Keeper of the Books (Keeper of the Books, Book 1) Read Free Page B

said.  
    Amos looked away from Levi and stared at the floor in front of him, probably unable to believe his stroke of luck. Of course, Levi had no intention of letting Amos get away with his crimes. The things he had done deserved punishment—no, justice. Justice would be served. When bounty hunter Levi Thompson was involved, justice was always served one way or another.
    A man died today. He was a bank teller that had done his duty to society. He had gone to work to lend people money. To help the local economy. One of these scoundrels shot him through the heart because he resisted their demands to take them to some safety deposit box. For that, all of the thieves deserved to die, regardless of who pulled the trigger. And Nathaniel Cole was the worst of the bunch. Not only did he have blood on his hands from victims of the past, but he orchestrated this mess. Worse than carrying out acts of lawlessness was coming up with them in the first place—orchestrating them. His crimes spanned from Kentucky to Texas. While Nathaniel Cole was still breathing, people’s lives were in danger. But all that was about to change.  
    “You’re going to lead me to him,” Levi said.  
    “Who?”
    Levi’s eyes narrowed. Just how dense was Amos? Was he a hired gun with no brains? “Nathaniel Cole,” Levi repeated. “And if his brother is with him, even better.”
    “I can take you to where our hideout was,” Amos said. “But I’m sure they’re gone by now.”
    “I also want you to tell me again about Ralph Butler and Stewart Douglas,” Levi said. “The other two in your group that disappeared. You said they just vanished into thin air?”
    Amos’ hands began to twitch. “I know it sounds crazy…”
    “Crazy doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
    “Well, you know what I already told you,” Amos said.  
    “Tell me again,” Levi demanded, standing from the desk. He walked to the other side of the room and peered out the window. He watched as Sheriff Marston made eyes with one of the prostitutes on her way to the saloon. This town was full of scum.
    “The four of us walked into the bank,” Amos said. “Me and Joe guarded the entrance while Ralph and Stew gave orders to the bank teller.”
    “Who shot him?” Levi asked as if it mattered.  
    “Ralph, I think.”
    Sure he did. Levi knew to take anything Amos said with a grain of salt. As far as the truth was concerned, any of the men could have shot the bank teller. According to the reports, they went in, shooting their pistols into the ceiling like madmen. Doing so was a smart move, probably Nathaniel’s idea in case they did kill someone. Counting their bullets wasn’t an option when they did that, so there was no way to point the finger at the murderer.  
    The witnesses at the bank were questioned individually and every one of them had a different tale for how things happened. By the end of the interviews, each of the four thieves had been fingered for the shooting that killed the bank teller. So, unless there was a confession of guilt, there would be no proof of who did it. But again, it didn’t matter. Each of them was as guilty as the next. And each of them would face justice. That is, if Levi found any of them. All he had was the runt of the litter, Amos. Killing him would hardly satisfy the need for justice in this instance. The man seemed stupid and he was scared to death. That didn’t mean Levi felt any sympathy for him. In fact, it made things worse. Someone so dumb should’ve stayed away from scoundrels like the Cole brothers. Amos should have been a ranch hand or even Marston’s deputy. He would have fit that role just fine.
    “Anyways,” Amos continued, “the four of us finally got to the back room where the safety deposit boxes were kept. Joe got it opened. All of us were surprised to see nothin’ but a book in it. I thought there would be diamonds or cash. But it was just a book. Joe was about to open it when Ralph snatched it from his