“You gave him a choice,” I said.
“He’s got to know what he’s up against,” Virgil said. “He’s got to have a chance to walk away.”
“He knew who you were. He was looking for a fight. He coulda chosen not to fight,” I said.
“He could,” Virgil said.
“That one of the rules?” I said.
Virgil always seemed clear on the rules, but I never exactly knew how the rules got made.
“Sometimes,” Virgil said.
“How ’bout the five men had Laurel and her mother,” I said. “Didn’t give them no chance.”
“The rule there was save the women,” Virgil said.
“How ’bout if somebody shoots first,” I said.
Virgil grinned.
“Rule there is save your ass,” he said.
“So, the rules change,” I said.
“’Course they do,” Virgil said. “Ain’t no one rule for everything.”
I said, “Which means sometimes you have to make one up pretty quick.”
“Sometimes the fight makes the rules for you,” Virgil said. “And you only know afterwards that it was a rule at all.”
“You do have some ideas,” I said. “You reading books again?”
“Still reading this Emerson fella,” Virgil said. “Mostly it’s mush, but sometimes he says something.”
“Say much about gunfight rules?” I said.
“Ain’t touched on that, so far,” Virgil said.
“How ’bout that drummer you shot, the one run off with Allie?”
“I broke the rules,” Virgil said.
“You shot him ’cause you were mad,” I said.
“I did. He hadn’t broken no law.”
“And you were the law,” I said.
“Yep.”
“So, the law was the rule then,” I said.
“Yep.”
“But now we ain’t the law,” I said.
“Hell,” Virgil said. “We’re on the other side of the law in this town.”
“But there’s still rules,” I said.
“’Course there are,” Virgil said. “Don’t you got any rules, Everett?”
“Don’t think much about it,” I said. “Mostly I just follow yours.”
Virgil smiled slightly and looked at me silently for a while.
Then he said, “Good.”
23
VIRGIL AND I were thinking about lunch, and fearing that Allie would bring some, when a man on a tall gray horse rode alone up Main Street and stopped in front of the Boston House, where Virgil and I were sitting. He was a tall man, barrel-bodied, with a white beard and thick white hair, under the kind of gray slouch hat that Confederate cavalry officers used to wear.
“I’m Horatio Laird,” he said to Virgil. “You killed my son.”
“I’m sorry about that, sir,” Virgil said. “He left me no choice.”
“I know you,” Laird said. “You’re a professional killer. My son was wild, but he was no gunfighter.”
“He was drunk, sir,” Virgil said. “He pulled on me.”
“He didn’t have a chance,” Laird said.
“He did,” Virgil said. “I gave him one. He didn’t take it.”
“He was a proud boy,” General Laird said. “Hotheaded, never a boy to back down.”
Virgil nodded. The general’s voice thickened.
“I… I taught him that,” he said.
Neither Virgil nor I said anything.
“God help me,” the general said.
His big-boned gray was a stallion, with a black mane and tail. I wondered if he was the one that had been after the Appaloosa’s mares. He was so big a horse that the general was high above us, the reins slack over the saddle horn, hands folded on top of them, the knuckles white with effort. He didn’t seem to be carrying a weapon.
“He thought he was faster than he was, sir,” Virgil said.
The general was shaking his head slowly left, right, left, right.
“Wasn’t me,” Virgil said. “It was gonna be somebody.”
“He died standing up,” I said. “Facing the man who killed him.”
“You… think… that matters… to… me?” the general said.
“No, sir,” Virgil said. “Probably don’t. But there ain’t much else to say.”
He shook his head some more. Left, right. Left, right.
“My son’s dead, Cole, and you’re not,” the general said.
“That ain’t right.”
He seemed to be having trouble with his breath.
“I could, I’d kill you where you’re sitting. But you’re too fast.”
His breath was harsh.
“But I’ll make it happen,” he rasped, “if I have to shoot you in the back.”
Nobody spoke. The general struggled with his breath for moment, and then wheeled the stallion and rode off down the street.
“Think he means it?” I said.
“Not about shooting me in the back,” Virgil said. “I expect he can’t. Man like him. Be against the rules.”
“Those rules again,” I said.
“He pretty surely got more than I do,” Virgil said. “He’ll find another way.”
“Hire somebody?” I said.
“S’pect he might,” Virgil said.
24
CHIEF CALLICO stopped by our place of business, outside the Boston House, where Virgil and I were looking at the town and drinking coffee. He sat with us. He was neighborly Amos today.
“By God, Virgil,” he said. “You’ve put me in a bind.”
“Weren’t my intention,” Virgil said.
He sipped his coffee and looked over the rim of the mug past the rooftops of the town, at the higher country to the west. The land was mostly brown, with some moments of green, where there was water.
“Horatio Laird is the most important man in this part of the country,” Callico said.
“I believe he is,” Virgil said.
“Did you have to kill his only son?” Callico said.
“I did,” Virgil said.
“He’s pressing me real hard about it,” Callico said.
“Wants me arrested,” Virgil said.
“He wants that very bad,” Callico said.
“Can’t say I blame him,” Virgil said.
Tilda came out with a pot of coffee and poured some for us.
“Tilda,” Virgil said. “Why don’t you get a cup for our friend Amos here.”
“Yessir, Mr. Cole,” Tilda said.
“But we both know I can’t arrest you,” Callico said.
He took the cup from Tilda and held it while she poured.
“You got fifty eyewitnesses that it was self-defense,” Callico said.
“Didn’t know it was that many,” Virgil said. “You know that, Everett?”
“Knew there were enough,” I said.
“I got plans,” Callico said. “I’m trying to enforce the law in this town, and do it in a way will help me with those plans, you understand?”
“Heard you was aiming for president,” Virgil said.
“And, by God, I’d be a good one, Virgil,” Callico said.
“But there’s some stops ’fore we get there. And I got to make them.”
“And you don’t get to make them,” I said, “arresting people and having to turn them loose.”
“Correct. And I don’t make them unless I enforce the law right,” Callico said. “And I don’t make them unless I got support from important people, like General Laird.”
“And right now you’re in a squeeze,” I said.
“You see that,” Callico said.
Virgil drank some more coffee.
“Everett went to West Point,” he said.
“Smart fella,” Callico said. “Both of you are smart fellas. You give me any support you can, I’ll appreciate it, and I’ll remember it when I’ve made a few of those stops.”
“Need money to go where you want to go,” Virgil said.
“Sure do,” Callico said. “One reason people like the general are important.”
“Reason why you charge folks a fee for police services, too,” Virgil said.
“Town don’t give us enough operating budget,” Callico said. “Got to do what I can.”
Callico smiled a big, friendly smile.
“Opened up a little business for you boys, too,” he said.