“You saw my bona fides,” Longarm reminded him, “just like I saw that badge of yours.”
“You don’t look like no federal man I ever saw.”
Longarm started to return the veiled insult in kind, then stopped, because Coffin did look like a Texas Ranger— or at least he looked as much like one as anybody else, because the Rangers didn’t have uniforms. What they had was a silver star in a silver circle, and that said it all.
Longarm sipped from the glass of rye that a bartender had brought over to the table, along with a bucket of beer for Coffin. “Folks around here seem to know you,” said Longarm. “How’d that come to be, if you’ve just been sent down here from Austin?”
“Hell, I was raised in these parts,” said Coffin. “And raised some hell o’ my own too, if you know what I mean. Ain’t many folks around here who don’t know me.”
An unsettling suspicion struck Longarm. “Just how long have you been a Ranger, Coffin?”
“Nigh on to six months now. Sheriff Sanderson suggested I might want to join up with ‘em. There was this little, uh, misunderstandin’ over some cattle that disappeared from a rancho on the other side o’ the border.”
Longarm closed his eyes and tried not to groan. He had been stuck with somebody who was not only a novice Ranger, but also probably a former rustler to boot. What the hell had Major John B. Jones been thinking when he sent Coffin down here to Del Rio on such a delicate assignment?
“All right,” Longarm said with a sigh as he opened his eyes again. “We’d better get a few things straight between us. This is a federal matter, so you’re just here to give me a hand. I’ll be in charge of the arrangements.”
Coffin’s bearded jaw tightened, and he looked as if he wanted to argue the point. But after a moment, he nodded curtly. “That’s what the major said. I reckon I’ll follow orders—long as they ain’t stupid.”
“You’ll follow orders,” Longarm said flatly.
Coffin’s brawny shoulders rose and fell in a shrug, and Longarm figured that was as close as he was going to get to an agreement. He moved on. “We both keep our mouths shut about what we’re doing. There’s been too much talk already. I’d rather we hadn’t both stood there in the middle of the room and announced that we came here on an assignment, but I was a mite addled after that tussle with you.”
Coffin took hold of his chin, moved his jaw back and forth, and winced. “You pack a pretty good punch, all right, Long. I wasn’t thinkin’ neither. Sorry.”
Longarm drained the rest of his drink. “It shouldn’t matter. I’m not expecting any trouble. We’ll ride herd on those fellas from Washington and Mexico City for a few days, then they’ll go home and so will we.”
“What about El Aguila? I’ve heard tell his bunch is raidin’ again.”
Longarm shook his head. “This meeting shouldn’t interest an owlhoot like El Aguila.” He didn’t mention it, but the man who had tried to kidnap the diplomats in Arizona had been an ex-military officer with a grudge against the government. That was a far cry from some minor border bandit, whose sights would likely be set a lot lower.
Still, Longarm couldn’t ignore the possibility of trouble, so he continued. “Since you grew up around here, what do you know about El Aguila? That means The Eagle, doesn’t it?”
“Yep,” said Coffin with a nod. “I never saw the man. Nobody really knows who he is, ‘cept maybe some of the Mexes along the river. They claim to know, but they’re mighty close-mouthed whenever the subject comes up. El Aguila’s got a reputation for hornin’ in on schemes that other folks come up with, but he ain’t never run with a gang of his own until now.”
“That’s what the reports the major’s gotten say. I figure when this business here in Del Rio’s over, I might take a few days ‘fore I head back to Austin and try to help Sheriff Sanderson catch the skunk.”
“More power to you,” said Longarm. “Just make sure this job is over and done with first.”
“Sure, sure,” Coffin said with a wave of his hand. He slurped down some of the beer, then surprised Longarm by saying, “No hard feelin’s ‘bout that fracas earlier, right?”
“No hard feelings,” Longarm agreed. “We’ve got to work together, so we might as well try to get along.”
“Yeah.” Coffin looked sheepishly down at the table. “I didn’t really mean all those things I said to Anna Marie. I think she’s really mighty sweet, and she sure is pretty. It’s just that ... well, when you’re a big ol’ galoot like I am, folks sort of expect you to bull around and raise a ruckus. You savvy?”
Longarm shrugged. “Whatever you say, Coffin. That ain’t really any of my business neither.”
The big Ranger grinned. “Like I said, you pack a wallop. You reckon Anna Marie’s still mad at me?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Longarm said.
Coffin put his hands on the table and pushed himself to his feet.
“I’m goin’ up to her room and find out. See you, Long.”
“Be at the hotel first thing in the morning,” Longarm reminded him.
Coffin nodded his head to show he had heard, but didn’t look back. Longarm chuckled tiredly. Coffin had his mind set on Anna Marie again, but Longarm figured he would be lucky if the redhead didn’t bust something over his skull when he came knocking on her door. She had a temper to match her hair.
Longarm stood up and headed for the door of the saloon. He intended to go back to the hotel. It had been a long day, and he was tired. And as soon as those diplomats arrived in the morning, he was going to be responsible for their safety, so he wanted a good night’s sleep.
Even though he was confident there wasn’t going to be any trouble, it never hurt to be careful.
Chapter 3
As soon as he reached the door of his hotel room, Longarm knew that a good night’s sleep was going to be postponed, at least for a while. The second-floor corridor was lit by lamps that hung at each end of the hallway,
