Tobias Crowe

Chapter 17

A murmur went through the crowd and there was a stirring of feet and chair legs on the wooden floor. Tillie positioned herself behind Bodine and let her fingers hang over his shoulders, her painted nails stark against his black coat.

"This isn't a negotiation, Bodine. The money belongs to a family in Nevada. They underwent a lot to save that up before Carter took it and ran. According to what I heard, he paid you ten thousand for that squat up in the hills, according to my reckoning, since you'll be taking the property back, now that Carter's dead, you'll have it to sell again so you can just give me the ten thousand and I'll be on my way."

"How do you know what he paid me?" Bodine's voice turned angry.

"Musta been when your boys visited him the other night."

Bodine turned a deadly gaze on Scudd. Tillie's fingers tightened on his shoulders and he paused to take a deep breath.

"You talked about my business with Carter?"

Scudd gaped at Tobias, wondering how he knew where they went and what they talked about. What else had he heard?

"Just what you said to do, Mister Bodine."

"You never told me anything useful, what did you discuss with Carter?"

"Nothin'! Honest, Mister Bodine. I don't know what he's talkin' about. He's a liar."

The buzz in the crowd swelled with the prospect of possible conflict. Nobody spoke to Garth Bodine the way the stranger did and certainly nobody called another man a liar in front of so many witnesses and expected to get away with it.

"Am I? What do you say?" Tobias looked directly at Otis, rooted to his spot behind Scudd.

"Tell 'im." Scudd commanded.

"I- I- I don't know nuthin'."

"You calling me a liar too?"

Otis went white and his legs began to tremble. He looked from Tobias to Scudd to Bodine and his eyes began to fill.

"Well, you scurvy useless git?" Bodine pounded on the table.

Scudd's face flamed and he stood and grabbed Otis by the shirt front. "Tell him! Tell him he's a liar!"

"D-don't, Scudd. Don't make me."

Scudd pulled his gun and shoved it tight under Otis' chin. "Tell 'im or so help me I'll blow your stupid head right off!" Fresh blood seeped into the bandage on his nose and his eyes widened wildly. The famous hiss made Otis groan and he felt his pants grow wet.

Tobias watched the scene with a cautious calm. He noticed the woman's hands flexing on Bodine's shoulders and the gleam coming into her eyes was getting brighter. She had an appetite for violence, he thought. Scudd was screaming now and Otis had been reduced to a blubbering puddle of tears. When the shot came it surprised everyone and there was a second of silence before a scream started the roar of noise in the room.

Otis collapsed onto the floor, blood spurting from the massive hole in his head. Blood spotted the table and fell into Bodine's drink and on his coat and face. Tillie let out a gasp, her chest heaving as she dug her nails into Bodine's collar as droplets stained the front of her gown.

Tobias knew what was next and as Scudd spun around, leveling his gun, Tobias drew and shot him square in the middle of the chest. They were so close together that the bullet tore a hole both front and back and Scudd spun crazily, tripping over Otis and smashing face down on the floor. The crowd had gone quiet and were spreading out into a thin layer along the walls of the room, some even slipping rapidly out the doors.

Bodine grabbed Tillie's hands and wrenched them free of his neck. She blinked and put a hand to her mouth, staring at the two bodies beside her. He wiped his sleeve over his face and grunted at the stain of red it left on his coat.

"Looks like your boys answered your question."

"You went just a little too far this time, Crowe." Bodine raised a hand and several men stepped forward, guns drawn and aimed at Tobias. The pressure of a gun barrel against his spine decided his action for him and he shrugged, setting his gun on the table.

"You know it was self defense, Bodine. This isn't going to solve anything."

"It will for me. Get him over to jail and lock him up." Bodine stood and straightened his jacket. Tillie moved close beside him and slid a hungry arm about his waist.

******

Brenda sat across from the doctor in his tiny office, separated by a worn desk, littered with paper, old bandages and a dirty glass next to a half filled whiskey bottle. The sun could barely make it through the filthy glass window above his head and a ribbon of dusty sunlight stretched down to the floor at Brenda's feet.

"Hiram, you know very well what Garth Bodine has done is wrong." Her face was set in an angry frown and her words snapped like dry twigs.

"Brenda, right or wrong, it's Bodine's town. What can I do?"

"You can speak to some of the townsfolk, get them to petition Bodine." The doctor sagged back in his chair and reached for the bottle.

"Brenda you know that none of these folks would listen to an old drunk like me. The only time they know me is when they need mendin' or buryin'. 'Sides, he wouldn't give two hoots about any petition. "

"But Tobias Crowe is innocent, Hiram!"

"Not entirely, Brenda. He did start by demanding that money from Bodine. It was a legal sale whether you like it or not."

She stared silently, her fingers twisting the ribbon on her dress into a sweaty knot.

"Best you forget about this business, Brenda. Nothin' good can come from interferin'."

Hastings hobbled to the door and stepped outside, surprised to see Brenda Hightower in front of his stable.

"Miss Hightower, pleasure to see you."

"Mister Hastings. I don't know what to do, I've spoken to the doctor but he says he can't help. He won't even try and it's not right. It's not right at all."

"Whoa! Slow down a minute." Hastings held up a hand and then took her arm and limped her toward a seat beside his front door. "Now start again and tell me what this all about."

At the end of her plea, Hastings rubbed his grizzled chin and blew out a stream of air that suggested her story was a little more than he could handle, particularly in his condition.

"Doc's right, Miss Hightower—"

"Brenda, call me Brenda."

"Sure." They shared a moment of mutual appreciation. "I was sayin', Doc's right. The folks in this town won't buck against Bodine. Too many of the miners would be willing to pick up a gun for him, you saw that when Crowe was arrested."

"But it isn't right! He was defending himself."

"Brenda, Tobias Crowe came here on a mission. Just 'cause he's tryin' to help some family in Nevada don't mean what he's doin' or the way he's doin' it is right. It just seems that way when he tells it."

"Don't you believe him?"

"I'm inclined to but that don't mean he's right. He has quite a reputation across this part of the country and not a lot of it is all good deeds."

"He told me what he did." She paused and twiddled her fingers. "It just seemed reasonable the way he explained it."

Hastings patted her shoulder and spoke encouragingly about Tobias. His own take was one of trust and acceptance of the man the way he was. Brenda sighed and squeezed his hand.

"At least there's somebody else in this town that feels somewhat the same. Thanks, Hastings."

"Whatever I can do, Brenda but..." His offer was lost like wind blown mist.