Part Four

“You shoot that man Captain and I will have you bound by law.”

Marshal Ryder’s voice rang around the interior of the tin church in the concussive seconds after Xavier Clem shot Jayne Cobb.

“Throw me a gun – I’ll shoot him!” The second voice belonged to Joanna Cobb, aged Ma, sometime business associate and now hostage of Xavier Clem.

Clem himself began to back away – keeping his gun hard against the head of Ma Cobb who was emitting a throaty rumble of dire Chinese curses.

Captain Reynolds was keeping still – his gun had come up in an instant with the sound of Clem’s shot and he knew full and gorram well that he could take the man down.

But there was the Marshal – and there was the mob, for all that they had been shocked into quiet by the gunfire… that weren’t like to hold.

“Sir?” Zoe asked at his back.

“I mean it Captain,” Ryder reaffirmed. “You shoot and you’ll be in the cells and I’ll have your ship grounded. Only one criminal here – I aim to keep it that way.”

Pastor Nehru agreed – and he was already beginning to clamber onto the stage. “Blood has been spilled here – this is a church – our church that you have defiled enough! No more sir!”

There was a groan from Jayne, lying on the stage – a groan echoed by the shuddering form of the veiled youngster still seated in the centre - and Annabelle James was on her feet and yelling for Doctor Brink.

That was all the distraction it took for Clem to vanish into the dark of the wings… and his hostage with him.

……………………………..

Shepherd Face was through the back exit and into the tiny vestry room beyond – not much more than a store cupboard really but it was large enough to keep a couple of men in – and Clem’s men at that. Both were armed – but they were watching the door to the interior and Face was into them before they could take aim.

All three fell in a ragged heap to the floor.

It was not the kind of fight that entertains – scrabbling for the fallen weapons, hair pulling and punches into soft places as weren’t