“You’re right, Marshal,” the mayor said, backing out with the rest of them, “but we are running over our budget and a trial is expensive, not to mention feeding five prisoners until they are hanged. And what with your new raise, we could use some savings here.”
“Not a chance,” Walker growled. “You find a legal way to cut expenses and it better not be my raise!”
“Of course not,” the mayor said. “However-“
“Find a judge and ask him to set a trial this week. It shouldn’t take more than an hour to select a jury, hear the evidence, and reach a verdict—well, two hours at the most.”
Longarm helped to usher the crowd back outside. He slammed the door shut and turned to face Walker. “It looks to me like we could have some problems tonight.”
“I doubt that.”
“Let’s hope not,” Longarm said. “But just in case, I’d be happy to bunk here and …”
“No, no,” Walker said quickly. “Custis, you’ve already done more than enough. And though I didn’t tell the townspeople, you and I both know that I couldn’t have brought these five outlaws in without your help.”
“Everyone needs help sometimes.”
“Yes,” Walker agreed, “but you came here for a wedding and vacation, and so far, it hasn’t been much fun. Why don’t you go and see Miss Vacarro? She lives in that big Victorian with the green shutters on High Street. You can’t miss it.”
“I guess there’s some … controversy about that wedding?”
“That’s putting it mildly. Young Noah Huffington, as I’m sure you’ve heard, was a minister and he was engaged to a very popular and outstanding young lady. The whole town approved of that wedding, and they hold Miss Vacarro entirely to blame for it being called off.”
“Why was it called off?”
“No one really knows,” the marshal replied. “Who can explain matters of the heart? Obviously, Noah Huffington—despite his family’s strong objections—fell out of love with his former fiance and fell in love with Miss Vacarro. And maybe they’ll make a wonderful couple and live happily ever after.”
“I can tell from the sound of your voice that you think that is extremely unlikely.”
“You’re right. The town was shocked. Abe Huffington’s career is now in jeopardy, and everyone has their own pet theory as to why Noah dumped Miss Carole Clark and asked Stella to be his wife. Most people believe that the young minister is being blackmailed.”
“Blackmailed?”
“That’s right. You see, the Huffington family is very, very wealthy and powerful. And before Noah became a Christian, he was known to be a little wild and not adverse to sewing his oats in many fertile fields—if you catch my drift.”
“I do.”
“Well, then,” Walker said, “most people think that he might even have fathered an illegitimate child.”
“Stella’s child?”
Walker shrugged. “She left Auburn for several months. When she came back, she looked unwell. The most popular rumor is that she had a baby and gave it away for adoption. But that she is using the child to blackmail her way into the Huffington fortune.”
Longarm snorted with disgust. “That’s ridiculous! Stella might be guilty of many things, but she has far too much pride to do something that low-down.”
“Who knows? If she lands Noah Huffington, that puts her in line for the family wealth. Old Abe swears that he will write Noah out of his will if he marries Stella, but I know that he won’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because his wife died several years ago and the couple only had two children. Noah and his older brother, Nick. Nick has always tried to follow in his father’s footsteps, but he is mean and drinks way too damn much. He gets drunk, gambles badly, and loses all his money, then gets into vicious fights. He’s a bad one, and I’ve had nothing but trouble with him for years. Nick Huffington is everything that you wouldn’t want your own son to be.”
“The exact opposite of Noah.”
“Yes,” the marshal said with a shake of his head. “I can’t explain why one turned out so damned rotten and the other so good, but that’s the way it happened.”
“I see. Does this Nick also live in Auburn?”
“You could say that,” Walker replied. “He sort of hangs around the western Sierra gold camps. He might show up drunk in Coloma one week, then in Sonora, and then wear out his welcome and ride up to raise hell in Nevada City. He’s big trouble, and almost always hangs out with a couple of hardcases just as bad as he himself.”
“Why doesn’t his father disown him?”
“Abe has thought about it. If you ask me, Nick is the one who is really into the blackmailing business. He walks the line of the law just enough to keep himself from going to prison and really embarrassing his father or ruining his political future. Abe can’t stand Nick, and although he is bitterly disappointed in Noah’s decision to marry Miss Vacarro, he likes Noah far better than Nick. The truth is, you can’t help but like and admire Noah.”
“I see,” Longarm said, not sure that he really did see the whole picture. “Well, I came here to attend a wedding and that’s what I’m going to do. So I’ll just leave all that other stuff alone.”
“Be the best idea,” Walker said in agreement. “The wedding is to take place next Saturday afternoon at the Grange Hall.”
“I thought it was to be a church wedding.”
“It was,” Walker admitted, “but every church in town declined to let it take place.”
“But why?”
“Because their pastors were afraid of angering their church membership and losing out at the donation plate.”
“That figures,” Longarm said. “What did they have to do, import a more tolerant minister?”
“That’s right. One from Sacramento who doesn’t have to worry about antagonizing his parishioners.”
Longarm shook his head, then strolled back to the crowded cell and regarded the five men. To the one with the bullet wound, he said, “I’m sure that there will be a doctor to look at that wound.”
“You big sonofabitch!” the outlaw snarled. “Who cares about a scratch if I’m going to hang anyway!”
“Good point.”
“We ever get out of this mess,” another of the outlaws warned, “you’re a dead man-“
“You won’t get out of this alive,” Longarm promised as he turned and walked away.
When he emerged from the marshal’s office, there was still a large crowd milling around outside. Longarm studied them for a moment, wondering if he should just stay out of this trouble. But then, he decided that he ought to make his own position clear.
“I understand why you people are angry and eager to see those train robbers swing,” he began, “but it has to be done according to the law. Necktie justice is a step backward.”
A huge, full-bearded miner who reeked of rotgut whiskey shoved his way forward. He was as tall as Longarm and a good twenty pounds heavier. When he spoke, the whiskey fumes on his breath were potent enough to kill flies.
“Marshal, we appreciate what you did to help out, but the best thing you could do now would be to get back on that train and get the hell out of Auburn. This isn’t none of your damned business anymore.”
“You’re dead wrong about that,” Longarm told the man. “I’m a federal marshal and I’m sworn to uphold the law. And that’s why, if you are getting any funny ideas about taking the law into your own hands, you’re going to have to get past me as well as Marshal Walker.”
“Oh,” the huge miner said, “I don’t expect that would be much of a problem.”