Longarm and the Helldorado Kid

LONGARM AND THE HELLDORADO KID

By

Tabor Evans

Jove Books

New York

Copyright (C) 1995 by

Jove Publications, Inc.

All rights reserved.

This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission. For information address: The Berkley Publishing Group, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016. ISBN: 0- 515-11591-6 Jove Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016. JOVE and the “J” design are trademarks belonging to Jove Publications, Inc. A Jove Book published by arrangement with the author Printing history Jove edition April 1995 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

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Chapter 1

Longarm removed the half-chewed cheroot from the corner of his mouth and batted a cloud of trail dust from his pants. He knew he looked rough, but he’d just returned from Arizona and had gotten a message to hurry into the Denver headquarters just as soon as he arrived back in town.

“Mr. Billy Vail wants to see you right away. Important business,” was the terse message that had been given to Longarm by his hotel manager.

Longarm knocked on Billy’s door, curious about what could be so important that it could not wait until a tired, dirty, and hungry lawman had a few hours to rest and eat after being gone for six weeks.

“Come in!” Billy called.

Longarm entered the office and trod wearily across the hardwood floor to take a seat in front of Billy’s desk. His boss looked harried and irritable, with piles of papers scattered about his desk in complete disorder.

“Buried up to your eyeballs in paperwork as usual?” Longarm teased.

“Damn right,” Billy growled, looking up for the first time to see Deputy Custis Long. “Man, you look like a horse that’s been spurred up and down Pike’s Peak.”

“I feel like one,” Longarm said, crossing his legs and thumbing back the brim of his black Stetson hat. “And I’m looking forward to a long-overdue vacation.”

“I’m sure you are,” Billy said, appearing genuinely concerned. “I’d say you’ve lost about twenty pounds since I saw you last. Hell, Custis, you even look older.”

Longarm stuffed his annoyance. “I am older and so are you, Billy. Now what is so damned important that it couldn’t wait a few days?”

Billy pushed back from his chair and stood up. He massaged his eyes with thumb and forefinger, then placed his hands in the small of his back and applied pressure with a groan.

“Damn,” he said, “I swear that sitting at a desk is three times worse on your back than sitting on a horse.”

“Then take a demotion and come join the rest of us poor devils back out in the field,” Longarm said without even the pretense of sympathy.

“You’re a hard man, Custis.”

“I’m a hungry and tired man.” Longarm was in no mood for small talk. “What is it this time, Billy?”

“I’ve got a problem that needs my best deputy.”

Longarm wasn’t about to be suckered by flattery, not in his current foul mood. “Too bad, Billy, because I’ve got a problem that needs about a week of rest.”

“Maybe I can give you a few days.”

“I need a week.”

Billy glanced at his desk calendar, considered it thoughtfully, and then said, “I just might be able to give you