Longarm and the Colorado gundown

_{If the town fathers of Snowshoe turned out to’ve been that incredibly stupid ...}

_“Well?”

_{Longarm shook his head. “Nothing.” But he didn’t consider the hour he’d just spent underground as time wasted.}

_{“Thank goodness,” Aggie said. The relief was plain in her expression. She too must have been having thoughts about where the Utes might have disappeared to. And bodies were all too easily disposed of in abandoned mine shafts.}

_{Longarm lighted a smoke for himself, this time remembered to give her one too—he was soon going to have to replenish his supply if this kept up—and pulled his tweed coat back on. It hadn’t been warm down in the mine, not hardly, but it had been stuffy. He’d felt better without the coat.}

_{“Where would you suggest we look for your clients next, Counselor?” he asked.}

_{Lawyer Able frowned and nibbled at her lower lip while she thought about the question. “I don’t know,” she said after taking what seemed a rather long time to come up with so unimaginative a response.}

_{“No idea?” he prodded.}

_{“There are so many places they could be, you see. Old prospect holes. Isolated cabins. There are even natural cave formations in this part of the country. Ancient ruins too if you believe some of the stories. I really wouldn’t have any idea where Boo might have taken them.”}

_{Longarm grunted.}

_{“We have to find them, Longarm. Those Indians haven’t done anything criminal. They are entitled to their freedom. No matter what Boo and his silly male friends may think.”}

_{Longarm grunted. He wasn’t in any position to argue with her. Hell, what she said was exactly what he’d come there to enforce.}

_{Of course Billy Vail hadn’t entirely had it in mind that the subjects of the writ in Custis Long’s pocket would disappear once he got there.}

_{“Do you believe that, Counselor, or are you only wanting to rub those male friends’ noses in something of your doing?”}

_{Aggie stiffened, her shoulders drawing back and her nose hiking skyward. “That is a disgusting thing for you to say, Deputy.”}