He poured himself some whiskey and offered the bottle toward us. Virgil and I declined.
“That right?” Callico said.
“It is,” Virgil said.
“Bouncers,” Callico said.
“Correct,” Virgil said.
“Got you a big list of rules,” Callico said, and nodded without looking at the rules posted on the wall.
“We do,” Virgil said.
“Pretty much same rules you had for the town when you was marshal,” Callico said.
“Pretty much,” Virgil said.
“Just want to be sure you remember that you ain’t marshal now,” Callico said.
“I remember,” Virgil said.
Callico looked at me for the first time.
“You?” he said.
“I remember, too,” I said.
He looked at the eight-gauge leaning against the edge of the table.
“You haul that fucking blunderbuss around with you everywhere?” he said.
“I do,” I said.
“For God’s sake, why?” Callico said.
“Same reason you have your boys carry Winchesters in a saloon,” I said. “Folks get the idea you’re serious.”
Callico looked at me without expression for a moment. Then he turned back to Virgil.
“Why do you suppose Speck hired you?” Callico said.
“Keep order,” Virgil said.
“I’m the one keeps order in Appaloosa,” Callico said.
“Well, that’s by-God comforting,” Virgil said. “We run into trouble we’ll be sure to holler for you.”
“You should have hollered for me already,” Callico said. Virgil looked at me.
“You know any reason we should have hollered for the police?” Virgil said.
“Nope.”
“You threw Nicky Laird out of here, couple days ago, for a damn whore.”
“Several damn whores,” Virgil said.
“He’s a highly regarded citizen of this town, and his father is a close personal friend of mine.”
“Nice,” Virgil said.
“You embarrassed him in public,” Callico said.
“Man embarrassed himself,” Virgil said.
“Boys,” Callico said, and poured himself more whiskey. “This is exactly why I don’t want no vigilante law enforcing going on. There’s a distinguished citizen being insulted by some whores and you side with the whores.”
He stopped, drank some of his whiskey, and shook his head slowly.
“You boys know the county sheriff’s chief deputy,” Callico said.
“Stringer,” Virgil said.
Callico nodded.
“He was in town picking up a prisoner. Got a lot of regard for you boys.”
“Stringer’s a good man,” Virgil said.
“And I got a high regard for you both. I know your reputation,” Callico said. “But you can’t run a town with two different sets of law.”
“Welcome to borrow ours,” Virgil said.
Callico slammed his hand loudly on the table. Virgil didn’t appear to notice.
“Goddamn it,” he said. “I don’t want either one of you working here. That put it plain enough?”
“I’d say it was,” he answered. “You say so, Everett?”
“I do,” I said.
“Then you’ll quit,” Callico said.
“No,” Virgil said.
“No?” Callico said. “I won’t take no.”
“Everett,” Virgil said, “I think Chief Callico is trying to intimate us…”
Virgil paused and frowned and shook his head.
“No,” he said. “That ain’t right. What am I trying to say, Everett?”
“Intimidate?” I said.
“That’s it,” Virgil said. “I think the chief is trying to intimidate us.”
As quietly as I could, I cocked both hammers on the eight-gauge.
“Goddamn it, I’m telling you plain what I want,” Callico said.
“Amos,” Virgil said. “Me ’n Everett don’t much care what you want.”
“You defying me?” Callico said.
“By God,” Virgil said. “I believe we are.”
“There’s five armed men here,” Callico said.
Virgil said nothing.
“You’re willing to die rather than let me run you off?” Callico said.
Virgil shook his head.
“Don’t expect to die,” he said.
“Against five men?” Callico said.
“Expect me and Everett can kill you all,” Virgil said.
Everyone was still, except Callico. I could hear him breathing in and out, his chest heaving slowly. Then he, too, quieted. Very slowly he put both hands flat on the tabletop.
“Don’t get ahead shooting people up in a saloon,” he said, and looked at us.
Then he stood and jerked his head at the officers along the wall.
“We’ll talk again,” he said to Virgil.
And they filed out.
“Be my guess it ain’t over,” I said.
“When he finds an excuse,” Virgil said.
8
IF WE STAYED around the house in the morning until Allie got up, she set right in cooking us breakfast. So we tried to get out, before she woke up, and went to eat at Cafe Paris. Since I wasn’t a lawman these days, and I didn’t expect to shoot anybody, I left the eight-gauge in the house.
“We got to eat supper with her sometimes, so’s not to hurt her feelin’s,” Virgil said. “But I can’t face her cooking in the morning.”
“How’s the rest of it going,” I said.
“She don’t seem so crazy,” Virgil said.
“Maybe ’cause she got Laurel to take care of,” I said.
“Maybe,” Virgil said.
“Makes her feel important,” I said.
“She’s important to me,” Virgil said.
“I know,” I said.
“Sex life be better, though,” Virgil said, “Allie wasn’t sleepin’ with Laurel.”
“Maybe I could arrange for Laurel and me to take long walks in the evening,” I said.
“Might help,” Virgil said.
“And,” I said, “soon as we settle in, I’ll get a place of my own.”
