“Okay.”
“How long a ride is it from here to Highbinder?”
“Two days.”
“So they’ll have to camp overnight on the trail.”
“Right,” Cotton said. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m wondering what would happen if we met them on the trail?” Shaye said.
“And did what?” the lawman asked, carefully.
“Somehow persuaded them not to come to Pearl River Junction.”
“And how would we do that without gunplay?”
“We probably couldn’t,” Shaye admitted.
“Dan, I don’t think I could do that,” Cotton said. “I mean…I’m the sheriff and—”
“That’s okay,” Shaye said, cutting him off. “I was just trying it out on you. I know you can’t do anything that’s against the law.”
“I’m sure there are some lawmen who stretch the law, Dan,” Cotton went on. “Maybe it’s a failing in me that I can’t—”
“Riley,” Shaye said, “it’s okay. I understand.”
They sat quietly for a few moments and then Cotton said, “You and your sons wouldn’t ride out there and face them, would you?”
“No,” Shaye said, “not without knowing exactly how many there are. Sheriff Coffey said eight, but we don’t know if they’ll be riding all together or not. I mean, if I was Collier I wouldn’t want to ride in here with seven other men and attract attention.”
“So you think they’ll come in separately?”
“In three or four groups, probably,” Shaye said. “We’ll have to get a description of him from Belinda, just so we’ll have a chance to recognize him when he rides in.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“I think we’re pretty safe in assuming they won’t arrive until the day after tomorrow,” Shaye said. “I just wish your sheriff friend would send us one more telegram.”
“Maybe he will,” Cotton said, “after they leave town.”
“Yeah,” Shaye said, “if he can. Given the size of that town, I also assume he has no deputies?”
“No,” Cotton said, “and he hasn’t had the job all that long either.”
Shaye stared for a moment, not at anything in particular.
“You think he’s in trouble, don’t you?”
“Oh yes,” Shaye said, “I do. And we’re too far away to be of any help. All we can do is wait.”
The blood from the wounds in Sheriff Coffey’s face had run down his chest and soaked into the ropes that were binding him.
“That’s enough,” Jeb told Lou Tanner. Aside from Delay, Jeb had respect for Lou Tanner above all the other men and Tanner had proven him right by bringing the lawman in. Because of that he had allowed Tanner to don his leather gloves and “question” Sheriff Coffey.
When Jeb called him off, Tanner stepped back and stripped off his bloody leather gloves.
“We’ve got what we need,” Jeb said. “One sheriff with one full-time and one part-time deputy in Pearl River Junction. That’s all we need to know.”
“So we don’t need him anymore?” Vic Delay asked.
“No.”
“I mean,” Delay said, “we don’t need him alive any—”
“No, Vic,” Jeb said, “we don’t need him. Do what you want.”
All of the men except for Lou Tanner, who knew Delay well, were startled when the man simply drew his gun and fired a shot into the sheriff’s chest, putting the bloody man out of his misery. The sheriff’s chair hopped in the air and came down on its back with a
Delay ejected the spent cartridge and inserted a live one before holstering his gun.
“Lou, take the men to the bar and get them a drink on me,” Jeb said.
“Sure.” Tanner kept himself from calling Jeb “boss.” He didn’t think it would sit right with Delay. The last thing he wanted to do was get Vic Delay mad at him. He knew better than anyone how unpredictable Delay was.
Once the six men were standing at the bar, effectively blocking the bartender’s view, Jeb put his arm around Delay and said, “Vic, I don’t think we need to leave the bartender or the telegraph operator behind when we leave either.”
“I can take care of that right now.”
“Do the bartender tonight and the telegraph operator tomorrow before we leave. For tonight we can put both bodies behind the bar and then close this place up when we go to the hotel.”
“Okay,” Delay said, “but maybe they’ll be gone by mornin’.”
“Not these people,” Jeb said. “They got no place else to go.”
“We should probably disable the key as well as the operator.”
“No problem,” Delay said. “And while we’re checking out in the mornin’ I could also do the desk clerk.”
“Ah, why not?” Jeb said. “Then we at least get our rooms for free, right?”
Both men left and walked toward the bar, Delay drawing his gun again.
47
Jeb Collier came out of the hotel and found Ben waiting there with his horse. Behind him he heard a shot. He thought that must be Vic Delay taking care of the hotel bill.
The night before, when they had returned to the hotel, he’d heard Delay ask the clerk, “Say, how many people live in this town anyway?”
“Not very many anymore,” the clerk said. “Probably a dozen or so of us left, is all.”
Well, Jeb had thought, minus the sheriff and the bartender.
On the way up the stairs to their rooms, Jeb said, “You want to kill the whole town, Vic?”
“I’m thinkin’ about it.”
“Forget it,” Jeb said. “Take care of the telegraph in the morning and the desk clerk, then we’ll be on our way.”
“You’re callin’ the shots,” Delay had said.
Now it was morning and there was only the telegraph key and operator to take care of. Once the key was disabled, it didn’t matter how many people they left behind.
Delay came out of the hotel, pulling on his black leather gloves.
“Paid the bill,” he said.
“Okay, let’s do the rest of it and get on the trail,” Jeb said. He took the reins of his horse from his brother.
“Where’s my horse?” Delay asked.
Nervously, Ben said, “Tanner’s got it over to the saloon, Mr. Delay. That’s where the rest of the boys are.”
“Ben, I’m goin’ to the telegraph office with Vic,” Jeb said, mounting up. “Go get the rest of the boys ready to travel—and they better not be drunk.”
“Sure, Jeb.”
As Ben rode off toward the saloon, Delay said, “He’s an idiot.”
“But he’s my brother,” Jeb said. “Don’t forget that, Vic.”
The two matched stares, Jeb getting the upper hand because he was mounted and looking down at Delay.
“Like I said,” Delay repeated, “you’re callin’ the shots,” and then he added to himself—
