“Yes. He drew on me.”
“Why?”
“That was between Mckee and me. It’s no business of yours.”
Longarm’s voice was level, emotionless.
Floyd frowned. “Maybe I choose to make it my business.”
“Suit yourself,” Longarm said with a laconic shrug.
Belle intervened. “Hold on, Floyd. I saw what happened. So did Sam, so did Bobby and Yazoo, if he could see anything at all, drunk as he was by then.”
“Stay out of this, Belle,” Floyd told the Bandit Queen. His voice was a sad whisper. He faced Longarm again. “Mckee was a friend of mine.”
“Too bad. He was no friend of mine.”
“Why’d you kill him?”
“He’d have killed me if I hadn’t,” Longarm said quietly.
“That’s right, Floyd,” Sam Starr put in. “All of us saw what happened, Belle, me, Bobby, and Yazoo. Mckee saw Windy, started cussing him, and went for his gun. Windy got his Out first. That’s the way it happened. Windy didn’t make the first move.” Floyd appeared not to have heard what Sam said. He was looking Longarm up and down. Finally he snarled, “Windy! That’s no name! Who in hell are you?”
“Your eyesight’s bad, Floyd. You can see who I am,” Longarm replied. He kept his voice even. He didn’t want a showdown with Floyd, but he couldn’t let the outlaw back him down, either.
“Where’d You come from?” Floyd demanded.
“Outside.”
“God damn it, that’s no answer!” Floyd was whipping up his anger. When Longarm said nothing, Floyd turned to Belle. “You know him, Belle?”
“No. Yazoo does, though. He said he was all right.”
“What the hell does that old whiskeypot know about anything?” Floyd demanded of no one in particular.
Belle said sharply, “You listen to me, Floyd Sharpless! This is my place you’re on. I told Windy he was welcome here, just like I’ve told you. But You won’t be welcome if you keep trying to stir up trouble, do You understand me?”
“I understand You,” Floyd shot back hotly. “That don’t mean I’m going to leave off until I find out about this Windy here.”
“Let me tell you something else,” Belle said. “Mckee had his hand on his gun before Windy went for his. Windy had a bullet through Mckee before he could get his gun up and let off a shot. And Mckee was quicker than you are.”
“Quit trying to scare me, Belle.”
“I’m not trying to scare you, I’m just trying to hammer some sense into your head. Now I’ll tell you flat out, Floyd, give up on Mckee and why he had a shootout with Windy—it’s not your affair. It happened before you and Mckee hooked up. And if you’re not careful, all those big plans you’ve been making are going right out to the hogpen, because if you break my rule against fighting here, I’m going to invite you to leave Younger’s Bend.”
“How the hell is my plan going to work without Mckee?” Floyd demanded. “You know I was depending on him, Belle.”
“There’ll be somebody else along to fill his place,” she said.
Steed had been quiet, standing at one side of the room while Floyd and Belle argued. Now he said, “Belle’s right, Floyd. We still got Bobby. And Taylor’s due to blow in pretty soon.”
“That’s still only four,” Floyd pointed out. “All of us agreed we need at least five, and six would be better.”
Longarm’s interest had been growing ever since the subject of plans had come up. In Floyd’s terms, that could only mean a major job of outlawry, especially if it required a half-dozen men to carry it out. He said nothing, though, letting Belle and Floyd settle the dispute he’d caused between them.
Belle said, “Let’s get this settled once and for all, Floyd. I had as much to do with that plan as you did. I want to see you go through with it. Now, take my word, I’ll find somebody to fill in for Mckee.”
Floyd’s anger had been deflected from Longarm by his dispute with Belle. He said bitterly, “Sure. Who’s it going to be? Yazoo?”
“Who wants me?” Yazoo stirred and sat up. He looked around the room with bleary eyes.
“Nobody wants you, old man,” Floyd replied. “Go on back to sleep and sober up.”
“Stay awake, Yazoo,” Belle commanded.
Yazoo looked from Belle to Floyd and said, “I wish you two’d make up your mind.” He reached for the whiskey bottle on the table.
Belle turned back to Floyd and said, “You’d better have a drink with him, Floyd, and take that edge off your nerves. Sit down now, and don’t stir up any more trouble with Windy.”
Floyd glared at her angrily, but obeyed. He took a chair and placed it as far from Longarm as the size of the table permitted.
“Sam, get the food dished up,” Belle told her husband.
