?Really? Not so many of them around town neither. Humph!?
?No, I don?t expect you?d have seen any of them unless you visited a certain house in town.?
?What? Oh. Not I, sir. Not I. Never visited one of those places, sir, nor wallowed in a sty with the hogs. Same difference, sir. Same difference exactly.? He harrumphed loudly again and had a drink of Markham?s whiskey.
Longarm noticed that neither Markham nor the other gentleman made declarations about how far above such dealings they were. And neither pretended never to have seen Jessie before. Neither admitted to it, of course, they simply remained silent on the question.
?We?ll be moving on to our dinner shortly, Long,? Markham said like a man who wanted a subject changed. ?Don?t be long about fetching in the other felon, will you? Office might be closed if you tarry.?
?Oh, there won?t be any delay at all, Sheriff,? Longarm said politely.
He was still holding the handcuffs he had removed from Jessie. When Markham reached for his glass, Longarm flipped one of the bracelets over the sheriff?s wrist.
?Here now, what?s this! I?m in no mood for playfulness. Long.?
Longarm smiled and, hauling Markham?s hands behind his back, snapped the other cuff in place.
?Have you lost your senses, man??
Longarm reached inside his coat and produced a thin sheaf of documents that had been folded to fit a pocket. ?Evidence,? he said. ?Deed to certain property. Employment agreement. Even, Sheriff, a certain record of payment to a Chief Josephino Nana?a for three captive females. Damned stupid of you to keep such accurate accounts, Sheriff. But I do appreciate it.? To the startled mine owners Longarm added, ?It seems the good sheriff here has been feathering his nest with human flesh, gentlemen. The Apaches would steal Mexican women, and the sheriff would buy them. But not to give them their freedom. He bought ?em and rented them out to any bastard with some loot in his pockets.?
He peeled one of the documents out of the bunch and held it for the gentlemen to see.
?This one is a record of a purchase made through a man known as Daniels. I expect this Daniels will be on our wanted list directly. Your good sheriff here bought a thirteen-year-old girl named Maria, and a seventeen-year-old named Concepcion for twelve Kennedy repeating rifles and half a case of .45-60 ammunition.? Longarm winked at Markham. ?Naturally we?ll want to see if you and this Daniels fella had a trader?s license. If you didn?t, Sheriff, there may be some other federal charges for you to answer.?
The man who had been quiet stayed that way, but the one who was too dignified to hump whores looked like he was about to have a stroke. He slapped his whiskey glass back onto Markham?s desk like he thought the thing was contaminated.
?Really!?
?Yeah,? Longarm agreed pleasantly. ?Really and truly.?
The man stood, stuffed his chin high into the air, and marched out of the office without a backward glance for his dishonored ?friend.?
The other one at least had the good grace to give Markham a sympathetic shrug. Then he too left. Longarm could hear their shoe soles thumping on the staircase.
?I think you don?t have many friends here anymore, Paul.?
Markham did not answer. He looked too shattered to speak or even to hear now.
Longarm took him by the arm and led him to the second borrowed cell. He cuffed the sheriff to one of his own cell bars, just in case Mayes or Frye should return and want to free their boss, and locked him securely inside the cell before he dropped the keys into his coat pocket and left the two prisoners to themselves.
It was over now, all of it, and Longarm?s ass was truly dragging as he stumbled into the street in front of the courthouse and turned toward the hotel.
Chapter Twenty-Two
?Whu???
Longarm snapped from deep sleep straight into action, his hand sweeping for the Colt no amount of fatigue could keep him from having positioned by his head before he went to bed.
?Easy, sir, it?s only me.?
Longarm blinked, the big Thunderer already pointing toward the intruder almost before he realized that he was not alone in the hotel room, and recognized Charlie Frye holding a glass-globed lamp and looking ready to run for it at the sight of the .45.
?Oh. It?s you.? He sat up, running his palm over eyes that had not yet had near enough sleep. Anger replaced the sense of groggy unreality, and his jaw firmed as he shoved the Colt back into its holster. ?What the fuck are you doing waking me up in the middle of the night??
?It?s just past eleven, sir,? young Frye said, as if Longarm gave a crap what time it was. ?And
and there?s trouble, sir. Big trouble. I thought I should wake you.?
?Well, you?ve done that for damn sure.? Longarm was still feeling more peeved than concerned. Damn these locals anyhow. He swung his legs off the side of the bed and reached for a cheroot and a match. ?Now what is so important that it couldn?t wait till morning??
?The
the bank?s been blown up, sir. There?s all kinds of people dead. And I can?t seem to find the sheriff, sir. I just thought
?
