Longarm released Duncan, who retreated beyond his reach and tried to regain his composure.
“What is the matter with you!” the old lady demanded. “You’re twice that little fellow’s size! Shame on you for scarin’ him so badly.”
“He’s a worm,” Longarm pronounced. “A petty little bureaucratic worm who was sent to stop me from taking a well-deserved and long-overdue vacation.”
“From what?” the woman demanded, her voice stern and accusing.
“I’m a United States marshal,” Longarm said.
“I don’t believe it!”
“He is,” Duncan said. “But he’s not one of our nicer ones.”
“Shut up!” the old lady snapped, not taking her eyes off Custis. “If you indeed are a federal officer, then perhaps there is some justification for your poor behavior. I abhor criminals, and I suppose that catching and bringing them in to face justice takes a hard, brutish man.”
“I was going to vacation in Boston and hoped to soak up some culture and address that personal shortcoming,” Longarm said. “But I’ve just been sidetracked.”
The old lady snorted. “Well,” she said for a parting word, “then why don’t you just ignore the ‘worm’ and go on to Boston as you’d planned!”
“I can’t. I like my boss and my job.”
The old woman banged the tip of her umbrella on the sidewalk. “Then do your duty and quit whining! Boston will wait, and besides, I suspect that there is no hope whatsoever of turning you into anything approaching a gentleman.”
“Thanks,” Longarm grumped as the old lady turned and marched off down Colfax. “Thanks a lot!”
Longarm turned back to take his ire out on Duncan, but the little paper-pusher was nowhere in sight.
“I could just go catch my train,” Longarm mused aloud. “But that worm Duncan would tell Billy and the governor that I ran out on them and I’d be in a hot kettle of water when I got back. Might even be out of my job.”
Longarm wrestled with his dilemma for only a moment. Then he continued on toward the federal building. The Boston lady, whose name was Miss Emily Underwood, would just have to wait a few extra days for his long- anticipated arrival. If anything, it might cause her to welcome him with an even greater passion than he’d already expected. Longarm went straight into the federal building and wasted no time greeting acquaintances as he strode across the immense foyer with its marble floors. Marshal Billy Vail greeted him at his office door.
“Thank God you didn’t have time to catch that train,” Billy wheezed as he led his best deputy marshal into his office. Before he closed the door, he said to Duncan, who had suddenly appeared from behind a bookcase, “Don’t let anyone inside until this meeting is finished. Understand?”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Vail!”
“Good.” Billy dredged up a smile. “Custis, thanks for coming so quickly.”
“My train is leaving within the hour. I’d still like to be on it.” When Billy didn’t respond, Longarm said, “That is a possibility, is it not?”
“This way,” Billy said as they moved into his office, which was large and afforded a splendid view of the Rocky Mountains. Only now the curtains were drawn and there were three other men waiting.
“Marshal Long,” Billy said, beginning the introductions. “I’m sure you know Governor Ganzel and our executive officer, Mr. Malcomb Hall.”
“I do,” Longarm said to both men, who had not bothered to rise and were studying him closely. “It’s a pleasure.”
“You may not feel that way after this meeting,” the governor warned. “We’re in quite a fix, and Mr. Vail assures both myself and Commissioner Hall that you are his very best deputy marshal. A real problem-solver.”
“A doer, the one man who could handle this job,” Commissioner Hall added. “That’s how Mr. Vail described you, Marshal Long.”
“I am flattered,” Longarm said, expecting that he would soon pay dearly for these compliments. “What seems to be the problem?”
“Have a seat,” Billy said, offering Longarm a Stiff-backed wooden chair while all the rest of them rode fine leather upholstery. “It will take a few minutes to explain the mess we are in and try to acquaint you with all the facts leading up to the predicament.”
“Yes,” Governor Ganzel said, “I’d like to hear them myself. I’m still not sure how this could have happened.”
“There were some serious problems with security, Governor,” Malcomb Hall said.
“And who takes responsibility for that!”
“I do,” the commissioner said, completely unruffled by the governor’s bluntness. “But there is never any sure way to stop someone in a position of trust who goes bad.”
Oh, God, Longarm thought, this is going to be even worse than I’d expected.
“Well,” Billy said, taking a seat behind his desk and steepling his short, stubby fingers. “I suppose I should begin at the beginning.”
“Brevity,” Longarm advised, thinking how his train would be leaving the Denver station in exactly forty minutes and there was still a shred of hope he’d be on it if he could find a way to decline this assignment. “Brevity is always appreciated.”
Billy was a rotund, soft-looking fellow who had once himself been a very effective marshal. He was physically
