John King Bounty Hunter Read online

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  © 2012 Robert J. Gossett. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

  Published by AuthorHouse 1/12/2012

  ISBN: 978-1-4685-4038-3 (sc)

  ISBN: 978-1-4685-4037-6 (hc)

  ISBN: 978-1-4685-4036-9 (e)

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2012900207

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  and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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  Contents

  Chapter 1 College Days

  Chapter 2 Instant Manhood for John

  Chapter 3 The Chase Begins

  Chapter 4 Willie Washington

  Chapter 5 John Meets the Killers

  Chapter 6 The Search for Samuels Begins

  Chapter 7 The Search for Indian Bob

  Chapter 8 Recuperating In Dallas

  Chapter 9 Recuperating In Austin

  Chapter 10 Safe at the Ranch

  Chapter 11 Back Home in Houston

  Chapter 12 Trouble in Dallas

  Chapter 13 Visiting Sheriff O’Leary

  Chapter 14 Back Home in Houston

  Chapter 15 Sarah Dies

  Chapter 16 Preparing for the Ranch to Change

  Chapter 17 Lola’s Graduation

  Chapter 18 The Wedding

  Chapter 19 Visitors at the Ranch

  This book is dedicated to the late Shirley Jane Ranker who encouraged me to resume writing.

  And to

  Amy Slanchik, an excellent typist.

  Sharon Slanchik, who overcame adversity to find time to edit this book.

  John Slanchik for his superior computer skills.

  Dennis Ray, for his unequalled knack for proofreading.

  Tih Kobolson, for her excellent art work.

  My sincere thanks to all of them.

  Chapter 1

  College Days

  John (sometimes called Jack) was a second-year law student at the University of Texas in Austin. He was an excellent student, getting straight A’s. It was not because he studied that hard, but because he had a photographic memory. The night before a test he would read a textbook and refer to his memory to pass the test.

  John was majoring in girls more than law. Almost six feet tall with an athletic build, girls were attracted to his dark complexion and blue eyes. The girls referred to him as a desirable bachelor who would be a fine catch. His male friends thought of him as a lucky guy. His jealous acquaintances called him a spoiled rich kid. They were right about the rich part, but in reality, it was his parents who were very rich.

  His father, Jacob King, was a criminal defense attorney in Houston. His mother, Helen, was a tenured professor of English literature at the University of Houston. His father was Jewish and his mother, a Roman Catholic. Both children were encouraged to pick their own religion, so John chose neither. His younger sister, Sarah, a senior at Sam Houston High School, chose the Catholic religion, which greatly pleased their mother. John considered himself an agnostic. Their home in Houston was a large estate in River Oaks, which fit their positions in life.

  The Kings also owned a 500-acre ranch west of Galveston. Their ranch manager, Juan Ortiz, handled everything about the ranch: the hiring and firing of the ranch hands; the cattle sales; the planting and cutting of coastal hay; and the management of ranch funds. As a reward for his twenty years of service, he was awarded a generous bonus of twenty percent of the ranch profits.

  The Kings elected not to participate in Houston’s society circle. Instead they preferred to have quiet intimate dinners with friends, or an evening playing cards with neighbors or friends.

  They led the good life and indulged their two children.

  John rented an off-campus apartment in Austin where he entertained many of his girlfriends. Sarah lived at home and commuted to school in her own surrey, pulled by a very expensive sorrel gelding.

  One Monday evening John was sharing a bottle of wine with Lola Bigelow. They were half-way through the bottle when there was a loud and rapid knock on the door. Lola ran into the bedroom to hide as John answered the door.

  It was Sergeant Dick Smith from the campus police.

  “John, I hate to break up your little party, but I had a telegram from Police Chief Mike Ward in Houston.”

  “What did it say?” John asked.

  “It seems you have an emergency at home, and your family needs you at home right now,” Smith reported.

  “What’s wrong?” John excitedly asked.

  “Chief Ward will fill you in when he picks you up at the train tomorrow. I’ll take you to the stage coach now and you can get to San Antonio in time to catch the morning train for home.

  “And, oh yes, you can tell your little honey in the other room she can come out now,” Smith told him.

  “How did you know?” John asked.

  Smith replied, “I am a cop, you know. One bottle of wine, two glasses, and the aroma of an expensive perfume were good clues.”

  John laughed and told Lola to come out and lock up when she left. He also asked her to tell Professor Moriarity he had to go home for awhile. Then he left with Smith to catch the stage for San Antonio, then the train to Houston.

  It was late afternoon when Chief Ward picked him up at the depot. John knew Chief Ward from hunting trips his dad invited him on, and Chief Ward and his wife, Carol, had been at the King house numerous times for dinner and a game of cards. As John watched Chief Ward approach the depot he studied him carefully.

  Mike Ward was a big man. He stood over six feet tall, had broad shoulders, a large chest, long arms, and big hands. His face with a warm smile and glasses looked friendly, but John guessed it could turn to stone in an instant, if necessary.

  “Hello, Chief Ward,” John greeted him.

  “Hi John,” came the reply. “I’m sorry, but I have some terrible news for you.”

  “I have worried all the way home—what is wrong?” John asked.

  Ward replied, as he put his arm around John’s shoulders, “I’m afraid your mother and dad have been murdered.”

  “Oh, shit, what happened?” John asked, struggling while trying to fight back tears.

  Ward continued, “Well, it appears to me someone broke in trying to rob them, and it turned bad from there.”

  “What about my sister?” John asked.

  “Well, she is still alive but someone tried to strangle her, and she was repeatedly raped,” Ward told him.

  “Who did it?” John wanted to know.

  Ward told him, “That’s what we are trying to find out now. The cook and maid found them yesterday morning and notified me right away. I was at your house by eight o’clock and checked the entire house, but whoever did it was gone.”

  “How were they killed?” John asked.

  Chief Ward told John, “You might want to sit down; your knees lo
ok a little wobbly.”

  John said, “Just tell me, I’m OK.”

  “Well, your dad was stabbed and shot. Your mother was raped and strangled,” Ward revealed.

  “Are they still at home?” John wanted to know.

  “No, son, I had the undertaker pick up your parents, and your sister is in St. Anne’s Hospital. Want me to take you there now?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “OK, but remember, she is in pretty bad shape. They also beat her on the head, and the doctor told me she has a bad concussion. I tried to question her, but she drifts in and out of consciousness, and she is not lucid when she is awake,” Chief Ward warned John.

  Ward drove John to the hospital and then waited in the visitor’s lounge so John could visit Sarah by himself.

  Sarah was asleep when John reached her bedside. As he kissed her and hugged her she stirred but did not wake up.

  He whispered in her ear, “Sarah, oh Sarah, I am so sorry this happened to you. I love you and I will be back when you are awake.” Still no response.

  Then he met Chief Ward in the visitor’s lounge. “Did you talk to her?” Ward asked him.

  “No sir, I couldn’t get her to wake up, but I tried to tell her I would be back when she wakes up,” John replied.

  “John, I’m afraid you are going to have to accept a lot of responsibility from here on. I talked to your Dad’s junior partner, David Samuels, and he will help you with everything he can,” Chief Ward told him.

  “The main thing is I want those sons of bitches that did this caught and hanged, even if I have to do it myself,” John warned.

  “Now, John, take it easy. We’ll catch them, but as a law student you should know to let the law handle this,” Ward said.

  “Who all is working the case?” John asked.

  “We all are. Every man in the department is working on it, and I am leading the investigation myself, so we will get them,” Chief Ward told him.

  “I guess I want to go home now,” John said, still in a state of shock and confusion.

  “OK, I’ll take you. I asked the two servants to clean up the house a little bit because we had already released it, so it should be OK for you to stay there if you want to,” Chief Ward said.

  “I do want to. I will be OK,” John said.

  Lisa, the cook, and Maria, the maid, met him at the door, gave him a hug and told him how sorry they were.

  John asked them to stay on and he would pay them for at least as long as he kept the house. They agreed to do so. John wandered aimlessly from room to room. In his parents’ room he saw that the girls had stripped his parents’ bed, but the mattress was still stained with blood on both sides.

  His sister’s bed had also been stripped, but it too had blood stains from top to bottom on the mattress. Every drawer in both rooms had been removed and the contents, thrown on the floor. All books from the book cases were also scattered on the floor. When he entered his father’s study he saw that it, too, had been ransacked. The picture of his parents’ wedding had been removed, and a wall safe behind it had been hammered open and emptied. The gun case had also been emptied.

  Brokenhearted, John walked to his room and collapsed on his bed, sobbing with despair.

  The next morning, his stomach growling with hunger, John sat down to enjoy the breakfast Lisa had waiting for him. The bacon, eggs, grits, and biscuits filled him up quickly and the coffee hit the spot.

  As he was finishing his third cup of coffee, David Samuels arrived and sat with him to have coffee.

  “John, I know this is awfully soon, but if you can come by the office this morning, I have a lot of papers for you to sign. There is also a safe at the office only your dad had the combination to. If you like I will have a bonded locksmith open it while you are present,” David told him.

  “Thanks, David, I can do that, but first I need to go by the hospital and see Sarah,” John replied.

  Finishing his coffee, David headed for the door and said as he left, “See you in a couple of hours.”

  John went to the carriage house and saddled his dad’s favorite horse, a black stallion he called Diablo.

  It was a short ride to the hospital, and he first spoke to Sister Hortense.

  “How is Sarah this morning, Sister?”

  She reported, “Not much change, I’m afraid.”

  Disappointed but undaunted, John went to Sarah’s room. He was determined to learn from her who the assailants were.

  He spoke to her, “Sarah, sweet Sarah, are you awake?”

  There was no response so he said, “Sarah if you can hear me, give me some kind of signal.”

  Again, there was no response, so John left, telling Sister Hortense he would return tomorrow.

  He mounted Diablo and rode to his dad’s law office. The sign still read,

  Jacob King—Attorney at Law

  Specializing in Criminal Defenses

  David and a locksmith were waiting for him, and they watched as the safe was opened. David paid the locksmith and he left.

  “Do you mind if I watch as you empty out the safe?” David asked.

  “Of course not,” John replied, and he began to remove the safe’s contents and pile it on his dad’s old desk.

  Jacob King had been a very methodical man and had carefully cataloged the contents. One envelope was marked stocks and bonds. It contained bonds from Harris County, bonds from City of Houston, and bonds from the State of Texas.

  It also contained shares of stock in Wells Fargo Stage Lines; Houston State Bank; Bigelow Oil Exploration and Refining; Kansas City Southern Railroad; and Shiner Brewing Co.

  David whistled and said, “Wow, I’d guess you are looking at close to a million dollars there.”

  Then John took out an envelope marked “Cash.” It was heavy because it contained both U.S. cash in large bills and gold coins. A quick estimate put this envelope worth about $20,000.

  John commented, “This is probably what the bastards were looking for at home.”

  David agreed, “Probably.”

  The last envelope was marked “Wills.”

  It contained both wills from Jacob and Helen. They were both simple “Mom and Dad” wills leaving everything to each other, or split between John and Sarah equally.

  John put the cash into a small valise, pocketed the gun list to take to Chief Ward, handed the wills to David to process for him, then reloaded the balance of envelopes back into the safe. He pocketed the combination the locksmith gave him and turned his attention to the papers David had prepared for him.

  He signed the papers transferring all of his mother and dad’s bank accounts to him, a power of attorney to take control of all of his parents’ property, and a power of attorney to act in Sarah’s behalf where she was incapacitated.

  Then he thanked David and told him he would expect a bill for the services he had performed for him and his family.

  David said, “We’ll talk about that later. You know, I would like to buy your dad’s practice, but all that can wait until after the funeral.”

  John agreed and left for Chief Ward’s office to deliver the gun list.

  Mike said to John, “I know your father was thorough, but just look at this list.”

  They read down the list together:

  1 WH Tisdall and Son double-barrel shotgun

  12 Gauge 28” Barrels S/N 734

  1 WH Tisdall & Son double-barrel shotgun

  12 Gauge 30” barrels S/N 811

  1 cased-set English Flintlock dueling pistols

  Caliber 36 hand-made no S/N

  Chief Ward commented, “This will be a huge help in breaking this case. If we find the guns, we’ll find the killers, and this list will be great evidence at the trial.”

  “Hope you find them soon,” John said then left for the funeral home. He
met with Mr. O’Dell.

  O’Dell commented, “If you want a double funeral, it could be a little tricky with your father a Jew and your mother a Catholic.”

  “Well, they would have wanted a joint funeral, so you work it out, and I’ll help you if I can,” John said.

  Exhausted from the day’s activity, he rode home, found his dad’s stash of brandy, and poured himself a large glass.

  The girls had the day off, so John made himself an egg sandwich, drank a glass of milk, and went to bed.

  Chapter 2

  Instant Manhood for John

  John woke up the next morning, and as was his habit he remained in bed and thought about what he had to do that day. He tried doing this at night before he went to sleep, but when he did he had trouble sleeping.

  John thought, Today I have to go see Sarah at the hospital, visit Chief Ward, and then attend my parents’ funeral. I sure miss the life I had at school. Those were the good times, and they are gone forever.

  The funeral was unusual but done in very good taste. The caskets were placed side by side in the front of a viewing room at the funeral home.

  Rabbi Amoskowitz stood in front of his father’s casket, and father O’Malley stood in front of his mother’s. Each took his turn saying prayers over the two caskets.

  It was not generally known but the Rabbi and the priest belonged to the same poker club. Together with other clerics they met monthly to play penny ante poker and poke fun at each other’s religion. They always stopped short of blasphemy.

  When the Rabbi and priest finished their prayers, the funeral director gave a short speech about the decedent’s accomplishments.

  When the funeral ended, the Rabbi accompanied Jacob’s casket to the Jewish cemetery. The priest went with Helen’s casket to the Catholic cemetery.

  John stayed at the funeral home to converse with his parents’ friends and neighbors. He was asked several times, “Do you know who did this?”

  “No, but Chief Ward is personally looking into the case, and I feel sure he will catch them,” John told them.