He did not see his sister’s face when she smiled.
A day later Decker rode into a town that had no name posted anywhere. There had been no signpost, and there was no indication on any of the buildings. The hotel said simply “Hotel” and the cantina “Cantina,” and so on.
A town with no name.
Eerie.
As he rode through he was almost given to believe that the town with no name also had no people, but then he caught a glimpse of someone in the cantina, and someone doing business in the general store. The streets, however, were virtually deserted, and it was only noon.
Strange.
He rode until he found the livery and then dismounted. Walking inside he called out, “Anyone here?”
He heard some movement and then a boy of about sixteen appeared.
“Señor?”
“I want to leave my horse.”
“Si, señor,” the boy said, bobbing his head and coming forward.
Decker handed him the reins of the dun.
“Rub him down and give him some feed.”
“Will you be staying overnight, señor?”
“I don’t know yet. I’ll be staying at least long enough to get something to drink and eat—if it’s to be had, that is. Where are all the people?”
With a shrug the boy said, “Inside, señor.”
“Why are they inside.”
The boy shrugged again and said, “It is hot.”
“Hot,” Decker said. “Sure. Look, take care of the horse, all right?”
“Si, señor.”
The boy walked the horse further into the livery, and Decker left and walked over to the cantina. Not knowing whether or not he was staying overnight—and hoping that he wasn’t—he had left his saddlebags and rifle on his saddle.
When he entered the cantina he saw that the boy had been at least partially right. There were about seven or eight men inside, some at the bar, some seated, all drinking. Besides them there was a sleepy-looking bartender and a bored-looking Mexican whore.
Decker approached the bar and said, “Cerveza.”
“Si, señor,” the bartender said, doing all he could to stifle a yawn.
The two men standing at the bar looked him up and down, and then looked away. The was a filthy mirror behind the bar and in it he could see the other men—two at one table, three at another, playing a lackluster game of poker—look his way, and then away.
The whore was sitting at a back table alone, her elbow on the table, her hand under her chin. She appeared to be young and, although somewhat plump, even a little pretty. When he got his beer he lifted the glass to her in a salute, which she barely acknowledged.
In most towns, she would have been all over him by now.
“Quiet town,” he said to the bartender.
“Si, señor.”
“Nobody outside.”
“It is hot.”
“You know, I’ve heard that.”
“Si, señor.”
“What’s the name of this town?”
“The name, señor?”
“Yes, name. Como se llama.”
“Me llamo Miguel.”
“No, the town. What’s the name of the town?”
For all the trips he’d made into Mexico, Decker had never been able to acquire even a working knowledge of the language. He knew how to order beer and food—as long as it was chicken—and ask somebody their name, but that was it.
“Señor, perhaps I can help?”
It was a man’s voice, and Decker turned to see that one of the men had stood up from the poker game and walked over to him.
“Can you?”
“This town is very quiet, as you have observed, and it has no name.”
“Why is that?”
The man shrugged and said, “There seems little need.”
Decker didn’t understand that.
“Well, you live here. If that’s how you feel.”
“We have little to say about it.”
“Jose, you talk too much,” the bartender said.
“Perhaps,” Jose said, and went back to his poker game.
Decker turned to the bartender and said, “Any chance of getting something to eat?”
“Si, señor.”
“Do I get a choice?”
“Tortillas.”
“Good choice.”
“Juanita!” the man shouted, and then rattled off something in Spanish. Decker assumed she was being told to get the food. Maybe he’d done her a disservice by assuming she was a whore. She was young enough to be the bartender’s daughter, and maybe she was just a waitress.
Decker turned around with his beer in hand and looked at the table where the poker game was being played. The man, Jose, was gathering the cards up, getting ready to deal. The stakes looked small.
Decker walked over.
“Mind if I sit in for a few hands?”
The other men did not look up, but Jose did and said, “As you wish, señor.”
Decker sat down and Jose dealt the cards, calling and dealing five-card stud.
Decker was dealt a king down and a queen up. Both were of the same suit, hearts.
One of the other men showed an ace, and started the betting with a dollar. Since the stakes were small and he was only playing to pass the time, Decker raised a dollar.
Jose dealt out the third card.
Decker got a ten of hearts, the man with the ace got another ace. For the first time Decker saw some emotion on someone’s face as the man smiled.
The other man in the game had two small cards and Jose had a jack and a five.
The man with aces bet five dollars, and from the reaction Decker guessed that this was a substantial jump in the stakes—in his honor?
Jose called the bet, and Decker raised. The man with the two low cards folded, and the man with the aces raised again. Decker called after Jose, but decided that if he was going to stay in this hand he had trapped himself into bluffing.
Jose dealt out the fourth card and Decker drew a king. He now had a busted straight, but two kings. Aces were still high on the table. Jose was showing a pair of fives.
The aces bet five dollars, Jose called and Decker raised ten.
The man with aces swallowed.
“Did I raise too much?” Decker asked innocently.
“The raise is ten dollars, señor,” Jose said. He looked at the other man as if to say, “You started it,” and said, “What do you do, Silvio?”
Silvio examined his cards, swallowed again and then timidly raised five dollars.
Decker anticipated raising again when suddenly Jose said, “I raise twenty dollars.”
Silvio made a sound and Jose gave him the same look he had given him moments before.
“I call,” Decker said.
Silvio had no recourse but to call with his aces.
Jose dealt out the last card.
Decker got another king, giving him two on the table and one in the hole.
The aces didn’t improve.
Jose got a third five.
Some hand, Decker marvelled. He had chosen the right moment to sit down.
Now the other men in the cantina moved towards the table to watch, including the bartender.
“It is my bet,” Jose said.
He counted out his money and dropped it in the center of the table.
“Twenty-five dollars.”
Decker counted out his money and tossed it in.
“I raise twenty-five.”
“The bet is fifty,” Jose said, looking at Silvio.
Silvio, who had obviously been winning while the game had been low stakes, counted his money.
“I-I do not have that much.” He looked as if he were about to cry.
“How much do you have?” Decker asked.
Silvio counted again.
“Forty-four.”
“That’s the bet,” Decker said. He reached into the pot and took six dollars back.