The Lawman

Chapter Thirty

That night when Decker entered Crystal’s Palace, he was amazed at how the inside looked. He’d seen fancier places, but for a town like San Louisa, this was pretty fancy.

Already there were men waiting for a free girl, and he was also surprised to notice that there were no drinks being served. Perhaps that would be their next step.

He had not seen Red Moran on the streets of San Louisa the whole time he’d been there. Moran didn’t seem to be taking his duties as sheriff all that seriously. He was sure, however, that he would be seeing the man here, tonight.

“Good evening, sir,” a woman’s voice said.

He turned his head and found himself looking into two of the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. The woman had pale skin and red hair, and a full, firm body fitted into a low-cut green dress. The cleft between her breasts was smooth and creamy.

“Welcome to Crystal’s Palace,” she said. “I am Crystal, your hostess.”

“Thanks for the welcome.”

“This is your first time here, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I should tell you that there is a membership fee before you can enter.”

“How much?”

“Five dollars. After that you can pick out a girl and make your arrangements with her, depending on what you want.”

“I don’t see any girls,” he said, looking around the sitting room, “only men.”

“Well, all of our girls are busy at the moment. Would you like to stay?”

He took out five dollars and handed it to her.

“I’ll stay.”

“Thank you. I’m sure you won’t regret it.”

“Excuse me,” he said as she turned to walk away.

“Yes?”

“If all of the girls are busy…what about the hostess?”

She smiled at him and said, “I’m afraid that would cost you more than you could afford.”

“And it would probably be worth it, too.”

Her smile broadened—and became more real—and she said, “You’re very sweet. Please, have a seat and someone will be available shortly.”

“Thanks.”

Decker entered the sitting room, which was inhabited by cigar-smoking men who were engaged in conversation about various things. As he listened he heard some of them discussing business, and others discussing the merits of some of the girls who worked at the Palace. He counted almost a dozen men, and not all of them were Mexican, and not all of them were from his town.

He took a seat and lit up one of his own cigars, almost in self-defense. As he continued to look around the room he saw a couple of women come down the stairs, each of them Mexican and quite pretty. One was tall and full-breasted, while the other was shorter and slimmer. They each picked a man out who seemed to have been waiting for them and went back upstairs to work.

Decker was there almost a half an hour before he got what he wanted.

He was watching the steps from upstairs and recognized the man immediately.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a sheriff’s star on his shirt, but what clinched it was the face. It was the same smooth, handsome face that was on the poster in his pocket.

There was twenty-five hundred dollars, coming down the stairs.

Behind him a stunning blonde woman came down, and at the foot of the stairs the red-head was glaring up at the two of them. From what Decker could see the fact that they were coming down at the same time was probably a coincidence, but the redhaired Crystal apparently didn’t see it that way. She and Moran got into a heated discussion and Moran finally gave up and walked out.

Yep, Decker thought, things are sure heating up for Moran in this town. Shouldn’t be long before he made his move.

The blonde eased past the redhead and came into the sitting room. She saw Decker just as he was standing up to leave and came walking over to him.

“Are you waiting for me, lover…I hope? I’m Gloria.”

“Well, actually—” Decker said.

“He’s waiting for me, Gloria,” Crystal said, coming up behind the blonde.

Gloria turned and looked at Crystal in surprise.

“For you? But I thought—”

“This is by special request, dear,” she said, looping her arm through Decker’s. “Run along and take care of old Mr. Velasquez.”

The blonde looked over at the white-haired, beer-bellied man Crystal was talking about, then rolled her eyes and walked over to him.

“He’s the undertaker,” Crystal said, “and he smells like it.”

“Well, now that the joke is over,” Decker said, disengaging her arm, “I think I’ll be leaving.”

“Leaving?” Crystal asked, looking puzzled. “But you did ask me if I was busy, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but you said—”

“Well, I’ve changed my mind. I think you’ve been kept waiting so long that only the best will satisfy you.” She put her arm through his again and said, “Shall we go upstairs?”

Decker recognized that this was a very dangerous situation. Crystal was obviously Moran’s woman, and she was just doing this to get back at him after the argument they’d just had. At any moment, Moran could return and find them together.

Still, this was a place of business, and Decker really had nothing better to do with his time.

He looked at the creamy valley between her breasts again, and her green eyes, and said, “Yes, why don’t we?”