“Of course I know it.”The gun dipped a little.“My name is Paddy.”
“Good to meet you, Paddy.I’m Caleb Marlowe.”
“I know who you are.”
“Paddy, tell your friend behind me,” he said casually, “that according to the Code, only a coward shoots a man in the back.”
“I ain’t no coward,” the wheezy back-up cried.“And I got no gun.But I’m Dusty.”
Caleb was right.Dusty couldn’t be more than eight years old.
“How old are you, Paddy?”he asked sharply.
“Twelve.”From the look on his face, it was clear he was angry he’d answered so quickly.“It don’t matter none if I’m twenty.You’re still about to die.”
Dusty moved slightly around to the side, and Caleb turned his head a little until he caught sight of the baling hook he was holding.
“Dusty, if that hook is getting heavy,” he said, “you don’t need to be holding it up like that.I ain’t going to make a run for it.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw the tool being lowered.
“And even though you ain’t no coward, you’d best get out of the line of fire of your friend here.Cuz, being this close, that bullet will tear clear through me and more ’n likely hit you.If he don’t miss me, that is.”
“I ain’t gonna miss.”
“You won’t miss because that old cannon you’re carrying will more likely misfire.”
“It won’t misfire.”
“Pretty sure of yourself.”Caleb nodded toward the Dragoon.“But those cartridges are notorious for not firing once they get wet.You been out in the rain at all?”
A shadow of doubt flickered across Paddy’s dirty face.
“But let’s get things straight between you and me before the shooting starts.”
“Whaddya mean?”
“What makes you think I killed your brother?”
“I seen him laid out by the undertaker’s.They was making boxes for him and his…well, for them other fellas.”Paddy ran a quick sleeve across his face and then pointed at a mount in a stall.“And that there’s our horse.Right there.The dun.”
Caleb thought again about the best way to proceed.He was not about to throw down on this young fella.He’d already had four separate opportunities to draw and shoot, but he’d decided right off that he wasn’t going to hurt him.The best thing would be to get Paddy to decide for himself that shooting wouldn’t be the best way to go.
“Why do you think it was me that killed him?”
“I heard the deputy tell the undertaker that Marlowe done ’em all, and they had you in the pokey.That’s you.Don’t deny it.”
“I ain’t going to deny it, Paddy, but I got a few things to say about that.”Caleb glanced over at Dusty.“Are you another brother?”
“Uh-uh.”He shook his head slowly.“A friend.”
“Good to know.You two been friends a long time?”
“Since last night.”
Caleb looked back at Paddy.“You and your brother just passing through Elkhorn?”
“Going to Montana.My brother says there’s gold fields there where folks can still strike it rich.We’re gonna do just that.And then we’re gonna get ourselves a ranch and raise cattle.We’re gonna have it made…”
