Justice Returns: A Classic Western Series With Heart by John Deacon

Author:John Deacon [Deacon, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Western
Amazon: B09Z58YKH1
Published: 2022-05-27T12:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Watching to make sure he wasn’t followed, Justice headed straight back to the Silver Queen.

“Good evening, sir,” said the young man working the desk. “Did you have a pleasant dinner?”

“I did, thank you.”

“That’s nice. What can I do for you, sir?”

“I’d like to rent another room.”

“A new room, sir? Is there something wrong?”

That’s what I’m trying to figure out, Justice thought, but he just shook his head and smiled. “Nope. Everything’s fine and dandy.”

“All right then. That’s good to hear. Will this room be for a friend?”

“No. It’s for me.”

The man blinked at him. “I’m afraid I’ll still have to charge you for your current room—unless you want to wait till tomorrow to switch rooms?”

“No. I’ll need the second room tonight. Now, in fact. And it’s okay. I’ll pay for both rooms.”

“Okay, sir. That’ll be fine. I just wanted to let you know was all.”

“I appreciate that… um, what’s your name?”

“Joseph, sir.”

“All right, Joseph. Well, thank you. I appreciate you helping me. Are you working the overnight?”

“Yes sir.”

“All right.”

“Did you want the same sort of room, sir? A single or—”

“That doesn’t really matter to me, Joseph. Is the room across the hall from mine available?”

“Across the hall, sir?”

“That’s right.”

“Let me see. What room are you in again, sir?”

Justice told him.

“Okay, sir.” Joseph turned and studied the board. “Yes, sir. Room 309 just happens to be available.”

“Good.”

“It’s a single, sir, like yours. Will that be okay?”

“That’ll be perfect, Joseph. I’ll take it. Better give it to me for the next couple of nights.”

“Okay, sir. I can do that. The cost per night for the new room will be two dollars, sir. So if you want two nights, that’ll be four dollars, please. Just for the new room, I mean.”

Justice laid a pair of twenty-dollar double eagles on the counter. “Keep the change.”

The young clerk’s eyes bulged as if the gold coins were rattlers. “Sir?”

“Look, Joseph, I don’t want you telling anybody about my room. That’s worth a little extra to me. And by anybody, I mean anybody. Not men, not women, not the other clerks, and not lawmen. Especially not lawmen.”

“I don’t want to get in trouble, sir.”

“You won’t get in trouble. You’re not doing anything wrong, Joseph. And neither am I. All I want is some privacy. Now, there’s a chance someone might come asking for me. If they do, I want you to tell the truth. I want you to give them my original room number. You agree to do that, and the money is yours. Can I count on you, Joseph?”

“Yes sir,” Joseph said, and used both hands to retrieve the gold coins. He seemed to be shaking off his surprise. Suddenly, he smiled. “You certainly can count on me.”

“That’s good.” He held up another golden eagle. “If you do that and I’m still alive when I check out, this one’s yours, too.”

“Yes sir. Thank you, sir. You can count on me.”

Justice paid and got the new key.

He listened in the stairwell before climbing the stairs, then listened at the door before entering the hallway.

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