Chapter 22

Cyril Ackroyd pulled into Tia Maria just as the sun was starting to rise. The "party" was still going on at Don Juarez's main brothel. Ackroyd could tell because he could hear the occasional scream of pain in a teenaged girl's voice over the sound of music and laughter.

He rushed up to the front door and knocked until he was finally heard over the noise within. A large man, dressed as a dandy, came to the door, "Si, Senor?"

"I don't speak Spanish. My name is Cyril Ackroyd and I must see Don Juarez immediately on important business."

"Si, Senor. I will see if he is available. Please wait."

{Two minutes later}

"Senior Ackroyd! What brings you to my humble establishment so early in the morning? Are you delivering merchandise, yourself?"

"No, Don Juarez. The situation 'as gone to 'ell in Eagle Pass and I must talk to you about salvaging what we can."

"Very well. Come into my private office."

They walked through a crowded room with a bar at one end and couches scattered around the room, all facing a large wooden cross. Instead of a figure of the Christ, a naked blond girl was tied to the cross and several whips were hanging from the crossarm. On his way to the bar, a patron stopped by the cross and taking a whip in hand, slapped a stroke across the girl's breasts. Of course, she screamed in pain and the audience laughed.

The two men continued on into Juarez's office and Juarez sat behind his desk while directing Ackroyd to a comfortable chair across from him. "Let me pour you a brandy, Senor Ackroyd. You look like you need a drink." he was interrupted by another scream. "Please ignore the noise from the parlor, Senor Ackroyd. I have found it necessary to discipline one of the girls who refused a request from one of the patrons. It seems that he had just fucked her in the anus and she refused to clean his penis by licking it. Such a lack of obedience cannot be tolerated, of course! She'll spend the next six days being the object of amusement for my guests while they wait their turn upstairs. She will make a good object lesson for the other girls.

"Now, what has happened in Eagle Pass that has so disturbed you?"

Ackroyd described the events of the night since he last saw Juarez at the saloon, including his jail break and mad dash to Mexico. "I have 'ad to abandon my operation in Texas, but I still 'ave my contacts there, and I still know where to find prime merchandise. Therefore, I'd like to form a partnership with you 'ere in Tia Maria. We can steal girls from Texas and either use them in your whore houses or sell them to other establishments in Mexico.

"An excellent proposal, Senor Ackroyd! Of course, I would expect 75% of the profits."

"That's highway robbery! We each get 50%"

"But I will be paying all the expenses! I must get 67%"

"But I am providing the know-how and the contacts! You get 60%."

"Ah, Senor Ackroyd. You are a tough bargainer! Very well, I will take 60% after all expenses are covered.

"Now, would you like to avail yourself of the facilities, or do you just need to rest after your exertions?"

The deputy woke Sheriff Hopkins from a sound sleep. He shouted, "SHERIFF, COME QUICK. THERE'S BEEN A JAILBREAK!"

This was enough to get the sheriff's attention. "I'll be there in a minute, Jethro! You git back to the jail!" He threw on some clothes and rushed to get his horse. He was at the jail almost before Jethro could return there.

Ed surveyed the damage and got a rundown on what had transpired by questioning the two Ackroyd confederates who had not escaped. Ed hurried to the Ranger post to alert Sean and Ezra about the recent events. They were somewhat nonplussed by the escape, and wondered how anybody could be that strong.

Ezra and Sean returned to the jail with the sheriff. Ezra surveyed the tracks outside the window and followed them to where the buckboard had been hitched. Sean followed with the horses. "He drove right through the busiest part of town. Ain't no way I kin foller 'im through that mess of tracks. I'll bet he's headed fer Mexico, though. In that case, he's gone fer now."

Sean and Ezra returned to Austin an worked on other cases until they were called into the office of a livid Maj. MacGregor. "That bastard Ackroyd has surfaced again! I just got a telegram from Capt. Sanderson that there's been another kidnappin', this time of a 13 year old girl. They want y'all back in Eagle Pass as soon as possible. Drop whatever ya're doin' and git right on it!"

The two Rangers managed to catch the morning flier to Eagle Pass and got into town well before dark. They went directly to Capt. Sanderson's office and checked in with him. Sheriff Hopkins was in his office; the two men were waiting on Sean and Ezra. After greetings were exchanged, Ezra asked, "What ya got fer us to work with, cap'n?"

Capt. Sanderson waved at Sheriff Hopkins who nodded and said, "They hit the Smith place last night an' headed fer that same cabin we caught them last kidnappers at. We wuz too late gittin' to the cabin; they had already left. We follered 'em to a river ford, but didn't cross over. We decided to wait fer y'all."

Sean asked, "What about it, Cap'n? Kin we cross the river into Mexico?"

"I can't tell y'all to do that there, but I kin look the other way while y'all do. Ifen any mex gives y'all a bit of trouble 'bout this here, I'll have every Ranger in Texas over there backin' ya up! Now, git outa my office and do sumpthin' 'bout that son of a bitch!"

"Ya comin', Ed?"

"Yeah, I jus' resigned as sheriff till we cotch that bastard! Hold my badge fer me, will ya, Joe?"

The men went to the corral where they drew two horses. Ed said, "I got us some grub and campin' gear on my hoss, so we kin go right now ifen y'all're ready."

They rode to the river ford where the kidnappers has crossed earlier that day. Ed said, "Thank the Lord, nobody else has used this ford lately! Even I kin see their tracks."

Ezra agreed, "Yeah, it looks like we could be in luck! Only three hosses crossed here in the last two days. Let's get after 'em."

They were able to follow at a lope right into Tia Maria. It wasn't dark yet, and they were able to follow the tracks right up to a rather grand house that was kept up like a mansion. The horses' tracks led up to the back door where they were lost in a mass of confused footprints of men, women, and horses.

Ed urged, "Let's git in there afore they gits a chance to rape that pore little girl!"

"Hold yer hosses, Ed! Ifen we go bustin' in, that pore little girl could git kilt!" warned Sean.

"OK, ya're right, damn it! So, what'll we do?"

"The first thing we do is git the hell away from here afore we're spotted!"

They rode a few houses away and hid behind a convenient shed where they could discuss the situation. Sean said, "The girl's pro'bly safe fer now. A virgin as young as her will bring a lot of money from some fool whose macho is bigger'n his brain. I 'spect they will save her fer some special customer who they'll have to contact. They might even try to cash in on the old story 'bout how fuckin' a virgin will cure syphilis."

Ezra grinned, "Ya mean it won't?"

"Come on, Ezra, be serous! I been thinkin' 'bout it an' I think we ought to hit the place right now afore it fills up with customers. Ed, I think that me an' Ezra should take our shotguns and clear the downstairs while ya cover our backs. Then we kin go up where they must keep the women. How does that sound to y'all?"

"OK with me."

"Me, too."

"OK, let's leave the hosses here. We kin sneak in better on foot. Let's go in the back door."

Ezra and Sean slipped on their bandoleers of shotgun shells and Sean led off through the back alley to the bordello. They had to wait a few minutes while a man, possibly a guard, finished a cigar and went back into the house. They were just starting toward the house when Ed warned them of two men coming up from the street. The three lawmen dropped back into hiding and watched as two men went into the house and two came out a few minutes later. Obviously, that was a change of the guard.