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“They also demanded a new trial and the marshal said there wasn’t any proof that he’d actually fired the gun that had killed the man—there were lots of guns being fired that day—so the marshal gave him life imprisonment instead of hanging.”
Chris took a deep breath. “Who is the red-haired woman?”
The women stiffened, showing their goodness and virtue. “Just one ofthem.That Tynan stays in her saloon when he’s in town.”
“He really can be very nice,” said a pretty young girl at the back of the group.
A woman who had to be the girl’s mother looked shocked. She turned to Chris. “Some of the girls here have no sense. He’s a no-good waster, travels around and makes the girls fall in love with him, then leaves them crying. You’re best to stay away from the likes of him, Miss Dallas.”
Chris moved toward the door. “I can’t thank you ladies enough for telling me this, but now I have a story to research.” She looked at the women and smiled. “I’ve always wanted to know what the inside of a house of prostitution looks like, haven’t you?”
For a moment, the women were too stunned to speak, but they considered Chris to be one of them. They’d read her articles for years and they felt as if they knew her.
“Yes,” one of the women in the back sighed and the others began to laugh.
“Wish me luck,” she called over her shoulder as she left the dress shop and made her way to the red-haired woman’s saloon. Behind her, she heard murmurs of how brave she was.
There were only two cowboys in the saloon when she entered, sitting at a table listlessly playing cards. A big, aproned bartender was sweeping the floor.
“I’m looking for someone, a tall woman with red hair,” Chris said. “Is she here?”
“Not to ladies, she ain’t.”
“Joe,” came a voice from the head of the stairs and Chris looked up to see the red-haired woman. “This here little lady is Nola Dallas, the one that dressed up as a showgirl, remember?”
The faces of the bartender and the two cowboys changed as they looked at Chris. “Come on up,” the woman called and Chris went up the stairs.
The woman led her to a large room that was very pretty if a bit loud in color for Chris’s taste.
“I’m Red,” the woman said, motioning Chris to a horsehair sofa. “You wanta drink? I ain’t got any tea.”
“Red?” Chris asked.
“On account of the hair. I gave up trying to have a name because everybody called me Red anyway, so why fight it? Now, what can I do for you?”
Chris withdrew a notebook and a pencil from her handbag and tried to look professional. “I believe you know Mr. Tynan. Do you know where he is now?”
Red laughed. “If I know Ty, right now he’s in a bathtub with three of my best girls.”
Chris was so shocked that she dropped her notebook and pencil and bent quickly to retrieve them, trying to cover her distress.
Red sat on the other end of the sofa. “Oh, dear, it’s like that, is it? How long did you spend with him?”
“Just a few days,” Chris said, smoothing her skirt, not lifting her red face.
“And you fell in love with him,” Red said flatly.
“More or less,” Chris mumbled then lifted her head, started to say something then stood. “The man is driving me crazy!” she said with passion. “I thought you might know something about him. He seemed to talk to you as if he knew you.”
“I guess I know him as well as anyone. I helped raise him. Look, honey, women fall in love with Ty on a daily basis. He’s so damned good lookin’ and that voice of his can talk a woman into anything. But I can tell you that, as far as I know, he never has anything to do with good girls like you.”
“That’s just what he said. Oh, Miss Red,” she said, moving back to the sofa. “I’ve never been in love in my life and I don’t even know if I am now, but there’s something intriguing about this man and I want to know all I can find out about him.”
Red looked at her a while. “He deserves more than what he got dealt in life. He’s a good boy and he ain’t never had a chance at nothin’ but bad. If I tell you about Ty, will you tell me how come he’s out of jail?”
“My father got him out. Have you ever heard of Delbert J. Mathison?”
“About as often as I’ve heard of beer. Tynan ain’t got hisself mixed up with the likes of him, has he? That man will eat Ty alive.”
