LeRoy, U.S. Marshal 2 by Neil Hunter

Author:Neil Hunter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: us marshal, winchester rifle, colt 45, piccadilly publishing, neil hunter, american old west, american frontier life, western fiction ebook
Publisher: Piccadilly

In the late afternoon Len Shelly and Dutch Pemberton made their way into Besser’s newspaper office. Shelly quietly closed the door behind him and watched his partner cross to stand by Besser’s cluttered desk. The man was bent over something he was writing, absorbed in his work he wasn’t aware he had visitors until Pemberton’s shadow darkened his work space.

‘I help you …’ he said, then caught his first sight of his visitors. If Besser was alarmed he didn’t show it, straightening up and leaning back in his swivel chair.

‘Oh yeah, you can help us,’ Pemberton said.

‘Just a few facts,’ Shelly said.

‘We’re a little like you,’ Pemberton said. ‘We’re interested in facts.’

‘About?’

‘Let’s start with that visit you had from that there Marshal LeRoy. Facts like what you told him about Mr. Elphick’s dealings in town. Mebbe names you gave him about Elphick’s friends.’

‘How do you know …’ Besser knew he had walked into that like a lamb to the slaughter. ‘Who said I gave him any names.’

Pemberton threw a quick glance in his partner’s direction. Shelly gave a quick grin.

‘I reckon we could make good reporters,’ Pemberton said. ‘We got you talk easy enough. Now we need some answers.’

‘Nothing to say,’ Besser said.

Shelly accidently brushed against a stack of papers on a cabinet close where he was standing. The stack dropped, scattering paperwork across the floor.

‘Surprising how easy it is for things to get disturbed,’ he said. His boot heels stamped down on the documents, tearing at them. Hell, I must be in my clumsy mood today. So easy for things to get torn up.’

He turned and swept files and books off a shelf. Scattered any objects in his path before returning to face Besser.

‘He’s right,’ Pemberton said. He leaned over the desk. ‘See, Mr. Besser, my friend here has this problem. He can’t stop himself kind of banging into things. Kind of gets to be difficult if someone stands in his way.’

‘You get out of here,’ Besser said. ‘If you don’t I’ll …’

‘Now that ain’t friendly, Mr. Besser. Me and my friend we came to ask for information and all you done is be unhelpful. Ain’t that the way you see it, Len?’

‘Exactly so. Now we tried to be polite, but Mr. Besser here got himself so worked up he fell and caught hisself against the desk.’

Shelly moved so fast Besser never even saw his fist as it swung in direction. The boney knuckles caught Besser on his left cheek. A glancing blow that barely seemed to have much force behind it. It connected with a solid snap of sound and Besser reeled from the impact, twisting to one side and going down on his knees. His spectacles spun from his face and slid under his desk. He stayed where he was, head down, a soft moan escaping his lips.

‘You hear now, Mr. Besser,’ Shelly said. ‘We’d hate for you to have another fall. Might end up hurtin’ you real bad if you did.’

Besser tasted blood in his mouth where his teeth had bit down on his tongue.

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