Longarm grabbed Randy and hauled him erect. “You either go now, or I’m going to march over to arrest your father and let the chips fall where they may.”
“Custis, if you try that, you’re a dead man as sure as the sun is rising.”
“You’re probably right, but I’ll take your father, your brother, and a whole lot more with me.”
Randy must have believed him because he swallowed drily, then slowly nodded his head. “All right, let’s go see if we can find Lupe.”
“Now you’re making sense,” Longarm said with a wide grin. “Any ideas where we can start looking?”
“A couple.”
“Good. Let’s get out of here before someone sees us and starts asking questions.”
“Someone will anyway,” Randy said as he quickly began to dress. “Pa’s put a guard out by the road into Helldorado. He’s going to question us.”
“Then you’d better have some answers for him,” Longarm said, “because we’re leaving.”
“And if my answers aren’t good enough?”
“Then the guard might contract lead poisoning,” Longarm said, pulling on his own shirt and coat and fighting back the pain from his bullet wound.
They had no trouble getting their horses saddled even though the sun had floated off the horizon and was blazing warmth across the sage-covered hills. The blue-green pinyon and juniper pine were damp with dew and steaming. About twenty-five miles to the west, the Sierra Nevadas stood like a line of tall medieval soldiers, helmets glistening with snow. It was an extraordinarily beautiful morning and, had it not been for the possibility that he might have to kill a guard, Longarm would have greatly enjoyed this sojourn.
“There he is,” Randy said, pointing to a man who rode out from a gully and approached them with a rifle cradled across the fork of his saddle.
“Is he reasonable?” Longarm asked.
“When he’s sober,” Randy said.
“Make him a believer,” Longarm warned. “We need to act a little drunk ourselves.”
“Hello there!” Randy called to the approaching guard with a loose grin and then a dry cackle. “Stayin’ warm this morning, Gil? Or are you freezin’ your ass off?”
Gil was a nondescript fellow, all bundled up in winter clothing and wearing heavy leather gloves on his hands.
“I damn near froze last night! Gonna be relieved in about an hour and the first thing I’m going to do is to find me a whore and warm myself up in her bed.”
Randy forced a sick smile. “Me and Custis been drinkin’ and whorin’ all night. We plumb wore ‘em all out, Gil!”
“The hell you say,” Gil exclaimed, shaking his head. “Where are you fellas headed?”
“Virginia City, by gawd!”
Gil’s smile slipped. “Mr. Killion didn’t say anything about anyone leaving Helldorado this morning.”
“We’re going to have us a high old time, Gil. My father won’t care.”
Gil frowned. “I don’t think you ought to do that without asking him first.”
“He won’t mind,” Randy said, his pathetic smile fading. “Now, just don’t give me any trouble, Gil.”
“But it’s my ass if your father finds out you’re gone and he didn’t want you to. You know that we’re riding north to hit that Reno bank Friday morning.”
“We’re gonna be back a day before that,” Randy said, prodding his new buckskin forward. “This horse needs riding and I need to see some new whores.”
“Yeah, but-“
“Out of the way, Gil,” Longarm said quietly. “We’re getting thirstier by the minute.”
Gil made a feeble attempt to block their path, but Longarm reined his horse past the man, and then they were trotting down the cold road toward the Comstock Lode.
“You better not be the cause of me getting on Mr. Killion’s shit list!” Gil shouted. “You’d better not, Randy!”
Randy didn’t respond. He just kept riding, and so did Longarm. “See,” Longarm finally said cheerfully, “no problem. And now we know exactly when your father and his gang plan to rob the Bank of Reno.”
“So you can lay a trap and ambush them?”
“No,” Longarm said, “so we can lay a trap and catch them by surprise and make our arrests before anyone else gets killed or hurt.”
“They’ll never surrender.”
“Then they’ll die,” Longarm said heavily. “It’s their call, but I promise you that we’ll give them a choice. That’s the best that they can hope for, kid.”
Randy swallowed and stared straight ahead as they rode on into the cold morning to learn if Senora Lupe Sanchez was dead or alive.
Chapter 16
