THIRTY-FIVE

“Are you sure?” James asked.

“Positive.”

“How do you know?”

“I heard Adam talkin’ about it,” she said. “A man came here from across the border, told him there was a shooting, that your brother was involved, that he was shot, but he wasn’t dead.”

“And the Flemings?”

“Oh, they shot him,” she said. “That’s all I heard.”

James sat down on the bed, put the gun in his holster hanging on the bedpost.

“When was that?” he asked.

“Just yesterday.”

“So Thomas was still alive yesterday.”

“Yes.”

“And today the sheriff heard that the Flemings rode out,” James said.

“I wouldn’t believe everythin’ the sheriff tells you.”

“Does he work for Grey?”

“No,” she said, “but he owes him money. That might be the same thing.”

“As far as I can see, the sheriff has only done right by me, so far.”

“Well,” she said, “if I was you, I wouldn’t believe anybody.”

“Does that include you?”

“It does,” she said, “but I’m only tellin’ you what I heard. You’ll find out for yourself tomorrow who’s tellin’ the truth.”

She was right. Once he got to Nogales on the Mexico side, he’d know for sure who the liars were.

“Miss Belle—”

“Just Belle,” she said.

“Belle, thanks for comin’ here tonight,” James said. “One way or the other, I’ll be back through here, hopefully with my brother.”

“I hope so,” she said. “This town would be much better off without Adam Grey. Maybe one of you will kill him.”

“Or arrest him,” James said.

“Whichever,” she said. “I should get back to my room.”

He walked her to the door.

“Are you Grey’s woman?” he asked.

“I owe him a lot of money, too,” she explained, “so I’m his woman when he wants me to be.”

“I understand.”

He opened the door for her.

“One more thing,” he said.

“Yes?”

“Why’d you come here tonight to tell me this?”

“Like I said,” she replied, “this town would be better off without Adam Grey. I’m hopin’ he did somethin’ to piss you Shaye boys off.”

“Time will tell,” he said.