Longarm and the Howling Maniac by Evans Tabor

Author:Evans Tabor
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2010-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Longarm hoofed it through the snow on the south side of the main street, noting that it seemed to be coming down even harder than before, the gusts so strong they nearly blew him over and left him breathless.

Even the buildings closest to him, on his left, frequently disappeared behind the buffeting white curtains. Some structures creaked as though nails were popping from their seams. Shingle chains whipped raucously, and somewhere in the north, a loose door was banging free against its frame.

The only person Longarm saw on the street was a man driving a buckboard wagon and having to whip his reins savagely over the back of the single, frightened horse in the traces. As the wagon passed, moving up from the depot, the man bellowing angrily behind the scarf wrapped tightly around his face, Longarm saw a humped shape beneath a bobcat hide in the box.

Longarm found Rappaporte standing outside the depot’s front door, under the groaning overhang. The man had a big pistol shoved down in his coat pocket, the walnut grips jutting visibly.

Longarm yelled above the moaning, groaning wind, “Everything all right over here?”

“Fine as the hair on a snake’s ass.”

“I see the undertaker hauled Goody away. Anyone see him, know about the killing or your so-called maniac?”

“I didn’t tell nobody. Don’t think Hollis would. Doubt Tibbs did, either, since Tibbs don’t say nothin’ to nobody.”

“Let’s keep it that way. Don’t want a damn stampede.”

Longarm followed the stationmaster into the station that was warm now from the fire in the potbellied stove and also rife with the smell of fresh blood. Hollis sat on one of the benches, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

As Longarm slapped snow from his hat and stomped it from his boots, he turned to Rappaporte, “You got a good long length of rope?”

The stationmaster was in a sour mood. “What the hell you want rope for?”

“I want the passengers to all get a good grip on it as they walk together up to Carson’s place. Any old or young ones might get blowed down an alley.”

“Good idea, Custis,” Hollis said, pushing himself heavily to his feet and buttoning his coat. “Looks like it’s getting worse out there. Any sign of the killer?”

“Nope. He’s likely still in the village, though. The saloon looks all right. Let’s get the passengers headed that way, but keep mum about the killing. Don’t want anyone goin’ loco and start shootin’ at imaginary maniacs.”

While Rappaporte went grumbling off in search of rope, Longarm followed Hollis out the depot’s trackside door. Hollis climbed onto one of the passenger cars, and Longarm tramped back to the frilly pink car housing Miss Hathaway behind a gauzy blur of slanting snow. As he climbed the vestibule steps, he saw that his tracks of only forty-five minutes ago were filled in with fresh snow.

Longarm gave the car’s door a single knock before going in. Two of the thuggish bodyguards—Drake and Rafe—standing in front of the door, pointed cocked pistols at him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.