by Jake Logan
The trio would pass in front of the newspaper office in a few seconds. Slocum drew his six-shooter, went around back, and found that Herk had already jimmied open the door. That didn’t stop Slocum from kicking it in to make as much noise as he could.
“Herk!” he shouted at the top of his lungs and pointed his six-gun directly at the startled man at the table.
Herk shot to his feet and threw a tray of the heavy lead slugs at Slocum. He ducked, ran to the front door, and dashed into the street. Slocum shouted again, this time for Marshal Wilson.
Looking through the open front door, Slocum saw that the marshal was torn between his prisoner and looking around.
“Bozeman, he’s getting away. Run him down!”
The bounty hunter was huge, but he was quick and recognized the fleeing Herk. He caught the small man ten yards down the street and dragged him back, kicking and fighting.
“There ain’t nuthin’ wrong with his legs. By damn, Bozeman, you’re right!” The marshal released Finch, who began screaming about how Herk had killed Macauley. Within seconds a crowd gathered.
Slocum slipped out the back door of the newspaper office amid cries for tar and feathers. Finch demanded a necktie party, and Bozeman wanted the reward. Whatever happened to Herk, it wasn’t going to be good enough—but it would do.
Going to his horse, Slocum mounted and considered riding back to Hedison. Then he reconsidered. There wasn’t any good reason to make the return trip since Hightower would hear about tonight’s goings-on from the Abilene editor. Angelina Holman was a mighty fine-looking woman, but she had found a job at the Hedison Gazette, and unless he was mighty wrong, Josiah Hightower would ask her to be more than copy editor and sometime reporter soon enough. If he didn’t, he was a fool.
Slocum didn’t think he was.
He rode straight south out of Abilene, knowing he would find the road leading to San Antonio eventually, but right now letting the cold Texas night engulf him, the silence soothe him, and the bright stars above guide him—those were enough.
Watch for
SLOCUM AND THE CANYON COURTESANS
400th novel in the exciting SLOCUM series
from Jove
Coming in June!