“Boston ain’t shit,” Pollack snapped. “Bunch of people walking around like they got rods up their asses.”
Longarm was amused. “You’re a real funny guy, Pollack. Almost as entertaining as Jones.”
“Go to hell,” Pollack growled, picking up his drink and leaving.
“So when will you let us know what you learn from your informants?” Blake demanded. “I’ve got to answer to people back east.”
“Not for a while you don’t,” Longarm said, “at least not until the telegraph lines are up again. And, with any luck, by then we’ll have arrested Cox and this whole counterfeit thing will be history.”
“You know that isn’t going to happen,” Blake said. “Nathan Cox might be a hundred miles from Cheyenne. Maybe a thousand if he took the last train heading for Sacramento or St. Louis.”
“Or back to Denver and then on to Texas or New Mexico,” Longarm drawled. “But either way, we’ll find him.”
Blake shook his head and struggled to his feet. “Marshal Long, I’ve got a sick feeling that given the company you’re keeping, you aren’t even in any hurry to see this case solved.”
Longarm knew Supervisor Blake was referring to Diana, and he had to laugh outright.
“What’s so damned funny?” Blake snarled.
“Only that you’re about half right,” Longarm said as he headed up to his fancy hotel room and Diana in his soft, silky bed.
Chapter 5
“I’ll never understand how you got all those feds to leave us in peace and run down to Denver,” Diana said the next morning as they enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s elegant dining room.
Longarm sipped his third cup of coffee. “It wasn’t hard. I just told them that as smart as Nathan Cox is, he might just have backtracked into Colorado.”
Diana thought about that a moment, and said, “Nathan really might have.”
“I know. And nothing would please me more than for Agent Blake and his cronies to capture our fugitive down south. Until then, however, I need to start digging for some information right here in Cheyenne.”
“Where do you start?”
“With the local marshal. He’s an old friend, and he’ll help if he can.”
“Then let’s go,” Diana said, coming to her feet.
“Whoa,” Longarm said. “Why don’t you just go UPstairs and enjoy that wonderful hotel suite that the government is providing? After I nose around
…”
“Oh, no,” she said, quite definite about her feelings. “I’ve got another seventy-five hundred dollars riding on this manhunt that I mean to collect. So, don’t try to get rid of me, because I’m jolly well coming with you, Marshal.”
Longarm really didn’t want her to come with him, but there seemed to be little choice. Besides that, Diana was smart enough to keep her mouth shut, and she might even pick up on some piece of information that he, not knowing Cox, would overlook.
“All right,” Longarm said. “Let’s go. First stop is the local constable’s office.”
“If he’s as big and handsome as you,” Diana said mischievously, “I’m going to enjoy this.”
“Sorry, but Marshal Jeb Huff is short, overweight, and chubby,” Longarm said. “He is also tough when he has to be and cool under fire. Jeb is very happily married with … the last I heard, four boys.”
“Sounds exciting,” Diana said, the tone of her voice contradicting her words.
“Jeb knows about everything that goes on in Cheyenne,” Longarm assured the woman. “And what he doesn’t know, he’ll find out.”
They left the dining room, Diana saying, “But wouldn’t Marshal Huff already have told those feds everything he knew about Nathan?”
“Nope, he doesn’t like easterners coming in and trying to take control any more than I would if I were in his position. In fact, he’d like nothing better than to apprehend Cox without Blake’s help or even his knowledge.”
“You sound like you know the marshal pretty well,” Diana said as they headed down the street at a brisk pace.
“Just as important, I know his breed,” Longarm said. “A western lawman is about as independent a fella as you’ll ever find. He’s usually beholden to the city council or a bunch of local officials for his job, but he rarely knuckles under to them.”
“So he’d rather get fired than compromise his principles?”
“That’s right. But if he’s good, and honest, he can get a job in any of a hundred frontier towns.”
“I see.”
“Here we go,” Longarm said as they came to a halt before the marshal’s door. “I just hope he’s in and not off chasing an outlaw or some petty thief.”
The marshal was leaning way back in his office chair, reading a newspaper that looked as if it had been used in the cat box. When he saw Longarm, he dropped his feet to the rough plank floor with a bang, the forgotten paper spilling aside.
“Well, bless my stars!” Huff exclaimed, rushing across the room with his hand outstretched. “If it ain’t my favorite United States deputy marshal!”
Huff cast an admiring glance at Diana, then looked back at Longarm and exclaimed, “What did you do, Custis, go and get married and bring the missus in to be introduced?”
“Afraid not,” Longarm said, blushing a little. “This is Miss Diana Frank. She’s working with me on this Nathan Cox case.”
Huff’s smile dissolved. “Ah, yes, they were here for about an hour yesterday, and, frankly, I almost decided to go fishing today so that I wouldn’t have to be bothered with ‘em again. Trouble is, fishin’ is terrible lately.”
Longarm grabbed a swivel chair and pushed it over to Diana. He sat down on an empty desk covered with old newspapers, dime novels, and even a few Wanted posters. “This Cox business is pretty important, Jeb.”
“So I gather,” the marshal replied.
“What could you tell them about our counterfeiter?”
Jeb threw up his hands. “Custis, I told them everything I knew about Cox. About his gambling and that cattle ranch he bought and then turned right around and sold for a loss.”
“Who’s out the big money on that one?”
“Beats me,” Jeb said. “My guess is that would be the original owner, Emmett Zolliver.”
“That’s tough,” Longarm said, shaking his head.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Jeb told them. “Emmett swears that he’s going to keep his money, bogus or not. The guy who bought the ranch from Nathan Cox has been sick to his stomach since learning he’d been tricked. It’s going to be a mess and it’ll all be settled in court. I believe that our federal government bears the lion’s share of the responsibility and that they’ll be sued.”
“I expect so,” Longarm agreed. “Why don’t you tell us the whole story right from the beginning. I got the gist of it last night in the hotel saloon, but the feds were half loaded and I know that there must have been things they forgot or didn’t want to tell me.”
“Sure,” Huff said, scratching his considerable belly. “But wouldn’t you and the lady rather go over to the cafe so that we can discuss this over coffee and some cinnamon rolls?”
“No,” Longarm said, “this is something we need to keep under wraps, and I’d rather talk about it right here in the privacy of your office.”
“Okay, I’ll send out for the coffee and rolls,” Huff said, leaving his office for a minute and signaling a boy in the street and then sending him off to get the refreshments.
“How is your wife and the kids?” Diana asked.
“They’re just fine, Miss Frank. Nice of you to ask. Mind if I ask you a question?”
Nope.
“What’s your part in this Cox thing?”
“I was supposed to marry the sonofabitch,” Diana said. “Instead, Nathan cleaned out my savings and took off with-“
“Cox,” Longarm interrupted, “fleeced Miss Frank, but it was nothing compared to what he’s doing to the government.”