Death Devil (9781101559666) by Jon Sharpe Read Free Book Online Page B

can’t arrest him,” Belinda said.
    â€œI’m afraid I have to. Orville has witnesses who are willin’ to swear in court that your friend attacked him without cause.”
    â€œLet me guess. Artemis and Harold.”
    â€œAnd Dr. Dogood,” Marshal Gruel said. “His sworn deposition will carry a lot of weight. No one in our community is more respected.” To Fargo he said, “I hope you’ll come along peaceable.”
    â€œNo,” Fargo said.
    Marshal Gruel blinked. “How’s that again? You’re not goin’ to come along nice and quiet-like?”
    â€œI’m not letting you arrest me today.”
    â€œAre you loco?” Marshal Gruel said as if he wasn’t sure he had heard right.
    â€œI’d be stuck in your jail for how long?” Fargo said. “Days? Weeks? Longer? Then you’ll take me before a judge who happens to be a third cousin to Orville McWhertle and he’ll sentence me to sixty days or a fine of a thousand dollars or however much it will be, and either I pay or you’ll have me scrubbing floors and cleaning your outhouse every day until my sentence is up.”
    â€œAre you implyin’ the law in Ketchum Falls is crooked?” Marshal Gruel asked.
    â€œDoes bear shit stink?”
    The lawman scratched the stubble on his double chin. “Well, now. This makes for a quandary, don’t it?”
    â€œQuandary?” Belinda said.
    â€œI can’t know big words?” Gruel did more scratching. “Tell me, mister. What do you aim to do if I try to do my duty?”
    â€œStop you.”
    â€œAre we talkin’ fists or a knife or lead or what?”
    â€œLet’s put it this way,” Fargo said. “It’s good there’s a sawbones handy.”
    â€œI can’t believe you would disobey a minion of the law like this,” Belinda said. “You’re only getting yourself into worse trouble.”
    â€œI can believe it,” Marshal Gruel said.
    â€œYou can?”
    Gruel nodded. “A man does what I do, he has to be good at readin’ folks.” Gruel slid his hand from the shotgun’s twin barrels to the front end of the forestock. “Orville McWhertle is as big as a tree with more muscles than an ox. Any gent who will stand up to him has to be as tough as they come or stupid. The moment I set eyes on your friend, here, I knew he wasn’t short on brains.”
    â€œThat’s very perceptive of you, Marshal,” Belinda said.
    â€œMeanin’ I’m smarter than you thought?” Gruel grinned. “That’s all right, ma’am. A lot of folks make the mistake of thinkin’ that all I have between my ears is empty space.” Gruel eased his fingers from the front of the forestock to the middle.
    â€œI never suggested you were stupid, Seymour.”
    â€œIt would please me considerable if you’d stop callin’ me that,” Gruel said. “Anyway”—he smiled at Fargo—“I reckon you and me are at what they call an impasse.” His hand was almost to the back end of the forestock.
    â€œDon’t,” Fargo said.
    â€œDon’t what?” Gruel said, but his hand froze.
    Fargo placed his hand on his Colt. “Don’t try to use that scattergun.”
    The lawman smiled and switched his hand to the barrels. “You don’t miss much, do you?” He gazed at the buildings on the right side of the street and at those on the left. At a number of windows faces peered out. Most were women and children. “It’s temptin’ to see if you’re really as tough as I think you are but it wouldn’t do for us to gun each other down with all these folks lookin’ on.” He half turned. “You’ve got me over a barrel this time, mister. Next time, I won’t make the mistake of bein’ polite.”
    â€œLeave it be,” Fargo said.
    Gruel tapped his badge. “Can’t.