Hunt Angel! (A Frank Angel Western #5) by Frederick H. Christian Read Free Book Online

were
people on the front porch of the Oriental. They looked at the two
men as though they were dinosaurs.
    ‘ Look at them,’ Sheridan said.
‘Sheep!’
    ‘ Don’t be too rough on them,’
Angel said. ‘It’s not what they’re good at.’
    ‘ You,’ Sheridan said. ‘Where’d you
learn—?’ He stopped, aware that he wasn’t observing good
manners.
    ‘ It’s all right,’ Angel grinned.
‘I’m not on the dodge.’
    They were outside the jail now.
Howie Cade was at the doorway, and he had Sheridan’s sawn-off
Greener comfortably cradled across his arm.
    ‘ Havin’ fun?’ he said sardonically
as they got nearer. ‘Enjoyin’ yourselves?’
    ‘ Ginger peachy,’ Angel grinned.
‘Back off and let us in a moment.’
    ‘ Sure,’ Cade said, not really
looking at him his eyes on Dan Sheridan. ‘You OK, Dan?’
    ‘ Fine,’ Sheridan said. ‘Angel here
pitched in, gave me a hand.’
    ‘ That your name?’ Howie Cade said,
incredulity in his voice. ‘Angel?’
    ‘ Would I lie about a thing like
that?’ Frank Angel asked him, keeping his face quite
serious.
    ‘ Well, shut my mouth,’ Howie Cade
said. ‘Now I’ve heard everything.’

Chapter
Six
    ‘ Let me go with you,’ Howie Cade
said.
    Dan Sheridan just looked at him.
Then he looked at Frank Angel. He didn’t say anything. They stood
there in the middle of the jailhouse, Howie with the shotgun still
cradled across his arm, a look of anguished entreaty in his eyes.
Angel knew how he must feel: his need to redeem himself not only in
Sheridan’s eyes but also in the eyes of the whole town burned in
Howie’s expression. He leaned forward with the very eagerness of
wanting it.
    Sheridan shook his head. ‘You better
stay here and watch Burt,’ he said.
    ‘ Dan!’ Howie Cade said. There was
deep hurt in his voice. ‘Dan!’
    ‘ Listen, Howie,’ Sheridan said,
exasperation tingeing his tone. ‘I don’t know how the hell many
Flying H boys there are over the road, but there’s sure as tomorrow
half a dozen of them. I don’t want—’
    ‘ To have a drunk on your hands,’
Howie said. Sheridan started to speak, but he held up a hand. ‘It’s
all right, Dan,’ he said. ‘I guess you’re right. I just thought
after what happened down Fat Mary’s, you’d maybe trust me to back
you. No offense, Angel.’
    ‘ Sure,’ Angel said.
    ‘ Give me that shotgun,’ Sheridan
said. ‘I’m no damned use with a handgun at all.’
    ‘ Dan, let me go with you,’ Howie
said again, not looking at Sheridan.
    Sheridan started to refuse, but
Angel spoke before he could. ‘Why not?’ he said. ‘I can take care
of Hugess for you.’
    He was facing Sheridan, his back to
Howie Cade, who could not see the facial signals he was giving the
marshal. Sheridan caught the message, and his eyebrows rose. Then
he nodded, seeing what Angel had already seen, that Howie needed to go out there
with him. He knew, and Angel knew he knew, that Howie might not be
as effective at his side as Angel in the same place. But he had to
have his crack at it.
    ‘ I better deputize you,’ Sheridan
said to Angel.
    ‘ No need,’ Frank Angel said. He
reached into the slit pocket inside his belt and drew out of it the
silver badge with the screaming eagle. It caught the yellow light
of the oil lamp hung from the ceiling, and Sheridan stared at it as
if it were a snake.
    ‘ Department of Justice?’ he said.
‘What the hell’s that?’
    ‘ Accident,’ Angel told him. ‘I was
just passing through. But it eases your problem some.’
    Howie Cade’s face lit up like a
Christmas tree. ‘Oh, brother,’ he said. ‘Does it ever!’ He slapped
Sheridan on the back, his grin as wide as a slice of watermelon.
‘Here’s Larry Hugess lockin’ the town up tight to stop us gettin’
word out to the US Marshal, and we got the Department of Justice
right in here with us!’
    Sheridan’s eyes lit up some, too. He
looked pleased about something, like a man anticipating a good
meal.