Longarm got out his watch and struck a match to see the time. It was a quarter of nine. He wasn’t sure at what time they had left the ranch. He guessed it was somewhere around six. He had estimated it was about a four-hour trip to Nuevo Laredo. That was based on the time they had taken when they had brought him out, but that had been four men on good horses who knew the country. Now they were one man and one woman on two sorry horses and neither one of them knew the country.
Then, at long last, he saw a faint glow on the horizon. If he was correct in his reckoning, they should be seeing the Monterrey Road at any time. It was difficult to tell how far away the lights were; it depended on how clear the air was. Sometimes, in the desert, you could see something that looked a mile or two away and it would turn out to be fifty miles. He knew, of course, that the lights of Laredo weren’t that far away, but right then, he would have liked for them to have been numbered in yards rather than miles.
In another five minutes, they struck the Monterrey Road and turned left and headed toward the glow of the towns. Sarah said faintly, “Is it much farther? I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.”
He pulled her horse up level with his. He said, “Take it easy, Sarah. We’ve got it made now, I think.”
But, almost as he said it, Sarah’s horse gave a sigh and began to quiver. Longarm could feel him—his leg was pressed up against the shoulder of the horse—and he knew the animal was foundering. As quick as he could, he stopped both animals and jumped from his own horse. He ran around to Sarah’s horse, pulling out his penknife as he did. There was one remedy that old ranchers had said would work sometimes. He jammed the blade of his knife into the horse’s neck. Blood gushed forth for a moment and then slowed to a trickle. Little by little, the trembling slowed and the animal seemed to start breathing better. In a frightened voice, Sarah said, “What’s wrong? Why did you stick the knife in him?”
“It’s supposed to cool their blood off. They get overheated and founder and then die. We may have saved him, I don’t know.”
He decided to walk and lead both animals for a ways. He was not particularly fond of walking in high-heeled boots, but right then, he was so scared that the horse would drop dead on him, he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t think the animal he was riding could carry double even if that double was someone as light as Sarah.
He walked for thirty minutes, giving both horses a rest as they shambled along. Finally, his feet couldn’t take it any longer and he remounted. They rode on.
The lights were much closer now. He could almost make out the dim outline of buildings. He guessed they were no more than a mile or two from the outskirts of Nuevo Laredo. off to his left, he thought he could see the white house where he had been taken prisoner. It was a strange feeling to see that place after so long. It was dark and looked uninhabited, but he felt sure it was the same place.
He nursed them in, reaching Nuevo Laredo, going slowly through the streets, drawing stares. He supposed Sarah looked odd sitting atop the big long-legged Mexican pony with her shortened stirrups and her dress ballooned up around her hips. She had smoothed it down as best as she could, but he knew she still felt awkward and embarrassed. Normally, he would have walked around the town, but he couldn’t trust the two horses so he took the straightest line he could.
They passed over customs at the International Bridge and kept going. It was another half mile to the best hotel on the border. A big square concrete and brick building that had been welcoming travelers ever since Longarm had been on the border. He didn’t know if he had been recognized by any one in U.S. customs or not. He did know from what Sarah had said that Richard Harding had done criminal business with U.S. customs inspectors, but he believed they knew nothing about Harding’s plans for Earl Combs and his
$200,000.
He pulled up in front of the hotel and eased tiredly out of the saddle. Before he helped Sarah down, he pulled the shotgun out of the boot and crooked it over his arm. Then he reached up, grasped Sarah under the shoulders and lifted her off the mount. She could barely stand. He had to walk her back and forth before she could regain her legs. Finally, he said, “Are you ready to go in and get a bath and a good meal and whatever clean clothes they can scare up for you?”
She looked up at him, her eyes almost glazed over. She said, “Oh my, oh my, oh my.”
He said, “From the look of things, I’ve got to get us separate rooms in here. Do you understand?”
She nodded. “I suppose so.” She suddenly gripped his arm very hard. “But I’m afraid. Richard has friends in this town.”
Longarm said grimly, “So do I.”
Chapter 9
The owner of the hotel was an old acquaintance. His name was Martin Silver and he had been around the border long enough to have given favors and taken favors and kept secrets and he had learned not to ask too many questions. Once he was summoned by the desk clerk, things moved rapidly. Longarm got them adjoining rooms on the second floor. He told Sarah truthfully that the hotel was known for its strong doors and reliable locks. He didn’t think there was a chance that she would be in any danger during the time he would have to be gone, but she looked like a lady who needed all the reassurance she could get. He got her settled in her room. A bath had been arranged for her and Martin Silver had assured Longarm that he would find some woman’s clothes for the lady even if he had to send home to his own house. The kitchen was still operating and a meal would be sent up for both of them, but Longarm stopped him at that point and asked that his be held. He said, “Martin, I’ve got important business that’s got to be taken care of. Now, I’m going to leave this lady in your care and I’m going to assume that she will be just fine when I get back from some business that I need to tend to.”
Martin Silver was a distinguished-looking gentleman in his early fifties, but Longarm knew there was rawhide under the gentlemanly manners and dress. Silver said, “Custis, you can be sure that the hospitality of the house also extends to the lady’s safety. I will see to that.”
Longarm smiled. “That’s good enough for me, Martin.”
When the hotel owner had left the room, Longarm turned to Sarah and said, “Now look. They’re going to bring you up a bath. Have a good soak. They’ll bring you up a good dinner. Perhaps they’ll send you up a bottle of good wine or whatever you ask for. Ask for whatever you want. They’ll bring you up some clean clothes. I want you to rest.”
She looked fearful. She asked, “Where are you going? What are you going to do?”
He said, “I’ve got to get down to the telegraph office and make some arrangements. I don’t know how long it’s going to take. I’ll be back as quickly as I can. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
Surprisingly, she said, “What about that poor horse? The one I was riding?”
That made him smile. He said, “That horse is past the danger. When I bled him, it cooled him off and he didn’t founder. I’ll see that the horses are well taken care of, so don’t worry about it.”
She put her hands down along the inside of her thighs and looked up at him ruefully. She said, “I don’t think I’m going to be good for anything for a while. I think I’m rubbed raw.”