when Clint didnât suspect anything from the colonel. He already knew Farelli was a conniving weasel, but he seemed well intentioned enough as far as this job was concerned. After all, the man still was an Army officer, and he had a job to do.
âCan I think about it?â Clint asked.
âSure. Youâve got until tomorrow.â
âThatâs not a lot of time.â
âYouâre not the easiest man to track down,â Farelli shot back. âJohnson is the man to see at the bunk house. Heâll set you up with a place to stay, if you like.â
Clint started to leave the room, but stopped before opening the door. Turning toward Farelliâs desk, he asked, âWhatâs your angle?â
âPardon me?â
âThe last time we met, you were being charged with stealing supplies and pocketing the profits. Now you make me this offer, complete with five hundred dollars and a free room for the night. Surely you might have expected Iâd be a little suspicious.â
Although Farelli kept his posture straight and his chin high, the expression on his face dropped all the way to his boots. His eyes burned for a moment before sputtering out. âYou caught me red-handed, Adams. I was fined and prosecuted. Itâs over. You can help put a stop to this bloodshed, so you can either do it or not. Itâs too late for much of anything else that used to be between us.â
Clint hadnât seen that coming. Farelli actually seemed honest. âAll right. Iâll help out.â Placing his hands upon the edge of the desk, Clint leaned forward and added, âBut if I so much as sniff the first hint of a double-cross, Iâll make sure youâll regret ever seeing my face again.â
âFair enough. The bunk house is out my door and to your right.â
FIFTEEN
Clint walked out of the shack and meant to look around for Abigail before heading to the bunk house. As luck would have it, both of his searches were ended with one casual glance. Abigail was leaning against the bunk house.
She waited for him to approach before asking, âWas that asshole like that when you got him locked up?â
âPretty close, yeah.â
âGood.â
âDid you get your money?â Clint asked.
Patting her jacket pocket, Abigail replied, âEvery cent, and I sure as hell ainât spending any of it in this place. If youâre headed west, Iâd be willing to show you a few more sights.â
âIâm staying here for the night. After that, Iâm joining Farelliâs second in command to meet with the chief of the tribe thatâs been attacking folks around here.â
âYouâre really working for that colonel?â Abigail asked with shock written across her face. âHow can you trust a damn word he says?â
âI donât,â Clint replied. Glancing around to notice that a few men in uniform were approaching, he lowered his voice and leaned closer to her. âAnd I donât have to trust him. If he meant to set me up for a fall, this is the perfect mission for it. From everything Iâve seen about this Indian situation, things couldnât be much worse.
âFor a man like the colonel, the first move heâd make is to send an enemy or expendable annoyance into this fight. He might be stretching the truth to bring me here, but this is something Iâd want to do no matter what. Thereâre good men dying and I think I can help fix that. Iâve had some experience with the Navajo and I may be able to ease things up a bit, or at least find out whatâs causing all of this so I can get that information to someone who actually does his job properly.â
Abigail chuckled humorlessly and asked, âYou think the colonel is just stretching the truth?â
âHe may be lying about a lot of things, but the fact of the matter is that he may be the one behind this and the best way for me to find out
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