No Honor Ch. 14 Pt. 2: Pressure
The young man stuck out his hand and smiled. "Hi, how are ya?"
"Howdy", I said, and I shook it, wonderin' if my shock showed on my face. It was a firm grip too, nothin' weak about it. I tell ya, had Norm and Mitch not said they were... that way... I swear I'd never 'ave guessed.
I looked at Carter, who was deep inta his steak an pasta. He looked up at me, nodded, then went right back ta supper. It was like Norm just said the sky was blue.
Mitchell was searchin' his pockets, and then he came out wit' a small pouch, and dropped it on the table. Partly open like it was, you could see that it was fulla small, brown envelopes.
"I found that on his horse", he said. "A bunch more of 'em too, so I'm sure he was droppin 'em off to someone."
Carter said, "Maybe that was the plan for tonight, then his talk with Marco ran long.... Alright, did you tell 'im what I said now?", and then he took another bite o' steak.
"Sure did. And I asked him to spread the word, so...they'll know you got 'im."
I said, "Who knows what now?"
Mitch said, "There's a young guy, working the stable overnight. I told 'im to let people know that Carter's got Rex, and that again, he's looking for Larson."
I turned to Moon. "You holdin 'im ransom? Is that what this is?"
"That's what it's down to", he said. "All those candles and awl those leads went cold.... Either they point me one way, and he been there an' left, or they point me the otha, an it's just a wild guess for that money."
"Okay", I said. "So you squeezin 'em. Taking away they medicine man."
"I'm takin' away their dealer", he said. "That Indian in there? He's more of a medicine man than Rex'll eva be... I mean... that stunt, with those horses..."
"Yeah, hold on." I said. "That Indian... He was the one outside my outhouse that night, wasn't he?"
Carter smiled, and the other two laughed.
"Danca was excellent... Excellent", said Carter. "I couldn't have done that better."
Norm said, "I wish I coulda seen it. I was back here watchin' those Mexicans, and fallin' asleep."
Carter said, "Yeah, about that. Wayne... We're gonna need yer help, watchin' em. These boys have a store ta run, and Danca can't do it all day, so... A few hours, after your breakfast and before yer shift, and I'll be much obliged to ya."
"Well I'm in this now", I said. "There's no doubt about that."
"I thank ya sir... Don't think I forgot all you done, I haven't. And I promise, we won't need you long, it's just 'til the ruckus starts."
"You expect somethin' big then?"
He was chewin on 'is last few bites but he nodded, and I reckon 'e was right. Morphine was all over the town... and wit' no opium yet, and maybe never? Shit. Not even alcohol could fix a drought of the stuff, if it came to that.
After he was done, Carter said, "Well, I guess I better talk to tha man", and then 'e got up.
Me and Norm looked at each other, and then at Carter, who was limpin'... a little less so, but you could tell still... towards tha door and out, across to tha otha room. Norm asked Mitch ta balance the drawer, whatever that meant, and then we got up and followed 'im.
It was us, Carter, Dancer, Rex, and four Mexicans, huddled together in a corner. The Indian stood again. Moon grabbed a chair, took the bottles o' cleaner off it, and dragged it right in front o' Rex and sat down.
He took off his hat, wiped the sweat off 'is brow, an' then he set back, to begin.
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The young man stuck out his hand and smiled. "Hi, how are ya?"
"Howdy", I said, and I shook it, wonderin' if my shock showed on my face. It was a firm grip too, nothin' weak about it. I tell ya, had Norm and Mitch not said they were... that way... I swear I'd never 'ave guessed.
I looked at Carter, who was deep inta his steak an pasta. He looked up at me, nodded, then went right back ta supper. It was like Norm just said the sky was blue.
Mitchell was searchin' his pockets, and then he came out wit' a small pouch, and dropped it on the table. Partly open like it was, you could see that it was fulla small, brown envelopes.
"I found that on his horse", he said. "A bunch more of 'em too, so I'm sure he was droppin 'em off to someone."
Carter said, "Maybe that was the plan for tonight, then his talk with Marco ran long.... Alright, did you tell 'im what I said now?", and then he took another bite o' steak.
"Sure did. And I asked him to spread the word, so...they'll know you got 'im."
I said, "Who knows what now?"
Mitch said, "There's a young guy, working the stable overnight. I told 'im to let people know that Carter's got Rex, and that again, he's looking for Larson."
I turned to Moon. "You holdin 'im ransom? Is that what this is?"
"That's what it's down to", he said. "All those candles and awl those leads went cold.... Either they point me one way, and he been there an' left, or they point me the otha, an it's just a wild guess for that money."
"Okay", I said. "So you squeezin 'em. Taking away they medicine man."
"I'm takin' away their dealer", he said. "That Indian in there? He's more of a medicine man than Rex'll eva be... I mean... that stunt, with those horses..."
"Yeah, hold on." I said. "That Indian... He was the one outside my outhouse that night, wasn't he?"
Carter smiled, and the other two laughed.
"Danca was excellent... Excellent", said Carter. "I couldn't have done that better."
Norm said, "I wish I coulda seen it. I was back here watchin' those Mexicans, and fallin' asleep."
Carter said, "Yeah, about that. Wayne... We're gonna need yer help, watchin' em. These boys have a store ta run, and Danca can't do it all day, so... A few hours, after your breakfast and before yer shift, and I'll be much obliged to ya."
"Well I'm in this now", I said. "There's no doubt about that."
"I thank ya sir... Don't think I forgot all you done, I haven't. And I promise, we won't need you long, it's just 'til the ruckus starts."
"You expect somethin' big then?"
He was chewin on 'is last few bites but he nodded, and I reckon 'e was right. Morphine was all over the town... and wit' no opium yet, and maybe never? Shit. Not even alcohol could fix a drought of the stuff, if it came to that.
After he was done, Carter said, "Well, I guess I better talk to tha man", and then 'e got up.
Me and Norm looked at each other, and then at Carter, who was limpin'... a little less so, but you could tell still... towards tha door and out, across to tha otha room. Norm asked Mitch ta balance the drawer, whatever that meant, and then we got up and followed 'im.
It was us, Carter, Dancer, Rex, and four Mexicans, huddled together in a corner. The Indian stood again. Moon grabbed a chair, took the bottles o' cleaner off it, and dragged it right in front o' Rex and sat down.
He took off his hat, wiped the sweat off 'is brow, an' then he set back, to begin.
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