He also figured that Foxx wouldn’t stop in any towns for supplies or whatever until he entered Utah. His face was too well-known to risk stopping in a Wyoming town, especially when he’d pulled a robbery so recently
Men in Decker’s profession often relied on hunches, and he had a hunch that Foxx was heading for a hole somewhere in Utah.
PART TWO
FOXX HUNT
Chapter X
The first town Decker encountered in Utah was South Bend. It was rather small, but it might have been the right size for Foxx to stock up on supplies and take a night’s rest in a real bed.
Decker left ol’ John Henry in the hands of the liveryman and said, “I won’t be staying long. I just want him to have some feed and a blow.”
The man nodded and took the reins. When he saw the noose, he paused, but then continued with-out a word. Decker left his shotgun and saddlebags on the saddle and walked out.
He went to the saloon first for a beer to cut the dust, then went to the general store.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes,” Decker said. He took a licorice stick from a glass bowl and said, “How much?”
“A penny.”
He took two more and handed the man a nickel.
“I’m looking for a friend of mine who might have passed through here.”
“Is that so?” the man said, handing him the change.
“You couldn’t miss him. Red hair and freckles like a kid, only he’s no kid.”
The man didn’t reply. He was in his early forties and looked more like a ranch hand than a store clerk. Big shoulders, big hands with black hair on the backs of them.
“He might have come in here to stock up on some supplies. You might have waited on him.”
“Can’t say that I did,” the man said.
“Maybe if you thought about it—”
“Can I get you something else, mister? If not, you’re taking me away from my other customers.”
Decker looked around and saw that the place was empty.
“What other customers?”
“They’ll be along shortly.”
“Uh-huh,” Decker said. He decided not to push the man. “Thanks for the licorice.”
“Don’t mention it.”
As he left the store, he saw a man walking toward him holding a child by each hand, one a boy and the other a girl. They appeared to be about six or eight, and the woman looked to be in her early thirties, pleasant looking but no beauty.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” he said, stepping in front of her. She caught her breath but relaxed when Decker handed each of the children a licorice stick.
“Do you like licorice, ma’am?”
“Very much,” she said.
He handed her the last one, tipped his hat, and stepped into the street.
“What do you say?” he heard her ask the children.
“Thank you,” they both called after him.
Decker waved a hand behind him and promptly forgot all three of them.
His next stop was the sheriff’s office, where he hoped he wouldn’t run into any more old, familiar faces.
He didn’t.
“Excuse me, Sheriff.”
The man behind the desk looked up, and Decker could see that he was being sized up. The lawman was about his age, but beefier, with big hands that had black hair on the backs of them.
“Can I help you?”
“You are the sheriff, aren’t you?”
The man nodded.
“Sheriff Blocker.”
“Well, Sheriff, my name is Decker. I’m looking for Brian Foxx, and I have reason to believe he may have passed through this town in the past two weeks or so.”
“Bounty hunter?”
“That’s right.”
“There’s no paper on Foxx in Utah.”
“I know that.”
“I haven’t seen him.”
“Would you tell me if you had?”
“No.”
“Don’t you want to see a wanted man brought to justice?”
“Not to your justice.”
“I thought there was only one kind of justice.”
“Bullshit. You’re a bounty hunter, and
Decker noticed that when he mentioned Foxx to people in this town they became belligerent.
“I’ll be in town for a short time,” he told the lawman. “I’ll be leaving before evening.”
“You should leave sooner than that.”
“I’m giving my horse some rest, if you don’t mind.”
“I do, but I don’t suppose there’s anything I can do about it.”
“I guess not.”
Decker started for the door, but the sheriff called out, “Decker.”
“Yeah?”
“I wouldn’t ask any questions about Brian Foxx in this town.”
“Why not? Was he born here?”
“No, I just don’t think people would take kindly to it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Sheriff.”
“You do that.”
Decker left and headed for the saloon. If there was one place Foxx would have definitely stopped, it was the saloon.
After Decker left the sheriff’s office, the lawman stood up and walked to the window. He watched as Decker walked toward the saloon, then he left his office and crossed the street to the general store and went inside.
