Read Online The Loner: The Bounty Killers by J. A. Johnstone - Free Book Online
Authors: J. A. Johnstone
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share of it, Browning. So I had a look through these reward dodgers for them.”
The Kid started to shake his head. “I don’t want any reward,” he said. He couldn’t stop a bitter edge from cutting into his voice. “You can keep all that blood money.”
“But look here,” Fairmont went on as he turned. “I found those owlhoots—”
He leveled the little pistol that had been hidden under the papers. The barrel pointed right at The Kid’s middle.
“And I found something else, too,” the marshal went on. “Put your hands up, Morgan . You’re under arrest.”
Chapter 10
The Kid’s hands didn’t rise, despite the fact that Fairmont thrust the gun at him menacingly.
“You knew all along, didn’t you?” he asked coolly.
“That you’re wanted for breaking out of prison and murdering some guards over in New Mexico Territory? I’ve known ever since I went through these wanted posters and found the one about you. I knew you had to be a gunfighter. I just didn’t know you were Kid Morgan.”
“So you had me to supper at your house?”
“That was the girl’s idea,” Fairmont snapped. “I was watching you like a hawk the whole time. If you’d tried anything, you would’ve been sorry.”
“I wouldn’t have tried anything, Marshal. I told you the truth. I’m not looking for trouble.”
“Yeah, tell that to those guards you killed.” Fairmont motioned with the pistol in his hand. “Now unbuckle that gunbelt, slow and easy, and put it on the floor.”
The Kid made no move to follow the order. “I didn’t kill any guards,” he said. “Yes, I broke out of prison, but it was because I was locked up unjustly. I was mistaken for an escaped convict named Ben Bledsoe. The authorities in New Mexico know this. There are no charges against me. Whoever put out those wanted posters made a terrible mistake.”
Fairmont grunted. “Terrible for you, no doubt about that. With a price of ten thousand dollars on your head—and dead or alive, at that—you’re going to attract a lot of attention. You’ll be safer in my cell block than anywhere else, Morgan. Now unbuckle that gunbelt and get in there.”
The Kid thought about how it had felt to have iron bars closing him in. He shook his head.
“Sorry, Marshal. I’m not going to do it.”
“Damn it, I’ll shoot you if I have to!”
The Kid looked at the gun in Fairmont’s hand. “That’s a .32 caliber revolver you got so tricky with,” he said. “If you put a slug in me, it won’t knock me down. I’ll have plenty of time to get my gun out. You know what that means.”
The marshal paled. “You’d kill a lawman? I thought you said you aren’t a murderer.”
“I said I never killed any prison guards in New Mexico,” The Kid replied with a thin smile. Let Fairmont make of that whatever he wanted.
But as a matter of fact, he didn’t want to kill the marshal, for Carly’s sake, if for no other reason. On top of that, Fairmont believed he was just doing his job. A man didn’t deserve to die for that.
“Damn it, Morgan. I can’t let you walk out of here. It doesn’t matter if you did save my life this afternoon. You’re a wanted man. It’s up to the courts to sort out whether the charges are justified, not me.”
“That’s why I sent the wire, Marshal. It went to my lawyer in San Francisco. If he’s given a chance, I’m sure he’ll straighten everything out.”
“You expect me to believe that a drifting gunfighter has a lawyer in San Francisco?”
“It’s true,” The Kid said. “If you’re interested in the ten thousand dollars, I can make arrangements to have that amount paid to you.” He could have added that he was actually a very wealthy man with business interests stretching from one end of the country to the other, but he didn’t think Fairmont was very likely to believe that .
The offer appeared to anger the marshal. “I’m a lawman,” Fairmont snapped. “I earn my wages by keeping the peace. I don’t
The Kid started to shake his head. “I don’t want any reward,” he said. He couldn’t stop a bitter edge from cutting into his voice. “You can keep all that blood money.”
“But look here,” Fairmont went on as he turned. “I found those owlhoots—”
He leveled the little pistol that had been hidden under the papers. The barrel pointed right at The Kid’s middle.
“And I found something else, too,” the marshal went on. “Put your hands up, Morgan . You’re under arrest.”
Chapter 10
The Kid’s hands didn’t rise, despite the fact that Fairmont thrust the gun at him menacingly.
“You knew all along, didn’t you?” he asked coolly.
“That you’re wanted for breaking out of prison and murdering some guards over in New Mexico Territory? I’ve known ever since I went through these wanted posters and found the one about you. I knew you had to be a gunfighter. I just didn’t know you were Kid Morgan.”
“So you had me to supper at your house?”
“That was the girl’s idea,” Fairmont snapped. “I was watching you like a hawk the whole time. If you’d tried anything, you would’ve been sorry.”
“I wouldn’t have tried anything, Marshal. I told you the truth. I’m not looking for trouble.”
“Yeah, tell that to those guards you killed.” Fairmont motioned with the pistol in his hand. “Now unbuckle that gunbelt, slow and easy, and put it on the floor.”
The Kid made no move to follow the order. “I didn’t kill any guards,” he said. “Yes, I broke out of prison, but it was because I was locked up unjustly. I was mistaken for an escaped convict named Ben Bledsoe. The authorities in New Mexico know this. There are no charges against me. Whoever put out those wanted posters made a terrible mistake.”
Fairmont grunted. “Terrible for you, no doubt about that. With a price of ten thousand dollars on your head—and dead or alive, at that—you’re going to attract a lot of attention. You’ll be safer in my cell block than anywhere else, Morgan. Now unbuckle that gunbelt and get in there.”
The Kid thought about how it had felt to have iron bars closing him in. He shook his head.
“Sorry, Marshal. I’m not going to do it.”
“Damn it, I’ll shoot you if I have to!”
The Kid looked at the gun in Fairmont’s hand. “That’s a .32 caliber revolver you got so tricky with,” he said. “If you put a slug in me, it won’t knock me down. I’ll have plenty of time to get my gun out. You know what that means.”
The marshal paled. “You’d kill a lawman? I thought you said you aren’t a murderer.”
“I said I never killed any prison guards in New Mexico,” The Kid replied with a thin smile. Let Fairmont make of that whatever he wanted.
But as a matter of fact, he didn’t want to kill the marshal, for Carly’s sake, if for no other reason. On top of that, Fairmont believed he was just doing his job. A man didn’t deserve to die for that.
“Damn it, Morgan. I can’t let you walk out of here. It doesn’t matter if you did save my life this afternoon. You’re a wanted man. It’s up to the courts to sort out whether the charges are justified, not me.”
“That’s why I sent the wire, Marshal. It went to my lawyer in San Francisco. If he’s given a chance, I’m sure he’ll straighten everything out.”
“You expect me to believe that a drifting gunfighter has a lawyer in San Francisco?”
“It’s true,” The Kid said. “If you’re interested in the ten thousand dollars, I can make arrangements to have that amount paid to you.” He could have added that he was actually a very wealthy man with business interests stretching from one end of the country to the other, but he didn’t think Fairmont was very likely to believe that .
The offer appeared to anger the marshal. “I’m a lawman,” Fairmont snapped. “I earn my wages by keeping the peace. I don’t
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