What Happened in Dead Rose Canyon

    “Howdy.”  I swung out of the worn saddle and landed heavily on the ground.  The man in front of me assessed me with hate filled eyes.  He abhorred my kind, yet, he had a job that needed to be done that would be too dirty for him to do.  That was why he sent for me.  A man willing to kill anyone if paid. 

        My horse dug its nose thirstily into the water trough sending ripples everywhere.  The trip had been long and tiring and the poor creature had been pushed harder than usual.  “You must be scared,” I shoved my hat back on my head.

    

    The man’s eyes flashed.  “Why do you say that?”

    

    I smirked, “That is why most people hire me.  To do stuff they are too scared to do themselves.”  I glanced around.  “Nice place here.”  And it was.  The house was a big one, probably two stories, and the barn seemed nearly as big.  Just riding in I had seen more cows than I had seen in a month, and that was saying something.  This man was wealthy.

    

    “Conrad Fraze.”

    

    “Huh?”

   

    “That is why I sent for you.  I want you to kill Conrad Fraze.  You heard of him?”

    

    “Nah.  But that don’t matter.  I’ll kill anyone any way you want me to as long as the price is right.”  Just the thought of taking another life excited me.  Some might call that downright evil.  Me, I didn’t care what it was.  All I knew was that it felt good.  “Where is he?” 

    

    “Right now he is camping in Dead Rose Canyon.  About ten miles that way.”  He motioned west.

    “Well, I’ll just make my up there then.  But first, the money.”

    The man sent me a hard stare.  “The job ain’t done yet.”

    Well, that stirred me up.  He was questioning my honesty.  That was something you never did to me.  “I want the money now.  The job will get done.”

    He was about to contradict me, I could see it in his eyes.  But he suddenly changed his mind.  Perhaps my hand closing over my gun had something to do with it.  He disappeared into the house for moment then came back with a bag.  “500.  Just like I said.”

    Grinning I got back into the saddle.  “The job will get done.”  I clucked to my horse and started for Dead Rose canyon.”

˜  

   

    Rocks and sticks tore at my pants as a shinnied up the rock face.  Conrad Fraze’s camp was right below me.  I had watched it from a distance until I was sure it was empty.  Then I had tied my horse in a grove of trees a good distance back and walked over to the camp, careful to leave few tracks.  Getting up somewhere on the high rock walls was the most logical place to mount a surprise attack.  That why I was climbing it now.

    I settle down around some boulders that would conceal me and barely stuck my barrel over the edge prepared for action.  He would come riding in, and I would pick him off.  It would be easy.

    A loud neigh sounded through the canyon.  Well now, wasn’t he being nice coming in so quickly?  I got in position and waited.  An appaloosa came cantering towards the camp a man sitting high in the saddle.  The horse skidded to a stop, dust flying. I squeezed the trigger.  The man went limp and tumbled out of the saddle.  I waited for a moment.  Nothing moved except the nervous horse.  I slowly made my way toward the camp, pausing every few minutes to make sure he wasn’t moving.  Some people were smart and tried to fake you out.  Then when you got close them, they would let you have it. 

    When I reached the body, I rolled it over.  The man’s eyes stared up at me, glazed over.  The job was done.  “Well feller, I’m guessing you won’t need your horse, so I think I will just take it with me.”  I laughed and swung up into the saddle and left.  Another job well done.

˜  

    “Have you heard?” 

    Conrad Fraze turned towards his partner’s voice.  “What?”

    “Some guy was shot out by our camp.”  His partner leaned against the front of the livery where Conrad was saddling up his horse.

    He frowned.  “You don’t say.”

    “From the looks of things, some guy hid up in the rocks and shot him as he came in.  Isn’t that a shame?”

    Conrad nodded solemnly, “It sure is.  But I have to say that I’m glad we were in town with people all around to say that we were here when it happened, or else they might try to blame it on us.”

    “That’s a fact.  You ready to ride yet?”

    “Sure am.  Let’s go.”