“Oh, you mean Plug Parsons and Carter Bell.”
“Yeah, them two. They’re the ones saw it happen. And you were there too.”
“I heard they left the country, Cotton. Right after the trial. They drew wages from Crayfish. The word was, they were scared that Admiral Bragg would string them up, and I can’t say as I blame them for pulling outa here. That’s what I heard, but I don’t know the truth of it.”
“They say where they was heading?”
“Nope, and they didn’t want no one to know. Crayfish told me they’d drawn wages.”
“That leaves you as the sole witness, Sammy.”
“Me, I didn’t see nothing. I was in the storeroom.”
I remembered at the trial, Upward had testified he’d served up some red-eye to King Bragg, and then gone to the storeroom to find a bung starter. The shooting had come in a burst when he was back there, and he was afraid to come out until things quieted, and then it was just a quick peek. King Bragg was standing there with an empty six-gun and there were three T-Bar men down, leaking blood and life.
“King, he says he didn’t know anything, and first thing he knew, he was lying on the floor looking up at you and some others,” I said.
Upward smiled. “He never was down.”
“The jury thought so too.”
“I heard all the shots, and a lot of breaking glass, and stayed low until it quieted. He was standing there holding an empty gun when I come out of the storeroom.”
“Anything else happening?”
“Sure, half the bottles on the backbar, they were busted and my best booze was draining into the sawdust.”
“How come bullets was coming into the bar? I thought King Bragg was at the bar when he shot them T-Bar men.”
“How should I know? Bullets fly all over the place.” Upward was getting annoyed. “All this because Queen batted her big eyes at you in the night?”
I got to feeling sort of dumb, and started to make excuses, and thought better of it.
“Think what you want,” I said.
Upward, he was enjoying himself.
“Did King Bragg start to reload?” I asked. “Get out of here? A man with an empty gun, he’s pretty quick to shuck the empties.”
“I’m tired of the palaver, Cotton. You find something else to tell me, and I’ll find something else to tell you.”
I tipped my hat and left, with Sammy Upward staring at my back. The sunlight felt good. The two witnesses were gone, and Upward said he didn’t see the shooting. King Bragg said he was knocked out and lying on the floor; but Upward said King was standing with an empty gun in his hand. Upward said a bunch of his bottles got busted; the court testimony was that King Bragg was shooting from the bar into the rest of the saloon. It sure was a puzzle.
NINE
Critter was nipping at me, and I didn’t blame him. I’d been neglecting him. He hated being in Turk’s livery barn, and usually took it out on me with his big buck teeth. If I had big teeth like his, I’d nip him back.
I tried to get over to see him every day, but sometimes I got waylaid. He kept track, and let me know when I was lettin’ him down. If I really messed up, he kicked the hell out of me.
I found some oats and poured some into the manger, but he wasn’t done with me. He backed around until he was shoving me into the side of the stall, just to let me know who came first.
“All right, we’ll get out this afternoon,” I said. “So cut it out.”
He decided his oats were more interesting than me, and got to licking them out of the manger.
“That horse’ll likely kill you some day,” Admiral Bragg said.
He had ridden into the livery barn on his handsome blood bay, and Queen was beside him on a palomino. She was riding sidesaddle this time, though she was sitting astride the other night when she stopped me. I guess maybe she did what her daddy wanted when he was around, and what she wanted when he wasn’t. But in town, she was always riding sidesaddle, very ladylike. I never quite knew why no woman was supposed to ride astride, but it had to do with their anatomy, and I never did figure it out. I thought maybe it was something preachers invented, but mostly it was a way of riding for rich women. It sure was nothing I was gonna worry about.
I thought she might favor me with a little smile, but all I got from her was a haughty stare. I should’ve known. Queen was just being Queen, and Cotton Pickens was nothing but a worm. Oh, well. My ma used to tell me, look twice at a woman because she’ll change in a flash. I hardly have had a chance to test that one out, but I sure been meanin’ to.
I greeted the pair and helped her down, as he dropped off the bay. Her hand was colder than a glacier. Lazarus, the hostler, took them horses off, and began brushing them down.
“I’m glad I found you here, Sheriff. We’re going to visit my boy.”
Admiral Bragg wasn’t asking, but I don’t suppose he had to.
