“Could rain too,” the clerk said, taking the money and then giving them directions to his house. “Supper is at seven. Wife likes you to be at the dining table on time. She’ll make it worth your while.”
“We’ll do that,” Longarm promised as they started for the front door. “And, Diana, we’ll be leaving early.”
“Then I’ll want a full night’s sleep,” Diana said pointedly.
“Fine,” Longarm told her. “I could use one too.”
The store clerk winked and grinned but had the good sense not to say anything before Longarm and Diana left.
True to his promise, the bed had been soft, the sheets clean, and the food excellent in Purgatory. And after reaching Flagstaff, Longarm found Dr. Osmond, who had very little good to say about Nathan Cox.
“I told them the man was brain damaged and not to expect very much in the way of recovery.”
“It’s that bad, huh?” Longarm said.
“Well, I’m not really a doctor,” Osmond admitted. “But I have read some medical books and seen quite a few men with head injuries. This fella in the buckboard was hurt pretty bad. Most of them like that never fully recover.”
Longarm and Diana exchanged glances, then Longarm turned back to Osmond and said, “Thanks for your information.”
“Good luck catching them, Marshal.”
That same hour they resupplied their provisions and pushed on for Prescott.
A short way south of town Diana said, “You know I’m bitter about the way that Nathan lied and cheated me. But I have to tell you that I feel bad that he might never recover. I just can’t quite imagine him being permanently helpless.”
“It’s sad,” Longarm said, watching a train as it puffed into town. “I’ve never inflicted that kind of damage on anyone, but it happens.”
“If Nathan was in charge, he’d never return to Prescott,” Diana said. “He’d realize Prescott was the first place we’d look for him. This can mean only that Nathan is incapable of making decisions.”
“And counterfeit money,” Longarm added, “which is the only bright side to this sad business.”
“Yes,” Diana said, “I hadn’t thought of that. I know nothing about the subject, but I suppose it’s unlikely that either of the two women or the kid would have the knowledge and skill to make counterfeit money.”
“Completely unlikely,” Longarm agreed. “It would be easy work for a skilled printer, but not for a would-be cowboy and a couple of saloon girls.”
“I almost feel sorry for the way they’ve been caught up in this web,” Diana said. “Must you arrest Swensen and the women?”
“Probably,” Longarm said as they rode out of Flagstaff, “but I doubt that any charges will stick unless they actually try to use the plates. Their obvious defense would be to claim that they didn’t know about the plates or the counterfeit money.”
“But they’ve been spending it.”
“So have we,” Longarm reminded her, “as well as everyone else who has taken in that bogus money. It would be a waste of time to arrest those three. They’d beat any charges filed against them in court.”
“I can’t say that I would feel too bad about that,” Diana confessed.
“No more burning revenge?”
“Not for the kid or the women.”
“What about for Nathan?”
Diana gave the question some thought before she answered. “I can’t forgive him,” she finally said, “but how can you hate someone who has been robbed of their mind?”
“I don’t know. What if the doctor was wrong and he managed a full recovery?”
“Then he’d deserve prison … or worse, for killing his accomplice.”
“I agree,” Longarm said, feeling a sudden icy blast of wind strike him full in the face. Longarm pulled his sheepskin collar up to cover his cheeks and ears. “It’s cold up here in these pines.”
“Is Prescott warmer?”
“Yes,” Longarm said, “because it’s lower and farther south.”
Diana touched her heels to the flanks of her mare. “Then let’s hurry up,” she said, “because I am beginning to feel like a big icicle!”
Longarm pushed his horse into an easy gallop and he turned his thoughts to Prescott. It had been several years since he’d seen that mining town, and he supposed that it had grown like most settlements in the Arizona Territory.
Chapter 16
When Longarm and Diana reached the old Arizona mining town of Prescott, the first stop they made was at the marshal’s office. Unfortunately, there was a sign on his door saying that he had gone elk hunting for a few days and that if there was any trouble, to contact Mayor Jesse Taylor three doors down on the right.
“We’re not going to wait for the marshal to return from hunting,” Longarm said, “and we’re not going to trouble the mayor about the federal government’s missing property and this counterfeiting business.”
“Then how will we find Nathan and the rest?” Diana asked.
“We’ll ask a few questions,” Longarm said, looking up and down the street. “The livery is a good place to start, as well as the general store, because they’d most likely be out of provisions, same as us.”
“What about that doctor’s office?” Diana asked, pointing just up the street.
“I think that would also be an excellent place to start,” Longarm agreed. “Let’s go.”
Dr. Barry was not the most cooperative man Longarm had ever interviewed, even after the physician had examined his badge.
“Mr. Cox has been in twice since my initial examination,” Dr. Barry finally revealed. “His prognosis is guarded, but we’re quite optimistic that he will regain most of his mental functions and about sixty percent of his memory. But that’s just a guess and you should know that it’s quite impossible to say with any real degree of accuracy.”
“Where is Cox right now?”
Barry hesitated. “Why are you seeking this man?”
“It’s a federal matter.”
“Is he a criminal?” Barry asked.
Longarm had no intention of telling the doctor anything. “We need to speak with Cox as well as his friends. Now, Dr. Barry, will you help, or do I have to start asking questions and raising eyebrows all over Prescott?”
Barry removed his thick glasses. “Marshal Long, if you really are that determined, I probably ought to cooperate.”
“Excellent idea. Where can we find them?”
Dr. Barry quickly told Longarm and Diana about how Rolf Swensen and the two women had bought the old Cox ranch. “I hear they paid nine thousand dollars for it—cash! But even that was a good buy according to people who know the cattle market and the property itself, which, I understand, has enormous potential not only for ranching, but also for its timber and mineral rights.”
Diana smiled. “I’ll bet they paid for it in hundred-dollar bills.”
“Beg your pardon?”
“Never mind.”
“How do we get to the Cox ranch?” Longarm asked.
Dr. Barry gave them directions and ended by saying, “You can’t miss the place when you come to that big pile of boulders west of town.”
“Thanks,” Longarm said. “What kind of shape was Nathan Cox in the last time you saw him?”
“That was just yesterday,” Barry said, “and he was showing a tremendous amount of improvement. He was walking and eating well, his eyes were in focus, and he seemed much more alert.”
Diana pushed forward. “Does he remember anything about the past?”
“No,” Barry said, “and his wife told me-“
“Wife?” Diana asked with surprise.
“Yes,” Dr. Barry said, “her name is Carole. She is very devoted to Nathan and is, I think, largely responsible for his excellent care and dramatic improvement.”
“Humph!”
“Do you … do you know the woman?” Dr. Barry asked.
“No,” Diana said.
Barry replaced his glasses on his beak and eyed Longarm suspiciously. “I trust that you’re not going to arrest any of those fine people, are you, Marshal?”