"Yes, you do," Billy insisted, striking the sheets of paper with his
fist. "We found Conley. He was working for the TU when he died."
Simon's face went even yellower. "I told him not to go," muttered
Simon Reelfoot.
"Conley talked before he died," said Billy. "He told me some
interesting things about himself--and you. We've got you dead to
rights, Simon." Here Billy stuffed the sheets of paper into his
trousers pocket and gripped Simon by the throat. "You damned murderer,
what did you kill him for?"
At the fierce clutch of Billy's fingers, Simon's shaking legs refused
to uphold him longer. He fell on his knees. "I--I didn't kill him!"
he spluttered. "He was dead when----"
"You lie! You killed him! Conley said so! You tried to throw the
blame on me by leaving behind--" Billy's voice trailed off into
silence.
"That was Conley's idea!" screamed the panicky Reelfoot. "He got the
hatband and quirt one day when nobody was in the office. I didn't have
anything to do with it! Conley shot him, too!"
"Conley shot him too, huh? Then you shot Tip your own self?"
"He was gonna squeal! He was gonna get me mixed into that Walton
murder! They told me he was! He--he pulled first, I tell you! It was
an even break! I was drunk! I didn't know what I was doing! Oh, my
Gawd!"
Billy flung the groveling Simon from him. "This ought to be enough for
you."
Guerilla wagged an admiring head as he set about securing the arms of
the wretched Reelfoot. "Gotta give you credit, Bill. I never thought
it would work."
"I did," said the strayman, Johnny Dawson. "I've seen it done before.
Most folks are sheep when it comes to a bluff."
"Don't tie him too tight, Guerilla. Might as well ask him some more
questions."
That evening there was another prisoner in the Golden Bar calaboose.
"If they keep on coming in like this," said Shotgun Shillman to Riley
Tyler, "we'll have to build an addition to the jail."
"The more the merrier," grinned Riley Tyler. "Listen to that
skunkified Reelfoot! You'd think he was having the horrors, the way
he's carrying on."
"Did you hear what he said about leaving a lantern outside the cell all
night, account of Tip haunting him in the dark?"