signaled.
“You men are under arrest,” Cotton said.
“Arrest?” Wilson asked. “For what? We just got to your town today.”
“And you couldn’t even get out of the livery stable without getting into trouble,” Shaye said.
“What are you talkin’ about?” Roberts asked.
“You assaulted my deputy,” Cotton said. “You’re both comin’ with me—with us.” He turned to Thad. “Get ’em on their feet, Deputy.”
“You heard the sheriff,” Thad said. “Up.”
Wilson and Roberts stared at the young deputy, then at Shaye and Cotton. Beyond them they could see James. When Roberts turned his head to look to Jeb for guidance, he saw Thomas standing behind them.
Thad produced his gun and said, “Up!”
Wilson and Roberts slid their chairs back and got to their feet.
“You young pup,” Wilson said. “You didn’t get enough—”
“Deputy Shaye,” Thad said.
“Yep?” Shaye answered.
“Take their guns.”
“Yes, sir,” Shaye said, but it was Thomas who moved in behind Wilson and Roberts and plucked their guns from their holsters before they could make a move. He then tossed one to his father and the other across the room to James, who surprised himself and everyone in the room by catching it one-handed before it could sail through the window.
“Deputy Hagen,” Cotton said, “take them over to the jail and lock their asses up.”
“Yes, sir,” Thad said. “You boys heard the sheriff. Get movin’.”
Wilson and Roberts were still waiting for Jeb or Delay—or both—to make a move when Thomas put his hand against each of their backs and pushed.
“You heard the man!”
Both men staggered forward and then kept walking. Thad fell in behind them. When they went past James, he fell in behind Thad.
“We gonna let them do that?” Delay asked.
“You see that deputy’s face?” Jeb asked.
“Yeah. So?”
“I told everybody to stay out of trouble,” he said, “but those idiots couldn’t do it. Let them sit in a cell for a while.”
“But we’re gonna need them for the bank.”
Jeb turned his head to look at Delay and said, “No, we ain’t.”
“Those fellas have any friends in here that object to them being arrested?” Cotton asked.
He, Thomas, and Shaye looked around. Shaye’s eyes fell on Jeb Collier and Vic Delay, but neither man made a move.
“Then I guess you folks better go back to having yourselves a good time,” the sheriff said.
“Pa?” Thomas asked.
“You leave with us, Thomas.”
“Yes, sir.”
Cotton went out the door and both Shaye and Thomas backed out, watching his back. Slowly, activity started up again in the room and then the piano started and things were in full swing again.
67
Thad came down from the second floor, hung the cell keys on a wall peg, and told Cotton, “They’re tucked away nice and safe.”
“In the morning you’ll bring them breakfast from the cafe.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you’ll stay here and guard them.”
Thad hesitated a moment, then said, “Alone?”
“No,” James said, “you won’t have to stay alone. I’ll stay with you tonight. We can take turns sleeping.”
“That sounds good.”
“All right,” Cotton said. He looked at Shaye. “You think they’ll come for these two?”
“They didn’t look all that upset when we took them,” Shaye said. “Collier will probably come and talk first.”
“You think they’ll try for the bank with six men?”
“Maybe,” Shaye said. “We’ll have to see.”
“I can stay tonight too,” Thomas said. “Just in case. James, will you make some coffee?”
“I will, just to keep you from making it,” James said.
“Riley,” Shaye said, “why don’t we go and talk to Belinda? Maybe it’s time she told the truth…all of it.”
“Okay,” Cotton said. “Then let’s do it.”
At the saloon Jeb and his men gave up the pretense of not knowing each other and congregated around one table.
“What do we do now?” Samms asked. “We’re down to six men.”
“You let me worry about that,” Jeb said.
“But are we gonna leave Clark and Dave in jail?” Ben asked.
“At least for tonight, Ben,” Jeb said. “The rest of you get some sleep and meet me back here in the morning.”
“The place won’t be open,” Leslie said.
“Just meet me out front.”
As the men started to get up to leave, Delay put his hand on Tanner’s arm to stay him. Jeb allowed Ben to go back to the hotel. He’d talk to him later.
Once the men were gone, Tanner asked, “What’s the deal?”
“You, me, Vic, and Ben are gonna take the bank tomorrow mornin’,” Jeb said.
“The four of us?” Tanner asked. “We don’t even know if they got guards or how many people work there.”
“I do,” Jeb said. “I know how many employees, how many guards, and where they’re placed, and now I’m gonna tell it to the three of you, so listen up.”
Bill Samms and Roy Leslie walked back to the rooming house they were staying in.
“We gonna leave Dave and Clark in jail overnight?” Samms asked as they approached the house.
“That’s what we been told to do,” Leslie said. “What’s the difference? They ride with Collier, not with us.”
“How long you reckon Vic is gonna let Collier call the shots?”
“Don’t rightly know,” Leslie said, “and I don’t care, just as long as I don’t have to call them.”
“Amen to that, I guess,” Samms said.
Cotton and Shaye entered the house and found Marion sitting on the sofa, holding the sleeping boy.
“Where’s Belinda?” Shaye asked.
“She went out.”
“You know where?”
“No,” Marion said, “she didn’t say, but she said she’d be back.”
Cotton and Shaye exchanged a look.
“She either went to Jeb or to Alvin Simon.”
“Simon?” Cotton asked. “The owner of the hardware store? Why would she go to see him.”
“Well,” Shaye said, “he’s in love with her and he claims she’s in love with him.”
“What?” Marion asked.
