Robert Randisi - Bullets & Lies

“Probably you among ’em,” Bando said.

Kilkenny looked at the seven men on the porch. He knew Hampstead wouldn’t be much good with the rifle, but the other six were probably competent.

“Well, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”

“Whataya got, a dozen men?” Bando asked.

“More than that.”

“That’s okay,” Dexter said. “We’re ready.”

“Got your boss inside,” Roper said.

“That a fact?”

“We could make sure nobody’s around to pay you,” the detective said. “Then you’d be risking your life for nothing.”

“I start a job, I finish it,” Kilkenny said. “I got half my money up front.”

Damn, Roper thought, they had to run into a killer who had pride in his work.

“Well,” Kilkenny said, “I’ll give you boys some time to think it over before we come in. Mr. Roper, it was a pleasure meetin’ you.”

“Mr. Kilkenny,” Roper said, “you got that lawyer out there with you?”

“Yes, sir, I do.”

“Why don’t you send him on in?” Roper said. “We’ll let him talk to Mr. and Mrs. Westover, and maybe we can solve this without bloodshed.”

“Well, sir,” Kilkenny said, “I wouldn’t mind that as long as I still got paid. I’ll send him on in.”

“Thank you.”

“I kill for money, Mr. Roper,” Kilkenny said. “There’s nothin’ personal in it.”

“I understand.”

“I thought you would.”

Kilkenny wheeled his horse around and rode back to his men.

61

“Prince?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Take Templeton and go and have a look in the back.”

“You thinkin’ he’s gonna split his men into two groups?” Bando asked. “Come in from behind?”

“That’s what I’d do.”

“Come on,” Prince said to Templeton, and the two of them went around to the back of the house.

“You really think that lawyer fella is gonna come ridin’ in here?” Bando asked.

“I think if Kilkenny tells him to, he will.”

“You two got yourselves a little admiration society there, don’t ya?”

“I respect a man who’s good at his job,” Roper said, “even if that job is killing.”

“You believe that young soldier that Kilkenny ain’t workin’ for the government?”

“I believe that he believes he’s not.”

“You want me to what?” Harwick asked.

“Ride in there and talk to Roper.”

“B-But…he knows I’m with you?”

“He does.”

“How?”

“Well, I told him.”

“What?”

“He asked if you were with me, and I said yes.”

“Why did you do that?”

“There wasn’t no reason to lie,” Kilkenny said. “So go on, ride in.”

“I—I can’t.”

“You can, and you will,” Kilkenny said. “I said you would.”

“I think I should go back to—”

Kilkenny cut him off. “Don’t make me tie you to your horse and send you in there. Besides, you’ll want to talk to your clients. Roper wants to try and settle this with no bloodshed.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“As long as I get paid,” Kilkenny said. “I’m not bloodthirsty, lawyer, but I am money hungry. Now go!”

The lawyer swallowed hard, but he knew Kilkenny was serious. He would tie him to his saddle.

Harwick started his horse moving toward the house, briefly considered making a run for it, but he didn’t relish the thought of both Kilkenny and Roper being after him.

He maintained his course and rode for the house.

“Here he comes,” Bando said.

“And he don’t look happy,” Dexter added.

“Sally,” Roper said, “why don’t you go inside and see how our hosts are doing?”

“Yes, sir.”

Bando went inside as Harwick reached them.

“Y-You, uh, wanted to talk to me?” he asked Roper.

“Don’t be nervous, Harwick,” Roper said. “I’m always suspicious of lawyers, and I was always suspicious of you. So you’ve done nothing to surprise or disappoint me.”

“Um, all right,” Harwick said. “What do you want with me now?”

Bando came out of the house. “They’re right where we left them.”

“Mr. Westover is still alive?”

“Yes, sir.”

Roper looked at the lawyer.

“Dismount, Harwick.”

“Uh—”

“You heard the man,” Bando said. “Dismount before I drag you down.”

Harwick hurriedly dismounted, wondering why everybody was threatening him. He’d only been doing his job all along.

“Go inside and talk to your clients,” Roper said. “Tell them to call off their killer, and pay him off in full. It’s all over. There’s no reason for anyone else to die.”

Harwick started to put his foot on the first step, then hesitated.

“Well, go ahead,” Roper said. “Nobody’s going to stop you.”

He came up the steps warily, eyeing the men and their guns, and then went into the house.

“Hopefully,” Roper said, “by the time he comes out, this will all be over—as far as Kilkenny’s concerned, that is.”

62

Harwick walked into the house and saw Victoria Westover sitting on the floor next to her prone husband.

Her dead husband.

She looked up at Harwick and said, “He stopped breathing about a minute ago.”

“Victoria—”

“I want them all dead, Edward,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “I want them all dead, do you understand?”

“Yes,” he said. “Yes, I understand, but—”

She stood up and got right in his face.

“I don’t know why they sent you in here,” she said, “but you go out and tell them they’re all going to die. And you tell Kilkenny I want them all dead.”

“Victoria—”

“I will double his fee.”

“I don’t know—”

“And I’ll double yours.”

He studied her face and knew there was no talking her out of it.

When Harwick came out, Roper looked at him.

“Well?”

“Mr. Westover is dead.”

“Well, that’s too bad,” Roper said. He looked at the others. Wilkins and Hampstead didn’t look all broken up about it.

“What about Victoria?” Roper asked.

“She wants you all dead,” the lawyer said. “She said she’ll double Kilkenny’s fee—and mine.”

“Is that a fact?”

“And I guess you didn’t try to talk her out of it, did you?” Bando asked.

“I did try,” Harwick said. “It was no use.”

Roper looked at the three Civil War vets and asked, “Doesn’t Westover being dead end it? Huh?”

They stared back at him, but before one of them could answer, Dexter said, “Whatever it means to them, it ain’t over for Kilkenny. Not as long as she’s gonna pay—and double!”

“But he doesn’t know that,” Roper said. “He doesn’t know she’s going to pay him double, does he?”

“Well,” Harwick said, “I have to go back and tell him. He’s expecting me.”

“No,” Roper said.

“What? But…I have to.”

“No, you don’t,” Roper said.

“He’ll kill me—”

“If you try to get on that horse, I’ll kill you,” Roper said.

“But if I don’t tell him,” Harwick said, “he’ll just ride in and kill us all.”

“He’ll try,” Dexter said.

“I can’t—I’m not good in a fight.”

“Just go over there and sit down,” Roper said. “Over there against the wall. And don’t move.”

“But—”

“Do it!”

Harwick walked up to the house and sat down on the porch with his back against the wall.

“So what do we do now, boss?” Bando asked.

“I’ll do what Kilkenny did,” Roper said. “I’ll ride up to him and tell him Westover’s dead and there’s nobody to pay him.”