Ralph Compton Straight to the Noose by Marcus Galloway

Author:Marcus Galloway
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2015-04-17T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

When Mason got back to his cabin, he was so light-headed that he thought he might have dreamed his entire conversation with Greeley. He put the odds of that happening at less than twenty percent, which was being generous. The notion that so much bad news hadn’t been dropped onto him at once was simply too appealing to turn away. But a man in his line of work didn’t get anywhere but the poorhouse by betting everything on a long shot simply because he wanted it to win. There had to be other factors to swing a bet in that direction, and there were none to swing this one.

He was in the muck up to his eyes and there wasn’t any good way to get out of it. Not yet anyway.

“Damn it,” he sighed when he saw the small box sitting next to his washbasin.

Reluctantly Mason went over to the box. It was about a quarter the size of the washbasin itself and wasn’t sealed. Using one finger to move one of the top flaps aside, he looked in to see several rounds of.44-caliber ammunition and approximately twenty dollars in cash. The money was wrapped in a piece of paper that read: For the job and expenses—G.

As was the case most of the time, the long shot proved to be a loser. The conversation had happened. The muck was just as deep as it had ever been.

His cabin’s door creaked slightly as it was opened by someone from the hallway. Mason pivoted toward it while making a grab for his Remington.

“It’s just me,” Maggie said as she stopped half in and half out of the cabin. “Can I come in?”

Mason took his hand away from the sawed-off pistol tucked under his belt. “Sure. Why not?”

She stepped into the room, shut the door behind her, and stood with her back pressed against it. Reluctant to take another step toward him, she said, “I take it this conversation with Greeley went as well as the last one.”

Looking down, Mason saw that his jacket had snagged on the shoulder holster. Both Remingtons were exposed, so he straightened his jacket to cover them once again. “You should leave.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve got to go somewhere and you shouldn’t . . . you can’t go with me.”

Maggie approached him and reached out to place one hand on his chest. She already knew where to touch him, so it didn’t hurt as she asked, “What did Greeley tell you?”

“We set up an arrangement,” he said. “To settle that debt of mine.”

“This can’t just be about a debt.”

“Why not?”

Her brow furrowed with concern. “Because this isn’t the first big debt that someone’s owed Greeley. Lord knows he wouldn’t make this big a fuss every time it happened.”

“Well, he’s making a fuss now and I’m in the middle of it,” Mason snapped. “If it’s the first time or last time really doesn’t matter, now, does it?”

“It does,” she replied. “It matters a lot.” Maggie’s features softened, but only for

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