words came out. The best he could do was a croaking hiss of moving air. The entire roof of his mouth was torn away, and there was a hole in the back of his neck big enough to accomodate a bird?s nest. Blood was pumping out of his mouth and out of the wound in his neck. Lots of blood. He had only a minute or two left before the loss of blood would kill him.
?My God, he?s still alive?? Jessie was lying on the torn carpet of the foyer floor, hands still cuffed behind her.
?Yeah. Crazy what the human body can take, ain?t it.?
?He?s bleeding. You?ve got to stop him from bleeding.?
?What the hell d?you want me to do, tie a tourniquet around his neck an? hang him instead??
?Fine, but make him quit bleeding all over my rug. Do you know how much that thing cost??
Nice folks at Jessie?s Place, Longarm thought sourly. He snapped open the breach of the shotgun and dropped both shells, the live one and the empty one, onto the now bloody carpet, then tossed the gun aside. He went over to the parlor entry and retreived his Colt and gunbelt. He felt much better with that around his waist again.
Walter solved Jessie?s immediate fears by dying before the carpet was beyond cleaning. He remained sitting upright, propped against the wall with his eyes open but unseeing. The flow of blood dropped off to a slow ooze and then stopped altogether.
?Decent of you, Walter,? Longarm muttered.
The elderly customer with the big belly and the newly chalky complexion fumbled for his hat, paused long enough to throw up violently into the lap of the girl he had been stroking a few minutes earlier, and disappeared in a surprisingly agile run toward the back of the place. Longarm suspected he would not be seeing the gentleman again.
The Mexican girls sat where they were, but he thought he could see a flicker of interest in them now that Walter was dead and Jessie still in handcuffs.
?The party?s almost over, girls,? Longarm told them. ?I want you all to go to your rooms and wait there. You don?t have to worry about anyone hurting you again, though. The government will feed and house you till the trial is over, and then we?ll see that you get home again.?
Most of the girls acted like they did not really understand, but one of them actually smiled. She began talking in rapid-fire Spanish to the rest of them.
On the floor near Longarm?s boots, Jessie tried to struggle onto her feet, failed, and had to settle for a sitting position, which was the best she could manage with her hands cuffed.
?Mr. Long
Marshal
we can talk this over. Be reasonable. There really doesn?t have to be a trial, you know.?
She was trying to give him an enticing, come-hither smile, but she could not quite pull it off.
?Normally I?d agree,? Longarm said. ?It?d be a lot less expensive for the taxpayers if I just turned you over to the girls.?
Jessie blanched a fish-belly white at that thought.
?But as it happens, ma?am,? Longarm went on as if he hadn?t noticed, ?I expect we?ll need your testimony to nail the owner of this place. Seeing as how it isn?t really you.? He smiled down at her.
The lovely Miss Jessie was ready to cling to the straws Longarm was holding within her grasp now. She gave him another of those sickly smiles and said, ?You?ll tell the judge that I cooperated, won?t you??
?Kinda depends on whether or not you cooperate, doesn?t it??
?Help me up, dearie. There are some papers in my office I?d like to show you.?
?Very nice of you to volunteer,? he said. He bent and helped her to her feet.
Behind them the captive whores were huddled together, talking excitedly. Some of them were beginning to believe it now. They were laughing and crying at the same time.
?Don?t forget,? Longarm told them, ?I?ll need your help here. But I?ll see that you are comfortable, and we?ll get you home again just as soon as possible.?
Then he took Jessie by the elbow and led the woman into the small but richly-furnished office where all the lovely records were kept.
Funny thing, but he didn?t feel nearly as exhausted now as he had just a little while ago.
Chapter Twenty-One
Longarm climbed the stairs to the top floor of the courthouse slowly. He was tired again?Lord, but he was tired. His head was throbbing, and his eyes felt like they were on fire. But he was satisfied. For all of that he was satisfied.
Jessie came willingly enough with him. She had recovered her composure and now was almost optimistic about it all.
?You?ll be sure to tell the judge how helpful I?ve been?? she had asked over and over again. It seemed that she was finally willing to believe that he would, and that therefore her troubles with the law would only be minor, temporary discomfortures and nothing involving years without makeup or champagne.
?Ever been up here before?? he asked when they reached the top landing.
Jessie gave him a dirty look.
?Of course you haven?t. How silly of me to ask,? Longarm said.
He pushed open the door to the sheriff?s office and took Jessie by the elbow to escort her inside. She was, of
