gunhands that have done the actual work. We don’t know what most of them look like. We know damn few names, and we don’t even know if them are the right names. And we sure as hell don’t know where to find these folks. Never mind how we are going to take them, first we got to find them. How is all of that supposed to happen?”
Longarm glanced over at Davis. “Well, Marshal Honest John Smith, the knowing and the doing of this proposition is why I’m the boss and you are a provisional deputy. You just keep doing what you are doing and leave the thinking to me. I’m afeared you might hurt yourself if you went to studying on matters. And you better damn well pray that you are right about Bodenheimer.”
“Well, what else were you going to do with him? You damn sure didn’t have time to take him to Austin where the nearest federal court is. Leave him out there on that road afoot? Hell, somebody might have come along, and then he damn sure would have gotten back into town and warned everybody he named.”
“All right, all right,” Longarm said. “Let’s say that for once you were right. I don’t understand how it happened, but I guess it did.” Then he glanced over at Davis, taking in his flat-crowned, stiff, wide-brimmed black hat. He said, “What are you doing up here wearing a border hat? I been meaning to ask you that the first time I laid eyes on you in that poker game at the saloon. You figure it makes you look tough? Makes you look like you don’t know how to buy a hat, is what it does.”
Davis looked unconcerned. “At least I ain’t called Longarm because my first name is Custis. Lord, what a burden that must have been to you as a child.”
Longarm said, “I wouldn’t be talking about names, Marshal Smith. Do you know what the penalty is for impersonating a federal officer?”
“No, but I bet you do. Lord knows you’ve been getting away with it long enough.”
“Me and you,” Longarm said grimly, “are going to play some head-up poker when this is over. Maybe for your life.”
“You just can’t admit I done a good job with Bodenheimer, can you. It’d kill you, wouldn’t it. You’d fall off that horse and drop down dead in the road if you had to admit to such a thing, wouldn’t you?”
Longarm just gave him a look.
When they were a quarter of a mile out of town, Longarm pulled them up. They stood in the middle of the road waiting for Bodenheimer to catch up. Longarm said to Davis, “Soon as we get squared away I am going out to Hannah’s house and bring her into jail. You are going out to fetch that Rebeccah in.”
Davis’s eyes got wide. “Are you crazy? Hell, send me after Billy the Kid. I’d much rather take him on. Custis, that woman is a wildcat.”
“I don’t care what she is. You bring her into town. She is going to jail. And I’m going to send the sheriff and his deputies to fetch in Salome and the other one, Sarah. Then tonight, me and you is going to see Dalton Diver. I got to get this thing brought to a head. And in a hurry. I’m tired of fooling with it.”
Davis looked back down the road where Bodenheimer was coming at a trot, bouncing up and down in the saddle. He said, “You ain’t no more ready than I am. I swear I don’t believe I ever fetched up in such a town like this afore in my life. Look at the sheriff. That poor pony of his is going to be swaybacked before the week is out.”
Longarm didn’t speak again until the sheriff had joined them.
Bodenheimer, even though it was too cool for sweat, pulled a big bandanna out of his pocket and swabbed his face. They all could see the tops of the town buildings just around a curve. Longarm said, “Now Otis, I want you to get it straight in your mind that you and I have come to an agreement that you are innocent of any wrongdoing and I have turned you loose. That is what you are to tell anyone who asks you. But don’t volunteer nothing, understand?”
The sheriff nodded.
“And you avoid the mayor and the bank president as if they were carrying the plague. I got a feeling you ain’t a very good liar, Otis, so you keep temptation out of your way. You understand?”
“Yessir.” The sheriff nodded again.
Longarm looked at him for a long moment. Finally he said, “I ain’t never done nothing like this before, Bodenheimer. You understand?”
“Yessir.”
“Now I have warned you about giving us away in any way. Any loose talk, any thought of betrayal will spell your end. You understand?”
“Yessir.”
Longarm was still staring at him. “Your life is literally in your mouth. Keep that in mind.”
“Yessir.”
Davis said, “Sounds like he’s got his part down. Yessir. Yessir.”
Longarm ignored him. He said to Bodenheimer, “Now, we are going to start this thing off as soon as we get into town. I am going to go out and bring Miss Hannah in. Marshal Smith is going to fetch in Miss Rebeccah.” He jabbed Bodenheimer in the chest. “You and your three deputies are going to go out and fetch in Miss Sarah and Miss Salome. You are to bring them in and put them in jail.”
Bodenheimer’s eyes got as round as his face. He said, stuttering, “Wha-wha-what? Bring in Dalton Diver’s daughters and put them in jail?”
“Yes.” Longarm looked at him hard. “And this is something you ain’t going to do halfway or mess up, Bodenheimer. You don’t bring those two women back to town, it will be better for you that you don’t come back at all.”
“But-but …” Bodenheimer blinked his eyes like he was about to get tearful. “But how am I supposed to do that? Dalton Diver will have my hide nailed to his barn door! I’m scairt of that man, and so is everybody else.”
“You better be more scared of me, Otis. Now. What you do is, you go to Miss Sarah’s house and tell her that Miss Hannah is at the jail with their father, Dalton, and you and your deputies have been sent to fetch her and Miss
