chance of life, and then some damn wolf or coyote eats the poor thing’s legs off and it’s layin’ there in the mornin’ for you to find . . . Market value is what they give me, market value, ya know?, and sometimes dat ain’t worth a tinker’s damn!”
He broke off his diatribe midsentence, and I turned to see that a very sleepy five-year-old boy in a one-piece set of pajamas, rubbing an eye open, was standing in the doorway.
“Oh, hey. Did Poppy wake you up with dat loud voice?”
The boy nodded and crossed the room to be swallowed upby the old man’s arms that pulled him in close and then shifted him onto one knee. “Did you know dese guys are the sheriff and his deputy? They got badges and everything!” He poked a finger my way. “If you ask him nice, that big fella there is the sheriff and he might show you dat badge of his.”
Smiling at the boy, I pulled my coat open to reveal the hardware, and he woke up a bit, leaning forward.
Abe smiled at us. “He don’t talk all that much, but you should see him fish.” He turned the boy in his lap and hugged him close. “Can’t you fish, tell ’em.”
The boy remained silent and seemed to have a hard time meeting our eyes. But that was nothing new in our line of work—you got used to people not looking at you.
Sancho lowered his head and pushed back his ball cap. With a little one at home, he was quick to break the ice. “Hi, what’s your name?”
Abe answered for him. “Liam.”
“You want to be a deputy, Liam?”
The little guy didn’t respond, but then Saizarbitoria pulled something from his pocket and handed it to the youngster.
Liam opened a hand and took the gift, and I could see it was a gold-painted, metal badge that read SHERIFF with crossed six-shooters at the top.
“That badge is better than ours, because it can make noise. Hold it up to your mouth and blow into it.” He demonstrated. “Just blow like a whistle.”
Liam slowly raised the badge to his face and blew, and to my surprise, it made a whizzing, siren noise.
“That’s it!”
For the first time, the boy smiled.
Abe stood him on his feet and patted his back, sending him off. “You go with Nanna while I say bye to dese nice men, okay?”
The smile faded, and he shot past us like a small fish, darting through the doorway like it was dark water.
“He don’t talk much, but he listens, and I guess dat’s more important, you know?”
I nodded and stood up, reaching back for the shotgun. “Are you sure you want to part with this, Abe? Like you said, the statuary limits on the crime have passed . . .”
He smiled and stood along with me, hitching his thumbs behind his wide elastic suspenders. “Oh, you makin’ fun of me now?”
“No, I’m not.” I stuck out a hand. “If you hear anything, I’d appreciate it if you’d give us a call.”
“Will do.” He turned to Saizarbitoria, transferring the hand his way. “ Egun on .”
The Basquo nodded. “ Egun ona izan dezazula .”
“ Bai, bai .”
----
—
Bumping back down the roadway, Sancho sawed the wheel, drifting to the right and then straightening his unit so that we barely missed one of the leaning poles. “Lays it on a little thick, doesn’t he?”
“I suppose.”
“H2O program . . . C’mon, he’s what, second, third generation?”
“First.”
“Still. He’s been here forever . . . why does he sound like he just got off the boat?”
“Because he wants to.” I glanced at the Basquo. “Did you know that other than Lucian or Omar Rhoades, that old fellow back there is probably the richest man in the county?”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” I glanced around at the canyons and arroyos trailing from the foothills like chopped waves, the remaining snow looking like froth in the troughs. “This place is about fifteen thousand acres, but he’s got two others and that’s just in this county. Rumor has it that Beltran got the majority of this one in an epic poker game
He broke off his diatribe midsentence, and I turned to see that a very sleepy five-year-old boy in a one-piece set of pajamas, rubbing an eye open, was standing in the doorway.
“Oh, hey. Did Poppy wake you up with dat loud voice?”
The boy nodded and crossed the room to be swallowed upby the old man’s arms that pulled him in close and then shifted him onto one knee. “Did you know dese guys are the sheriff and his deputy? They got badges and everything!” He poked a finger my way. “If you ask him nice, that big fella there is the sheriff and he might show you dat badge of his.”
Smiling at the boy, I pulled my coat open to reveal the hardware, and he woke up a bit, leaning forward.
Abe smiled at us. “He don’t talk all that much, but you should see him fish.” He turned the boy in his lap and hugged him close. “Can’t you fish, tell ’em.”
The boy remained silent and seemed to have a hard time meeting our eyes. But that was nothing new in our line of work—you got used to people not looking at you.
Sancho lowered his head and pushed back his ball cap. With a little one at home, he was quick to break the ice. “Hi, what’s your name?”
Abe answered for him. “Liam.”
“You want to be a deputy, Liam?”
The little guy didn’t respond, but then Saizarbitoria pulled something from his pocket and handed it to the youngster.
Liam opened a hand and took the gift, and I could see it was a gold-painted, metal badge that read SHERIFF with crossed six-shooters at the top.
“That badge is better than ours, because it can make noise. Hold it up to your mouth and blow into it.” He demonstrated. “Just blow like a whistle.”
Liam slowly raised the badge to his face and blew, and to my surprise, it made a whizzing, siren noise.
“That’s it!”
For the first time, the boy smiled.
Abe stood him on his feet and patted his back, sending him off. “You go with Nanna while I say bye to dese nice men, okay?”
The smile faded, and he shot past us like a small fish, darting through the doorway like it was dark water.
“He don’t talk much, but he listens, and I guess dat’s more important, you know?”
I nodded and stood up, reaching back for the shotgun. “Are you sure you want to part with this, Abe? Like you said, the statuary limits on the crime have passed . . .”
He smiled and stood along with me, hitching his thumbs behind his wide elastic suspenders. “Oh, you makin’ fun of me now?”
“No, I’m not.” I stuck out a hand. “If you hear anything, I’d appreciate it if you’d give us a call.”
“Will do.” He turned to Saizarbitoria, transferring the hand his way. “ Egun on .”
The Basquo nodded. “ Egun ona izan dezazula .”
“ Bai, bai .”
----
—
Bumping back down the roadway, Sancho sawed the wheel, drifting to the right and then straightening his unit so that we barely missed one of the leaning poles. “Lays it on a little thick, doesn’t he?”
“I suppose.”
“H2O program . . . C’mon, he’s what, second, third generation?”
“First.”
“Still. He’s been here forever . . . why does he sound like he just got off the boat?”
“Because he wants to.” I glanced at the Basquo. “Did you know that other than Lucian or Omar Rhoades, that old fellow back there is probably the richest man in the county?”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” I glanced around at the canyons and arroyos trailing from the foothills like chopped waves, the remaining snow looking like froth in the troughs. “This place is about fifteen thousand acres, but he’s got two others and that’s just in this county. Rumor has it that Beltran got the majority of this one in an epic poker game
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