Dead Man's Hand (Caden Chronicles, The) Read Free

fill out the paperwork. Imagine if there
had
been a murder.”
    I stood, brushing dirt off the back of my jeans.
    “But there
was
.”
    Dad cut in. “I hate to ask the obvious, but is it possible my son is telling the truth?”
    The marshal rubbed a knuckle against his chin and smiled at me. “Son, here’s what I
think
you saw. Tell me when I go off track. The man you say got shot, he was young, not much older than you. Slight build, blue eyes, buck-toothed smile. Wore a big square black hat with a band around the base. Yellow bandana around his neck. How am I doing?”
    “That’s him! That’s the victim!”
    Buckleberry turned toward my parents. “Name’s Billy the Kid. Nasty one. Hot tempered. Quick on the draw too. At least that’s the role he plays in our little performance. Real name is Billy Bell. An actor out of Los Angeles. Had a bit roll in that teen movie,
The Boy Next Door
. Now he’s up for a supporting role in the remake of
Rio Bravo
.”
    “Any idea why someone would want him dead?” I asked.
    Buckleberry chuckled. “Trying to do my job for me?”
    “Maybe the dead guy
is
a ghost,” my sister said sarcastically. “Ever think of that, Nick?”
    “No such thing as ghosts,” I answered.
    Balling her fists on her hips, she snapped back. “Oh yes there is.”
    My sister is at that age where she’ll believe almost anythingexcept what I tell her. I have friends with younger siblings and they’re always complaining about how their little sisters and brothers follow them around, treating them like they’re some sort of god. Not Wendy. She’s the
older
sister I’m glad I never had.
    “Just because
you
believe in vampires, werewolves, and witches,” I replied, “doesn’t mean they’re real.” I turned toward the marshal. “I know what I saw. And I’m telling you, there’s a dead man in that barn. Or was.”
    The marshal pushed his hat back on his head and said to me, “Look, son. We work hard to make sure our guests have a good time. If we weren’t such good actors no one would bother to drive all the way out here. I’m sure this isn’t the only shootout you’ll witness while in Deadwood. There’s lots of dangerous folks in this territory. Bank bandits and train robbers and hired guns, like Black Bart, just itching for a fight.”
    “Guard at the gate mentioned him,” Mom chimed in.
    “But to put your mind at ease, I’ll poke around in the barn. Could be my deputy missed something. In the meantime I’d suggest you folks head on to the bunkhouse. It’ll be dark soon. Past few weeks we’ve had brown bears rummaging around in the garbage. Got a call into the Department of Wildlife, but they haven’t done anything about it yet.”
    “You didn’t answer my question,” I said. “Who
benefits
if Billy the Kid is dead?”
    Sighing heavily, Buckleberry stared at the snow-capped peaks glowing orange from the setting sun. “Let’s just say Bill isn’t the most popular employee in Deadwood. Sort of has it in his head he’s better than the other actors. And maybe heis. We’re lucky he’s hung around as long as he has. But I can’t imagine anyone wanting to kill him.”
    Taking the reins of his horse, the marshal stepped one foot into the stirrups and swung himself into the saddle.
    “Look, you seem like fine people. My advice is to forget about all this business in the hayloft and get washed up for dinner. Sassy Sally’s Saloon serves a fine meal. I’m partial to the beef barbeque sandwich, but their chili is good too. I think if you’ll check your schedule you’ll see there’s a buffalo hunt scheduled early in the morning. You’re not going to want to miss that. Know what I mean?”
    “Don’t worry, Marshal. I’ll make sure my son doesn’t go snooping around that barn in the dark.”
    “You do that, Mr. Caden.”
    I watched Marshal Buckleberry ride toward the barn, dismount, and enter Lazy Jack’s. I wanted to run over and see for myself if the body was gone but