The Sunshine Killers by Giles Tippette Page A

time to time with the pain. The girl at the window went over to Letty and shook her by the shoulder. “Letty . . . Letty . . .”
    Letty came awake with a start. She looked first at the girl and then across at Saulter. She straightened in the chair and yawned. “Goddammit, Brenda, don’t startle me like that.”
    â€œTomlain and that bunch have come out and seen his horse.” She gestured to Saulter. “They look like they fixin’ to search.”
    Letty got up and went to the window, but the men had disappeared by then. “They won’t come in here,” she said with assurance.
    â€œWonder what they’ll think?” the girl asked.
    â€œWhat the hell do I care what they think,” Letty answered irritably. “They’ll think what they ought to think. That he fell off his horse and froze and the horse came back here.”
    â€œWhat if they don’t?” Brenda was a young, pretty, slightly dumb-looking girl. “Why, they’re terribly bad. No telling what they’d do to us if they knew that man was here.”
    Letty was gruff from having awakened from a nearly sleepless night. “Why should they think he’s here? This is the last place they’d look. And they wouldn’t come in Juno’s room. They ain’t gonna think a bunch of whores would take a man in off the street like that.”
    â€œWell, why did we take him in? I don’t really understand that.”
    Letty frowned at her for a moment, then shrugged and half smiled. “Maybe I ain’t a whore at heart. Who knows? What the hell difference does it make? So long as everybody keeps their mouth shut we ain’t got any worry.”
    â€œOh, I ain’t gonna say anything, Letty,” Brenda promised. “You don’t have to worry about that.” She stole a glance over at Saulter. “My goodness, he is kind of good-lookin’, ain’t he? So handsome and genteel and all.”
    â€œLooks like a man,” Letty said grimly. She walked over to Saulter’s bed. “And I’ve seen enough of them in my lifetime to last me through all my years in hell.”
    â€œThen I still don’t understand,” Brenda began. But Letty cut her off with, “Oh, shut up about it, Brenda. There’s lots you don’t understand.” She put her hand on Saulter’s brow. “Wake Juno up and let’s have a look at him now he’s lasted the night. One of ya’ll fetch some hot water and clean cloths and some scissors.”

    Across the street, Tomlain and the others had gathered on the front porch of Schmidt’s. They stood around, looking off in the distance and smoking.
    â€œWell, he might’a come back in on that horse last night,” Barney said, “but he left again on foot cause he ain’t in this here town. Nowhere.”
    â€œMaybe,” said Tomlain.
    Billy made a disgusted sound. “No maybe about it. The man is laying out yonder froze like an icicle.”
    â€œMaybe,” Tomlain said, “somebody ought to ride out the road and see if they’s any sign of him.”
    â€œUnder two foot of snow?” Billy asked. “It snowed all night, Tomlain. What you want to do, dig up every mound?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Tomlain answered slowly. He rubbed his jaw. “With McGraw due in I don’t want no slipups. I’d like to be sure.”
    â€œWhat’s the matter, Tomlain? Think you’re slipping? Them licks you gave that man I’m surprised he didn’t die on the spot. You figure he was still in shape to take off cross-country? Didn’t it fall out just about the way you’d figured?”
    Tomlain smiled slowly and licked his lips. “Well,” he said, “I guess that’s right.”
    Billy said, “I never seen you worry over some old boy like you’ve done over that hunter. Did you figure he was more than you could