Part 47 (1/2)
”When did he go?”
”This morning, early. He--”
”Who's been here since he left?”
Rosa was recovering from her first surprise, and now her black brows drew together in anger. ”No one has come. You are the first. And have you no manners to stride into a respectable house--?”
Dave broke in harshly: ”Rosa, you're lying. Jose Sanchez has been here within an hour. Where is he?” When the girl only grew whiter and raised a hand to her breast, he stepped toward her, crying, ”Answer me!”
Rosa recoiled, and the breath caught in her throat like a sob. ”I'll tell you nothing,” she said in a thin voice. Then she began to tremble.
”Why do you want Jose?”
”You know why. He killed Don Eduardo, and then he rode here. Come! I know everything.”
”Lies! Lies!” Rosa's voice grew shrill. ”Out of this house! I know you.
It was you who betrayed Panfilo, and his blood is on your hands, a.s.sa.s.sin!” With the last word she made as if to retreat, but Dave was too quick; he seized her, and for an instant they struggled breathlessly.
Dave had reasoned beforehand that his only chance of discovering anything from this girl lay in utterly terrorizing her and in profiting by her first panic; therefore he pressed his advantage. He succeeded better than he had dared to hope.
”You know who killed Senor Ed,” he cried, fiercely. ”The fortune-teller read your plans, and there is no use to deny it.”
Rosa screamed again; she writhed; she tried to sink her teeth into her captor's flesh. In her body was the strength of a full-grown man, and Dave could hardly hold her. But suddenly, as the two scuffled, from the back room of the house came a sound which caused Dave to release the girl as abruptly as he had seized her--it was the clink and tinkle of Mexican spurs upon a wooden floor.
XXVI
THE WATER-CURE
Without an instant's hesitation Dave flung himself past Rosa and through the inner door.
Jose Sanchez met him with a shout; the shock of their collision overbore the lighter man, and the two went down together, arms and legs intertwined. The horse-breaker fired his revolver blindly--a deafening explosion inside those four walls--but he was powerless against his antagonist's strength and ferocity. It required but a moment for Law to master him, to wrench the weapon from his grasp, and then, with the aid of Jose's silk neck-scarf, to bind his wrists tightly.
From the front of the little house came the crash of a door violently slammed as Rosa profited by the diversion to save herself.
When finally Jose stood, panting and snarling, his back to the wall, Dave regarded him with a sinister contraction of the lips that was almost a grin.
”Well,” he said, drawing a deep breath, ”I see you didn't go to the east pasture this morning.”
”What do you want of me?” Jose managed to gasp.
There was a somewhat prolonged silence, during which Dave continued to stare at his prisoner with that same disquieting expression. ”Why did you kill Don Eduardo?” he asked.
”I? Bah! Who says I killed him?” Jose glared defiance. ”Why are you looking at me? Come! Take me to jail, if you think that will do any good.”
”It's lucky I rode to Las Palmas this morning. In another hour you would have been across the Rio Grande--with Rosa and all her fine clothes, eh? Now you will be hanged. Well, that is how fortune goes.”
The horse-breaker tossed his head and shrugged with a brave a.s.sumption of indifference; he laughed shortly. ”You can prove nothing.”
”Yes,” continued Dave, ”and Rosa will go to prison, too. Now--suppose I should let you go? Would you help me? In ten minutes you could be safe.” He inclined his head toward the muddy, silent river outside.