Ironhorse

14

Dean looked at Virgil with a blank look on his face. His knees worked toward each other like he needed to pee. Dean’s face was wet with sweat.

“Was it?” Virgil said.

Dean slowly shook his head.

“Whose idea was it?”

“I don’t rightly know.”

“What do you mean you don’t rightly know?”

“Vince tol’ us, but I ain’t sure who tol’ Vince.”

“No.”

“No? I mean, I swear! I don’t know! We was in Wichita Falls, we just moved a bunch of cattle for a cow-calf outfit there. Vince’s horse came up lame, and he peeled off ’fore the rest of us. He said he met a fellow playing Seven-Up at the Bluebell Pool Palace. A Yankee. It was the Yankee’s plan.”

“You’re lying to me, Dean.”

“No!”

Virgil took a few steps toward Dean and stopped.

“I ain’t lying! It’s the truth!”

“A Yankee?” Virgil said.

“Yes!”

“What’s his name?”

“That I don’t know! Vince was the one who met him. Vince said this Yankee knew about trains. About this train, I swear... the rest of us was just doing what Vince tol’ us to do.”

“What did Vince tell you to do?”

“To ride down to Paris. Board a long train with a bunch of cars. This train! He said ’cause of the land run happening in the Indian Territory that there would be a lot of people on the train going that direction with money and we’d make a lot of money.”

“What else?”

“That was it,” Dean said. “I swear.”

“What does this Yankee look like?”

“Don’t know. Never saw him.”

“You don’t know his name? You never saw him?”

The Adam’s apple in Dean’s skinny neck moved up, then dropped down.

“That’s right.”

Virgil walked a few more steps closer to Dean and stopped.

“You did not come down here to rob wallets and watches,” Virgil said.

Dean backed up a bit, hitting the door. He was dripping with sweat. Drops were falling from the tip of his nose.

“Did you, Dean?”

Dean blinked hard a few times and shook his head.

“No.”

“Go on,” Virgil said.

Dean took a deep breath.

“Well, we was getting the money, everybody’s money, like I tol’ you,” Dean said. “But... um, there’s supposed to be some loot on board.”

“Loot?” Virgil said.

Dean nodded.

“A bunch of loot,” Dean said.

“How do you know this?” Virgil asked.

“That’s what the Yankee tol’ Vince,” Dean said. “Vince tol’ us there was a lot of money being carried on this train.”

“What else do you know, Dean?” Virgil said.

“Honest to God, nothing!” Dean said.

“Don’t go using words like honest and God. They don’t sit well by you,” Virgil said. “Makes me think you are lying to me, Dean.”

“I ain’t lying,” Dean said. “All I know is Vince said we was gonna rob a train carrying a bunch of loot, that’s all I know. That’s what the Yankee told him, and Vince said when we all got off back there where we was supposed to get off that we was going to divvy up! That’s all I know!”

“Turn around, put your nose to that door.”

Dean just looked at Virgil.

“Now,” Virgil said.