Robert Parker - Blue-Eyed Devil

He looked at Virgil and me.

“Well,” Callico said. “We did it.”

“We surely did,” Virgil said.

“Don’t expect those red niggers will try this town again.”

“Probably not,” Virgil said.

“Thanks for your help,” Callico said.

Virgil and I both nodded.

“Well,” Callico said, and looked around at the ruin of a town. “Get me a bath and a night’s sleep, and we’ll start putting this town back together.”

“Gonna cost some money,” I said.

“Those Indians are from a United States government reservation,” Callico said. “I figure the government owes us.”

“Think you can convince them?” I said.

“You boys just watch me,” Callico said.

“We will,” Virgil said.

Callico turned his horse and fell back in among the returning straggle.

We watched him ride away.

“The hero of Appaloosa,” I said.

“He gets government money to rebuild this place,” Virgil said, “he will be.”

“And they’ll never remember what he was doing while the place was burning,” I said.

“He knows many important people,” Allie said. “I’ll bet he can do it.”

Virgil nodded.

“When will Pony bring Laurel back?” Allie said.

“Soon as he thinks she’s safe,” Virgil said.

“Do you know where he took her?” Allie said.

“Red Castle Rock, probably,” Virgil said.

“You know where that is?” Allie said.

“I do,” Virgil said.

“Well, why on earth don’t you go out there,” Allie said. “And bring her back.”

“He’ll bring her back,” Virgil said. “When it’s time.”

“She’s alone, sleeping God knows where with a half-breed tracker,” Allie said. “She’s sixteen, for God’s sake. I’m trying to bring her up right.”

“Doin’ a fine job,” Virgil said.

“And one thing I know,” Allie said. “If I know anything, I know men.”

Virgil nodded.

“And let me tell you right now,” Allie said, “that no good will come of him running off with her someplace alone.”

Staring down the smoke-soiled main street of Appaloosa, Virgil turned his head and squinted at Allie.

“I love you, Allie,” Virgil said. “Not exactly sure why sometimes. And it looks like I’m keep doing it.”

“Why, thank you, Virgil,” Allie said.

“But you say some of the goddamned stupidest things I have ever heard,” he said.

“Everett,” Allie said. “Are you going to let him speak that way to me?”

“Pony killed his brother to save Laurel,” I said.

“Does that make him a good candidate for husband?” Allie said.

“Might mean he loves her,” I said.

“Oh, piffle,” Allie said. “Why does anybody love a nybody?”

Virgil squinted at her some more.

“Damned if I know,” he said.

FAT WILLIS MCDONOUGH, who had no bar to tend at the moment, walked down to Virgil’s house from the remains of the Boston House.

“Your friend Pony Flores is in some trouble up on Main Street,” Willis said.

“Girl with him?” Virgil said.

“Yep.”

Virgil stood.

“You fellas go ahead,” Fat Willis said. “Never much liked hurrying.”

“Not generally much need,” Virgil said.

We started up First Street. And when we reached Main, we turned left.

Pony was there, still mounted, with Laurel sitting behind him, her arms around his waist. Standing in front of them in a semicircle in the street were Callico and his four surviving cops.

“Managed to get two of them killed at the ford the other day,” Virgil said.

Standing on the street beside Pony, near his left stirrup, with his two ivory-handled Colts gleaming in the sunlight, was Chauncey Teagarden.

“Fellas want to arrest the hero of the great Apache war,” Teagarden said to us. “Don’t seem right to me.”

We paused so that Callico had Teagarden and Pony in front of him, and me and Virgil behind him. His uniformed officers may have lost some of their confidence in him at the river crossing. They looked at us a little uneasily.

“You are interfering with an officer in performance of his legal duties,” Callico said sternly.

Teagarden smiled.

“You bet your ass,” he said.

“We are five armed men,” Callico said.

“And we’re only four,” Teagarden said. “What a shame.”

Virgil said, “What you arresting him for, Amos?”

“I want to know what part he played in all of this,” Callico said. “I mean, his brother was the one burned the town. Why’d this man take that girl? How much did he help his brother with the burning and looting?”

I smiled to myself. They’d been too busy with the burning to do much looting. That would probably have come next day, along with raping, if Pony hadn’t cut the whole thing short.

“He helped save your town,” Virgil said.

“Got to find that out officially, Virg,” Callico said. “Got to take him in.”

“No,” Virgil said.

“Virg,” Callico said. “You gotta understand. We’ll turn him loose, soon’s we clear him.”

Virgil said nothing.

I said, “Callico, we all know that this is about looking like the man in charge at the battle of Appaloosa.”

“You’re planning to interfere?” Callico said.

“We are,” I said.

“All three of you?”

“Four,” Pony said.

Callico nodded forcefully.

“We’ll discuss this again,” he said.

“No,” Virgil said. “We won’t.”

The sound of hammers and saws filled the street. A big freight wagon hulked past, stacked with partially burned lumber, the massive draft horses leaning hard into their harness. Callico turned sharply, jerked his head at his policemen, and walked back down Main Street. We watched them go. Pony looked at Virgil and smiled.

“ ‘Virg’?” he said.

“My mother didn’t even call me that,” Virgil said.

“What did she call you?” I said.

“Don’t remember,” Virgil said.

WE WENT back down First Street toward Virgil’s house. When we got there, Allie was on the front porch. Laurel slid off the back of Pony’s horse and ran to her. Pony stayed on the horse.

“My child is home safe,” Allie crooned. “My child is home.”

“Don’t think she’s staying, Allie,” Virgil said.

He was standing on the first step of the porch, next to Laurel.

“What,” Allie said. “What.”

Virgil said, “You stayin’, Laurel?”

She shook her head.

“You going away?” Virgil said.

She nodded.

“With who?” Virgil said.

Laurel pointed at Pony.

“You can say his name,” Virgil said.

Laurel stared at Virgil.

“You can,” Virgil said.

She stared some more. Virgil leaned forward and whispered in her ear. She nodded. He whispered again. She shook her head. He whispered again. She was motionless. Then she looked at Pony. And at me and Allie, and obliquely at Chauncey Teagarden. She looked back at Virgil and then at Pony again.

“Pony,” she whispered.

I saw Allie’s eyes widen. Her mouth opened. But something stopped her before she spoke.

“You want that, Pony?” Virgil said.

Pony was turned sideways in his saddle. His right foot was in the stirrup, and his left knee hooked over the saddle. He was rolling a cigarette.

“Sí,” Pony said, and lit the cigarette.

“Got some money left from Brimstone,” Virgil said. “I’ll get you some.”

Pony shook his head.

“Good way to start, Jefe,” he said. “Each other, nothing else.”

Virgil nodded.

“Buy her a horse,” he said.

Pony smiled.

“I get her horse, Jefe.”