Ironhorse

56

Berkeley pulled the coffeepot from the stove. He poured cups and handed them around. The first cups he passed through the bars to Vince and the other prisoner. They both looked at the coffee like it might be poisoned.

“Just coffee, boys,” Berkeley said.

Berkeley poured more cups. He gave one to Virgil, then me. He kicked the chair where Larson was sleeping. Larson looked about, wondering what happened, and Berkeley handed him a cup.

“Nap’s over,” Berkeley said.

Virgil sipped on his coffee for a moment, then continued questioning Vince.

“So, Brandice wanted to stop, why?”

“He wanted to come after you.”

“He told you that?” Virgil said.

“Oh, yeah, he did,” Vince said. “He damn sure did. He said he had bloody plans for you. Not Hitch.”

Vince looked over to me and back to Virgil.

“Just you. He said he was going to cut you into pieces. He went into detail how he would go about it, too. He’s an animal, and judging from what I saw, he was not just whistling a waltz.”

Virgil looked at me and smiled a bit and looked back to Vince.

Vince continued, “He told me to brake the cars from rolling backward or else. I said, or else what? And he came at me like a bit dog. He cocked his rifle, but big Woodfin was fast. He grabbed the rifle and hit him so hard he went down in a clump.”

I was looking at Virgil. He looked to me, then back to Vince.

Vince was looking at the floor.

“And Woodfin?”

Vince stayed looking at the floor for a moment before lifting his eyes back to Virgil.

“I told Woodfin to keep an eye on him. I had Rex, big Butch, and Eddie here” — Vince pointed to the smaller fellow in the cell next to him — “working the brakes in the other cars. We was rolling for a good long while, and after some time I came back to the Pullman. Woodfin had Bob at gunpoint, by the uphill door. When I came back in through the door, Woodfin looked to me, and when he did, Bob, real fast-like, spun around on Woodfin and in a second had a knife to Woodfin’s throat. I went for my Colt, but Bob said he’d cut Woodfin if I touched the Colt. Woodfin still had Bob’s Henry rifle in his hands. Bob told Woodfin to let go of the rifle. But instead of letting go of the rifle, Woodfin just slung the rifle out the door, and when he did Bob cut Woodfin’s throat,” Vince paused looking at Virgil. “He just cut Woodfin’s throat. I never seen anything like that, just cut his goddamn throat and flipped him off the rail. I went for my Colt, and when I did Bob slung the conductor’s lantern at me. I shot, but I don’t think I hit him. Next thing I knew, he was off and the Pullman was on fire. He’s a mean son of a bitch.”

“Then what?”

“I told the governor to get his wife and get into the back car. That is exactly what happened, and within a short time the cars started to go real slow. I disconnected the Pullman, and after a few moments we were stopped, just stopped.”

“Then what?”

“I told the governor, all the people, to stay put in the cars. Give us time to get going, and then they could do what they needed to do.”

Virgil looked at Vince, who was now looking at Virgil, nodding.

“I’m telling the truth.”

Virgil stood up to close the heavy doors between the cell and the office.

“Ask the governor, he’ll tell you.”

I figured Vince was telling the truth, and so did Virgil, but for whatever reason Vince felt his routine was deserving of some sympathy or acknowledgment, but Virgil was not about to oblige Vince in any way. Virgil just closed the doors.

“That’s the truth!” Vince said as the doors closed with a thud.