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Short Stories & Tall Tales
El Diablo
By Christopher Scott
Thomas Packer rode into Cedar Grove early one morning. He had come from up North. He was a man on a mission and that mission was moving him South. Tom was pretty much a loner these days and constantly on the move. But it wasn’t always that way. He once had steady work and a few acres of his own. Unfortunately, all that change the day El Diablo came to town…
“So, what brings you into the bank today Tom?”
The teller always made small talk with the customers who came to her window. The president of the bank couldn’t have been happier. He had made the highly unusual and somewhat controversial decision to put a young woman in this position and it had proven to be very successful at bringing new customers into the bank.
The teller’s name was Sarah. She was a strikingly beautiful woman with long black hair and dark eyes that complimented her high cheekbones and warm friendly smile. Tom was sweet on her as were several other young men who frequented the bank. The difference being, she liked Tom back. In fact, they had begun a serious courtship several months earlier and Tom was planning to propose.
Now Tom was a handsome young cowboy. He was tall and stout with sandy brown hair and a dimpled smile. He always had a polite way about him. Sarah could not have done any better than this fine young man.
“Good morning Sarah. It seems I’ve run a little short on cash this month. I need to make a withdrawal to purchase a few supplies.”
Tom did need to buy some supplies but his real intention was to buy this beautiful little engagement ring he had seen at the mercantile the other day. He was planning to make it official that evening and ask Sarah to marry him.
Tom finished his business at the window. He gave Sarah a quick wink and a big smile as he turned to leave the bank.
As he headed for the door two men burst in with pistols drawn. Not your typical bank patrons. It was quite obvious a big withdrawal was about to be made and it certainly wouldn’t be signed for. The two looked like they had been on the trail for more than a few days. And they smelled like it too. It was easy enough to see they were from South of the border and their heavy accent sealed that fact. They were an odd pair. One was short and over weight and the other was tall and needed to gain a few pounds. The fat one did all the talking.
“Everyone up against the wall. Nobody leaves until we leave. You people behind the counter git out here where we can see you. This here is Paco and my name is Hector but you can call me ‘El Diablo’ and if you don’t do what we say there will be hell to pay.
Paco, take the manager and get the money out of the safe. The rest of you empty your pockets into this sack.”
He pulled a dirty cloth bag from his back pocket and handed it to Tom. That’s when he first noticed Sarah who stood close behind him.
“Well well, what have we here? You’re a pretty little seniorita now aren’t you? Why don’t you step on out here where I can get a better look at you? Don’t be shy. Maybe you would like to give me a kiss, no? I know I would like to give you one.” He moved closer but Tom stepped in front of Sarah to protect her.
Hector stopped short. “Oh, I see we have a hero here. You think you can protect this little one from El Diablo? Don’t worry; I won’t hurt her, I promise. But you on the other hand, are in my way.”
Hector shot off a round at Tom but his aim was not quite true. The bullet hit Tom but Sarah was the one who fell to the floor. The bullet had passed right through Tom’s left arm and hit her in the chest.
“Now look what you made me do. How am I going to get my kiss now?”
As soon as Tom realized Sarah had been hit he lost all thought of self-preservation as he went for Hector’s throat in a fit of rage. But before he could get close he was dropped by two quick shots from Hector’s gun.
Hector was beginning to get a little agitated now.
“Who’s next; who else wants to feel the sting of El Diablo? Who else wants to be a hero?”
Paco came out of the back with a sack full of money.
“You’re making quite a lot of noise. Do you want to bring the sheriff here before we have a chance to get away?”
“Let him come,” cried Hector. “I have tasted blood here today. If he wants to be added to the count that’s of no concern to me.”
Paco was heading for the door. “Enough blood. Lets go now.”
As soon as the two men were out the door, the bank patrons went into action. One went out the back door to find the sheriff. Another went to get the doc while several others attended to Tom and Sarah.
Sarah was beyond help. The bullet had found it’s way to her heart. She was dead. Tom on the other hand was still alive but needed quick medical attention. The last two bullets had hit him in the leg and the side.
It was several days before Tom regained his senses enough to understand that his young love, Sarah had been killed. He was despondent for quite some time and as he recovered from his wounds he made a vow to himself that he would track down El Diablo and send him straight to hell where he belonged.
It took several months before Tom had regained enough strength to get around on his own. As soon as he was able, he bought the ring he was going to give Sarah the day she was killed. He walked up the tree-lined path to the gravesite where she had been laid to rest. He dropped to his knees and wept bitterly for some time. He dug a small hole in the ground next to the marker and gently laid down the ring. As he covered it over he repeated out loud the vow he had made to himself.
“Sarah, as God is my witness, I will hunt down El Diablo. There will be no trial and the sentence will be just. I will avenge your death if it’s the last thing I do.”
He got to his feet and headed back down the path. He didn’t say another word and he didn’t look back. Once he had put together what few belongings he wanted to take with him he sold his ranch to the bank and headed south.
After several weeks he had worked his way into Arizona. He made a point of stopping at the sheriff’s office in each town he came to trying to gather as much information as he could on El Diablo. What he had managed to find out was not very impressive. Hector and Paco were from South of the border. That he already knew. Seems they would wander up North as far as Nevada from time to time, cause a lot of trouble and eventually head back down South. They were wanted for six bank robberies and as many killings. There were posters up with a five hundred dollar reward for Hector and three hundred for Paco.
Tom continued heading south. He knew he would eventually hear something if he kept on the move so he drifted for most of a year. It was in Southern Arizona in a small town called Cactus Flats where he first got wind of a bank robbery not too far from where he was. It involved a half dozen men and two of them fit the description of El Diablo and his ever present sidekick, Paco. Tom questioned the local sheriff trying to get as much information as he could. The sheriff didn’t know much. All he could tell Tom was the name of the town. It was Adobe City, about ten miles East of Cactus Flats. Tom mounted up and headed out for Adobe City. When he arrived he was surprised to hear that one of the men had been wounded during the robbery and was left behind. It turned out to be Paco, El Diablo’s sidekick and he was spilling his guts to the town’s marshal.
Tom poked around for a time trying to gather as much information as he could from the marshal and his men. What he found out was very interesting.
About six months ago Paco and Hector were laying low in Mexico. They were in a local cantina bragging about the last bank job they had pulled and buying drinks with American gold coins. There were other desperados in the cantina who were listening and before the night was over these other men had ‘convinced’ the two to join forces with them. Paco was against the idea and tried to talk Hector out of it but the others threatened to slit his throat from ear to ear if he didn’t keep his mouth shut. It wasn’t long before they both realized this new situation was a bad one. The group planned to rob the bank in Adobe City and high tail it back across the border. Paco and Hector made their own plans to split from the group once the money was divided.
Tom was happy to see that Paco had been captured but he had a promise to keep. He wasn’t about to stop until El Diablo had breathed his last.
A posse had been formed and was tracking the robbers south towards Mexico. Tom headed out hoping to catch up with them and join in on the search. He rode for two days but they were nowhere to be found.
It was early afternoon on the second day. Tom had made it into Texas and was heading for a group of trees to get some relief from the scorching sun. As he approached,
something in the distance caught his eye. He dismounted and drew his gun. Walking slowly forward he began to get a clearer picture of what he was looking at. It was a man who had been hung from one of the trees. Tom continued his approach with a note of caution. Once he was close enough he could see that the body had been hanging there for a couple of days as it had a smell about it and was beginning to bloat from the heat. His boots were off and something had been chewing at what was left of his feet. Tom moved around to the front of the body to get a better look. When he saw the face of the man who hung from the end of the rope he didn’t know whether to jump for joy or cry out of sheer disappointment.
It was El Diablo.
Apparently his newfound friends had second thoughts about sharing any of the loot with him.
Tom was satisfied that El Diablo was finally dead, but he was extremely disappointed that he wasn’t the one who finished him off. Tom cut the rope and dropped him to the ground. He would leave him there for the wolves to devour his remains and defecate them across the Texas landscape. If this was all the satisfaction he could get out of the death of El Diablo, it would have to be enough.
As promised, there was no trial and the sentence was just. His quest was now over. His promise had been fulfilled. His drifting days had come to an end.
He mounted up and turned his horse toward home.
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