A Good Day To Kill Read Free

him, too.”
    He turned back to Chet. “Jesus said they were your new guards.”
    They laughed.
    â€œI don’t—” Chet started to protest.
    â€œYes, you do. Trust me, you don’t need to walk down there. And this posse is your posse. You gathered us and have done a great job teaching us. You’ll be there at the exchange. Israel Clanton is one of those dead. He chose that way himself. That may raise a stink, but he was involved in those two stage robberies and ranch raids.”
    â€œNo problem for me. Send the taxi. Send a boy to tell the Epithet and get word to the Wells Fargo man as well. Dodge may be in one of the saloons by this hour. He likes to play poker. Between you and Cole, send Marshal Blevins in Tucson a telegram about this at once. We can all meet at the Cochise County Jail by then.”
    â€œNow you’re talking, boss man,” Cole shouted.
    A cheer from the rest of the men followed his words, and they and their prisoners rode on down the street.
    Marge kissed him. “Did you see Jesus’s face? You did well to send him with them. He’s sure part of your Force.”
    â€œOh, yes. Ladies, get ready. We’re having a public gathering down there. Behan will be wearing his best suit accepting them. How many outlaws were there?”
    â€œI counted four dead and the same alive,” Jenn said.
    â€œThose boys have earned four thousand dollars right there, plus the outlaws’ horses, gear, and guns. There may be other rewards as well.”
    â€œWow, they’ll be well off when this is over,” Marge said.
    â€œIt’s counting up. Let me get some better clothes on.”
    â€œYes, you need to do that. But don’t you overdo things today.”
    â€œI won’t.”
    â€œYou heard him, Jenn—‘I won’t’?”
    â€œHey, this will be fun. I have never been to one of these things before. Oh, Marge, he’ll be fine,” Jenn said to his worried wife.
    â€œKeep telling her that. Keep telling her that,” Chet said, going inside.
    When the taxi man came by, both women had on new dresses and straw hats to shade their faces. Chet wore a brown suit coat, pressed pants, and his dusted off hat. He also wore his six-gun for the first time. Not that he figured he’d need it, but it felt better strapped on than without it.
    When they reached the courthouse, a crowd had already gathered around his men and their captives. A funeral home hearse parked close by was, no doubt, there for the bodies. The Wells Fargo representative was a burly man in a tan suit—fortyish, and his name was Tom Dodge. At first, Chet couldn’t recall his given name—but he did when he saw his face and was satisfied that the man would handle getting the rewards for his men.
    No sign of Behan. Chet helped the women down and they moved to the boardwalk to stand aside. In irons, the four live gang members sat on their butts in the dirt. The dead ones rested on the ground in a row. A photographer was there taking photos of them. A puff of smoke and a flash and he would have a negative to print, a grim picture of the dead outlaws with their arms folded on their chest and their eyelids closed.
    Chet wondered which one was Clanton’s kin. The blond curly-headed one must be him; the others were Mexicans. He didn’t know any of the men seated in the dust. Roamer brought him a paper with their names on it.
    â€œThat’s who they are.”
    â€œThanks. Is Behan coming?” Chet glanced around for him.
    â€œThey sent for him.”
    â€œGood.” Chet felt put out that Sheriff Behan was late, but Dodge did join him and shook his hand.
    â€œGreat work. You’re healing?”
    â€œYes, I’m doing fine. They brought in a large part of the outlaws operating around here.”
    â€œYes. Your men have quite a stack of rewards coming.”
    â€œMy men get that money. They’re the ones taking the