“Maybe I’m just tryin’ to save you for myself.”
“Like you said before, Mr. Delay,” Thomas replied, “that might be interestin’.”
Thomas went back and resumed his position.
Shaye looked in the window of the saloon and saw Thomas sit down with Delay. He watched for the few moments they spoke and then Thomas got up and went back to his post, leaning against the back wall.
He turned away from the window and looked up and down the street. It was quiet, as if the town knew that something was amiss. It was so quiet, in fact, that he could hear a horse coming down the street. The
62
Jeb Collier spotted the lawman in front of the sheriff’s office right off as soon as he straightened out and started down the main street. Then he saw the man on the roof. Last, he saw there was a lawman standing right in front of the Wagon Wheel Saloon. Without seeing the other saloons in town, he pegged the Wagon Wheel as being the biggest. That meant that the rest of his men—and Vic Delay—had already attracted the attention of the law.
He rode by all three lawmen without turning his head and eventually found the livery stable at the far end of town.
“Sure is a busy day for strangers,” the liveryman said.
“That a fact?”
“Not that I’m complainin’, mind ya,” Charlie Styles said. “I can always use the business.”
“Saw some lawmen linin’ the streets,” Jeb said. “They expectin’ trouble?”
“Already had some.”
“Bad?”
“Naw,” Styles said, “young deputy took a beatin’ at the hands of two strangers. Difference of opinion, I think. He thought he was a deputy and they thought he was too young to tote the badge. Guess they was right.”
“That land them in jail?”
“Beats me, mister,” Styles said. “I ain’t left here all day.”
Jeb grabbed his rifle and saddlebags and readied himself to leave.
“I need a small, quiet hotel,” he said to Styles. “Can you recommend one?”
“Just up the street, right after the junction, but before you get to the middle of town. It’s pretty quiet. Ya can’t hear all the noise from the Wagon Wheel there.”
“The Wagon Wheel,” Jeb said. “That the biggest saloon in town?”
“Sure is, biggest and noisiest.”
“Sounds like it’ll do, then,” Jeb said. “Thanks.”
He started out the door, then stopped and said, “Oh yeah, you know a gal named Belinda Davis?”
“Sure, that’s the gal lives with the sheriff and his wife.”
“Oh yeah? Where would that be?”
When Jeb Collier didn’t reappear at the Wagon Wheel, Shaye figured he was boarding his horse and checking into a hotel first. When dusk passed and he still didn’t appear, he thought they’d been had and went across the street to talk to the sheriff…
Tanner eventually made his way across the floor to Vic Delay’s table and sat down.
“Past dusk, Vic,” he said. “Reckon Jeb got held up?”
“I’m thinkin’ he never meant to meet us here at dusk,” Delay said. “He just wanted us to occupy the local law.”
“While he goes to see his gal?”
“That’s what I figure.”
“So whatta we do?”
“We wait here,” Delay said. “He’ll be along when he’s done.”
“We got us a lot of attention from the law,” Tanner said. “How we gonna hit that bank?”
“That’s Jeb’s lookout,” Delay said. “He’s the big bank job planner.”
“So we still dependin’ on him?”
“Lou,” Delay said, “all I can say is he better come through for us or I will be pissed that he hung us out here to give him time to see his girlfriend.”
“I seen the deputy come over and talk to you.”
“I invited him,” Delay said. “I also talked with his pa.”
“His pa?” Tanner frowned.
“You ever heard the name Shay Daniels…”
“My house?” Riley Cotton asked.
“That’s what I figure,” Shaye said. “When he didn’t come back, I thought, That sonofabitch. He’s got us watching all the other men while he sneaks over to see Belinda and the baby.”
“And Marion!” Cotton said. “I gotta get over there!”
“Slow down, Sheriff,” Shaye said. “He’s not going to hurt Marion. Let’s just take a walk over there and see what’s going on.”
“What about Thomas?” Cotton asked. “He’s inside.”
“He’ll be fine. Just let me wave James down from the roof. He can go inside and back Thomas up.”
Shaye turned, caught James’s attention, and waved for him to come down. Then he pointed, hoping James would understand that he wanted him to go inside the saloon.
“What about Thad?”
They both turned and looked at the young deputy, still seated in a chair in front of the office.
“Let’s leave him here,” Shaye said.
Cotton walked over to Thad and said, “You don’t move from here unless you hear a shot, understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
Cotton turned to Shaye and said, “Let’s get the hell over to my house.”
“Take it easy, sheriff,” Shaye said. “Remember, we don’t want to spook him.”
63
When they came within sight of the sheriff’s house, they saw three figures in the backyard. One was Belinda, one was obviously the boy, Little Matt. The third was Jeb Collier.
“Where’s Marion?” Cotton said. “If he’s done anything—”
Shaye grabbed Cotton before he could rush the yard.
“Let’s go in the front,” Shaye said. “We’ll probably find Marion inside, safe and sound.”
“But what about—”
“He’s not going anywhere for a while. Come on.”
Shaye practically dragged Cotton around to the front of the house, where the sheriff opened the front door and they went inside.
“Marion?”
“In the kitchen,” she replied right away.
They went into the kitchen and found her sitting at the table, hands clasped in front of her.
“They’re out back,” she said.
“Did he force her to talk to him?”
“Not at all,” she said. “He knocked on the door, I answered, he asked to speak to Belinda. He was very… gentlemanly. Belinda went out back with him willingly and carried Little Matt with her.”
