Bounty on a Baron

Chapter Eighteen

The beer at the Dice Box was not as cold as the beer at the Broadus House, but there certainly was enough gambling to satisfy a gambling man. Decker wasn’t really a gambling man, but he enjoyed a good poker game as much as anyone.

It was getting on into evening now, and another thing the Dice Box had this time of day was women. They were young, attractive, and dressed in low—cut, sequined gowns. Decker decided to stay around for a while and then go back to the Broadus House, which was more his kind of place.

He took his beer and walked around, watching some of the gambling tables, listening to the conversations. It was possible that he might hear something helpful.

At one point one of the girls came over and leaned on his shoulder.

“Can I get you something, honey?” she asked, tracing the outline of his jaw with a long, painted nail.

She was young, very pretty and had a very deep, creamy cleavage, but she was wearing so much perfume that his head hurt and his nostrils burned.

“No, thanks,” he said. “Why don’t you check with one of the players?”

“Maybe later?” she asked.

“Maybe,” he said, promising nothing.

She sashayed off and talked to some of the men who were playing blackjack, and it looked to Decker like she was having more luck with them than she’d had with him.

He was returning to the bar for another beer when he saw Sheriff Roman walk through the batwing doors. He stood at the bar, waiting to see what the lawman was going to do. In a few seconds Roman spotted him and came over to him.

“Evening, Decker.”

“Sheriff,” the bounty hunter said. “Making your rounds?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, my rounds. Hey, Ernie, give me a beer, huh?” the sheriff said to the bartender. To Decker he said, “Interested in gambling?”

“Not really. I play a little poker now and then.”

“Some pretty women working here.”

“Sure are, but this really isn’t my kind of place.”

“Oh? What is?”

“The Broadus House. It seems a little simpler, much more my style.”

“This place usually gets most of the action.”

“That’s why I’m still here.”

“Hoping to hear something about this man you’re looking for?”

“You never know,” Decker said. “You haven’t heard anything, have you, Sheriff?”

“Me? No, not a word,” he said. “Oh, but I did hear something about you sending telegraph messages ahead to some of the other towns.”

The only way he could have heard about that was to check with the telegraph office. Why would he have done that? Decker wondered.

“What’s that all about?” Roman asked. “Trying to get the local law to do your job for you?”

“Just asking for some co-operation, is all. It could save me some time in the saddle.”

“You don’t really expect to get any help from real lawmen, do you?”

“Why not? You’ve been pretty co-operative, haven’t you?”

“Sure I have,” Roman laughed, “but I’m a helluva guy.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“Does this mean you’ll be staying in Broadus a little longer?”

“At least until I get some replies.”

“I see.”

Roman finished his beer and set the empty mug down on the bar.

“Well, I’d better, uh, continue my rounds. See you around, Decker.”

“Sure, Sheriff. See you around.”

Decker watched the man walk out, wondering what he had really come in for.

When Brand finished his story, Josephine stared at him for a few moments, as if she simply couldn’t comprehend what he’d told her.

“Who is this man?” she finally asked.

“I can’t be sure,” he said. “It might be a bounty hunter named Decker.”

“This Decker, is he dangerous?”

“He’s the most dangerous bounty hunter there is,” Brand admitted.

“Is there a way to find out if it’s him?”

“There are two ways,” he said. “One, we can check the livery. If there’s a hangman’s noose with his saddle, then it’s him.”

“A hangman’s noose?”

“He carries it with him.”

“That’s horrible!” Josephine whispered, her eyes growing wider.

“I guess it’s his lucky charm.”

“Does he—does he use it?”

“Well, his bounty is usually collectable dead or alive.”

“What’s the other way to find out?”

“His gun. He wears a cut-down shotgun in a special holster. You can’t miss it.”

“I want to help,” she said. “What do you want me to do?”

“All right,” Brand said, “now listen closely…”