or
something?"
Longarm noted the
mirth in her eyes and grinned. "No," he said, "I just wanted to
make sure that you are going to be all right."
She reached out
and took his hand. "You sound like a man who is about to leave
town."
"I've just decided
to remove myself from this case," Longarm admitted. "I've done
everything wrong."
"No you
haven't!"
"Sure I have. I
had two members of the gang identified and I killed them
both."
"In self-defense!
Custis, what else could you have done short of getting yourself
shot or brained by a water pitcher?"
"I should have
been able to anticipate and capture them alive," Longarm
replied. "If I had I'd now have other suspects, and this case
might already have been broken open and resulted in the arrest of
Eli Wheat and that gang-"
"You're much too
hard on yourself," Milly said gently.
"Back in Denver,
Billy Vail is probably catching hell right now from Clarence
Huntington's powerful friends. Billy is not only my boss, but a
good friend. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I should have
handled things better."
Milly took his
hand. "Listen," she said gently, "you saved lives on Laramie
Summit. Maybe more lives that one night than you've saved over
the entire span of your fine career."
"I did what needed
doing."
Milly wasn't
listening. "And I might have been killed or beaten senseless by
Blake if you hadn't been hiding under his bed. You were brave to
be there instead of taking off before we arrived."
"You both caught
me by surprise," Longarm confessed. "I didn't think you would be
coming up so soon."
"Blake wanted me
before we had lunch. I tried to talk him into waiting but the
more I resisted, the angrier and more passionate he became.
Finally, there was no choice. I just prayed that you were in and
out by the time we arrived. As it turned out, it's a good thing
you weren't."
"I'm sorry he
broke his damned neck, and I'm at a dead end in this case again,
Milly."
Longarm shook his
head and continued. "Now I've got to wire Billy and tell him I
think it is best that I resign from this case and report back to
Denver."
"Do you have to
leave right away? I was hoping you could stay with me for a
while. If not here in Laramie, then somewhere else."
"I'll ask for a
week without pay," Longarm said. "But I can't make any
promises."
"And I'm not
asking for any." Milly straightened the covers over her and
said, "Go on. Send that telegram and then come back and tell me
when you get an answer."
Longarm nodded and
headed for the telegraph office.
Longarm received a
reply from Billy Vail in less than three hours. It
read:
TO HELL WITH
CLARENCE HUNTINGTON STOP DERAILMENT AT DONNER PASS CALIFORNIA
STOP SEVENTEEN DEAD THIRTY-EIGHT INJURED STOP PROCEED WEST AT
ONCE STOP CAPTURE NOT KILL FUTURE WITNESSES STOP GOOD HUNTING
STOP
Longarm looked up
at the telegraph operator. "That's it, huh?"
"That's it,
Deputy. Do you think that it's the same gang that derailed our
train?"
Longarm studied
his telegram. "I can't say for sure, but from the tone of this
message, I think that Marshal Vail believes that there might be a
connection."
"Donner Pass is
what? A thousand miles from here?"
"Close to it. Do
you know when the next westbound train passes through
Laramie?"
The telegraph
operator looked up at a big wall clock with a swinging pendulum.
"Next train is coming through in about eight hours."
"Are you sure?"
Longarm's luck had been so rotten lately that he found it
difficult to believe.
"Would I risk
givin' wrong information to someone who fought and killed two
tough men in less than an hour?"
Longarm had to
grin. "I hope not."
"Damn right I
wouldn't."
The telegraph
operator, a skinny man in his forties with wire-rimmed glasses
and a scraggly beard, spat tobacco juice on the floor and said,
"You want me to telegraph your boss and ask for some more travel
money?"
"Sure," he said,
"why not? I can't be in any more disfavor than I
something?"
Longarm noted the
mirth in her eyes and grinned. "No," he said, "I just wanted to
make sure that you are going to be all right."
She reached out
and took his hand. "You sound like a man who is about to leave
town."
"I've just decided
to remove myself from this case," Longarm admitted. "I've done
everything wrong."
"No you
haven't!"
"Sure I have. I
had two members of the gang identified and I killed them
both."
"In self-defense!
Custis, what else could you have done short of getting yourself
shot or brained by a water pitcher?"
"I should have
been able to anticipate and capture them alive," Longarm
replied. "If I had I'd now have other suspects, and this case
might already have been broken open and resulted in the arrest of
Eli Wheat and that gang-"
"You're much too
hard on yourself," Milly said gently.
"Back in Denver,
Billy Vail is probably catching hell right now from Clarence
Huntington's powerful friends. Billy is not only my boss, but a
good friend. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I should have
handled things better."
Milly took his
hand. "Listen," she said gently, "you saved lives on Laramie
Summit. Maybe more lives that one night than you've saved over
the entire span of your fine career."
"I did what needed
doing."
Milly wasn't
listening. "And I might have been killed or beaten senseless by
Blake if you hadn't been hiding under his bed. You were brave to
be there instead of taking off before we arrived."
"You both caught
me by surprise," Longarm confessed. "I didn't think you would be
coming up so soon."
"Blake wanted me
before we had lunch. I tried to talk him into waiting but the
more I resisted, the angrier and more passionate he became.
Finally, there was no choice. I just prayed that you were in and
out by the time we arrived. As it turned out, it's a good thing
you weren't."
"I'm sorry he
broke his damned neck, and I'm at a dead end in this case again,
Milly."
Longarm shook his
head and continued. "Now I've got to wire Billy and tell him I
think it is best that I resign from this case and report back to
Denver."
"Do you have to
leave right away? I was hoping you could stay with me for a
while. If not here in Laramie, then somewhere else."
"I'll ask for a
week without pay," Longarm said. "But I can't make any
promises."
"And I'm not
asking for any." Milly straightened the covers over her and
said, "Go on. Send that telegram and then come back and tell me
when you get an answer."
Longarm nodded and
headed for the telegraph office.
Longarm received a
reply from Billy Vail in less than three hours. It
read:
TO HELL WITH
CLARENCE HUNTINGTON STOP DERAILMENT AT DONNER PASS CALIFORNIA
STOP SEVENTEEN DEAD THIRTY-EIGHT INJURED STOP PROCEED WEST AT
ONCE STOP CAPTURE NOT KILL FUTURE WITNESSES STOP GOOD HUNTING
STOP
Longarm looked up
at the telegraph operator. "That's it, huh?"
"That's it,
Deputy. Do you think that it's the same gang that derailed our
train?"
Longarm studied
his telegram. "I can't say for sure, but from the tone of this
message, I think that Marshal Vail believes that there might be a
connection."
"Donner Pass is
what? A thousand miles from here?"
"Close to it. Do
you know when the next westbound train passes through
Laramie?"
The telegraph
operator looked up at a big wall clock with a swinging pendulum.
"Next train is coming through in about eight hours."
"Are you sure?"
Longarm's luck had been so rotten lately that he found it
difficult to believe.
"Would I risk
givin' wrong information to someone who fought and killed two
tough men in less than an hour?"
Longarm had to
grin. "I hope not."
"Damn right I
wouldn't."
The telegraph
operator, a skinny man in his forties with wire-rimmed glasses
and a scraggly beard, spat tobacco juice on the floor and said,
"You want me to telegraph your boss and ask for some more travel
money?"
"Sure," he said,
"why not? I can't be in any more disfavor than I
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