Wolf Moon by Ed Gorman

you into the alley?"
        "Because I saw them in the alley, fighting-one of them even had a knife-and I told them to stop, and they turned on me."
        "Just like that?"
        "Just like that."
        "Before you could do anything?"
        "Before I could do anything."
        Granville was watching me, too. He was pretending to be sterilizing some of his silver instruments, but he was really watching Hollister try to break my story.
        Hollister suddenly became aware of the doc. "You do me a favor, Doc?"
        "Sure, Ev."
        "Wait outside."
        "If you want."
        "I'd appreciate it."
        "Sure."
        Doc looked like a kid disappointed because he had to stay home while all his friends went off and did something fun.
        Doc went out and closed the door.
        Hollister didn't talk at first. He went over and picked up a straight-backed chair and set it down next to the table I was lying on. Then he took out his pipe and filled it and took out a stick match and struck it on the bottom of his boot. The room smelled briefly of phosphorous from the match head and then of sweet pipe tobacco.
        He still didn't say anything for a long time, but when he did speak, it sure was something I paid attention to.
        "Only one way those two boys that stuck up the bank could've gotten that key."
        I didn't say anything.
        He said, "How much did they promise you, Chase?"
        I still didn't say anything. I just lay there with my ribs hurting every other time I inhaled. I had never felt more alone.
        "Reeves estimates that they got away with fifty thousand. If they didn't give you at least a third of it, you're not a very good businessman."
        "I didn't have anything to do with the robbery, Chief. I honestly didn't."
        "I took a chance on you, being an ex-convict and all."
        "I know that and I appreciate it."
        "And now here I am kicking myself in the ass for doing it."
        "I'm sorry, Chief."
        "Every single merchant in this town knows what happened, how you threw in with those robbers."
        "I didn't, Chief. I really didn't."
        I closed my eyes. There was nothing else to say. "They didn't hesitate to kill that clerk at the bank this morning, and they sure won't hesitate to kill you."
        He puffed on his pipe. "That beating they gave you was just a down payment, Chase."
        He was trying to scare me. I thought of scaring him right back by telling him about that wife of his and Reeves.
        He stood up and walked over to the table and faced me.
        He jabbed a hard finger into my taped-up ribs.
        I let out a cry.
        "They worked you over pretty good. Maybe you should take a few days off."
        "Is that an order?"
        He sighed. "I can't prove you actually gave them that key, so I'm not going to fire you, even though every merchant in town wants me to."
        "That's white of you."
        He shook his head. "Chase, I thought you were smarter than all this."
        "I didn't throw in with them, no matter what you say."
        "Then where did they get the key?"
        I stayed quiet. I didn't want to drag Reeves into this. That would only complicate things.
        "You got any answer for that, Chase?"
        "I don't know where they got the key."
        "But not from you?"
        "Not from me."
        He took the last noisy drags of his pipe. "You've got a nice wife and a nice litde girl. You don't want to spoil things for them."
        "I sure don't."
        "Then I'm going to ask you once more, and I want you to tell me the truth."
        "You don't even have to ask. I didn't give them the key."
        He walked over to the door. His boots walked heavy on the boards of the floor.
        "You going to tell me why they came after you?"
        "I told you. It was two Mexes."
        "Right. Two Mexes."
        "And they were