The Stranglers by Loren D. Estleman

Author:Loren D. Estleman [Estleman, Loren D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Western
ISBN: 0515125709
Publisher: New York : Jove Books
Published: 1999-11-15T06:00:00+00:00

The Judge ignored that. "Who are you taking along?"

"The kid from Painted Rock, if he's willing. He looked pretty good standing over Sugar Jim."

"He's on his way here to testify too. But with your evidence on the stand I suppose we can make do with a signed affidavit. Springer won't like it."

"When he sees me with my suit brushed and pomade on my hair he'll be so happy it won't matter."

"Two men against an unspecified number of faceless killers isn't a hand I would bet on," he said.

"Four didn't do any too well. But you can build a fair bluff on a pair."

He ground his store-bought teeth. They sounded like china plates scraping together. "It's the Indian you want, remember. Don't go Hickoking into something that's too big for you just because Cocker Flynn's your friend."

"He's not my friend, exactly."

"Ha." He placed his hand on the doorknob. "One thing. If Jim Creel goes free because the government failed to present a strong case, you'd be wise to mail me your star."

He returned to court. I didn't tell him there was someone who could turn my star in for me.

I found Jordan Mercy holding court in the Belmont at the table where we'd had lunch, smoking what looked like another of Judge Blackthorne's long cigars and peeling out stud to his brother Joshua and Colonel Hookstratton in his tailcoat and a young miner who looked flattered to be sitting at the same table with the Mankiller of Topeka. Jordan said Jericho was occupied at Chicago Joe's. There was nothing in his manner to suggest our earlier confrontation. Nor did he display any emotion when I told him about Flynn and that his orders to leave on manhunt had been canceled. He merely nodded and flipped twenty dollars in checks off his stack into the center of the table to open. The young miner blanched at the amount. I left them.

I went back to my collar box of a room over the harness shop and invested some time fully clothed on my back on the bed, studying the water stains on the ceiling. When I got tired of that I got up and unpegged my hat and went down to Chicago Joe's. Jericho Mercy was coming out as I was going in. The color on his cheeks was high.

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