The Return of Henry Starr by Richard Slotkin

Author:Richard Slotkin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2024-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

It was not a good day to fool around with Henry Starr. “Well, what about it?” he said. “Did Bub expect me to bail him out?”

“No,” said Rowland softly. “Bub figured to do that himself. He takes care of his people.”

Henry Starr waited.

Dick Rowland smiled a bad smile, a smile that was sick to death of itself: “Time he got the money together and got over there, somebody already paid the bail. Duty officer forgot to do a receipt. Been no sign or scent of T. J. Hanks since. Not anywhere.”

Henry Starr swallowed his breath waiting for the rest of it, because none of this was right at all, cash paid and no receipt and all of it done in the middle of the night.

“By coincidence,” said Rowland, “the arresting officer himself was on duty, and logged the prisoner out.”

“Deputy Price,” said Henry Starr.

“But even so it don’t make sense,” said Rowland. “Even Price isn’t dumb enough to lose the receipt and pocket the bail, because T. J. Hanks is gone, and if there isn’t $500 cash in the till next morning then …”

“You said it was $500,” said Henry Starr, and Rowland nodded. “Then it’s bad,” said Henry Starr: “Price got himself $500 cash out of a bank yesterday—I spotted him doing it.” Rowland’s eyes narrowed and Henry Starr said, “Think whatever you damn well please, it was just dumb luck me seeing him.” But anger wasn’t enough to give Rowland, not after what had happened just because Henry Starr wasn’t smart enough to see all the way through Deputy Price. “He keeps a bank account in MacKinnon’s name, puts a big wad of cash in every month. I saw him making a withdrawal and figured he was just taking his cut. I better tell Bub.”

“No,” said Rowland, his face pursing up as if with a physical pain. “Bub is gonna be too busy for talk. Busy looking for T. J.” He knotted his face as if clenching something in a fist, then it got away from him. “Oh goddamnit, if Price bailed him out and then …”

There was a burst of noise from the fake cabin, Esterhazy yelling “Cut!” and

that seemed to bring Rowland out of his feeling. His mouth slid sideways and he told Henry Starr, “Sorry to bother you, boss, when you so busy yo ’self,”

and Henry Starr said “Tell Bub” as Rowland swung the door open and shut behind him.

Tell Bub what? That I was too dumb or too busy playing cowboy to think through what Price banking MacKinnon’s money in Owasso could mean? That I’ll go riding with him till he finds where Price and MacKinnon got T. J. Hanks and blow the door down and go in with him, shotguns and .45s and whatever else it takes …

The white light of the fake cabin was brilliant in the darkness of the warehouse, a magnet that drew him back. Young Henry Starr who was him and was nothing to him stood out there in the light and tried to take care of that supposed-to-be used-to-be Henry Starr’s mother.

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