“Jo—”
“Is something wrong?” she asked. “Is that it?”
“There might be a problem,” he said, “but nothing for you to worry about.”
“If it concerns you, then it’s something for me to worry about,” she said earnestly. She put her hands on his chest and said, “Brand, I never ask you what you do when you leave, but if you’re in trouble, I want to help.”
He tucked the gun into his belt and took her hands in his. “Let’s sit down,” he said, guiding her to the bed.
“Jo,” he began, “in some parts of the country I’m considered something of…of an outlaw…”
Chapter Eighteen
The beer at the Dice Box was not as cold as the beer at the Broadus House, but there certainly was enough gambling to satisfy a gambling man. Decker wasn’t really a gambling man, but he enjoyed a good poker game as much as anyone.
It was getting on into evening now, and another thing the Dice Box had this time of day was women. They were young, attractive, and dressed in low—cut, sequined gowns. Decker decided to stay around for a while and then go back to the Broadus House, which was more his kind of place.
He took his beer and walked around, watching some of the gambling tables, listening to the conversations. It was possible that he might hear something helpful.
At one point one of the girls came over and leaned on his shoulder.
“Can I get you something, honey?” she asked, tracing the outline of his jaw with a long, painted nail.
She was young, very pretty and had a very deep, creamy cleavage, but she was wearing so much perfume that his head hurt and his nostrils burned.
“No, thanks,” he said. “Why don’t you check with one of the players?”
“Maybe later?” she asked.
“Maybe,” he said, promising nothing.
She sashayed off and talked to some of the men who were playing blackjack, and it looked to Decker like she was having more luck with them than she’d had with him.
He was returning to the bar for another beer when he saw Sheriff Roman walk through the batwing doors. He stood at the bar, waiting to see what the lawman was going to do. In a few seconds Roman spotted him and came over to him.
“Evening, Decker.”
“Sheriff,” the bounty hunter said. “Making your rounds?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, my rounds. Hey, Ernie, give me a beer, huh?” the sheriff said to the bartender. To Decker he said, “Interested in gambling?”
“Not really. I play a little poker now and then.”
“Some pretty women working here.”
“Sure are, but this really isn’t my kind of place.”
“Oh? What is?”
“The Broadus House. It seems a little simpler, much more my style.”
“This place usually gets most of the action.”
“That’s why I’m still here.”
“Hoping to hear something about this man you’re looking for?”
“You never know,” Decker said. “You haven’t heard anything, have you, Sheriff?”
“Me? No, not a word,” he said. “Oh, but I did hear something about you sending telegraph messages ahead to some of the other towns.”
The only way he could have heard about that was to check with the telegraph office. Why would he have done that? Decker wondered.
“What’s that all about?” Roman asked. “Trying to get the local law to do your job for you?”
“Just asking for some co-operation, is all. It could save me some time in the saddle.”
“You don’t really expect to get any help from real lawmen, do you?”
“Why not? You’ve been pretty co-operative, haven’t you?”
“Sure I have,” Roman laughed, “but I’m a helluva guy.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Does this mean you’ll be staying in Broadus a little longer?”
“At least until I get some replies.”
“I see.”
Roman finished his beer and set the empty mug down on the bar.
“Well, I’d better, uh, continue my rounds. See you around, Decker.”
“Sure, Sheriff. See you around.”
Decker watched the man walk out, wondering what he had really come in for.
When Brand finished his story, Josephine stared at him for a few moments, as if she simply couldn’t comprehend what he’d told her.
“Who is this man?” she finally asked.
“I can’t be sure,” he said. “It might be a bounty hunter named Decker.”
“This Decker, is he dangerous?”
“He’s the most dangerous bounty hunter there is,” Brand admitted.
“Is there a way to find out if it’s him?”
“There are two ways,” he said. “One, we can check the livery. If there’s a hangman’s noose with his saddle, then it’s him.”
“A hangman’s noose?”
“He carries it with him.”
“That’s horrible!” Josephine whispered, her eyes growing wider.
“I guess it’s his lucky charm.”
“Does he—does he use it?”
“Well, his bounty is usually collectable dead or alive.”
“What’s the other way to find out?”
“His gun. He wears a cut-down shotgun in a special holster. You can’t miss it.”
“I want to help,” she said. “What do you want me to do?”
“All right,” Brand said, “now listen closely…”
Chapter Nineteen
About a half an hour after the sheriff left, Decker decided he’d had enough of the nonstop activity in the Dice Box. He went outside, crossing the street to go to the Broadus House.
The shot creased him on the top of the left shoulder, leaving him with a stinging pain. Throwing himself forward, he rolled for cover and came up with his gun out. As he checked the rooftops across the street, straining to see any sign of movement, he guessed he had the darkness to thank for his life. Before whoever was after him could get off another shot, he was up and running back toward the Dice Box.
He moved along the sidewalk, alert in case whoever had shot at him had an accomplice on the other side of the street. Finally, he came to an alley and ran down it, trying to get behind the saloon. If he was lucky, he might catch his assailant coming down off the roof.
When he got to the back he stopped short. It was pitch-black. He flattened against the wall, waiting and listening.
When he heard something, it was from farther along behind the buildings. Cursing to himself, he took off running, realizing that his assailant had already made it down from the roof. He must have taken the one shot and decided not to risk any more.
Decker ran along behind the buildings until he came to another alley. He flattened against the wall again and eased into the alley, expecting to hear a shot. When he heard nothing he began to move forward with more purpose until finally he was out in the street again.
He heard somebody running toward him and spun around, his gun ready to fire.
“Whoa! Easy!” Sheriff Roman shouted, holding his empty hands out in front of him.
“Sheriff!” Decker said. He lowered his gun and took a deep breath. “Did you see anybody run out of this alley?”
“Nobody but you.”
“He couldn’t have been that far ahead of me,” Decker said, complaining. “I heard him—”
“I heard the shot and came running, but since there was only one I couldn’t be sure where it had come from.” He squinted through the darkness and asked suddenly, “Hey, are you hit?”
Decker put his hand on his shoulder and it came away covered with blood.
“Just a nick.”
“Better get the doc to take a look at it. Come on, I’ll take you over.”