Brian Garfield Read Free

half-consumed bottle. “Buy a good deal of tequila for a share of that kind of money, boys.”
    Boag said, “All right, now you get to tell us what a share amounts to.”
    â€œWell you boys are kind of latecomers. Some of these men been riding with Mr. Pickett ten years or more.”
    â€œJohn B.,” Boag said, “I don’t believe I heard the man answer my question, did you?”
    â€œIt’ll be good,” Ben Stryker said. “Real good for hired-hand wages. It’s just one job of work for you two boys and then you take your shares and split up. Be a few days’ work in it for you, that’s all. We’ll be pickin’ up a few more men along the line too. Mr. Pickett totes it up we’ll need around thirty men to handle Hardyville and that riverboat crew.”
    â€œJohn B., did the man answer the question yet?”
    â€œIf he did it must’ve been in some other language, Boag.”
    Boag knew why Stryker was taking his time. He was sizing them both up and trying to guess how little they’d be willing to take.
    Boag said, “I’ll save you the trouble doing sums in your head, Mr. Stryker. John B. and me will take ten thousand between us.”
    â€œMr. Pickett was thinking more along the lines of five thousand.”
    â€œApiece,” Boag said.
    â€œTogether,” Stryker corrected.
    â€œThirty men, three hundred thousand dollars, that’s ten thousand dollars a man. We’ll take half that. Seems fair.”
    â€œNo,” Stryker said. “It don’t seem fair.” He got up and left them alone with the half bottle of tequila.
    Wilstach looked around the camp. Nobody was in earshot. Boag contemplated the bottle but refused it when Wilstach offered it.
    Wilstach said, “I ain’t eager, Boag.”
    â€œWhy? Don’t you think they can get away with it?”
    â€œSure they can. But that don’t make it right.”
    â€œFive thousand rights a lot of wrongs, John B.”
    â€œApiece?”
    â€œTogether, the man said.”
    â€œThen you’re inclined to take it.”
    â€œI guess I am,” Boag said. “What else we got to look forward to?”
    â€œWe do this, we maybe could get jerked to Jesus, Boag. You ever seen a man hanged? Flop like a fish on a hook. Man I don’t aim to end up right now in Boot Hill with dirt in my face.”
    â€œYou rather herd sheep, John B.?”
    â€œI would if I knew how.”
    â€œNow there’s the point,” Boag murmured. “What do we know how to do, except soldiering, when push comes to shove?”
    Wilstach gave it thought. Finally he said, “Maybe you’re right.”
    When Stryker came back and saw the bottle was empty he said, “You’re in, then.”
    â€œAeah,” Wilstach said.
    â€œTwenty-five hundred apiece.”
    â€œRight,” Boag said.
    â€œI’m kind of glad you agreed to join up,” Stryker said. “Otherwise we’d of had to kill you. Couldn’t have you two tracking around loose knowing what you know.”
    Boag said, “That gives a man a nice warm feeling, Mr. Stryker.”

3
    The Johnson-Yaeger express company had an office on the pier, at the shore end of the dock. Tickets for passage were sold here, and shipments added to bills of lading. The warehouse for shipments was on an adjacent pier but the gold was held in the first building, probably because it was easier to guard: the building was small, it was exposed on all four sides, and it had only two doors, front and east side: There were windows here and there but they were barred with heavy cast-iron grilles bolted through to the inside of the timber studs. The front door gave access to the ticket window inside; behind the ticket counter was another wall with a door in it that led through to the back room where the gold was kept. That interior door had two armed sentries on it and the outside side door had two