb since they had profited greatly off of Ewodo who did not mind a good time now and again, and cared little what his men did so long as they were ready to fight when needed which it seems they always were despite their condition instead of because of it. 

Hap remembered many of those men and when he had slept for a day or so, he was lying in his cell when he heard one of them whisper, “Hap?  Hap, come to the window?”

Hap managed just barely to get his body to work well enough for him to stand up and walk from the left side of the cell to the outside wall.

“Hap, Hap?” they whispered, “You there?”

“I’m here,” Hap whispered at least as loudly.

“Hap, listen carefully.  We went and tried to dig up the body.  It’s gone Hap.  It’s not there at all!”

Hap was silent; the news took him aback.

Then they added, “Hap, raise hell?  They have to have a body no matter how many witnesses?”

He silently wondered if that was true.

Then a gun flew through the window onto the floor.

“Have it your way!  This will help!  Good luck, Hap!”

Hap studied the situation some and then he called for the sheriff, and when Sheriff Fom entered the cell block he immediately drew his gun and pointed it at Hap.

“I just thought you might like to know Sheriff Fom somebody flung a gun in my cell, and it wasn’t by mistake.  Furthermore Sheriff,” he said, “There ain’t a body anymore either.  If there had been somebody would have dug it up and moved it, but when they actually dug it up there wasn’t any.”

“We’ll talk about that later,” the sheriff said, “Right now I am concerned about that gun in your cell?  Do you plan to use it?”

“Just stay where you’re at.  I’ll kick it out to you,” Hap said.

The sheriff did stay where he was at and was amazed when little by little Hap kicked at the loaded gun until it went under the door of his cell and that far enough for the sheriff to pick it up without worry of being manhandled from within the cell.

Once the sheriff had the gun in his possession he was back out the door with Hap yelling at him, “You said we’d talk about it when I gave you the gun back!”

“Hold your water,” the sheriff yelled and in came the mayor, Hogan, and the innkeeper, Hey, as well as the sheriff his self in a very short time, leaving Hap to suspect they were all in on it too.

Hap swallowed hard and looked at the trio. 

“Because you jumped the gun even if we let you go, Hap, the Havolls will still scream for your blood.  But Hey here had an idea and we think it’s a good one.  Now, as you know all of the town’s ‘merchants,’ don’t like to have to always be careful what kind of a deal every patron to their… um … establishment gets … well you see my point … so Eli cooked up a scheme to capture a couple or so of them Havolls and hold them for ransom, outside the town so they wouldn’t think it is just us from town who are doing it but the whole country around us too, and Hey thinks if you  lead us then …?” Mayor Hogan said.

“I ain’t even led a horse to water, let alone an ambush.  What if something goes wrong?” Hap said as Hey smiled perhaps for the first time in his life.

“The way I see it, Hap.  You don’t have much choice.  And, if you pull this off, even Hey won’t be able to touch a hair on the head of the local hero?” the sheriff said.

And, it wasn’t long until Hap and an army of 60 men, every able bodied man from Ghalb, took up their positions in the meadow as one more group from Creation Ranch came by but this time Hap saw that Eli was among them, and the ambush was on.  He even gave the signal to get ready as they rode in, but all of a sudden he recognized the woman with Eric Havoll and Eli.  It was Lois!

He gave the command to hold their fire to the men and fighting the urge to pace and instead looked at Hogan, Hey, and Fom, and then at Lois, and then back again.

“Plan’s changed!” he yelled on his own.  “Take them alive!”

“What do you mean by that order, Hap?” Hogan yelled.

“They’re holding Eli hostage,” Sheriff Fom said, “And according to Ghalban law it is…”

He continued to talk but Hap called Hey to the fore.  “You take out the Havoll with them and I’ll destroy that document we both know about.”

Hey looked to the other two and then shook his head.

“On my signal,” Hap said.

Then he shouted to the trio from Creation Ranch and said, “We have you surrounded, Eric. Lay down your weapons and walk to the center of the meadow.  And, don’t try to …” He gave Hey the signal and as Hey fired, Eric fell, Lois screamed and Eli tackled her to keep her from running off.

Hap yelled, “Easy now!” as he held his hands outspread in an attempt to hold back the entire army all of whom were grinning to think of what share they might have in Lois as well as the boy.  “These are friends of mine.  Do what you have to, in order to restrain them and take them with us, but harm a hair on her … on either of their heads and I’ll have yours.

Reviews

[John Fredrick Carver]

This is the second new chapter before the last one. The last chapter so far was Chapter 13 but is now chapter 15, and this chapter is 14. Chapter 13 is also new.