Texas Bluff

CHAPTER 37

By chatting with the girls, Butler was able to determine that Lily was not in the parlor with them. With just a little more encouragement one of the girls said Lily was upstairs with her best customer.

“Not her favorite customer,” one of the other girls was quick to point out, “but her best.”

She was a blonde named Kimmie, while the girl on his left was a redhead named Ruby.

“Oh,” Butler said, “that would probably be my friend Sutherland.”

“You know Sutherland?” Ruby asked.

“You’re friends with him?” Kimmie asked, clearly disappointed.

“Well,” Butler said, “not exactly friends. I’ve just heard him talk about this place, and Lily.”

“Lily’s not so special,” Ruby said, sniffing.

“You’d be a lot better off with one of us,” Kimmie said, stroking his right thigh.

“That’s the truth,” Ruby said, stroking his left.

Butler felt he had two ways to go. Take one of the girls upstairs and try to find Sutherland, or wait outside for the man to leave.

“So, do you girls have a price for all night?” he asked.

“Oh, Rosie don’t like a man to stay all night,” Ruby said. “She says we can make more money with more men.”

“I see.”

Both girl’s hands were becoming insistent, so he sprang to his feet.

“I guess I’ll come back, then.”

“When?” Ruby asked, with big cow eyes, which meant to make her look disappointed.

“Why?” Kimmie asked. “For Lily?”

“No,” he said, “I have to decide between the two of you, and I can’t make that decision now. It’s just too hard.”

Coyly, Ruby said, “You could take us both.”

“Oh God,” he said, clutching his chest, “I think that would give me a heart attack. No, I think I’ll make my decision and then come back.”

“If you go red, you won’t go back,” Ruby said.

“That don’t even rhyme,” Kimmie told her.

“I don’t care—”

“I’ll see you girls soon.”

He had to get past Rosie on the way to the door. She couldn’t believe he was leaving.

“You can take your time and decide here,” she told him.

“Too much pressure,” he said. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back.”

He hurriedly went out the door, despite her protests. The same man opened it to let him out, and he got a bad feeling from him.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Walt.” The man’s eyes slid away.

“Okay, Walt, thanks.”

“Sure.”

Butler left. It was getting dark by this time. He decided to look for a likely place to stand and watch and wait. First, he checked out the alley next to the building, but that was no good. He finally decided on a doorway across the street.

He watched as men who had gone in before him came out, and still no Sutherland. More and more he had a bad feeling about the door man, Walt. Lo and behold, while he was thinking of him, the man appeared at the door. Apparently, he was through for the day. Walt stepped down, looked both ways, and began to walk in a direction that took him away from the docks.

Butler quickly crossed the street. Instead of simply intercepting the man he slammed into him and pulled him into a wall.

“Hey, wha—”

“Hello, Walt,” Butler said.

“Who are y—Hey? What’re ya doin’?”

“Sutherland was upstairs the whole time, wasn’t he?” Butler asked. “You went up and told him I was looking for him. What’d he do, go out a back door? Or a window?”

“Hey, I don’t know—”

“Yeah, you do.” Butler pulled him away from the wall, then slammed him back into it. The man tried to get away, but he was smaller and Butler was stronger.

“All you’ve got to do is tell me the truth, Walt,” Butler said.

“H-he’ll kill me.”

Butler took his gun out and pressed it to the side of Walt’s head.

“Why don’t I just kill you now, and get it over with?” he suggested.

“No, no!” Walt said. “Wait. Yeah, okay, he was upstairs with Lily. I—I tipped him off that you was downstairs.”

“He go out the back?”

“The back door’s sealed,” Walt said. “He musta gone out a window down to the alley.”

“Can you see the parlor from the alley?”

“Yeah, yeah, I think you can.”

So all Sutherland had to do was look in the window to see him. Apparently, he wasn’t prepared to take another try at killing him.

“Okay,” Butler said, “one more question. Where does Sutherland live?”

“Wha—you crazy? I dunno that.”

“Then where would he go?”

“Anywhere,” Walt said. “Anywhere in Hell’s Half Acre. This is where he feels at home.”

Butler thought a moment. Sutherland was going to be wondering how Butler found him. Where would he go to find the answer?

Butler released Walt.

“Okay,” he said. “Get going.”

“You ain’t gonna kill me?”

“Not even going to put a scratch on you,” Butler said. “Get out of here!”

Walt skulked away and Butler was sure he’d tell Sutherland about this.

He was counting on it.