Robert Parker - Brimstone

“Percival would be with me and he would drink and he would tell me things,” Allie said. “He’s crazy, Virgil. I think he actually thinks he’s God.”

“Probably ain’t,” Virgil said.

Allie went on, in a kind of rush.

“He says he gets Pike outta the way… and you and Everett… says he will turn the town into a new Bethlehem.”

“He think Pike’s going to go along with this?” Virgil said.

“No,” Allie said. “He knows there’ll be a fight. He sent Choctaw Brown out to hire more deacons.”

“He thinks Choctaw’s with him on this?”

“Yes.”

“Choctaw’s with Pike,” Virgil said.

“How do you know?” Allie said.

Virgil shook his head and didn’t answer.

“I had to tell you,” Allie said. “I knew I’d have to say I was with Percival, but you had to know. He said he was going to get rid of you, too. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“No,” Virgil said.

He looked at Laurel.

“I am hard to get rid of,” he said. “You shouldn’t worry about it.”

She whispered in his ear.

“Me ’n Everett,” Virgil said. “Like always.”

She whispered to him again. He listened and nodded slowly.

“Good idea,” he said. “Everett, see if you can find Pony Flores, if you would.”

Which I did.

“GOT REASON TO THINK there’ll be trouble between Percival and Pike,” Virgil said to Pony.

“Sí,” Pony said.

“I think Pike will chew Percival up and spit him out,” Virgil said.

“Sí,” Pony said.

“But before he does,” Virgil said, “Everett and me may be in the middle of it.”

Pony nodded.

“Where do you stand?” Virgil said.

Pony pointed at Virgil.

“Okay,” Virgil said. “Ball goes up, somebody gotta be looking out for Laurel.”

Pony nodded and pointed at his chest.

“You all right with Pony?” Virgil said to Laurel.

She nodded slowly.

“Might keep an eye on Allie, too,” Virgil said.

“Like mother chicken,” Pony said.

“How come you’re not sticking with Pike?” I said.

Pony nodded at Laurel.

“Chiquita,” he said.

I nodded.

“You know anything ’bout all this?” Virgil said.

“Pike know ’bout Percival,” Pony said.

“Choctaw?” I said.

“Everybody know Choctaw work for Pike,” Pony said.

“ ’Cept Percival,” Virgil said.

“Percival crazy,” Pony said.

“Pike knows that, too?” Virgil said.

“Everybody know that, too.”

“ ’Cept Percival,” Virgil said.

“Pike say he don’t mind if you boys get killed, either,” Pony said.

“Be his town then,” I said. “You think Pike got the outfit to do the job?”

“Percival? Sure,” Pony said. “You boys and me?” He grinned and shook his head.

“ ’ Less he’s hiring some new boys,” I said. “Choctaw’s the best he’s got.”

“Choctaw’s good,” Virgil said.

“Good as you?” I said.

Virgil said, “Subject to proof.”

“Pike the best,” Pony said.

“Might be,” Virgil said.

“Is,” Pony said. “Seen him.”

“Maybe we’ll find out,” Virgil said.

“Pike said he was gonna kill you,” Allie said.

Her voice seemed hoarse and small, as if she were forcing it out through a narrow opening.

We all looked at her.

“Who’d he say that to?” Virgil asked her.

“Me,” she said. “Men tend to brag when… you know.”

Virgil stared at her as if he were startled. Which wasn’t possible, because Virgil Cole was never startled.

“Allie,” he said. “ ’Stead of telling me who you been with, be easier if you gave me a short list of men you haven’t.”

“Wasn’t with him often,” Allie said. “Percival used to give me to him once in a while when he’d come over, and they’d be drinking.”

Virgil stood and walked to the office door and looked out at the street for a while. Laurel watched him closely.

Without taking his eyes off the street, Virgil said, “We got to go over this, Allie, all of it, you, me, Laurel. But now ain’t the time.”

He turned slowly from the door and looked at Allie.

“Right now you got one thing to do. You look out for Laurel. You and Pony. You do what Pony says and you don’t ask questions and you don’t think. You do what he says.”

“I am trying to help, Virgil, honest to God. I’m a different woman. I only want to help.”

“You hear what I told you,” Virgil said.

“Yes.”

Virgil walked back and sat beside Laurel again.

“You too, Laurel,” he said. “When it all starts, you do what Pony says, just like it was me.”

She nodded.

“Can you talk with him?” Virgil said.

She shook her head.

“Okay,” Virgil said. “Pony ain’t much of a talker, anyway.”

VIRGIL WAS A BEAR on exercising the horses. Most days we’d ride at least one town patrol on them, and every couple of days we’d take them out and breeze them along the river. This day, as we rode back toward town, Virgil reined in for a moment and sat looking across the river where we’d first seen the Indian.

“Wonder what it was,” Virgil said. “ ’Tween that Indian and Pike.”

“Something that mattered,” I said. “He wanted to do more than just kill him.”

Virgil nodded.

“Thinking about it,” Virgil said, “I figure them arrows was all for Pike.”

“Yep.”

“Means Pike knew who it was all the time,” Virgil said. “Since they found that steer.”

“Yep.”

“Mighta helped if he told us,” Virgil said.

“Would,” I said.

We moved the horses forward, letting them walk now, taking our time.

“Think it’ll go like Allie told us?” I said.

“You know Pike,” Virgil said. “You know Percival. Whadda you think?”

“It’ll go like Allie told us.”

Virgil nodded.

“Be nice if they wiped each other out,” I said.

“Be nice,” Virgil said.

“How we going to play it?” I said.

“Stay out of the way,” Virgil said. “Contain it. When one side wins, we deal with them.”

“What you gonna do about Allie?” I said.

“Don’t know about Allie,” Virgil said.

“Hell,” I said. “Allie don’t know about Allie.”

“Probably not,” Virgil said. “But I know we can’t raise no fifteen-year-old girl without a woman.”

“Don’t have to be Allie,” I said.

“Got no better choice at the moment,” Virgil said.

“No,” I said. “We don’t.”

The horses took us slowly back into town, and on down Arrow Street toward the livery stable. The town seemed like it always did. Busy. Lotta people on the street. Kinda prosperous. The Church of the Brotherhood was closed and silent. No organ music. Allie wasn’t playing there anymore. At Pike’s Palace, several of his associates were lingering outside on the porch, wearing sidearms.

We left the horses at the stable and walked to the office. We dipped some water from the barrel, and drank, and sat on the front porch and looked at things.

“So we sit and await developments?” I said.

“Nope,” Virgil said. “I think we go right at ’em.”

“Good,” I said. “I hate awaiting developments.”

THERE WAS A NEW LOOKOUT at Pike’s Palace, a tall, thin guy with striped pants and a shotgun on his lap. I went and stood against the wall near him with the eight-gauge while Virgil went to talk with Pike at the bar. The lookout wasn’t happy about me standing there. He looked at Pike. Pike shrugged faintly, and the lookout settled back.

“Why the heavy ordnance, Virgil,” Pike said.