Longarm on the Santee Killing Grounds (40 page)

Then the front door of her rooming house burst open, and it was a good thing Longarm had already drawn his.44-40 and covered it with his Stetson. Because it was still too close for comfort as the dark figure in the doorway threw down on them, but had to watch where he was aiming as his doxie screamed, "Get him! He knows!"

Longarm didn't have to worry about his own fusillade, so he got three rounds of rapid fire off in time to stagger his foeman back against the doorjamb, and put a fourth round in him when he took a full extra second to drop his own six-gun and slide silently down to the doorstep while Lorena Fenward wailed like a banshee and might have scratched Longarm's face off if he hadn't stiff-armed her back on that porch swing.

He was standing over them both, reloading, when that same old landlady joined them, yelling "What is the meaning of all that noise and, oh, my stars and garters, who shot poor Clifford Stern in the breast like that?"

Longarm said, "It was me, ma'am. I told you I was the law. Would you kindly go down to your front gate and wave in any other lawmen as they come running? Miss Lorena and me still have to talk about some money, if she knows what's good for her."

The End