box.
Smoke took the envelope back over to where Sally and the others were waiting.
“What does he say?” Sally asked.
“I don’t know, I haven’t read it yet.”
“Smoke, what if he won’t do it? What will we do?”
“If Murchison can’t, or won’t, we’ll just have to find a lawyer who will do it,” Smoke replied.
Smoke opened the envelope, removed the telegram, read it, smiled, then handed it to Sally.
FOR WHATEVER VALUE YOU PLACE UPON
MY ABILITY TO HELP I HEREBY PLACE MY
HUMBLE SKILLS IN YOUR SERVICE STOP
I WILL MEET YOU AT THE DEPOT IN
COLORADO SPRINGS STOP
It was eight o’clock in the morning when the train approached the outer environs of Colorado Springs. Sally was looking through the window as they passed through a residential area, and she smiled when she saw a young boy and girl who had come down from their house to stand beside the track and wave at the passengers on the arriving train.
Sally waved back.
The train passed through the residential section, then a section of warehouses and businesses, then the rail yard itself, before finally coming to a stop at the depot.
“Do you see him?” she asked.
“Yes, there he is,” Smoke said, pointing to the lawyer, who was standing on the platform. His suitcase was sitting on the ground beside him.
“It looks like he is ready to go,” Sally said. “He has his suitcase.”
The conductor passed through the car, calling out. “Colorado Springs, folks. This is Colorado Springs. For those of you going on through, we’ll be here for half an hour. Colorado Springs.”
“I’ll go out and get him,” Smoke said.
“If the train is going to be here for half an hour, why don’t we all go out?” Sally suggested. “We can stretch our legs, and get a breath of fresh air. After a night of trying to sleep on those hard seats, it will feel good.”
“Cal, Lenny, you two want to stretch your legs a bit?” Smoke asked.
The two young men agreed, so all four got up and started toward the end of the car. Smoke glanced through the windows as they walked toward the exit, and he could see Murchison, anxiously watching each of the detraining passengers. Murchison saw Smoke and Sally as soon as they stepped down from the train, and he smiled at them as he waited for them to approach him.
“Hello, Tom,” Smoke said, extending his hand in greeting to the lawyer who had worked with him during the recent auction. “I want to thank you for answering my telegram,” Smoke said.
“I am glad to do it,” Murchison replied. “And as I said in my telegram—did you get my telegram by the way?”
“Yes, I picked it up in Denver.”
“Good. As I said in my telegram, I am willing to do anything you want. But listen, Smoke, are you sure you want me for this? I’m not sure I’m the best one for the job. After all, this is a criminal case.”
“Pearlie ain’t no criminal,” Cal said quickly.
“This is Pearlie’s friend, Cal,” Smoke said. He smiled. “Of course, he is our friend, too.”
“Cal, the fact that someone’s case is a criminal case doesn’t necessarily mean the person being tried is a criminal,” Murchison explained. “It is just a means of differentiating civil from criminal court proceedings. But I’m sure you know that under our system of jurisprudence, the accused is presumed to be innocent.”
“Innocent, yeah, that’s what Pearlie is all right,” Cal said.
“Why do you seem so hesitant, Tom?” Smoke asked.
“Because I am not what you would call a criminal lawyer.”
“Have you ever tried a criminal case?”
“Yes, of course I have, but it has been a long time since I did so,” Murchison replied. “I just wanted you to be aware of that so that, if you want to, you would have time to find another lawyer.”
“Are you willing to take the case?” Smoke asked.
“Am I willing? Well, yes, I’m more than willing. To be honest, I must say that I find the idea of trying such a case again intriguing. But the fact that I consider you a friend, and this case involves a friend of yours, does make it a bit intimidating.”
“Let me put it another way,” Smoke said. “If Pearlie is innocent, and I take Lenny’s word that he is, do you feel confident that you can do a good job for him?”
“Lenny’s word?”
“This is Lenny,” Smoke said, indicating the young man, who had initially hung back. “Lenny was there when it happened, and he saw everything. He is going to be your star witness,” Smoke said.
