Slocum's Breakout - Jake Logan [57]
“I need those supplies,” he told her, keeping his head down to hide his face under his broad hat brim.
“You will be in jail. Here he comes!”
“Decoy him. If I try to go now, he’ll spot me for sure.” Slocum settled down in a chair, rocked back, and pulled his hat even lower over his face. He heard the sheriff’s boots clicking on the boardwalk as he approached. From the corner of his eye, he saw the lawman’s feet come and stop just inches away. Slocum fancied he could feel Bernard’s breath gusting against the crown of his hat. It took all his control not to go for his six-shooter.
“I know you,” Sheriff Bernard said.
“I am from the farming village outside town,” Maria said.
“You hang around with Procipio Murrieta, don’t you?”
“I have not seen him.”
“Didn’t ask that. ’Course you haven’t seen him since he’s an escaped prisoner from San Quentin.”
“He is our alcalde.”
“He does keep the peace out yonder,” Bernard said. “I appreciate that since I got my hands full around town. Around the rest of the county, too.” The sheriff spit into the street and continued, “He won’t have any problem with me. I don’t cotton much to those folks up at San Quentin. If Murrieta keeps his nose clean around here, I just won’t see him. If you get what I mean.”
Slocum wanted to twitch, to scratch his nose, to move, but he held back. Any move on his part would bring the sheriff’s attention to him. The last thing he wanted was to gun down the lawman.
“You do not pursue him?”
“Got bigger fish to fry. Let that blowhard from San Quentin retrieve his own damn prisoners.” Bernard coughed and said, “Sorry, ma’am, didn’t mean to say that, but Sergeant Wilkinson gets my danger up faster ’n ’bout anyone else in these parts. Don’t know for certain sure but I think he broke out my prisoner and then shot up the jail.”
“He is one of the prison guards?”
“You know he is. You been up there yourself to visit the man getting himself hanged tomorrow. Are you going to witness the execution?”
“No,” Maria said in a tiny voice Slocum could hardly make out.
“Well, ma’am, then it’ll be up to me to be a witness. Seems there was some mistake made before, and they made a botch of it, but you know that, don’t you?”
“You mean to torment me with this talk, Sheriff.”
“Ma’am, that’s the farthest thing from my mind. Wish I could say I was just passing time with a lovely lady, but you know better.” The boots shuffled away and the clicking went to Slocum’s right side, then stopped. He imagined Bernard drawing his six-gun and pointing it right at his head as he said, “Now, ma’am, you haven’t seen that Jarvis fellow around, have you? Wilkinson wants him, but I want him, too, especially since he’s the one Wilkinson busted out of my jail. That riled me something fierce.”
“Jarvis?”
“Jasper Jarvis is his cognomen. He robbed the stage and murdered all the folks on it. Now, I’d think a cold-blooded killer and road agent like that’d be two states over, but I keep getting reports of him in the area. A kidnapping, how he’s planning more bedevilment. You haven’t seen him, have you?”
“There is a fight starting in the saloon, Sheriff,” Maria said.
“Is there now?” Bernard cleared his throat, spit again, and then said, “You don’t stick that purty nose of yours poked into anyplace where it doesn’t belong, now. Hear?”
Slocum chanced a quick glimpse from under his hat. Sheriff Bernard stalked off toward the saloon, where a fight had spilled out into the street. It was hardly 8 a.m. and already the brawling had begun in town.
“Did he suspect?” Slocum asked.
“I do not think he did, John,” she said, moving to interpose her body between the retreating lawman and Slocum. “He would have tried to capture you if he had.”
Slocum considered this and decided Maria was right. Bernard wasn’t the sort to pussyfoot around. Cautiously letting down the chair legs, he got to his feet and turned his back to the sheriff, still walking slowly toward the saloon and sizing up the trouble. Maria trailed him.
“I need those supplies, but you see what I do?”
“Her,” Maria said,