Blue-Eyed Devil

WE WERE STANDING in the empty street when Pony arrived. Most of the town still believed that Callico’s heroic posse would banish the red heathen. But they were staying inside anyway.

“Maybe forty minutes,” Pony said as he slid off his horse. “Kha-to-nay, and eighteen warrior.”

“Callico on the other side of the river?”

“Three warrior with Winchesters on this side,” Pony said.

“Only way to get across would be to put the whole posse into the ford at once,” I said.

“Lose half of them,” Chauncey said. “If you do.”

“Callico won’t have much luck getting them to take that kind of casualties,” I said.

“’Specially now that they ain’t drunk,” Chauncey said.

Virgil was looking at the street.

“Where they gonna come in?” he said to Pony.

“Kah-to-nay ride straight in down Main Street. Make him feel good. He think no guns here.”

“Damn near right,” Virgil said. “You sure ’bout this?”

“What Pony would do,” he said.

“Everett, take that fucking siege gun up onto the second-floor balcony above the bank,” he said.

“Teagarden,” Virgil said. “In the hayloft over the livery stable. Try to seem like several people.”

“I always seem like several people,” Teagarden said.

“You gonna fight?” Virgil said to Pony.

“Not kill Chiricahua,” Pony said. “Where Chiquita?”

“In the Boston House,” Virgil said. “Upstairs front. With Allie.”

“Not draw attention,” he said.

“You and me,” he said. “Front of the pool room across the street. Behind the water trough.”

He looked at all of us.

“Let them come in. I’ll stop them here, between Everett and Teagarden. Wait for me to shoot.”

Teagarden and I both nodded and headed off for where Virgil had told us to be. Chauncey Teagarden had probably been brought to town to kill Virgil Cole. And might still be planning to try. But right now he obeyed Virgil’s orders without question, just like everybody always did.

I set up behind the railing of the upstairs porch, made sure all the weapons were loaded, laid a bandolier of ammunition out on the floor, and waited.