Death of a Bad Man by Ralph Compton

Author:Ralph Compton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

Chapter 15

Nester moved quickly for a man of his age, even though Sol didn’t exactly know what Nester’s age truly was. The old man was balding and his remaining hair was more the color of salt than pepper. He had some wrinkles on his face, but it was difficult to tell where the wrinkles stopped and where the scars began. The skin on Nester’s hands was somewhat loose, but that only narrowed his age down to a range of between fifty to seventy years.

After Nester had introduced himself, the old man had started walking and motioned for Sol to follow. ‘‘You’re one of the Brakefield kids, ain’t you?’’ he asked.

Sol blinked a few times and replied, ‘‘Yes. Yes, I am.’’

‘‘Which one? Obviously not the one who was taught any manners, or else you would have told me your name already.’’

‘‘Things have been moving kind of fast, in case you haven’t noticed,’’ Sol groused.

‘‘So they have,’’ Nester said as he glanced over to the man walking beside him. ‘‘Wouldn’t that be your fault? I was just sipping on some expensive whiskey when you and that bounty hunter came stomping along.’’

‘‘Bounty hunter?’’

Tipping his hat politely to a young woman who looked at him like he was her grandpa, Nester said, ‘‘That’s right.’’

‘‘How do you know he was a bounty hunter?’’

‘‘Because he’s been poking his nose around here asking about me. That’s why I was sitting in a cellar drinking whiskey during the middle of the day.’’

Sol shook his head. ‘‘So I just happened to come along when there was a bounty hunter after you?’’

‘‘Don’t feel bad, boy. There’s always bounty hunters sniffing around for me. Sometimes,’’ he added with a grin, ‘‘they even ask me where to find me. Seems like Daniel Hayes has been known to tell some wild stories when he’s had too much whiskey.’’

‘‘Where are you going?’’

‘‘I need to collect a few things before we leave.’’

‘‘We?’’ Sol asked. ‘‘We’re leaving? Both of us?’’

‘‘For a man who came looking for me, you don’t seem too happy to have found me. I’m starting to think you’re downright confused.’’

‘‘I wanted to have a word with you, not go anywhere. I’ve come a long way as it is.’’

‘‘You wanted to talk, so talk. I still need to collect my things because bounty hunters are usually missed when they get killed. Even if that one ain’t, he could be recognized by the law when they get a look at his corpse.’’

‘‘I thought you said you weren’t going to the law.’’

Nester waved his hand dismissively. ‘‘The laws always find out when someone gets killed,’’ he grumbled. ‘‘Downright ghoulish if you ask me.’’

‘‘Maybe it wasn’t a good idea for me to come here,’’ Sol said.

Pretending as if he hadn’t heard that last part, Nester glanced over to Sol and watched him for a few seconds. ‘‘You Amelia’s boy?’’

‘‘Yes.’’

‘‘I recognized you on account of your chin. All of Amelia’s boys had that chin. Which one are you?’’

‘‘Solomon.’’

Nester nodded and waved to someone who’d called out his assumed name from across the street.

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