Longarm and the Missing Husband Read Free Page A

’stead of Rock Springs? That’d be closer to where you said he disappeared,” he told Beth now after her pronouncement.
    â€œBecause Rawlins is where Hank’s employers have an office. You’ll want to speak with them before you go looking for him,” she said, sounding very sure of herself.
    â€œWhy didn’t you tell me that before?” he said.
    â€œYou didn’t ask. Oh, here comes the butcher boy. Buy me a doughnut, will you?”
    Longarm was well aware that Beth had just changed the subject. But he really did not know what to do with her. He bought her the doughnut. And one for himself although he would rather have had a cigar and a shot of rye.
    The Union Pacific westbound reached Rawlins late in the morning. With a sigh, Longarm and Beth Bacon left the train there.
    â€œYou don’t have any luggage with you?” he asked, retrieving his much-traveled carpetbag from the overhead rack.
    â€œJust this handbag,” she said. For a handbag it was large but it was no suitcase. He wondered just how much she could be carrying in there.
    Longarm helped Beth down onto the platform and led the way to the Elkhorn Hotel. He had stayed there before and knew it was not fancy, but it was clean and accommodating, with a café next door where you could get exceptional rhubarb pie.
    â€œHello, Marshal. Two rooms for you?” the clerk said and with a rather oily smile added, “Adjoining?”
    Longarm looked down at Beth, who was acting innocent as a child. She had no money to pay for a room. He knew that. He also knew that Henry would not approve payment for two rooms for one deputy. “One room,” he said.
    The clerk’s eyebrows rose but the man said nothing, just turned the register book around for Longarm to sign.
    Beth said nothing either. If anything, she acted like it was the most normal thing in the world for her to share a room with a man who was not her husband.
    Longarm accepted the room key and led the way upstairs to room number four. Beth meekly followed him inside and perched on the side of the bed while Longarm deposited his carpetbag inside the mahogany wardrobe.
    â€œWe can have a cot brought in,” Beth said firmly. “I will sleep there.”
    â€œGot this all figured out, do you?”
    â€œAll? No. But enough for the time being.”
    â€œWhat about meals? D’you expect the government t’ pay for those for you?”
    â€œThe government does not have to know.” She giggled. “You will just run into very expensive dining. Anyway, most of the time we will be beyond restaurants and such civilization. You will buy trail foods at government expense. I support the government by way of taxes. It seems only fair that the government support me for a few days in return.”
    â€œLike I said before, you got this all figured out.” He sighed. Longarm felt like he was finding himself sighing quite a bit of late. He poured a little water into the basin and washed his hands and face then said, “All right, are you ready t’ go see your husband’s bosses?”
    â€œCan we eat first?” Beth asked. “I’m hungry.”
    Longarm sighed again.

Chapter 8
    Longarm could say one thing for the girl. She had an appetite. He didn’t think he had ever seen anyone so small put away so much food. She ate like there was no tomorrow.
    But then, come to think of it, perhaps she really felt that tomorrow was in doubt.
    She was far from home with no money, depending on a stranger to help her get by, help that as far as she knew could be withdrawn at any moment.
    So perhaps it was no surprise that Bethlehem Bacon was packing away as much as she could as fast as she could manage.
    Longarm let her fill herself while he sat back and had a light meal, then drank coffee until Beth ran out of room.
    â€œSatisfied?” he asked. And pretended not to notice that she filched a pair of yeast rolls and hid them in a