Magic Man by J. R. Roberts

Author:J. R. Roberts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2014-03-25T04:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-FOUR

The show went off without a hitch.

Emrys had all his ducks in a row, amazed the crowd at every turn. The sheriff did not return, so there was no badge trick. Sally also did not return, so there was no embarrassment for her—or any other woman, for that matter. Emrys stayed away from skirts this time.

The town manager, Paul Wright, was there again, apparently enjoying the show, and the three boys showed up and were wide-eyed the entire time.

The levitation “tricks” were of particular interest to Clint. Emrys took apparently solid objects and made them float in the air. There was no question of any kind of strings being attached, for there was nothing above them to attach a string to. This was the only thing he thought he’d press the magician to show him. He really wanted to know how it was done.

There were no hecklers, which was surprising. Both shows had gone off without any real trouble.

So far.

• • •

From the roof, Morley watched Emrys perform his show. He was trying to wait for the right moment to fire, sighting down the barrel of the rifle. A time or two he had to wipe a sweat drop from the tip of his nose, or dry his hands on his thighs.

This was no longer a matter of getting revenge for Tom Dover and the others. Hell, they weren’t really that close as friends. No, this was about Emrys, and who he was.

Morley was convinced that Emrys was the Devil—well, an emissary of the Devil. If he was the actual Devil, then a bullet wouldn’t kill him.

But this man would be killed by a bullet right to the chest.

And the moment was now.

• • •

Emrys completed his performance and, just prior to disappearing in a puff of smoke, spread his arms wide to the crowd.

Clint heard the shot and saw the bullet strike Emrys squarely in the chest.

There were some screams as Emrys staggered back and fell into the wagon. Moments later the stage folded up, closing the wagon.

Clint, meanwhile, was busy checking the storefronts and rooftops across the street for the shooter. He thought he saw someone on one of the roofs and broke into a run, yelling, “Somebody call the doctor!”

He pushed through the crowd and ran across the street. He found an alley and used it to get to the back of the buildings, hoping he’d catch the shooter back there. When he got there, it was deserted. He didn’t know which back door matched the building he thought he’d seen the shooter on. The dirt was filled with tracks, but no way to tell the shooter’s from anyone else’s.

There was nothing he could do, so he ran back to the wagon. The crowd was milling around, as if unsure of what to do. From the sound of it, some of them thought this was part of the show, and that the magician might appear unharmed, to amaze them again. Clint knew this was not part of the show at all.

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