“I expect I’d best take charge of searchin’ the deceased,” the sheriff decided. “If he’s got any money, I’ll see if he can repay what he owes.”

“You need anything else from me, Sheriff?” Hawk asked.

“Nope, not right now, I reckon,” Porter replied. “I’d appreciate it if you’d come by the office and fill me in on those two fellows I heard you followed into town. I need to know when I’ve got wanted men in town and exactly what you’ve got on your mind to do about ’em.” He looked down at Billy’s corpse again. “I’d like to know if this jasper’s got anything to do with them.”

“I’d like to know that, myself,” Hawk replied.

“Well, come see me,” Porter said. “You’re lucky this jasper’s aim wasn’t any better.”

“He warn’t walkin’ very steady when he went out the front door after Hawk,” one of the spectators offered, bringing another round of chuckles, as Hawk turned and headed for the stable.

* * *

The sound of gunshots captured the immediate attention of three particular people of interest in the Capital City Saloon. “Hot damn, he found him!” Jesse Corbin sang out.

“It musta been one helluva shoot-out,” Booth Corbin commented after the night went quiet again. “I counted four shots—sounded like two from a handgun and two from a rifle.”

The third vitally interested party, Mutt Crocker, was concerned about the order of the shots heard. Just like Booth, Mutt could easily tell the difference in the sounds made by a Colt pistol and a Winchester rifle. The pistol shots were the first heard, two of them, which told him that Billy got off the first shots. It bothered him that the two rifle shots came last. It could mean anything, good or bad. “Fred,” he called to the bartender, “run over there to Main Street and find out about them shots.” When Fred untied his apron, Mutt said, “I’ll watch the bar. Find out if Billy’s all right.”

“Since you’re tendin’ bar now, you can pour us a drink,” Booth said to Mutt. “We might have some celebratin’ to do, if your boy did the job he went to do. Ain’t that right, Jesse?”

“That’s a fact,” Jesse answered. “But I’ll wait to kick up my heels when I find out for sure that son of a bitch is layin’ toes-up.”

Thinking it a good time to solicit some business for herself, since everybody seemed to be ready for a celebration, Loretta moved up close to Booth. “If you’re wantin’ to kick up your heels, you might wanna go upstairs with me,” she said in her most seductive tone.

Booth answered her with a sneer. “I’d sooner go upstairs with the itch,” he replied, causing Jesse to laugh at the humiliated woman.