Read Online Longarm 422 by Tabor Evans - Free Book Online Page B

into one of the many ruts.
    Stepanek tried to return the favor by grabbing at Longarm’s holstered .45. That was not any better an idea than going for his own gun had been.
    Longarm chopped the edge of his hand down hard on Stepanek’s wrist and followed the chop with a punch to Stepanek’s gut. He swayed back to give himself a little more room and planted a right cross on Stepanek’s jaw. He heard something break. Perhaps the jaw itself or, possibly, probably, just a tooth or two.
    George Stepanek cried out aloud and staggered backward. Longarm followed, slinging punches left and right into Stepanek’s face until the man reached the edge of the sidewalk boards and tried to step back, only to encounter thin air.
    The tall man toppled over backward and landed on his ass in the mouth of an alley.
    Longarm glanced at Iris. She was trying—with limited success—to stifle laughter at the sight of Ira Collins’s feared enforcer manhandled like that.
    Longarm turned to her, bowed and lifted his Stetson in the lady’s direction. “My apologies, ma’am. Shall we proceed? I see lights in the dining room there, so we may be in time for the dinner I promised.”
    Iris took his arm, and he escorted her down the block to the Chauncey Hotel.
    They were still serving, and both meal and service were every bit as good as he remembered.

Chapter 29
    Longarm had not thought to rent a post office box. Perhaps he should have. It would have made things much more convenient for the local shakedown artists. Instead they—represented presumably by one of Ira Collins’s henchmen—left an envelope with his name on it at the front desk of the Pickering Hotel.
    â€œMessage for you, Mr. Long,” the pimple-faced kid on the desk called when he came in a week or so after his dinner with Iris.
    â€œThanks, Jersey.” For some reason the young fellow loved it when someone referred to him as the Jersey Kid. Longarm supposed the nickname made the youngster feel adventuresome. It did
not
make anyone else think the boy was dangerous.
    He carried the message upstairs to read in private. After making sure the room door was locked, he lighted his lamp and turned the wick up high. Then he examined the thing as best he could.
    It was the same sort of cheap envelope that Helen had showed him, one of those that had contained threats to her girls.
    The message inside was much the same as well. Not threatening to expose Longarm to anyone. He had no one to be exposed to other than Billy Vail, and as far as Billy was concerned Longarm was taking some time off. Lord knew he had accumulated enough vacation time. Unused convalescent time too.
    Besides, no one here other than Helen knew that he was a lawman.
    YOU ARE IN THE WRONG PLACE. YOU REALLY NEED TO CLOSE UP AND GET OUT BEFORE SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS. THIS IS SENT AS A FRIENDLY WARNING. SO TAKE HEED OR YOU WILL BE HURT.
    There was, of course, no signature, nor were there any markings on the envelope to suggest who might have sent it.
    Longarm went back downstairs and asked the Jersey Kid who had left the message.
    â€œI don’t know, Mr. Long. I took my supper break around six. When I came back on duty, it was there in your slot along with your key. I never saw the person that left it for you. Is that all right? I mean, I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”
    Yeah, this was one wild and woolly hombre, all right. Danger on the hoof. “You did exactly right, Jersey. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
    â€œThanks, Mr. Long.” The boy’s smile was wide at discovering he had done nothing wrong and was not in trouble. You would have thought he had just been given a brand-new double eagle.
    â€œLet me know if I get any more messages, Jersey.”
    â€œI will, Mr. Long. You can count on me, sir.”
    â€œI know I can, Jersey.” Longarm smiled at the kid and added, “Hell, I do count on you. Good night,