"You got your mind made up, have you?" "You got your stiff-backed, stubborn Jarrod Barkley mind made up?" "I like you too, Brother Nick." "I mean it." "You have to set time apart for fun." " The hills are running with deer this year." " I'm afraid I can't." "I have to prepare a brief." "Judge Norriss will be back in town on Thursday." "Besides, with both you and Heath out... somebody in this family has to do an honest day's work." "Uh-huh." "Well, I'll tell you what." "When I line up that six-point buck in those sights..." "I'm gonna think of you sweatin' it out back in town." " Good morning." " Howdy." " Looking for someone?" " Is this the Barkley place?" "It is." "You have some business with the family?" "Well, one of'em." "Uh, old friend of mine." "Calls hisself Heath." "Well, he's my brother." "I'm Jarrod Barkley." "Gil Anders." "I'm afraid you won't find him at the house." "He's gone?" "He'll be back tonight." "I'd be happy to give him a message." "No." "No, sir." "I- I gotta talk to him myself." "I been lookin' for him for nearly three years." "Well, in that case, maybe you'd better wait at the house." "I'm sure my sister and mother would make you comfortable." "Oh, I don't wanna be no trouble." "No trouble at all." "I'd take you up myself, but I'm due in town." "Much obliged." "Waste of time and trouble tryin' to save him... seein' he's good as dead anyway." " He friend of yours?" " My brother's." " He won't be for long." " You're from Coreyville?" "That's right." "We've been deputized to bring him in." "Don't you mean, to gun him down without warning?" "Bring him in- any way we could." "Mister, you don't know the run he give us." "Sly as a weasel, smart as a fox." "This the first time we even catch sight of him." "So, being he ain't no concern of yours, we'll just load him up and take him back." "Not to Coreyville, gentlemen." "Not in his condition." "Seems to me you're forgettin' we carry a badge." "A badge." "Not a license to kill." "Mister, you just best stand aside." "I mean, he ain't worth it for you to do somethin' foolish." "I'm just pointing' out- two to one." "You better count again." "This old mare's leg will burn a pretty big hole in you at close range." "I'd advise you to climb back up on that horse and get outta here- the both of you." "Now come on, git." "You're on private property, gentlemen." "You're trespassing." " Huh?" " To be more specific, you're breaking the law." "We'll be back." "This time, we'll come with the law." "Come on." " Who's he?" " Some friend of Heath's." "They never gave him a chance." "Better get him in the house before he bleeds to death." "He might anyway." "Easy, Nick." "Sis, get a hold of Doc Merar and see if Ciego can find Heath." " What happened?" " It's a friend of Heath's." "Bushwhacked by some alleged deputies." " Alleged deputies?" " Or bounty hunters with badges from Coreyville." "They've got a "Wanted"on him." "Well, that's hardly proof of guilt- from Coreyville." " What's the charge?" " Murder." "Mur" "A friend of Heath's?" "Senor Heath.!" "Boy howdy." "I've heard of it, but I never believed it." " Two left feet and a foghorn voice." " What I did, Senor?" "You just lost me a deer." "That's all." "A fine, beautiful, six-point buck- biggest I ever had in my sights." "Aw, it's all right." "He'll be back." "So will I. Well?" "They send me to look for you." "They want you to come home." "Is a friend of yours there." " Friend of mine?" "Who?" " I don't know." "They don't say his name." "But you ask me, senor, I tell you to hurry." "I think your friend, he's hurt pretty bad." "Yeah." "Wouldn't be honest if I said it looked good." " When will Heath be back?" " That's hard to say." "Why?" "You say he's Heath's friend." "He'll need some blood." " You wanna chance a transfusion?" " And I hope it won't clot." "But if we don't take the gamble, he'll die anyway." "Ciego's up lookin' for Heath right now." "But, you think it's safer not to wait, let's have at it." "Will you boil me some water, please?" "He's in the guest room." "We can start." "Heath, we couldn't wait any longer." "He said he was an old friend of yours." "Doc's tryin' to pull him through." "Let him die." " You ready?" " If you are, yeah." "Now don't say anything." "Just stick to things you know about." " I know about Coreyville." " What's Coreyville got to do with it?" " He's wanted there." " Well, then send him back." "To what kind of a trial, Heath?" "You want justice in Coreyville, you ask Ben Coulter." "You ask him do you live, do you die?" "Do you work, starve or kiss your own wife?" "Judge Benjamin Coulter- the hanging judge." "They say he orders men strung up... like you and I would order eggs for breakfast." "I'll get it." " Fred." " Jarrod." "You've welcome here, Fred." "They're not." "Now, don't be hasty, Jarrod." "I looked over their papers." "They're deputized." "They've got the right." " To shoot a man from ambush?" " They swear he was running." "It's their word against yours." "Jarrod, I don't like this any more than you do... but I carry a badge, and the law's the law." "Well, you're right, of course." "May I ask who told you that Anders is in the house?" " Them." " Oh, they did, did they?" "Well, did you gentlemen see him in the house?" "Do you have any proof?" "Be easy to prove." "Just go look." "Now, that would make things simple, wouldn't it?" " Provided, of course, you have a warrant." " Warrant?" "Entry and search does require a warrant, if I understand the law." "I'll take my chances on that." "Mr. Barkley is a lawyer." "Takes a warrant, we'll get a warrant." " Where do we go?" " To town, see the judge." " We'll be back later." " I wouldn't think so, mister." "Judge won't be back till Thursday, late." "Don't need no judge." "I know Anders is in there." " I'll guarantee it." " You see him in there?" " Well, no." " Did you see him carried in?" "No, but" " But he's wanted for murder, and I'll swear" "Well, you can swear to thejudge on Thursday." "That's day after tomorrow." "Two days ain't long." "We'll be back." " Afternoon, Jarrod." " Afternoon, Fred." " Was that Fred outside?" " It was." "He's wanted for murder." "You should've let 'em take him." "The condition he's in, he'd be dead before they'd gone a mile." " You all right, Nick?" " Oh, yeah." "Fine." "All right, then." "When he's well enough." "That'll depend on what I find in Coreyville." " You're going to Coreyville?" " Heath, I don't have any choice." "I'd be an accomplice to murder if I let those deputies take him without my knowing the truth." " Why don't you ask me?" "I'll tell you the truth." " I'm asking." "There were three of us working around the mother lode country." "Anders, myself and Willie Martin- a kid just past 16." "There'd been talk of a silver strike over in Nevada." "We decided we'd take the short way." " The desert?" " Yeah." "But we were mostly across when the Indians hit." "Yumas-screaming, shooting and running our horses off into the dark." "We held on to one and one skin of water." "I figured that would be enough, each taking his turn to ride and drink." "But Anders, he had different ideas." "He waited until we were asleep." "Then he took off." "Took the horse and the water and left us there." "I kept telling this kid he'd gone for help, and he believed me." "Right up until the end, just before he died." "I was holding him in my arms... trying to give him some shade." "And he made me swear- swear, if I ever found Anders, I'd kill him." "No matter what's happened in Coreyville, he's earned it to die." "When a court of law says so, Heath." "Not before." "And no one for me?" "Mother?" "Audra?" "Nick?" "I'd like to be." " Heath, listen to me" " I just did, and what you didn't say was loud and clear." "You're bringing it down to him or me." "No." "To right or wrong, and that leaves us no choice." "You want me, I'll be in town at the hotel." "Just tell me when he's left the house." "I'm gonna pack." "I want to take the night stage." "He's all ready to ride, senor." "The cinch is loose again." "I thought I told you" "This horse, he's a son of a gun." "Always fools me." "Always sucks wind." "How smart does it take to outsmart a horse?" "He's got a mind of his own, just like you have." "His own mind could tumble me off someday... just because you're too lazy to kick him in the belly and tighten a cinch." "You let that happen again, you'll be out mending' fences and chopping' mesquite." "It may be all you're good for anyway." "Heath!" "I want to talk to you." "I guess he just worries for his friend." " You worried?" " Shouldn't I be?" " For Heath?" " Even more for you." "I wish I could talk you out of going to Coreyville." "Don't try, Mother." "Please." "But if you have to be back by Thursday, that only gives you two days." "The world was made in seven, but not that I'm trying to compete." "Now, look, I'll telegraph you by noon tomorrow." "Promise me you won't worry." "Morning, Marshal." "My name is Barkley." "I just arrived in town." "I thought maybe you might be able to help me." " Peddlin'?" " Just advice." "I'm a lawyer." "Lawyer, huh?" "It don't give me no pleasure to tell you this... but, if you're fixin' to make a livin'... you might as well know you're gonna have to scratch for business." "I'm not interested in business, Marshal." "Just information." "About a man named Gil Anders." "What kind of information?" "Who he was, what he was- anything you might happen to know about him." "There isn't too much to tell." "He worked odd jobs around town- what time he wasn't workin' on the redeye." "Harmless enough when he was off the stuff, but" "'Bout busted me up to bring him in." "I take it you arrested him." "That's right- for murder." "Well, I thought you knowed." "He was pure quiet when I locked him up." "Should've knowed he was figurin' to make a break." "He tried to escape?" "I just told you, right that same night." "Tell me, Marshal, were there any witnesses to this murder?" "Not as I ever heard." "And you put out a "Wanted" on him, dead or alive... without so much as a witness to back up the charge?" "Everybody knew it was him." "Without a trial." "There'd have been a trial." "I'd have seen to it." "Yes." "Yes, I'm sure you would have, Marshal." "Now, you want some more, you better go someplace else." "Just one more thing, Marshal." "Who was he supposed to have murdered?" "The schoolteacher- Horace Ames." "Why?" "The teacher, he sort of took care of Anders- handouts and such." "The story is he got tired of it and told Anders off." "So, Anders, he waited one night for him by the schoolhouse and, uh" "Well, that's how it come to me." "Thank you very much, Marshal." "Mister?" " You say your name is Barkley?" " I did." "You wouldn't be one of them Barkleys from up around Stockton?" "I would." "Good morning." "I just arrived, all the way from Stockton." "If you ask me, I'd say the trip was fine." "If you asked." "I'd like a room, please." "We're all filled up, mister." "Oh?" "Well, if you're not, you're in trouble." "I refer you to the state code... specifically, chapter seven, paragraph 12, subsection "C"... which states- and I quote" ""Any proprietor, clerk or employee of a hotel or inn..." ""which refuses lodgings when such lodgings are available..." ""is guilty of a misdemeanor... punishable by fine or imprisonment or both. "" "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like a room, please." "All right." "Sixteen." "Straight up the stairs, first door on your right." "Oh." "Checkout time is 2:00." "I'll have to charge you a half a day for this morning." "You do that." " Ben." " Ollie." " Ben." " Ollie, what's your problem?" "It ain't just mine." "It's yours too." " What are you talkin' about?" " A lawyer just come into town." "He's been asking me questions about Gil Anders." " Askin' questions won't get him nothin'." " Ben." "I took Matt's word Anders did it." "Now, I don't wanna be put in the middle of anything." "Someday, I'm gonna get me a marshal... that don't come runnin' to me to wipe his nose." "Ollie, just do as you're told, or you ain't gonna be in no middle." "I just couldn't help thinkin'" "You talk problems- This telegram's one for real." "It's from Hover and Weydon." "They're up in Stockton." "They got Anders holed up, but they can't get to him." "Some family up there is hiding' him out." "They're both deputized." "They can just walk in and take him." "No." "That family carries too much weight." "Did you ever hear of the Barkleys?" "Ben, I just talked to one- that lawyer fella I been tellin' you about." "He's a Barkley?" "Ben?" "What do we do?" "He's a guest." "He gets to make the first move." "Matt?" "You heard what Mr. Odum said." "Why would a lawyer come all the way from Stockton to ask questions about Gil Anders?" "He'll find out he's wasting' his time." "So why don't you just stop worryin'?" "But even" "Matt, I'm frightened." "Somebody's bound to let it slip." " You should've thought of that." " Don't say that to me." "I told you everything that happened." "Get your shawl." "But I tell you, Ben, I just had to give him the room." "He had me twixt the tail and the snoot." "Tossing the law at me like that" "I never knew you had much reverence for the law." "It's just as well." "Keep an eye on him." "Makes any mistakes, you come to me directly." "I'll do that, Ben." "You can count on that, Ben." " Cass, you were leavin'?" " Sure, Ben." "You bet." "You bet." " She's scared, Uncle Ben." " Must be that lawyer." "Honey, you're causin' this family a lot of trouble." "Told her there won't be no trouble." "Everybody in this town knows who butters their bread." "Now, you know that, Nephew, and I know that." "Question is, does Mr. Barkley know it?" "Maybe somebody oughta teach it to him." " Any change, Doctor?" " Pulse is maybe a shade stronger." "The transfusion helped." " Did Heath come back?" " He's like his father- just as strong and twice as stubborn." " How aboutJarrod?" " He said he'd telegraph, and I'm sure he will." "Let us know if you need anything." " Victoria." " Hmm?" "If Heath were here, it could make the difference." "Call." "Dead man's hand- aces and eights." "Three big men." "Mister, you sure like givin' that green stuff away." "Well, it's only money, gentlemen." "Yeah, but you don't have to give it away like it was peanut shells." "Them's some pretty wild bets you been makin'." "I'll tell you what." "I'll make another one." "100 U.S. dollars... cash... that no one at this table can tell me why Gil Anders killed the schoolteacher." "Well, I guess it wasn't as wild as I thought." "No one seemed to take me up on it." "I'm afraid you've left me out." "Well, gentlemen... thanks for the hospitality." "Whiskey." "Well, I guess I've tasted worse." "It's the best we got." "I figured you could afford it." "You on the level about that hundred bucks?" "I am." "You go to pay me, drop the hundred on the table." "Drinks are two bits." "You can have the whole bottle for a dollar." " I'll take the bottle." " Thanks." "Talk." "Ask Amy Coulter." "I can't tell you no more." "Mm, I wanna tell you somethin', and this is from a man who knows." "Don't ever trust anybody, and I mean anybody." "Nice girl like you could get hurt pretty bad." "And the very ones you count on will be the ones that'll go against you... and then sit down to supper and never think on it twice." "Give me a whiskey, please." "I said give me a whiskey." "You heard the lady." "Give her a whiskey." " That's all right, lady." " No." "Thanks just the same." "I was just tryin' to be a little friendly." "The lady wants you to leave." "The lady didn't say so." "Well, Ed, I'm sayin' so." " I just hope you've got a good reason." " Why?" "Are you the only member of the family privileged to make a fool of themselves?" "I've taken my whiskey like this before- to keep the life in me when it was 10 below... and we were bringing the herd down from the summer range... and the snow so deep we had to wait for a freeze." "I was ready to give up many times, but I didn't because your father was with me." "I don't know if I could have made it had I been alone." "Heath, he's alone." "He may die." "He may not live out the day." "Just let me know, and I'll dig the hole." "Dr. Merar feels that, if he came to and recognized you, he might" "Look, I told you how it was." "I wanna see him dead." "A rope, bullet, anything- just so he's dead." "And if I can, by not being home... then I'll take that as special satisfaction." "Well, I knew you could hate." "But I didn't know how much." "Key, please." "Oh, by the way... can you tell me where I can find Amy Coulter?" "Mister, why don't you stay out of it and stop askin' before you get hurt, huh?" "Sure." "The name is Matt Coulter." "Judge is my uncle." "Thought you'd want to think on that when you ride out." "Maybe I will..." "when I ride out." "You got a horse in the alley all saddled and waitin'." "Just happens he's pointed towards Stockton." "Well, now, that's very generous of you." "I'll be happy to borrow him." "Now." "When I've finished my business here in your fair city." "That oughta do for now." "Ciego!" "Take it, will ya?" "Mother?" " Mother." " Yes, Nick." "The, uh, telegraph hasn't come in yet." " Did you ask Mr. Carter personally?" " Yes, I did." "I'm having him double-check every telegraph that does come in." "And as soon as it does, he'll send a rider out with it." "Oh, now, look." "Telegraphs have been known to be delayed." "Jarrod promised." "He said not later than noon." "Well, I guess there's only one way to find out." "That's for me to ride into Coreyville myself." " Be careful, Nick." " That's my middle name." "Do you think maybe Heath would like to ride along?" "Oh, I'm sure he'd love to go." "Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask." "All right." "He don't scare, Uncle Ben." "He real stubborn-like." "Wouldn't listen to reason." "Figured a way to handle him?" " I was waitin' on you for that." " Now, wait." "Somethin' happens, I'm the one who'll be blamed." "Ben, I'm the law in this town." "When I say you're the law." " Could have an accident." " You ain't worried none he's a Barkley?" "In Stockton maybe." "Here, he's nothin'." "Ben, don't do it." "I'm askin' you." " If you got no stomach for it, then get out." " Now, look, Ben" "I said get out." "What kind of an accident you have in mind?" "Freight wagon." "Four up, like that." "Somebody gets run over... he ain't gonna ask many more questions." "Oh, no, Uncle Ben." "You can't." "I feel guilty enough about the other." "Please let him go." "He'll never find out." "Amy." "You'd better go home." "Let me in." "Please." "Please open up." "Come in." " Mr. Barkley?" " That's right." "You'll be killed if you stay here." "Please come with me." "Who are you?" "I'm Amy Coulter." "Wait here." " Are you all right?" " Yeah, I'm all right." "You'll be safe here for the night." " You knew the schoolteacher, didn't you?" " Yes." "I want you to tell me what happened." "I can't." "I've got to get back." "If Matt comes home" "I'll be back before school starts." "I will." "Please let me go now." "All right." "I'll see you in the morning." "Your 10." "Ten more just to keep out the horse thieves." "You boys can't beat kings, you better drop." "I oughta bust you right in the teeth." "Now, you just go ahead and try." "I'd like an excuse to tear you apart top to bottom." "All right, big brother." "You name the game." "But anything you start, I figure to finish." "Well, come on." "Now, that would pleasure me." "But I like the proper time to do the proper job." "Unfortunately, right now, I don't have the proper time." "But I'll tell you what." "You just try me when I get back from Coreyville." " Coreyville?" " Jarrod went down there last night." "He was supposed to telegraph us." "We haven't heard a word." "Oh, but don't let that interfere with your card game." "Gentlemen." " What are you waitin' for?" " Nothin'." "It's Amy." " I brought you some breakfast." " Thanks." "Matt went out early with the others." "They're still looking for you." "The stage leaves at 7:30." "I packed some sandwiches." " You'll be hungry on the stage." " If I'm on the stage." "You must leave." "They'll kill you if you don't." "I'm not leaving until you tell me what happened." " About the schoolteacher?" "Horace and me?" " That's right." "There was nothing- nothing that in any way could be considered wrong." " I understand." " You believe me?" "Yes, I think I do." "No one in Coreyville did." "I came out here from Ohio." "I came out to teach." "I hated it." "Oh, not the children." "I love the children." "But this town- shoddy and vulgar." "Most of all, lonely." "No one to talk to." "That's the worst kind of loneliness, don't you think?" "I suppose." "Then I married Matt." "Found I couldn't talk to him either." "Then Horace came to take over the school." "And he was young and bursting with knowledge about books and people... science and nature." "At last I had someone I could talk to." "It was always in the daytime with the children around." "I said I understood." "Except once, at night." "Horace was working late, and I wanted to return a book." "Most of all, I wanted to talk about it." "So I came here, and we talked." "And afterwards, Horace walked outside with me." "Matt was there." "He said vile, horrible things to him." "Horace stood up to him." "Matt killed him, blamed it on Gil Anders." "And you'd have let Anders die for that?" "I don't know." "Matt said he'd kill me too." "If I wrote that out, would you sign it?" "Is there time?" "You have to catch that stage." "We've got 15 minutes." "That's plenty of time." "Is Mr. Barkley registered here?" " Barkley?" " Yeah." "I don't believe we have a Mr. Barkley here." " You had him last night." " What room is he in?" "I said, what room?" " Sixteen." " The key." "Thank you." "Thanks for helpin' us find him." "Matt, he's leaving on the stage." "You'll never see him again." "Yeah." "Boys, that's just about as far as you're gonna take him." "Come on." "Git!" "Get outta here!" "Move!" " Matt, don't!" " Stay back." "I must say, I'm rather pleased to see you." " Who is he?" " That's Matt Coulter." "He's the one that should have been on that "Wanted" poster." "Let me through." "Let me through." "Them-They killed him." "They gunned him down." "The whole three of them- I want them under arrest." " Arrest?" "What are you talkin' about?" " You heard me, Ollie." "I'm makin' the charge myself." "Take 'em in." "Look, Ben" "Something gone wrong with your hearing'?" "I'm chargin' the men with murder." "It wasn't murder." "I saw it." "Matt fired first." "They were only defending themselves." "I'm telling you once more, Ollie." "I want them in jail." "I'm sorry, Ben." "If the witness said it was self-defense" "Are you tryin' to stand up to me?" "Ben, I'm kinda partial to this badge." "I aim to wear it a spell..." "like it oughta be worn." "All right." "Couple of you men take Matt to Doc Grant's." "All right, folks, no more reason for you to be standin' here." "Let's move along." "Come on." "Take Matt's horse." "I'll come up for him." "I don't plan on stayin' in this town very long." "Jarrod, Nick." " Heath." "It's good to see you." " Hello, Mother." "Audra." " How is he?" " He's too stubborn to die." "That's what your blood did to him." "He only wants one thing- to talk to you." "We've got nothing to talk about." "You can't be sure until you let him speak his piece." "You mean, to let him try and crawl out of what he did." "How do you know he didn't have a good reason?" "Because I know Anders." "He's guilty." "Heath, you thought he was guilty at Coreyville too." "Heath, please." "Heath." "Took a long time to find you... but I kept lookin'." "Close to three years." "All right, Anders, say what you want." "Let's get it over with." "That was a stinkin' bad thing I done out there in the desert." "No excuses for it neither- not then, not now." "I was just too purely scared was all." "A thing like that, it" "It stays with ya, eats out your heart." "That's the whole thing." "You" " You do somethin'wrong, you do it mostly to yourself." " What do you want from me?" " I know you can't forgive me." "I got no right to ask, but, I swear..." "I'd give my life to do it over." "And that's what I come to ask- that you'd believe I would." "I believe you would."