Роберт Паркер - Robert B. Parker's Revelation

The three naked men all went for a gun. The man that was sitting in the pillows was the fastest. He was up and on the move, too.

“Don’t do it,” I shouted. “Don’t move!”

But that did not stop them. The man in the bed took off, naked, with pistol in hand and ran out the door.

“Stop!” Virgil shouted.

Ravenscroft and the other man fired wildly in my direction and the three naked women screamed as they dove for cover.

Ravenscroft was gunning with both of his pistols.

I heard Virgil fire and saw the flash of his Colt and then one of the naked men came falling backward through the door and stumbled, then fell into the pool as Ravenscroft and the other man kept firing blindly in my direction.

I remained behind the tree, out of the line of fire, but could see the men.

Then Ravenscroft took off running into the creek. He was slanting away from me, and as he ran he fired both guns toward me. I took steady aim and squeezed off a shot.

“Arrggg,” he said as he arched his back. “Goddamn.”

But he kept firing and I shot again. This bullet hit him again and spun him around. Then he moved toward me and fired one more time but could not keep his feet under him. He stumbled forward and fell face-first into the foggy creek.

“Stop,” I heard Virgil say.

Then I saw through the rising steam of the creek the flash of the last gunman as he tried to shoot Virgil as he ran in the opposite direction up the creek. Next I saw Virgil’s shot and the man went down.

Virgil and I waited before either of us moved. I could see clearly the two men Virgil had shot, and neither was moving. Virgil and I waited a long time. It was an important time to just wait and make sure the three men who were not interested in returning to prison were in no real condition to do so if in fact they changed their minds.

Driggs and his princess ventured away from the Boston House and made their way around Appaloosa, eventually ending up on Vandervoort Avenue. It was a beautiful day as they strolled up the wide street lined with brick buildings.

When they saw Allie and Margie in the window they stopped and watched them as the ladies fitted a dress on a mannequin. Allie looked up and smiled. Driggs tipped his hat and his princess smiled. Then Allie stepped down from the window display and opened the door.

“What a lovely dress,” the princess said.

“Well, I’m pleased you like it,” Allie said. “It came all the way from Boston.”

“We’ll take it,” Driggs said.

“Oh, honey,” the princess said. “Really?”

Even though it was her money, she was thrilled to know he wanted her to have the dress.

“Well, my gosh,” Allie said. “I’m not even open for business yet.”

He smiled at Allie, a disarming smile.

“Does that matter?” he said.

“Well... um,” Allie said. “I guess not.”

“Do you think it will fit?” the princess said.

Margie stepped into the doorway and smiled to the couple. Allie looked back to her.

“They want to buy the dress,” she said with a smile.

“Well,” Margie said, taking over with the assured sass of a salesperson who knows her business, “I suppose we just fit this fabulous dress on this exquisite young woman instead of the not-so-exquisite wooden woman.”

Margie looked to the dress in the window and to the woman.

“We will have to take it in a little,” Margie said. “But that should not be a problem.”

Margie stood back, and with a bow and a sweep of her hand toward the open shop door she said, “After you.”

Driggs and his princess entered Allie’s shop and in a matter of moments his beautiful lady was standing in front of the mirror admiring the low-cut dress. Driggs sat with his hat in his lap in a chair off to the side behind her, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

“Actually, it fits pretty well,” Margie said. “Don’t you think, Allie?”

“I do,” she said.

“Do you like it, love?” Driggs said.

She turned from the mirror, nodded, smiled, leaned down, and kissed him on the mouth. It was not just a peck. It was a wet kiss that caused Allie to blush a little.

“I love it,” the princess said.

“Okay, then,” Allie said. “We just need to take it in a little here and there.”

“It should be done soon,” Margie said with a beaming smile. “We are so happy you stopped in.”

“My first customer,” Allie said.

Driggs’s princess stepped behind the dressing screen to change.

“So this is your shop?” Driggs said, looking at Allie.

“It is.”

“You must be Mrs. French?”

“I am.”

“Mr. French is a lucky man,” Driggs said.

“Oh... well. I’m a widow, I’m afraid... my late husband, Mr. French, passed away many years ago.”

“But she is well looked after,” Margie said with an exuberant nod. “Isn’t that so, Allie?”

Driggs looked Allie up and down a little.

“Well,” he said. “I’m sure she is.”

“He’s quite a man,” Margie said with a grin.

“Well, he’d have to be,” Driggs said.

“And he’s a federal lawman, no less,” Margie said. “A United States Marshal.”

“Well, how about that,” he said.

“Yes,” Allie said with a smile.

“Living here in Appaloosa?”

“We do,” Allie said.

“Marshal Virgil Cole,” Margie said.

“Virgil Cole?” he said. “I think I have heard about him.”

“Yes,” Allie said. “He’s... he’s a fine man.”

Margie moved behind the curtain to help Driggs’s lady change dresses, leaving Allie with Driggs.

Driggs stood and moved toward Allie a little.

“So it looks like you will be opening soon?” he said.

“Hopefully this weekend,” she said. “Saturday will be my official opening.”

“How was it that this came to be?” Driggs said. “This dress shop?”

Driggs folded his arms and leaned his shoulder against the wall, looking at Allie.

“Oh, well. I just felt the need to have something of my own,” she said.

“Oh, you have something of your own,” he said.

Allie blushed a little, feeling a bit self-conscious.

“So who owns this building?”

“Oh, well... Mr. Vandervoort owns the whole block and most everyone rents from him.”

“Vandervoort?”

“Yes. A wonderful man.”

“Does he live here?” he said. “In Appaloosa?”

“Yes,” she said. “Are you interested in renting, perhaps?”

Driggs moved a bit closer to Allie.

“No,” he said. “Not really. We are just passing through.”

“Oh,” Allie said.

“But one never knows,” Driggs said.

“Well, he’s not hard to find,” Allie said. “He is, however, out of town at the moment.”

“I see,” he said.

“And thank God,” she said.

“Why thank God?” Driggs said.

“Oh, well... he might have had a heart attack if he were here,” she said. “Or worse?”

“Why?”

“Oddest thing,” Allie said. “His new bride, perhaps the most gracious woman in all of Appaloosa, I might add, woke up to find a rattlesnake in her bed.”