He was still trying to decide when more shots came. Impetuously, he stood up and began firing and running at the same time.
Cardwell checked one alley while Jacks checked the other.
“No horses,” Cardwell said.
“Same here,” Jacks said. “That goddamn Davis!”
They were each carrying two bags of money. From the front of the bank they heard the sound of shots.
“Look,” Cardwell said, “we can work our way down the street behind some more of these buildings, maybe even come out on a side street.”
“Might as well,” Jacks said. “There’s nothin’ more for us to do here. But when I see Davis, I’m gonna kill him.”
“Not if I kill him first.”
James stopped in the alley long enough to check himself for bullet holes. When he found none, he continued down the alley with his gun drawn. He inched his way around to the back of the building, being careful in case the bank robbers decided to come out the back door. When he was sure it was safe, he made his way to the door, tried the knob and found it unlocked. He was about to open it when someone came out of the alley on the other side of the building. He turned, gun at the ready….
Thomas also made his way carefully down his alley, watching the mouth of it behind him, in case the shooters decided to follow him. Reaching the end of the alley, he peered around and saw his brother at the back door. He stepped out of hiding, and James turned quickly toward him, pointing his gun.
“Whoa, James! It’s me.”
James lowered his gun. “Thomas, you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Thomas said. “You?”
“Okay, but Pa’s hit.”
“How bad?”
“Don’t know,” James said. “He took a bullet in the hip. He’s says it kept going, though.”
“Well, let’s get inside, then, and see what’s goin’ on so we can get him to a doctor. Did you know about this door?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“I didn’t,” Thomas said. “Thought I’d take a chance, though. Is it unlocked?”
“Yes.”
“We better go in before we get company back here.”
“I was about to.”
“After you, little brother,” Thomas invited. “Just be ready for trouble.”
Out front, Shaye reloaded and continued to fire. He didn’t want the robbers trying to follow James down the alley. He didn’t hear any shooting, though, other than his and their return fire. He hoped that Thomas had acquitted himself well.
He also hoped his boys could get him out of his present predicament, before he bled to death.
James opened the door and stepped in, with Thomas close behind him. He watched for danger inside the bank while Thomas guarded against danger from behind.
“The office is empty,” James said. “Come on.”
He moved forward and immediately saw the two bodies lying just inside and outside the doorway.
“Oh no!” he exclaimed.
“What is it?” Thomas asked. He had paused to close the door and wedge a chair beneath the doorknob.
“Oh God, no,” James said.
“James?”
Thomas joined his brother and saw the bodies.
“Who—”
“The man looked like Mr. Baxter, the manager,” James said.
Thomas hesitated, then asked, “And the woman?”
“That,” James said, “is Nancy Timmerman.”
Thomas was afraid of that.
22
Outside on the street, the remaining bank robbers sensed something was wrong.
“They must have gotten inside the bank somehow,” Ed Hurley commented.
Davis, who had abandoned the horses when the shooting started, said, “We better stick together and get inside that bank.”
“There’s still one more over there,” Joe Samuels said. “The others made it to the alleys.”
“If they’re inside, where are Cardwell and Jacks?” Davis asked.
Beau Larkin looked around. “We have to make a move before this town wakes up and decides to help the law.”
“Hey,” Bill Raymond said to Davis. “You were supposed to be holding the horses.”
“They, uh, spooked and ran off when the shootin’ started. I couldn’t hold them.”
In truth, he had been holding only two horses, one for him and one for Cardwell. When he heard the shooting, he tethered the horses a couple of blocks away and came to see what was happening.
“Where’s Mendez?” Hurley asked.
“He took one in the chest,” Samuels said. “He’s dead.”
“One less share,” Hurley said.
“No shares if we don’t get into that bank,” Raymond said.
“And if we don’t have horses,” Larkin said. “Davis, you better go get them. We’ll check the bank.”
“What about the sheriff?” Davis asked.
“He was hit,” Larkin said. “If we make a run for the bank, he can’t stop us.”
Davis was worried now. Not only about where Cardwell and Jacks were, but what these men would do to him if they found out he only had two horses.
“Okay,” Davis said.
“We’ll meet you in front of the bank,” Samuels said.
“Okay,” Davis said. “Go.”
“You get goin’,” Samuels said, “and don’t forget those horses.”
Davis knew a threat when he heard it. He turned and ran toward the horses, still unsure about what he was going to do.
Samuels looked at the other men, Raymond, Hurley, and Larkin.
“So what do we do?” he asked. “Just rush the bank?”
“That’s where the money is,” Larkin said.
“Let’s do it,” Hurley said.
23
“My God!” Thomas said. He had stepped over the bodies and into the bank to check on the other employees. He was shocked to find them all dead, either stabbed or with cut throats.
James was still in the office, kneeling over the prone body of Nancy Timmerman.
“They’re dead,” Thomas said. “They’re all dead.”
“Nancy’s dead,” James said, looking at his brother.
“James,” Thomas said, “we know that. We have to be ready for the others outside. And we have to find Cardwell and whoever else was in here.”
James stared at his brother, then said, “You better look out the front.”
“I barred the back door,” Thomas said. “Come on.”
James looked down at Nancy again. Thomas reached down and grabbed his brother’s arm. “Come on!”
He dragged his brother to the front of the bank in time to see four men charging the door.
“Do we wait for them?” James asked.
“Let’s step out and greet them,” Thomas said. “That’ll surprise them.”
James looked back at the bodies of all the employees. He was ready to take some lives.
“Let’s do it.”
Shaye watched from behind the water trough as the robbers gathered and made their plans. There was nothing he could do about it. He was almost out of bullets, having taken the last of them from his belt, and loaded his gun for the last time. If the men charged him, he was done. If they charged the bank, he could fire six shots in defense of his sons, but that was it.
He knew James and Thomas must be inside the bank by now. Since there were no shots, whichever robbers had been inside must have left. He hoped his boys were smart enough to stay inside.
As he thought that, he saw four of the men step into the street, guns in hand, and charge the bank.
A second later the front door of the bank opened and Thomas and James stepped out.
“Goddamn it!” Shaye said, and pointed his gun.
When Thomas and James stepped through the bank doors, the four rushing robbers stopped short, confused. They hadn’t expected the outnumbered deputies to come out and meet them. The moment of hesitation cost them.