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Authors: J. Roberts
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either on the street, or in the livery.”
“Should we split up?” she asked.
“No,” Clint said, “let’s stay together.”
“You still don’t trust me?” she asked.
“It’s got nothing to do with trust,” Clint said. “I don’t think you’re ready to run into these two men without me . . . do you?”
She made a face and said, “Fine, we’ll stay together.”
They stopped at the livery, did not find Tate and Del’s horses, which Clint would have recognized from Briartown. The liveryman told them nobody had ridden in all day, except for a man who had bought an extra horse.
They walked down the street carefully, not wanting to run into the two men. Clint stopped when he saw the two horses and pointed.
“There’s their horses, in front of the general store.”
“They got the third horse as a pack animal, right?” she said.
“That’s right,” Clint said, “so they’re buying supplies to take back to their camp.”
“Which may or may not be Pearl Starr’s camp.”
“Right again.”
“So what if we follow them and it’s not?” she asked. “Then we’ve wasted all this time.”
“Maybe,” he said, “but do you have another idea?”
“We could keep looking for Pearl Starr.”
“Just riding around, looking?”
“Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?” she asked.
“Yes, but we’ve come across these two men who I’m sure are part of a gang. They’re obviously not smart enough to be doing anything on their own. I could tell that from my encounter in the livery.”
She stared across the street at the horses, then said, “So where are they, then? In the general store?”
“Maybe,” Clint said. “That’s for you to find out.”
“Me?”
“You’ve been wanting something to do, right?” he asked. “Well, they know me, and they’ve never seen you. So take off your badge and gun, leave them with me, and go do some shopping.”
“Why do I always have to take off my badge?” she muttered, but she took it off and unstrapped the gun. As she handed it to him, she asked, “Why the gun?”
“It’ll make them curious, a woman wearing a gun.”
“And what if they’re not in there?”
“Talk to the clerk,” Clint said. “See what you can find out. Maybe they went off to a saloon, or another whorehouse. But they left their horses there, and not in the livery. Chance are they’re going to leave today.”
“Okay,” she said, “okay . . .”
He could see she was nervous.
“This is the easy part, Alice,” he said. “It’s just a bunch of talk. Say you admired one of their horses, or saddles. Store clerks like to talk. He’ll probably tell you everything you want to know.”
“What if he’s not talkative?”
“Flirt with him then.”
“Flirt? I don’t know how.”
“Come on, you’re an attractive woman. You must have flirted with a man sometime.”
“Flirt?” she asked. “With all this dirt on me?”
“Maybe he likes dirty women,” Clint said. “Just go.”
“And what if they’re in there?”
“Then look around a bit, and come back out. Don’t talk to them, don’t look at them. Don’t do anything to make them think you’re interested in them.”
She took a deep breath.
“I’ll wait right here, and come running at the first sign of trouble.”
“You better,” she said, and started across the street.
TWENTY-FOUR
Alice Eads crossed the street, slowed briefly as she passed the three horses, and then entered the general store. She found the store empty, except for the clerk behind the counter.
“Afternoon, miss,” he greeted her. “Help ya find somethin’?”
Good, she thought, he’s talkative. She didn’t know about flirting with him, though. He was tall and gangly and kind of ugly. If a woman did flirt with him, he’d probably become suspicious.
“Just got to town,” she said, “thought I’d look around. Saw those three horses out front. I just thought—”
She didn’t even have to give the
“Should we split up?” she asked.
“No,” Clint said, “let’s stay together.”
“You still don’t trust me?” she asked.
“It’s got nothing to do with trust,” Clint said. “I don’t think you’re ready to run into these two men without me . . . do you?”
She made a face and said, “Fine, we’ll stay together.”
They stopped at the livery, did not find Tate and Del’s horses, which Clint would have recognized from Briartown. The liveryman told them nobody had ridden in all day, except for a man who had bought an extra horse.
They walked down the street carefully, not wanting to run into the two men. Clint stopped when he saw the two horses and pointed.
“There’s their horses, in front of the general store.”
“They got the third horse as a pack animal, right?” she said.
“That’s right,” Clint said, “so they’re buying supplies to take back to their camp.”
“Which may or may not be Pearl Starr’s camp.”
“Right again.”
“So what if we follow them and it’s not?” she asked. “Then we’ve wasted all this time.”
“Maybe,” he said, “but do you have another idea?”
“We could keep looking for Pearl Starr.”
“Just riding around, looking?”
“Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?” she asked.
“Yes, but we’ve come across these two men who I’m sure are part of a gang. They’re obviously not smart enough to be doing anything on their own. I could tell that from my encounter in the livery.”
She stared across the street at the horses, then said, “So where are they, then? In the general store?”
“Maybe,” Clint said. “That’s for you to find out.”
“Me?”
“You’ve been wanting something to do, right?” he asked. “Well, they know me, and they’ve never seen you. So take off your badge and gun, leave them with me, and go do some shopping.”
“Why do I always have to take off my badge?” she muttered, but she took it off and unstrapped the gun. As she handed it to him, she asked, “Why the gun?”
“It’ll make them curious, a woman wearing a gun.”
“And what if they’re not in there?”
“Talk to the clerk,” Clint said. “See what you can find out. Maybe they went off to a saloon, or another whorehouse. But they left their horses there, and not in the livery. Chance are they’re going to leave today.”
“Okay,” she said, “okay . . .”
He could see she was nervous.
“This is the easy part, Alice,” he said. “It’s just a bunch of talk. Say you admired one of their horses, or saddles. Store clerks like to talk. He’ll probably tell you everything you want to know.”
“What if he’s not talkative?”
“Flirt with him then.”
“Flirt? I don’t know how.”
“Come on, you’re an attractive woman. You must have flirted with a man sometime.”
“Flirt?” she asked. “With all this dirt on me?”
“Maybe he likes dirty women,” Clint said. “Just go.”
“And what if they’re in there?”
“Then look around a bit, and come back out. Don’t talk to them, don’t look at them. Don’t do anything to make them think you’re interested in them.”
She took a deep breath.
“I’ll wait right here, and come running at the first sign of trouble.”
“You better,” she said, and started across the street.
TWENTY-FOUR
Alice Eads crossed the street, slowed briefly as she passed the three horses, and then entered the general store. She found the store empty, except for the clerk behind the counter.
“Afternoon, miss,” he greeted her. “Help ya find somethin’?”
Good, she thought, he’s talkative. She didn’t know about flirting with him, though. He was tall and gangly and kind of ugly. If a woman did flirt with him, he’d probably become suspicious.
“Just got to town,” she said, “thought I’d look around. Saw those three horses out front. I just thought—”
She didn’t even have to give the
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