He was sure that would not have been Jim Masterson’s solution if he was still wearing the marshal’s badge.
“Why don’t you go and take a walk?” Jim Masterson said to Neal Brown. “You’re makin me nervous.”
Brown looked across the table at Masterson. They were each nursing a beer. Updegraff was behind the bar, and A. J. Peacock was in the office.
“I got nowhere to go,” Brown said. “I think I’ll just stay here and keep you alive.”
“It’s been a quiet week, Neal.”
“Too quiet.” Brown leaned forward. “Besides, I happen to know there’s a sawed-off behind the bar.”
“Updegraff wouldn’t have the balls,” Masterson said. “I’m just waitin’ for Peacock to leave the office so I can go in.”
“What do you do in there, Jim?” Brown asked. “You’re not the office type. Even when you were marshal you were never in the office, you were always on the street.”
“It’s my office, too.” Masterson said. “It’s not just his.”
“Listen to you,” Brown said. “You’re fightin’ over somethin’ you don’t even want.”
“This ain’t about a desk, Neal.”
Neal Brown spread his arms to indicate the interior of the Lady Gay and said, “I wasn’t talkin’ about the desk.”
Peacock came out of the office, saw that the place had a smattering of patrons, among them Jim Masterson and Neal Brown sitting with their heads together.
He walked over to the bar, waited for Updegraff to finish serving a cowboy, then called him over.
“Go on over to the railroad station and wait for me,” he said. “Take your gun.”
“You bet I will!”
Peacock put his hand on Updegraff’s arm.
“Slowly,” he said. “And go out the back.”
“Okay.” Updegraff started away, then stopped short. “But what about the bar?”
“Lenny’s comin’ in to man the bar,” Peacock said, “Go.”
Updegraff nodded, came out from behind the bar and went through a doorway that led to his room near the back. He’d collect his guns and go out the back door.
Peacock got behind the bar to wait for Lenny, one of the other bartenders. Within the hour he’d be going over to the station to await the arrival of Jason Ruger and his men. He considered drawing two beers and taking them over to Masterson and Brown, to celebrate their last day on earth.
Neal Brown saw Peacock get behind the bar and said, “What the hell is that about?”
“I don’t know,” Masterson said, “but it looks like I can get to the office now.” He stood up without looking over at Peacock and turned to head for the office.
“Jim—”
Masterson looked down at his friend and said, “Neal, damn it, take a walk!”
He turned and continued to the office. Neal Brown stared after him, trying not to be angry. His friend was under a lot of pressure. In the end he decided to do what Masterson suggested and get some fresh air.
For the past several days Butler had taken to walking over to the train depot in the afternoon, when the Santa Fe was due in, to wait and see who got off. The train’s arrival was still a couple of hours away, but his block of wood—the third one he was working on—was almost gone so he decided just to take the walk.
He put what was left of the wood on the chair and headed for the train station at a slow pace.
CHAPTER 54
As Butler was passing the Lady Gay Neal Brown came out, spotted him, and waved. Butler slowed so the other man could join him.
“Where are you off to?” Brown asked.
“Just walking,” Butler lied. “Thought I’d just walk to the train station and back.”
“Mind if I join you?”
“Something wrong?”
“Ah,” Brown said, falling into step with Butler, “Jim and I are getting’ on each other’s nerves.”
“What about?”
“He thinks I need to give him more room.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Because he’ll get hisself shot.”
“It’s been a pretty quiet week,” Butler said.
“I know,” Brown said. “I don’t like it. What’s been happening with you? Your luck holdin’?”
“Actually, no,” Butler said. “I’ve lost the last two nights. I lose tonight it might be time to move on.”
“You’ll miss the fireworks.”
“You really think there’s going to be some?”
“Oh, yeah,” Brown said. “It’s gonna come to that. Mark my words.”
Butler frowned. Even with him in town Masterson and Brown would be outnumbered. He was hoping the man he’d sent the telegram to would arrive, freeing him up to leave with a clear conscience.
“Ain’t nobody shot at you in a week,” Neal Brown said. “That must be nice.”
“Refreshing,” Butler said, “would be a better word.”
Updegraff left the Lady Gay by the back door and hurried over to the train station. He was wearing his pistol and carrying a rifle. Today was the day he’d been waiting for. He didn’t understand why Peacock hadn’t done something like this a long time ago.
When he reached the station he mounted the platform, went to the window to talk to the clerk.
“What time’s the train due?”
“’bout half an hour,” the clerk said, “give or take.”
“Give or take what?”
“An hour,” the clerk said, and cackled. “Never can tell what’s happenin’ up the line.”
Updegraff scowled and turned away from the man.
When the bartender, Lenny, finally arrived Peacock went straight up to his room to collect his rifle. He also removed the little pocket gun he usually carried, and strapped on his holster. He hadn’t used any of his guns in a while, but it wasn’t something you forgot how to do, and today…today was a special occasion.
Jim Masterson couldn’t sit at his desk.
For one thing, he didn’t think of it as his desk. His desk was over in the marshal’s office.
He paced the office, feeling bad about snapping at Neal Brown. The man was his most loyal friend and didn’t deserve to be talked to like that. Masterson finally decided to go back out and apologize to him.
When he opened the door and stepped out of the office, he noticed that Brown was gone. He’d probably gone for that walk he’d been pushing him to take.
Masterson decided to go and find his friend and make his apology. As he approached the batwing doors he noticed that Lenny was behind the bar and Peacock was gone.
“Lenny, where’s Peacock?”
“Don’t know where he is, Mr. Masterson,” the bartender said, “but he just left.”
“He didn’t say where he was goin’?”
“No,” Lenny said, “but he was movin’ pretty fast as he came down the stairs, and he was carrying his rifle. Sure looked like he was wearing his holster, too.”
“Shit,” Masterson said beneath his breath, and hurried outside.
“I notice you been sittin’ out in front of your hotel all week durin’ the day,” Brown said. “Just watchin’ the town go by?”
“Pretty much.”
