“He would have killed me.”
“You could have told the sheriff.”
“He wouldn’t have done nothin’ anyway. Nobody cares what happens to whores,” Cindy said. “I told Alice and she said she could handle it. She had a gun and would kill him. It didn’t work out that way.”
“I’ve got no way of getting in touch with Rance now,” Julie said.
“When Tommy’s papa finds out he’s in Traversville, he’ll have him and your friend murdered like the boy’s mama,” Cindy said. “Alice didn’t deserve what happened to her. By the way, I was in the saloon the night the Indian killed Allen Dobbs. It was self-defense.”
“Can I get you something to drink?” Julie said.
“No ma’am, better get back ‘fore they miss me. Don’t say I told you anything, Church might still have some friends here.”
“I won’t,” Julie said.
Cindy nodded, picked up the hem of her long purple dress, opened the door and walked out.
“I believe her, Fannie,” Julie said. “We’ll go to Texas. Rance needs to know about Church and his son. Should have told him when he was here. We spent one night together to comfort each other and I got pregnant. I’ve always loved him. I’ll make a deal with Colonel Hatch’s Mr. Peabody tomorrow. If you don’t want to go, I’m pretty sure he would let you stay on to run the kitchen for him. I’ll leave you some money.”
“That’s a long way to take a three year old, and we may not get there in time to do any good anyway,” Fannie said.
“Already made the deal,” Julie said.
“How you plan on gettin’ there?” Fannie asked.
“Take a stage out of here and find a train station along the way. You comin?’”
“You’re a scarlet woman, Miss Julie. The colonel said so. I don’t know if a respectable colored girl like myself should be seen with the likes of you, but I guess I’ll take that chance.”
Julie smiled. “Let’s go check on Mitchell.” They put their arms around each other’s waists and walked back into the kitchen.
20
Shirley disappeared when the stage got to Pinefield and Preston and Charlie caught the Rebel Express to Texas with an assortment of passengers that included soldiers, cowboys, fancy dans, women and children. There were curtains on the windows and a red flowered design on the carpeted floor with two rows of black leather two-passenger seats that ran the length of the car. Preston had his hat pulled down over his eyes, dozing, and Charlie sat motionless staring out the window as the train rolled along.
A woman and two small boys with their Sunday clothes on were sitting in the seat in front of them. The boys turned around in the seat and stared at Preston and Charlie.
“What’s your name?” one of the boys said, looking at Charlie.
Charlie didn’t answer and continued looking out the window.
The boy reached over the seat and tapped Charlie on the shoulder. “What’s your name,” he said, in a louder voice.
“Turn around and leave me alone,” Charlie said.
Preston came out from under his hat and put a cold stare on the boys.
Their eyes got big, they gulped and turned around. Preston laid his hat back over his eyes.
“Wonder where that damn woman went,” Charlie said.
Preston raised his hat and looked at Charlie. “Everyone knew what she would do, except you.”
“She borrowed fifty dollars from me,” Charlie said. “Lot of money for nothing.”
“She didn’t borrow it, she stole it.”
“Can’t believe I was that stupid.”
“I can,” Preston said. “A woman has a way of confusing a man when he’s thinkin’ ‘bout dippin’ his wick.”
Charlie tightened his lips and shook his head. “That’s damn sure right.”
The woman with the boys stuck her head around the side of her seat so she could see Preston and Charlie. “I forbid you to use that kind of language in the presence of my children.”
“You wouldn’t have heard us if you wasn’t eavesdropping,” Preston said. “Mind your own damn business.”
“Well I never…” she said.
“Looks like you have,” Preston said, “You got two kids, you just don’t remember how.”
“You’re a very unpleasant man,” she said to Preston, jerked her head back toward the front of the car, grabbing the boys and pushing them down in the seat. “Shut up and sit still ‘fore I tan your hides.”
The conductor entered the car. He was stoop-shouldered with a gray handlebar mustache. He kind of shuffled when he walked, like he had something wrong with his hip or leg. He stopped about halfway down the car and looked around.
“Listen up, folks,” he said. “Going to spend the night in Buffalo Flats and pick up soldiers and mail. You can find you a place to bed down and the railroad will pay for it. We leave at seven-thirty sharp in the mornin’ and anyone not here is on their own.”
“Think I’ll stay on the train,” Charlie said.
“So you got snookered again ,” Preston said. “Won’t be the last time and we got a long way to go, might better get a bed while you can, since the railroads goin’ to pay.”
“Yeah guess so,” Charlie said.
When they pulled into Buffalo Flats everyone got off the train and made their way downtown.
Preston and Charlie stopped in front of the Fast Hitch Saloon. A sign in the window read: Beds fifty cents a night, furnished three dollars.
“This should do,” Preston said and they walked in with several other men to the bar and sat their bags down. They glanced at two painted-up young whores leaning against the bar, smiling at them.
The bartender wiped his hands on his apron. “What’ll it be, gents?”
“Two whiskeys,” Preston said and laid a silver dollar on the bar.
The bartender sat two glasses on the bar, poured the whiskey and picked up the silver dollar.
“Need two beds,” Preston said.
“You want that furnished?” he said.
“Not tonight,” Preston said. Charlie nodded in agreement.
“Okay,” the bartender said. “Without the whores that’s a dollar.”
Preston and Charlie handed
