attitude of a gentleman. I said, “And they don’t know you’re in here.”
“ Sí .” he said. “Not yet.”
The guard pulled at my sleeve. “Pronto!” he said.
I said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
Just before we left the cell-block area I looked back. It was an awful somber place to be shut up in—dank and dark and sort of close fitting. About the only thing I could say about it was that the stone walls made it cooler than outside. I glanced back once more toward Norris’s cell. I’d have hated to been where he was.
I pulled Jack back as we went through the door into the corridor where all the office doors were. I said, “Ask one of these jailers which office is Davilla’s.”
He said, “You reckon that’s a good idea?”
“Just do it.”
He spoke quickly to one of the guards. The jailer just shook his head. He said something back to Jack.
“What?” I said.
Jack said, “This hombre says Davilla ain’t here. Ain’t been for a couple of days. Says he don’t know anything about no office. Says he generally hangs around the chief.”
“Son of a bitch,” I said. “If he ain’t been here for the last couple of days, who the hell has Obregon been negotiating with?”
Jack said, “That ain’t a serious question is it, Justa?”
“I guess not,” I said. “We better get back to the hotel and do a little figuring.”
But the clerk was waiting for us in the outer office. He said it was urgent that I see Señor Obregon at once. I sent Hays and Ben back to the hotel and Jack and I trotted along behind the clerk, who was about the fastest thing I’d seen so far in Mexico. Going over I couldn’t help thinking about the gentleman with the ranch down in Zapata. He’d said he’d had ten men, ten good men. I wondered if he meant that the way I’d taken it. Pistoleros.
Señor Obregon was not alone. Seated by the side of his desk was an ordinary-looking Mexican in a badly fitting business suit. He introduced the man as Capitán Davilla’s representative. Making depreciating gestures, he explained, through Jack, that, naturally, Captain Davilla, being an honorable representative of the police couldn’t negotiate directly for the price of his honor, that it would have to be done through a representative.
Hell, I was beginning to wonder if this Davilla actually existed. I asked Jack to ask Obregon what the representative’s name was, but the lawyer declined on the basis that it was “inaplicable al caso, ” of no consequence.
Well, it seemed like everything was inaplicable al caso except me passing money across the desk. I told Jack to insist on knowing the man’s name.
Jack tried, but after a pretty spirited exchange all he could come back with was that the man was willing to be called “José.”
“That’s just dandy,” I said. I was plenty disgusted. I said, “Tell the lawyer that we heard Davilla wasn’t even in town. Ask him who the hell he’s been talking with.”
When he’d finished Jack turned back to me and said, with that natural little smile he wore, “Says the good capitán has a ranch outside of town and he’s been there resting, healing up from that awful blow yore brother struck him with.”
“Norris? Hurt somebody with a punch?”
Jack pulled a face. “Hell, they goin’ to play it for all it’s worth.”
I sighed. “Well, when do we start the negotiations?”
Jack spoke to Obregon. The lawyer shook his head and said something that didn’t take long. Jack said to me, “He says they ain’t gonna be no negotiations. Already been decided. The price is twenty-five hundred dollars. Flat.”
I was startled. I really hadn’t expected it to be that much. It wasn’t a great deal of money, but I had the bad feeling we were being taken and I ain’t ever been a big hand for that.
Jack said, “You realize how much money that is in Mexico? I don’t reckon Davilla makes more than fifty dollars a month. Remember Norris saying he could have bought himself out
“ Sí .” he said. “Not yet.”
The guard pulled at my sleeve. “Pronto!” he said.
I said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
Just before we left the cell-block area I looked back. It was an awful somber place to be shut up in—dank and dark and sort of close fitting. About the only thing I could say about it was that the stone walls made it cooler than outside. I glanced back once more toward Norris’s cell. I’d have hated to been where he was.
I pulled Jack back as we went through the door into the corridor where all the office doors were. I said, “Ask one of these jailers which office is Davilla’s.”
He said, “You reckon that’s a good idea?”
“Just do it.”
He spoke quickly to one of the guards. The jailer just shook his head. He said something back to Jack.
“What?” I said.
Jack said, “This hombre says Davilla ain’t here. Ain’t been for a couple of days. Says he don’t know anything about no office. Says he generally hangs around the chief.”
“Son of a bitch,” I said. “If he ain’t been here for the last couple of days, who the hell has Obregon been negotiating with?”
Jack said, “That ain’t a serious question is it, Justa?”
“I guess not,” I said. “We better get back to the hotel and do a little figuring.”
But the clerk was waiting for us in the outer office. He said it was urgent that I see Señor Obregon at once. I sent Hays and Ben back to the hotel and Jack and I trotted along behind the clerk, who was about the fastest thing I’d seen so far in Mexico. Going over I couldn’t help thinking about the gentleman with the ranch down in Zapata. He’d said he’d had ten men, ten good men. I wondered if he meant that the way I’d taken it. Pistoleros.
Señor Obregon was not alone. Seated by the side of his desk was an ordinary-looking Mexican in a badly fitting business suit. He introduced the man as Capitán Davilla’s representative. Making depreciating gestures, he explained, through Jack, that, naturally, Captain Davilla, being an honorable representative of the police couldn’t negotiate directly for the price of his honor, that it would have to be done through a representative.
Hell, I was beginning to wonder if this Davilla actually existed. I asked Jack to ask Obregon what the representative’s name was, but the lawyer declined on the basis that it was “inaplicable al caso, ” of no consequence.
Well, it seemed like everything was inaplicable al caso except me passing money across the desk. I told Jack to insist on knowing the man’s name.
Jack tried, but after a pretty spirited exchange all he could come back with was that the man was willing to be called “José.”
“That’s just dandy,” I said. I was plenty disgusted. I said, “Tell the lawyer that we heard Davilla wasn’t even in town. Ask him who the hell he’s been talking with.”
When he’d finished Jack turned back to me and said, with that natural little smile he wore, “Says the good capitán has a ranch outside of town and he’s been there resting, healing up from that awful blow yore brother struck him with.”
“Norris? Hurt somebody with a punch?”
Jack pulled a face. “Hell, they goin’ to play it for all it’s worth.”
I sighed. “Well, when do we start the negotiations?”
Jack spoke to Obregon. The lawyer shook his head and said something that didn’t take long. Jack said to me, “He says they ain’t gonna be no negotiations. Already been decided. The price is twenty-five hundred dollars. Flat.”
I was startled. I really hadn’t expected it to be that much. It wasn’t a great deal of money, but I had the bad feeling we were being taken and I ain’t ever been a big hand for that.
Jack said, “You realize how much money that is in Mexico? I don’t reckon Davilla makes more than fifty dollars a month. Remember Norris saying he could have bought himself out
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