Longarm said, “What the hell is going on here?”
They all glanced up, surprise on their faces.
It was Mr. Botts who did the answering. He came toward Longarm waving a piece of paper in his hand. He said, “Just take a look at this, Deputy Marshal Long. You’ll see this is an authentic notice from the federal judge in San Antonio vacating your bench warrant for the arrest of my clients. It is a habeas corpus notification, and you are hereby ordered by Judge Fisher in San Antonio to release my clients.”
Longarm took the paper and studied it for a moment. It was a handwritten document on plain stationery bearing no stamp or any official heading. He looked up at Botts. “This doesn’t look authentic to me,” he said. “In fact, this looks like something you might have written yourself in the hotel.”
Botts swelled himself up, which was difficult for a man of his small statue. “By God, sir,” he said. “That document was handwritten by Judge Fisher and signed by his own hand. I found the man at his home at night. There were no official papers to be had, and I was in a hurry to catch a train to return here so that I could relieve my clients of this durance vile that you have subjected them to.”
Longarm read the document quickly. The wording sounded official, and he knew that there was a Judge Fisher in San Antonio who was a federal judge, but he was not inclined to release the Castles and he was going to grasp at any reason he could find. He shook his head. “Makes no difference. This is not an official document as far as I’m concerned. So, gentlemen, you can just head right on back into those cells.”
Vernon Castle had been standing by the sheriff’s desk. He stepped out sideways. He said, “Marshal, you can go to hell, you sonofabitch. That release was duly and authentically obtained and you, by God, will abide by its authenticity. What document did you have? You had a telegram. This, at least, is in the judge’s own handwriting.”
Longarm said, “Well, I don’t know about that, Mr. Castle. I’m afraid I’ll be forced to put ya’ll back in those cells until I can get this verified.”
Vernon Castle said with some heat, “Like hell you will.”
Longarm’s eyes suddenly shifted to Glenn and his brother Billy Bob. They had their hands dangerously close to the gunbelts that were lying on the sheriff’s desk. He said, “You two, back up there. Back up right now. Either one of you reaches his hands toward one of those guns and I’m gonna put a hole in you. You understand?”
Sheriff Smith said, “Now, damnit, Long. I’ve had about enough of you. You get the hell out of my jail and stay out. These men have been released and I’m going to release them. I consider that bench warrant vacated by the paper that Lawyer Botts has brought from San Antonio. That’s good enough for me and it’s going to be damn well good enough for you.”
Longarm said, “Fine then. I am now officially charging you, Vernon Castle, and you, Glenn Castle, and you, Billy Bob Castle with conspiracy in the murder of five United States Cavalry soldiers from Fort Concho. So turn around and march back in to those cells.”
The sheriff came around his desk and stood between the Castles and Longarm. “Not by a damn sight, you’re not,” he said. “Murder is a local matter, and you damn well won’t be throwing your federal weight around in here on that. I can assure you of that, Marshal.”
Longarm said, “Well, that might be so, Sheriff Smith. However, in this case, the murdered parties were federal soldiers, and that makes it a federal case and my jurisdiction overrides you. Now get the hell out of the way so I can put these men back in their cells.”
The sheriff stood his ground. He said in a cold voice, “Listen, Long. You’ve rode roughshod over me about as long as I’m gonna stand for it. Now you get out of my office and you stay out of my office. You ain’t welcome in this jail anymore and you’re not going to use it for your personal lockup. I don’t care if you are a federal deputy marshal.” He put his hand near the butt of his revolver. It was not quite a threatening gesture, but it had implications.
Without pause, Longarm drew his revolver and thumbed the hammer back. It made a loud clitch-clatch in the room. The noise startled Clarence Botts. He stepped back several paces. Longarm said, “Now, I’m only going to say this once, Sheriff. You either stay out of this, or I’m going to put you in one of those cells with these men. You are interfering with a federal officer in the performance of his duty and that is a felony, and I will damn well put you in jail and bring you to trial for it. Do you understand me?”
The sheriff took a step backwards. The move seemed to unite him with the three Castles, who were standing near the lockup door. Then the sheriff said, “You’re cutting it mighty thin, Long, mighty thin. I don’t think you want the trouble you are fixing to get.”
Longarm said evenly, “Smith, with your left hand reach around and unbuckle your gunbelt. Let it fall to the floor.”
The sheriff stared at him. He said, “You’re disarming me in my own jail?”
“I am disarming a man who is trying to interfere with a federal officer. The fact that you’re the sheriff don’t cut no ice with me. Now, unbuckle that gunbelt and let it fall to the floor or I’m going to have to make use of this revolver in my hand.”
Vernon Castle said, “You wouldn’t dare shoot.”
With his eyes still on the sheriff, Longarm said, “Do you want to bet your life on that, or bet your sons’ lives on that, or do you want to bet the sheriff’s life on that?” He reached up and tapped the badge on his chest. “You might defy Custis Long the man and get away with it, but you damn well ain’t going to defy this. This says I’m a deputy United States marshal and that I represent the federal government. You’re not going to defy that. Now, I’m not even going to count to three, but if I don’t see some action here right quick, this revolver is going to go off. Is that clear?”
The sheriff’s face paled. “Now wait a minute. Hold on. Hold on there, Long. Let’s talk about this for a minute.”
“The only talk I want to hear is either you taking that gunbelt off and getting in that jail, or giving me your word that you are not going to interfere with me anymore.”
The sheriff said, his voice unsteady, “Look. You can’t do this to a man in his own town. It ain’t fittin’. We’re both law officers.”
“That’s true. Why don’t you try acting like one?”
“You have the right to lock them up on a federal charge for conspiracy to murder?”
“In my opinion I do. If I don’t, then I’m the one that has to pay for it, do you understand? The responsibility is mine, but if you interfere with me, the responsibility is yours. Even if I shoot you, the responsibility is yours.”
The sheriff turned to the Castles and said in an uncertain voice, “Mr. Castle, I don’t seem to have much choice here. I’m mighty sorry about this, but he is a federal marshal, and if he says that he has jurisdiction, there ain’t a hell of a lot that I can say about it.”
Vernon Castle stared at Longarm with hate and venom in his eyes. “Don’t worry about it, Smith,” he said. “I don’t expect you to stand up to this bully, but by God, his day is coming. You can depend on that.”
Longarm said, “If I’m wrong, you’ll have no problems giving me enough trouble to last me a lifetime. But I don’t think I’m wrong and I don’t think that you’re going to be able to get my badge and I don’t think that you’re going to be able to get out of that jail. Now, when you settle down and are willing to talk some sense to me, I might consider letting you out of that jail, but not until then. Now, all three of you turn around, march back through that lockup door, and get back to your cells. And Sheriff, you follow right along behind them and make sure they do.”