At two on the hour, Eamon O’Malley came in through the street entrance and walked straight to Wolfson. He didn’t have an eight-gauge. But he did have Cato and Rose walking in behind him. Eamon sat down with Wolfson. Cato and Rose leaned on the bar. Rose winked at me. Cato looked at me without expression.
“Amos,” Eamon said.
Wolfson nodded.
“Eamon,” he said, and gestured toward a chair.
O’Malley sat across from Wolfson.
“Whiskey?” Wolfson said.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Eamon said.
He picked up the bottle.
“By God,” he said, “Bushmills.”
“In your honor,” Wolfson said.
Eamon poured a full glass.
“Ain’t seen whiskey like this since I was in Cheyenne,” he said.
“Been saving it,” Wolfson said.
He poured a splash for himself.
It was like watching two stallions pretending they didn’t want the mares.
Eamon drank some whiskey and smiled.
“Long time,” he said, “long time since Ireland.”
He looked around the saloon.
“Nice little business you got here, Amos,” he said.
“It’s a living,” Wolfson said.
“Damn good one, if I’m any judge,” Eamon said.
“Ain’t no copper mine,” Wolfson said.
Eamon drank some more whiskey.
“Ahh,” he said. “Mining’s all overhead until it peters out. This place… people keep coming. Town grows, you grow. You got the saloon, the store, the hotel, the bank. Wasn’t for me and Fritzie, you’d own the whole place.”
“I’d own a lotta headaches,” Wolfson said.
Eamon finished his whiskey and poured some more. Wolfson took another very small sip of his.
“Well, you know, that’s funny,” Eamon said, “funny you should say that. ’Cause I’m here to talk with you about selling to me. You make a nice profit, you don’t have any more headaches. You’re free to go where you want, do what you want.”
Wolfson stared at him.
“You want to buy me out?” he said.
“Yes,” Eamon said. “Fair offer.”
“Everything?” Wolfson said.
“Saloon, store, hotel, bank, cattle brokerage, everything.” Wolfson stared at him some more.
After a while Eamon said, “Fair offer, Amos.”
Still, Wolfson looked at him.
Finally, Wolfson said, “And if I decline the offer?”
Eamon drank some whiskey and glanced over at Cato and Rose.
“Then we’d probably have to insist,” Eamon said.
As quiet as I could, I pulled back both hammers on the eight-gauge. Cato and Rose both heard it. Rose smiled faintly.
“We?” Wolfson said.
Eamon rolled his head to include Cato and Rose.
“Me and some of my friends,” he said.
I don’t know how. He didn’t make any noise. But all of us became aware suddenly that Virgil Cole was standing in the doorway from the hotel. He was motionless, leaning his left shoulder against the doorjamb. Cato Tillson shifted slightly at the bar so as to face Virgil. Rose stayed where he was, looking at me.
“Well, bucko,” Eamon said, “who’s this?”
It was Cato who answered.
“That’s Virgil Cole,” Cato said.
The atmosphere in the room had changed. The way it does sometimes before a storm. The uninvolved bystanders in the saloon looked up nervously. Virgil neither moved nor spoke.
Eamon was a little drunk now, which always seemed to me a bad way to do business.
“Well, Virgil Cole be damned,” he said. “You want to hear my offer, Amos?”
Wolfson picked up the glass of whiskey and drained it and put the glass down carefully in front of him. He looked at Eamon for a moment without speaking.
Then he said, speaking carefully, “Fuck you, O’Malley.”
Eamon’s hands were resting on the tabletop. He looked down at them as if they were something new and interesting.
Without looking up, he said, “You don’t even want to hear my offer?”
“Fuck you,” Wolfson said.
“Onetime offer, Amos,” Eamon said.
Wolfson didn’t say anything. O’Malley turned and looked over his shoulder at Cato and Rose. He shook his head slightly. Rose looked at me and grinned, and barely shrugged his shoulders. Then O’Malley stood.
“More than one way to skin a cat, Amos,” he said.
“Fuck you,” Wolfson said.
Eamon nodded thoughtfully for a moment, then he turned and walked out the front door of the saloon, with Cato and Rose behind him.
20.
I let the hammers down carefully on the eight-gauge. Wolfson picked up the whiskey bottle and came to the bar. Virgil joined us. Patrick put up three fresh glasses and we drank some of the remaining Bushmills.
“This mean you’re willing to work for me?” Wolfson said to Virgil.
Virgil shook his head.
“Nope, just means I’m with Everett.”
“Everett works for me,” Wolfson said.
“Don’t need the money for now,” Virgil said. “But I’ll stay around, see what develops.”
“What do you think?” Wolfson said.
“Hired Cato and Rose for a reason,” Virgil said.
“Everett?”
“Agree,” I said.
“You’ll stick?”
“Yes,” I said.
Wolfson looked at Virgil.
“You?” he said.
“I’m with Everett,” Virgil said.
“How good are Cato and Rose?” Wolfson said.
“Very,” I said.
“Good as you and Cole?” Wolfson said.
“Yet to be determined,” Virgil said.
“You think he’ll hire some more?” Wolfson said.
“Might,” I said.
Wolfson looked at Virgil.
“Might,” Virgil said.
“You think I should hire some others?” Wolfson said.
“Going to war, good to have troops,” Virgil said.
“Can either of you help me with that?” Wolfson said.
“Probably,” I said. “But you got to understand, you hire a bunch of gunmen, you are not hiring from the top of the pile.”
“They be trouble?” Wolfson said.
“Sure,” Virgil said.
“Will I be able to count on them?” Wolfson said.
“No,” Virgil said.
“Most shooters ain’t too disciplined,” I said. “Where’s Stark stand in all this?”
“I think Fritzie just wants to cut lumber and sell it,” Wolfson said.
“And the ranchers?” I said.
“They don’t count for much,” Wolfson said.
“They might if they got together and took a side,” I said.
“Hell,” Wolfson said, “so would the chickens if they ganged up on the rooster.”
“Well,” I said. “First thing, I guess, would be to see if Eamon’s hiring.”
“And if he is?” Wolfson said.
“Maybe you start hiring, too. Virgil and I can sort of sift through them.”
“And if you don’t like them?”
“We’ll fire them,” I said.
“Where do I start?” Wolfson said.
I looked at Virgil.
“I was you,” Virgil said, “I’d see a fella named Willy Beck in Araby.”
“I say you sent me?” Wolfson said.
Virgil smiled a little.
“Sure,” he said.
Wolfson stepped away from the bar.
“You sure this ain’t just some kind of a business offer and that’ll be the end of it?”
“‘More than one way to skin a cat, Amos,’” I said.
He nodded.
“Bottle’s yours,” he said, and walked away.
We each added a little to our glasses.
“Elegant whiskey,” Virgil said.
“Why not take his money?” I said. “You’ll maybe end up fighting his battle?”
“Don’t want it,” Virgil said.
“Why not?” I said.
“More comfortable if I’m helping my friend,” Virgil said.
I sipped my whiskey.
“’Cause you ain’t a lawman anymore,” I said.
“Ain’t clear to me right now what I am,” Virgil said.
“You’re good with firearms,” I said.
Virgil nodded and drank some whiskey.
“And you’re my friend,” I said.
Virgil nodded again.
“We’ll see about the rest,” he said.