Simon Hawke - The Six Gun Solution

“He’s got no right to shoot an unarmed man!”

“The Kid can have one of my guns,” said McLaury, pulling one of his Colts out of its holster. He held it out butt first. “Here, Kid. Take it. It’ll be a fair fight. They say you’re good. Let’s see how good you are.”

Neilson still sat with his back to them. His heart was beating fast and his stomach felt tight.

“I don’t want any trouble,” he said. “I’ve got no quarrel with you, Mr. Demming. Or with you, Mr. McLaury. What I did yesterday. I did because. I had no choice.”

“What makes you think you’ve got a choice right now?” asked Ross.,

“Take the gun, Kid,” said McLaury. “Unless you’re yellow.”

“All right.” said Scott. “I’m yellow.”

“You take that gun,” said Ross. “You stand up and take it, right now, or so help me. I’ll let you have it in the back.”

There was the sound of soft coughing behind Demming and a voice said. “Two can play at that game.”

Demming and McLaury both stood very still.

“This ain’t none of your affair. Holliday.” said Frank McLaury, without turning around.

“I just made it my affair. Wyatt’s on his way and so is Virgil. They heard you just rode into town and forgot to check your guns. Morg just got in on the stage, so I expect he’ll be along, as well. And I don’t think they’ll take too kindly to your actions. Funny thing, though, how the sheriff never seems to be around at times like this. Where do you figure Johnny went?”

“Okay. Holliday.” said Frank McLaury. “You win. This time. Come on. Ross. Let’s go.”

“Before you turn around. Frank, put away that six-gun, nice and easy. I wouldn’t want to chance your pulling a border roll on me. Hear Curly Bill’s right good with it and he’s been teaching you.”

Slowly. McLaury put away his gun and turned around, with his hands held out from his sides.

“Okay? Now if you stand aside, Doc, we’ll be going. Come on, Ross.”

Demming shot a hard look at Neilson. “This isn’t over, Kid. Not by a long shot. You hear me. yellowbelly? It isn’t over!”

“Right now it is,” said Holliday. “Now git!”

The two men went past him and out into the street. Neilson exhaled heavily as Holliday backed over to their table, then holstered his nickel plated Colt.

“Thanks,” said Scott.

“Don’t mention it,” Holliday replied. “Evening Jenny.”

“Doc, was I ever glad to see you!” she said.

Holliday smiled thinly. “Always a pleasure to see you too, honey.” He looked up as Wyatt Earp came in. “Well, howdy, Wyatt. We almost had us some excitement here just now.”

“I know.” said Wyatt, grimly. “Virg and Morg just took Frank and Ross to jail for carryin’ their guns in town. What happened here?”

“They came in looking for the Kid.” said Doc. “I heard Demming threaten to shoot him in the back.”

“He’s right, Wyatt.” Jenny said. “The Kid and I were talking and those two came in. looking for trouble. Ross wanted to kill him. And he would have, if it hadn’t been for Doc.”

Wyatt Earp gave Neilson a hard look. “I knew you were going to be trouble,” he said.

“I was only having dinner, Marshal,” Scott said. “I didn’t do a thing.”

“I want you on the next stage out of town.” said Wyatt.

“I haven’t broken any laws. Mr. Earp. Unless it’s against the law to have men threaten you while you’re eating dinner.”

“Don’t sass me, son. I haven’t got the patience for it.”

“I’m not carrying a gun, Marshal. I’m obeying the law, just like your brother told me to. I haven’t done anything to be run out of town for.”

“There’s no reason for you to stay around.” said Wyatt. “And I can think of lots of reasons for you to leave. Next time. Doc might not be there to protect you.”

“I’m obliged to Mr. Holliday,” said Scott. “But I’ve still got some business here in town. And I haven’t broken any laws. Those cowboys did. They’re the ones you should be running out of town.”

“They’ll be leavin’, soon as they’ve paid their fines,” said Wyatt. “And I don’t need you to tell me my job. I know what business you have here and it’s trouble.”

“Your brother said that I could ask around and try to find out what happened to my friends; said Neilson. “That’s all I was doing, Marshal. Asking. I told you. I don’t want any trouble. Not with you and not with anybody else, either.”

Wyatt stared at him for a long moment_ Neilson met his gaze.

“The next stage leaves at noon tomorrow.” Wyatt said. “If you’re smart, Kid, you’ll be on it.” He touched the brim of his hat. “Jenny.

He turned around and left.

“If I were you. Kid. I’d do as he said,” said Holliday.

“I haven’t done anything wrong, Mr. Holliday. Or is that how you people do things here in Tombstone? Fine the outlaws a few dollars, but run law-abiding people out of town?”

Holliday shook his head. ‘You’ve got Wyatt wrong. He’s only trying to do his job. And he’s looking out for you, as well.”

“I can look out for myself.”

“Is that right? Tell me, what would you have done if I hadn’t come along when I did?”

Scott looked up at him, then made a quick movement with his wrists, crossing them and pulling two slim throwing knives from concealed sheaths strapped to his forearms, turning quickly in his chair and hurling them. They stuck in the wall by the entryway, exactly where Frank McLaury and Ross Demming had stood.

Jenny gasped, as did a number of other people in the dining room. Someone invoked the Lord’s name, softly, and there was an undertone of excited murmuring.

Holliday stared at the knives. You seem to be a young man of many talents,” he said. “You practice that back on the farm, as well?”

“There a law against carrying knives in Tombstone?” Scott asked him.

“Not to my knowledge,” Holliday replied. He walked over and pulled the knives out of the wall. He examined them before he gave them back to Neilson. “Clever-lookin’ things. Never seen any like ’em before.”

Neilson slipped them back into their sheaths. “I had them made special.”

Holliday nodded. “Maybe it’s too bad that I came in when I did. I’ve never seen two men dropped with knives at the same time before. You got any other tricks up your sleeve?”

“If I have to leave town, you might never find out,” said Scott.

Holliday coughed several times. “I’ll speak with Wyatt. See if I can get him to back off a bit. I have a feeling that having you around might prove to be quite interesting. Quite interesting, indeed. Be seein’ you, Kid. You too, Jenny.”

“‘Bye. Doc,” she said. Her eyes were shining as she looked at Neilson. “I’ve never seen anything like the way you threw those knives in my whole life!” she said. He felt her foot rubbing up against his leg under the table. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”

Neilson cleared his throat. “Waiter? Check, please.”

Neilson looked a little green around the gills as he stood in the private quarters of General Moses Forrester in the TAC-HQ building at Pendleton Base, California. Part of his ill feeling was due to what was known as “warp lag,” the effects of traveling through time. Some people got used to it, others never did. Even veteran time travelers occasionally puked their guts out after temporal transition. Most everyone at least felt dizzy and queasy in the stomach. Complicating the situation was the fact that Neilson was in the presence of the Old Man himself

Forrester was a large man, built like a bull, with a massive chest and arms that were as big as Neilson’s thighs. Even at his advanced age-and no One knew precisely what his age was-he could still run a marathon, do fifty pull-ups without pausing and curl an eighty-pound dumbbell with one hand. His face looked positively ancient. It was lined and wrinkled and he was completely bald. His bright green eyes. However, looked youthful and alert.