24
CHIEF CALLICO stopped by our place of business, outside the Boston House, where Virgil and I were looking at the town and drinking coffee. He sat with us. He was neighborly Amos today.
“By God, Virgil,” he said. “You’ve put me in a bind.”
“Weren’t my intention,” Virgil said.
He sipped his coffee and looked over the rim of the mug past the rooftops of the town, at the higher country to the west. The land was mostly brown, with some moments of green, where there was water.
“Horatio Laird is the most important man in this part of the country,” Callico said.
“I believe he is,” Virgil said.
“Did you have to kill his only son?” Callico said.
“I did,” Virgil said.
“He’s pressing me real hard about it,” Callico said.
“Wants me arrested,” Virgil said.
“He wants that very bad,” Callico said.
“Can’t say I blame him,” Virgil said.
Tilda came out with a pot of coffee and poured some for us.
“Tilda,” Virgil said. “Why don’t you get a cup for our friend Amos here.”
“Yessir, Mr. Cole,” Tilda said.
“But we both know I can’t arrest you,” Callico said.
He took the cup from Tilda and held it while she poured.
“You got fifty eyewitnesses that it was self-defense,” Callico said.
“Didn’t know it was that many,” Virgil said. “You know that, Everett?”
“Knew there were enough,” I said.
“I got plans,” Callico said. “I’m trying to enforce the law in this town, and do it in a way will help me with those plans, you understand?”
“Heard you was aiming for president,” Virgil said.
“And, by God, I’d be a good one, Virgil,” Callico said.
“But there’s some stops ’fore we get there. And I got to make them.”
“And you don’t get to make them,” I said, “arresting people and having to turn them loose.”
“Correct. And I don’t make them unless I enforce the law right,” Callico said. “And I don’t make them unless I got support from important people, like General Laird.”
“And right now you’re in a squeeze,” I said.
“You see that,” Callico said.
Virgil drank some more coffee.
“Everett went to West Point,” he said.
“Smart fella,” Callico said. “Both of you are smart fellas. You give me any support you can, I’ll appreciate it, and I’ll remember it when I’ve made a few of those stops.”
“Need money to go where you want to go,” Virgil said.
“Sure do,” Callico said. “One reason people like the general are important.”
“Reason why you charge folks a fee for police services, too,” Virgil said.
“Town don’t give us enough operating budget,” Callico said. “Got to do what I can.”
Callico smiled a big, friendly smile.
“Opened up a little business for you boys, too,” he said.
Virgil nodded.
“Did,” he said.
“I can do things like that,” Callico said.
Virgil and I didn’t say anything.
“I ain’t asking you boys for help. You’re the only ones round here could give me trouble. You stay out of my way, and I’ll consider it help.”
“We got no ill will,” Virgil said. “Do we, Everett.”
“Nope.”
“Good,” Callico said. “Thanks for the coffee.”
He stood and walked back down Main Street.
I looked at Virgil.
“You sure we don’t have no ill will?” I said.
Still studying the western horizon, Virgil smiled slowly. “Well,” he said. “Maybe a little.”
25
I HAD STARTED keeping company with Emma Scarlet. “Your partner killed General Laird’s son,” Emma said.
It was midafternoon and business was slow for both of us, so we took a siesta in her room.
“Yes,” I said.
“And I started it,” Emma said.
“I guess,” I said.
“It’ll get him in trouble with the general,” Emma said.
“Or it might get the general in trouble with Virgil,” I said.
The life hadn’t gotten her yet, and she still looked pretty good with her clothes off.
“General draws an awful lot of water, round here,” Emma said.
“I heard that,” I said.
“Be governor if he hadn’t been a reb,” Emma said.
“People still care?” I said.
“Not around here,” she said. “But lot of other voters. Don’t make much difference to me. I can’t vote, anyhow.”
“What you can do, though, you do pretty well,” I said.
“Pretty well?” she said.
“Best in the history of the goddamned world,” I said.
She giggled.
“Oh, Everett,” she said. “That’s real sweet.”
“Like me,” I said.
“Most men are scared of the general,” she said.
“Virgil ain’t,” I said.
“How do you know so sure?” Emma said.
“’Cause Virgil ain’t scared of anything,” I said.
“I feel kinda bad about Nicky getting killed,” Emma said. “You know? Like it was my fault. Couldn’t Virgil have just whonked him on the head with his gun?”
“Ever see a gunfight, Emma?”
“Sure, I have. I’m a whore. I work saloons. Seen a lot. Drunks, mostly. Usually they miss.”
“There’s another kind, too,” I said.
“Like the ones you and Virgil do?”
“Like those,” I said. “What I learned about those, I learned from Virgil. Because of what he does, what we do, mostly we’re outnumbered.”
“Like you were with Nicky,” Emma said.
“Yep. So we got to mean it, soon as it starts. No whonking people. No shooting them in the leg. They need to know, and we need to know, that we are ready to kill them.”
“Someone told me Nicky had six men with him,” Emma said. “How come they all didn’t just start shooting at