“If there has been a train wreck, and I suspect there has been, I don’t know how they are going to take it.”
“Mr. Cooley, it’d be my notion that they’d rather hear the truth than stand around worryin’ about it, not knowin’ one way or the other.”
“Would you tell them?”
“Well, yes, sir, I could, I suppose. But that’s more likely somethin’ the marshal should tell ’em.”
“Where is the marshal?”
“He’s…” Boomer stopped and sighed. He was sure Marshal Kyle was with Sally Fontaine, and he didn’t figure that was anybody’s business. “Never mind, I’ll tell them.”
Boomer walked out of the depot, then held up his hands and started calling for everyone’s attention.
“People, people, people!” he shouted. “Can I have your attention, please?”
The several conversations stopped, not all at once, but rather in a wave of silence that moved quickly across the crowd until everyone was quiet, and looking at the man who had issued the call.
Boomer cleared his throat.
“People,” he said. “The train left Purgatory on time—”
“Well, then, where is it?” someone shouted.
“Let me finish, please.”
“Yes, let the deputy finish,” someone else shouted.
“Like I was sayin’, the train left Purgatory on time,” Boomer said. “But as you can plainly see, it hasn’t made it here yet. That leads us to believe that there has been a train wreck somewhere between here and Purgatory.”
“A wreck?”
“What! No, my God, no!” some woman shouted.
“How bad is it? How many are hurt? Was anyone killed?”
“Hold on, hold on here,” Boomer shouted, holding up his hands. “The truth is, we don’t even know for sure that there was one.”
“But, you just said there was.”
“No, I said we believe there has been one. Given that the train ain’t here yet, and it should ought to be, well, it just seems most likely that a wreck is what has happened. And of course, the next thing is, if there has been a wreck, we don’t know how bad it might be.”
“Is it possible there wasn’t any wreck at all—that the train may have just broken down out on the road?” another asked.
Boomer turned to look at Cooley, who was standing beside him.
“What about that, Mr. Cooley?” Boomer asked. “Is it maybe possible that the train has just broke down out on the track somewhere?”
“Yes, of course that is possible,” Cooley answered.
“Well, then, maybe we don’t have anything to be worried about at all,” one of the men in the crowd suggested.
“It’s possible, but it’s not very likely,” Cooley added.
“What do you mean, it’s not very likely? Why not?” another asked.
Cooley sighed, giving pointed evidence that he was very uncomfortable with the situation.
“The reason I say that a simple breakdown is unlikely is because if that is what has happened, why, they have a little gadget on board that will allow them to clamp onto the telegraph wire so as to be able to send a message. Most of the time, when it’s no more than a breakdown, they’ll be able to get in contact with us, to let us know. But there hasn’t been any such message so—I hate to say this, but I’m afraid we have to assume the worst.”
“Well, I ain’t waitin’ around here to find out. I’m goin’ out there!” one man shouted. “My wife is on that train!”
“Mr. Zimmer, if there has been a wreck, we’ll need to organize a rescue party, so I hope several of us will be going out there,” Boomer said. “So if you’ll wait a bit, I’ll go get the marshal. I expect he’ll be puttin’ together a rescue party, and I’m sure you’ll want to be a part of it.”
“Yeah,” Zimmer said. “Yeah, I want to go. But hurry back, will you? If there really was a train wreck, those folks out there are goin’ to be needin’ us to come out as quick as we can.”
Marshal Kyle was lying in bed with his hands laced behind his head. Sally was lying on her side, with her head elevated and supported by her left hand. The way she was lying, with her arm crooked at the elbow, caused the bedsheet to slide down and expose both her breasts.
A small smile played across Kyle’s lips.
“What?” Sally asked. “What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re laughing at something. I can see it in your face.”
Kyle turned to look at her. “I was just thinking of what a difference one day can make,” he said. “Last night, I had to be satisfied with some Indian girl I saw on the trail. Now, here I am with a beautiful white woman in her
