Crow Bait

Forty-one

Lancaster walked Hermione down to the lobby at gunpoint. The desk was deserted, as all the brothers were in the street. He could sense that her mind was racing. She would come up with some kind of offer before they hit the street.

He was starting to think he might have been wrong when she stopped walking just before they got to the door.

“There’s an easier way to do this,” she said.

“How’s that?”

“Pay the toll,” she said. “I’ll reduce it. As long as you pay something, the boys will let you leave.”

“Out of the question,” he said. “I won’t pay anything.”

“Why do you have to be so stubborn?”

“Let’s just say it’s my nature.”

“What if I could give you what you came here for?” she asked.

“You said you couldn’t.”

“I lied.”

“Why?”

“Let’s just say it’s my nature.”

“Then why should I believe you now?”

“Because I’m tryin’ to save us both a lot of trouble,” she said.

“You should have thought of that before.”

“Wait, wait,” she said impatiently. She turned to face him. “Flagstaff.”

“What about it?”

“You’re lookin’ for a man named Sweet,” she said. “He’s in Flagstaff. Or at least that’s where Cardiff said he was goin’.”

“And why would he tell you that?”

“Men talk in bed sometimes.”

“You’re telling me that Cardiff came here to have sex with you?”

“He liked it here,” she said.

“And what about Adderly?”

“He didn’t like it here.”

“So they were both here?”

“Yes.”

“But not now?”

“No.”

Lancaster wasn’t sure he could believe her, but there was someone else he could ask.

“Okay,” he said, “let’s go.”

“Back upstairs?”

“No,” he said, “outside.”

“But…you have what you want.”

“Sorry, Hermione, but I don’t believe you,” he said. “Come on. Out.”

“B-but it’s crazy.”

“Are you trying to save yourself or your brothers?” he asked.

“I’m trying to save all of us!”

“I’m used to this kind of thing, Hermione,” he said. “I made my living for years with my gun. This’ll just be a stop for me on the way to the saloon.”

“You’re crazy,” she said, shaking her head.

“I think it’s pretty close which one of us is crazier.”

Outside, the Dickson brothers waited confidently. They’d been through this many times before. Lancaster would step through the front door, and they’d gun him down easy. After that they’d empty his pockets of all that money George had seen.

But when Lancaster stepped out, he had Hermione in front of him, and none of the brothers was prepared for that.

From the saloon, Dan watched the proceedings from the batwing doors. When he saw Lancaster appear in the doorway with Hermione in front of him, he chuckled and shook his head.

“Lancaster…” he said.