Jessop stepped out from behind Morgan. “We’re carrying,” Morgan said, spreading his long coat to reveal his gun. “Rifles, too. On the horses.”
“I figured as much.” Cobb showed no concern. “Jem mentioned you’ve been having some trouble out at your place. Go on back, Jessop. You know the way. Take the keys if you like. You can sit with him a spell while Morgan and I talk.”
Jessop removed the key ring from the peg by the door that led to the cells. “What’d he do?”
“Ask him.” Cobb started to wave him off, then paused. “Maybe you’d better leave your gun on this side of the door. So far, no one’s been shot tonight. I’d like to keep it that way.”
Jessop grinned. “Sure. I guess you know us pretty well.” He unstrapped his belt and used the buckle to hang it on the peg. Jingling the key ring, he stepped into the jail and closed the door behind him.
“You want a cup of coffee?” asked Cobb. “Tru made it before she left. You just missed her, so coffee’s fresh.” He pointed to the basket on the desk close to where his feet had been. “Apple tarts from Jenny’s bake shop. Tru brought them when she heard Jem was a guest.” In response to Morgan’s doubtful look, he shrugged. “Apparently they’re a favorite. I don’t inquire anymore how she knows these things. So, coffee?”
Morgan nodded.
“You might as well take a chair. Jem’s going to rattle on awhile.” He went over to the small stove that was the single source of heat for the office and jail and used a towel wrapped around his hand to pick up the coffeepot. He poured a cup for Morgan, passed it off, and then added coffee to the cup on his desk. He returned the pot to the stove, and when he came back, Morgan was sitting in his chair. Cobb did not object. He sat in one of the chairs facing his desk that visitors typically took when they were invited to sit.
“Did you know the Davis boys were deputies for me once?”
“I heard that.”
“They did a good job. I’d take them back, but the town can’t afford three deputies and there’s not enough to keep them busy anyway. I considered hiring one but couldn’t decide between them. They don’t come apart easy.”
“That’s what I’m finding.” Morgan stripped off his gloves, stuffed them in a pocket, and opened his coat. He wrapped his hands around his cup and drank. He kept his eyes on the marshal and avoided the Wanted Wall on his right. “They’re a set.”
“Not like you and your brothers.”
“I don’t have any brothers.”
“Right. Like I was saying. You have nothing in common with the Davis boys.”
Morgan felt acid rising in his throat. He washed it down with more coffee. “So what did Jem do?”
“Near as I can tell, started a fight or ended one. Depends on who you ask. The thing everyone agrees on is that he was in the thick of it.”
“You arrested him for fighting?”
“I arrested him so I could keep an eye on him. I figured someone would come to fetch him sooner or later. Before you ask, I escorted the other combatants to the station and put them on the first train out. They’re on their way to Cheyenne.”
“If they’re out, why is he still in?”
“Because he was talking like he was going to go after them, and I thought he might just be crazy enough to do it.”
“Did this have something to do with Miss Harrison?”
Cobb gave Morgan an arch look. “What do you think?”
“All right, but maybe you should arrest her.”
“Believe me, I’ve thought about it. She keeps Jem on a short leash while she entertains all comers.”
“How many comers were there tonight?”
Cobb held up three fingers. “Just in town this afternoon. They stopped by here looking to find out who might be hiring. I told them I didn’t know if anyone was with winter coming on.”
“They were looking for ranch work?”
“That’s what they said.”
“And you put them on a train? What about their horses?”
