More to pass the time than in any hope of learning anything, Longarm said, “Maybe the one, or ones, I’m after ain’t as smart as you and me.”
“It’s not my mission, but I’ve put a few things together. Your friend, Kincaid, had worked in Missouri, as had the other missing lawman and the old man who apparently came to help Cotton Younger. That means your man is from Missouri, probably well-known there. He had to kill the three of them because they might have recognized him on sight.”
“You aiming to help me, or are we just jawing?”
“Unless you can nail a prisoner with a military charge, I have no authority to help you. Cotton Younger was the only possible member of the James-Younger gang wanted on an army warrant, and thanks to you, his corpse is halfway to Canada by now!”
“You do go by the book, don’t you? It’s no wonder Cotton Younger deserted your old army. It’s gotten chickenshit as hell since I was in the service. ‘Course, in those days we were fighting, not lookin’ up rules and regulations. It’s been nice talking to you, Captain.”
He closed the door softly in Walthers’s face. While he wanted to annoy the captain, he didn’t intend to disturb the lady next door.
He chuckled as he heard the angry boot-heels stamping off. If he couldn’t use the infernal soldiers, at least he might get rid of ‘em by rawhiding their leader every chance he got.
He sat on the bed and pondered whether to get some sleep or not. The Indians would awaken him if anything important happened. He knew he might have a hard day ahead of him, too.
A tiny beam of light caught his eye. He saw that it came from a chink in the pine panelling between the rooms. He shrugged. She was likely under the covers, anyway. He lay back and tried to doze, but sleep refused to come. He muttered, “What the hell, curious is curious.”
He got up and tiptoed to the wall, putting an eye to the peephole. He was almost too late. Kim Stover had just turned from the dressing table and was headed back for the bed, stark naked. Longarm held his breath as she crossed the room and snuffed the light before getting under the quilts. Then he went back to his own bed, grinning. He’d been right as rain. She was red-haired all over.
The army column rode out just after breakfast, taking their own sweet time, as always. Hungry Calf found Longarm eating beans by the pony line and said, “Nobody left last night. What does my brother think this means?”
“Means I was wrong, or that I’m up against somebody smarter than I figured. Are your young men watching the soldiers?”
“Of course. It is fun to scout them from the rimrock. Just like the old days. Both you and Agent Caldwell said it would be a bad thing to attack them. Could we just frighten them a little?”
“No. I just want to know when they’re clean off the reservation and out of my hair. I’d like to have that snoopy captain at least half a day’s ride away from me before I make my next move.”
“We will do it, but the way you white men do things is very boring. Do you always take so much time to take an enemy at a disadvantage?”
“Some of us do. Lucky for us, your fows never got the hang of it.”
“If you know who you’re after, why don’t you just kill him?”
“Like you said, our ways are boring. I have to be able to prove my suspicions in a court of law. Sometimes, when a bad white man is very clever, he refuses to fight. He just says he didn’t do it. Then I have to get twelve other white men to see if he lies.”
“Can’t you choose these twelve from among your friends?”
“Not supposed to. How long a ride is it to Salt Lake City, maybe with some kicking and fussing along the way?”
“Two days, as white men ride. Maybe three, with trouble. The big town you speak of is sixty, maybe seventy of your miles.”
“Good roads?”
“Yes. Wide wagon trace. Plenty water. Easy riding. Just far. Didn’t you ride that way, the last time you were here after bad white men?”
“No, took the hard way home. That’s how I knew about that hold-out in the oil shale country. With all the folks and the fooling about, I’ll figure on a seventy-two hour ride. It’s gonna be a tricky bitch, but I’ll manage.”
Hungry Calf wandered off and Longarm spent the morning trying not to go out of his head from inaction. By noon, more than one of the people in White Sticks had pestered him for an idea of when he intended, for God’s sake, to do something.
A little past noon he wandered over to the crowd around the cold campfire. His scouts had told him the army troops were long gone, and he saw that Kim Stover had joined her Crooked Lance friends, along with the Hankses and Timberline.
He moved into position, took a deep breath, and let half of it out as he said flatly, “Cedric Hanks and Mabel Hanks, you are under arrest. Anything you say may be used as evidence against you.”
Everyone looked more than startled, but the midget leaped to his feet as if he were about to have a running fit. Mabel started to reach under her duster as Longarm’s.44 came out. “Don’t do it, Mabel. I’d hate to gun a lady.”
Cedric gasped, “Longarm, have you been drinking, or were you always crazy? You are reaching for straws! We ain’t done a thing you can fine us ten dollars for!”
The others were on their feet now, moving to either side as the little detective danced in front of Longarm, protesting his innocence.
Longarm said, “Deputy Timberline, disarm them prisoners.”
The big ramrod turned and started to do so. “Hot damn! But what are we arresting ‘em for, pardner?”
“The murder of Deputy Kincaid is enough to hang ‘em. We’ll get the details of the other killings out of ‘em in the Salt Lake City jail!”
Cedric Hanks pointed a pudgy finger at his wife and blurted, “It was her that took that shot at you in Bitter Creek, God damn it! But we were only trying to scare you.”
Mabel gasped and said, “It was his idea! I only wanted to be friendly, remember?”
“I remember it fondly, Mabel. You ware them same high heels when you smoked up the law office in Bitter Creek that night. A.30-30 is a light as well as an accurate weapon, too. I’ll allow you made good time, beating me back to the hotel like that. Then you and Cedric made up that fool story about someone running down the hall when I caught him trying to sneak in for another try at me.”
“Longarm, you know I had my head against that panel while you were…”
“Watch it. There are ladies present and you’re talking about your wife.”
“Hang it, I couldn’t have overheard what I overheard unless…”
“You had your head next to my keyhole. Where did you folks bury Kincaid and the other lawman, Hanks?”
“Bury? We never laid eyes on either. We was in Bitter Creek ‘til after you reached Crooked Lance. Hell, we met you on the train, halfway to Cheyenne!”
“So what? It’s a short run and the trains run both ways from Bitter Creek. You were laying for me. Just like you laid for them others sent for Cotton Younger!”
“Hell, there was a whole mess of you sent! You think we’d have been dumb enough to try and stop you all?”
“No, just the smart ones. You used me to do what you aimed to do all along. I’ll allow you got me to spring your friend from the Crooked Lance jail. Or if that wasn’t it, you were trying to get one more lawman out of the way. We’ll settle the details when we carry you before the judge.”
“Longarm, you don’t have a thing on us but hard feelings for some past misunderstandings. Hell, you don’t even have no bodies to show that judge!”
Longarm chuckled and said, “Sure I do. I got both of yours. You mind your manners, and I’ll try to deliver ‘em both alive!”