Robert Parker - Ironhorse

“No,” Berkeley said. “I’m afraid not. It’s my understanding when the coaches came to a halt, they told the passengers to wait until they were gone, out of sight, before anyone stepped off the train. That’s my understanding, anyway. I have no idea where they are. They most likely moved quickly away from the fray, but I honestly have no idea. What with dealing with the governor and the rest, I’m sorry, I just do not know. We did look for them. I had a few of my deputies look around. We had their descriptions, but we came up with nothing. There are a lot of men in this town.”

“The two back there, staring at us,” Virgil said. “That Lassiter and Hobbs?”

Berkeley turned, looking at the men. He turned back to Virgil and nodded slowly.

“Why, yes,” Berkeley said. “As a matter of fact, they are. That’s James Lassiter and Chester Hobbs.”

We ate pork chops with pepper gravy, corn, and cat-head biscuits covered with molasses. The pretty whore with the straight back and pointed shoulders smiled at me as she picked up my empty plate. Virgil lit a fancy cigar Berkeley gave him, and we listened to Mr. Lassiter and Mr. Hobbs tell us about their account of the evening. With the exception of learning about the large dollar amount of money the governor was carrying, so far Lassiter and Hobbs’ story coincided with what Emma and Abigail told us. Hobbs was wiry and angular, with thin hair and muttonchops. Lassiter was taller and handsome, with intense eyes. They both had gray hair and appeared to be close to sixty.

“We were en route for a business endeavor in the Indian Territories before we were tossed from the train,” Lassiter said.

Hobbs twisted a napkin like he was trying to get water out of it.

“It was a grueling walk back here,” Hobbs said. “I can tell you that. God knows I’ve got the blisters to prove it.”

Lassiter scoffed a bit.

“If it weren’t for the mule team traveling down from the camps, we’d still be out there,” Lassiter said.

“Yes, and thank God in Heaven,” Hobbs said. “No telling what might have happened to us.”

“No sooner than we got back,” Lassiter said, “and I wired ahead, the governor and the others arrived. Just the goddamnedest thing.”

“And thank God,” Hobbs said. “But now the poor girls are missing. I pray for their safe return.”

“What did you wire ahead?” Virgil said.

“Well,” Lassiter said, “alerting the way stations of the situation, of course.”

“The situation being?”

“Well, that we were being robbed,” Lassiter said, “and to notify authorities.”

“A heinous test of mettle all around,” Hobbs said, “not to mention the extravagance of the robbery.”

Virgil sat back in his chair, puffing on his cigar. He moved around some crumbs of biscuit on the table.

“You said a half a million dollars,” Virgil said. “That is a lot of money.”

Lassiter let out a whistle between his teeth. “Indeed it is, Marshal Cole,” he said. “Indeed it is.”

“It was,” Hobbs said. “A business endeavor that simply went awry.”

“Awry in the worst of ways,” Lassiter said.

Hobbs bobbed his head, concurring with Lassiter.

“Hell of an ordeal,” Hobbs said. “Hell of an ordeal.”

“Was that the extent of your wire?” Virgil said.

Lassiter squinted at the question like he didn’t like it.

“It was,” Lassiter said.

Virgil took a pull on his cigar. He blew out the smoke, and it swirled under the lamp hanging over the table.

“You send a wire to anybody else?” Virgil said.

Lassiter looked at Hobbs and shook his head.

“Like who?” Lassiter said.

“Texas law officials?”

“Did not,” Lassiter said.

“How come?”

“What do you mean?” Lassiter said.

“Just that,” Virgil said.

Lassiter looked at Hobbs.

“Your governor was on the train. His life in danger,” I said. “Just curious why you did not contact Texas Rangers or military.”

“Or other members of the Texas government,” Virgil said.

“There was no reason to alarm anyone,” Lassiter said, “until we knew what we were dealing with.”

“And now you know?” I said.

“Well, to some degree we do,” Lassiter said. “Yes.”

Virgil took another pull from his cigar and blew another roll of smoke across the table.

“How did this conductor fellow come to target the governor; you, Mr. Lassiter; and you, Mr. Hobbs?” Virgil said.

“What do you mean?” Lassiter said.

“Just that,” Virgil said.

“He got into the Pullman with you,” I said, “and ordered you to get your luggage down?”

Lassiter and Hobbs looked at each other and nodded in tandem.

Hobbs said, “That’s right.”

“Why?” Virgil said.

“Why?” Lassiter said.

“How did he know the governor had that amount of money on him?” I said.

“Well, I don’t know,” Hobbs said. “We don’t actually know.”

Lassiter crossed his arms and frowned a bit.

“I suppose he did not know for certain,” Lassiter said. “I mean, how could he have known?”

“That’s what I’m trying to asscertin,” Virgil said, then shook his head. “That ain’t the word I meant. What is the word I’m looking for, Everett?”

“Ascertain.”

“That’s right,” Virgil said. “That’s what I’m trying to ascertain.”

Berkeley came from the bar with a bottle of cognac and poured us a snort.

“I have arranged for a posse,” Berkeley said. “They’ll be gathering here at first light.”

“Splendid,” Hobbs said.

“This endeavor you were planning on in the territories,” Virgil said. “What was the nature of this endeavor?”

“What do you mean?” Lassiter said defensively.

“What was the governor planning to do with that money?”

Hobbs and Lassiter looked at each other. Lassiter sat tall and said, “The territories will open; the land run will be taking place very soon.”

“This much I know,” Virgil said.

“We were providing resources for the city developments,” Lassiter said.

“And how were those resources to be distributed?” Virgil said.

“We provide the marshals to stake the claims, and the payment would be for their services,” Hobbs said, “and in turn, we retain ownership.”

“Ownership?” Virgil said.

“Yes,” Lassiter said. “Essentially.”

“Essentially,” Virgil said, “what you were doing was buying Indian land or planning on buying Indian land with Texas money?”

Lassiter and Hobbs looked at each other like they didn’t like the sound of what they heard.

“And whose idea was this?” Virgil pressed.

“Idea?” Hobbs said.

“Yep.”

“The state of Texas was in surplus,” Lassiter said, “and this, this land run, provided us, and the state, an opportunity.”

“Everett, when we left Mexico, how long did it take us to get out of the state of Texas?” Virgil said without looking at me.

“Five days, altogether.”

“Five days?”

“Yep,” I said. “Five days by train.”

Virgil smiled.

“And to think the state of Texas ain’t big enough,” Virgil said. “Now they want the Indian Territories.”

Lassiter and Hobbs laughed.

“‘Provided us,’ you say,” Virgil said. “Are you, Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Lassiter, members of the legislation?”

They shook their heads together again.

“We are both attorneys,” Lassiter said. “Law partners.”

“So what was the nature of your involvement?”

“We had the contacts; we both have served as legal counsel for the Nations,” Hobbs said. “The Five Civilized Tribes, and we had the relationships.”