Never Let Them See You Bleed by William W. Johnstone

Author:William W. Johnstone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pinnacle Books
Published: 2023-12-27T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

Tinhorn, Texas was once again the dull, peaceful little town it was before the arrival of Jed Tubbs and Ralph Cox. For almost two weeks after the attempted jailbreak that took Kyle Trask’s life, nothing much was required of Deputy Flint Moran. The cell wall was completed and Prisoner Ralph Cox seemed content to wait for his trial. He’d been given his choice of cells and chose to move back into the larger one with the solid wood wall.

Nolan Carson had framed two tiny windows near the ceiling that provided a little bit of light to shine through, even with the lamp out. Buck had declared that the wall would have no windows, but decided Nolan was right when he advised the windows for light and ventilation.

It crossed Flint’s mind that maybe a deputy wasn’t needed at all and that he might be fired just as suddenly as he’d been hired. He took the time to visit his family. His father and brothers asked if he was ready to put his stint as a lawman aside and return to the farm. His response to that was how much better things were at the farm without him. “Besides,” he had suggested, “it might be an impossible job to persuade Mary to move.”

His brother Nate had laughed, remembering how quickly his eleven-year-old daughter had claimed Flint’s old room.

“I’d have to build another room onto the house,” Flint joked. “And I ain’t no better carpenter than I was as a farmer. I reckon I’ll hang on a while in the sheriff’s office.”

There was another reason he was hesitant about giving up his job as a deputy. He had grown to appreciate Sheriff Buck Jackson and was reluctant to leave him without someone to back him in the event trouble did show up. Buck had obviously made a commitment to win his battle with the whiskey bottle, but in the couple of weeks of peaceful existence, there were signs that Buck was sliding back into his old habits. He had begun retiring to his room right after supper again and eating a late breakfast at the saloon.

In effect, Flint was the nighttime sheriff once more, as he had been when first hired. He sometimes wondered if he was now filling Roy Hawkins’ old job, and that was simply to watch the office while Buck was retired for the night.

It was unrealistic for him to think the peace would last indefinitely in Tinhorn, however, and that fact was brought home to the residents when Blackie Culver rode into town. Blackie called himself a shootist, based on his ability to draw his weapon and fire it before his unfortunate antagonist could draw his. He built his reputation in the gambling houses and saloons in West Texas. In the town of Waco he’d been arrested by Sheriff Buck Jackson that resulted in a twelve-year prison sentence and the end of his fame as a shootist.

During the entire twelve years, Blackie never forgot the promise he had made to have his revenge on the man who had put a stop to his growing list of kills.

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