The Last Buckaroo by J. R. Wright Read Free Book Online

the bar.  Each time she passed where the shotgun was under the counter,
she wanted to grab it, go directly across to the s heriff ’ s
office and blow them all to kingdom come.   “ Can I see him? ”
    “ No,
ma ’ am …  
Not unless you ’ re family.  And then it ’ s
the first Sunday of the month, between noon and five. ”
    “ Can
you promise me he ’ ll be protected now … away from danger for the remainder of his time there, Mister Clampett? ”
    “ I
can.  I know the warden personally.  Mister Burke will never go back to general
population.  Even his meals will be delivered to the cell. ”
    Katie
didn ’ t
know what to think of that.  “ Wouldn ’ t
that be like solitary confinement? ”
    “ No,
ma ’ am. 
He has a window in his cell.  And he gets hourly trips to the bathroom, if
needed. ”
    “ It ’ s
a shame an innocent man is treated that way. ”
    “ Is
he innocent, Miss Peck? ”
    Obviously,
Woody Clampett hadn ’ t seen her ring … him calling her Miss … but she let it pass.  “ In
the eyes of the law he is, until proven guilty.  But Yancey is innocent,
sir.  I assure you of that. ”
    “ Good! 
Then we should have no trouble obtaining his freedom. ”
    “ How
far is it to Terryville, Mister Clampett? ”
    “ Forty
miles, give or take.  Why? ”
    “ I
was just wondering …”
    “ Wondering
what …  
How I got to the prison, then to here, all before mid-afternoon? ”
    “ Well,
yeah …”   That wasn ’ t
the reason she ’ d asked, but now that he ’ d
brought it up, how did he?
    “ Come
with me, little lady. ”   He smiled broadly,
reached a hand across the bar, guided her around it and on outside.  There
before them, just beyond the sidewalk, sat a shiny new two tone ivory and black
Packard touring car.  “ She ’ ll
safely do sixty on a well maintained gravel road, ” Clampett said proudly.
    Katie
was impressed.  It was so big … and beautiful.  “ I ’ m
impressed, ” she
couldn ’ t
help but say.
    “ Would
you like a ride, Miss Peck? ”   He put on the infectious smile
again.
    “ Oh,
I couldn ’ t
leave the tavern unattended, ” she said.  “ Maybe
next time. ”
    “ Does
that mean I ’ m hired, Miss Peck? ”
    “ Of
course, it does.  I thought I made that clear on the telephone. ”
    “ You
surely did, but a gentleman always gives a lady an out, should she choose to
take it. ”
    “ You
are the charmer, aren ’ t you, Mister Clampett? ”
    “ Please
call me Woody.  I prefer that from friends.  Shake? ”   He put out a hand.
    Katie
took it and the agreement was sealed.  Clampett would get one hundred dollars
for his services, from now on through the trial.  Payment contingent upon
acquittal.  That ’ s how sure he was of
the outcome.

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER
NINE
    “ There
ain ’ t
much left of the livery, ” a regular customer said, coming through
the door.  “ If there ’ s
a square foot that hasn ’ t been torn apart, or
dug up, I ’ d like to know where it is. ”
    “ Where ’ s
the s heriff, Lester? ” Katie said from the
bar.  “ Why
hasn ’ t
he put a stop to it? ”
    “ He ’ s
over there … him and Striker.  I think he ’ s
hoping somebody will turn up something, so he can confiscate it. ”
    “ That
sounds like him, ” Katie said, then got angry all over
again about what Striker did at the prison.   “ Do you want a beer,
Lester? ”
    “ After
what I have to tell you, I figure you ’ ll
be giving me a free one. ”   He smiled broadly, exposing several
areas where teeth were missing.
    Lester
was about Katie ’ s age, and occupied his
time by doing odd jobs around town.  She could never remember seeing the man
clean  —  or
even freshly scrubbed up  —  and
surprisingly he had a wife.  “ You have
information on who may have killed Clyde? ”
    “ No. 
But I know who didn ’ t kill him. ”
    “ Okay,
let ’ s
hear it. ”   Katie took a mug from a
stack of them on