Edge: A Town Called Hate (Edge series Book 13) by George G. Gilman

Author:George G. Gilman [Gilman, George G.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: General Fiction
Publisher: Lobo publications (A High Plains Wesrern)
Published: 2013-02-11T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

EDGE checked the restaurant and found it empty. He also saw that it had no direct entry or exit to either the front or rear of the building. So he elected to eat the breakfast of steak, grits and eggs at the table in the saloon. This placed him midway between the main front entrance and the doorway that gave on to the back of the premises behind the bar. He had half drunk his second cup of coffee when the new hat was delivered.

It was brought by a sallow-faced man of middle years with sandy-colored hair and frightened eyes of light brown. He was short and thin and had nervous, constantly moving hands dotted with freckles on their backs. He sidled rather than walked into the shade of the saloon from the bright splash of sunlight in the street - like a crab emerging from the sea.

“I fetched your hat, Mr. Edge,” he said in a croaky voice as he halted in front of the table.

Edge nodded and took the hat. Apart from the ingrained dirt, stains and bullet hole of the old one, it was a perfect match. The half-breed tried it on and found the fit perfect.

“I’ll put the word around.”

“What?” The man blinked several times.

“Drum up some business for you,” Edge answered. “Among guys with bullet holes in their hats. Dollar enough?”

“Dollar ten,” the man rapped out automatically in storekeeper cadence. Then he blinked again and shook his head rapidly to remind himself that wasn’t what he had come for.

“Preacher’s taking care of a guy with his throat cut,” Edge told him. “Better collect what’s owed before a place’s found to bury him.”

The man swallowed hard. “I’m running a discount this week.”

“Running scared, too,” Edge said, fixing the storekeeper with a glinting scare. “You got something to say, better get it out fast, feller. Way you’re sweating, likely to melt clean away soon.”

“Maclean must have got to talk to you before he was killed, Mr. Edge.” It was a statement rather than a question.

Edge nodded. “Didn’t say a lot. No more than a thousand bucks. Hardly worth getting killed for - anybody getting killed.”

The storekeeper took out a large, damp handkerchief and made it wetter as he mopped his face. “All we can afford, Mr. Edge.” A fragile smile lit his sallow features.

“But you came back to Corn … Hate.” He sounded very pleased to speak the forbidden name. Then he glanced around nervously, wringing his hands together. They were alone except for Cyrus McNally who was dusting off unused glasses behind the bar.

“I came back to sort out another matter,” the half-breed replied, and finished the coffee. He curled back his thin lips to expose his even teeth in a grin, “but it may be we’re interested in the same thing, feller.”

The man blinked. “Oh?” He cleared his throat. “What do you want us to do, Mr. Edge?”

“Take up the collection,” the half-breed replied.

The man’s smile was brighter this time, but still very vulnerable to an attack of nerves.

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.