of time.”
“As long as it does heal and these headaches go away, I can wait it out.”
“Good!”
Longarm left the kid and decided to ride directly out to the Bar S Ranch and poke around. Maybe he’d find something useful, but he doubted it.
Chapter 15
It didn’t take Longarm very long to check out the Bar S Ranch and see that any evidence that might have existed had already been obliterated by curiosity seekers and a sloppy undertaker. Longarm walked around for about twenty minutes, followed by a hard-faced and unfriendly-looking man who called himself George.
“I told you there was nothing left to see,” the man growled as Longarm untied the reins from his horse. “Everyone in South Park came flockin’ in here to see the bodies and offer their two bits worth on what must have happened.”
“I understand that Red died hard.”
“Shot in the belly, then the head,” George said, spitting tobacco. “We figure that he had to have taken the gut slug first. He’d have suffered something awful, of course. Finally, the killer must have gotten bored and just put poor old Red out of his misery.”
“And the other dead man they found?”
“Died of a broken neck.”
“What do you think happened to the woman?”
“You mean Betty?”
“Yeah.”
“I think she was taken against her will. I figure whoever killed Red took Betty for pleasure. She was one hell of a good-lookin’ gal.”
“Maybe she’ll try to kill him,” Longarm suggested.
“Maybe. Betty isn’t a full-blooded Ute, you know. Her father was a Mexican. She’s got a lot of fire, if you understand what I mean.”
“Did they ride off together?”
“Nope. Took Red’s buggy and hitched a couple of saddle horses to the back of it.”
This was important news to Longarm. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I am! The buggy was gone and it was the only decent thing on four wheels that Red owned. He and Betty used it all the time. You’d see ‘em riding around the valley every damned Sunday. It’s black with a red fringed top. Stands out so you can’t miss it.”
“Thanks,” Longarm said, mounting Splash.
“You look more like an outlaw than a lawman,” George said. “You look mean.”
“I am,” Longarm replied. “You have to be mean in my business to stay alive.”
“You damn sure better find the sonofabitch that gut-shot, then executed Red and took Betty.”
“I’ll do my best,” Longarm said. “I think they went after the Marble brothers, or maybe another member of their gang named Jake Mill.”
George blinked, then said, “Jake was gunned down in Cortez a few weeks ago.”
“Is that right?”
“For a fact! He was ambushed. He was a hell of a fine man, you know. Tough sonofabitch too.”
“Is that right?”
“it is.”
“What about the Marble brothers?”
“They’re also right handy with their guns. But Jake was the best of the bunch.”
“Do you know exactly where I can find the brothers?”
“They keep on the move.”
“Well,” Longarm said, starting to rein away, “maybe I’ll see you around. I’ll be passing through Cortez and asking about Jake Mill.”
“No need for that, Marshal. I told you he’s dead.”
“I have to make sure. Someone must have buried him and I need that information for my investigation. I’ll be seeing you around, George.”
“I doubt it.”
Longarm frowned. “Why?”
“Either the Marble brothers or whoever the hell gut-shot Red will kill you first.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Longarm said. “A lot of men have tried, and a lot of men have died.”
“Jake would have killed you for sure, Marshal. Nothin’ he liked better than to kill some sonofabitchin’
