Mexican and wore a straw hat. He was mounted and walked his horse out of the trees, leading two other saddled horses, and stood there in front of the teams. I noticed he wore two .44 revolvers.
Lamarr Dean stood with his hand through the lever of the Henry, his finger on the trigger, but the barrel pointed down and almost touching the ground.
“Old Dr. Favor’s pretending he don’t see us,” Lamarr Dean said.
He moved me aside and motioned the McLaren girl over against the cutbank. “You all spread out so I can see my old friend.” Dean was looking directly at Dr. Favor then. “Things start to close in on you?” he asked.
“I’m afraid you’re beyond me,” Dr. Favor said, though not sounding surprised.
“Ahead of you,” Lamarr Dean said. “I’ve seen this coming for two, three months.”
“You’ve seen what coming?”
“Frank, he’s still pretending.”
Braden came up beside Lamarr Dean. “He’s used to it.”
“We’re going to Bisbee,” Dr. Favor said. “On business. We’ll be there two days at most.”
“No,” Lamarr Dean said. “You’ll be there justlong enough to get a ride south. You’ll hole up in Mexico or else get a boat in Vera Cruz and head out.”
“You’re sure of that,” Dr. Favor said.
“That’s how it’s done.”
“And if I deny it, tell you we’re going back in two days?”
“What’s the sense?”
“He should be over here with a gun,” Braden said.
“No,” Lamarr Dean said. “He uses his ink pen. All you do is write down a higher beef tally than what comes in. Pay the trail driver U.S. government scrip for what’s delivered and keep the over-payment. Isn’t that right, Doctor?”
“Like he never saw you before,” Braden said.
Lamarr Dean looked at Mrs. Favor. “You pretending too?”
“I know you,” she said, pretty calmly, considering everything. “But I don’t remember him,” nodding to Braden.
“No, Frank wasn’t anywhere near. He was still in Yuma then.”
“I guess that’s enough,” Braden said. “We got things to do.”
“I was just trying to understand it,” Mrs. Favor said easily. Her eyes shifted to Lamarr Dean who she knew by now was the talker among them.“You were working for the man who had the contract to supply beef.”
“Mr. Wolgast.”
“And you found out about my husband.”
“Audra,” Dr. Favor said, sounding unconcerned but hardly taking his eyes from Lamarr Dean or Braden, while the rest of us couldn’t help but watch him. (My gosh, the things we were learning all of a sudden!) “Audra,” he said, “you know we don’t have to talk about our personal business to these people.”
Braden moved away. “Let’s get to it,” he said and nodded to Early who started unhitching the team horses. As he stripped off the harness and brought them out, slapping them and keeping them moving, the Mexican, who was still mounted, bunched the horses and started them along.
The road formed two tracks out across a grassy meadow that was wide, pretty wide across and stetched on at least a mile with slopes rising up on both sides. As soon as the Mexican was off a ways, Early mounted up again and started after him.
Braden was behind the coach now and we saw just part of him as he yanked down the canvas and started pulling the bags off.
Lamarr Dean started looking us over then, I mean to see if we were armed. He took a revolverfrom inside Dr. Favor’s coat, a small caliber gun that he studied for a minute then threw off into the brush on the other side of the road. He went on to Mendez, passing Mrs. Favor and the McLaren girl, and Mendez opened his coat to show he was unarmed.
“What about up in the boot?” Lamarr Dean asked.
“A shotgun,” Mendez said.
“See it stays there and you here,” Lamarr Dean said. He came on to me and I opened my coat as Mendez had done.
As Lamarr Dean looked me over Mendez said, “You think it’s worth it? You won’t be able to show your face again.”
“I appreciate
Lamarr Dean stood with his hand through the lever of the Henry, his finger on the trigger, but the barrel pointed down and almost touching the ground.
“Old Dr. Favor’s pretending he don’t see us,” Lamarr Dean said.
He moved me aside and motioned the McLaren girl over against the cutbank. “You all spread out so I can see my old friend.” Dean was looking directly at Dr. Favor then. “Things start to close in on you?” he asked.
“I’m afraid you’re beyond me,” Dr. Favor said, though not sounding surprised.
“Ahead of you,” Lamarr Dean said. “I’ve seen this coming for two, three months.”
“You’ve seen what coming?”
“Frank, he’s still pretending.”
Braden came up beside Lamarr Dean. “He’s used to it.”
“We’re going to Bisbee,” Dr. Favor said. “On business. We’ll be there two days at most.”
“No,” Lamarr Dean said. “You’ll be there justlong enough to get a ride south. You’ll hole up in Mexico or else get a boat in Vera Cruz and head out.”
“You’re sure of that,” Dr. Favor said.
“That’s how it’s done.”
“And if I deny it, tell you we’re going back in two days?”
“What’s the sense?”
“He should be over here with a gun,” Braden said.
“No,” Lamarr Dean said. “He uses his ink pen. All you do is write down a higher beef tally than what comes in. Pay the trail driver U.S. government scrip for what’s delivered and keep the over-payment. Isn’t that right, Doctor?”
“Like he never saw you before,” Braden said.
Lamarr Dean looked at Mrs. Favor. “You pretending too?”
“I know you,” she said, pretty calmly, considering everything. “But I don’t remember him,” nodding to Braden.
“No, Frank wasn’t anywhere near. He was still in Yuma then.”
“I guess that’s enough,” Braden said. “We got things to do.”
“I was just trying to understand it,” Mrs. Favor said easily. Her eyes shifted to Lamarr Dean who she knew by now was the talker among them.“You were working for the man who had the contract to supply beef.”
“Mr. Wolgast.”
“And you found out about my husband.”
“Audra,” Dr. Favor said, sounding unconcerned but hardly taking his eyes from Lamarr Dean or Braden, while the rest of us couldn’t help but watch him. (My gosh, the things we were learning all of a sudden!) “Audra,” he said, “you know we don’t have to talk about our personal business to these people.”
Braden moved away. “Let’s get to it,” he said and nodded to Early who started unhitching the team horses. As he stripped off the harness and brought them out, slapping them and keeping them moving, the Mexican, who was still mounted, bunched the horses and started them along.
The road formed two tracks out across a grassy meadow that was wide, pretty wide across and stetched on at least a mile with slopes rising up on both sides. As soon as the Mexican was off a ways, Early mounted up again and started after him.
Braden was behind the coach now and we saw just part of him as he yanked down the canvas and started pulling the bags off.
Lamarr Dean started looking us over then, I mean to see if we were armed. He took a revolverfrom inside Dr. Favor’s coat, a small caliber gun that he studied for a minute then threw off into the brush on the other side of the road. He went on to Mendez, passing Mrs. Favor and the McLaren girl, and Mendez opened his coat to show he was unarmed.
“What about up in the boot?” Lamarr Dean asked.
“A shotgun,” Mendez said.
“See it stays there and you here,” Lamarr Dean said. He came on to me and I opened my coat as Mendez had done.
As Lamarr Dean looked me over Mendez said, “You think it’s worth it? You won’t be able to show your face again.”
“I appreciate
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