Mobley's Law, A Mobley Meadows Novel Read online

  PROLOGUE

  The late afternoon sun shining through the large Oval Office window produced a strange halo-like glow behind the man in the chair, and to Mobley Meadows demonstrated perfectly the power of President Ulysses S. Grant. Though in shadow, the slight smile on Grant’s face was a neutral one as he stood to shake hands. The strength in his grip left no doubt as to who was in command.

  Grant was notoriously intelligent, single minded, and looked as if he were born to leadership. His dark piercing eyes, close-set under a low brow, gave him away. Brier-like eyebrows in need of a trim combined with his rumpled suit coat defined him as man who cared little for appearances, and less for those who did.

  Mobley had been called to the White House for reasons only the President knew, and Mobley intended to behave in keeping with the significance of the event. He owed much to this man, for little cause, and short of a solicitation of murder, whatever it was he wanted of Mobley, he would get.

  “Good morning, Judge Meadows,” Grant said as he held Mobley in his grip. “It’s good to finally meet you. Your grandfather has had nothing but good things to say about you, and as you know, I have depended upon him for advice for a very long time. He was my right hand man from the start of the war to the end at Appomattox. No finer officer ever lived.

  Mobley nodded as he held the grip, allowing the President to break it as he chose. “Yes, Mr. President, Angus Meadows is quite a man. I’ve known that since I was a little tyke and he was wandering around the backwoods in buckskins. People looked up to him for just about everything. I certainly would not have gone into the law or become a judge without his help, and I am grateful for whatever he said to you to get you to appoint me to the Federal Circuit Court. I want you to know I intend to live up to your expectations and will conduct myself with all the honor and integrity worthy of the position.”

  The smile on Grant’s face warmed slightly, as if he both understood the sincerity of Mobley’s statement and at once judged the compliment unnecessary. “Yes, indeed. I believe you will. Now, please sit down and have a drink with me. People are constantly abusing my reputation and proclaiming me a heavy drinker, and every now and then I like to prove to myself that it might be true.”

  Mobley decided right then that he liked this man, who could be so serious and yet so openly honest. Grant did have a reputation as a tippler, but people in the know understood it was mostly hogwash of little note promoted by those who either coveted his success or were sanctimonious stick-in-the-muds.

  Mobley sat down in the heavily tufted leather chair conveniently placed in front of the President’s desk. It, like most other furniture Mobley had encountered in his life, was too short and low to the ground for him. His knees were always sticking up, making him look gangly and self conscious. As he wriggled around trying to find a comfortable position, the President’s steward appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. He handed Mobley a crystal glass snifter of very old brandy, offered him an open box of cigars from which Mobley selected, and then did the same for President Grant.

  Mobley sniffed the length of the cigar, nodded, and then bit off the end. “Cuban, no doubt.”

  “Indeed it is. The best I can find. Are you an aficionado?”

  “No sir, nothing quite like that; but I’ve been to Cuba and recognize the aroma. It is not hard to tell the difference between those wrapped in Virginia and the Cuban varieties.”

  “Indeed.”

  A silence fell between the two men as they sipped their brandy, dipped the unlit ends into the liquid for taste, and puffed large clouds of smoke about the room. Finally, the President spoke. “I wish you were going to be here in Washington a bit longer. You remind me so much of your grandfather, I think we could become great friends. But, the fact is, I need you to take up your position and help me out down in Texas as soon as possible.”

  Mobley must have seemed startled, for Grant smiled and put his elbows on the desk. “It’s for nothing untoward or unethical, I assure you, Mobley. What you do in your official capacity is your business, and no one else’s. A Federal Circuit Court Judge cannot be obliged to anyone, even a president; but I do need some eyes and ears down there. Someone I can trust to be both honest and discrete about what he sees. Angus tells me that you fit this bill exactly.”

  Mobley nodded. There was no use denying it. He’d always tried to be absolutely honest, but he could not say he’d been all that discrete in his younger years.

  President Grant cleared his throat and continued. “Texas is on the verge of falling apart, perhaps to open warfare. But the lies and stories each side are putting out leaves me confused as to what my policy ought to be. The southern states—Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina—have all suffered so much during the war, their young people have no way to make a living. So, they’ve been moving in large numbers westward, mostly to Texas. Governor Davis has tried, I think, to maintain control; but his methods have been so harsh his opposition may have been strengthened by it. He claims the place is in a state of rebellion, with secret societies popping up all over and the people resisting the police. Now, he says he cannot recommend the state be allowed to return to self rule. The first open election since the war will be held later this year, and Davis insists it could be a disaster.

  Grant leaned back in his chair, blew a long stream of smoke skyward, and then put the cigar out in large glass ash tray. “He has asked me to cancel the election for now; but if I do that, it could be the final straw and cause the exact thing we are trying to prevent. The state has been re-admitted to the Union, but that was five years ago and former rebels were not allowed to vote. Davis won that election, but this time it is going to be a different matter. Everyone will be at the polls, including freed slaves, Mexicans and former confederate soldiers; and there are lots of them. Davis still has a chance to win, at least that is what he tells me, though I can’t imagine all those old rebels doing such a thing.”

  The President paused, leaned back and turned in his chair to stare out the bay window overlooking the White House grounds. The bright afternoon sun had lessoned its glare, but still illuminated the room and the President in its odd way.

  “Democracy is a messy business,” Grant said softly, as if wishing it were not true.

  After a moment of contemplation, he turned back to face Mobley, the vertical lines between his eyebrows clearly in evidence. “But it is the course we have set for ourselves, and I cannot reconcile Davis’s concerns with the political reality we face. At some point we must either accept the outcome or take up arms again. Can you imagine, after the dreadful loss of life we have all suffered during the war, starting it all over again?”

  Leaning forward, he put his elbows on the desk. “I’ve made no decision as yet, but will have to do so soon. In the meantime, I would like you to go down there to your circuit as soon as possible, sniff around discretely and tell me what you think. How do the people feel? Is Davis right? Might they rebel again? And what will be the consequences of allowing the governorship to be assumed by a disgruntled confederate with a legislature ready to do his bidding?”

  Mobley whistled out his own long, narrow stream of smoke, accompanied by a, “whew,” and stubbed his cigar. He nodded, stood up and extended his hand. “Mr. President, I shall do my best. Now, I think I should get out of here before you think up something else for me to do.”

  Grant stood, laughed and shook Mobley’s big hand. “A wise decision. Find out what you can and keep me informed as you go. Don’t do anything that might compromise your position or put you in a conflict. If you need anything, or have some notion of what I can do to straighten things out, send it short and sweet. If it is within my power, I will do it.”

  As Mobley turned to the door, the President stopped him.

  “One more thing, Mobley. I have something here from your grandfather. He gave it to me just last week, but in light of the task I’ve just given you, we’ve both agreed the gift should be yours.”

  Grant rea
ched into a drawer of his desk and withdrew a polished mahogany box with ornate inlaid silver scrollwork on the lid. “These are a matched pair of Colonel Colt’s latest model cartridge pistols in .45 caliber. They are the first of his presentation models with a four inch rather than the standard six inch barrel, and vary only slightly from those to be issued to the Army later this year. At the moment, they are the only ones in existence and certainly the most beautiful. I have not had a chance to fire them, but am assured they are the finest pistols in the world.”

  Mobley looked at the two pistols lying in their form fitted red velvet lined box, and was stunned into silence. They were beautifully engraved on barrel and frame, filigree inlaid with silver and gold. The color was unique, unlike anything he had seen before, black with case hardened streaks on the frame not unlike a Damascus steel sword. The grips were of genuine polished ivory and contrasted perfectly with the shiny black of the metal.

  Mobley started to refuse the gift as too extravagant, but was quickly shushed by the President. “You may not realize it, but you are about to go into harm’s way. Texas can be as peaceful one day as a mother’s breast, and as dangerous as a pit of vipers the next. We have both agreed that you may find yourself in need of the best arms available. I’ll brook no argument on this subject. Now get out of here.”

  CHAPTER 1

  The grove of prairie Cottonwood chosen for his afternoon rest had seemed a paradise, cool and green, but Mobley soon discovered it alive with critters of every sort determined to deprive him of his sanity. With a quick swipe, he flushed a swarm of flies pestering a sore on his hand, and then tried again to achieve comfort against the largest of the trees. Shortly, ants began to bite, a big spider crawled over his boot and a grizzled beaver stood, dripping wet from the creek, to hiss and growl at him as if he’d just walked into the ladies washroom at the Grand Hotel in Boston and asked for directions to a whorehouse.

  Mobley snarled back at the old beaver and drove it back into the creek, but knew it would persist in tormenting him until he took hint and abandoned its territory. The thought of a brief respite from the sun, of release from the endless waves of tall grass that distorted time and distance, no longer dominated his mind. All he needed now was that pit of vipers.

  Austin in was 200 miles from Dallas; but he’d made good time and could not be far from Waco. His judicial appointment from President Grant required him to report to the Chief Judge for the 11th Circuit Court in Austin, and thereafter to take up his duties as the newest of the nation’s U.S. Circuit Court judges. But the prairie had so reminded him of the sea, he’d not been able to resist traveling overland. He could have taken a train from Ft. Smith, but calculated the court could wait.

  As he sat up and rubbed his eyes, an odd tingle, not unlike a muscle spasm progressed from his shoulders to his neck. The feeling traveled quickly to encompass his entire head, a welling up as if it were under pressure to explode. Adrenaline shot through his body and a weight fell upon his chest, squeezing his breath like a hard punch to the breastbone. He gasped at the effect, sat straight up, both eyes open, searching.

  The ground began to shake, dust, pollen puffs and flashing leaves exploded from the Cottonwood grove, lending an odd winter-like patina to the scene before him. A low rumble became louder, manifesting itself into the distinct sound of many large animals running hard, stampeding his way. A huge cloud of dust appeared on the northern horizon. “Buffalo?”

  Mobley had heard of the Buffalo that had at one time dominated the Texas prairie, but had understood them mostly extinct in East Texas, destroyed by armies of white hunters, soldiers and pioneers.

  The cloud seemed to expand and contract before his eyes, a huge yellow amoeba of dust and smoke. A few figures emerged. Definitely, not buffalo.

  Holy Hades! Mobley scrambled to his feet, waving his hat to clear the air. His throat went dry and tightened ominously. It was a sorry lot of cutthroats, howling madmen in a blind charge accompanied by the noise and smoke of many firearms. In a single blink, they were pouring down the far knoll 200 yards away, a wave of mindless trash hungry for blood. Whatever the grievance, it looked as if this gang had cast its lot for murder, and was in no mood for negotiation.

  For a man six foot six inches in height, Mobley was remarkably well coordinated, but he was no cat, capable of popping alert instantly for a run to the nearest tree. Moving rapidly with his butt longing for relief from hours on horseback was not easy, but the situation was clear and like it or not, he had to move. More to the point, it was time to RUN!

  In two giant steps Mobley was upon his horse. Rather than mount in his usual disjointed way, all elbows and angles, he’d flopped spread-eagle aboard, squeezing sensitive parts of his anatomy in the process. He seized the dangling reins and jerked her around to the south. With a wild groping swipe, he snatched at his pack mule’s picket rope, missed, then thought better of the idea. No time to save supplies. He slapped Meteor with the flat of his boots, trying desperately to get her moving and out of the draw, away from this camp.

  Good riddance to the place. Old Angus had been right. The Texas prairie was no place for the faint of heart, slow of foot, or those prone to pucker in times of stress. He booted Meteor harder, legs splaying outward with the effort. GIDDAP! But move she did not. She was somewhere else, safe in grazing mode, unaware of the mortal danger, content to do no more than munch and fart after a hard day’s ride.

  The very air now seemed alive, full of electric charge, as if a mean storm was about to crash down on Mobley’s head, and still Meteor piddled, ignoring another hard boot. Then, an odd flutter and buzz, like that of a saw mill winding down, or a big hornet about to sting, raised the hair on the back of Mobley’s neck.

  BOOM! He ducked. BOOOM! SMACK! A large caliber bullet howled past, ripping bark and splinters from the old tree, shaking more clouds of dust and silver-backed leaves upon him. A cacophony of explosions followed, echoing down the shallow draw. The pack mule screamed, bounced straight up in the air and bolted westward, heavy pack careening loosely from side to side.

  Heeeeaaaaahhhh huh huh.

  Mobley turned his boots outward to engage the spurs he’d almost forgotten, and then stuck Meteor hard in the ribs. She reared, twisted in the air, and commenced to buck.

  Mobley risked a peek over his shoulder at the oncoming riders. Gobs of slathering sweat flew from the flanks of the charging horses, hooves pounding clouds of dust, running flat-out, galloping, careening horses, legs flailing out as they sought purchase on uncertain ground. On their backs, the screaming, hideous looking men, arms full of weaponry produced a continuous rattle of explosions, poorly aimed shots but definitely directed at Mobley Meadows.

  Holy Mother! These men were not just a tad irritable. Bullets whined off rocks, thunked trees, and sizzled past his ear as Mobley fought desperately to stay on his terrified horse and put distance between himself and these assassins.

  Meteor hunched and bucked around in a full circle, first running away from, then in panic turning back toward the danger, responding to Mobley’s own excitement and contradictory rein. Mobley had never been anything but gentle with Meteor and realized that the hard spur had shocked her into active disobedience.

  He wrapped his long legs almost completely around the big Appaloosa’s belly in an effort to stay seated, but knew if she continued to misbehave, he was doomed. Still, she hunched, bucked, crow-hopped, and ran in another circle. In desperation, Mobley leaned as far forward as he could, stroked her neck with his hat and waved it alongside her head. It was a trick he’d used before to distract her and lessen the panic.

  One last jump, then, haunches squat, chest and head high, Meteor began to move. Chunks of moist black earth and grass flew from her driving hooves. Sparks scattered off the iron of her shoes as they struck the cobbles of the small creek winding through the cottonwood thicket. A covey of quail exploded from the brush directly under Meteor’s flashing feet, but she remained under control and held her course as the birds w
hirred away to the West.

  Mobley shrugged his head deep into his chest, white knuckles and fingers clinging to the saddle as the horse broke into a full gallop. In an instant he was up and out of the draw, gaining ground on a short stretch of flat prairie. When that came to an end, he dodged around hillocks and knolls to throw off the aim of his pursuers as he extended his lead.

  He’d run close to a mile when he noticed a shallow notch leading down onto a lower plain. He leaned his horse into the narrow opening and saw the Brazos River valley expand as a great panorama before him, the glint of the river itself threading like a huge snake a mile or so off in the distance, its approaches overgrown with brush and trees. For a moment he considered trying to lose himself in the thickets, but river brush here was rough, not unlike the brier of home in Tennessee where even a bear could not move. A man hung up in there would be easy to flush. All they would have to do was circle his hideout with firebrands and wait. He’d keep running. Let the horses decide. His confidence in the Appaloosa was complete.

  Meteor pounded flat-out now on smooth bottomland near the river, neck stretched forward, tail standing straight out in the wind. With his lead extending, Mobley had time to study the terrain unfolding before him. Directly ahead, the river had cut a valley several miles wide free of brush and deep ravines. High cliffs stood off to the right. The ground near the cliffs sloped gently in what looked like steps in a balcony for as far as he could see, and the valley opened even more as he angled away from the river. If he kept to the flat land, he should be able to put some distance between himself and his pursuers, but sooner or later he would have to fort up. Everything depended, of course, on how hard his pursuers chose to push.

  Looking back, he saw two of the men break away, racing ahead to stay on his heels while the others reined back to keep their horses fresh. There was no choice now. With this tactic they would eventually run him to ground, even with Meteor’s speed and endurance. It was decision time. He must head for an opening in the cliff and fort up. If he could find a place with water and rocks to hide behind, he could at least make them pay dearly for his life.