said.
“Yeah, well, we’ve tried three times. And it hasn’t worked any time, besides which my cousin got hisself kilt and so did Silva. Except I don’t give a shit about Silva, that back-shootin’ bastard. He’s good riddance as far as I’m concerned.”
“Yes, well, now we have another plan,” Reed said.
“What is that?”
“We aren’t going to try and hire anyone in particular. We’re just goin’ to put out a five thousand dollar reward on his head. And we will pay it to anyone who kills him, no matter who it is.”
“Yeah,” Logan said. “Yeah, that might work. Only thing is, how are you going to get the word out?” Logan picked up the newspaper. “It ain’t like you can put an ad in the newspaper. And you probably ain’t goin’ to be able to get anyone to print up posters on it either.”
“I know. We thought maybe you could get the word out.”
“Why me?”
“Several reasons,” Reed replied. “Number one, your business is being hurt by Jensen more than Mr. Teasdale’s business is. You are the one he is after. And you have a network of contacts that will allow you to get the word out. Mr. Teasdale, on the other hand, can’t let it be known that he is behind the reward.”
“All right,” Logan said. “I’ll put the word out. But I want a thousand dollars for doing it.”
“Why would you want a thousand dollars? Hell, like I said, you are the one Jensen is looking for. I would think you would be happy to have Teasdale put up the money for a reward that might just save your life,” Reed said.
Logan smiled. “Let’s just say it is my handling fee,” he said.
“I don’t know if he will go along with it,” Reed said.
“You can talk him into it.”
“Why should I? It’s not my neck that’s on the line here. Jensen isn’t looking for me.”
“Well, wouldn’t you like to have a handling fee?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Say, five hundred dollars? You get an extra thousand dollars for me to spread the word and handle the reward, and there’s five hundred dollars in it for you,” Logan said.
Reed smiled. “I like the way you think, Sam Logan.”
Jake Scarns was in the Buffalo Gals Saloon in Buffalo when he saw Moe Greer come into the bar. Scarns and Greer had spent some time together in the Colorado State Prison. When Greer saw Scarns, he stopped at the bar, bought a bottle and took it and two glasses over to the table where Scarns was sitting with one of the girls from the saloon.
“Beat it,” Greer said to the bargirl.
“Wait a minute, cowboy, you can’t just run me off like that. Scarns, are you going to let him talk to me like that?”
“Yeah,” Scarns said. “What do you mean by running her off? I was enjoyin’ her company.”
Greer gave the girl five dollars. “My pard ’n I have some talkin’ to do,” he said. “You can come back later.”
The girl took the money with a big smile.
“Well, honey, if you put that way, I’ll be glad to go,” she said. She ran her hand through Scarns’s hair. “When you are ready for me to come back, you just whistle.”
“All right,” Scarns said.
As the girl was leaving, Greer poured two glasses of whiskey and slid one over to Scarns.
“What’s all this about?” Scarns asked.
“Five thousand dollars,” Greer said.
Scarns tossed the entire drink down, then he slid the glass out as Greer refilled it.
“All right, I’m interested.”
“Have you ever heard of a man named Matt Jensen?” Greer asked.
“I saw him once, down in Colorado,” Scarns said.
“Would you recognize him on sight?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Would he recognize you?”
“No, I don’t see why he would. Like I said, I saw him once, but I never actually met him. What’s this about, Moe?”
“Someone I know is willing to pay five thousand dollars to have Matt Jensen killed.”
“Ha! You’re talking about Sam Logan, ain’t you?”
“How do you know?”
“Hell, it’s been in the paper, how Sam Logan had a good thing going until this fella Jensen showed up.”
“All right, yes, I am talking about Sam Logan,” Greer said. “So, are you interested?”
