“I’m looking for Sam Bishop. Youhim?”
The old guy slapped his knee and burst out laughing. “Son, I’m about as far from Sam Bishop as you are from New YorkCity.”
What the hell did thatmean?
“Name’s Jim, Jim Wayne Smith.” Jim put his gnarled hands on the wooden arm rests of the rocking chair and levered himself up. Then he made his way across the back porch and down the steps in a slowshuffle.
“Don’t move as fast as I used to.” Jim put a hand on his hip and straightened his stooped shoulders, his joints popping loudly in protest. “That snake oil doctor in town’s been wanting to put a new hip in for ten years. I keep trying to tell him there ain’t no point. It’d be like putting a new paint job on a condemned house. Still gonna fall apart one way oranother.”
Cord cleared his throat. “Is Mr. Bishop in the barn?” He had a feeling that if he stood here long enough Jim Wayne Smith would hijack him for the next hour and he was ready to get down tobusiness.
Jim cackled and slapped his leg, sending up a puff of dust from his overalls. “No sir, Mr. Bishop’s out yonder.” Jim lifted a gnarled hand and pointed at a single oak tree behind the fenced in paddock. “Youkinfolks?”
“No, I’m here for a job. He hired me to help him deal with a little problem he’s beenhaving.”
Jim’s gray bushy eyebrows lifted, giving Cord his first clear glimpse of the man’s eyes beneath his weathered, saggingskin.
“Bishop’s been dead for a year and a half now. I’d say you’re a bit late for the job,son.”
“Dead? Sam Bishop hired my firm two weeksago.”
Jim made a show of tapping his pipe over the back of his hand, dumping out the tobacco. “The only way Sam Bishop coulda hired you is if you was talking to him on the otherside.”
A twinge of unease formed at the back of Cord’s neck. He pulled his phone out from his back pocket and double-checked the last email he’d gotten from Clint Fury.S. Bishop, Hope Ranch, middle-of-nowhere, Texas.He knew he had the right place, maybe he was just talking to the wrong person. The other two had seemed to know who he was talking about. Jim Wayne looked like he was about a foot from the grave. Could be his mind was going a little bit faster than hisbody.
“Thanks for the help, Jim. I’ll go take a look in the barn and see if someone there can straighten this out.” Cord tucked his phone back into his pocket and took a step away before Jim could strike up another conversation. He made it about three steps before the old man called out, “Course, could be his granddaughter Samantha Bishop hired you. She’ll be in the barn, tending to thehorses.”
Cord pulled up short, glanced over his shoulder and breathed out, “Samantha?”
“Yep, she’s been running this place since Sam kicked the bucket. Been doing pretty good job for someone like her, too. Girl’s got grit, I’ll give herthat.”
