about?” he asked.
“Goddamn Timmerman thinks your brother ain’t good enough for his daughter.”
“He said that?”
“Not in so many words,” Shaye replied, “but that’s what he meant.”
“Pa, James ain’t said two words to that gal except to make a deposit.”
“I know that.”
“So what makes the mayor think—”
“Apparently the girl has told her father that James is…watchin’ her.”
“Watchin’?” Thomas asked. “He peeks in the window at her sometimes, but it ain’t like he’s followin’ her or nothin’.”
“I’ll have a talk with him,” Shaye said. “I don’t need this aggravation. Not now.”
Thomas knew what his father meant. He suspected they were all feeling the effects of this unwanted anniversary.
“Where is James?”
“Watchin’ those two strangers,” Thomas said. “Speakin’ of which, I better get over there and spell him again.”
“Once they turn in, forget about them, Thomas,” Shaye said. “They’re probably passin’ through, just like they said.”
“Okay, Pa. You want me to talk to James—”
“Don’t mention anythin’ to James,” Shaye said, cutting him off. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Sure, Pa.”
Shaye stared at the door after Thomas closed it behind him. He had sensed no anger in his oldest son, but he knew it was there. He knew this time would come, when they’d mark one year since the deaths of Mary and Matthew, but he’d had no idea how it would affect them all. He wondered if there was anger inside James as well.
14
Cardwell watched out the front window, waiting for the other deputy to come. When the man showed up, he looked around, obviously trying to decide his next move. If he came into the hotel to check on him…but he didn’t. He hesitated a moment, then turned and walked back the way he had come.
Cardwell left the room, went downstairs and out the back door.
Of the six other strangers who had come to town, Cardwell wanted to find Simon Jacks. He knew that Jacks would seek out a back table at the smallest, quietest saloon and wait there for him to find him—which he did, at the third saloon he checked.
“What took you so long?” Jacks asked as Cardwell sat down across from him. “You saw me ride in.”
“We saw all of you ride in,” Cardwell said, “but Davis managed to attract some attention to us.”
“What kind of attention?”
“The law kind.”
“I told you a long time you should get rid of him.”
“I will,” Cardwell said, “after this job is over.”
“He still thinks he’s gettin’ a full share?”
“Yes.”
“All right,” Jacks said, “you might as well get a beer and tell me everything that’s happened.”
Simon Jacks did not look anything like the hard case Ben Cardwell knew he was. His clothes were not flashy, and the gun he wore on his hip was well worn and unremarkable. You couldn’t tell the kind of man he was unless you looked into his eyes.
Jacks was about ten years older than Cardwell, and had been working with him for five years. He was more experienced than Cardwell, but Simon Jacks had never had the desire to be anyone’s leader. He was perfectly happy when someone gave him a job to do, and then paid him when it was done.
He listened intently while Cardwell explained everything that had happened since their arrival in town, after first getting himself a beer from the bar.
“I hope the rest of the men are smarter than Davis,” Cardwell finished.
“Don’t worry,” Jacks said. “They won’t attract any unwanted attention. Tell me about these deputies.”
“They’re young,” Cardwell said, “and brothers, and their father is the sheriff.”
“A sheriff with sons as deputies?”
“Yeah, so?”
Jacks sat forward. “What’s their name?”
“Shaye,” Cardwell said. “Why?”
“The father, he’s Dan Shaye?”
“Yeah. He was supposed to be some kind of big lawman in Texas a while back.”
“Jesus,” Jacks said, “this changes things, Ben.”
“How?”
“You don’t know who these men are?”
“Local law—”
“Do you know about the Langer gang?”
Cardwell hesitated, then said, “Wait a minute. They’re the ones?”
Jacks nodded. “They hunted down the Langer gang, killed them all except for Ethan. Him they crippled and then put in Huntsville.”
“Okay, wait,” Cardwell said, “wait a minute. This can still work.”
“You still want to go ahead with the job?”
“I’ve planned it too long to let it go now,” Cardwell said. “We know who Shaye is, and his sons. We can deal with them.”
Jacks sat back in his chair and stared at Cardwell.
“Well, you’re the planner,” he said finally. “What do you want to do?”
“We’ve got the deputies watchin’ us,” Cardwell said. “Chances are they’ve been so busy doin’ that, they haven’t even noticed you and the others.”
“Nobody’s checking into a hotel,” Jacks said. “They’ll bed down wherever they find room. I don’t want their names showing up on hotel registers. Let ’em sleep in a boardinghouse, stable, I don’t care.”
“That’s good.”
“What about Shaye himself?” Jacks asked. “Is he watching like the others?”
“No,” Cardwell said. “We haven’t even talked to him. I’ve only spoken with the oldest son. I think his name is Thomas.” He looked at Jacks. “Do you know Shaye?”
“No,” the man said, “but I’ve heard of him.”
“He’s old,” Cardwell said. “He got to be fifty. Can’t be the man he used to be.”
“Man enough to track down the entire Langer gang with only his two sons.”
“Okay, okay,” Cardwell said, “so we’ll be careful. We’re still gonna do this, Simon.”
“Hey,” Jacks said, “just point me in the direction you want me to go.”
“What about the others?” Cardwell asked. “Will they recognize the lawman’s name?”
“Maybe not,” Jacks said, “but why do they have to hear it?”
“Good point.”
“Get us another couple of beers,” Jacks said, “and we’ll drink to gettin’ this done.”
15
