fellas. He waved a gun around, but he didn’t shoot.”
The Kid had to admit this was getting more interesting, even though he was still reluctant to get involved. He scratched his jaw. “All right, go on.”
“Over the next couple months, Lupo turned up at several more robberies, including stopping a train and looting the express car over by Seguin,” Hughes said. “Three more men were killed in those crimes, and one was wounded.”
“Did Lupo do any of the shooting?”
“Not as far as we’ve been able to determine.”
The Kid leaned back in his chair. “So probably what you’ve got is a fella who didn’t like killing when he started out, but hardened up while he was in prison and threw in with some trigger-happy hombres after he escaped. You could explain it that way.”
“And no one would doubt it for a second,” Hughes said. “Just like no one lost any sleep over it when a bounty hunter named Angus Murrell brought in Lupo’s body a couple weeks ago. He claimed he’d been trailing the gang and caught up to them while Lupo was away from the other outlaws. Murrell shot and killed him ... and collected the fifteen thousand dollar reward on his head.”
The Kid grunted. Fifteen thousand dollars wasn’t much money to Conrad Browning, as he had thought earlier when he was talking to Lace, but it was a mighty big price for an outlaw. “Bounty hunters bring in fugitives all the time,” he said, thinking about her again. “There’s nothing unusual about that.”
“No, and this man Murrell is well-known to the authorities. Lupo wasn’t the first wanted man he’d brought in, not by a long shot.”
“So what makes Lupo’s case different?” The Kid wanted to know.
Hughes smiled slightly. “It’s not the differences but the similarities. Six months ago, Angus Murrell brought in the body of an outlaw named Henry Bedford. A few months before that, Bedford escaped from the penitentiary where he was serving a term for several bank holdups.”
The Kid sat forward, intrigued despite himself. “Let me guess. After breaking out, Bedford turned up leading a gang of robbers, only they were all masked and he wasn’t.”
Culhane slapped a hand against his thigh. “Dadgummit, Cap’n, I told you this young fella was smart!”
Hughes nodded. “You’re right, Mr. Morgan. That’s exactly what happened. Then Murrell tracked Bedford down and killed him, earning himself ten thousand dollars bounty in the process.”
“Is there more?” The Kid asked.
“One more case. Last year another bank robber named Lew Tolbert escaped from prison and took part in another series of holdups in which he was positively identified. Eventually Murrell brought his body in and claimed an eight thousand dollar reward for him.”
“The payoff’s going up every time,” The Kid murmured.
“That’s right. So you can see where all this is leading us, Mr. Morgan.”
“It’s not leading to me volunteering to go to prison, that’s for sure,” The Kid said. “I had enough of that over in New Mexico Territory.”
Hughes tapped a finger against another document on his desk. “Yes, I’ve got a report here about how you were locked up in Hellgate Prison because of a case of mistaken identity. You were identified as an outlaw named ... Bledsoe, was it?”
“Ben Bledsoe,” The Kid said. “Bloody Ben, they called him, and he deserved the name.”
“That matter was cleared up. There are no charges against you in New Mexico Territory or anywhere else.”
“Maybe not, but I spent more than enough time behind bars in that hellhole. I’m not anxious to go back.”
“Huntsville ain’t like that Hellgate place,” Culhane said.
“But it’s still a prison.”
Neither of the Rangers could argue with that statement.
After a moment, Hughes cleared his throat and went on. “It’s our belief there’s an organized gang breaking these men out of prison, forcing them to take part in bank robberies, and then killing them
The Kid had to admit this was getting more interesting, even though he was still reluctant to get involved. He scratched his jaw. “All right, go on.”
“Over the next couple months, Lupo turned up at several more robberies, including stopping a train and looting the express car over by Seguin,” Hughes said. “Three more men were killed in those crimes, and one was wounded.”
“Did Lupo do any of the shooting?”
“Not as far as we’ve been able to determine.”
The Kid leaned back in his chair. “So probably what you’ve got is a fella who didn’t like killing when he started out, but hardened up while he was in prison and threw in with some trigger-happy hombres after he escaped. You could explain it that way.”
“And no one would doubt it for a second,” Hughes said. “Just like no one lost any sleep over it when a bounty hunter named Angus Murrell brought in Lupo’s body a couple weeks ago. He claimed he’d been trailing the gang and caught up to them while Lupo was away from the other outlaws. Murrell shot and killed him ... and collected the fifteen thousand dollar reward on his head.”
The Kid grunted. Fifteen thousand dollars wasn’t much money to Conrad Browning, as he had thought earlier when he was talking to Lace, but it was a mighty big price for an outlaw. “Bounty hunters bring in fugitives all the time,” he said, thinking about her again. “There’s nothing unusual about that.”
“No, and this man Murrell is well-known to the authorities. Lupo wasn’t the first wanted man he’d brought in, not by a long shot.”
“So what makes Lupo’s case different?” The Kid wanted to know.
Hughes smiled slightly. “It’s not the differences but the similarities. Six months ago, Angus Murrell brought in the body of an outlaw named Henry Bedford. A few months before that, Bedford escaped from the penitentiary where he was serving a term for several bank holdups.”
The Kid sat forward, intrigued despite himself. “Let me guess. After breaking out, Bedford turned up leading a gang of robbers, only they were all masked and he wasn’t.”
Culhane slapped a hand against his thigh. “Dadgummit, Cap’n, I told you this young fella was smart!”
Hughes nodded. “You’re right, Mr. Morgan. That’s exactly what happened. Then Murrell tracked Bedford down and killed him, earning himself ten thousand dollars bounty in the process.”
“Is there more?” The Kid asked.
“One more case. Last year another bank robber named Lew Tolbert escaped from prison and took part in another series of holdups in which he was positively identified. Eventually Murrell brought his body in and claimed an eight thousand dollar reward for him.”
“The payoff’s going up every time,” The Kid murmured.
“That’s right. So you can see where all this is leading us, Mr. Morgan.”
“It’s not leading to me volunteering to go to prison, that’s for sure,” The Kid said. “I had enough of that over in New Mexico Territory.”
Hughes tapped a finger against another document on his desk. “Yes, I’ve got a report here about how you were locked up in Hellgate Prison because of a case of mistaken identity. You were identified as an outlaw named ... Bledsoe, was it?”
“Ben Bledsoe,” The Kid said. “Bloody Ben, they called him, and he deserved the name.”
“That matter was cleared up. There are no charges against you in New Mexico Territory or anywhere else.”
“Maybe not, but I spent more than enough time behind bars in that hellhole. I’m not anxious to go back.”
“Huntsville ain’t like that Hellgate place,” Culhane said.
“But it’s still a prison.”
Neither of the Rangers could argue with that statement.
After a moment, Hughes cleared his throat and went on. “It’s our belief there’s an organized gang breaking these men out of prison, forcing them to take part in bank robberies, and then killing them
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