“I been thinking ’bout it ever since we took her out of Placido,” Virgil said.
Laurel was sitting very still and very erect, watching Virgil’s face as he talked.
“Always loved her, even when she cheated on me, which, certain sure, she’s done a lot of,” Virgil said. “Still love her. Don’t know why. What I read, I guess that’s how it is. You love somebody, you love ’em.”
Laurel was staring at him.
“ ’Course, I was mad at her a lot,” he said. “You know anything ’bout that, Everett?”
“Never been in love,” I said. “Liked a lot of women. Never loved one.”
“That’s too bad,” Virgil said. “When it’s right, it feels real good.”
“Feel right often?” I said.
“Not too often with Allie,” Virgil said. “But…”
Laurel had probably never heard a man talk about such things in her whole life. Virgil didn’t talk about feelings much, because I’m not so sure he had many. But when he cared to, he would talk about anything he felt like talking about. Laurel seemed immobilized, listening to him.
“One of the things I come to see,” Virgil said, “is that Allie believes whatever she needs to believe. And when she don’t need to, she believes something else.”
I nodded.
“She needs a man taking care of her,” I said.
“Yep.”
“You ain’t it,” I said.
“I’m taking care of her,” Virgil said. “Just not…”
He looked at Laurel.
“You know,” he said.
“Which means she can’t trust you to take care of her.”
“Sure she can.”
“But she don’t know it, ’less you and she are, ah, taking care of business, she don’t feel like she got any control.”
“Maybe so,” Virgil said.
“Ain’t you, it may as well be God, I guess.”
“Yep.”
Laurel leaned close to Virgil and whispered to him. He listened and nodded. Then he looked at me.
“Laurel told me she understands what we’re talking about, and she don’t mind if we say fuck when we need to.” Virgil’s face showed nothing as he spoke.
I nodded.
“Thank you, Laurel,” I said.
54
IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON. I came back from my turn walking the town and found Allie in the office with Virgil. Laurel sat on the couch silently. Virgil sat at his desk. Allie was on the couch next to Laurel, leaning forward, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
“Want me to come back?” I said.
Virgil shook his head and pointed at a chair. I sat.
“I wanted to tell her here, with you,” Allie said to Virgil.
Virgil nodded.
“I just found out,” Allie said.
Virgil nodded.
“Laurel’s mother killed herself last night,” Allie said.
She put her hand on Laurel’s knee. Laurel didn’t move. She was looking hard at Virgil. Virgil stood and walked to the couch. He gestured for Allie to sit at his desk, and when she stood he took her place beside Laurel. Laurel edged slightly toward him and let her shoulder touch his.
“I’m sorry,” Virgil said to her.
She nodded.
“But your life ain’t gonna change much,” Virgil said. “You been with us, and you’ll be with us. We’ll take care of you.”
She nodded. Her face had not changed. She remained motionless. Then she leaned toward Virgil and whispered to him. He listened. Then he nodded.
“Probably is,” he said.
“I got something else I got to do, Virgil,” Allie said.
Virgil nodded.
“I got to tell you things,” Allie said.
Virgil nodded again.
“If we going to take care of this child, I got to start clean for her,” Allie said.
Virgil waited.
“Brother Percival is in cahoots with Pike,” Allie said.
Virgil nodded.
“Pike agreed to let him have his crusade if he closed down the other saloons and not Pike’s,” Allie said.
Virgil nodded.
“Then Pike gets all the saloon profit in town,” Allie said. “And Brother Percival’s church gets to be bigger and bigger.”
“Kinda figured a lot of that,” Virgil said.
“But it’s changed,” Allie said. “Percival is going to close down Pike.”
All of us were silent for a time.
Then Virgil said, “How do you know?”
“That’s the shameful part, Virgil,” Allie said. “I been with him. Even after he bothered this child, I been with him.”
“I kinda knew that, too, Allie,” Virgil said.
“How’d you know that?” Allie said.
Virgil didn’t answer.
“Percival would be with me and he would drink and he would tell me things,” Allie said. “He’s crazy, Virgil. I think he actually thinks he’s God.”
“Probably ain’t,” Virgil said.
Allie went on, in a kind of rush.
“He says he gets Pike outta the way… and you and Everett… says he will turn the town into a new Bethlehem.”
“He think Pike’s going to go along with this?” Virgil said.
“No,” Allie said. “He knows there’ll be a fight. He sent Choctaw Brown out to hire more deacons.”
“He thinks Choctaw’s with him on this?”
“Yes.”
“Choctaw’s with Pike,” Virgil said.
“How do you know?” Allie said.
Virgil shook his head and didn’t answer.
“I had to tell you,” Allie said. “I knew I’d have to say I was with Percival, but you had to know. He said he was going to get rid of you, too. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“No,” Virgil said.
He looked at Laurel.
“I am hard to get rid of,” he said. “You shouldn’t worry about it.”
She whispered in his ear.
“Me ’n Everett,” Virgil said. “Like always.”
She whispered to him again. He listened and nodded slowly.
“Good idea,” he said. “Everett, see if you can find Pony Flores, if you would.”
Which I did.
55
“GOT REASON TO THINK there’ll be trouble between Percival and Pike,” Virgil said to Pony.
“Sí,” Pony said.
“I think Pike will chew Percival up and spit him out,” Virgil said.
“Sí,” Pony said.
“But before he does,” Virgil said, “Everett and me may be in the middle of it.”
Pony nodded.
“Where do you stand?” Virgil said.
Pony pointed at Virgil.
“Okay,” Virgil said. “Ball goes up, somebody gotta be looking out for Laurel.”
Pony nodded and pointed at his chest.
“You all right with Pony?” Virgil said to Laurel.
She nodded slowly.
“Might keep an eye on Allie, too,” Virgil said.
“Like mother chicken,” Pony said.
“How come you’re not sticking with Pike?” I said.
Pony nodded at Laurel.
“Chiquita,” he said.
I nodded.
“You know anything ’bout all this?” Virgil said.
“Pike know ’bout Percival,” Pony said.
“Choctaw?” I said.
“Everybody know Choctaw work for Pike,” Pony said.
“ ’Cept Percival,” Virgil said.
“Percival crazy,” Pony said.
“Pike knows that, too?” Virgil said.
“Everybody know that, too.”
“ ’Cept Percival,” Virgil said.
“Pike say he don’t mind if you boys get killed, either,” Pony said.
“Be his town then,” I said. “You think Pike got the outfit to do the job?”
“Percival? Sure,” Pony said. “You boys and me?” He grinned and shook his head.
“ ’ Less he’s hiring some new boys,” I said. “Choctaw’s the best he’s got.”
“Choctaw’s good,” Virgil said.
“Good as you?” I said.
Virgil said, “Subject to proof.”
“Pike the best,” Pony said.
“Might be,” Virgil said.
“Is,” Pony said. “Seen him.”
“Maybe we’ll find out,” Virgil said.
“Pike said he was gonna kill you,” Allie said.
Her voice seemed hoarse and small, as if she were forcing it out through a narrow opening.
We all looked at her.
“Who’d he say that to?” Virgil asked her.
“Me,” she said. “Men tend to brag when… you know.”