AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gray stepped back, wiggling his finger in his ear to get it to quit ringing. Well, all right, then. Mr. Claude Brown apparently had a slight aversion to Gray.
He pushed a chair in his direction and Jason and Doc shoved the man into it with one hand each on his shoulders. Gray sat in his own chair and leaned his elbows on his knees.
“Who sent you here, Mr. Brown?”
Claude just stared at Gray, his eyes so wide the whites were visible.
“Claude?” Gray tried again. “I really don’t want to ask again.”
The man whimpered, and Gray rubbed a hand over his face and then sighed, sitting back in his chair. He gestured to Jason and Doc.
“Claude,” Doc said, “who sent you here?”
Claude shook his head. “No…no one.”
“Then why did you come?”
Claude’s gaze shot to Gray for a split second and then darted away again, like he was afraid to look too long.
“You came to try and collect on the bounty?” Jason asked.
“Claude, don’t say anything!” Ernie’s voice filtered in from the back.
A cracking sound followed by athuddrew all their attention to the doorway leading to the cells.
Preacher walked out a few moments later, his hardbound Bible held tight to his chest.
“Brother Brown required the word of God,” Preacher said. “He’ll be pondering on it for a while, I think.”
Gray gaped at him, and then broke out in a smile. Well, damn. He hadn’t thought the preacher had it in him. He nodded and then turned back to Claude, who was now staring at Preacher with his mouth hanging open.
Preacher hiked his Bible a little higher and pinned Claude with a significant look. “I believe you were asked if you came here to try and collect on the bounty that’s on the sheriff’s head.”
Claude nodded. “Ernie…he said…” His eyes darted frantically between everyone and then settled on Jason, who certainly had the friendliest face. “Ernie said he knew where we could find him and that it would be easy between the two of us.”
Gray snorted. Easy? He must be losing his touch.
“No offense, Claude,” Gray said, and the man shrank back against his chair like Gray had invaded his space just by saying his name. “But you seem a bit…”
A faint smile touched Claude’s lips. “Lily-livered? Yeah. My brother is the one with all the gumption in the family. But he said I had to come, too, that it would be worth it once we collected on the bounty and got the money…” He trailed off, but Gray shook his head with another snort.
“Sorry, Claude. It just seems like a lot of trouble to go through for a hundred dolla—”
“A hundred?” Claude said, perking up and looking around at all of them, confused. “Hell no, I wouldn’t have done it for that. Ernie said my share would be two hundred and fifty.”
Gray sat back with a low whistle. Mercy moved to stand behind him, her hand stealing up to grip his shoulder. He reached up and held her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. Which one of them he was trying to comfort, he wasn’t sure.
Doc looked down at Claude. “The bounty is up to five hundred dollars?” he asked.
Claude nodded, and Doc and Jason both looked at Gray, their expressions worried. As well they should be. Five hundred dollars was enough to bring out a few gunslingers worth the price of a bullet.
“Sunshine, why don’t you escort Mr. Brown here back to his brother. They can be our guests until we can figure out what to do with them,” Gray said.
Jason nodded and took Claude back to join Ernie.
Mercy came around so she could meet Gray’s eyes. “I guess we know what Josiah’s response is to your visit.”
Gray nodded. “Damn expensive response.”
