Dead Freight for Piute by Luke Short

Author:Luke Short [Short, Luke]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

As soon as Keen Billings heard about Western landing the China Boy contract and the accident that had happened to Cole Armin's wagon his spine went cold. He got the news in late evening, for it had taken time to work upstreet from the Desert Dust, where it was fast becoming one of the teamsters' legends. Keen heard it at the bar of the Aces Up saloon. He left his drink untouched, sought the street and headed for the Cosmopolitan House.

He found Sheriff Ed Linton at a faro table in the ornate gambling room beyond the bar. Keen had to take off his hat and stifle his excitement as he tramped across the thick rug through the crowd of well-dressed men to the table where Sheriff Linton was sitting.

Keen said politely, "Business, Sheriff. Can you step outside?"

Sheriff Linton excused himself in a low voice, pocketed his chips and followed Keen through the saloon and into a deserted corner of the lobby. Keen faced Sheriff Linton, and there was fear mixed with his anger.

"Your double cross didn't work!" he snarled in a low voice. "He's alive, and the word is he's on the prod!"

"Man," Sheriff Linton drawled, "what are you talkin’ about?"

"About Cole Armin!" Billings said harshly. "He's out to nail up my hide!"

"But why should he be?" Linton asked blankly.

"Listen, Ed. Don't stall. I know damn well you sneaked back to Jim Rough's last night after we left and sawed that brake lever. I tell you, he come through it!"

Linton shook his head blankly, then hauled himself up. "Start from the beginning. This doesn't make sense. I take it the Western tried it with nine drivers?"

"Haven't you heard, damn you?" Billings snarled. "They got the contract, moved four hundred tons of ore with ten wagons! Cole Armin drove Jim Rough's wagon. On one of them grades he pulled on his brake lever and it snapped off. He come out of it, the Lord only knows how, without crackin' up and goin' overside. And that brake lever was sawed half in two!"

"I see," Linton said slowly. "And you think I sneaked back after we got Jim Rough drunk and sawed it?"

"Didn't you?"

"I staggered home and fell asleep with my clothes on!" Linton said harshly. "I was so drunk I couldn't have held a saw, and you know it!"

"So was I!" Billings countered hotly. "You carried me part of the way!"

And then again there was that stalemate. And Keen Billings shivered a little. It was funny, but he had the impression of some invisible person standing there listening to what they were saying.

"Then you didn't saw that brake lever?" he asked hollowly.

"Man, I couldn't have!"

"And I didn't. Then who did?"

They stared at each other, half suspicious, half puzzled. Keen Billings said finally, "Ed, someone is out to loll Cole Armin, and right now! And Cole Armin thinks it's me! He's goin' to make a try for me and damn quick! And I can't get him first, or how do we frame Craig Armin?"

Linton, wide-eyed, shook his head in blank inability to answer him.

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