“Ahh,” the deputy said with a dismissive shake of his head. “It ain’t your fault. It’s just that—well, for small towns like American Falls, we simply ain’t prepared to deal with it. Adam,” the deputy called to one of the others, “go get Mr. Prufrock. Tell him he’s got some undertakin’ business to do. We got us two bodies to take care of.”
“Yes, sir, Deputy.”
The young man charged off on his errand. The deputy hung around for a moment or two longer, then he started for the door, but before he reached the door, he turned back.
“I’d appreciate it, if those of you who can write, would stop by the office tomorrow and write out a statement about what you seen here tonight. There ain’t goin’ to be no inquiry, but the sheriff and the judge are goin’ to need to know the facts.”
“We’ll do it, Deputy,” someone called back.
Chapter Eight
Matt waited until the deputy left, then he returned to the table where the little man sat, quietly waiting. Matt had some questions for him, and began, by asking him his name.
“My name is George Gilmore.”
“Just before the deputy came in, you said something about fulfilling an obligation to your client. What were you talking about?”
“I am a lawyer, Mr. Jensen. The client I was talking about is Mrs. Kitty Wellington of Coventry on the Snake.”
“You are the one who sent me the letter,” Matt said. It was a statement, not a question.
“I am.”
“What is Coventry on the Snake?”
“It’s a ranch over in Owyhee County.”
“Owyhee County is in West Idaho,” Matt said. “If your client wanted me to come over there, why did you ask me to meet you here, in American Falls?”
“We didn’t want anyone to know we were hiring you,” Gilmore said. “That’s why Mrs. Wellington suggested that we meet here, in American Falls. Evidently our ruse didn’t work, because as you can see, Madison, Jernigan, and Logan found out, not only that we were attempting to hire you, but also where we would be meeting.”
“You knew these men?”
“Not personally, but I know who they were. The moment I saw them here, I knew there was likely to be trouble.”
“How did you know they would mean trouble?”
“Mrs. Wellington has recently had some trouble with rustlers. One of her hands said that Poke Terrell was behind the rustling, and these three men are associates of Poke Terrell.”
“Is Terrell in jail?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It was one ranch hand’s word against Terrell’s. And Terrell had witnesses who provided them with an alibi.”
“But you believe the ranch hand?”
“I do. And what happened here, tonight, proves it, as far as I’m concerned. I believe they were trying to keep you from going to help Mrs. Wellington.”
“How did they know?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I know how you knew I would be here, since you are the one who sent me the letter. But how did these two men know that I would be here?”
“That is a good question, Mr. Jensen” Gilmore admitted. “I don’t have any idea how they knew I was going to meet you here.”
“I have another question for you. Why did Mrs. Wellington pick me?”
“At one time Mrs. Wellington knew you, and she remembers you fondly.”
Matt shook his head. “I don’t recall ever meeting anyone named Kitty Wellington.”
“That is her married name,” Gilmore said.
“If she is married, why is she trying to hire me? Shouldn’t her husband be the one doing the hiring?”
“Her husband is deceased,” Gilmore said. He chuckled. “But the truth is, Mrs. Wellington is such a remarkable woman, that even if her husband was still alive, she might very well be the one involved in these negotiations.”
“She sounds like an interesting woman.”
“Oh, indeed she is, sir. Have you had your dinner yet, Mr. Jensen?”
“No, Matt replied.
