I stopped at the Wells Fargo office and made my report and then walked to the eatery. It still light, but I didn’t notice anyone at the restaurant. There was a “CLOSED” sign, but I noticed lights on inside. Now, I’m not a complete dummy so I went around to the back and looked in. It was a set-up, similar to the one a few weeks before. Like I said, I’m not a complete dummy, so I went down to get the marshal.
The plan was for him to go in the back door as I entered the front. His job was to take care of the right side, and then I’d just hope for the best. Entering the first thing I noticed was that jerk, yep, he had taken on jerk status, sitting at my table. Molly, Greta, and Hannah were tied to chairs at the next table.
I didn’t think there would be shooting right off. Tandy would be the type to run his jaws first. “Welcome, Forrest. Recognize the set-up?
“Tandy, you’re more stupid than I thought. I let you off once.”
“No, you’re the stupid one Forrest!” he shouted. “You were a fool to let me off. Now I’m going to hurt you like you hurt me.”
That made me ponder some. “Hurt you?” I asked. “How?”
“You killed the only person that was important to me. You killed my brother,” he paused, calming some. “It was in this room, in a set-up just like this. Forrest, you should be dead, not my brother.”
“Then your brother was a fool.”
“You didn’t even know his name!” yelled Tandy again. “He cared for me, he raised me and his name was Jeremiah. I want that to be in your mind.”
“Tandy, let the women go. You don’t have to die tonight.”
“I don’t care about dying,” he remarked. “I just plan on hurtin’ you. Even if you live, you’ll know that I hurt you where it hurts the most–Molly.”
I looked at her. She was calm, and what did I see? A slight wink? “Time for talkin’s over Tandy.”
He stood up with a burlap bag in his hand. “I’ve been doin’ a bit of huntin’. Snakes, Forrest. There’s plenty of them ’round Durango. Big ol’ timber rattlers. Can you feel the pain yet Forrest? I plan on dying, but you are going to feel the pain I felt when you killed my brother.” He turned toward Molly with the bag. “I’m going to open it and drop them right in Molly’s lap.”
There came a groan, and Greta had passed out.
A shot rang out and Tandy doubled. He looked at Molly and then at me, surprised. “She shot me.” Then another shot from Molly. Somehow she had gotten loose and her hand was on her pistol. He was struggling to open the bag.
I dove forward and cut loose with both barrels of the Greener on that bag he was holding. My plan was for those rattlers to be cut to pieces. When I shot, the marshal cut loose on the man to my left.
There wasn’t time for me to be worrying about the other guy, I jumped up and rushed to the table. Those snakes were in pieces and withering around. They were still dangerous, and one larger head lashed out to strike; the Greener was empty and I didn’t have time to pull my pistol…