Potshot

Chapter 43

BOBBY HORSE TOOK Hawk and me slowly up the back slope of the hill behind the Dell. It was steep and littered with shale and spiky with dry desert growth. We took two and a half hours to get to the top and another half-hour to reach the rim where the hill dropped off perpendicularly and formed the back wall of the Dell.

Flat on our stomachs, screened by the scrub growth that hung onto the canyon, we could see the Quonset huts of The Preacher's crew straight below us, and beyond, where the canyon dropped off again as it stepped down toward the desert, the town clustered on the otherwise empty flat land. To our left was the ravine that led into the canyon, through which I came to visit The Preacher. It was the only way in, which made the place secure. It was also the only way out.

"Hard to go in there," Hawk said.

I said, "Un-huh."

"Hard to get out of there."

"Un-huh."

The heavy dry heat was battering. Sweat dried at once.

"Dumb," Hawk said. "All they saw was how hard it was to get in."

"They didn't choose the site," I said. "It was just sort of there, where the mine was, and I don't think they ever thought they'd have to get out."

"Probably didn't think there'd be anyone willing to make the fucking climb," Hawk said to me. "You be the only one I can think of."

Bobby Horse passed around a big canteen and we all drank some water. The water was hot.

"It's not boiling," I said, "so the temperature must be less than 212."

"What temperature you suppose ammunition start exploding?" Hawk said.

We were all silent, staring down at the Dell.

"Put some people up here," Bobby Horse said, "and some people at the ravine down there and we can shoot them to pieces."

I was going to say something about fish in a barrel, but the imagery didn't seem quite right for the parched furnace below us.

"We'll keep it in mind," I said.

"Why not just do it?" Bobby Horse said.

"He too sweet-natured," Hawk said to Bobby Horse.

"Besides," I said, "means we'd have to climb down, get people together, and climb back up here with rifles."

"I be one of the folks at the ravine," Hawk said.

"If it comes to that we'll draw straws," I said. "Except me. As you pointed out, I'm your employer."

"I believe you discriminating racially," Hawk said. " 'gainst me and my Native American sidekick."

"You were the one said we needed to know more before we started shooting." I said.

"I didn't mean it," Hawk said.

Bobby Horse paid no attention to us, as he stared down at the Dell.

"Looks like a generator shack over there," he said.

"Yes," I said. "You can see the hookups to the other buildings."

"Where's the fuel?" Hawk said.

"Barrels," Bobby Horse said. "Other side of the building. They set one on a high stand and ran a hose into the generator. Works on gravity."

"You got a look at the other side?" Hawk said.

"Me and Chollo," Bobby Horse said. "We went over to that little jut at the end of the canyon."

"No wonder Chollo didn't want to come again," I said.

"Mexicans tire easy," Bobby Horse said.

We looked at the Dell some more. There was a large body truck parked near the generator shack. It was probably used to haul the fuel oil.

"Might be good to take that generator out," Bobby Horse said. "No lights, no television, no a/c."

"Water be pumped up from a well," Hawk said. "So no running water."

"How we going to take it out?"

"I go down," Bobby Horse said.

"You could get down there?"

"Sure."

"And back?"

"Sure."

"We'll keep it in mind," I said.

We lay for awhile baking at the top of the cliff looking at the Dell.

"When I went in to talk to The Preacher, when I was here before, nobody stopped me. I didn't see any sentries."

Bobby Horse pointed toward the ravine. Hawk and I looked. I saw nothing.

"Keep looking," Bobby Horse said. "Near the top of the ravine. A cluster of scrub? Just below it a ledge? Under the ledge."

I found the scrub and the ledge and kept looking. Then I saw a glint of light reflecting from under the ledge.

"Gun barrel," Bobby Horse said, "belt buckle, sunglasses, maybe a wristwatch."

"How many you think?" I said.

"Two." Bobby Horse said.

There was no uncertainty in his voice.

"So they let me in because I was alone and not carrying any visible weapons," I said.

"Probably thought you was a tourist got lost," Bobby Horse said.

"Or a dashing soldier of fortune," I said. "And they hoped to recruit me."

"We put somebody at the ravine," Hawk said, "we need to eliminate them first."

"I can do that," Bobby Horse said.

"Both of them?" I said.

"Sure."

"You Native Americans are scary," Hawk said.

"Heap scary," Bobby Horse said.

"Talk funny, too," I said.

We stayed on our bellies and stared down through the shimmering that rose from the canyon floor, until most of our water was gone, and we had internalized the layout of the Dell. Then we edged away from the rim, stood and walked the half-hour walk back to the downslope of the hill behind the Dell.

"We got the people to do this," Hawk said as we started the long scramble back down. "You put the shooters up here, Vinnie, Chollo, maybe the little hard case from Vegas. Me and you do the close work in the ravine, with Tedy Sapp and Bobby Horse."

"If we need to," I said.

"How you going to know if we need to?"

"When I figure out what's happening here. I'm not going to slaughter a bunch of people and then find out we didn't have to."

Hawk shook his head slowly.

"A sweet nature," he said. "A sweet fucking nature."