Longarm and the Colorado gundown

_{“We’re looking for Boo Bevvy,” Aggie said.}

_{“You might have a long wait then,” the woman said. “He heard Longarm was here and is hiding?”}

_{“There are people who might want to give that impression, but the truth isn’t so dramatic,” the old bat told them. “Boo is off investigating the robbery, dear.”}

_{Longarm found it more than passing strange that neither woman seemed to find it necessary to specify which robbery they referred to. The robbery for some reason seemed to cover it.}

_{“I should have thought of that,” Aggie said.}

_{“You can’t think of everything, dearie.”}

_{“What about the mayor?”}

_{“He’s with Boo.”}

_{“And the judge?”}

_{“At home by now, I should think. Or hiding out somewhere else if he believes our friend Longarm will be coming after him.”}

_{“Why would I do that?” Longarm asked.}

_{“Because he ordered your prisoner released from the jail not ten minutes after you walked out,” the old bawd said, and cackled. She seemed to find that amusing as hell. Longarm did not. “Now he and John and your jailer friend are all laying low. They’re afraid of what you might do to them. But they’ve even more afraid of what might happen to everyone in these mountains if the Indians are turned loose, you see.”}

_{“I don’t understand that,” Longarm complained.}

_{The old woman shrugged. “Rumors. There were rumors long before that newspaper article came out this morning. That fool Ellis Farmer’s story only fanned a fire that was already burning.”}

_{“Do you know how the rumors started? Or who started them?”}

_{“My dear man, I don’t know quite everything that happens here. Even if I do pretend that I do.”}

_{“But the police chief isn’t actually in hiding from me?” “He will avoid you if he can. I doubt that Boo would risk a federal indictment and the loss of his reputation over it. Boo has his weaknesses, God knows ... for which I am suitably grateful... but total stupidity is not one of them. Boo won’t carry his game with you any further than he believes he can justify in a court of law if it should come to that.”}

_{Longarm nodded. “That’s good to know. Thanks.”}

_{“I didn’t go into all this for you, Longarm. I owe you nothing. I did it for my Agnes, bless her sweet heart. And mind you treat her nicely, Longarm, or I shall become cross with you. You wouldn’t want that to happen.”}

_{“No, I don’t believe I would,” he said for the sake of avoiding an argument. The truth was that he didn’t give a shit what this old woman did or did not like.}

_{He was, though, grateful to her for whatever information she might pass along.}