He asked the station agent if he’d seen a crew of rough men, probably four of them, one burly with a scarred-up face.
“Sure,” the man said. “They loaded onto the train this morning. Had a bunch of horses with them. Did they do something, Marshal?”
“Yes, they are wanted for murder, arson, horse theft, and a whole slew of other crimes.”
The man’s eyes bulged. “I didn’t know none of that, Marshal. Am I in trouble here?”
“No,” Mayfield said.
The station agent sighed. “Good. Because I don’t want no trouble. I got a wife and little ones at home.”
Mayfield nodded and endured the man. He had never understood why some folks thought their lives mattered more just because they’d bred progeny.
Men like Toole certainly didn’t care.
And neither, truth be told, did Mayfield. What he cared about was the law.
“Where did they go?” Mayfield said.
“Like I said, they went on the train.”
“What I mean is, what’s their destination? Where did they want to go on the train?”
“Oh,” the station agent said, nodding. “North, Marshal. Those boys are heading for Leadville.”
“When does the next train leave for Leadville?” Mayfield asked, figuring he knew the answer.
“Tomorrow morning,” the man said, confirming Mayfield’s guess. “Would you like a ticket?”
Mayfield shook his head and left the window, finished with the man.
Leadville was a little shy of sixty miles from here on horseback.
If he stayed in Salida overnight and boarded a train, he might get there a little earlier than he would by riding the whole way, but he didn’t want to pay for the ticket.
Jobs like this, when he answered a local lawman’s call and helped reestablish regional order, never caused legal trouble, but sometimes, it was tricky getting paid, let alone full reimbursement.
And if Judge Dobish handled it, which he likely would, Mayfield would never see a penny for the ticket.
So he would ride the sixty miles.
Which was fine.
Because what was the point of rushing?
He would get these men.
They were loud and incautious. Now, having killed Sullivan and Sheffield, they would grow even more brazen.
They rushed back and forth, making tracks, like they, too, understood they must be put down.
Yes, he would get them.
Slow and steady, slow and steady.
38
Conn woke groggily to darkness and pain.
