me?”
The man straightened in his saddle. “What’s this I hear about you ain’t going to allow no business in this town?”
Actually, the first time Longarm had said it to the saloon keeper, it had just been a random thought that had popped into his mind. But the more he played with it, the better he liked it. It seemed to make some sense and seemed to assert his authority. He said, “You ain’t got it exactly right. What I am saying is that nobody who works for or has anything to do with either the Myers or the Barretts is going to do any business in this town. Does that make it any clearer for you, boy?”
The man swelled up. He said, “Who the hell you think you calling ‘boy’ there, old man?”
Longarm smiled but without pleasure. He said, “You want them to be your last words, boy, because if you say ‘old man’ again, they will be.”
The gunman said, “You talk pretty big for one gun standing there by yourself.”
Longarm said, “I’m not doing any more talking unless one of you three is Jake Myers and the other two are his sons. You’re in the wrong place. I’ve declared this town off limits to any of your kind until this business gets straightened. So y’all can get yourselves on out of here.”
One of the other two men said, “Who’s going to make us?”
Longarm said, “Well, I’m not going to make you, but if you stay, you’re going to be laying in the dust of the street with a whole lot of holes in you. Do you understand what I mean by that, boy?”
The man on the end, the meanest-looking one, said, “You’re ordering us out of town then, as a United States peace officer?”
“I don’t feel so peaceful right now. I recommend you wheel them horses around and get the hell out of here and go back and tell your boss to get his fat ass back in here and start talking to me, because if any more of y’all show up, they’ll get the same treatment you’re getting.”
The man looked at the other two. He said, “All right, let’s go back and give the word to Mr. Myers, though I don’t think he’s going to care for it.” With that, he urged his horse forward in a wheeling movement that brought him toward the boardwalk and the store and Longarm. It also turned the man sideways, making him a more difficult target. Just as he was opposite Longarm, he suddenly drew. Longarm saw the flash of his hand almost an instant too late. He stepped back behind the post as he drew his own revolver, dropping to one knee. He heard the crash of the man’s revolver as it exploded and felt the force of the bullet as it splintered the wood of the post.
Chapter 4
Longarm realized that he’d been caught woefully off guard. Three shots crashed over his head before he was able to level down on the man closest to him. He fired and saw the slug catch the gunman high up on the shoulder of his gun hand. He saw him lurch in the saddle, twisting, turning toward Longarm. Longarm fired again, this time the bullet taking the man high up in the chest. He went over the side of his horse. The other two were already starting to spur away, firing away over the flanks of their horses. Longarm stayed down, holding his fire. They were already at a good twenty yards, which was a difficult pistol shot, even if they hadn’t been riding low and at a good clip.
The noise from the shots was still echoing when he stepped down from the boardwalk in front of the store and into the dust of the street. The gunman was lying in a twisted position on his back, his revolver still attached to his hand by one finger through the trigger guard. Longarm kicked it loose, sending it skidding away in the dust. He leaned down and looked at the gunman. He was young. Longarm guessed him to be no more than twenty-five. He had been hit in the shoulder and also had a big wound in his chest. In about an hour, he would start to stiffen up.
Longarm stood up and looked around. A couple dozen curious people had come outside and were staring his way. He made a sweeping motion with his hand and everyone scuttled back indoors.
The Texas Bar & Grill was across the street and to the left. He walked slowly toward it and stepped on the boardwalk. Mr. McAllister was standing behind the batwings, so short, he could barely see over the top. Longarm stopped in front of him. He said, “Is there an undertaker in this town?”
Mr. McAllister was working a chew of tobacco in his jaw. He pushed back the batwing doors and joined Longarm on the boardwalk. He spat into the street. He said, “Don’t you mean a doctor?”
Longarm said, “No, I ain’t hurt at all.”
McAllister turned his round face toward Longarm and smoothed his bald head. He said, “You’re a pretty cool customer, ain’t you, mister?”
“Not as cool as he is,” Longarm said.
McAllister spat again and looked at the man lying in the street. He said, “We ain’t got no proper undertaker. The barber generally will lay them out and get them ready, but I reckon Myers will be right interested in that fellow you just killed. That’s one of his top hands.”
Longarm said, “Then Myers is in a world of hurt if that’s his top hand. If that’s the best he can bring forward, he better make peace with me in a hurry. What’s that man’s name?”
McAllister spat again. He said, “Wilkins. Cal Wilkins. As far as I know, he was about as tough an hombre as there is around here. But I see you settled his hash.”
“Well,” Longarm said, “you seem to be a town leader, Mr. McAllister. I’ll leave it to you and the rest of the good folks to get the barber to fetch the body in and lay it out all right and proper. I’m sure Mr. Myers will be glad to pay you for the trouble.”
McAllister looked at Longarm. He said, “Mister, why don’t you get the hell out of here? You’re going to put this place out of business. We’re barely hanging on by our fingernails as it is.”
Longarm said, “Funny thing about it, Mr. McAllister, I haven’t heard from the Barretts and I haven’t heard from the Myerses, except for this little party of gunmen. I’ve heard from you and a couple of other merchants, but I haven’t heard from any of these homesteaders. I’m waiting to hear that they want me to leave. If they do, I just might consider it.”
As Longarm walked back to his boardinghouse, he could see curious faces wearing puzzled looks, staring at him through a variety of windows. He paid them no mind, only went up the steps and into the big, gray two-story house
