The Bisbee Massacre by J. Roberts Page B

“Charley’s not so young, anymore.”
    Clint laughed. “None of us are.”
    â€œSpeak for yourself,” Dodge said. “I still got plenty of time ahead of me. Plenty to do.”
    â€œYou’ve been doing this a long time,” Clint said.
    â€œI know it.”
    â€œDo you still find it gratifying?”
    Dodge hesitated, then said, “It’s important.”
    â€œNot exactly the same thing.”
    â€œI know.”
    Angel came walking over and linked her arm in Clint’s.
    â€œHello, Deputy.”
    â€œMiss Angel. You look lovely tonight.”
    â€œWhy, thank you, sir.”
    â€œAnd hello to you,” she said, squeezing up tight next to Clint.
    â€œAngel.”
    â€œWe heard that you brought in Barney Riggs.”
    â€œCharley Smith brought him in,” Dodge said. “We backed him up.”
    â€œSo there’s gonna be a trial?” she asked.
    â€œDefinitely.”
    â€œWhy?” Clint asked. “What’s your interest?”
    â€œNot me,” she said, “but a lot of the Hudson outfit visit the girls downstairs, and they’ve been saying there’s going to be trouble if Barney Riggs is brought back to town.”
    â€œWhere’d they expect us to bring him?”
    â€œFrom what I heard, they wanted you to leave him in the ground out there, somewhere.”
    â€œWell, that wasn’t gonna happen,” Dodge said. “Miss Angel, if you’ll excuse me, I got to make my rounds.”
    â€œOf course, Deputy,” she said. “Have a good night.”
    Dodge nodded at Clint and left.
    â€œAngel, are there any of the Hudson outfit downstairs now?”
    â€œI don’t think so,” she said. “When they got word that Barney had been brought in they left.”
    â€œProbably went back to the ranch to stir up trouble,” Clint said.
    â€œWhat do you care?” she asked. “You don’t wear a badge. You just have to worry about me stirring up trouble for you, mister.”
    He laughed and said. “Oh, you’re trouble, all right, but Dodge is a friend of mine. And I was one of the men who brought Riggs in. If there’s trouble because of it, I can’t walk away now.”
    â€œWell,” she said, “just don’t get yourself hurt.” She put her hand on his chest. “I want you at full strength.”
    â€œDon’t you have work to do?” he asked, smiling to take the sting out of the question.
    â€œYeah, I do,” she said, “but I’ll see you later, Mr. Gunsmith.”
    He watched her walk away, then finished his beer and left the Bird Cage.
    Â 
    From the back of the Bird Cage, where he could see Clint and Dodge but they could not see him, John Shaunessy watched them interact with Angel, then watched Dodge walk out of the place. Finally, he stood up so he could watch Clint leave.
    â€œWhat’s goin’ on, John?” one of the men at his table asked.
    â€œThat’s what I’d like to know,” the miner said. “Remember the last time Adams was in town?”
    â€œNo,” the other man said.
    â€œWe did our duty and hung John Heath,” Shaunessy said. “Remember that?”
    â€œOh, yeah, I remember.”
    â€œAnd both Dodge and Adams had some harsh things to say about that.”
    â€œSo what?” the other man asked. “Heath got hung, he’s gone, it’s over.”
    â€œNaw,” Shaunessy said, “it ain’t over. When somebody talks like that to me, it ain’t hardly over.”
    â€œSo whataya gonna do?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Shaunessy said, “but I’ll think of something.”

THIRTY-TWO
    Clint walked over to the sheriff’s office and entered. It was quiet, but he knew somebody had to be there because they had a prisoner. He was about to go and have a look in the cell block when Bob Hatch came walking out from there. He stopped, startled