“That’s what I’m goin’ to Pearl River Junction to find out.”
Delay sat back in his chair.
“That’s why you asked me to meet you here?” he asked. “To go there with you?”
“Basically, yeah.”
“You know, Jeb,” Delay said, “there ain’t a lot of things I do that ain’t for money.”
“I ain’t askin’ for a favor, Vic,” Jeb said. “There’s money there.”
“How much?”
“I don’t know,” Jeb said, “but there’s a bank, for sure. Once I’m done with my business there, we’ll hit the bank and leave town.”
“You’re gonna pick up your kid?”
“I’m gonna talk to my gal, see if the kid she had while I was in Yuma is mine, and then…”
“And then what?”
“And then I don’t know,” Jeb said. “I’ll have to make up my mind once I know for sure.”
“Does this gal have a husband you’re gonna have to deal with?”
“I don’t know,” Jeb said. “For all I know, we may have to deal with the whole town.”
“The law?”
“That too.”
Delay thought about it, then said, “Okay, it sounds like it might be interesting…might be fun.”
Jeb Collier knew what Vic Delay thought of as fun. To Delay “fun” and “killing” usually had the same meaning.
“Yeah,” he agreed, “it might be.”
34
Shaye proposed to his sons that they go to the nearest saloon and discuss the events of the afternoon. They were all for it. They stopped into one they hadn’t been to before called the Junction Saloon.
It was still early in the day, so there were not many other men in the place. Still, they chose to stand at the bar rather than take a table.
“All right,” Shaye said once they all had a beer in hand, “let’s hear it.”
“She’s very pretty,” James said.
His father and brother stared at him.
“Belinda, I mean,” James added. “Very pretty, don’t you think?”
“That was fairly obvious, James,” Thomas said, “but that’s not what we’re supposed to be talkin’ about.”
“James,” Shaye said, “what did you think of the boy?”
“Well,” James said slowly, “just from lookin’ at him, I think he’s Matthew’s son.”
“Thomas?” Shaye asked.
“I disagree,” Thomas said, “and I think James has been influenced by Belinda Davis bein’ so pretty.”
“I have not.”
“Come on, James,” Thomas said, “if your tongue had been out any farther, you would have stepped on it.”
“And you didn’t think she was good-lookin’?” James demanded.
“Of course she’s good-lookin’, James,” Thomas said, “but that’s not the point.”
“Thomas is right, James,” Shaye said. “Our concern is the boy, not his mother.”
“But if Matthew is the father,” James said, “wouldn’t he want us to help the mother as well as the boy?”
“He probably would,” Shaye said.
“So we’re back where we started,” Thomas said. “Is this Matthew’s son?”
“I say yes,” James said.
“I say no,” Thomas replied. “What about you, Pa?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Pa,” Thomas said, “if the Collier gang gets here and we haven’t decided, what will we do? Stand up to them for her? Even though she might not be the mother of Matthew’s son?”
“I think,” Shaye said, “if the Collier gang arrives while we’re still here and the sheriff needs help, we should probably give it to him.”
“It’s not our fight, Pa,” Thomas said.
“It is if the boy is our blood,” James said. “Our nephew, Pa’s grandson.”
“It’s our fight if anyone needs help, isn’t it, Thomas?” Shaye asked.
“It was when we were wearing badges, Pa,” Thomas said. “I’m not so sure it is now.”
“What about if she’s just a woman who needs help?” James asked.
“I’m not so sure she’d need help against any man,” Thomas said. “She’ll probably be able to handle Jeb Collier as easily as she has the sheriff or as easily as she would you, James.”
“Just because I think she’s pretty doesn’t mean—”
“That’s enough about the girl,” Shaye said, interrupting. “I need time to think, boys, to decide what to do.”
“I think we should leave town,” Thomas said. “Tomorrow…or even now.”
“I think we should stay,” James said.
“I know where you both stand,” Shaye said. “I’ll let you know what I decide to do. The two of you should make up your own minds.”
“I’m gonna take a walk,” Thomas said, “and do some thinkin’. I’ll see you both back at the hotel.”
With that he left the saloon, the batwing doors flapping in his wake.
“What’s he got against the girl, Pa?”
“She’s manipulative, James,” Shaye said.
“Maybe not, Pa,” James said. “Maybe you’re wrong about her.”
“I don’t think so, James,” Shaye said, “but like I said, you and your brother have to make up your own minds.”
“I understand, Pa,” James said. “I guess I should take a walk and do some thinkin’ of my own.”
“I’ll see you at the hotel,” Shaye said. “I’m going to have another beer.”
James passed through the batwing doors with much less force than his brother had.
Just outside the saloon James ran into Sheriff Cotton.
“Where’s your pa?” the lawman asked.
“Inside.”
“And your brother?”
“I don’t know.”
“And where are you off to?”
“Just takin’ a walk.”
“Can I ask what you decided?”
“We haven’t decided anything yet, Sheriff,” James said. “We’re still thinkin’ it over.”
“I see. Well, I think I’ll go in and see your pa.”
James nodded and walked away as the sheriff entered the saloon.
Shaye saw the lawman enter and called the bartender over.
“A beer for the sheriff.”
“Comin’ up.”
Cotton joined Shaye at the bar.
“I saw your youngest boy outside,” he said. “Sorry I missed you all at my house.”
“That’s okay.”
The barman set a beer on the bar and Cotton picked it up.
“What did your boys think of Belinda?”
“They have different opinions. How about your wife?”
“She’s afraid Belinda will leave and take Little Matt away with her,” Cotton said.
“So you’ll both just let her get away with playing you along all this time?” Shaye asked.
“Maybe she just did it to feel safe,” Cotton said, “but then, she doesn’t seem to think I can handle Jeb Collier.”
“And his gang,” Shaye reminded him.
“Yeah,” Cotton said, taking a drink from his mug. “And maybe she just needed a woman to take care of the boy, because she couldn’t.”
“And now your wife loves him.”
Cotton wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said, “We both do, actually.”
“So I guess we all have some thinking to do on the subject, don’t we?” Shaye asked.
“Drink up, Mr. Shaye,” Cotton said. “The next round will be on me.”
“The name’s Dan.”
35
Eventually, Shaye and Cotton moved to a table in the back and the saloon began to fill up.
“I heard about Collier,” Cotton said at one point.
“I thought you might check with the telegraph clerk.”
“Why’d you think that?” the sheriff asked.
“It’s what I would have done.”
“How many men do you think he’s coming here with?”