Belle’s first lover, but he’d began to feel sorry for Starr. As long as Sam was contented to walk in the shadow of his wife, that wasn’t Longarm’s affair.
Beyond the cabins, Longarm saw Belle, Floyd, and Yazoo coming across the level area between the house and the bluff. Yazoo was carrying a string of fish.
“Oh-oh,” Starr said, his eyes following Longarm’s. “Time for me to put on the skillet. I hope you like catfish rolled in cornmeal and fried in bacon grease ‘till they’re nice and crusty on the outside.”
“To tell you the truth, Sam, it’s been such a while since I’ve had anything much but steak that I sort of disremember what fresh catfish tastes like.”
“If I had the time, I’d cook up a stew the Cherokee way, with some gobo root and ramp and dowall in with the fish. But that’d take too long, and I’d have to go pick the other things I need. Frying’s faster.”
Starr stood up. “I’ll go poke up the fire and get the grease heating up. Belle’s going to be hungry. She won’t feel like waiting long.”
“Well, Windy, I’m glad you got back all right,” Belle greeted Longarm when the trio got close to the house.
“Me too,” Yazoo chimed in. “If you and Sam ain’t et already, I got a right good string of fish here for dinner.”
“We waited for you,” Longarm said. “Sam’s inside now, getting ready to cook.”
“See, Floyd?” Yazoo said. “Told you I better stop there at the river and gut out these fish. I knew Sam’d expect me to bring in a mess. Now we won’t have to wait; they’re all ready to go in the pan. I’ll take ‘em in and they’ll be ready afore you know it.”
Floyd’s only acknowledgement was a nod. He was studying Longarm. “You get the girl sent off all right?” he asked.
“Sure, why? Didn’t you expect me to?”
“I thought you took a damn fool chance, going into a place as big as Fort Smith, with a fresh want out on you.”
“Well, I did have a mite of trouble,” Longarm admitted straight-facedly, his voice casual.
“Somebody spotted you?” Belle asked anxiously.
“in a way.”
Floyd snorted. “What the hell kind of answer is that? Either they spotted you or they didn’t.”
“It wasn’t me they spotted,” Longarm explained. “It was the girl. Then, because I happened to be with her, they figured I was Taylor. There was a reward out on him for that bank he robbed on the way up.”
“You just told us the girl got on the train all right,” Floyd said suspiciously. “How could they spot you with her, if you wasn’t on the train too?” Longarm said patiently, “It happened at the depot, Floyd. I’d just put Dolly on the train. I was standing there watching it pull out when she yelled at me to look out.”
“Well, what happened?” Belle demanded.
“We had a little set-to.” Longarm knew that Belle and Floyd wouldn’t be satisfied with that. They’d want a complete explanation, but he had cultivated a reputation for being close-mouthed, and didn’t intend to volunteer anything they failed to drag out of him.
“Damn it, Windy, you’re the tightest-lipped man I’ve ever run into!”
Belle complained. “I guess you deserve your name. Go ahead and tell us what happened!”
“Yeah,” Floyd seconded. “Whoever seen you must’ve been trying to throw down on you, for the girl to tell you to watch out.”
“Oh, he was. Had his gun out.”
“And you out-drew him?” Floyd’s tone, if not his words, as much as called Longarm a liar.
“I was right at the edge of the platform. I jumped off it before he shot.”
“And then you got him?” Belle frowned.
“Not right away. We waltzed around a little bit first.”
“But you did get the son of a bitch?” Floyd insisted.
“Oh, sure. He’s deader than hell right now,” Longarm replied.
“Who was it thought they recognized you?” Belle asked.
“Railroad bull.”
“Well, that’s not as bad as the real law,” Belle said, “At least you won’t have every little tin-badge town marshal and deputy sheriff along the border on the look out for you.”
“Why, Belle, there’s not anybody going to be on the lookout for me,” Longarm told her. “At least, not any more than there has been before now.”
“How do you figure that?” she asked.
“Because nobody saw me.”
“Oh, shit!” Floyd blurted. “In a place like a depot, in a town as big as Fort Smith? There’s people around depots all the time, day and night!”
“I’m of the same mind Floyd is,” Belle said slowly. She frowned and went on, “Somebody must’ve seen you.”
