twenty-five hundred I give San Diego. I can’t take a loss like that. That’s better than ten thousand.”
“That ain’t my lookout. Sell ‘em back in Mexico.” Longarm made a disgusted sound. “Hell, you know I’d be lucky to get four dollars a head back there. Especially if word got around I’d been turned back at the border.”
“Drive ‘em a couple of hundred miles into the interior.”
“Then I’d get three a head and be out the cost of a long drive.” Longarm paused to stare at Caster, then demanded once again, “Mister Caster, what is all this about? I’ve done what you asked, right along. What the hell caused this switch? At least you could tell me that much.”
Caster seemed to be thinking. Finally he heaved his shoulders and said, “I reckon I could give you that much. The short and long of it is it was that damn woman. Raoul never was no good once he got his nose in under her skirt.”
Longarm pretended he didn’t understand. “That woman?” he said, in a puzzled voice. “I don’t get it. What woman you talking about?”
Caster gave him a sour look. “That damn Mexican woman he took up with when she moved here about a year ago. Bought that big house up on that hill. Claimed she was Spanish, Castillian Spanish. Sheeett She was a high- dressing Mexican whore was what she was. And Raoul was a man you could depend on. But once he got wrapped up in her gown tail all he did was worry about her fooling around on him. Most jealous sonofabitch I ever saw. Wasn’t good for a damn thing after that.”
Longarm let him finish and then said slowly, “Mister Caster, what has this got to do with our deal? I mean, I know the woman you speak of and I could see where she would be a temptation, but what has all this got to do with me?”
Caster snorted. “Hell, ain’t you heard? Ever’body else in town knows. Where the hell you been hiding? Raoul San Diego took off for Mexico better’n two days ago with that woman up on the buckboard seat with him. And I would reckon yore twenty-five hundred dollars was in his pocket.”
“My twenty-five hundred!” Longarm blurted. “Not very damn likely. That was your money. You told me to give it to him and I did. If he stole the money, he stole it from you. What makes you think he’s gone?”
“Hell, he drove right across the bridge. A half a dozen people saw them. And as for it being my money, well, we don’t agree about that. It never came into my hands. So the money is lost. I don’t see where we can do no business. Not the kind you want to do with James Mull.”
Longarm sat back down and glared at Caster. “Mister Caster,” he said again, “you can’t do this to me. I can’t afford this kind of loss. I’m not as well financed as I used to be. I’ve got to be able to drive those cattle to Galveston.”
Caster shrugged and looked bored. “That ain’t my lookout. Now that Raoul has took half the money, that only leaves twenty-five hundred. The last half of that five grand. I guarantee you that Mull ain’t going to do it for twelve- fifty, which would be half of the money left. And I ain’t going to give him the balance of what you’d pay and leave myself out in the cold. I don’t do nothing for free. So I reckon you better get yoreself some drovers and be ready to drive yore cattle back to Mexico. They sure as hell can’t stay on this side of the river.”
Longarm sat a moment, frowning. Then, in a hesitant tone, he said, “Look, Mister Caster, I got to salvage what I can out of this. I ain’t going to waste no breath arguing the right or wrong of your position. I can’t make you do anything. But what if I was to come up with another twenty-five hundred? What about that? Would that do the trick?”
Caster looked interested for a moment and then he pulled a face. “I might. But you ain’t got that kind of money here and I can’t wait for you to go and wire for some more. This thing has got to get done in the next couple of days. This whole mess has called too much attention to me. Too many people knew that Raoul worked for me.”
Longarm leaned forward, playing the eager businessman. “I could have it quick. I could get it off that fellow that brought my cattle up. He just got some advance money to finance him to go down to Mexico and round up another herd. He’d let me have it.”
Caster thought about it. “You right sure about that? You sure you ain’t playing for time, hoping Raoul will show back up with yore money? If you’re doing that, you’re a bigger fool than I thought. Raoul ain’t coming back. Even his own brother says that.”
“I can get another twenty-five hundred dollars. I can have it for you tomorrow.”
“You understand that still would leave you owing another twenty-five hundred when you get yore trail papers.”
Longarm nodded. “Yes, sir. I do. I know that means I will have laid out seven thousand five hundred dollars, but I got to salvage what I can. Of course that means for certain I got to have the papers signed and sealed by Mister Mull. My only chance is to drive to Galveston.”
Caster spit and looked off in the distance. Then, with a hint of hesitation in his voice, he said, “I reckon that will still work. Mister Mull don’t know about Raoul yet. And I’d just as soon he didn’t know. I was going to tell him you’d backed out on the deal. But if you’re willing to make up the extra money …”
“I am, I am.”
Caster shrugged. “Well, maybe we can still do business.”
“Who you want me to pay this sum to? Raymond? Jasper White?”
Caster looked pained. “Go on back to yore hotel now. I got to think on this. When I’ve figured it out, I’ll let you know.”
“Can you lay your hands on that money right now?” Caster said.
Longarm sank into the chair in front of Caster’s desk. “Just have to go to the bank. Ten minutes. You want me to bring it here?”
“No. And don’t bother making yoreself comfortable in that seat. You ain’t going to be here that long. Go to the bank and then go straight back to yore hotel. Lift up the mattress on yore bed and put it just in under the edge. Have it in some kind of sack.”
“How about one of them little canvas sacks the bank has?”
