There were a few men in the saloon, watching the action. Then he looked at the bartender.
âGive me a beer.â
The bartender did.
âYou should leave town,â Hackett said.
âWho else is in on this, Sheriff?â
âWhy risk your life for somebody elseâs money?â the lawman asked.
âIâm not leaving, Sheriff,â Clint said. âTell Fontaine that. Tell him next time to send somebody better. Are any of those men up there Blacker?â
âNo.â
âThen tell him to send his best.â
âI ainât said I work for him,â Hackett reminded Clint.
âYou donât have to,â Clint said. He finished his beer, put his mug down. âDonât be around when they come after me again, Sheriff.â
âYouâd shoot a lawman?â Hackett said.
âNo,â Clint said, âbut Iâd shoot you.â
*Â *Â *
Outside, Clint tensed, waited for another attack, but apparently it wasnât coming. Somebody had expected the three men to get the job done, and had not set up a backup plan.
Somebody was going to be very disappointed.
*Â *Â *
âWhatâs going on, Sheriff?â the bartender asked.
âNever mind.â
âWhatâs he talkinâ about, you workinâ for Fontaine?â the man asked.
âShut up!â Hackett said. âItâs none of your business.â
âOkay, then,â the bartender said, âwhat about the bodies upstairs?â
âIâll have them removed.â
Hackett drained his beer, slammed the mug down, and then went out the batwings. He didnât see Adams anywhere, and stepped into the street. He didnât relish going back to Fontaine and telling him what had happened.
THIRTY-FIVE
âThey did what?â Canby asked.
âTried to kill me,â Clint said.
âAre you all right?â Elena asked.
âIâm fine,â Clint said.
They were in the living room of Ben Canbyâs house.
âWhat happened exactly?â Canby asked.
âThey sent three guns against me.â
âYou killed them?â Elena asked.
âI did.â
âAnyone else hurt?â Canby asked.
âA saloon girl,â Clint said. âSheâs dead.â
âThe poor girl,â Elena said.
âDonât feel too bad for her,â Clint said. âShe lured me in there to get me killed.â
âIâll get some coffee,â Elena said, and left the room.
âSorry to shock her,â Clint said.
âDonât worry about it,â Canby said. âBelieve me, sheâs not shocked. Neither am I. Whatâd the sheriff say about it?â
âThe sheriff,â Clint said, âis in Fontaineâs pocket.â
âNo.â
âYes.â
âHackett?â Canby said, shocked. âI thought he was a decent man.â
âBut a bad checker player. Yes, I know.â
âDo you think I was lying?â Canby asked.
âNo, no,â Clint said, ânothing like that.â
âSo what do we do for law?â Canby asked. âWhoâs gonna stop them from robbing the Derby tomorrow?â
âWell,â Clint said, âI guess I am.â
âYou are what?â Elena asked, coming in with a tray.
âClint says the law is in Fontaineâs pocket,â Canby said, âso heâs gonna stop them from robbing Churchill Downs tomorrow.â
âHow do you propose to do that?â she asked, pouring coffee for them.
âHeâs bound to have a gang hitting the track,â Canby said. âHow are you gonna go up against that many men? Alone?â
âI may have to figure out a way to do something,â Clint said, âbefore the Derby.â
*Â *Â *
âAll three?â Fontaine asked.
âAnd the girl,â Hackett said.
âAnd you didnât arrest him?â
âI . . . wasnât gonna go up against him with two
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