Pemberley Ranch - Jack Caldwell [40]
Churchill nodded. “Jimmy and Jenny were close, that’s true. What does this have to do with the money? You spent it all?”
“Not spent it—invested it.” Whitehead waved his hand. “Some of it’s right here—I’m a partner in this saloon. And there’s other stuff, too, like land and buildings. That’s what Jimmy and I talked about—getting rich off our investments.”
Churchill grimaced. “How much you got in cash?”
“Maybe five thousand, but most of it is in the bank. I got some in my safe in the office, but it’s only two or three hundred. The bank doesn’t open until morning.”
Churchill cursed. “That’s not too good for you, Whitehead.”
“Frank, right? Frank, call me George. Look, I didn’t cheat your brother. We were always going to be partners. Split it right down the middle. But things worked out different. Half of what we got belongs to him, but I can’t turn it into cash. You understand? Look, I’ll be as fair as I can. I can get you four thousand in the morning and we’ll call it fair.”
“Four? You said you had five!” He raised the gun again.
“Frank, I’ve got to have some cash on hand. You know, for expenses.”
“You said you had some cash in your safe. Five thousand, Whitehead.”
Whitehead sighed. “All right, all right, five thousand. Mind if I sit down?”
Churchill agreed and both took a seat at the small table, across from each other.
“You know,” Whitehead said conversationally, “it’s been a long time. Seven years. How come you’re just looking me up now?”
“I couldn’t leave home until recently, ’cause my folks needed me. Now that they passed on, I began to look for you.”
“And your sister?”
“She ran off with a traveling salesman four years back. Last I heard, she was in Detroit.”
“Hmm.”
“What’s that mean?”
“You’re a smart man, Frank. It’s not like I was hiding, but still, you found me. That shows a sharp mind. I can use a sharp mind. What did you plan to do with Jimmy’s share?”
“I don’t know. Didn’t think that far.”
Whitehead leaned across the table, lowering his voice. “You know, I got some people working for me that… well, they ain’t got one brain between them. I’ve got to do all the thinking and planning, and it’s wearing on me. This guy Denny I have riding for me? I think he’s loco, and I have to get rid of him. I was just thinking the other day how things would be if Jimmy was here. We’d be a lot further along, I’ll tell you that. You think of settling down?”
Churchill blinked. “What—here?”
“Sure. Jimmy was always supposed to be my partner. You’re smart—you could take his place. I need somebody I can count on. How ’bout it?”
“You asking me to throw in with you?”
“It would be worth a lot more than half of twenty-five in a couple of years. I’ve got plans.”
“What kind of plans?”
Whitehead grinned. “Oh, no. You want to know, you got to come in. But think about it. Would I be hanging around this pissant place if I wasn’t going to be rich?”
Churchill licked his lips. “I don’t know. Can I trust you?”
Whitehead laughed. “Hell, can I trust you? You’re the one with the gun!”
Churchill placed the pistol on the table, just under his right hand. “I got to think about this. You’re going to just give me half of everything you’ve got going?”
“Frank, Frank, I ain’t stupid. What I’ve built up already is worth more than the original stake. At twelve and a half, your part would be something like… one third. Junior partner, but still my partner.
“But the sky’s the limit. You can have any woman you want in this saloon. People jump when you talk. And in a couple of years, we’ll have this whole county. That’s better than sleeping in a bedroll outside with the snakes and Indians, right?” Whitehead’s eyes gleamed.
“Yeah, it is.”
“Look, why don’t you sleep on it, all right? Come see me in the morning, and we’ll get the papers drawn up. Or if you’d rather pass, we’ll go down to the bank for your money.”
“Yeah, and I just let you walk out of here—to bring