again.
“Siddown,” Reynolds said, “and tell me what the hell happened.”
“Damned if I know,” Roper said. “The big fella came over and started a fight with me. Him and his friends were about to stomp me when the Fixx brothers came in and saved my ass.”
“Just like that?” Reynolds asked. “Why would they do that?”
“We met yesterday.”
“And now you’re friends?”
“Looks like.”
“And what about Dolan?”
“Who?”
“The man you shot.”
“He was about to backshoot one of the Fixx boys,” Roper said. “I stopped him.”
“Yeah, you did,” Reynolds said. “Way I hear it, you stopped him slicker’n snot.”
“I got lucky.”
“So you ain’t a gunhand?”
Roper snorted. “Not hardly.”
Reynolds regarded Roper suspiciously.
“You already killed two men since you’ve been in town,” he said finally, “and now this. What am I supposed to think, Blake?”
“Think what you want, Sheriff,” Roper said. “I came here to try and get a job. Before I know it, somebody’s trying to rob me, and somebody else is pickin’ a fight. Now, I don’t look for trouble, but I don’t back away from it neither.”
“No, you sure don’t.”
Reynolds sat there, looking at Roper and frowning. For just a moment the detective had the urge to confide in the lawman, but it passed quickly. He never even considered telling the man what Riggs had told him about Nancy. He was going to have to take that up with the woman himself. And somewhere away from the Bullshead. He wasn’t going to try that again.
“All right,” Reynolds said.
“All right, what?”
“Your stories match,” the lawman said.
“What did Manko say?”
“That you bumped into him,” Reynolds said, “and you say he bumped into you. The Fixx boys say they came in, saw you in trouble, and helped out.”
“What about Riggs?” Roper asked. “What did he say?”
“That his friend’s an idiot, and went for his gun,” Reynolds said. “He doesn’t know why you didn’t kill him.”
“I don’t wanna kill anybody, Sheriff,” Roper said. “I just wanna make a livin’. Why can’t anybody understand that?”
Reynolds took Roper’s gun from his drawer and handed it over.
“What about the Fixx brothers?”
“I’m lettin’ them out,” he said.
“And the others? Manko? Riggs? Dolan?”
“They’ll stay in jail overnight,” Reynolds said. “Seems to me they started it.”
Roper strapped his gun on as the sheriff made for the cell blocks. He stopped before entering.
“One other thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I talked with Pete Orton,” Reynolds said. “I gave you a clean bill of health, so he’s gonna hire you tomorrow.”
“Thanks for tellin’ me that.”
Reynolds pointed a finger at Roper and said, “Don’t make me sorry I did that.”
“I won’t.”
23
Roper stepped outside the sheriff’s office with Stan and Larry Fixx.
“Come on, let’s get a drink,” Stan Fixx said.
“Not at the Bullshead,” Roper said.
“Naw,” Larry Fixx agreed. “We’ll go someplace else.”
“You fellas lead on,” Roper said. “I’m the new guy in town, remember?”
“Yeah, well, for a new guy,” Stan said, “you ain’t makin’ friends real quick.”
“Those guys?” Roper said. “No friends of mine.”
“Why’d they start a fight with you?” Larry asked.
“Ya got me,” Roper said. “Maybe it was
because
I’m the new guy in town.”
As they walked away from the sheriff’s office, Stan said, “Manko’s for hire, Andy.”
“That’s right,” Larry said. “Somebody sent him after you.”
“Well,” Roper said, “I ain’t got any idea who would do that.”
“Maybe the same person who sent those other two men after you,” Stan said. “The ones you killed.”
“When you got on the wrong side of the sheriff,” Larry added.
“Could be,” Roper said. “But I sure as heck don’t know why.”
“Come on,” Stan said, “there’s a small saloon around
“Siddown,” Reynolds said, “and tell me what the hell happened.”
“Damned if I know,” Roper said. “The big fella came over and started a fight with me. Him and his friends were about to stomp me when the Fixx brothers came in and saved my ass.”
“Just like that?” Reynolds asked. “Why would they do that?”
“We met yesterday.”
“And now you’re friends?”
“Looks like.”
“And what about Dolan?”
“Who?”
“The man you shot.”
“He was about to backshoot one of the Fixx boys,” Roper said. “I stopped him.”
“Yeah, you did,” Reynolds said. “Way I hear it, you stopped him slicker’n snot.”
“I got lucky.”
“So you ain’t a gunhand?”
Roper snorted. “Not hardly.”
Reynolds regarded Roper suspiciously.
“You already killed two men since you’ve been in town,” he said finally, “and now this. What am I supposed to think, Blake?”
“Think what you want, Sheriff,” Roper said. “I came here to try and get a job. Before I know it, somebody’s trying to rob me, and somebody else is pickin’ a fight. Now, I don’t look for trouble, but I don’t back away from it neither.”
“No, you sure don’t.”
Reynolds sat there, looking at Roper and frowning. For just a moment the detective had the urge to confide in the lawman, but it passed quickly. He never even considered telling the man what Riggs had told him about Nancy. He was going to have to take that up with the woman himself. And somewhere away from the Bullshead. He wasn’t going to try that again.
“All right,” Reynolds said.
“All right, what?”
“Your stories match,” the lawman said.
“What did Manko say?”
“That you bumped into him,” Reynolds said, “and you say he bumped into you. The Fixx boys say they came in, saw you in trouble, and helped out.”
“What about Riggs?” Roper asked. “What did he say?”
“That his friend’s an idiot, and went for his gun,” Reynolds said. “He doesn’t know why you didn’t kill him.”
“I don’t wanna kill anybody, Sheriff,” Roper said. “I just wanna make a livin’. Why can’t anybody understand that?”
Reynolds took Roper’s gun from his drawer and handed it over.
“What about the Fixx brothers?”
“I’m lettin’ them out,” he said.
“And the others? Manko? Riggs? Dolan?”
“They’ll stay in jail overnight,” Reynolds said. “Seems to me they started it.”
Roper strapped his gun on as the sheriff made for the cell blocks. He stopped before entering.
“One other thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I talked with Pete Orton,” Reynolds said. “I gave you a clean bill of health, so he’s gonna hire you tomorrow.”
“Thanks for tellin’ me that.”
Reynolds pointed a finger at Roper and said, “Don’t make me sorry I did that.”
“I won’t.”
23
Roper stepped outside the sheriff’s office with Stan and Larry Fixx.
“Come on, let’s get a drink,” Stan Fixx said.
“Not at the Bullshead,” Roper said.
“Naw,” Larry Fixx agreed. “We’ll go someplace else.”
“You fellas lead on,” Roper said. “I’m the new guy in town, remember?”
“Yeah, well, for a new guy,” Stan said, “you ain’t makin’ friends real quick.”
“Those guys?” Roper said. “No friends of mine.”
“Why’d they start a fight with you?” Larry asked.
“Ya got me,” Roper said. “Maybe it was
because
I’m the new guy in town.”
As they walked away from the sheriff’s office, Stan said, “Manko’s for hire, Andy.”
“That’s right,” Larry said. “Somebody sent him after you.”
“Well,” Roper said, “I ain’t got any idea who would do that.”
“Maybe the same person who sent those other two men after you,” Stan said. “The ones you killed.”
“When you got on the wrong side of the sheriff,” Larry added.
“Could be,” Roper said. “But I sure as heck don’t know why.”
“Come on,” Stan said, “there’s a small saloon around
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