out, didn’t you? Well, her man didn’t like me interfering and so he started something I had to finish.”
Kersey sighed. “Yeah, should’ve known that Merrick bastard would go and do something like that. I don’t know why I even let him stay here.”
“I take it the sheriff will want to talk to me,” Calamaro said.
“Yeah, probably but that’ll cause me just as much trouble. I’ll see what I can do about sorting it all out.”
“Much obliged.”
“Just make sure you don’t make any more enemies in here, okay?”
“I’ll do my best,” Calamaro said. He took a step towards the door but then turned around. He said, “There a good place to eat around here?”
“If you want a hot meal, your best bet is Tom Duma’s place. He owns the General Store but Mrs. Duma also cooks meals there, too. Of course you could also try the brothel but the food isn’t too much to my liking. I figure that’s on account of the fact that people go there for the women not the grub.”
“I guess I’ll try the General Store. A hot meal would be good.” Calamaro walked out of the hotel. He walked down the street and saw a short, bald man punching a horse.
As Calamaro passed, the man said, “Hey you.”
Calamaro stopped. “Yeah?”
“You got candy?”
“I look like a child to you?” Calamaro laughed.
The man’s eyes glazed over. “You’re a funny guy, huh?”
“If you think so,” Calamaro said. He looked into the man’s eyes and for the first time in his life, he got goose bumps. The man’s eyes were milky and cold. They belonged in a dead man’s skull. Calamaro didn’t want to spend anymore time looking into them so he nodded and walked away.
From behind him, the man’s voice said, “If I see you again, you better have some candy. Some hard candy.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Nix knocked on William Lyons’ door. He didn’t like disturbing the man at his house but he was just too damned angry at that stranger to wait. Chaps and Ryan stood behind him.
There were sounds of children playing and then heavy footsteps. The door opened.
“What is it?” Lyons stood in the doorway. He was tall, blond, and good-looking, just the type of man one would expect to be running for political office. William Lyons was well-known for both his charisma as well as his devotion to his family and to the church. He was also known for his killing.
Nix said, “Need to talk to you. This a bad time?” He saw Lyons’ two sons running around a table, smiling and yelling up a storm.
“I’m with my family right now, you can see that. What the hell’s so important you can’t wait till tomorrow?”
“I, uh, just need to talk to you about a little situation we have. With a stranger. Some guy came into town and started some trouble.”
Lyons said, “That black eye of yours, that the trouble you’re talking about?”
“Yeah.”
Lyons lowered his voice. “Some cocksucker gives you a black eye and you come interrupt me spending time with my family? What do you reckon I do, go get a search party and lynch the cocksucker?”
Nix blushed. His face now almost matched his eye. “There’s more than that, Mr. Lyons. The guy punched me when I wasn’t even looking. That’s a plain old coward if you ask me, know what I’m saying?”
Lyons poked his head out of the door and looked at Chaps and Ryan. “Well, where the hell were these guys at? Why didn’t they do something? You telling me the three of you couldn’t handle one fucking guy?”
Nix said, “Uh, it’s not like that…”
From behind Lyons, children’s voices said, “Daddy! Daddy!”
“Nix, I’m going to go back in the house and play with my boys.”
“What are we going to do about it?”
“We’re not going to do anything. You want to take care of
Kersey sighed. “Yeah, should’ve known that Merrick bastard would go and do something like that. I don’t know why I even let him stay here.”
“I take it the sheriff will want to talk to me,” Calamaro said.
“Yeah, probably but that’ll cause me just as much trouble. I’ll see what I can do about sorting it all out.”
“Much obliged.”
“Just make sure you don’t make any more enemies in here, okay?”
“I’ll do my best,” Calamaro said. He took a step towards the door but then turned around. He said, “There a good place to eat around here?”
“If you want a hot meal, your best bet is Tom Duma’s place. He owns the General Store but Mrs. Duma also cooks meals there, too. Of course you could also try the brothel but the food isn’t too much to my liking. I figure that’s on account of the fact that people go there for the women not the grub.”
“I guess I’ll try the General Store. A hot meal would be good.” Calamaro walked out of the hotel. He walked down the street and saw a short, bald man punching a horse.
As Calamaro passed, the man said, “Hey you.”
Calamaro stopped. “Yeah?”
“You got candy?”
“I look like a child to you?” Calamaro laughed.
The man’s eyes glazed over. “You’re a funny guy, huh?”
“If you think so,” Calamaro said. He looked into the man’s eyes and for the first time in his life, he got goose bumps. The man’s eyes were milky and cold. They belonged in a dead man’s skull. Calamaro didn’t want to spend anymore time looking into them so he nodded and walked away.
From behind him, the man’s voice said, “If I see you again, you better have some candy. Some hard candy.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Nix knocked on William Lyons’ door. He didn’t like disturbing the man at his house but he was just too damned angry at that stranger to wait. Chaps and Ryan stood behind him.
There were sounds of children playing and then heavy footsteps. The door opened.
“What is it?” Lyons stood in the doorway. He was tall, blond, and good-looking, just the type of man one would expect to be running for political office. William Lyons was well-known for both his charisma as well as his devotion to his family and to the church. He was also known for his killing.
Nix said, “Need to talk to you. This a bad time?” He saw Lyons’ two sons running around a table, smiling and yelling up a storm.
“I’m with my family right now, you can see that. What the hell’s so important you can’t wait till tomorrow?”
“I, uh, just need to talk to you about a little situation we have. With a stranger. Some guy came into town and started some trouble.”
Lyons said, “That black eye of yours, that the trouble you’re talking about?”
“Yeah.”
Lyons lowered his voice. “Some cocksucker gives you a black eye and you come interrupt me spending time with my family? What do you reckon I do, go get a search party and lynch the cocksucker?”
Nix blushed. His face now almost matched his eye. “There’s more than that, Mr. Lyons. The guy punched me when I wasn’t even looking. That’s a plain old coward if you ask me, know what I’m saying?”
Lyons poked his head out of the door and looked at Chaps and Ryan. “Well, where the hell were these guys at? Why didn’t they do something? You telling me the three of you couldn’t handle one fucking guy?”
Nix said, “Uh, it’s not like that…”
From behind Lyons, children’s voices said, “Daddy! Daddy!”
“Nix, I’m going to go back in the house and play with my boys.”
“What are we going to do about it?”
“We’re not going to do anything. You want to take care of
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