Show A a LAN LE MAY W N IJ 0 5 L M V I 1 C P J w alan iper CHAPTER XII continued 16 what are you going to do youve got the case worse scattered out now than P then well try to tie it together again heres where we tackle pill mccordel its the turn its the break you hear mel me ive got to run a bluff are you backing me or note not tin im backing YOU yon give me the gun that killed sanders floyd hopper obeyed and kentucky jones stuck it in his waistband come on I 1 three pairs of eyes turned upon kentucky jones and floyd hopper as they came into the kitchen in the room from which they had come all four men had been armed and so accustomed had they become to the sagging gun belts as standard equipment in the last few days that here it was ted baylor and bill mccord who were unarmed who looked unusual and suspicious now floyd hopper was flushed and sharp eyed but though it was to hopper the eyes ot of the three waiting men turned it was kentucky jones who spoke his face as unpleasantly cold and u ugly ly as tee ice on broken rock ill ili bill mccord the gun vint had killed sanders the gun that had been in sanders hand as lee bishop found him dead 1 I dont suppose he said to mccord you eier saw this gun before bill mccord seemed to consider for a long iong moment maybe I 1 have ho he said at last and maybe I 1 would you care to say where it was when you saw it last A humorous grin twisted one side of mccordis mccords Me Mc Cords face you go to h 1 I he answered kentucky jones eyed him sorrowfully Is that final he said you bet your life its finall final im sorry borry tor for tills this kentucky said 1 I swear to heaven I 1 believe theres going to be an injustice done I 1 was afraid of S but this mccord Is a man who wh 0 means what he says floyd it he wont talk he wont talk I 1 guess theres nothing to do but follow up what elliot says dont it look that way to you floyd hopper had bad no more idea of what jones was talking about than did mccord but he was a poker player and a good one and he had been in office tor for a long time it sure looks that way he said kentucky jones sald said youre under arrest mccord for a moment noone spoke A hard gleam came into bill mccordis mccords Me Mc Cords eyes who says gays so he demanded once more the sheriff completely in the dark as he was backed Kentuck ys play gamely 1 I say so he told mccord personally said kentucky 1 I dont think youre guilty bill ril admit I 1 was kind of hoping that we had closed in on bigger game still I 1 suppose we ought to be glad that we can hang this on anybody at all ail I 1 guess we better tell you yon that anything you say gay will be used against you mccord bill mccord spat into the wood box bos what am I 1 charged with he demanded the murder of lee bishop said gald K kentucky en tucky accords mccords Mc Corda Cords face hardened but he went back to the making of his cigarette in the first place he said 1 I anywhere near it and in the second place it no murder lee bishop was killed in a fair standup stand up fight that lie Is plumb useless said eald kentucky contemptuously because I 1 was with lee bishop when he was killed bishop was knocked out of the saddle with a rifle shot by a nan man hidden in the rocks three hundred yards away and the slug that killed him was poured into him after lie ke was wag down and helpless and I 1 was carrying him to cover and my story la Is proved by the nature of bishops wounds fair fight h li 11 murder you hear bear me mccord stared at jones his face immobile at last he shook hla his head puzzled 1 11 I take fill all that to be freehand free hand lying it if you was with bishop know that I 1 there ne ile was shot from cover I 1 tell you kentucky said 1 I tee see lids killer I 1 could never have named you as aa the man it if bob elliot lost his guts elliot nim lose his guts mccord mccoord responded incredulously a hot onel kentucky jones shrugged 1 I 1 heard differently he said bald cantly mccord if youve youve got any thing thin to say top for yours Jf you rue better talk I 1 tell you elliote elliots Elli Eli lots gone one out from under you you fool ia dill mccord stared again hesitated then lie he laughed shortly a lie he decided a lie he from the ground up I 1 neither me nor elliot had anything to do with any of this so be it said kentucky floyd bring in elliot or here ill biln bring him myself ne he flashed a mail malignant grin at mccord SIc Cord and went out behind him hopper said to his deputy watch this guy williel ue ile followed kentucky jones kentucky and the sheriff paused for a whispered conference beyond the door by gd G d jones said the sheriff T r believe that guy knows something of course he knows something kentucky said irritably cut but he got et through the loop on you hopper said eald lies ires too cool and tough to stampede youve played your ace and never took a trick what are you going to do now lead the jack said kentucky unperturbed As he moved on to the room where campo wits was holding holdan bob elliot he no iong longer er believed that he could lose A dissension was beg beginning laning in the little room where campo was presiding over the now conscious elliot jean and campo did not appear to have moved but the boss of sa was sitting up in a chair he leaned forward his hands gripping the arms and glowered at ragland with eyes that seemed not quite able to focus accurately put fut down that gun an he was saying theres no d n P lie ile checked as kentucky and the sheriff appeared tell him kentucky whispered sidelong to hopper hes under arrest youre under arrest elliot said the sheriff tell him kentucky prompted SIc Cord has spilled the beans mccord has spilled the beans the sheriff repeated to elliot with convincing emphasis cob bob elliot stared at them vaguely for a full quarter of a minute 1 I dont know what youre talking about he said finally nally fl kentucky nudged hopper but this time the sheriff watt wait for his whispered instructions for the first time hopper seemed ready to go forward under his own power youre charged with murder elliot he said IM has told it all elliot stared at the sheriff tor for a long iong moment diore more ill talk to mr mccord he said at last his voice harsh let me talk to mccord 1 I should say nov not said bald the sheriff 1 I should say yes said kentucky jones accords mccords Mc Cords in the kitchen elliot just step this way ue he pushed the sheriff ahead of him bob elliot followed campo trailed along but jean stayed where she was heres your friend mccord said kentucky look him over and ask yourself what youve been depending on all this time in the doorway bob elliot stood swaying on his legs like a drunken man the muscles about his mouth twitched and his eyes were red in a bloodless face look each other over said kentucky jones A fine pair to draw tr t to or r to build a hadj hanging n around bill mccord cried out bob what the h I 1 you been telling these 7 what the devil you talking said elliot 1 I kentucky jones offered elliot the butt of the gun that had killed sanders heres your gun elliot matched it with the bullets that killed zack A light flared up in bob elliots elliote eyes and he be turned on bill mccord it if mccord says this Is my gun 11 he be exploded he lies ask ted baylor kentucky said ted tell the gentlemen where you last saw this gun after you won it at craps from joe st marle marie ted baylor glanced at the gun again and he hesitated kentucky jones waited balanced in suspense he believed that one of the two mccord or elliot would break under the one last straw that baylor might perhaps provide but he be had not talked to ted baylor had mo ao chance to talk to him and he did not know what this man would say 1 I guess you yon can remember when I 1 saw this gun last yourself bob said ted baylor at last youre crazy said fald elliot 11 1 I won that gun from joe st marle marie in a crap game one night last fall ted baylor said but I 1 have tt it an hour before I 1 sold bold it to you cob bob for two dollars and a half and the band for a lint hat nob bob elliot said savagely you were so d n drunk that night you dont remember what you did I 1 so what you relied on said Ken kentucky jones you thought baylor was wag so drunk that the gun could never le be traced 1 I never saw that gun before in my life said elliot it was a good idea of yours said kentucky to throw bill mccord to the wolves and it worked good enough so that well hang mccord nil all right but bill mccord tool a tep step r toward elliot hla his face contorted you dirty sneak so your game Is it lie ile swung crazily upon sheriff hopper Ws lies lied to you he almost shouted lies hes lied to you like he lied to me I 1 I 1 knew he was crazy to get bishop killed and I 1 tried to pick a II 11 fight bt with bishop for that reason but it never went through lie ile told me he killed bishop himself in fair fight if id known he laid for him on the rim and plugged him with a rifle without fight id have walked out on him the minute that I 1 knew I 1 bob elliote elliots Elli voice rose you fool will you shut your d n mouth before 1 I suppose said kentucky Ren to bill mccord you even know that bob elliot killed mason no I 1 never what did you suppose he wanted bishop killed hilled for you know he hired you to kill bishop because bishop saw raw him at the bar hook the day mason died bob elliot began dill bill dont you let these you d n streak of yellow bill mccord snarled at him 1 I see it dowl I 1 dont wonder you disown your d n gun I 1 if id known when you killers itce ice bishop that you yon lay off find and plugged him with a rifle its a d n gilel said bob elliot again Is it mccord snarled at him 1 I supposes its a lie that you strapped on that gun and rode after mason that day when he laughed la in your face by G d mccord elliot shouted put it off on me will you mccord shouted back at him 1 I thought maybe you killed mason when you told me you knew he was killed with campos rifle why you dirty side wander bluder bob elliots elliote Elli voice broke into something almost like a squeal you d 1 d 1 suddenly he turned lurched crazily at the door behind him and was gone from the room helmar cried 4 shall I 1 get him shall I 1 get him mccord I 1 roared sheriff hopper la Is tills this true sure its truel true 1 mccord frothed fro thed 1 I can see it now and I 1 can pro prove ve it on him every step of the way nang hang me in his place will he why that suddenly bill mccords accords Mc Cords face changed as if it had been struck with a whip ne ile whirled like a cat snatched at the bolstered gun of wiilie li helmar elmar and though heidar seized mccords accords Mc Cords arm as the gun came out mccord wrenched free in that instant jean in the next room screamed kentucky look out I 1 and bob elliots elliote Elli first shot spoke from the door the next nest moment was one of those which witnesses afterward describe conflictingly conflict so that it Is difficult to know the truth kentucky jones shouted jean Mean got get out of line and though he fired la in the direction of bob elliot he seemed to fire at the floor elliot dropped to one knee kentucky instantly fired again his second shot mashi smashing bill accords mccords Mc Cords gun wrist so that mccord was spun half about almost in accord with ken backys second shot bob elliot fired again kentucky jones stepped sideways as he once more bred on bob elliot this time bob went forward onto his face and his gun slamming from his relaxed hand skidded half way across the floor door toward kentucky jones then gun and man lay still and the room was still heavy with the peculiar unforgettable smell of smokeless powder CHAPTER XIII it sald said sheriff hop aper 1 per happened here the debris had been cleared away by now elliot not as seriously hit bit as under the circumstances he might himself have wished was officially fici ally in custody as was bill mccord and floyd hopper was four miles up in the air you dont need to watch bill mccord so close kentucky said hes bes ready to tell you enough to convict elliot before any wolf bench jury without any more trouble your case was clinched the minute you found out that sanders was killed with the pun gun that was found lu iti his hand hana its been plain all along that sanders was killed because lie he witnessed the killing of mason and youve heard beard mccord identify the gun that killed sanders but look here hopper insisted up to the time that you got elliot and mccord all crossed up you even talked to ted baylor baylon 1 I have time to get hold of him kentucky explained in the little time after I 1 found out from st marle marie that the gun had passed through baylers Bay lors hands bands but then that necessary hardly elliot liot had bad to have full information before he be dared to flood the bar hook range and lie he have got all those cattle on the move as quick as tie fie did unless he had started wort work ing them the next morning mornin antei arte mason was killed ne he could hardly hardis have got such information so BO quiet unless he had killed mason him self but you know how many man hands that gun passed through he sides ted il liay lora ted baylor might have passed it on to almost anybody you count on him to name the gun as elliots elliote Elli gun sure not rut but that matter mailer its Mc mccordy McCord Cords 3 admi identification cation that thai counts of course it might have been that the gun had wound up at the car bar hook and that elliot walked in and borrowed it it the same as tie he did campos rifle in that case of course there have been any tangible evidence against elliot and wed have lost out all around but I 1 figured that the killer would have shot quick with his own gun in case and then shoved shored the same gun into hand ile he would have been in a hurry to get out of there about then but how did you know that the gun in sanders hand own gun now there that was the turning point of the whole thing you see that that gun can I 1 know every gun in the rimrock how could any man guess it his you mean you thought tha ailt zack rode al all over wolf bench carrying that gun in his hand ru in his hand what you driving at lie ile would have had to carry it in hla his hand sanders had no gun belt kentucky reminded him blin ilie he even wearing Nen ring boots and there a single pocket in his clothes that that gun would go lal in I 1 9 0 0 0 within an hour after the showdown which had thrown elliot into the sheriffs hands hopper had forgotten his gratification over the solution in his alarm over the storm which he was sure would follow tomorrow word of the charge 8 against a last elliot would have swept the rimrock already floyd hopper could see himself facing the mob which he now supposed sip supposed posed would wish to take the law into their own hands mobs made difficult by the un noisy but peculiarly efficient purposefulness of cowmen who have made up tip their minds if the sheriff knew his brush poppers and he thought he did di d u unpleasantness pleasantness n was going to come down on him in sheets and he be was already more interested te in plans to smuggle elliot to some far safe confinement than he was in what had already been accomplished with only a few hours mar margin in for the completion of preventive me measures sa the sheriff barged off to waterman with him went his brother doc hopper who had been rushed out meantime to administer first aid and dill bill mccord late afternoon found th the e bar hook locked in that restive exhausted quiet which follows any kind of explosion somewhere in the house wlllie willie wilelmar sat watchfully beside the wounded elliot who propped himself up in bed and smoked interminably saying nothing at all ted baylor had bad left and campo had drawn off by himself and into himself in what mood no one knew kentucky jones sat alone in the big kitchen ile he wanted to talk to jean knew that he must talk to jean and he dreaded it for he |