Davis looked unconcerned. “At least I ain’t called Longarm because my first name is Custis. Lord, what a burden that must have been to you as a child.”
Longarm said, “I wouldn’t be talking about names, Marshal Smith. Do you know what the penalty is for impersonating a federal officer?”
“No, but I bet you do. Lord knows you’ve been getting away with it long enough.”
“Me and you,” Longarm said grimly, “are going to play some head-up poker when this is over. Maybe for your life.”
“You just can’t admit I done a good job with Bodenheimer, can you. It’d kill you, wouldn’t it. You’d fall off that horse and drop down dead in the road if you had to admit to such a thing, wouldn’t you?”
Longarm just gave him a look.
When they were a quarter of a mile out of town, Longarm pulled them up. They stood in the middle of the road waiting for Bodenheimer to catch up. Longarm said to Davis, “Soon as we get squared away I am going out to Hannah’s house and bring her into jail. You are going out to fetch that Rebeccah in.”
Davis’s eyes got wide. “Are you crazy? Hell, send me after Billy the Kid. I’d much rather take him on. Custis, that woman is a wildcat.”
“I don’t care what she is. You bring her into town. She is going to jail. And I’m going to send the sheriff and his deputies to fetch in Salome and the other one, Sarah. Then tonight, me and you is going to see Dalton Diver. I got to get this thing brought to a head. And in a hurry. I’m tired of fooling with it.”
Davis looked back down the road where Bodenheimer was coming at a trot, bouncing up and down in the saddle. He said, “You ain’t no more ready than I am. I swear I don’t believe I ever fetched up in such a town like this afore in my life. Look at the sheriff. That poor pony of his is going to be swaybacked before the week is out.”
Longarm didn’t speak again until the sheriff had joined them.
Bodenheimer, even though it was too cool for sweat, pulled a big bandanna out of his pocket and swabbed his face. They all could see the tops of the town buildings just around a curve. Longarm said, “Now Otis, I want you to get it straight in your mind that you and I have come to an agreement that you are innocent of any wrongdoing and I have turned you loose. That is what you are to tell anyone who asks you. But don’t volunteer nothing, understand?”
The sheriff nodded.
“And you avoid the mayor and the bank president as if they were carrying the plague. I got a feeling you ain’t a very good liar, Otis, so you keep temptation out of your way. You understand?”
“Yessir.” The sheriff nodded again.
Longarm looked at him for a long moment. Finally he said, “I ain’t never done nothing like this before, Bodenheimer. You understand?”
“Yessir.”
“Now I have warned you about giving us away in any way. Any loose talk, any thought of betrayal will spell your end. You understand?”
“Yessir.”
Longarm was still staring at him. “Your life is literally in your mouth. Keep that in mind.”
“Yessir.”
Davis said, “Sounds like he’s got his part down. Yessir. Yessir.”
Longarm ignored him. He said to Bodenheimer, “Now, we are going to start this thing off as soon as we get into town. I am going to go out and bring Miss Hannah in. Marshal Smith is going to fetch in Miss Rebeccah.” He jabbed Bodenheimer in the chest. “You and your three deputies are going to go out and fetch in Miss Sarah and Miss Salome. You are to bring them in and put them in jail.”
Bodenheimer’s eyes got as round as his face. He said, stuttering, “Wha-wha-what? Bring in Dalton Diver’s daughters and put them in jail?”
“Yes.” Longarm looked at him hard. “And this is something you ain’t going to do halfway or mess up, Bodenheimer. You don’t bring those two women back to town, it will be better for you that you don’t come back at all.”
“But-but …” Bodenheimer blinked his eyes like he was about to get tearful. “But how am I supposed to do that? Dalton Diver will have my hide nailed to his barn door! I’m scairt of that man, and so is everybody else.”
“You better be more scared of me, Otis. Now. What you do is, you go to Miss Sarah’s house and tell her that Miss Hannah is at the jail with their father, Dalton, and you and your deputies have been sent to fetch her and Miss Salome. If they ask, and they will, what it is all about, you just tell them that you don’t know. Tell them you are doing what their daddy told you to do. Say you think it has something to do with their half-brother. But don’t explain any more than that.” He gave the sheriff a sardonic look. “Remember, they will still think you are a crooked lawman running an errand for their daddy.”
Bodenheimer nodded slowly as he took it in. “Just tell them their daddy wants them in town.”
“At the jail.”
“At the jail.” He nodded slowly once more. He looked at Longarm. “What do I do then? They’ll see that their daddy ain’t there.”
“You put them in a jail cell. You tell them they are under federal arrest. You tell them I have ordered their arrest.”
Bodenheimer leaned backward so far he almost fell out of his saddle. He said, “Put them in a jail cell! Dalton Diver’s daughters!”
“Yes.”
Bodenheimer was visibly trembling. He said, “I ain’t sure I can do that. How we supposed to get them in there?”
Longarm said, irritation in his voice, “Bodenheimer, if four strong men can’t put two women in a cell, then you’d better get in it yourself and throw away the key. You got this one chance. Screw it up and you’ll be doing twenty-five years in Leavenworth Prison. Do you understand me?”
The sheriff’s face worked for a moment, but then he finally nodded. “Yessir. Tell ‘em they daddy wants them at the jail and then put them in a cell. Yessir. I don’t know how my deputies is going to feel about this.”
“They better feel the way you tell them. Now let’s get into town.”
As they rode toward the jail Austin Davis said, “Well, I’m glad to hear I’m supposed to get Miss Rebeccah in here by sleight of hand. I thought you meant for me to manhandle her.”
Longarm gave him a look. “Why, Marshal Smith, I’d never give you a job I knew you couldn’t handle. And in your case the word is boyhandle.”
Austin Davis nodded placidly. “Go on with them kind of remarks. I think it is pretty clear who has done the most to get information about the way this gang works. Had been you, you’d still be back there torturing and threatening Otis.”
They pulled up in front of the jail. Bodenheimer dismounted and looked questioningly at Longarm. The marshal said, “Go on in and let your deputies loose. Send Melvin Purliss out right now. Next time I see you, you’d better have them two women in jail cells.”
Bodenheimer ducked his head and said, “Yessir.” After that he stepped up on the boardwalk and disappeared into the jailhouse.
Davis said, “If Bodenheimer wasn’t so pitful he’d be funny. You want me to take on off and get Rebeccah?”
Longarm nodded. “You might as well. And once you get back, stay here at the jail until I get in. After that we’ll wait for Bodenheimer and his party, and then me and you are going to go see Dalton Diver.”
Austin Davis was wheeling his horse away from the hitching post. He said, “That ought to be right interesting.” He left, riding northeast out of town.
Melvin Purliss came out the door and walked hesitantly over to Longarm. “Sheriff said you wanted to see me, Marshal. Is Otis sheriff again?”
Longarm nodded. “Yes. For the time being. Listen, Purliss, you and him and the other two deputies are going out to get two of Dalton Diver’s daughters and bring them back to town.”