Midnight Blue by Dorothy Garlock

Author:Dorothy Garlock [Garlock, Dorothy]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 1989-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

“Sam,” Pack said and walked a few paces across the circular drive to lean against the large oak tree with branches spreading almost to the edge of the porch. “I owe you, Sam. I’m obliged to you for standing by through this.”

“I figured ya’d do the same.” Sam squatted down on his heels, picked up a twig and absently began to skin back the bark. “Ya’ve bit off a big chaw, Pack. Mara jist might be a widow afore she’s a wife.”

Pack snorted. “I’m not counting on her being a real wife. She hates my guts.”

“That bad, huh?”

“That bad. She’s not suited for this life, but she’s got feelings about this place. Hell! She could have gone to town, taught school, married one of them lawyer fellers.”

“She might be more suited than ya think. She ain’t afraid a work.”

“I’ve got to make it safe for her here. That means I’ll have to clear out Cullen and his bunch.”

“Cullen’ll back down. He’ll not face ya. He’s the back-shootin’ kind.”

“How about Sporty Howard?”

“In a crowd he’ll make a show to save his face. By hisself he’s got a yellow streak a yard wide.”

“How many are down there?”

“Five, countin’ Cullen. I plan on backin’ ya.”

Pack’s blue-black eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“I want to stay round for a while.”

“You can do that anyway, Sam. You know that.”

“Yeah. Ya ort a know I’m lookin’ fer a feller. I trailed him here, then he disappeared. I figure he up ’n got hisself killed ’n is buried here abouts.”

“You a law man?”

Sam studied Pack before he answered, surprised at the hint of anxiety in his voice. If he didn’t know better, he’d think Pack had something to hide.

“Not exactly. The man I’m lookin’ fer made off with some gold bars he stole from the Confederacy durin’ the war.”

“Then you’re a government man.”

“I guess ya could call me that. I got asked to do the job cause one a the fellers in on it was my lieutenant.”

“A lot of men on the other side of the law have come through here the last couple of years. Cullen put the word out they were welcome.”

“I figure the feller roamin’ round here nights watchin’ the place might a trailed the lieutenant here same as I did. Funny thin’ about it though. The same feller rides a different horse each time, tryin’ to cover his tracks.”

“How do you know it’s the same man?”

“He sits in the grass the same, always puts his hat down on the left side, gets up by diggin’ in his left foot. Horse veers to the left cause the feller holds the reins in his left hand. I figure he watches with a spyglass.”

“Do you think he’s after the gold?”

“What else?”

“If the man’s dead, whoever killed him took off with the gold.”

“Maybe not. I’d a buried it, waited till thin’s cooled off.”

“Do you think Cullen knows about it?”

“I’m not thinkin’ that. He’d a already tried to sell the bars, dumb as he is. The bars ain’t surfaced yet.

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