Killing Time In Eternity - Edge Series 4 (14 page)

‘Did he go along with that without making trouble?’

‘Trouble, Mr Edge?’

‘I reckon you know what I mean, lady.’

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‘He was upset. Quite naturally, if I may say so without appearing conceited. The poor boy fancied he was in love with me. And I’m sure he was, albeit his feelings amounted only to calf love. There was a distressing exchange in this very room when he pleaded with me to reconsider my decision. But in the end I persuaded him to see the sense of it.’

‘When was that?’

‘Is that important?’

‘Billy Childs was killed ten days ago. How long before that did you tell him you were starting to be riled by the way he was bothering you?’

Her expression became forbidding and she shook her head. ‘If you are trying to apportion some kind of blame to me for the young man’s death, I can tell you we came to our understanding a month or so before that happened.’

‘Did Baldwin or any of your other hired hands have anything to do with making the kid see sense?’

‘What do you mean by that?’ There was a controlled angry shrillness in her tone. The doorknob rattled but the door did not open.

‘Did anyone have to kick Billy Childs out of the house? Throw him off the property?

That day or any time later?

‘No!’ The response was too fast and her voice was even shriller than before. ‘Billy became rather weepy that afternoon. I suppose it showed just how immature he was compared with a woman of my experience. I have never been a mother and I have no maternal instincts as far as I am aware. And he was like a little boy that day. He was Childs by name and childlike by nature in such an adult situation. I called my brother and Arthur instructed one of the men to escort Billy to the gates. But I’m certain no violence was necessary to have him leave.’

‘And that was the end of it?’

She was suddenly irate. ‘Look! I really don’t understand what you’re doing here, asking me all these personal questions! But I’ve been patient enough to give you truthful answers on a matter that to my way of thinking is absolutely none of your concern.’

‘Lady, I – ‘ Edge started.

‘I suppose I am able to understand why you’re so upset. I have no idea how you came by that odd little commercial establishment in town and I certainly do not care. But I can see why a man of your type would be eager to raise capital on the old Sims store just as soon as he can. And leave a town like Eternity. But attempting to stir up trouble that will make it appear a boy was murdered instead of killing himself, accidentally or otherwise, won’t help to sell your property any quicker.’

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‘Lady, it might just have been that if I could have found out Billy Childs was murdered and who murdered him, I’d have felt a whole lot better. As soon as I’d taken it out of the killer’s hide for causing me to kick my heels around Eternity for so long. But the way it’s turned out, I’m looking for a feller who tried to gun me down. And the way it looks to me, he could be the same one who killed the boy.’

She remained in tight-lipped silence for a few moments then countered: ‘Well, whatever you think I can assure you that you won’t find any murderer here, Mr Edge. And I’d appreciate it if you do not hound Arthur and me. Or any of the men who do our bidding

– our legal bidding.’

‘Only feller I plan to hound is the one who tried to kill me, lady.’

‘I am not concerned with anybody outside of myself and my brother.’ She was finding it difficult to contain her aggression. ‘There, I have answered your questions. And now I’d be obliged if you leave our home and not return to badger Arthur or myself again. If you attempt to do so, the men will have orders to treat you as a trespasser. And I can assure you that Marshall Flynt will not take it at all amiss if we deal with a trespasser very severely. Good day to you, Mr Edge.’

Now the door opened and a broadly grinning Baldwin stepped confidently on to the threshold of the room.

Edge said: ‘It seems to me you’re very protective toward him, lady.’

Baldwin snorted, scowled and started to snarl: ‘What the hell do you mean by – ‘

Edge did not look at the angry redheaded man as he broke in: ‘I’m talking about your brother, Miss Colbert.’ He hooked a thumb toward the doorway. ‘Not your trained guard dog.’

Now Baldwin vented a strangled sound of incoherent anger. Olivia Colbert said with sibling feeling: ‘That is because I worry about Arthur a great deal. He is a somewhat sensitive soul: very easy to bruise. It seems I was at the head of the line when the qualities of a thick skin and firmness of resolve were handed out to our family. And Arthur drew a great many of the qualities normally associated with my gender. But be assured I do not mean to imply he is any less of a man for that. I say again, good day to you, sir.’

Baldwin was grinning as he hooked a thumb to gesture for Edge to leave the room then stepped aside to allow the unwelcome visitor space to pass through the doorway.

‘You heard Miss Olivia, mister. So best you do like she says. Or it could turn out to be anything but a good day for you.’ He showed his fine white teeth in a menacing grin.

‘Could even end up a real bad one.’

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Edge put on his hat with a wince of discomfort as he made to go out of the room. Then he halted close to the arrogantly posturing, immaculately dressed man and showed a contemplative expression as he tilted his aching head to one side then the other inquisitively.

The grin on Baldwin’s handsome face became another scowl and he was on the point of cupping a hand over the butt of his holstered Colt as he demanded: ‘What are you looking at?’

Olivia Colbert commanded: ‘Lee, I do not want you to harm Mr Edge any further. Unless, of course, it proves to be absolutely unavoidable.’

Edge shot her a sardonic glance. ‘I think you should change the kind of diet you’re feeding to your guard dog, lady. The number of times you have to tell him something, it seems like all those bones you’ve tossed him have gone straight to his head.’

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CHAPTER • 10

______________________________________________________________

AS THE swaggering Lee Baldwin followed him across the big, high ceilinged,
plush carpeted hallway it felt to Edge like the man’s angry eyes emanated a palpable force that drove two sharp points deeply between his shoulder blades. He did not speak but the violent way he slammed the big door closed behind Edge served adequately to emphasise with sound Baldwin’s silent enmity.

He rode off the Colbert property at the same unhurried pace as when he came there and took the time to close the gates behind him. Then wondered why he had taken the trouble to do this: and decided it made him feel better not to indulge in a futile grudge and express it in a childish fashion. He was too damn old for that kind of ineffectual nonsense. Olivia Colbert had spoken of a childish quality about Billy Childs. And thinking back to the exchanges in the drawing room, he considered the same term seemed to apply to her brother in some respects. A full-grown adult and a fully qualified attorney, the sensitive and easily disturbed man certainly had a streak of moral weakness in his character that struck Edge as child like. Especially when contrasted with the strength of will which his much more purposeful sister possessed.

The wind abruptly strengthened and then the rain began to fall more steadily as he made the return journey to town: to draw a cold, sodden curtain around him and his horse that reduced visibility to just a few yards. And, he speculated, if the darkness of night was added to the stormy weather then any point along this trail across the Kansas flatlands could provide a near perfect place to commit murder.

So, if it really had been Billy Childs who Sue Ellen Spencer saw riding out of town on the night of his death, the man with him could, with little chance of being seen, have dragged the unsuspecting boy off his horse. And beaten him to death or into unconsciousness. It would have been simple then for a killer with local knowledge to angle off the trail in the pitch, rain-lashed darkness and locate the track bed of the aborted railroad spur. Then follow it to the far side of Eternity and take the dead or senseless boy beyond the stockyards that would be deserted that late at night at that time of year. An easy to commit premeditated murder, the timing only important in relation to when a train was scheduled to thunder down the line to the spot so its wheels would kill the unconscious boy or obliterate every sign he was murdered someplace else. But, Edge decided as he rode across the plank bridge above the faster flowing, rain swollen river and started down Main Street, however and wherever it happened, it seemed unlikely Billy had been killed because of his yen for an older woman who had tired of his 76

suddenly unwelcome attention. The love for a woman had probably got a lot of men killed from the start of time. But not in this instance, of that Edge felt sure. He abruptly became disconcertingly aware of how his head continued to throb for longer than usual from being hit with a gun butt. And he chose to think that this was due to how he had been applying his brain too much to the murder of Billy Childs rather than because of his advancing years. Then elected not to recollect the countless past times when worse beatings had troubled him less.

His first call in town was to the Quinn and Son store and he was not so aged in body and weak in the mind that he overlooked attending first to the needs of his horse. Made the animal secure in the shelter of the stable out back before returning along the alley to enter the store through the front door.

He found Roy Sims in much the same attitude as he had seen him earlier: the small of stature, pale complexioned man hunched over a sketch on the counter. But now he had the company of a pair of men who were neither customers for any stock of the store not potential purchasers of the store itself.

‘Good day to you,’ the tall and ramrod straight Colonel Walter Benson greeted with no more than a fleeting glance toward Edge before he resumed his concentrated study of the work Sims was doing on the sketch.

The shorter and younger, just as bald John Dickens who stood at the far end of the counter seemed distractedly disinterested in the work of the amateur artist. Then he was suddenly embarrassed when he recognised it was the owner of the store who had entered and he ran a finger and thumb along his bushy grey moustache as he showed a tentative smile. ‘I hope you don’t mind Walt and me attending to a little private business on your premises, Mr Edge?’

Now the slimly built, square shouldered retired army officer looked up for more than a moment and hurried to excuse: ‘Of course, John and I have both made many purchases from Mr Sims in the past. But this personal matter won’t take but a few minutes and – ‘

Edge said evenly: ‘No sweat.’

Sims felt it necessary to expand on what Benson had said: ‘The colonel and Mr Dickens have asked me to illustrate their book about the history of Eternity, sir.’

‘Like I said . . . ‘ Edge let the intended assurance trail away as he was struck by a notion. ‘This book you two fellers are writing?’

‘What about it?’ Benson was primed to become irritable, as if he expected Edge to be critical.’

‘How far does it come up to recent times?’

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They were both abruptly eager to help but Dickens responded first. ‘We’re still researching events and people up to and including the period of the Civil War, Mr Edge. But our intention has always been to make the volume as comprehensive as we can, so we’re sure to extend – ‘

‘Is there some aspect of life and events in Eternity that particularly interests you?’

Benson asked with an impatient glower at his friend.

‘The Colbert family.’

Both Benson and Dickens smiled knowingly.

Roy Sims slid his sketchpad off the counter top and placed it carefully on a shelf below. ‘Now you are here, sir, I’d like to go have something to eat it that’s all right?’

‘Sure.’ Edge could not help but be aware of the avid interest of the other two men in what he had said: in total contrast to the censorious indifference of the slightly built, homely featured Sims.

‘Is there anything in particular you want to know about?’ Benson pressed on and leaned his skinny rump comfortably against a cabinet behind the counter. Dickens adopted a similarly relaxed attitude against the front of the counter as he prompted with another knowing smile: ‘Like are there any skeletons in the Colbert family closet, uh?’

Sims hurried to collect his slicker and put it on as Edge moved aside from the door so the man could bustle out of the store, disapproval in his every action. Then Edge took out the makings and realised there was now hardly a trace of any nagging ache at the side of his head as he told the men on either side of the counter: