“Ha!” Coffin said. “Not in this town. Burkett owns the sheriff.”
“There’s a federal marshal due here any day,” Sam said.
“You’re gonna wait in a cell until he gets here, and then I’m gonna turn you over to him.”
“The sheriff will never go along with it.”
“If he doesn’t, I’ll kill him.”
Coffin fell silent for a moment and then said over his shoulder, “You would, wouldn’t you? And what about Burkett? He won’t let me stay in jail.”
“If he tries to get you out, I’ll kill him, too.”
“All this killing,” Coffin said, “when the one you really want is me. Come on, Sam, give me my gun and let’s get it done.”
Sam holstered his gun, spun Coffin around, and grabbed him by the shirt with both hands. He pulled Coffin real close to him so that he wouldn’t miss a word.
“No gunplay for you, my friend,” he said evenly, coldly. “You’re not gonna get off that easy. I’m gonna watch you dance at the end of a rope, Coffin, kicking and screaming until you die. I’m gonna make sure your neck doesn’t break. I’m gonna watch you strangle at the end of that rope. Whataya think of that, Mr. Gunman?”
Coffin stared into Sam McCall’s eyes and felt fear for the first time in years.
“That’s no way for a man to die, Sam,” he said, softly.
“You’re not a man,” Sam said, releasing Coffin’s shirt.
“You’re slime, Coffin, and slime dies at the end of a rope. Now…walk!”
Sheriff Kelly jumped to his feet when the door to his office slammed open. Coffin staggered through the door and Sam entered after him.
“What’s going on here?” Kelly demanded. He noticed that Sam McCall had his gun out, and this did not please him. He started to sweat profusely.
“I want this man in a cell, Sheriff!” Sam said.
“You can’t just—”
“This man killed my brother,” Sam said, cutting him off. “You know that. In fact, you might even have watched him do it.”
“I didn’t—”
“I have a federal marshal coming to town,” Sam said, although he still didn’t know if the man would ever really get there. “You’re to hold this man in a cell until he arrives.”
“Look—”
“You are not to let him out for any reason.”
“Mr. Burkett won’t—”
“If you let him out,” Sam continued, “I’ll kill you.”
Kelly’s mouth snapped shut.
“Is that clear enough for you?”
Kelly tried one last bluster.
“You c-can’t threaten an officer of the law l-like that.”
“I’m not threatenin’ you, Kelly,” Sam said. “I’m makin’ you a solemn promise. If you let him out before I tell you to, I will kill you. Do you understand?”
Kelly nodded jerkily, his voice failing him.
“Now, toss me the keys to the cells.”
Kelly opened the top drawer of his desk and groped for the keys. Finally, he yanked his eyes away from Sam’s gun long enough to find them and he tossed them over.
“Let’s go, Coffin.”
Coffin, resigned to the fact
Coffin, resigned to the fact that he would be spending a short time in jail, obeyed. He knew Burkett would have him out in no time. After all, Coffin was the only man who could stand up to Sam McCall and get Burkett’s revenge. As they reached the doorway to the cells Coffin
As they reached the doorway to the cells Coffin stopped short and said, “You’d better go and tell Lincoln Burkett that his son is dead, Sheriff.”
“What?” Kelly said. “J-John’s dead?”
“He tried to backshoot me while I was takin’ Coffin, Sheriff. There were witnesses.”
Actually, Sam had his doubts about witnesses coming forward to back him up. They would, after all, be going against Burkett if they did that. Sam had decided, though, from the moment he learned that Evan was dead, that he would be taking matters entirely into his own hands. If he had to answer to the law later, so be it.
He put Coffin in a cell, locked the door and came back out to the sheriff’s office. He holstered his gun and undid the gunbelt for a moment. Kelly watched as Sam looped the key ring through the gunbelt and then buckled it again.
“Wha—”
“I’ll hold onto the keys, Sheriff,” Sam said, “this way you won’t be tempted.”
“Look, McCall,” Kelly said, “if you killed Burkett’s son—”
“Oh, I killed him, all right. He’s still lyin’ out there in the street.”
“Oh, Jesus—” Kelly said, rushing to the window. “I’ll have to have him taken to the undertaker’s—”
“No,” Sam said, “you’ll stay right here with the prisoner.”
“But the body—”
Texas Iron “I don’t want John Burkett’s body at the undertaker’s while my brother’s body is there, Sheriff. Is that understood?” “But Mr. Burkett—”
“I don’t care about Mr. Burkett.”
“H-he’ll kill me!”
“He’ll kill you later,” Sam said. “If you don’t do as I say I’ll kill you right now. You have a choice.”
Kelly swallowed and said, “With a choice like that, I’ll take later—but who’ll tell Mr. Burkett?”
“There were some men with John Burkett,” Sam said.
“Lincoln Burkett will know about it soon enough.”
“He’ll come after you.”
Sam grinned coldly and said, “I’m countin’ on that, Sheriff.”
As Sam started to leave Kelly said, “Wait—what am I supposed to do?”
“Get your deputies to help you with Coffin. You’re gonna have to keep Burkett’s men out of here.”
“W-What?”
“They’ll want to try and break him out. It’s your duty to stop them.”
“Oh, Jesus—” Kelly said, but Sam McCall was already out the door. Sheriff Kelly fell into the chair and put his elbows on the desk and his head in his hands.
Sam went back to the Miller house and told Jubal, Dude, and Serena what he had done.
“You didn’t kill Coffin?” Jubal demanded, outraged.
There was a bruise on the right side of his jaw.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“There was no need.”
“He killed Evan.”
“I know that, Jube.”
“But you killed John Burkett.”
“He tried to backshoot me,” Sam said. “That was self-defense.”
“I don’t understand you,” Jubal said. “You had a chance to kill Coffin…unless you were afraid to face him.”
“Jubal!” Serena said.
“No, no “Jubal said, waving her protestations away, “that’s it, isn’t it? Big Sam McCall is afraid that he can’t take Coffin.”
“Open your eyes, son,” Dude Miller said. “He did take him.”
“But he didn’t kill him!”
