“Nice to meet you too, Miss Janie,” Matthew said.
“My Lord,” she said as they turned away, “so much excitement in two days. First outlaws, then lawmen.”
Both young men stopped and turned back to face her.
“Outlaws?” Matthew asked.
“There were outlaws here yesterday?” James asked.
“Well,” Janie said, looking around, her bright blue eyes going wide, “they said they were outlaws, but how was I to know if they were telling the truth? I mean, they couldn’t prove it with badges, like you boys could.”
“These outlaws,” James said, “they didn’t happen to say who they were, did they? I mean, who they rode with?”
“Well, there was only two of them,” she said, “but they told me they were leading a whole lot more.”
“And the name of the gang?” James asked.
“Well,” she said, thinking hard, “one of them did say something about being the segundo of the Langer gang…but he could have been lying. What is a segundo, anyway? James? Matthew? Where are you two going?”
41
In their absence, Sheriff Carmondy had once again picked up his broom and was sweeping the floor, raising a hell of a dust cloud again. This time when he turned he saw four men standing in his office—Sheriff Dan Shaye and three other men, no doubt his sons.
“Well,” he said, leaning on the broom, “what brings you back so soon?”
Instead of answering, Shaye drew his gun and fired one shot. The bullet sawed clean through the broom handle, and the sheriff went staggering before he caught his balance. The broom ended up on the floor in two pieces.
Carmondy righted himself and threw a look at his gun belt, which was on a hook behind his desk.
“Go ahead,” Shaye said. “Go for it, why don’t you?”
“Are you crazy?” Carmondy shouted. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
“We just found out that two members of the Langer gang were in town yesterday, buying supplies,” Shaye said.
“What? Two of them? Who told you that?”
“The girl at the general store….” Shaye turned to James or Matthew for her name.
“Janie…” Matthew said.
“Summers.”
“Janie!” Carmondy said. “That gal makes up more stories—”
“Where would she get the word segundo from?” Shaye demanded.
“What?”
“She said one of the men claimed to be the segundo of the Langer gang.”
“I don’t…she could have heard that word anywhere. Why would a member of the gang announce himself to her?”
“She’s a pretty little thing,” Shaye said. “Seems to me she’d have men trying to impress her all the time.” He turned a glance at his two sons again. “Maybe even getting them to buy things they don’t need. Maybe even getting them to brag a bit? Especially if they weren’t staying in town long.”
“Look, Shaye,” Carmondy said, “if two members of that gang were in town yesterday, I didn’t know about it.”
“Come on, now, Sheriff,” Shaye said. He took a moment to eject the spent round from his gun, allowing it to fall to the floor. Carmondy watched as he thumbed a live round into the empty chamber. “You know everything there is to know in this town. That’s what you told us, anyway.”
Carmondy laughed nervously. “I just happened to see you and your boys ride into town, Shaye, that’s all,” he confessed. “Believe me, fellas ride into town all the time without me knowin’ about it.”
“So you didn’t take any money from Ethan Langer to look the other way?”
“N-No.”
“Maybe to lie to any lawmen who might be looking for them?”
“I told you, n-no. I never saw Ethan Langer.”
“Or one of his men?” Shaye asked. “Like maybe…his segundo?”
“What’s a segundo?” Matthew asked Thomas under his breath.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“Look, Shaye,” Carmondy said, holding both hands out in front of him, “if I knew that the Langer gang was here yesterday, I woulda told you. I swear.”
“Want me to whomp him, Pa?” Matthew asked, taking a menacing step toward the local lawman.
“Keep him away!” the man said. “Look, Shaye, I ain’t that brave, you know? I wouldn’t lie to you. I know your reputation around here.”
“My reputation?”
“Well…you are Shay Daniels, ain’tcha?”
Shaye stared at the sheriff, then holstered his gun and said, “I used to be.”
42
Shaye left the sheriff’s office with his three sons following him.
“Why are we leavin’, Pa?” Matthew asked.
“I don’t think he was lying,” Shaye said. “He didn’t know that Langer had sent two of the gang into town for supplies.”
“How can you be sure?” James asked.
“I’m not,” Shaye said, “I just think he’s right. He’s not that brave—especially if he thought I was still…Shaye Daniels.”
“So what do we do, Pa?” Matthew asked.
“We’re just going to keep going the way we’ve been going, Matthew. Keep heading north.”
They had ridden their horses over to the office, and now they stepped into the street and mounted up.
“Say, James,” he said when they were mounted, “did that girl tell you what they bought?”
“No, Pa,” James said. “I didn’t even think to ask.”
“Me neither,” Matthew said.
“Well,” Shaye said, “let’s go and ask her now, shall we?”
James and Matthew argued about who should go back into the store and talk to Janie. Shaye finally told Thomas to dismount and do it.
“I bet he comes out with a bar of soap,” James said.
“You and your brother are going to use that soap,” Shaye warned him.
“Aw, Pa—” Matthew said.
“You bought it, you’re going to use it.”
Matthew sulked and James smirked.
“What are you smiling at?” Shaye asked. “That girl bamboozled both of you into buying things you didn’t need. You shouldn’t be looking so pleased with yourself.”
Thomas came walking out empty-handed, looking proud of himself. He mounted up and looked at Shaye.
“Can’t blame the boys for buyin’ that stuff, Pa,” he said. “That one’s a charmer.”
“Didn’t charm you, though, huh?” Shaye asked.
“Not that she didn’t try.”
“Did you find out what those two Langer men bought?”
“They pretty much did like we did,” Thomas said. “Some coffee and jerky, enough for a dozen men or more, but nothin’ big.”
“That’s because they haven’t got far to go,” Shaye said. “We’re getting closer to our destination. Maybe even another couple of days.”
“Finally,” Thomas said.
“I can’t wait,” James said.
Matthew remained silent. Shaye knew there was still some doubt going on inside his middle son. They’d all have to keep their promise to talk to him over the next couple of days. If he wasn’t totally convinced about what they were doing, Shaye was not going to let him face the Langer gang.
“Let’s get going,” he said to his sons. “I want to put some miles between us and here before nightfall.”
That night they camped in a clearing about sixty miles south of Salina. Shaye waited until they were all gathered around the fire, eating, before discussing their course of action.
“We can make Salina by nightfall tomorrow,” he said, “and then one of us has to go in and see if the gang is there. I can’t do it, because both Langers might recognize me. One of you has to do it, and I’m going to let the three of you decide which one.”