“The roundhouse? A boiler explosion maybe?”
Smoke and Bobby Lee climbed quickly into their saddles.
“This way,” Smoke said. He had already spotted the quickest and easiest way out of town. The best way was not back down the alley, which was the way he had come in, but by riding between two houses that backed onto the alley and fronted on Vaughan Lane. By going this way, they would quickly find themselves in the long, snaking ravine that he had seen earlier. The ravine would give them cover and concealment for at least a mile.
A man, wearing a sleeping gown, was standing on the front porch of one of the two houses as Smoke and Bobby Lee rode by.
“Here!” the man called out. “What has happened?”
“I’m not sure,” Smoke called back. “I think there may have been a boiler explosion down at the roundhouse.”
“A boiler explosion? That don’t make sense. What would they have steam up at this time of night for?” the man called back, though by the time the man finished his comment, his voice was behind them, because both Smoke and Bobby Lee had reached the ravine and were now bent low over their horses, riding hard.
Janet, who had been flirting with three men who were sharing a table, had joined the others in a toast to Andy. Minnie and Nabors had done the same thing, as had Doc Baker, who had playing chess. The piano player was turned around on the bench, with his back to the keyboard, when the explosion rolled through the saloon.
“Oh!” Janet shouted, startled so that she dropped her glass and put her hands over her ears.
“You think maybe it was the roundhouse?” someone asked.
Minnie and Nabors exchanged broad smiles, but said nothing. Looking toward Doc Baker, Minnie saw him glance back at her with the silent question in his eyes. She nodded, and he allowed only the barest suggestion of a smile to cross his lips, before returning to the game.
“Your move,” he said.
“Damn, Doc, didn’t you hear that?” Bryan Hughes asked. “Aren’t you a little concerned as to what that was? ”
“I’m more concerned about the fate of my bishop,” Doc said. “I’m sure someone will tell us soon enough. Like I said, it’s your move.”
The pharmacist smiled, and captured Doc’s bishop. “You had a right to be concerned,” he said.
“Damn, I should of kept my mouth shut. You didn’t even see that move until I called it to your attention.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Bryan said, chuckling, as he held up the small chess piece. “I have your bishop now.”
Sheriff Wallace was a single man, and he kept a room at Mrs. Kramer’s Boarding House. He had just fallen asleep when the sound of the explosion awakened him. He lay in his bed for a few minutes, listening to the startled reaction of the town and trying to figure out what it might have been, when there was a loud knock at his door.
“Who is it?” he called, reaching over to pull his pistol from the holster.
“It’s me, Sheriff. Deputy Jackson,” a voice called from the other side of the door.
“Jackson, what are you doing here?” Wallace scolded. “You know better than to leave your post. I told you, anyone who has the night duty is not to leave the jail as long as we have a prisoner.”
“Yes, sir, well that’s just it, Sheriff,” Jackson called back.
“What’s just it?”
“We don’t have us no prisoner,” Jackson said. “Bobby Lee Cabot got away.”
Getting out of bed, Wallace padded quickly barefooted over to the door to jerk it open.
“How did he get away?” Wallace asked angrily.
“Maybe you heard that loud boom a while ago,” Jackson suggested.
“I heard it. What about it?”
“It seems like somebody blow’d a hole in the back wall of the jail.”
“It
“Yes, sir, well, I say it seems like somebody did ‘cause somebody actual did blow a hole in the back wall,” Jackson said, his convoluted explanation not much clearer than his original comment.
“Go get Harley,” Wallace ordered. “Then get our horses saddled. We’re goin’ after him.”
“Tonight? In the dark?” Jackson replied, surprised by the pronouncement.
“Yes, tonight in the dark. He escaped in the dark, didn’t he?”
“Yes, sir. But which way will we go? How are going to catch him in the dark?”
“Will you get Harley and get our horses saddled like I told you to?” Wallace said in exasperation as he began to pull on his pants.
“Yes, sir, I’ll get Harley.”
“Did you hear? The prisoner escaped! Bobby Lee Cabot got away! “ someone yelled as they ran into the saloon, hitting the batwing doors so hard that they slapped back against the walls of the saloon.
“How did he get away?” one of saloon customers asked.
“Somebody set dynamite to the back wall and blew it plumb out!”
