around me, you see. Which o’ course is where the name Parson comes from. ’Cause I mean I surely do preach at these ol’ boys. I give it all I got an’ then some. And what all this does, see, is it makes everybody except the reformers real mad. The prisoners get pissed off because they want some peace an’ quiet in their cells, not to be preached at day an’ night by some idiot that don’t know any more’n they do. And the guards and coppers ... ’scuse me, but I expect you’ve heard the term before now, sir .. . anyway, they get pissed too because their jail is a real unhappy place where fights an’ riots could get started an’ people get hurt. Which they wouldn’t much mind, o’ course, except it might be one o’ them that does the gettin’ hurt. So at that point, sir, I got all those reformers wanting me sprung an’ I got the other prisoners wanting me away from them an’ I got the sheriff or chief of police or whoever wanting me the hell out o’ his jail an’ ...” He grinned. “Somehow it all seems t’ work out, sir.”
Longarm threw his head back and roared. “Damn me, Parson, if you aren’t a likable son of a bitch. Have another drink. Then I suppose we’ll have to get serious and you can give me the message Miss Sally sent.”
Parson added a wink to his grin when he leaned forward to collect that promised refill. Longarm didn’t believe for a minute, though, that the fellow had been lying. Not a bit of it, by damn.
Chapter 31
The information provided by Snowshoe’s lady crime boss proved to be mundane stuff. Not that Longarm was complaining. If it hadn’t been for that, Parson would not have been approaching the cabin when he had and the arsonists might have gotten lucky. Longarm didn’t particularly want to believe that they would have. But he conceded the possibility, and was grateful to Parson for the way things had turned out.
The message sent by Sally said that the old woman had been able to determine who was guarding the captive Utes— there were four names, none of which meant anything to Longarm—but not where the Indians had been taken. Yet. Three of the four guards were regular customers of Sally’s enterprises. She expected to learn more about the Indians as soon as any one of the guards came in for a little off-duty relaxation.
Longarm thanked Parson for the information, and asked him to carry the thanks back to the fat woman as well.
“Glad to do that for you, Mr. Long. Oops. I remember. You don’t have t’ tell me again.” He smiled and corrected himself, as Longarm had begun to pester him to do. “Not mister, just Longarm ’twixt friends, right?”
“Right,” Longarm said.
Parson chuckled and scratched behind his right ear. “Damned if I ever thought I’d have a deputy Ewe Ess marshal for a friend, though.”
“Some of us are close t’ being human.”
Parson laughed and stood, reaching for his hat.
“One more drink before you go back?” Longarm offered. After all, it was Aggie’s liquor he was giving away, so why not pour with a liberal hand.
“Thanks, Longarm, but I’d best get along. I got things to do. People to see.” He winked. “Even if they don’t know it at the time.”
As a lawman who in theory was supposed to be about as interested in ethics and morality as in the strict letter of the law, Longarm supposed he should have been shocked or outraged or something. After all, this man in front of him was an admitted sneak and eavesdropper and window- peeper. And damned handy with a knife as well. No telling what other criminal qualities went along with those things. Longarm’s practical side, though, made him think mostly that Sally had a valuable employee in his new friend Parson. And a likable one.
Longarm saw Parson to the door.
“Would you like me to send someone over to take care of those bodies, Longarm?”
“I suppose the police will have t’ be notified,” Longarm agreed.
“Aw, you ain’t gonna catch ’em out that easy. They all know to stay clear of you. But I can get the barber... he’s our undertaker too ... I can get him to send somebody an’ pick up the stiffs. They’ll get around to finishing the paperwork after you’ve gone.”
“I’d appreciate that, Parson. Thanks.”
“Glad t' help, Longarm. G’night.” Parson smiled and touched his forehead and disappeared into the night.
Longarm blinked. Parson really was very good. One moment he was there. The next he seemed not to be. Longarm happened to know the trick of it, so he wasn't quite as startled as he might have been. Anyone unfamiliar with the techniques of moving soft and silent in the dark would be scared spitless of anyone as good at it as Parson. Even so, Longarm gave credit where it was due, and silently saluted Parson for the fine performance, waving toward
where the man pretty much had to be before Longarm turned and went back inside the cabin.
He could hear a subdued laugh behind him as Parson acknowledged that he’d been caught out fair and square.
Aggie looked annoyed. “You certainly took your time about seeing to my welfare,” she complained.
“You weren’t hurt.”
“I was frightened. And what have you done about that since you came back inside? Nothing, that’s what. Absolutely nothing.”
Longarm shrugged. All the danger had been outside and nothing had really come of it, so what was she worried about now? He failed to see why she was so fussed up.
Aggie looked like she was in a humor to pout and then expect him to jolly her out of it. The problem was that Longarm wasn’t in a mood to do the jollying she so obviously wanted. Instead he told her in a dry and straightforward manner about the would-be arsonists.
“Those two won’t be causing trouble anymore,” he concluded, “but there’s nothing to say that a good idea gone wrong can’t be tried the second time.”
“What’s that?”
“What I’m saying is that just because these two didn’t manage to murder the both of us tonight, it don’t necessarily follow that there won’t be another two available t’ make another attempt. I mean, there’s plenty of coal oil in the stores here an’ plenty more matches. What I’m saying is that you and me will both be safer someplace else until this thing is over and done with. Someplace where I won’t have to worry about going to sleep an’ leaving you undefended.” He was already reaching for his bag. “What I’m saying, Aggie, is that you’d best get dressed ’cause we got t’ go find rooms.”
“If we go to the hotel we won’t be able to stay together,” she pointed out. “Here we can at least pretend that you are sleeping in my front room ... and thank goodness the hotel wouldn’t accept you the other day ... but if we take rooms
there now we couldn’t possibly stay together any longer.”
Longarm had already thought of that. Hell, it was one of the reasons he was looking forward to having to move in the middle of the night. Pretty though she was, in bed Aggie was still more trouble than she was worth. “I know that, pretty lady, an’ I’ll be losing sleep from not bein’ near you. But I won’t do nothing t’ harm your reputation in town, an’ I won’t let you come t’ other harm neither. Better we split now.”
She gave him a kiss, her peevishness of a moment ago dissipated now, and began to dress, tossing instructions over her shoulders as to what bag he was to fetch for her and from where, what drawer to empty into the bag, and what case to get down from the top of the wardrobe. Very much more and Longarm figured they’d have to hire a pack train to carry it all.