movement of her throat as she drank, the rise and fall

of her chest. Their eyes tumbled all the way down

past the swell of her hips to the smallness of her feet.

Genius Jackson licked his lips without realizing

he was.

The Swede’s instincts were sharp, too. Trouble

was, his pistol was empty of bullets and no way to kill

this claim jumper.

“Yah, that’s some good water,” he said.

“Come out of the deep ground,” Jackson said.

The Swede walked around studying the place, as

though assessing it for its value.

“We got us a good house here,” he said to Martha.

“That fellow is looking at me like I’m a hambone

and he’s a yellow dog,” she said. “I think he aims to

steal me away from you.”

“Yah, yah,” said the Swede out of the side of his

mouth. “Maybe you make a little eyes at him, eh? Till

I can grab his gun.”

Jackson followed the pair around as they studied

his layout. He didn’t know whether to shoot the man

or just run him off and keep the woman. He hadn’t

had to make a hard decision in a long time. Until this

very hour, all he’d had to think about was how he was

going to get through the next hour of his life. Now he

had strangers in his yard and lust risen in his nether

parts like yeast bread setting in the sun. Then there

was that damn tooth worrying him all to hell.

A little time with the woman might just take away

some of his grief.

“I got whiskey in the house yonder, and victuals if

you all is hungry and thirsty.”

“Yah,” the Swede said. “Sure we are, ain’t we?” he

said to Martha as the old man led them inside the

house, his head full of evil plans, matched only by

those of the Swede.

The hansom’s tracks became fresher with each pass-

ing hour.

“We’re on them now,” Toussaint said once they’d

crossed a small feeder creek.

“Look,” Jake said. “I don’t want to have to shoot

this man if we don’t have to. I’d just as soon he stood

trial for his crimes—let the legal system have its way

with him.”

Toussaint looked at him.

“Squeamish ain’t a good trait for a man in the law

business.”

Jake looked at the badge he wore, said, “It’s only

temporary, this work. I’d like to keep the bloodletting

to a minimum.”

“Fine by me.”

“Just so you know.”

“Just so I know.”

Two hours more and they came within view of the

cabin, the sun low in the west.

“What do you think?” Jake said as they halted

their horses a quarter-mile distance.

“Seems likely they’d be there.”

“Yeah.”

“How do you want to do it?”

“Straight on is the only way I see, what about

you?”

“I don’t see any other way, no trees or nothing we

could sneak up on them behind.”

“He’ll have plenty of time to see us coming if he’s

in there.”

“Might shoot us out of our saddles.”

“I mean if we have to take his life, then we will. I

don’t want you mistaken as to where I stand on this,”

Jake said.

“Somehow twenty dollars doesn’t seem like enough

pay right now.”

“Well, if he shoots you out of the saddle, it won’t

matter, and if he doesn’t—it’s still twenty dollars.”

Toussaint broke open the shotgun and put in fresh

loads, then snapped it closed again resting the butt

against his leg.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll be taking a nap,”

he said, judging the time to be around noon.

“We could wait until dark,” Jake said. “But I’m all

for taking them now.”

“You’re even starting to talk like a damn lawman.”

“I’m just tired of chasing this man. Let’s finish it,

get Otis’s wife back if she’s still alive.”

Toussaint walked his mule out wide to the south,

Jake rode his horse out wide to the north.

18

She knocked on the door and waited. When no

one answered, she turned to go. She wasn’t sure

why she was even bothering. She’d reached the end of

the hall when his door opened.

“Clara.”

She turned to see him standing there half dressed,

his hair uncombed, looking old and beat down.

“Come back, Clara.”

Reluctantly she walked back to his room.

“I can only stay a few minutes,” she said. “I’ve got

to open school.”

Вы читаете Killing Mr. Sunday
Добавить отзыв
ВСЕ ОТЗЫВЫ О КНИГЕ В ИЗБРАННОЕ

0

Вы можете отметить интересные вам фрагменты текста, которые будут доступны по уникальной ссылке в адресной строке браузера.

Отметить Добавить цитату