Longarm took Diana’s arm and pointed her toward the door. “Thank you very much for your help, Dr. Barry.”
The physician herded them out his door. “I would be lying if I said that you were welcome, Marshal Long.”
“He knows that this isn’t a social call we’re about to make,” Diana said as they headed for their horses.
“Diana, I really would prefer you to stay here in town while I-“
“Not on your life! Do you think that I have come this far and endured so much to be shut out now?”
“No,” Longarm said, “I suppose not.”
“Well, you’re damn right I haven’t!” she said. “I may not have the same motive, to kill Nathan, but I still want my money back.”
“Of course,” Longarm said, untying his reins and then wearily mounting his horse.
“I’m glad that you’re so understanding,” Diana said as she also mounted. “Now, let’s go put an end to this whole sorry business.”
They had no trouble finding the Cox ranch. Longarm even spotted the Thoroughbreds grazing in a big pasture near the ranch house.
“How are you going to handle this?” Diana asked. “You know that the kid is quick on the trigger and that the two Whiskey Creek women are dangerous as hell.”
“Yes,” Longarm said, “I know that. I think that I should just ride in alone. Nathan might still recognize you, but he’s never seen me.”
“Bad idea!”
“Good idea,” Longarm said firmly. “If something goes wrong, you can ride for help.”
“And do what?” she asked. “Find out where Prescott’s marshal went elk hunting?”
“Please,” Longarm said patiently. “Just do as I ask for this once. Stay back here in the trees. If everything goes as it should, I’ll signal and you can ride in then.”
Diana didn’t like the idea, but she could see that Longarm was quite serious. “All right,” she said at last, “we’ll do it your way. But I’ll be watching from cover, and if anything goes amiss, I’m coming to your rescue.”
“Okay,” Longarm agreed.
Diana leaned out of her saddle and gave him a kiss. “After tonight,” she said, “I vote we take a few weeks off and find even warmer weather. We can have some fun together and relax. What do you say?”
“Sounds good,” Longarm said, “but there could be a problem with my boss back in Denver as well as the mayor and-“
“To hell with them!” Diana touched his cheek. “What have they done for us lately? Nothing. They never even wired you legitimate travel expense money.”
“That’s true,” Longarm admitted as he reined toward the ranch headquarters.
They were all sitting in front of a big stone fireplace playing penny-ante poker, laughing and sipping on whiskey, when Longarm tied his horse up in front of the ranch house and simply walked inside.
“Hey!” Rolf exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “Who the hell are you to just walk in here?”
Longarm studied the two women, then Nathan, who was still smiling, and he decided to draw his gun and give them the bad news.
“I’m United States Deputy Marshal Custis Long,” he said, reaching into his coat pocket and dragging out his badge. “And I hate to ruin this party, but you’re all under arrest.”
“On what charges!” Carole cried.
“They’ll vary depending on how much you cooperate,” Longarm answered. “Now, everyone stand up and turn around slowly with your hands over your heads.”
“You can’t do this without telling us what we’re being charged with!” Teresa said angrily.
“All right, passing counterfeit money, aiding and abetting a criminal and fugitive of the law.”
“We didn’t do any of those things!” Carole protested.
“That will be decided later,” Longarm said. “And on top of all that, you gals shot and killed a man in Whiskey Creek.”
“That gunnie was going to kill us!” Rolf cried.
Longarm turned his complete attention on Rolf. “What about Clyde Zolliver?”
“He was another that gave us no choice,” Rolf said. “It was him … or us.”
“Well,” Longarm said, “all I know for sure right now is that you’ve left a path of counterfeit money in your wake along with two dead men. And I’m quite sure that you bought this ranch with bad money.”
Rolf sighed. “Look, Marshal, those two men that we shot were trying to kill us. There are witnesses.”
“I’ve spoken to them.”
“Then you know that we killed in self-defense,” Carole said.
“Maybe.”
“Marshal, if you’d-“
“Hands up,” Longarm ordered, “and turn around. Now!”
The three did as they were told, but Nathan Cox didn’t do anything except look confused.
“Who are you?” he asked as Longarm made sure that the kid and the two women were unarmed. “Do you want to play cards with us?”
“Glad to finally meet you, Nathan Cox?”
“That’s what they call me,” Nathan said. “Are you hungry, mister?”
“I am, but food can wait.”
“No, no! I’ll get something,” Nathan said, heading for the kitchen.
Longarm just let the man go. Not even a professional actor could have faked the blank expression on Cox’s handsome face or the genuine need to be of service.
“Sit down,” Longarm ordered the three after checking to make sure they had no hideout weapons.
“You can’t take my husband all the way back to Denver,” Carole said.
Before Longarm could arrange his thoughts and pose a first question, Nathan came back with a tray of milk and cookies. “I baked them just like Mommy showed me how,” he said happily.
Longarm took a couple and so did the others. They were oatmeal cookies and damned good.
“If you take my husband back to Denver,” Carole said, “they’ll put him in a prison and he’ll be at the mercy of the other prisoners. At best, they’ll ridicule Nathan and make him their slave. At worst … well, you can see that he now has a child’s innocence, and you know what would become of him living among hardened criminals, Marshal Long.”
“Yes,” Longarm said, “but I don’t have the authority to exonerate him from all the crimes he’s committed. And he did kill his Denver accomplice.”
“Who tried to kill him first!” Carole cried.
“Is that what Nathan said?” Longarm asked.
“Yes, and I believe him. They got in a fight and Nathan won.
“I’ve got to take you all back to Denver,” Longarm said. “After that, what happens is up to the court system.”
“They’ll want to imprison Nathan,” Carole said. “And probably us as well.”
“Possibly.”
Longarm sat down in a chair. “But as for those two men who you killed, I am convinced that you did so in self-defense. Especially when you, Mr. Swensen, gunned down Clyde Zolliver in that upstairs hotel hallway.”
Teresa stood up. “And what about all this? We have a fine ranch now. It has helped Nathan to recover. To regain his happiest childhood memories. We’re sure that he can be happy here and that we can all repay society many times over for the damage we’ve caused.”
“I’m sorry,” Longarm said, “but you need to tell that to a judge, not to me.”
“I could make some more cookies,” Nathan interrupted. “It wouldn’t take long.”
“No thanks,” Longarm said.
“Why do you have that thing in your hand?” Nathan asked innocently.
“It’s a gun,” Longarm explained, holstering the weapon.
“And what does it do?”
“It shoots bullets.”
Nathan turned to his wife. “What are bullets, dear Carole?”
“You don’t really want to know.”
Nathan nodded and turned back to Longarm. “You look hungry, so I am going to make more of my mother’s cookies.”
“Thanks,” Longarm said as the man shuffled away.
“You can’t do this to Nathan,” Carole whispered in a trembling voice.
“I am sworn to uphold the law,” Custis heard himself reply. “And so we’ll be leaving first thing in the morning.”