town?”
“I haven’t been allowed to come here alone until now,” Knox said, “and I wouldn’t feel right putting another’s life in peril. If Bull Cumberland were to find out—”
“He let you come in alone today.”
Knox nodded. “To deal with you on his behalf. I’ve been meekly doing as he wants for so long, maybe he believes I wouldn’t dare do what I’m doing.”
“Deal with me?”
Knox did more nodding. “He’s heard of you. How or where I don’t know. Some of the others wanted to kill you, but he told them no. I thought that maybe he’s afraid of you.”
“Your story is stretching thin,” Asa said. “I’ve met his kind before. They’re a lot of things, but yellow isn’t one of them.”
“You didn’t let me finish. I thought he might be afraid but I learned different. He says that if they kill you, word might get around. A town marshal is no big thing, because no one much cares except the town. But for someone famous like you, the newspapers might write it up. And the Rangers or the federal law might investigate. You were a federal marshal once, I’ve been told.”
“Deputy U.S. marshal,” Asa said.
“Same thing, more or less. Bull Cumberland thinks you might have friends who are federal law, and he doesn’t want them nosing around.”
“Smart of him,” Asa said. Truth was, he didn’t know if any of the men toting badges back when he did were still at it. He’d resigned pretty near eleven years ago, shortly after Mary took sick. He was by her side every day and night until the consumption claimed her. He didn’t regret it. Not one bit.
“Anyway, that’s why I’m here,” Weldon Knox was saying. “Cumberland wants me to buy you off.”
Asa sat back. “You don’t say.”
“He’s heard that your standard fee is a thousand dollars. Is that true?”
“Whatever it is, it’s my business.”
“Rightly so,” Knox said quickly. “He instructed me to offer you five thousand on his behalf if you’ll pack up and go pester someone else. His very words.”
Asa whistled.
“Five thousand is a lot of money. I wouldn’t blame you if you took it.”
When Asa didn’t say anything, Knox drummed his fingers on the table.
“Well? What will you do?”
Asa stared at those drumming fingers and an icy wind seemed to blow through him. “Tell him I’ll think about it.”
“He figured you’d leap at his offer.”
“He figured wrong.”
“What’s there to think about? We’re talking five thousand dollars. That’s forty times more than the average person earns in a year.”
“I’m not much at arithmetic,” Asa said.
“Be serious, man. I don’t see how you can refuse.”
It took all of Asa’s self-control not to reach across the table, grab Knox by the throat, and throttle him. “I need a couple of days to think about it.”
“To think about five thousand dollars?”
Asa tested his hunch with, “You keep mentioning how much as if you’re offering it yourself.”
Weldon Knox blinked and shook his head. “It’s Bull Cumberland.”
“Two days,” Asa said. “Ask him to give me that much.”
“Very well,” Knox said, and stood. “I guess I’ve said all I need to. I’ll report back to him. Two days it is.” He donned his bowler and hustled out.
The cold feeling in Asa became an iceberg. “That was another mistake you made.”
17
A sa took a stroll about the town. He could use the exercise. He didn’t get nearly as much as he used to. Not that he was flabby or overweight. But the gray hair at his temples was a sign he wasn’t as spry as he used to be. He wasn’t quite as quick or accurate with a pistol, either, which was why he favored the shotgun. Just point and fire and he could blow a man pretty near in half.
Most of the townspeople avoided him, as they’d done before. But more than a few nodded in greeting and several smiled. One man actually said, “Good afternoon to you, Mr. Delaware.” It surprised Asa so much, he almost forgot
“I haven’t been allowed to come here alone until now,” Knox said, “and I wouldn’t feel right putting another’s life in peril. If Bull Cumberland were to find out—”
“He let you come in alone today.”
Knox nodded. “To deal with you on his behalf. I’ve been meekly doing as he wants for so long, maybe he believes I wouldn’t dare do what I’m doing.”
“Deal with me?”
Knox did more nodding. “He’s heard of you. How or where I don’t know. Some of the others wanted to kill you, but he told them no. I thought that maybe he’s afraid of you.”
“Your story is stretching thin,” Asa said. “I’ve met his kind before. They’re a lot of things, but yellow isn’t one of them.”
“You didn’t let me finish. I thought he might be afraid but I learned different. He says that if they kill you, word might get around. A town marshal is no big thing, because no one much cares except the town. But for someone famous like you, the newspapers might write it up. And the Rangers or the federal law might investigate. You were a federal marshal once, I’ve been told.”
“Deputy U.S. marshal,” Asa said.
“Same thing, more or less. Bull Cumberland thinks you might have friends who are federal law, and he doesn’t want them nosing around.”
“Smart of him,” Asa said. Truth was, he didn’t know if any of the men toting badges back when he did were still at it. He’d resigned pretty near eleven years ago, shortly after Mary took sick. He was by her side every day and night until the consumption claimed her. He didn’t regret it. Not one bit.
“Anyway, that’s why I’m here,” Weldon Knox was saying. “Cumberland wants me to buy you off.”
Asa sat back. “You don’t say.”
“He’s heard that your standard fee is a thousand dollars. Is that true?”
“Whatever it is, it’s my business.”
“Rightly so,” Knox said quickly. “He instructed me to offer you five thousand on his behalf if you’ll pack up and go pester someone else. His very words.”
Asa whistled.
“Five thousand is a lot of money. I wouldn’t blame you if you took it.”
When Asa didn’t say anything, Knox drummed his fingers on the table.
“Well? What will you do?”
Asa stared at those drumming fingers and an icy wind seemed to blow through him. “Tell him I’ll think about it.”
“He figured you’d leap at his offer.”
“He figured wrong.”
“What’s there to think about? We’re talking five thousand dollars. That’s forty times more than the average person earns in a year.”
“I’m not much at arithmetic,” Asa said.
“Be serious, man. I don’t see how you can refuse.”
It took all of Asa’s self-control not to reach across the table, grab Knox by the throat, and throttle him. “I need a couple of days to think about it.”
“To think about five thousand dollars?”
Asa tested his hunch with, “You keep mentioning how much as if you’re offering it yourself.”
Weldon Knox blinked and shook his head. “It’s Bull Cumberland.”
“Two days,” Asa said. “Ask him to give me that much.”
“Very well,” Knox said, and stood. “I guess I’ve said all I need to. I’ll report back to him. Two days it is.” He donned his bowler and hustled out.
The cold feeling in Asa became an iceberg. “That was another mistake you made.”
17
A sa took a stroll about the town. He could use the exercise. He didn’t get nearly as much as he used to. Not that he was flabby or overweight. But the gray hair at his temples was a sign he wasn’t as spry as he used to be. He wasn’t quite as quick or accurate with a pistol, either, which was why he favored the shotgun. Just point and fire and he could blow a man pretty near in half.
Most of the townspeople avoided him, as they’d done before. But more than a few nodded in greeting and several smiled. One man actually said, “Good afternoon to you, Mr. Delaware.” It surprised Asa so much, he almost forgot
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