"Next time you let a prisoner get away, try to keep him on your side of the river." "This ain't legal." "You can't take me back." "We're on Mexican soil." "And you'll be eating a mouthful of it if you open your face again." "How'd you happen to find him over there, Carlin?" "I didn't." "He found me, tried to steal my horse." "He's a bad one." "Killed a woman in El Paso." "I'll be glad to get him back.. ." "but you're taking quite a chance handing him over to me." "I've got no use for his kind." "That's not what I meant." "There's a price on your head in the States." "The Rio Grande is just over the rise." "Suppose l decide to take you back in, too?" "You've known me for a long time." "I'd hate to see you try." "So long as you stay on this side of the river, Carlin, I won't be looking for you." "But if you ever try to come across.. .." "If I ever do decide to come back, I'll remember that." "You don't have to run." "Your testimony could hang Luke Starr." "Yeah, and that's just why I'm getting out." "Starr doesn't know that you've talked to me." "He doesn't even know where you are." "Doesn't he?" "This relay station is only 1 2 miles from Rimrock." "He reached 20 times that far to drive your brother into Mexico." "All right, then just give me a signed statement how Luke framed him." "You're not asking for much, are you?" "Look, I'll hire some men to ride with you." "They'll see you get out of the territory before Luke even knows you're gone." "You'd do anything to get this story, wouldn't you?" ""Roy Carlin: the fighting editor.' ' l'd do anything to make this place fit to live in." "To rid the Cherokee Strip of Luke Starr." "And that goes whether my paper prints the story or not." "Suppose l gave you the signed statement you want." "Are you leather-brained enough to think.. ." "Luke wouldn't send some men after me no matter where l went?" "You help me nail Luke in a court of law" "What law?" "Seen any around here lately?" "You give me the right evidence.. ." "and I'll see he's taken before a federal judge in Denver." "You're wasting your time, and mine." "Why can't you see it?" "There's nothing to run from." "Once you cut the head off of a snake.. ." "you don't worry about the rest of it, do you?" "If you're talking about Luke Starr, you've got a long way to go." "Me?" "I'm getting out while there's still time." "What's the matter?" "You think you've seen a ghost?" "I didn't expect to see you here, Luke." "There are a lot of surprises tonight." "Since when did you and Roy Carlin become so friendly?" "I hardly know him." "Honest." "He was here when I came in." "At a relay station, in the middle of the night?" "What was he waiting for?" "A stagecoach?" "It's liable to be a long wait." "Don't try it." "We don't want to lose you." "You know Gil Rio, don't you?" "We've met." "Seems to me I warned you before about digging under rocks.. ." "so you can find something to use against me." "I don't have to bend down to find it." "No?" "It's written all over everything you touch." "It's time somebody taught you some manners." "Maybe Gil's right." "For a man that doesn't carry a gun, you talk mighty big." "A lot of people don't need a gun to make themselves heard." "Before long, you're liable to be running up against a lot of them." "Maybe." "But you won't be around to see it." "What's going on here?" "How are you, Mr. Starr?" "What about him?" "I don't think we have to worry about him." "Get on your horse and ride." "You're just gonna let him go?" "I am." "You're not." "Take your time, give him a chance." "ls that far enough?" "Yeah, I think so." "There's gonna be lot of talking about this." "What am I gonna say?" "You'll think of something, Wilkins." "Sure, and it won't be the first time." "l just don't know." "Why don't you tell them they had a fight?" "They tried to shoot it out, you tried to stop them." "You couldn't do anything about it." "Any objections?" "Sir, that's just fine." "Only I.. .." "Only what?" "The one inside didn't have a gun." "Now he's got a gun. ls there anything else?" "No, sir." "All right, you've got some work to do outside." "Go drag Bernie in." "He won't bite you." "Go on." "They killed each other in here." "Listo." "You go first." "Tres!" "That throw." "She is going to be hard to beat." "I hope so." "Took me long enough to do it." "Cuatro!" "I don't understand, Miguel." "Even when I get a triple you beat me." "You have only been in México a year, my friend." "I have been playing this game all my life." "Did you have to pay for the lessons?" "That is the way of the world." "To be good at anything, a man must pay the price." "Do we throw again?" "Sí." "Pablo is entertaining an hombre." "Gracias." "Una moneda de dos cabezas!" "You weren't much help." "l pick my own fights." "Yeah, but you could see.. ." "that big bull was beating the fur out of me for no reason." "He lost, that's all." "You didn't have much chance of losing with that two-headed coin." "I'm kind of on a short leg." "I can't afford to pay for too much drinking liquor." "Better get cleaned up." "Funny thing, you know.. ." "I left Rimrock.. ." "and came down here to try and keep out of trouble." "Some people take their troubles with them, like a two-headed coin." "I bet that was minted in Rimrock." "No, I made that myself." "You ever been in Rimrock?" "Yep, I was there once." "Lawmen are afraid to tackle that town." "Can't say as I blame them." "The week I left, four men were shot down in cold blood." "One of them was as nice a fellow.. ." "as you ever want to meet." "He ran a little newspaper there, I think." "He wasn't even known to carry a gun." "Newspaperman, you said?" "Yeah, a fellow name of.. ." "Carlin, Roy Carlin." "I think I'll try that other cantina over there." "They might not be so noticing at that one." "Like to join me?" "Maybe you're smart." "You're going back." "Yes." "When you come here.. ." "you said you would never wear that gun again." "Someone killed my brother, Elena." "I'm sorry, Jess." "Believe me, I would like to help." "I can find the man who killed Roy." "When you ride across that border, you'll never have a moment's peace." "But I guess there's no road back now." "Would your brother want this to happen?" "No, he wouldn't." "Roy was a good man." "Too good for the world as it is." "Maybe that's why they killed him." "We almost made it, Elena." "They were good days." "You looking for something special?" "Yeah, I'm looking for a drink." "The bartender is out back, mister." "Help yourself." "Tú quieres?" "Mexican boots and a Stetson hat" "Gun is slung low with the trigger tied back" "These are the marks of a fighting man" "The kind they call the Texican" "is that the only song you know?" "The kind they call a Texican" "If it wasn't for this blasted luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all." "JingIing spurs on a hardwood floor" "A poker game just made for four" "But if you sit in for a card or two" "You'II wind up broke before you're through" "There's a chair open." "You care to sit in?" "No, thanks. I just stopped in for a drink." "That's not a bad-looking animal." "I noticed him when you rode in." "He's all right, but he drinks a little too much." "Do you want to sell him?" "No." "I can give you top price for this one." "There's always a market for a good quarter horse." "Like I said, he's not for sale." "I might go as high as $70." "If you could furnish me a bill of sale.. ." "I might even make it $75." "How about it?" "That's a real good price, but I think I'll keep him." "Hello, Jess." "Hello, Mitch." "I thought you were in Arizona." "I was, only things didn't pan out." "You still making a living as a bounty hunter?" "More or less." "is that why you're here?" "You're worth $500 in gold for anyone who takes you in." "You can come along peaceful, or we can do it the other way." "How many rocks did you turn over before you found him?" "He's fast." "Real fast." "In the old days you worked alone." "You must be slowing down." "Wouldn't count on it." "I can still hold up my end against you if I have to." "Never knew you to turn on a friend before." "My wife is sick. I need money badly." "You know I wouldn't be doing a thing like this unless I had to." "We're wasting time." "So we waste a little." "I don't want a fight unless there has to be one." "Damn it, Jess, take your gun belt off." "I don't want to throw down on you." "If you want this gun belt, you'll have to come and get it." "Then there is no more to say." "Watch yourself, Mitch." "ls he dead?" "Yeah." "Better get a tourniquet on that leg." "Hold it, Mitch." "Still carrying this old toad-sticker, huh?" "Comes in handy now and then." "But not today, huh?" "You know, the way you pulled that gun.. ." "you must have been doing a little practicing down in Mexico." "No, I haven't." "Not a bit." "There are some things a man remembers better than others." "That's good." "'Cause I have a feeling you're gonna be needing that gun a lot." "Wherever you go.. ." "there's bound to be somebody that'll recognize you." "Where I'm going it won't matter." "So long, Mitch." "So long, Jess." "I'm glad you're out practicing, Gil." "You won't get a second chance with Carlin." "I do very well when it's the real thing." "Tin cans are just for fun." "Fun's over." "Heard he went through Sweetwater a couple of days ago." "You can expect him here anytime now." "I remember him." "Also, I remember people who say how fast he was." "But I didn't believe it then any more than I do now." "A couple of bounty hunters thought the same thing." "He killed one." "Don't make the mistake of underestimating Carlin." "I ran him out of this territory once, but not using a gun." "The only way to get him is from behind." "I like competition." "I think I'll enjoy meeting again with him." "You won't have long to wait." "If he gets to Rimrock, he's gonna cause a lot of trouble." "If something happens to him out there.. ." "nobody will ever know about it." "I leave it up to you to see that he doesn't get to town." "It's as good as done." "Harve, Eb." "Go along with him." "I don't need any help with this." "They'll just go along for the ride." "That's him all right." "Why didn't you wait, you fool?" "Anybody home?" "Get 'em up." "I'd as soon blast a hole in you as to spit." "There's nothing as low-down as a saddle thief." "Get those hands up." "A gal has not enough work trying to run a spread on her own.. ." "without some sneak thief coming in and stealing a saddle.. ." "while she's out working her stock." "I wasn't trying to steal this saddle." "Keep 'em up." "I guess you just wanted to take it." "Admire it. ls that it?" "No, ma'am." "But like I said, I wasn't trying to steal it." "I left some money for it there on that saddle." "I was kind of in a hurry." "I bet you were in a hurry." "But I wasn't trying to steal it." "I left some money on that black saddle there." "Take a look." "Stay back." "$40?" "What kind of a fool would pay $40 for a $10 saddle?" "A fool who's been riding bareback too long, that's who." "Can I have this?" "Yes." "And take this." "Oh, no." "You keep it." "What happened to your gear, anyway?" "I had to leave in a hurry back down the road apiece." "You're running?" "Right out from under my saddle." "This is pretty sorry tack, but maybe it'll get me into Rimrock." "To Rimrock?" "Mister, that's the last place you ought to be heading." "Anybody who loses his saddle in open country.. ." "he's sure to lose his hide in Rimrock." "Thanks for the warning, Miss.. .." "Adams." "Friends call me Sandy." "Thank you, Sandy." "I almost forgot my manners." "If you want to stay for a few minutes, I'll boil you up a pot of coffee." "No, ma'am." "Thank you. I'd better be going." "Good morning, sir." "If you're looking for a room, we have the best this side of Dodge City." "$3 a day and up." "$3 will be fine." "I don't know how long l'm staying." "Yes." "We have nice ones on the second floor." "Plenty of windows, and springs for every bed." "That's nice." "Please, sir, if you'll just sign the register." "Doesn't seem to me like business has been too good lately." "Just dust from the street, sir." "We can't keep it out." "Thank you." "Mr. Carlin, I have a fine corner room." "What's the matter?" "I didn't recognize your name at first." "Now that we've got that settled, how about my key?" "About that corner room.. ." "I must confess you won't really like it." "It's right over the street, noisy.. ." "and the windows stick." "You'll never get any sleep there." "Believe me." "How about one of the other rooms?" "There's another hotel down the street, and I think it's much better than this." "I'm sure they will be too happy to take care of you." "Oh, no." "I've already tried there." "This one will have to do." "But you can't have it. I told you." "We're going to repaint it." "Mr. Starr won't.. .." "Mr. Starr won't what?" "You see, he won't like it." "He owns this hotel." "Yes, I do see." "Don't worry, you won't have to tell him." "I'll do that myself." "The charges are a bit too high, but we can look around and do something." "Looks like you've been doing all right for yourself." "You didn't come here to tell me that." "What brought me here is kind of a personal matter." "You figure it involves me?" "They tell me you run this town." "Be hard to figure it any other way." "If it's about what happened to your brother.. .." "And some two-bit gunslingers who tried to bushwhack me." "I don't know anything about that." "You're running on a streak of bad luck." "Why don't you get out of town before it gets worse?" "Maybe we ought to settle this right now." "You're taking on awful big odds." "So are you." "As close as we're standing, I figure you'll be the first one to go." "If you want somebody to kill you, kid, you better find somebody else to do it." "Mr. Carlin?" "That's right." "My name is Frank Brady." "I'd like to have a talk with you." "lt's important to you." "Go ahead and talk." "Wouldn't want to be overheard." "Couldn't we find some place a little more secluded?" "You don't provide me with much reason." "It's about your brother." "Be at the hotel in half an hour." "Come in." "Sit over there." "Not giving away any advantage, are you?" "You mean the chair?" "It's just a habit, I guess." "I'm glad you came here." "This town has been needing somebody who will stand up to Luke Starr." "I thought you said you had something important to talk about." "I worked for Roy, your brother, ever since he started a newspaper here." "You and Roy were close, then?" "Best friend I ever had." "I'd like to carry on his work here." "But it can't be done, not without your help." "Running a newspaper is a little out of my line." "I'd do it alone." "But somebody's gonna have to stand off Luke Starr." "Roy's paper was always a thorn in his side." "He tried every way to shut it down." "Do you think Starr had anything to do with what happened to Roy?" "It didn't happen here." "The story is that Roy was killed.. ." "in a fight at the relay station west of town." "The story doesn't hold up." "Roy was no gunhand." "I know." "He was a man everybody looked up to." "That's why his paper was so trusted and respected." "Roy fought every way he knew to try and bring law and order out here." "That paper mean a lot to you, didn't it?" "It was my life, Mr. Carlin." "Help me start it up again." "You seem to be forgetting there's a price on my head." "My reputation's as bad as Roy's was good." "The newspaper has a name." "I'm gonna be honest with you, Mr. Brady." "I want to find the man that killed Roy." "And that's all I want." "After that, I don't much give a damn what happens to this territory." "Or Roy's paper?" "Or even Roy's paper." "These pesky locks." "May I help you?" "Thank you." "Sorry." "Am I in your way?" "No, not at all." "I was looking for my horse." "ls that your horse?" "Yep, that's him." "I hope we meet again sometime." "If your eyesight is so bad you can't recognize a horse from a mule.. ." "then maybe you won't recognize me." "I'll tell you what I'll do." "I'll look around and see if I can find an old pair of glasses." "It was nice bumping into you." "You ready?" "Hello, Luke." "Of course." "Where do you know Carlin from?" "ls that his name?" "He's the best-looking man I've seen since I came to Rimrock." "You seem awfully friendly with him." "I've never seen him before in my life." "Before you make any more friends in Rimrock, check with me." "Forget him for now." "Come on." "They're throwing us a spread.. ." "the likes of which you've never seen." "We're going to Dominic's." "Can you hear me?" "Who shot you?" "Give me my bag, quick." "Carlin?" "Say, aren't you Jess Carlin?" "That's right." "Thought I recognized you." "Name's Thompson." "Boyd Thompson." "I'm that whiskey boomer you pulled out of that mudhole a few years ago." "Near Fort Worth, remember?" "Yeah, now I do.. ." "but you were in rags in those days, not fancy duds like that." "It had to happen." "Good living and me just naturally go together." "At the rate people are buying my whiskey, I'll be a millionaire soon." "You don't want to hear about that." "Come on, I'll buy you a drink.. ." "at the Silver Ring." "Silver Ring?" "Matter of fact, I was just on my way over there." "That's what I call a real coincidence." "Luke Starr is one of my best customers." "is that right?" "Then you must know him well." "Know him?" "I won $1,000 from him in a poker game the last time I came through Rimrock." "What I don't know about him ain't worth knowing." "There's a table opening up." "Let's grab it." "Looks as though you've been singled out for special treatment." "Do you want it?" "Not me." "The last time I went out with one of those dance girls, it cost me $200... and all my best whiskey samples." "Sure, I knew there was a Roy Carlin in town.. ." "but I never had any idea he was your brother." "Starr ever say anything about him?" "You bet he did." "The last time we played cards.. ." "he was burning up about something your brother had printed in his newspaper." "You know what it was?" "Yes, I do, but Roy" "Mr. Thompson, the poker game has already started." "Luke doesn't like to be kept waiting." "You know Gil Rio, don't you?" "Not as well as I'd like." "The feeling's mutual." "Want me to carry your bag upstairs?" "l'll take it." "Jess, if you're going to be around for a while, we can continue this later." "Shouldn't take me more than an hour to clean up these fellows." "l'll be around." "l'll see you later." "Have you known Thompson for long?" "About 30 minutes." "He's a talker, you know." "The kind that's all wind and no spit." "You can't believe a word he says." "Maybe you haven't asked him the right questions." "I suppose you have?" "That's strictly between Thompson and me." "Get your information someplace else." "You don't like me much, do you?" "I stepped on a rattlesnake once I liked better." "You want to try to step on me?" "Get your hand away from that gun." "Unless you want me to use the one I'm holding." "You can put it away." "And I'm gonna meet you sometime.. ." "when you don't have the edge." "Still working?" "Just like I was getting paid for it." "I'll put you on the payroll any time, you know that." "That's not what I came to Rimrock for, Luke." "What about changing your plans?" "I don't know anything about the saloon business." "Neither did your dad when I met him." "He was one of our bookkeepers." "I gave him a piece of the place, he made a lot of money." "Same thing can happen to you." "All I want is his share of the saloon that was left to me in his will." "Kit, I've offered you $10,000." "Isn't that enough?" "Too much." "That's why I've been going over these ledgers." "All I want is what's rightfully mine." "No more, no less." "Look, you're the greatest woman I've ever known with numbers." "The greatest, really." "And you know how I feel about you, don't you?" "Why don't you change your plans?" "What is it, then?" "Maybe it's 'cause you think I'm too old for you." "I don't know, Luke." "Maybe I'm just not ready to settle down." "Didn't sound like that when you were talking about Carlin." "If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were jealous." "All right, come on. I'll walk you home." "Luke?" "If you'd excuse me, I'll be with you in a minute." "Thompson's sore because he's losing." "Figures we're cheating." "Cheating him because he won last time." "So let him win a few hands." "It's not that simple." "I think he knows something." "You run along. I'll see you in the morning." "Good night, Luke." "Hello, Jess." "How are you?" "Won't you sit down?" "Thank you." "Can I order something for you?" "No, thank you." "I was just on my way home." "You don't work here, do you?" "No." "Then you must be a friend of Luke Starr's." "You make it sound as though I shouldn't be." "No, I'm just trying to understand, that's all." "There's nothing to worry about, folks." "I was cleaning my pistol, and it went off by accident." "Now you can go back and have a good drink." "Please, Jess, I'd like to leave now." "A lot of people saw Mr. Thompson come in." "Make sure nobody sees Mr. Thompson go out." "If a gun goes off every night, it must be an awful noisy game." "You don't trust him very far, do you?" "Do you?" "He's been more honest with me than most men." "Maybe you're just not a very good judge of character." "I'm sure I know him better than you do.. ." "and I've just heard you're hardly in a position to criticize anyone." "Then why did you want me to walk you home?" "I am wondering right now about that, myself." "As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing but a common gunman.. ." "and I shall thank you not to speak to me again." "That sounds reasonable." "I don't believe you even told me your name." "Kit." "Kit O'Neal." "Kit O'Neal." "That sounds reasonable, too." "Find anything?" "Yeah, an old cat." "And now you." "Why don't you wait till morning?" "You might find something better." "This place could cave in on you." "Yeah, it could, but I've learned one thing about this town." "What's that?" "Doesn't pay to wait." "Things happen too fast." "In a border town life goes a little slower." "Why don't you get smart and go back where you belong?" "I'm not sure where l do belong." "But you can count on this.. ." "before I leave this town, I'm going to find out." "Oh, Luke." "Don't forget to lock the door." "Hey, there, saddle thief." "Not so loud." "You want everybody to know?" "In this town that'd make you a hero, mister." "Don't get bold. I hear Jess Carlin's in town." "You'd best walk around him if he comes your way." "I'll try to remember that." "I've never seen as many holsters." "You must do a lot of hunting." "Yeah, for work." "I do the best leather carving in this territory." "I thought you ran a cow outfit." "About 100 head." "Pretty small spread." "Got to do a little leatherwork to piece out a living." "Good-looking girl like you shouldn't have any trouble finding a man." "I'm not looking for a man." "That Sandy sure is a pistol, ain't she?" "She drives that wagon like a Comanche." "Yeah, Roy Carlin was the only one who ever could have tamed her." "What's the matter, cowboy?" "Did they run you out, after all?" "Not yet." "Then what are you doing way out here?" "I want to talk to you about Roy." "Come in." "Nice place you got here, Sandy." "Thanks." "What can I call you?" "Jess." "Now, what about Roy?" "You see, my last name is Carlin." "Roy was my brother." "Sit down." "So you're Roy's brother?" "Roy was older than me, but smarter, too." "You are like him, at that." "How well did you know him?" "Pretty well." "We were gonna be married this month." "That's tough, Sandy." "I wish there was something I could say." "There's nothing anyone can say." "Hi!" "Whoa, there." "You're in quite a hurry, aren't you?" "I'm not." "They were." "Yeah?" "They'd get you there in a hurry, the rate that thing was moving." "I wasn't really going anywhere." "I just wanted to take a quiet drive in the country and do some thinking." "About what?" "I've forgotten what it was." "You're not exactly the best teamster I've ever seen." "No, I'm not." "And I made the mistake of telling the liveryman I wanted spirited horses." "His notion of spirited is quite different from mine." "I see. I'll tell you what I'll do.. ." "I'll drive you back to town, all the way, real slow." "All right." "That man seemed glad to get his team back." "He thought I'd run off with them." "You almost did." "You didn't lock it." "What?" "The door." "Forget about the door." "That's what you came in here for." "ls it?" "What's the matter?" "Looks like somebody had too much to drink down there." "Are you against drinking?" "No, not at all." "lt's just that he could be dead drunk." "What do you care?" "You might say I'm nosy, but I think I know him." "is that so important right now?" "It could be." "Come on." "Give me a hand." "Put him up here, quick." "Come on, hurry up." "Get moving." "Buy you a drink, Jess?" "Not now." "You're getting to be one of our best customers, Carlin." "Must be that good whiskey you serve, Luke." "Speaking of liquor, whatever happened to that salesman, Thompson?" "I don't know." "I haven't seen him since last night." "is that right?" "How about your bootlicker here?" "Gil doesn't know anything about him." "We've been here all evening, drinking." "That's right." "Like hell you have." "That's a real hot gun you got working for you, Luke." "What are you doing, Carlin?" "Trying to start trouble with me?" "With you that'd be no trouble at all." "I guess Eb didn't want him as bad as he thought he did." "It's good to see Luke's bullyboy get a licking." "He almost didn't get it." "Too bad you didn't get a shot at Luke while you were at it." "Sure." "Exactly what I wanted to talk to you about." "There are a lot of good men in this town." "They asked me to say they would stand behind you.. ." "if you would help drive out Luke Starr." "That's the trouble." "A man gets good with a gun, he's always being forced to use it." "I hung this up once." "And when I get Roy's killer, I'm gonna hang it up again." "I can see I was wrong about you." "I thought because you were Roy's brother.. ." "that you would be like him." "Roy and I were alike once." "We moved into a little town in Texas." "It was a rough little place." "We thought it needed changing." "Roy opened up a newspaper, and the town made me the sheriff." "Between his editorials and my gun, we turned that place upside down." "That's what we need here." "Sure." "Only trouble was, the people we helped were worse than the ones we ran out." "I didn't think you'd give up so easy, Mr. Carlin." "Seems to me this town gave up before I even rode in here." "Good night, Mr. Brady." "Who is it?" "I'd like to talk with you, Mr. Carlin." "You can put your gun away." "No one came with me." "Am I supposed to know you?" "No. I'm working for Luke Starr in the saloon." "Did he send you here?" "No, he doesn't know anything about it." "I'd like to keep it that way." "My name is Maria Banta." "Won't you sit down?" "Thank you." "I won't stay long." "I heard you're trying to find out who murdered your brother." "Yes, I am." "My husband was killed the same night he was." "They're supposed to have shot each other in a gunfight." "So I've been told." "Can you prove otherwise?" "No." "But I knew your brother." "He never even carried a gun." "I still don't understand why you're concerned about me." "I loved my husband." "Even if he wasn't much." "And I guess I rate even less." "But he was just trying to break away from Luke Starr when he was killed." "And I don't want to see the same thing happen to you." "And it will if you stay here." "I'm staying until I finish what I came for." "Thanks for the warning." "Mr." "Carlin." "Yes?" "Be careful." "Where is everybody?" "Eb's still licking his wounds from the fight last night." "Gil, where you been?" "Right outside, Luke." "Seen anything of Kit?" "Yeah, I saw her." "She and your friend Carlin are having a cozy breakfast together over at Dominic's." "She kept me waiting more than an hour." "As long as she's got Carlin, she's likely to keep you waiting forever." "Don't ever draw on me again, Gil." "If you do, I'll kill you." "Now put it away." "Give me a drink." "I've been waiting here since 9:00." "I'm sorry, Luke." "I guess I was enjoying that second cup of coffee too much." "is that all you were enjoying?" "What if it wasn't?" "I don't like the company you keep." "Let's get something straight." "I'll pick my own friends." "Can't push her around like those lamebrain gunfighters of yours, can you?" "You know, we've all got our weaknesses." "Mine is I'm a bad loser." "You might have to get used to it." "I got a better way. I fix it so I always win." "You see those doors?" "If you aren't out of town when the sun hits them.. ." "you ain't gonna live to see it set." "Good morning, Jess." "Morning, Sandy." "Luke's very unhappy about something." "He just suggested my welcome had about worn out." "He's got the guns to back it up, Jess." "I've still got a couple hours." "Maybe something will turn up." "I'll be out at the ranch if you need me." "Thanks, Sandy." "Adios." "Giddap!" "Did you lay over at that way station west of town last night?" "Yeah, always do." "Not bad out there." "They fixed it up since Wilkins got killed." "When he was alive, did he say anything about those two shootings?" "You mean Carlin and Banta?" "Yes." "No, he didn't say too much, that closed-mouth old coot." "Did what he did say make sense to you?" "No reason to believe different." "I brought the bodies in." "They were both dead enough." "Why are you so interested in it?" "l knew one of them." "Why don't you go over and see the coroner there, old Doc Miller?" "Maybe he can give you an opinion on it." "l'll do that." "Thanks." "Come in." "From the look on your face.. ." "I guess I don't have to ask you how things are." "Come on." "You better sit down." "I don't know, Sandy." "Maybe I've got this whole thing figured wrong." "I can't find out any information.. ." "and I can't go shooting up the town until I do." "Sandy." "Yes?" "Did you ever see a concho like this?" "Looks familiar." "You saved me some work." "Where'd you find it?" "Never mind." "Whose belt is that?" "They're marked." "Luke Starr." "You know something, Sandy?" "I'll bet you make real good coffee." "Looking for me?" "Yeah." "Looking to bury you." "What are you waiting for?" "I wouldn't, if I were you." "Easy, boys." "Private game, Luke?" "You're pretty hard on doors." "You could have walked right in." "Ran into some of your boys down on the street." "They had other ideas." "I thought I heard some shots." "I guess Gil lost the argument." "All of them did." "Drag the bodies out of the street." "It might give the place a bad name." "Sit down." "It'll keep." "It's an open game." "Want to sit there?" "That seat might be unlucky." "I'll sit over here." "If you don't mind." "How much you sitting in for?" "How much will that buy?" "This won't even buy you an ante." "I'm surprised at you, Luke." "I thought you'd give me a good-sized stack for that concho." "What's so special about it?" "Take another look at it." "All right." "So?" "Because it fits that empty space in your other gun belt." "You might be right. lt could be mine." "Maybe I should thank you for it." "Where'd it turn up?" "Under Roy Carlin's body." "Stage driver found it when he brought him in." "I know you're lying." "There's no need to talk about it." "Now stand up and put your gun on the table." "You don't think it's gonna be that easy, do you?" "It'd be a lot easier if there's a .45" "pointed right at your back." "This the way you took care of Roy?" "Just about the same way, yeah." "That figures." "You're a real gambler, aren't you?" "The odds were against you the minute you walked in." "Get the bodies out of the street and get them over to Doc Miller." "All right, get him out of here." "Get going." "Take him downstairs." "I'll be down in a minute." "If you feel like running, go ahead." "Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" "The odds don't always hold up, do they, Luke?" "I told you I'd be walking you home sometime, remember?" "That's right." "You did, didn't you?" "What you've done today should make up for a lot of things." "Could work out that way.. ." "but I still have some settling up to do with the law." "Take me with you." "l can't." "Don't make me say, "l'll wait for you.' ' l hate waiting." "So do I." "paps"