and reached for his six-gun, then started back toward the saloon. He was almost at the door when two gunshots erupted from inside.
“God damn you, Randy!” Killion shouted, his voice booming through the open doorway. “I wasn’t finished with him yet!”
“Yes, you were, Pa,” was Randy’s reply a moment before he came stumbling out of the saloon to nearly collide with Longarm.
Their eyes met and held. Then Randy said, “I’ve killed a man now, Custis. I just shot Dean.”
There was such a terrible sadness in the kid’s expression that Longarm holstered his own six-gun and then he took Randy’s gun and shoved it behind his belt.
“You didn’t kill that man, your father did,” Longarm said, taking Randy’s arm and leading him away. “Is there another saloon where we can get drunk?”
“I got a bottle of fine Kentucky mash whiskey up in my room,” Randy said. “Good stuff that I’ve been saving for a special occasion.”
“Well,” Longarm said, “this isn’t a special occasion, but we need to drink that whiskey anyway and to talk.”
“About what?” Randy asked, his expression dull with shock.
“About you and this town and the Donner Pass train robbery and a bunch of other things.”
Randy came to a sudden halt. “What do you know about that train robbery?”
Longarm chose his words carefully for he was not about to give his true identity away to Matthew Killion’s son, not yet at least.
“Men talk. Everyone in Nevada knows it was your father’s gang that robbed that train.”
“People can talk forever, but without proof …”
“Yeah,” Longarm said, “without proof it’s all just smoke, ain’t it, kid.”
“That’s right.”
They walked up the street to another hotel, and then they climbed the stairs to Randy’s room. It was spartan, but clean, and Longarm was not really surprised to see that there were a goodly number of books. Shakespeare and other poets, mostly, but also some philosophy books and, amazing for a place like this, a copy of the Holy Bible.
Longarm went over and picked the bible up while Randy found his good Kentucky mash. Longarm opened the cover and saw that the bible had been inscribed and it read: To Randy from Lupe, walk with Him always.
“Put that down!” Randy ordered.
Longarm set the bible down. “What happened to Senora Sanchez?”
Randy blinked with surprise. “How did you know about her?”
“People talk.”
Randy started to say something, but changed his mind. He clamped his mouth shut and found two clean water glasses. He filled them to the brim, and his hand was shaking so badly when he picked them up and extended one to Longarm that he spilled some whiskey.
“Who are you?” Randy whispered.
“To a better life,” Longarm said, ignoring the question as he raised his glass. “And to justice and a fresh start.”
Randy drank deeply and closed his eyes. Longarm watched as color flooded back into the kid’s face.
“You didn’t kill that man,” Longarm said gently. “Dean Holt was already a dead man. We all knew that. Your father killed him and you just put the man out of his misery. What you did was a kind and a merciful thing, Randy.”
Randy’s eyes popped open. “Do you mean that?”
“Yes, I do.”
“My father has a good side,” Randy said. “He’s always been good to Clyde and me. He’s never beat us and he’s always given us whatever we needed.”
“Except a respect for the law and for the lives of others,” Longarm said.
Randy bristled. “Maybe it looks that way to you, Custis, but he’s good to people who show him loyalty-“
“I’m not impressed. What right does your father have to judge and then execute someone like Dean?”
“The man broke our rules! Without that rule against killing each other, there would be a lot more bloodshed. It’s a rule that had to be made.”
Longarm shook his head. “I just have a hard time with someone who sets himself up with the power to give or take life. It’s not right and I think you know it.”
Randy drank quickly. His eyes blinked like things trapped inside a cage. “When are you going to tell me who you really are?”
“When the time is right.”
Randy heaved a deep sigh. “Why don’t we both just shut up and get roaring drunk!”
“Okay,” Longarm said, knowing the kid would tell him everything he needed to know about the Killion gang long before the night was over.
