Murderers And Thieves "You have no proof he is dead?" Sheriff Douglas thundered angrily. Karl slowly shook his head "Nothing could have survived that". "You had better hope so. I cannot pay you for your word" Douglas said, still fuming. "I know" Karl muttered "You had better. Its not your fault in all honesty. He brought the place down before you could kill him" Douglas relaxed "I hope he is dead". "If he isn't I will change that". "Good. There is another bounty if you wish it. Galesworth Ranch was attacked by the Lions gang. They are one of the biggest gangs that I have ever seen and are led by one of the most notorious men in the country; Quentin Porter. Quentin has had a price on his head for ten years and has never even been close to being killed. The man is a excellent shot and a inspiring leader apparently. We have one of his men locked up and he needs interrogating. I want you to do that and then come talk to me with all the information you can gather. Deal?". "Deal" Karl nodded his assent. "What do you know about him?". "He walked into FredericksTown and tried to shoot up some of the locals. Deputy Dawes rendered him unconscious and transported him here. Interrogate him but do not kill him. I have another use for him". Karl nodded and left the Sheriffs office and headed to the jail. Karl opened the door and entered a room that was rather large. There was a office on one side of the room whereas the other was separated into three jail cells with a bed and toilet in each. Only one of the cells was occupied. A heavily tanned, blonde man lay on the bed of the centre cell. A man in uniform sat at the desk. He wore traditional law garments and a stetson. He had a large black bushy moustache perched on his lip. The man was reading a old, dusty book that looked like it belonged in an abandoned library. The man looked up and spoke in an heavily southern accent. "Good afternoon to ya. What brings ya to my fine building?" "To interrogate this man here" Karl pointed at the figure in the cell. "Good luck wit' that. Mans tougher than a nut protected by a steel shield". The man stood "Are you Vincent Harlow?" Karl asked the officer. The officer nodded, set down the book and pulled a set of keys from his pocket, which he threw to Karl. Karl caught them with both hands and walked over to the cell. "Wake up" The man replied in a deep, cold voice "And if I don't?" "Then I will make you" The mans eyes opened and he sat up. "What can I do for you?" The criminal said calmly. "I am here to talk. What is your name?" Karl asked. "Jack McElle" "So Jack, why don't you tell me about what you do for a living?" "I fight for what is right" "You murder, rob and steal" "I strive to achieve peace. As does every one of my accomplices" "You have lost many of your allies" Karl began. "Victory is not measured by losses. It is measured in gains. Which we have many more of" Jack stood calmly. "Tell me a little more about your gang" "The Lions are a large group who fight the government" "Terrorists. What are your plans?" "Kill the government, help the poor and end all wars. We will make this country safe and happy" Karl scoffed "What is your plan to achieve that?" "My comrades will attack this pitiful town and burn it to the ground. We have the numbers and skills yet we do not have the firepower to assault a city. Better to start out small" "I am glad you are being so cooperative" "If I were you I would evacuate this town quickly. Before it is too late" "Where is your camp?" "That is for me to know and you to never find out" "Fine. Vincent, make sure he is properly locked in" Karl tossed the keys back to the officer and left. "They plan to take down the government?" Douglas asked. "Apparently so" Karl nodded "They are even crazier than I thought. There is only about sixty of the rats and they expect to take on an entire country? I didn't expect their ambitions to be any bigger than stirring up trouble" "They will attack Soneson" "Makes sense. We had better make sure we are prepared" "I agree. How many cops do we have?" "Twenty but we can get reinforcements from Kiordon. They have forty and could lend us a few. Approximately thirty-five lawmen to defend against sixty. Not enough on paper but our men have more skill" "Quality will prevail, not quantity" Karl interrupted "I sure hope so. Quentin has the governor of Kiordon and has vowed to execute him. The Kiordon force plans to assault the Lions camp but they dont know where it is. I have my best men on it. I want you to go and question one of the survivors from the massacre yesterday. See what information you can get from her. Her name is Louisa Sullivan. She is quite rattled so be gentle. Rest for the night and set out in the morn. Good luck" Karl arrived at Galesworth ranch at noon the following day. The ranch was a large wooden building surrounded by empty fields. Karl dismounted Fury and rapped on the door. After a moment the door slowly opened. Louisa was an elderly woman with dull grey hair that reached her shoulder. She was rather small and hunched. She had the look of someone who was intelligent yet sad. "Are you Louisa Sullivan?" Karl asked "Yes" The old lady croaked "I am Karl Winnebrock and am working with Sheriff Douglas Park to end the Lions terror. I would like to ask you a few questions" "Go ahead Karl" Louisa nodded "What happened two days ago?" "About a two dozen men attacked my ranch. They rode in on horses and shot up the cattle. Robert, my husband, ran out with his shotgun and told them to leave. They shot him. They did the same to my daughter and grandson. I was in the outhouse and hid there until they left. They are evil men. What are you going to do to them?" "Arrest them or kill them" Karl said gently. Then suddenly he heard voices behind him. Karl spun around to see a group five or six men on horseback riding towards the ranch, rifles in hands. Karl quickly rushed inside and Louisa shut the door. "Stay quiet" Karl murmured. "I am going to go and kill them" "They will kill you" "Not if I shoot first" Karl flung the door open and pulled his gun out. He began firing at the Lions. They fired back and gunfire rang out, echoing for miles. Karl gunned down two but then the central Lion fired a lucky shot. Karl felt a sudden, extreme pain in his shoulder and his vision became disoriented. He slowly collapsed onto the door and dropped the gun. The criminals turned and rode away, leaving their dead comrades and their targets. Karl's vision slowly turned black as he passed out from the pain