“I’ll work something out,” Crow said.
“What happens when you find him?”
“I report to my employer,” Crow said.
Jesse nodded slowly. “As long as I have you in town,” he said, “I’m going to do everything I can to put together a case against you.”
“I figured that,” Crow said. “I say you won’t be able to.”
“Limitation is sort of complicated,” Jesse said. “There was bank robbery involved, kidnapping, these fall under federal statutes. I’ll talk to an ADA tomorrow, see what they can tell me.”
“Ten years covers most things,” Crow said.
“We’re going to watch you all the time you’re in town,” Jesse said.
“But you’re not going to harass me.”
“If we can put a case together on you, we’ll arrest you,” Jesse said.
“Until then?” Crow said.
“We’ll wait and watch,” Jesse said.
Crow nodded. The two men sat silently until Crow spoke.
“You know about me,” he said.
“I checked you out,” Jesse said. “When you were here before.”
“What they tell you,” Crow said.
“Be very careful,” Jesse said.
Crow smiled.
“Macklin was good,” Crow said.
Jesse nodded.
“I wasn’t sure anybody could take him,” Crow said.
“Except you?” Jesse said.
“Except me.”
“Now you know,” Jesse said.
Crow nodded. They were quiet again. Both men motionless, looking at each other.
“You let the hostages go,” Jesse said.
Crow nodded.
“They were all women,” he said.
“Yes,” Jesse said.
They looked at each other some more. The room felt charged, Jesse thought, as if a thunderstorm were near. Then Crow rose gracefully to his feet.
“I guess we know where we stand,” Crow said.
“Stop by anytime,” Jesse said.
Crow smiled and went out the door, past Suitcase Simpson, who was leaning on the wall just to the right of Jesse’s door, and past Molly Crane, who was on the other side.
