Ironhorse

63

After we searched the whole of Half Moon Junction and found no sign of Lassiter or anyone who might have seen him, the governor, Hobbs, Berkeley, Virgil, and I collected in the main room of Hotel Ark just as the sun was coming up. Burns came in from the saloon with a pot of coffee and set it on the front desk next to the pair of mounted mallards.

“Anything else, Mr. Berkeley?” Burns said.

“No,” Berkeley said. “Thank you, Burns.”

Burns went back into his room behind the desk and closed the door. The governor had not said much to us since he had previously entered Hobbs’ room. What little he did have to say let Virgil and me know right away he was not part of the unfolding plot of thievery.

The governor was angry with Hobbs, and at the moment was pacing. Not just a little bit angry but a lot. His knuckles were on his hips, holding back the flaps of his jacket, as he moved back and forth in front of Hobbs. Hobbs was seated in a tall-backed chair next to the bobcats. Virgil and I stood leaning on each side of the foyer arches. The black bears were behind us, just inside the hotel’s entrance. Berkeley perched on a stool by the reception desk. A single shaft of morning sun peeked through one of the windows and lit up the hen and drake mallards sitting on the reception desk like a theater spotlight. After a wave of uncomfortable silence, the governor spoke.

“My God, Chester,” the governor said.

Hobbs looked at him, but the governor did not look at Hobbs.

“How could you?” the governor said. “Are you mad?”

Hobbs said nothing.

“How in the hell could you have dragged me and my family into this?”

Hobbs looked at the floor and shook his head.

“I asked you if you evaluated the security of the situation,” the governor said, “and you assured me this was a sound business proposition and we’d be safe! My girls, my wife! My God! I trusted you!”

The governor stopped talking for a moment and paced quietly, trying to let off some steam. Following a bandy of turns, he stopped and looked at Virgil.

“And for what?” the governor said. “They did not even get the money they were after!”

“What?” Hobbs said as he looked up from the floor. “Well, where is it?”

The governor turned on Hobbs like a badger and slapped him so hard blood instantly came to his nose.

“My daughters have been abducted!”

Hobbs grabbed his bleeding nose and just looked at the governor.

“God knows what will come of this, and you have the audacity to ask: Where’s the money!”

The governor stood over Hobbs with his fists clenched at his sides — as if Hobbs would even think of retaliating — but Hobbs just remained seated, looking up at the governor as his nose bled.

“Why did you ask me about where I was carrying the money?” the governor said.

“What?”

“Goddamn you, Chet! Why? You asked me more than once. Why?”

Hobbs looked down at the floor again, and blood dripped off his chin onto his shirt.

“Lassiter wanted to know,” Hobbs said. “I thought for security, I’m sorry—”

“Sorry? Damn right you’re sorry!”

“I was the one who got the Pinkerton agents,” Hobbs said.

“Yes! You are the one who got the Pinkerton agents! You got the Pinkerton agents killed!”

The governor jerked a handkerchief from his pocket and slung it at Hobbs.

“Goddamn you, Chet,” he said.