The Lawman

“Gilberto, that’s not something you say to an armed man from behind bars.” Decker took the Navy Colt from his belt, pointed it at Gilberto and cocked the hammer. The man tried to find somewhere to hide in the small cell without success.

“If I thought there was a chance of you carrying out your threat, I’d kill you right here.”

“You can’t!” Gilberto said, covering his head with his arms.

“Oh, leave him alone, Decker,” Raquel said. “What do you want?”

“Nothing, from you. I was looking for Moran.” When she looked puzzled, he said, “The sheriff.”

“Then he is the man you are hunting for.”

“Is that why you followed me?” Decker asked. “For the reward on the man I was following?”

“Why else?”

“And I thought you liked me, and missed me.”

“If you let me out of here I will not miss you,” she threatened.

“Now you’re starting to sound like your brother. Oh well,” he said, easing the hammer down on the Colt and tucking it into his belt, “I have business to attend to.”

“Decker!” she shouted as he started for the door.

“Yes?”

“Decker,” she said again, her tone lower, sexier, “you can let me out and leave Gilberto here. You were right. I do miss you. We never had a chance to…get to know each other.”

“You know, you’re a dangerous woman, Raquel,” he said, walking back towards the cell.

She was beautiful, all wild hair and eyes, proud breasts and long legs.

“I’m almost tempted to let you out.”

“It can be wonderful, Decker,” she whispered. “It can be unbelievable.”

“I know,” Decker said sadly. “I know it could.”

He started away again and she called out again.

“Decker!”

“What?”

“You look like you’ve been rolling in…how do you say it?”

“Shit?”

“Si, that is it. Shit.”

“Don’t worry, with the money I get for Moran, I can buy a whole new wardrobe. Adios, baby.”

“Decker!”

The next place to look, he thought, was Crystal’s Palace.

Chapter Forty

When he got to the building he found the front door locked. Knocking on it would only alert Moran, if he was inside. Decker went around to the back, checking windows, and finally found the one he was looking for. He was surprised by what he saw through it.

Moran was there with his hands in the air, his gun still holstered. Decker could see his own gun, too, tucked into Moran’s belt. Crystal was there, and the blonde whore from the night before was holding a derringer on both of them.

What the hell was going on now?

He listened intently at the window.

“That’s a very tiny gun, Gloria,” Moran said.

“Don’t worry, it makes very deadly holes.”

“I’m sure it does. You ladies want to tell me what this is about? Surely you’re not fighting over me.”

“Ha!” Crystal said.

“I’m taking Crystal back to Texas, Red.”

“Why?”

“She stole some money from my father, made him the laughingstock of town. People are talking behind his back about how the old fool fell for a younger woman and got what he deserved.”

“I’m sorry” Crystal said. “I really liked your father, Gloria, but I needed the money.”

“Sure, everybody needs money. When I got back to town and heard what had happened, I got your description and started tracking you and finally found you here. I was lucky that you’re a redhead. There aren’t that many in Mexico, and you made an impression wherever you went.”

“But I left Texas over three months ago.”

“And I’ve been tracking you that long. We’re going back, Crystal.”

“You can’t take me away from here. I’m not wanted here in Mexico.”

“You are in Texas, and when I get you over the border I’ll turn you in.”

“Is there a reward?” Moran asked.

“No,” Gloria said. “She broke the law, but nobody bothered to put out a poster on her. After all, all she did was remove an old fool from his money. When I get her back, though, I’ll make sure she’s prosecuted.”

“Well, baby,” Moran said to Crystal, “I guess this is goodbye.”

“You bastard!” Crystal shouted at him. “You could stop her!”

“She might shoot me.”

“You want her to take me back so you can have this place to yourself.”

“Actually, I was planning on leaving today anyway, Crystal, but now a couple of things have come up that might change my mind.”

With Crystal gone he wouldn’t have to split the profits with anyone, and if he could convince the woman in the jail cell to work for him, his profits might even double. Of course, he might have to make certain concessions to the town council, and he knew he’d eventually get bored again, but for now things were once again taking an interesting turn.

“She’s all yours, Gloria—is that your name, by the way? Gloria?”

“My name is Anne Merritt.”

“Well, Anne Merritt, in one respect I’m sorry you’re leaving. I was planning on getting to know you a whole lot better.”

“You don’t understand, Red,” Gloria—or Anne Merritt—said.

“What don’t I understand, Anne?”

“You’re coming back with us.”

“I’m going back?” he asked, laughing. “Now, why would I want to go back?”

“Because there’s a poster out on you, and I aim to collect the twenty-five hundred dollar reward.”

“Twenty-five hundred—now how would you know about that?”

“It’s my business to know, Red,” Anne said. “I’m a bounty hunter.”

Moran stared at her, said, “Jesus!” and Crystal started to laugh.

Decker thought it was funny, too. He’d travelled all this way and put all this time into tracking Moran, and the man had been snatched out from under his nose by a woman!

His humor faded quickly, though, as Decker realized the dangerous position Anne Merritt had put herself in. She was in a small room with two people who didn’t want to go with her, and all she was armed with was a derringer.

There was a back door to the office, and Decker moved towards it, hoping that the blonde woman would ask Moran for his guns.

“All right, Moran, I’ll take your guns,” Anne Merritt said.

“My guns? So you can use them against me instead of that toy?”