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“What was that?” Lyle asked.
“Frank, I expect,” Hap said.
“Frank Kilhoe?” Lyle asked.
“I expect so.”
“Frank Kilhoe is out there?”
“Well, he ain’t here,” Hap said. “The only place left for him to be is out there.”
“The Texas Ranger?”
“That’s right. Now you understand. He’s my partner,” Hap said, smiling like the devil.
“John! Go bring me Frank Kilhoe, dead or alive. Take two men with you.”
“I’d double or triple that number if I were you,” Hap said, “though I doubt it would do you much good.”
Lyle looked from Hap to the Indian and back to Hap and said, “I’ll make my own decisions, thank you!” Then Lyle stared in the fire for a bit longer, as if he expected the fire to tell him what to do. Then he said, “John Buffalo, take ten men with you.”
But before the Indian with all the w
