The Copper City - Chris Scott Wilson [24]
“It was packed in bullion boxes and loaded on a buckboard.”
“It all went off according to schedule?”
“Yes. As I told you, Mr. Upton had the necessary authority and I was justified in turning the shipment over to him.”
“I know. Nobody’s blaming you.” Quantro turned to Pete. “Let’s go send that wire.”
UPTON TAKEN OFF WITH SHIPMENT + STOP + HULBERT DEAD + STOP + WE ARE IN PURSUIT + STOP + QUANTRO AND WILTSHIRE + STOP + SANTA CRUZ + STOP
“That ought to do it,” Quantro said, passing the slip back over the counter. “Send it right now.” The clerk nodded.
“What does ‘in pursuit’ mean?” Pete asked as they pushed out into the sunlight.
“It means we’re following them.”
“That’s what I figured,” Pete said glumly.
Quantro unhitched the buckskin and swung up into the saddle. When Pete was mounted, they wheeled to ride down the street toward Cananea. “Say it, Pete,” he prompted.
Pete scowled. “There’s no chance. They’ll be clear to the border by now.”
“Maybe so, but we gotta do it.”
“Then we’re headed the wrong way. The border’s in the other direction.”
“Yes, but they’ll have gone out of town this way, then circled around. If we went the other way to save time, we’d just lose what we’d gained by having to cast for their sign.” He grinned when Pete made a face, then spurred the big stallion. By the time Pete caught up they were almost at the end of the street, faced by the open country.
“Anyhow, why are we doing this? Why don’t we just go back to Cananea and hand the problem to Harley? It’s the company’s money, not ours.”
“We gotta do it, that’s all.”
Pete nudged his pony’s ribs so that it kept pace with the prancing buckskin. “That’s a mighty fine attitude. Loyalty to the company. Mighty fine.”
Quantro shook his head, his eyes already raking the terrain ahead. “Not at all. I’ve no loyalty to the company.”
“Not one little piece?”
“No.”
“Why then?”
“Harley promised us a thirty-dollar bonus.”
“Is thirty dollars worth a ride clear to the border just to lose them and have to turn back empty-handed?”
“There’ll be more than thirty bucks in it by the time we’ve caught them up.”
“What makes you so sure we will?”
“I know, that’s all. I know.”
Pete studied Quantro’s set jaw and the long blond hair blown off the gaunt face by the hot desert wind. Somehow he had the feeling that Quantro would catch them.
And Pete wanted to be there to see it.
CHAPTER 6
Santa Cruz nestles in the southernmost tip of the Huachuca Mountains that stretch up to Arizona. It is all of twenty miles to the border if a straight line is drawn across the map. In reality, it is a whole lot farther.
They followed the Cananea trail out of town, Quantro taking the north side, scouring the well-churned ground for the point where Upton and his men had split away.
It was an hour before he found it.
“Hold up, Pete.” Quantro pulled the buckskin to a halt and slid to the ground. His fingers probed the wheel ruts and hoof prints. As well as testing the firmness of the tracks, he looked for insect trails running across them.
“They’re moving fast. And that’s one heavy wagon. Look at the depth of the ruts.”
“Soon tire out the team.”
Quantro scowled as he remounted. “You can bet if Upton had another two men ready, then they’ll have fresh horses stashed some place up ahead. We’ll be the ones riding blown horses.”
“Better haul up on them mighty quick, then.”
“I’ll allow that makes sense. But if they figure we’re following and they know we’ve got to catch up before they change horses, they could be waiting to blow us away.”
“A set-up?”
Quantro gazed thoughtfully ahead. “We could ride right into it.”
“We got to move fast so we can catch ’em before they get lost on the other side of the border.”
“Patience,” Quantro counseled.
Pete snorted. “Patience and we’ve lost ’em.”
Quantro shot him a hard look. “No patience and you’re dead.”
***
“You think they’ve found them yet?” Dobey asked, twisting in his saddle to look at their back trail.
“Naw,” Upton replied, squinting ahead at the scrub covered hills.
“But you’re sure we’re being