Someone was speaking to him, or about him. He heard his name, yet he
found it impossible to concentrate long enough to understand what was
being said. His head felt as though there were little men inside,
standing between his eyes, pounding his skull with sharp hammers.
Was he hung over? The question intruded into his hazy thoughts. No,
he never got drunk when he was away from Rosehill, and even when he was
home, he rarely had more than an occasional beer in the heat of the
afternoon. He didn't like the aftereffects. Liquor, he'd learned the
hard way, dulled the senses and the reflexes, and with half the
gunslingers in the territory wanting to build their reputations by
killing him in a shoot-out, he wasn't about to drink anything more
dulling than water.
Someone was having a mighty fine time. He heard laughter again and
tried to turn his head toward the sound. Pain shot up from the base of
his neck, causing bile to rush to his throat. Ah, Lord, he felt like
hell.
'Looks like he's coming around, Josey. You'd best get on back home
before he starts growling and spewing. You're liable to get your
feelings hurt.' Sheriff Tom Norton stared through the bars of the cell
while he addressed his wife of thirty years.
Josey Norton scurried away before Cole could get his eyes focused. It
took him a minute to realize where he was. He gritted his teeth as he
sat up on the narrow cot and swung his legs to the floor. His hands
gripped the mattress and his head dropped to his chest.
He studied the sheriff through bloodshot eyes. Norton was an older man
with weather-beaten skin, a potbelly, and melancholy eyes. He looked
like a harmless hound dog.
'Why am I in jail? ' The question was issued in a sharp whisper.
The sheriff leaned against the bars, crossed one ankle over the other,
and smiled. 'You broke the law, son.'
'How? ' 'Disturbing the peace.'
'What? ' 'No need to shout. I can see it pained you.
You've got a nice bump on the back of your head, and I don't suppose
yelling is gonna make you feel better. Don't you remember what
happened? ' Cole shook his head and immediately regretted it. Pain
exploded behind his eyes.
'I remember being sick.'
