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time so I stood out in the street and fired off my gun a few times and called for any man with a backbone to step out to talk. Windy was the first one to come join me but then some of the others who had buildings that they didn’t want to be torched came out to see what I had to say.”
    Longarm’s throat was getting dry so he took the bottle from Delia’s hand and took a swallow. “How you feeling?”
    â€œIt hurts but the whiskey helps. I’ll be ready to get out of here and get back on that train tomorrow. But finish your story about what happened in Monument, New Mexico.”
    â€œSure. I stood in the street and told Windy and the others that it was clear the Otero family would return later in the day and that I could either leave them . . . or they could stand with me and fight. Really, Delia, I gave them little choice.”
    â€œSo they found some backbone and stood with you?”
    â€œThat’s right. And as luck would have it, a pair of Texas Rangers rode into town saying they’d heard of the fix we were in and had come running to help. They were good, lean fighting men, and they helped me position the townspeople and prepare them for an attack.”
    â€œWhen did the Otero men show up?”
    â€œAbout sundown. There were nine, all armed to the teeth with bandoliers of bullets draped over their shoulders. Some even had swords and they were pretty fierce-looking. Windy, the rangers, and I stood in the middle of the street and faced them with at least a dozen townsmen hiding on rooftops and around corners of buildings. When I told the Mexicans to turn around and leave, they demanded the body of Jose Otero and I said two of them could dismount and recover the body, but then they had to leave and never return.”
    â€œWhat did they say to that?”
    â€œThe one who had gotten away from me the night before in the saloon cursed me and maybe he was still drunk because damned if he didn’t go for his gun. Someone on a rooftop shot him off his horse. Three more tried to grab their guns and fight and they all died in a volley of bullets, some of which were mine and some of them belonged to Windy and the two Texas Rangers. The point is, four of the Otero family died in seconds with more bullet holes in them than a hunk of Swiss cheese. Those who were smart wheeled their horses around and raced, but some of the people of Monument weren’t about to let them get away and maybe return someday when neither myself or the Texas Rangers were around.”
    â€œIt sounds like it became a slaughter.”
    â€œI’m afraid that is exactly what it became. The townspeople, many of whom had been robbed, beaten, and insulted for days shot them all down as they rode up the street and by the time they were out in the clear not one Otero was still in the saddle.”
    â€œMy gawd!” Delia whispered. “I never heard of that fight!”
    â€œIt’s a true story. But those battles along the border happen all the time and this just happened to be one of the bloodiest.”
    â€œDid you stay long in Monument?”
    â€œNo. I rode up to Santa Fe and made a report that never became public. And I never went back to that town, but I heard a year or so ago that it was doing pretty well and that Mexicans and Americans alike never spoke of the Otero family again. I’m sure that the family had been a scourge on both sides of the border for years and no one was missing them at all.”
    Delia finished with the notes. “I’ll put this into one of my stories and change the location to the Arizona border and all the names will be different.”
    â€œI’m counting on you to do that,” Longarm said. “And right now I need a good description of this fella that stabbed you.”
    â€œHe is pretty ordinary-looking. About five feet ten inches tall, sandy-brown hair, bearded, and he has a scar on his chin.”
    â€œHow was he