Vernon Castle’s voice was intense as he said, “There must be something that you want.”
Longarm smiled. “Like money?”
Vernon Castle licked his lips. “Something might could be arranged.” His eyes darted back and forth.
Longarm said, “Well, there is one thing that I want.”
“What is it?”
“I want the murderer of those five soldiers. I don’t count the one in the alley, but I want the murderer who has been shooting them out of the saddle, and I think it’s Virgil. Give him up and I’ll turn you loose. He’ll be taken care of.”
Vernon Castle’s face twisted with anger. He said, “You go to hell, you sonofabitch. I’ll see you out of this town, out of this state, and out of any possible job in government service before I am through with you.”
Longarm gave him a wave as he walked out into the outer office through the lockup door. As he passed through the outer office, he didn’t bother to nod at the sheriff. Their declared hostilities were still in force.
For two nights, Longarm watched and patrolled and hid out wherever he thought that Virgil Castle might be lurking, but his efforts were futile. Captain Montrose had not imposed a restriction on his soldiers going into town, but they were no longer seen on the road. They were fearful, and Longarm couldn’t blame them. But he did need them moving about. However, he could hardly go to them and ask if a few would ride back from town late at night so he could flush out a murderer. He didn’t reckon that they would take too kindly to being used as bait.
On the morning of the fourth day, he went in to see Mr. Castle again, hoping that the man could be further persuaded to give Virgil up in some manner. There had been no further killings. Of course, that proved nothing.
Mr. Castle was obviously miserable from his stay in the jail. His sons were frantic and nervous. Longarm could tell from smelling their breaths that the sheriff had been sneaking whiskey in to them. He supposed that there were some things that even a deputy U.S. marshal shouldn’t try to put a stop to.
He brought a chair with him on this visit, and he sat down facing Mr. Castle. “Mr. Castle,” he said, “your lawyer’s not back, and he’s not going to be back for quite a while. Even when he gets back, he’s not going to be able to get you out of this jail. You’re in for a long stay unless you agree to cooperate.”
Vernon Castle held his head in his hands and looked miserable. He said, “How can I convince you that Virgil is not capable of doing something like this? He’s not capable of murder. He couldn’t do something like this.”
“Oh, he could cut a whore’s tits off, but he couldn’t murder a soldier. Is that what you are saying? Hell, Vernon. He thinks that he is a damn Comanche Injun. He’s running around in a breechcloth. My God, he’s not a child.”
Castle said, “Did you see the rabbits? Did you go behind the barn and look at the rabbits he keeps? He’s a gentle soul, he likes little things, little bunny rabbits, for heaven’s sake.”
“No, I didn’t go see the bunny rabbits. But I did go into your office and I saw your gun rack. You’ve got four Hawken buffalo rifles, you’ve got four Sharps buffalo rifles, and you’ve got about six Springfields. You’ve got a whole stock of long-range, high-caliber rifles and that’s what every one of those soldiers were killed with. Now I know that you say Virgil runs around with a carbine in his hand that hasn’t got any cartridges in it. That’s fine and dandy, but what’s to keep him from taking down one of those Hawkens, one of those Sharps, or one of those Springfields and using it some dark night? Some of them soldiers were killed long after you went to bed. Just how close of a tab do you keep on Virgil, Mr. Castle?”
Vernon Castle raised a tired and haggard face. He said, “Nothing is going to convince you, is it, Marshal Long. You are convinced my boy is a murderer because he is simpleminded. You’re convinced my family has a part in the killing of those soldiers because we have tried to get that fort moved. Isn’t that the case?”
“That’s a good place to start. I can’t think of anyone else who has as much interest in that fort as you have.”
“What if I told you the real reason that I was trying to get that fort moved? Would that make any difference to you?”
“That depends on the reason.”
“If I tell you, you cost me the advantage of being the only one who knows how valuable that land really is. But if it will get you to stop persecuting my family, and especially my son, then I will tell you. Will it? If I tell you and it makes sense to you, will you release us and will you leave my son Virgil alone?”
Longarm thought for a moment. He got up. “What if it doesn’t convince me, Mr. Castle? What if your reasoning doesn’t make any sense to me? What if I am still convinced that Virgil is the man who killed those soldiers? What then?”
Vernon Castle stood up and came to the bars. “It’s got to convince you,” he said. “It will make sense. You will see my reasoning. You will see that I would have no reason to call attention to that fort by murdering soldiers. That is the last thing I would want to happen. I’m not fool enough to think that I can run the army off that garrison if soldiers are being killed there.”
“I never thought that you were that kind of a fool, Mr. Castle, but you see, I think that your son overheard you wanting that garrison moved and I think that he is fool enough to think that by killing them one at a time they would move that fort. I think that you inadvertently caused him to kill those soldiers. Now you can tell me the reason why you want that garrison moved—it doesn’t make any difference to me. What does make a difference to me is that I think that your son Virgil is trying to please you by killing those soldiers.”
Vernon Castle shook his head violently. “He knows nothing about it. He hasn’t heard a word from me about this. We don’t take him into the family councils. We treat him for what he is—he’s like a six-year-old child. Marshal. You’ve got to understand, he’s not part of the family in that way, in the business way.”
Longarm thought for a long moment. “O.K., fine. What is your reason for wanting that garrison moved?”
Vernon Castle stared into Longarm’s eyes for a long time. Then he said, “Never mind. Not now. You’re not ready to hear it. It wouldn’t make any difference to you. I’ll wait for my lawyer to get back. There is a great deal of money involved here. You’re gonna do what you’re gonna do anyway.”
Longarm got up. He said to the man behind the bars, “You do whatever you think is best for you and
