Hard Ride to Wichita by Ralph Compton, Marcus Galloway Page B

usually comes along with a gratuity of some kind.”
    â€œGratuity?”
    â€œYou know what that is, right?”
    â€œYeah,” Luke replied. “If you can help me, I’d be mighty grateful.”
    When the stable man smiled, he somehow looked even filthier than before. “You truly are new to this, boy. Money. I’m talkin’ about a payment. You pay me and I’ll tell you what I know. Lord Almighty, you’re thick in the head.”
    Luke reached into his pocket where he’d already put a few dollars for expenses. “How do I know you have anything good to say?”
    â€œYou’re talkin’ about Bose Granger, ain’t you? The killer that derailed that Union Pacific train on its way to Rock Island?”
    â€œYou heard about that job?” Luke asked, hoping his question wouldn’t be as transparent as it felt.
    Apparently Luke’s ignorance didn’t shine through, because the older fellow quickly nodded. “Course I heard about it. A man who does something like that just to get his hands on a few dollars becomes famous real quick.”
    Luke’s stomach tied into a knot. He’d guessed that Granger was some sort of outlaw, but he hadn’t considered the possibility that he was a killer of that caliber. Looking back with that in mind, he saw it made a little more sense why Scott had wanted to be so cautious when talking about the money that had been stolen. The fact that he could better understand the man that had slaughtered his own mother only made the sick feeling in Luke’s innards that much worse.
    After pulling out three dollars, Luke handed it over. The stable man took the money greedily and looked real pleased with himself until he saw that Luke’s hand was now resting on the grip of his holstered Colt.
    â€œEasy, now,” the old man said. “I didn’t mean to offend.”
    â€œJust tell me what you know about Granger.”
    â€œYou’re no friend of his, are you?”
    â€œNo, sir,” Luke replied since he doubted he could lie well enough to right that particular ship.
    â€œYou a bounty hunter?”
    Luke was more than pleased to go along with the stable man’s guess if it meant less explaining was required from him. One nod was all it took to get the old man to continue.
    â€œGranger is about my height, dark hair, and a bit wider in the face. He’s got scars or marks in his cheeks. Both of ’em. When I saw him, he had his hair long and a mustache with a . . . bit more here,” the stable man said while tapping a finger to the spot directly beneath the middle of his lower lip. “Not a full beard, but just a patch there.”
    â€œI know what you mean. How many men were with him?”
    â€œI think maybe that’s worth a bit more.”
    Rage swelled within Luke’s chest as he thought about the man that had been sent to spill blood all over the floor of the Croft house. Even though Scott had been the one to pull the trigger, he’d been taking orders from someone and it looked as if that someone was Granger. As his heart slammed within his chest, Luke’s vision became dimmer and clearer at the same time as though the color had drained away but he could see every grain of dust on the stable man’s face. “Just tell me,” he snarled.
    The stable man nodded hastily. “All right, all right. There were two or three men with him. One rode back through here not too long ago. Less than a week. Skinny fellow. Looked like death warmed over.”
    â€œI know him.”
    â€œThat’s it. I keep my eyes open and listen to what the girls talk about. Them ladies sit outside and watch every little thing that goes on around here. Other than that, I ain’t exactly taken into the confidence of men like Granger or any other gunman for that matter. Please believe me.”
    The stable man’s eyes were full of fear and every ounce of it was