Robert Parker - Ironhorse

After we searched the whole of Half Moon Junction and found no sign of Lassiter or anyone who might have seen him, the governor, Hobbs, Berkeley, Virgil, and I collected in the main room of Hotel Ark just as the sun was coming up. Burns came in from the saloon with a pot of coffee and set it on the front desk next to the pair of mounted mallards.

“Anything else, Mr. Berkeley?” Burns said.

“No,” Berkeley said. “Thank you, Burns.”

Burns went back into his room behind the desk and closed the door. The governor had not said much to us since he had previously entered Hobbs’ room. What little he did have to say let Virgil and me know right away he was not part of the unfolding plot of thievery.

The governor was angry with Hobbs, and at the moment was pacing. Not just a little bit angry but a lot. His knuckles were on his hips, holding back the flaps of his jacket, as he moved back and forth in front of Hobbs. Hobbs was seated in a tall-backed chair next to the bobcats. Virgil and I stood leaning on each side of the foyer arches. The black bears were behind us, just inside the hotel’s entrance. Berkeley perched on a stool by the reception desk. A single shaft of morning sun peeked through one of the windows and lit up the hen and drake mallards sitting on the reception desk like a theater spotlight. After a wave of uncomfortable silence, the governor spoke.

“My God, Chester,” the governor said.

Hobbs looked at him, but the governor did not look at Hobbs.

“How could you?” the governor said. “Are you mad?”

Hobbs said nothing.

“How in the hell could you have dragged me and my family into this?”

Hobbs looked at the floor and shook his head.

“I asked you if you evaluated the security of the situation,” the governor said, “and you assured me this was a sound business proposition and we’d be safe! My girls, my wife! My God! I trusted you!”

The governor stopped talking for a moment and paced quietly, trying to let off some steam. Following a bandy of turns, he stopped and looked at Virgil.

“And for what?” the governor said. “They did not even get the money they were after!”

“What?” Hobbs said as he looked up from the floor. “Well, where is it?”

The governor turned on Hobbs like a badger and slapped him so hard blood instantly came to his nose.

“My daughters have been abducted!”

Hobbs grabbed his bleeding nose and just looked at the governor.

“God knows what will come of this, and you have the audacity to ask: Where’s the money!”

The governor stood over Hobbs with his fists clenched at his sides — as if Hobbs would even think of retaliating — but Hobbs just remained seated, looking up at the governor as his nose bled.

“Why did you ask me about where I was carrying the money?” the governor said.

“What?”

“Goddamn you, Chet! Why? You asked me more than once. Why?”

Hobbs looked down at the floor again, and blood dripped off his chin onto his shirt.

“Lassiter wanted to know,” Hobbs said. “I thought for security, I’m sorry—”

“Sorry? Damn right you’re sorry!”

“I was the one who got the Pinkerton agents,” Hobbs said.

“Yes! You are the one who got the Pinkerton agents! You got the Pinkerton agents killed!”

The governor jerked a handkerchief from his pocket and slung it at Hobbs.

“Goddamn you, Chet,” he said.

The governor was sure enough angry and certainly distraught. He was doing his best to remain composed, but he was not doing a very good job of it. He resumed pacing but avoided looking at Hobbs. He spoke to Virgil and me as he moved.

“Even with the Pinkertons on guard, I was not so stupid to carry that amount of money in my possession,” the governor said. “Or in the freight safe with guards. God knows how many payrolls have been absconded from train safes.”

Continuing shafts of sun slanted across the room as Half Moon Junction was waking up. Outside, a skinner hawed a team of mules as they rounded the corner of the hotel and drove north up the street. After a moment more of pacing, the governor stopped in front of the snarling bobcats and turned to face Virgil and me.

“So,” he said, “what now?”

Virgil looked at me.

“Lassiter showed his hand,” I said.

“He did,” Virgil said.

“Didn’t have to.”

“No,” Virgil said, “he didn’t.”

“Article just mentioned him,” I said, “didn’t convict him.”

“He convicted himself.”

We thought about that for a moment.

“Something spooked him,” Virgil said.

“That would be you, Marshal,” Hobbs said as he removed the handkerchief from his bleeding nose. “You scared the hell out of him when you were asking us all those questions.”

“He said that?” I asked.

“No,” Hobbs said, shaking his head, “not in words, anyway. He did say he thought the questions were unnecessary and insensitive, but in retrospect, I realize he was seriously disconcerted after your inquisition.”

“Disconcerted to the point he took my goddamn horse,” Berkeley said.

“Lassiter planned this with this thief Wellington,” the governor said. “The whole devious plot. Most likely intending on returning to the firm, keeping his profile.”

“Not now,” Virgil said.

“Nope,” I said. “Don’t think Texas will be part of his itinerary,” I said, “no time soon, anyway.”

“He’s got one of two options. He’ll get as far away as possible or he goes after Wellington, and the money he thinks Wellington has,” Virgil said.

“Wellington was vicious with his demands, and Lassiter was rattled, or he seemed rattled,” Hobbs said. “Do you think Wellington double-crossed him?”

“Lassiter thinks, or I would assume he thinks, Wellington has the money,” the governor said.

“That’s right,” Virgil said.

“And Wellington,” I said, “since he had your case, Governor, thought he was in possession of the money.”

Virgil pushed up on the brim of his hat a slight bit.

“There’s one thing for certain now, though,” Virgil said. “Now he knows he’s not in possession of it.”

“Might try and go after it,” I said.

“Might,” Virgil said.

The front door opened and a skinny young boy with coal dust on his hands and face and a head full of shaggy blond hair hurried in. He stopped by the black bears in the foyer and looked up at Virgil and me standing in the entrance to the main room of the hotel.

“Mr. Berkeley,” the boy said.

Berkeley got off the stool to have a look at the towheaded boy.

“What is it, Charlie?”

Charlie took a deep breath.

“Sam told me to fetch you right away!” Charlie said. “Said it was important! It’s got something to do with the governor’s daughters!”

The sun felt warm on my face. It was a new day, and sleep apparently was not an option, at least for the foreseeable future. Virgil and I had been in many sleep-deprived situations before, situations in which we had to operate on gumption and get-go, and this was shaping up to be one of those very situations. We walked down the street, heading to meet Sam and figure out what important information young Charlie was talking about regarding Abigail and Emma. The air was crisp, and there was not a cloud in the morning sky as Virgil, Berkeley, Hobbs, the governor, and I followed Charlie as he hurried ahead in front of us. Virgil and I lagged behind, out of earshot of the others.

“What do you allow, Virgil?”

“Hard to speculate.”

I didn’t say anything else as we continued walking.

“You?” Virgil said.