Moran thought about Decker and frowned. The coincidence of too many strangers hitting town at the same time bothered him. It was too much to accept. He decided that there was no time to leave town like the present.
Not right this minute, but certainly today, even if it was after dark.
First, he had to wrap up his business.
With the Palace closed and the girls out shopping, Gloria figured it was time to make her move. Crystal was in her office—the office she shared with Moran—and she was alone. Gloria took out her derringer and garter holster, slipped it on, and then let herself out of her room.
Crystal sat at her desk, sulking. There was no way she could cut Moran out. They just hadn’t been open long enough to make that kind of money. There had to be another way to convince Moran to leave without him wanting a piece of the business.
When the knock came at her door she thought it was one of the girls coming to her with a problem.
That was what she was there for, she had told them. Her door was always open to them.
She was going to have to get rid of the bitch.
When she opened the door she was surprised to see that it was Gloria.
“May I come in?”
“Is there something I can do for you?” Crystal asked.
“Yes, if I could have a moment of your time.”
“All right, come in.”
Crystal closed the door and turned to face Gloria, who had swiftly removed her derringer from its holster.
“What’s this?” Crystal demanded.
“You’re going back with me, Crystal.”
“Back where?”
“To Texas.”
“No!”
“Yes, you are. You have some unpaid debts there.”
“And you’re the bill collector?”
“That’s right,” Gloria said. “I’m the collector.”
The door opened then and Moran stepped in.
“Red, she’s got a gun.”
“I can see that.”
“Well, do something!”
He did. Smiling, he put his hands in the air.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Decker was pleasantly surprised to find that after he had broken through the hard surface, the dirt beneath was loose and easy to dislodge. The belt buckle worked perfectly as a shovel and though it was hard work he soon saw daylight shining through the hole. All he had to do was widen it a bit, and he’d be able to slide out beneath the wall.
Anxious to be out he finally discarded the belt buckle and used both hands to scoop out large portions of dirt. When he had it large enough he pushed his belt and gunbelt through, and then followed.
He had a moment of panic when he got stuck, but by wiggling he managed to dislodge enough dirt to loosen himself, and then he was out.
He squinted at the sunlight, and while his eyes adjusted to it he slipped his belt back on, and then his gunbelt.
Standing up he decided that first he needed a gun, and then he needed to find Moran.
It was time to stop playing around and get the business at hand finished.
He went back to his hotel, and the clerk stared at his dirty, sweaty clothes. He went up to his room and pulled his spare gun out of his saddlebags, a heavy Navy Colt that he had taken from a sailor on San Francisco’s Barbary Coast some years ago. He slid it into the front of his belt and left to find Moran.
He went first to the sheriff’s office, entered cautiously and quickly determined that Moran was not there.
However, Gilberto and Raquel were.
“Well, Raquel. Como esta?”
“Hijo de cabronl” she spat at him.
“Oh, I don’t know what that means, but it doesn’t sound good.”
“I am going to kill you, Decker.”
“Gilberto, that’s not something you say to an armed man from behind bars.” Decker took the Navy Colt from his belt, pointed it at Gilberto and cocked the hammer. The man tried to find somewhere to hide in the small cell without success.
“If I thought there was a chance of you carrying out your threat, I’d kill you right here.”
“You can’t!” Gilberto said, covering his head with his arms.
“Oh, leave him alone, Decker,” Raquel said. “What do you want?”
“Nothing, from you. I was looking for Moran.” When she looked puzzled, he said, “The sheriff.”
“Then he is the man you are hunting for.”
“Is that why you followed me?” Decker asked. “For the reward on the man I was following?”
“Why else?”
“And I thought you liked me, and missed me.”
“If you let me out of here I will not miss you,” she threatened.
“Now you’re starting to sound like your brother. Oh well,” he said, easing the hammer down on the Colt and tucking it into his belt, “I have business to attend to.”
“Decker!” she shouted as he started for the door.
“Yes?”
“Decker,” she said again, her tone lower, sexier, “you can let me out and leave Gilberto here. You were right. I do miss you. We never had a chance to…get to know each other.”
“You know, you’re a dangerous woman, Raquel,” he said, walking back towards the cell.
She was beautiful, all wild hair and eyes, proud breasts and long legs.
“I’m almost tempted to let you out.”
“It can be wonderful, Decker,” she whispered. “It can be unbelievable.”
“I know,” Decker said sadly. “I know it could.”
He started away again and she called out again.
“Decker!”
“What?”
“You look like you’ve been rolling in…how do you say it?”
“Shit?”
“Si, that is it. Shit.”
“Don’t worry, with the money I get for Moran, I can buy a whole new wardrobe. Adios, baby.”
“Decker!”
The next place to look, he thought, was Crystal’s Palace.
Chapter Forty
When he got to the building he found the front door locked. Knocking on it would only alert Moran, if he was inside. Decker went around to the back, checking windows, and finally found the one he was looking for. He was surprised by what he saw through it.
Moran was there with his hands in the air, his gun still holstered. Decker could see his own gun, too, tucked into Moran’s belt. Crystal was there, and the blonde whore from the night before was holding a derringer on both of them.
What the hell was going on now?
He listened intently at the window.
“That’s a very tiny gun, Gloria,” Moran said.
“Don’t worry, it makes very deadly holes.”
“I’m sure it does. You ladies want to tell me what this is about? Surely you’re not fighting over me.”
“Ha!” Crystal said.
“I’m taking Crystal back to Texas, Red.”
“Why?”
“She stole some money from my father, made him the laughingstock of town. People are talking behind his back about how the old fool fell for a younger woman and got what he deserved.”
“I’m sorry” Crystal said. “I really liked your father, Gloria, but I needed the money.”
“Sure, everybody needs money. When I got back to town and heard what had happened, I got your description and started tracking you and finally found you here. I was lucky that you’re a redhead. There aren’t that many in Mexico, and you made an impression wherever you went.”
“But I left Texas over three months ago.”
“And I’ve been tracking you that long. We’re going back, Crystal.”
“You can’t take me away from here. I’m not wanted here in Mexico.”