Diana looked around at the rough citizenry. “I think I’d rather stick close to you,” she quickly decided.
Longarm followed her eyes and read her concerns. “Probably a real good idea,” he said, dismounting and tying his horse and then Diana’s to the hitching rail.
“Afternoon!” the clerk behind the counter said in greeting. “What can I help you with today?”
“Thought we’d stay over tonight in the hotel just up the street, then come back here in the morning and buy some provisions.”
The clerk measured Diana and smiled, then turned to Longarm and said, “I’m a little afraid that our hotel might not be to the lady’s liking.”
“Why not?”
“Things get pretty wild at night over there.”
“What’s the alternative?” Diana asked.
The clerk grinned even wider. “I was hoping you’d ask. Why don’t you both take room and board tonight in my home? My wife cooks a mean chicken and dumpling and I’ll guarantee that you won’t be bothered by our local rowdies.”
Longarm knew that Diana was worn out and decided that he ought to accept the offer. “All right,” Longarm said, “but how much a night?”
“Five dollars for the two of you and that includes dinner, a big breakfast, and a place to put up your horses where they won’t get stolen. I grain ‘em and feed ‘em well right along with my own horses.”
“Private bedroom?”
“Of course,” the clerk said. “And the walls are pretty thick so … well, so you can sleep as late as you like.”
“We’ll accept your offer,” Longarm said, “as long as it comes with a hot bath.”
“Why, sure, but it’s cash in advance.”
Longarm started to dig into his pockets. He’d broken a hundred-dollar bill in Whiskey Creek so he wouldn’t even be paying this fella counterfeit money.
“First,” he said, pausing with his hand in his pocket, “we could use a little information.”
“Then you come to the right place.”
“We’re looking for a couple of men and their lady friends. They were traveling in a buckboard with some fine Thoroughbred horses, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they stopped here for provisions.”
The clerk leaned forward, elbows on his counter. “What’d they look like?”
“One man was handsome, but he’s been pistol-whipped and might have been either unconscious or feeling poorly. The other was a kid barely out of his teens.”
“I remember that bunch! The kid seemed to be the one in charge, and I do recollect that a pair stayed in the rear of the buckboard.”
“When did they pass through this settlement?” Diana asked.
“A couple of days ago. They raised some eyebrows here, I’ll tell you!”
“Why?”
“They had some trouble right out here in front of my store.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“It was quite a sight! You see, a local gunnie named Fred Stillwell tried to buffalo the kid and got a couple of bullets for his trouble.”
“The kid shot him?” Diana asked.
“Nope. The woman beside the kid shot Fred with her derringer. Hit him once in the knee and once in the shoulder. Fred got septic fever and died last night.”
“And then?” Longarm asked.
“Then they all climbed back in that buckboard with the provisions just like they were going off on a damned Sunday picnic and drove south out of town.”
“South?” Longarm wanted to be very clear on this point. “Not east?”
“South for sure.”
Longarm frowned. “I thought sure they’d be turning west by now in order to go into the desert country and try to shake any pursuit. Maybe they really are going to Prescott.”
“To me it makes a lot of sense,” Diana said. “If Nathan is hurt as bad as we’re starting to think, the Swensen kid and those Whiskey Creek girls would be hoping that there were a few of his relatives left in Prescott that might be able to help them.”
“Yeah,” Longarm said, glancing up suddenly at the clerk. “Did they pay you with a hundred-dollar bill?”
“Nope. They gave me a twenty.”
“Glad to hear that,” Longarm said, turning to leave.
“Hey, what about your room?”
“We’d better push on,” Longarm said, speaking to Diana. “At least until dark.”
