Promised Land by Mark Warren

Author:Mark Warren
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gale, Cengage Learning
Published: 2019-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

Fall 1881: Tombstone, A. T.

Another stage was waylaid near Charleston, and, though McMaster had not been able to get word to Wyatt before the holdup, the Cow-boy informant did volunteer the names of the men who had perpetrated the crime: Curly Bill, Spence, and Stilwell. Virgil deputized Wyatt, and they arrested the latter two, only to see a parade of Cow-boy witnesses take the stand and, yet again, lie for the accused.

Outside the courthouse, Stilwell flashed a snide smile at the Earp brothers until Frank McLaury grabbed his arm. “Stilwell,” McLaury declared loudly, “I told you I’d never talk to you again if you let these town-shits arrest you.” He spat and faced Morgan. “You boys ever try that on a McLaury, somebody’s gonna find your bones out in the desert.”

“Give us a reason to come find you,” Morgan said, smiling, “and we’ll show you how to make a capon out o’ a cocky little rooster.”

John Ringo walked from the building and stopped two feet in front of Wyatt, his body turned in profile, his lips pursed and his eyes narrowed as if he were working out the details of a riddle rolling around inside his head. He looked down at the hat in his hands, which he began to turn slowly as if appraising the shape of the brim.

“Getting to be too damned many lawmen in this part of the country,” he said loud enough to be heard by all around him. He took his time fitting his hat to his head and then turned his morose smile on Wyatt. “Way too damned many.” Ringo lipped a crudely rolled cigarette, snapped a lucifer into flame with his thumbnail, and lighted the twisted end of the paper. Exhaling a plume of smoke over the flame, he flipped the match into the street. When he stared at Wyatt again, there was a cold and predatory hardness in his eyes. Wyatt ignored the performance, turned, and walked south toward Allen Street.

The bar at the Grand Hotel never provided music this early in the day. Only a handful of patrons occupied the room. Wyatt ordered a cup of coffee and took it to a table to read the town’s rival newspapers.

“Like some company, Mr. Earp?” It was the whore he had carried from the fire. She smiled down at him, somehow displaying equal measures of gratitude and sauciness.

Wyatt lowered his newspaper. “Thought I’d read the paper a bit.”

She pushed her lips into a playful pout. “Am I not ever gonna be able to repay you?” When she saw he would not answer, she pulled out a chair and sat down. “If you’re still looking for Sadie, she’s moved out.” Her smile widened at the change in his eyes. “She moved out on Johnny, too.”

“I reckon that’s her business,” he said.

“Oh, really? Then why do I have the feeling I won’t see you drinking your coffee in here after today?” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “She’s at a boardinghouse on Safford Street.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.