Show ER RANO t SYNOPSIS kentucky jo jones nes veteran teran cowman attends the inq inquest ue t into the death ot of john mason banker baner jean daughter ot of CAMPO ragland owner of 0 the bar hook ranch where mason met death death surre p tinious I 1 y passes to J jones ones the bullet will which e h had killed mas mason 0 n kentucky goes to work on the dar bar hook ranch the balason verdict Is accidental death bob elliot ON owner 0 the joining adjoining range drives his cattle on the bar hook ranke range lee I 1 bishop elands Ra ranch boss bogs ex postulates and bill elliots elliote Elli forem foreman an insults him bishop and jones are astounded at Iti Ra Blands glands indifference to Eil lots action bishop urges Xen kentucky tucky to try to influence jean to arouse her father jones tells her elliot knows knois site she purloined the bullet at the inquest which he be has got rid nd 0 of her reaction mystifies 1 ie s him zack sanders par look cook Is found dead murdered CHAPTER V Contin continued tied 6 that could hardly be kentucky ans answered cred why because lie lay on the trail side elde WhIch wn dav v the sheriff bro broke k or off abruptly ns as lee bishop to mhd room mth zack sanders six gun sun lie he took a quick stride forward and took the gun in his hand the matter mailer campo ragland demanded instantly ln the sheriff drew a deep breath art and blew it out through puffed cheeks checks the eager intensity of inquiry lud had gone out of him 1 I deter have any luck he grunted tills d n thing thin has slue worked out to make a f oni fool 0 everybody I 1 INI ats wrong with that gun gin said ragland Ila gland again nothing except the caliber said the sheriff its a forty five the matter with nith it how much snow enow was waa there under zack sanders none said bishop lee said the sheriff you found mason too could you judge which was killed first sanders or mason 1 I be able to draw any difference uh huh said cherim tl opper this here Is the devil evil when I 1 first heard of 0 this I 1 was hopeful we were out cut of the woods naturally the first thing that came to mind was that mason and sanders shot it out and both dropped cut but the caliber of gun it throws that theory out shucks right ri it back on the double suicide theory said kentucky but wait a minute chams whams what s the matter the gun mason carried was the same came caliber as tills this gun of sanders here kentucky pointed out our it passed at the inquest that mason was killed by the accidental discharge of his own gun how Is it were so tain now that mason was not killed by that caliber the sheriff pulled a pipe from his pocket and rammed tobacco into it with a disgusted thumb because be said mason was not dot killed by the discharge of his own gun john mason was murdered they stared at him and kentucky jones heard beard the breath catch in jean En Ra glands throat how long iong have you known this campo ragland kagland demanded at last 4 ive known it said the sheriff za since nee the day of masons deaths death then you knew at the inquest sheriff floyd hopper did not avoid the clial challenging leng ing stare of the cattleman layes Lf yes lie said 1 I knew it at the in q aest im d d if 1 I 1 see your idea floyd said campo what I 1 want to know Is how much more you tell the jury enry wot not much campo john mason was killed by two shots not one from a jeun of lighter caliber than forty five dye Tomor tomorrow rolv the whole country will know ithac ithal and our chances of getting the are cut in two ile he extended 2 his hands over the stove but promptly withdrew them again and instead peeled off his coat naturally kentucky put in equably its easier to catch a criminal who thinks hes safe I 1 arid and easier yet said campo irritably rit ably to tj explain away a killing as an accident III 1 1 yes said the sheriff without heat ille he returned Ita Ra glands stare through the smoke emoke cloud from his pipe but I 1 il 1 I also had one or two other reasons I 1 for one thing tills this is sonic some worse than ajust alst a one man killing campo its J kicked the whole of 0 wolf bench onto the ithe edge of a general smash f we all have reason to know that i growled f V all right suppose now somebody some bod y that dont know much about it picks i himself himself out LX first class suspect sup froes ose f for or instance somebody just around wolf bench pointing out bahat hat lee bishop just happens to be the iders nan inan that found both mason and sanders both deep hidden under the snow I 1 theres been many a blowup blow up on less evidence than that and with less I 1 of it than this Is going fe raise up here r bellee lee bishop s said ild nothing campo was as eyeing sheriff hopper narrowly OSo somehow mellow floyd he said eald it seems ake to me jou come to your keal al reason yet 5 no noy said sheriff Slier lf hopper ne ile took 4 r deep arti drag ou on hla his pipe then ill falve give you jukl one reabon more maybe youve f forgot 4 campo that john alt yd w was as shot t down within a doen ree jumps 61 1 l your own house here lad nd by singular on 9 ular coincidence that you nor your daughter nor a agle ingle one of 0 our hands was thea earshot of the guns by ALAN LE MAY MAT copyright by alan lol losiak alay service after a moment carapo sald said in a low TO voice ice IF floril Floi iod il what do nou ou wean mean by that campo I 1 know that john mason vidis as your nour close friend I 1 know that nou ou and your brid brand me aie as bad hurt as an body Is almost and with my experience I 1 can reason that it alie e liang have happened if tiny any of you had been here hut but roost people hate coincidences campo ragland lia gland stood up tip his face blank I loyd if youre sailing s1 sa in iou smothered that inquest as a furor favor to me alln be said the sheriff sheil lT 1 I should just have let you explain all that to tile the in your own way campo rag aaland land sat down tits his corn com abruptly deflated IF floyd lovd lie said you have lone done I 1 it of course to h I 1 I 1 s have ilone done it sat said the shel if his hi irritability coming to the surface again k fine ho box im in now tint thit zack sanders is iq found well anyway rio aloid d campo muni mum bacil tell 1 III I appreciate what you tried to do all rl lit the sheriff sher liff accepted see thi yuu you do ant seems to mp me campo thit arter after this be justified if stop holding information back wh what it do you mean by that tonight over tile phone I 1 asked you if anything any thin else peculiar had happened you told me die no but I 1 happen to know thit that you got home here tuesday to find that tills this house had been searched kentucky jones had nener neer seen sheriff floyd hopper show to its as good advantage as he did tonight ile he was the man in ID the saddle here lie ile sat now sprawled behind his smoke his eyes surly and red like the eyes of a bear what house said campo ragland at last tills this house said the sheriff what are you trying to do campo it get you anything to stall with me tills this house was searched and something was taken from it it if you know that something was taken from tills this house campo P ragland tag said its because you had bad it taken yourself hopper shook tits his head all I 1 know Is that something Is gone from here and never mind how I 1 know that have to satisfy you that I 1 do know it it seems said campo ragland that you know a lot of things that nobody thought you knew im thinking that magbe you know a lot of things more what better be finding out Is this campo said sheriff hopper im no fool even if I 1 am the duly elected sheriff of 0 waterman county you could do a whole lot worse than play a straight game with me die campos retort was mildly explosive straight game of course im playing a straight game im willing to turn race ace up what cards I 1 hold always face up its not my fault when I 1 hold very d n few cards what im saying is the sheriff she riflE was interrupted by the opening of the outer door in the doorway appeared joe st marle ilarie for a moment he hesitated hand on the latch obviously startled by the presence of the sheriff shut that door said campo and joe st marle came in and closed the door slowly behind him what are you doing here joe st marie swung off his hat and stood staring blankly from ragland england tom to hopper and back again 1 I lamed my horse he said 1 I had to leave the other boys to take the beef on to waterman it II would have spoiled the cayuse to go on OD now campo ragland hagland seemed to notice what kentucky jones had perceived at once that joe st marles face was the color of half balf cured hay and the bronco riders explanation of his presence if not altogether satisfactory in itself had served to draw attention to the quickness of his breath campo sald said sharply you hurt joe no sir im all right well I 1 dont feel so good at that you neer feel so good lee bishop grunted campo ragland lia gland hesitated puzzled you want to speak to me joe he be asked aked at last who sie me no sir well see what you can find yourself to eat walt a minute what have you given your horse nothing yet sir mr ragland sir 1 I 11 how many times to do I 1 have to tell you fetters fellers ragland lia gland began well let it pass go feed your horse now now joe st marle marie moved reluctantly at Ila Ra glands command and at the door he be stopped hesitating though he seemed unable to speak it was as plain as it if he had spoken that there was in his mind a protest which lie ho could not or did not dare put into words kentucky jones thought he had never seen the indian blood of the man stand out so strongly the breadth of face at the cheekbones cheek check bones and the surface lights in st marles il arlea eyes suggested the indian always but tile the blunt strength of tits his features ordinarily offbeat tills this impression just now though a great part of that strength had been no better than a mask well said campo softly st marle opened the door and went out shoulders hunched liun clied as it if against the great unseen pressure of a nonexistent ind when lie ho had left the room there was n mor moment rient or two of silence then tile the sli sheriff asked lie ho afraid of campo I loyd I 1 dasent got the slightest idee it might be tile the man Is sick that man aint sick said hopper the blood nas already coming back to its his face campo sr something has happened to that man just a few minutes to before ile he come into tills this room do suppose campo began somewhere outside the house a gun crashed cras lied and though they could not dot judge other either its exact dir direction action or distance they knew that it had been fired w within a hundred yards for a moment they listened then lee dish bishop or jumped for the file door and they all se seemed erneI to move at it once walt wait lee campo ila ragland gland snapped blow out those lights loyd floyd kentucky kentusky jean you stay to in here you hear me campo ragland unarmed led tile the way to tile alie corral where joe st mar marle I 1 e was most likely to have left tits his it horse orse tile borse was there head to the bars 11 waiting for the food feed that had not yet conte but joe st marie was not in sight campos voice raised in a hoarse shout an abrupt strange sound in all that silence of snow and rock and stars you joe st marlet marie 1 where you at SI sin n out ut man III tile the silence held for a moment more and campo had bad whirled upon the sheriff when joe st marle spoke in an odd muffled voice unexpectedly dearby yes sir here I 1 am lie came toward them now slowly from around the corner of the stable and lee bishop let drop the rifle lie he had bad snatched up U p who fired why 1 1 did the accent of joe st marles mariea speech was no different from that of any other coi conboy boy except for a certain deep thickness of the tone itself now tits his voice was still deep but it had taken on a flat fiat quality and though the voice itself did not shake it somehow conveyed the imbres impression on that the man behind it was more t than an shaken 1 I 1 I thought I 1 seen a NY wolf f I 1 I 1 A wolf up here by the he house go on in lee bishop said disgustedly gust edly ill see your horse gets fed tills offer st marle did not dot accept but lee bishop stayed behind behin a while the others went in 1 I thought I 1 told you to stay in here campo said to his dau daughter liter lighting a lamp the sheriffs temper seemed to have come to the end of its string and there busted itself like a roped steer im sick and tired of this lie told them theres something almighty funny going on here and amean I 1 mean to know what it Is campo ragland lia gland planted himself on widespread wide spread legs back to the stove when you find out he said sourly let ilet me know ive warned you about holding out on me the sheriff said to ragland cut but now I 1 warn you again I 1 mean to get the man that killed mason I 1 mean to get him you hear me campo ragland said with sudden passion god know s ill help you every way I 1 can id tell you if I 1 knew any thing if you know knew anything salil said alop per bitterly there a man on your place tonight who know more about this business than he means to tell all foolishness said campo ragland youve gone up in the air because a quarter blood cowboy looks like lie might be coming down with a fever As for holded holding stuff back from lou tak take lake e us one by one it if you want start with me or start with kentucky jones who even work for the bar alook at the time this happened or take you want me to start with kentucky jones said the sheriff imay maybe like to hear me ask a question or two ot of this kentucky jones ask who and what you like said ragland ha gland hopper swung his red eyed stare to Kentucky Kentuck yO 0 be careful how you answer me jones try to remember what wha your boss sometimes forgets that maybe I 1 know the answer before you speak where were you at one last saturday the day that mason and zack sanders died kentucky jones took his time about answering at noon last saturday he said at last 1 I was here fit at the bar hook sheriff holober grIn grinned oed but not pleasantly at campo ragland there you are he said campo said sl slowly oNly you never told mp that kentucky Y no I 1 drove out to say A adelos dios I 1 I 1 was going away hopper spoke to ragland theres your man that possibly know anything about tills this he said ironically cut but it if you think all I 1 know about kentucky jones youre a fool I 1 can go to court with my case against him tomorrow it if need be his tone was that of contemptuous statement rather than threat and I 1 cati can put him where hell have to fight h I 1 for leather as tie lie never fought in his life before he be ever gets clear ragland eagland said if you think being here around that time lime Is a ease case you dont know much about opportunity said them the sheriff opportunity port unity Alty and add mothe just those two things can make it tough for any man yet im not right sure that all I 1 can bring agal against rist him from what I 1 know right now motle mothe echoed rag land startled here lee iee bishop and joe st marle marie returned to the room T they aey 11 saw now that the normal dark color of st marles face hall hal returned and with till it had come hack back tits Ms look of 0 solid strength sheriff floyd hopped looked at ragland and indicated sl 94 marie with a jerk of his head Ch chillie Illif and fever seen to have passed off bt h said campo ragland kagland grunted campo said the sheriff sherl ll theres a heat head going to fall maybe more than one lend head dont eier think that tu s is going I 1 to blow over and be lost sight of iu in a general dust theres a man going to be hooked hard and p permanent r before im through floyd what are you yon going to to do you mean mean youre taking kentucky jones no ill know how to got get him vilian |