Chapter 4

"I don't know what you're talking about. I ain't no kidnapper!"

I didn't say anything in reply to that. Instead, I just walked my horse a step or two. I let him swing in the breeze for nigh on to five minutes before I backed off this time. I let him back to the ground before I said, "How long do you reckon I can leave you hanging like that, Mr. House? I got my lunch with me, so I expect that I could last a couple of hours or so, real easy-like. Do you have an opinion?"

"Oh, God, no! Please don't leave me hanging for that long. Yes, I did kidnap some kids. I sold them to a broker what took them to Mexican whore houses for sale as slaves. Now, I beg you, please let me go, and I promise never to do it again."

"Oh, we ain't near through, yet, Mr. House. I want to know the name of that there broker and where I can find him. I want to talk to him, too, just like I'm talking to you."

"That's all you'll get from me, you bastard."

"Tut, tut, Mr. House. That ain't no way to talk to the man on this here end of the rope around your balls. I suppose you need some more reminding of who's the boss around here." With that, I walked my horse a step or two.

I let him hang another five minutes before I let him down. "OK, Mr. House, I do hope you're ready to keep a more civil tongue in your head. Now, answer my question, or I'll let you hang for even longer this time."

"No, No, for God's Sake, No! His name is Jesus Lopez, and he meets me on the second day of each month in the town of Bradly Springs."

"Ah, now that's more like it, Mr. House. Describe this Jesus Lopez well enough for me to recognize him when I see him, if you please."

House got stubborn again, but backed off real quick when I moved like I was gonna walk my horse again. He gave me a detailed description of Lopez, and I figured that I wouldn't have much trouble recognizing him when I saw him.

"OK, now, let's change the subject a little bit, Mr. House. Where did you stash the money that Lopez paid you for them kids?"

"I ain't got it no more! I spent it about as fast as it came in."

"Oh, my goodness, Mr. House. I'm sorry to hear that, because I'll just have to prompt you to search your memory. I'm sure that some of the money must still be around." I walked my horse again, and let House hang for nearly 10 minutes before I let him back to the ground. By this time, I think that he would tell me anything I wanted to hear. The problem was that I had no way of double checking on the truthfulness of what he had to say. Well, sometimes, you just have to trust people.

He told me of an old cabin he had been using for a hideout and where to find the strongbox holding the money. The shack was a day's ride away from where we currently were, and I had to come up with a way of insuring House's veracity. "I'll tell you what, Mr. House. The two of us are gonna take a little ride to that there shack. if I don't find the strongbox where you say it is, I'm gonna let you hang by your balls for a whole day. Then, if I'm feeling right charitable, I'll let you down. On the other hand, if I don't feel so charitable, I'll ride away and just let you hang there until the buzzards eat enough of you for you to fall to the ground. What do you say to that, my friend?"

"Oh, God, please don't do that. I just remembered that we quit using that hideout about a month ago and moved on to another place not far from here. The strongbox is there, I swear it!"

House gave me the directions to the new location, and we set out to look it over. I rode my new Appaloosa, and he rode his sorrel. I took the time to loot the bodies of the other two ambushers, so there wasn't no need to go back there any time soon. It took about three hours to get to the new hideout, and House's balls were even more sore because I wouldn't let him use his stirrups. Therefore, his balls got pinched every time his horse took a step. I did that just to remind him who was in charge.

We came to a disreputable shack just where he said it would be, and we went inside to look for the strongbox. There it was a setting in the corner, just waiting for somebody to come along. I got the key from House and opened the strongbox. I found seven sacks of gold coins, mostly Double Eagles. House said that there was $2,000 in each sack, and I believed him, judging from the weight of each sack.

Now that I had the money House had gotten for the children, I was ready to go after Lopez. But first, I had to deal with House. "Mr. House, I'm feeling right generous right now, so I'm going to let you choose how you die. You got two choices. One of them is that I hang you up by your balls, again, and leave you to starve to death. That way, you'll live a few more days. The other choice is for me to shoot you in the gut and leave you here. That way, you'll live a few more hours before you bleed to death. So, what will it be? It's your choice. If you leave it up to me, I will just leave you hanging."

He turned absolutely white at the choice, and I did not really blame him. Neither one was a very pleasant way to die, but I would have chosen the shooting, if it had been my choice. "I guess I ain't got much choice. Go ahead and shoot me. At least, I will not suffer quite as much."

Well, I took Mr. Jasper House at his word and shot him in the gut with three bullets. I figured that he would last about 2-4 hours before he died. I really hate people what mistreat children!

I moved the money from the strongbox to two saddle bags. I figured that would make it less obvious what I was carrying. I left for Bradly Springs, leading the two sorrels. Them I sold at the first livery stable I came to, and I got rid of the other stuff at the same time. Bradly Springs was two days away, so I got on with my trip as soon as possible.

There was a cantina in Bradly Springs where House always met Jesus Lopez, so I figured that would be the easiest place to find him. I was a day early for the meeting, but I figured to take a look at the cantina, anyway. Well, I was not surprised when I did not find Lopez in the cantina, but there was always tomorrow.

Bradly Springs did not have a hotel what I was willing to trust my skin to, so I spent the night in the livery stable with my horse. I figured to meet a better grade of fleas on a pile of hay than in that filthy bed. That morning, I ate breakfast in the cantina, and let me tell you that the food was a Hell of a lot better than I expected. Still no Jesus Lopez, but I really did not expect him until later in the day. I did not want to be too conspicuous, so I left the cantina after breakfast and went to one of the two saloons in town.

Damned if there was not a poker game going on, so I spent a few hours very pleasantly with some cards in my hand. It was a penny-ante game, so I did not lose enough to remark on, and it was time for lunch. I figured to go back to the cantina to eat, and I might find Lopez at the same time.

I had just finished my first bowl of chili when Jesus Lopez came in. Since I wanted to talk to him before I shot him, I ordered another bowl of chili and waited to see what happened. Damn! I think that second bowl of chili was better than the first one: it was certainly spicier. Well, Lopez ate lunch and chased it with a beer, Mexican, of course. I followed suit, nursing that beer while he drank two of them.

The lunch crowd finally left, and there was only Lopez, the bartender, and me in the cantina. Even the pretty waitress was back in the kitchen. That was when I got up and went to the table where Lopez was sitting. I did not wait for an invitation, but sat down and said, "Sr. Lopez, Jasper House cannot make it today, so I am here to take his place. I know why he sees you, but he was in a hurry to leave me, so he did not say anything about what went on when he met you. I hope you do not mind talking to me about this. My name is Sam Jackson."