Dead by Sundown by I. J. Parnham

Author:I. J. Parnham [I. J. Parnham]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780709097990
Publisher: Robert Hale
Published: 2012-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

A day after Mike left Last Hope he rode into Green Springs.

He asked about Lazarus Heath and learnt that Roscoe was right – he had been recruiting men to ensure that he could take a consignment of gold from the Bone Gulch mine to Green Springs.

And when Mike asked where he might find him he was directed to the Silver Star saloon on the edge of town.

Mike entered the saloon and received directions to a corner table, but when he stood before the table, he faced a solitary man.

And that man was Patrick Hancock.

With two whiskeys ordered, Mike considered Patrick.

‘Not that it’s any of my business,’ he said, ‘but why have you joined up with Lazarus Heath?’

Patrick fingered his glass.

‘It was like you said to me back at Entoro: I needed to find out what I wanted to do, and joining Heath’s outfit sounded a good idea.’ Patrick leaned towards Mike. ‘And that way I could earn me a living and get a chance to kill Galen.’

Mike snorted, fighting down his annoyance at this revelation.

‘Because he’s hiding in the Cauldron to pick off the miners?’

‘You got it.’ Patrick paused with his drink touching his lips. He lowered it, then raised his eyebrows. ‘And you can join us. I reckon Lazarus is still hiring.’

‘I work alone.’

Patrick raised a hand, smiling. ‘When will you stop distrusting everyone, Mike? People want to help you, but you ain’t interested.’

Mike slammed his glass on the table, spouting whiskey into the air.

‘Because I’ll get Galen myself. I don’t need no help from anyone.’

‘And what will happen when you catch up with him on your own? The last time you got a bullet in your guts and a broken leg.’

‘I don’t care about him killing me, just that I kill him,’ Mike grunted, providing his traditional answer, but finding that this time the words sounded hollow and unconvincing. He glared hard at Patrick. ‘Just tell me what you know about Galen and I’ll do the rest.’

Patrick sighed. ‘I don’t understand you, Mike. You say you want to kill Galen, but you ain’t going about it in a sensible way.’

Mike slammed his fist on the table, ready to grunt his irritation, but he stopped with the fist just above the table and despite his reluctance, he had to admit the sense in Patrick’s suggestion.

‘All right,’ he murmured. ‘Where do I find this Mr Heath?’

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