“If what I’m hearin’ is right, then it is more than likely that your wife was took by Delshay,” the man said. “Maybe you don’t know it but yesterday, the same day he took your wife, he kilt seven men. He’s also raided and kilt ever’body at two different ranches. It’s a miracle he let you live and—”
“He didn’t
“However it happened, it’s a bit of a miracle that you run into him and you’re still alive. I don’t know whether your wife is still alive or not, but I ain’t goin’ out there by myself to look for her, and I don’t reckon anyone else will either.”
“Suppose several of you go together,” Bixby said. “There is safety in numbers.”
“Hold on here!” Matt called.
“Mr. Jensen,” Bixby said. “You have something to add?”
“Bixby, the last thing we need is a lot of people running around out there, getting in the way, spooking Delshay, and maybe even pushing him into doing something he hadn’t planned to do.”
“That’s just the kind of reaction I would expect from someone like you,” Bixby said. “It’s no secret that you intend to conduct this search on your own because you don’t want to share the reward money with anyone.”
“Bixby, I was going out to look for her before I even knew about the reward and you know that. What I cannot understand is why you would do something like this to purposely make it more difficult to find your wife.”
“How dare you accuse me of that, sir?” Bixby said. “It is precisely because I do want to find her that I am offering a reward so as to involve the greatest number of people possible.”
“Maybe some of you folks would like to come with
Matt recognized the man who issued the invitation.
“Pogue Willis,” Matt said. “What are you doing here?”
“Same as you, Jensen. Goin’ after that reward. That is, unless you think you’re the only one entitled to it.”
“Pogue Willis?” one of the other men in the crowd said. “Is that who you are, mister?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, now, that changes things a bit. If I’m goin’ to be in a fight, I’d sure like to have someone like you on my side.”
“I’ll go with you, Willis—but I figure we’re goin’ to need four or five others just to be sure,” another man said.
“Hell, why don’t we all go and form a posse?” Meechum said. “I don’t about the rest of you fellas, but if I’m goin’ up against Delshay, I want as many guns with me as possible.”
“I agree,” another shouted. “That is, if it’s all right with you, Mr. Willis.”
“Yeah, I think it’s fine. All right, men, get rifles, bullets, and what food you plan to take. We’ll meet here in one hour,” Willis said, assuming unopposed command of the posse.
Matt shook his head in disgust, then mounted Spirit and started out of town.
“Mr. Jensen,” someone called.
Looking toward the sound of the voice, Matt saw Ken Hendel standing just under the overhanging porch of the apothecary.
“Mr. Hendel,” Matt replied, touching the brim of his hat.
“I tried to stop him,” Hendel said. “Mr. Bixby, I mean. I tried to stop him from posting that reward.”
Matt twisted in his saddle to look back toward the hardware store. He saw the crowd breaking up, hurrying to get weapons and food to join the impromptu posse.
“I swear, Mr. Hendel, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that Bixby is purposely making it more difficult for me to find his wife.”
“I don’t know what happened out there, but the truth is, I think Mr. Bixby is trying to take the edge off a feeling of guilt,” Hendel said.
Matt watched Bixby step down from the porch of the hardware store and start back toward the hotel.
“I hadn’t thought about that, but you might be right,” Matt said.
“Find her, Matt,” Hendel said, the words expressing his deepest feelings. “Please find her and bring her back safely.”
“I’ll do my best, Ken,” Matt promised.
Pogue Willis and Billy Meechum waited in the middle of the street for the other members of the posse to return.
“I wonder how many are goin’ to go with us,” Meechum said.
“Why does it matter?” Willis asked.
“Well, if there’s eight more that go with us and we find the woman, that would be only one thousand dollars apiece.”
“No, that would be ten thousand dollars for us and none for them,” Willis said.
“What? How can that be?”
“You just let me worry about that,” Willis said confidently.
