‘ationever seen a man so quick,” a man was saying.
“I’ve known Pete for years, and figured he was as good with a gun as a man can be, but he never had a chance.” “Gun battle?” I asked.
The man turned his head and looked at me. I was a stranger, but he was a talker with a story to tell.
“Last night, outside the Bon Ton.
“A stranger, a well-set-up man, rode into town with a blonde woman.
Pete, he was feeling his oats a mite and he braced this stranger. The man tried to walk away from him, but Pete yelled after him and reached for his gun.
Pete’s killed a couple of men, and he was feelin” mean.
Well, he never got off a shot. This stranger put two bullets into his heart and then just walked off down the street.” “Bob Heseltine,” I said.
“Heseltine? No wonder Pete never had a chance. You say that was Bob Heseltine? The man Shell Tucker is chasing?” “It sounds like him,” I said, and filled my cup again.
Heseltine had been here last night, might even still be here. But what about Kid Reese?
“You mentioned a woman? Wasn’t there another man with him, too?” “Come to think of it, one of the boys was sayin” there was a man rode in with him. He’s taken sick, or something. I hear he’s over to Doc Macnamara’s place.” When I’d finished eating I went outside. It was sunny and bright, quite a few people were walking up and down, and there were several rigs and saddle horses around. I stood under the avming in front of the theatre and studied the town from under my hat-brim.
Once I’d gotten my outfit back I’d shifted into some better clothes, but the trip had been hard on the duds and it was time I picked up some jeans and a coat. The weather was turning cold in the evening.
Down the street I saw Doctor Macnamara’s sign. After a moment I strolled down to his office door, and stepped inside. His waiting room smelled of stale cigar smoke, and there was a worn copy of the Police Gazette on a stand, along with a Harper’s and several week-old at newspapers.
The door to the inner office was partly open, and the doctor thrust his head out. “Be with you in a minute.
If you’re bleeding, stand off the carpet. I just paid fifty cents to have it cleaned.” “I wanted to ask about a patient of yours.” which one? Most of the folks around here have been patients of mine. Trouble is this here country’s too healthy for me to make a living. Why, over at Pioche they had to shoot a man to start a graveyard.” “The man I am asking about is Kid Reese.
Came in here a day or two ago, with another man and a blonde woman.” “Him?” He studied me for a moment, his eyes suddenly alert. “Are you a friend of his?” “No,” I said bluntly, “we’ve shot at each other a couple of times.
I want to know what kind of shape he’s in, and I want to talk to him.” “comHave you been traveling with him?” “Chasing him,” I replied.
‘I won’t have any trouble around here. Anyway, lies a sick man .
a very sick man.” “What’s wrong with him?” “Stomach trouble, he says. My guess is arsenic poisoning.
“Arsenic? From bad water”…”…I doubt it. A man would have to drink more often than he has from one sp to get all he’s had. I think somebody has been lying to him for quite a while.” Ruby Shaw .
“Well, that would be one way of getting rid of him.
“He said he only had one enemy he knew of, and that enemy hadn’t been anywhere near him in some time.
I told him in a case like this you didn’t worry about your enemies, but those you thought were your friends.” ‘Can I see him?” The bedroom off the office had four beds for patients.
Only one of them was occupied, and the man who lay in it was Kid Reese all right, or what was left of him.
His face was thin, his features were drawn, his eyes hollow. He stared at me, and then reached under his pillow as if for a gun.
‘I’m not going to shoot you, Kid,” I said.
‘Looks to me as if you’ve got trouble enough.” ‘I got nothing to say to you.” “At least I didn’t fill you full of arsenic.
“That’s a lot of nonsense. Who could do that? Who would have any reason to?” “What about Ruby, Kid? Without you, she’d have Heseltine and the money, and with Bob ‘Are You crazy? Ruby? How could she? And anyway, she dotes on Bob. You’re trying to fill me with bad thoughts about my friends. You just wait until-was “How could she? I’ll lay you five to one she’s been making the coffee lately. And the kind of coffee we make out here is Poisonous enough without adding arsenic.
And I’ll bet she hasn’t been drinking much of it herself.” “That’s a damned lie! That’s-” His voice trailed off, and his brows drew together with sudden awareness.
“I don’t want you, Kid. I want my money, and I’m going to get it.” Deliberately, I sat down. Doc Macnamara looked at Reese, and then he said, “I know nothing about your troubles. There is arsenic in some of the water out here, but not enough to poison you the way you have it.
I would say-and I have had such cases before this-that you had been fed increasing doses over quite a period of time.” The doctor shrugged.
“However, I am surmising. I would have to perform an autopsy “Not on me, you don’t!” Suddenly Reese said, “Doc, am I going to get well?” “I think so. That is, if you don’t get any more of it.
This man is supposed to be your enemy, I believe, but if I were you I’d take his advice and never go near those people again.” He didn’t like it, but it was obvious that he believed us. He had believed me even before the doctor spoke, because evidently he remembered who had been making the coffee.
“I ain’t got any of your money,” he said, his tone surly.
“They’re takid care of it for me,” “I’ll bet,” I said dryly.
‘allyou think I’m a damn fool, don’t you?” he said.
“Nobody has a corner on being a fool, Kid. We were till fools back there in Texas when we stood around shooting off our mouths about how big and tough we were going to be. You two were fools when you tied in with Heseltine, and he was seven kinds of a fool for going to Ruby Shaw with that money.
I’ll bet she’s argued against you dividing it, all along.” “Maybe she has. That cuts no ice.” “What will you do when you get out of here, Kid? Go back to them?
Will you have the guts to warn Heseltine that he’ll be next?” Reese was silent. The doctor went into his office and began puttering over some papers.
“Where are they, Kid? I owe those folks back in Texas and I want to get my money.” Reese did not answer for a minute, then he said, “You’d go against Heseltine? You actually would?” “of course.” Even as I said it, I suddenly realized that I would do just that. A lot had happened to that boy who had left Texas on a cattle drive. And then I added, with sudden mmrise to realize it was true, ‘Bob Heseltine Will be more worried about facing me than I will about facing him.” He looked hard at me. comally figure you’ve put on some weight, don’t you?” But he didn’t sneer. I could see that Kid Reese believed it, too. “I won’t deny,” he added, ‘t Bob’s almost had his fill of you-you hangin” on his trail and all. He aiiyt sleepin’ so well any more.
Fact is, none of us have been.” He turned his eyes on me. “If I cut free of them, will you layoff me?” “I don’t want you, Kid. I never did. You knew that was our money and you knew that was our horse, but I just want the money back.” “What did those folks in Texas ever do for you?” “I take that back. They did for pa, which is the same u’ll find out that counts for a buying drirdo for a lot of rum-pots or shady women to show how big a man you are.” was Maybe you’re right. All right, I’ll tell you something.
Bob Heseltine’s got him a hide-out up back of Bridal Veil Falls, near Telluride.” “Where’s Telluride?” “It’s a new camp. A man named John Fallon staked some claims up there, and she looks like she’s going to boom.that was all I got out of bin, and I was not too sure Of that. He had no reason to tell me the truth, and enough reason to lie.