Longarm and the Colorado gundown

_{“They were here... I guess it was the day before yesterday would have been the last time I saw them,” Aggie said. She too had climbed down from the cart, and came to stand beside him. She kept staring with disbelief inside the empty stockade and shaking her head from side to side. “I drove up and talked with Bray Swind and some of the other Indians. That was after I'd received the telegram saying my writ was granted and that you would be coming to serve it. The people}

_{were all so happy. They were anxious to get back into the mountains. Now ... this. I just can’t believe it, Longarm. I truly can’t.”}

_{“An’ I can’t blame you for that neither. Stupid bastards to try an’ pull something like this. How long d’ they figure they can hide out from the Ewe Ess gov’ment?”}

_{“I thought Boo had more sense than this, Longarm. I truly did.”}

_{“I believe you, Counselor.” He pulled out a cheroot and lighted it without remembering to offer one to Aggie. But then it simply wasn’t normal or proper for a man to have to remember to offer a cigar to a lady. “You don’t s’pose ...,” he ventured, then shook his head and allowed the sentence to die uncompleted.}

_{“What is that, Longarm?”}

_{“Nothing,” he said. “Look, why don’t you wait here a minute. I’m gonna take a look inside that mine before we start back down.”}

_{“What’s the matter, Longarm? Never saw inside a mine shaft before?” she asked in a teasing tone. Then she saw the seriousness in his eyes and guessed the reason why he wanted to look inside. One hand flew to her throat, and she gasped. “No. You can’t think ... no.” She shook her head quite firmly. “They may be foolish, Longarm, but they are not maniacal. They wouldn’t have done anything like ... that... to innocent people. Not that.”}

_{Longarm grimaced and turned away to spit. “Nobody’d slaughter innocent folks,” he agreed. “But you gotta remember, Aggie, that these idjits are thinking of your Ute clients as savages an’ murderers. Not as innocent folks who happen t’ be Injins. So I reckon I’ll take a look inside there ’fore we start back again.”}

_{The lady lawyer looked like she might burst into tears at any moment. She spun away from Longarm and went stumbling back toward the waiting cart.}

_{Longarm ambled forward. The upper levels of this mine were obviously abandoned and empty now, and he felt no threat of danger here. His only fear was that somewhere}

_{inside the earth there was a newly made mass grave and a supply of helpless Utes to fill it.}