Henry Boyle came into the Blackfoot about an hour later. His eyes were big and his face was flushed. He held the saloon doors open and behind him came the two buffalo skinners carrying a body, which they dropped on the floor near the bar. Wolfson walked over and looked down. It was O’Malley.
“What the fuck are you bringing that in here for?” Wolfson said.
“Thought you’d want to see him, prove that he’s dead,” Boyle said.
His voice had a high, strained tone to it.
"Okay,” Wolfson said. “He’s dead. Now get him the fuck out of my saloon.”
“You heard the man,” Boyle said in his odd voice. “Throw him in the street in front of the Excelsior.”
The two skinners dragged the body out through the rest of Boyle’s mob, which came boiling in through the door.
“We wiped ’em out,” Boyle said to Wolfson. “Ones ain’t dead are heading for Texas.”
He made a sound that might have been a giggle.
“And running hard,” he said.
Wolfson nodded absently.
“We lost two hands.”
“Good work, Henry,” Wolfson said.
Then he turned and raised his voice to the room.
“Great work, men,” he shouted. “Rest of the night, drinks on me.”
The mob cheered. Wolfson looked over at me.
“Anything goes tonight, Everett,” he said. “No rules. You may as well take the night off.”
I nodded.
“Billie,” I said. “Go to my room and go in and lock the door and don’t let anybody in but me… or Virgil.”
“I might make some money,” Billie said.
“Not enough,” I said. “Stay in my room. I’ll take you.”
She nodded. We stood and I walked with her through the saloon. Near the door to the hotel, one of Boyle’s mob grabbed at Billie’s arm.
“Hey, Billie, where you going,” he said. “You should fuck us all.”
I clubbed him across the side of the head with my fist and forearm, and he staggered back against the doorjamb, and we went out and went upstairs to my room. I took my spare handgun off the top shelf of the closet, made sure it was loaded, and put it on the nightstand.
“You know how to shoot it?” I said.
“Cock it and pull the trigger,” Billie said.
“Okay,” I said. “Use both hands. And don’t be afraid to shoot.”
“I ain’t afraid to shoot,” Billie said. “Anybody comes in here I’ll shoot him in the pecker.”
“Aim for the middle of his body,” I said. “Gives you a bigger margin for error.”
Billie nodded. Her eyes were very big.
“I’ll wait outside until I hear the door lock,” I said.
I patted her on the backside and went out. The door locked behind me, and I went on back downstairs.