Colorado Clash by Jon Sharpe Page A

prattling on when there were other customers waiting, his smile seemed to say that he really enjoyed her company. All the while he was making out her ticket.
    “Yep, I’ll read it through again and then I’ll give it to my granddaughter. She’s eight but she can read up a storm. She’ll love it as much as I do.”
    The next two customers were just as talkative and Lenihan was just as patient. He stood there in his blue shirt with the black bolo tie, able to watch them as he scribbled out their fares.
    Fargo knew you couldn’t judge a man by either appearance or demeanor. He’d once hunted a grandfatherly man who had set fire to his daughter and three grandchildren. Their offense was trying to stop him from playing his accordion late at night. The man had a face that would have worked as a magazine illustration of all that was right and good and wise of old age.
    But if Lenihan had killed three men in cold blood he had a kind of cunning that Fargo had never encountered before. Cold-blooded killer in the night, friendly open man during the day.
    Then it was Fargo’s turn to step up to the counter.
    “Howdy. Can I help you?”
    “Name’s Skye Fargo. I’m helping Tom Cain.” He wasn’t surprised to see Lenihan’s face tighten. He had to know he was under suspicion for the robbery.
    “Yessir. What can I do for you?”
    “Wanted to talk to you about that robbery last month.”
    “Terrible. That Englishman was headed back home when it happened and the driver was a good friend of mine.”
    “I was thinking more about the money that got stolen, I guess.” Fargo kept his gaze fixed on the man’s face. “I’m told you were one of the few people who knew about it.”
    “I guess that makes me guilty, huh?” Anger, frustration.
    “I didn’t say that. I’m not making any accusations. I’m just trying to find out what happened.”
    “I heard you were helping Cain. In case you didn’t know, he spent a good bit of time trying to win my woman from me.”
    “He told me that he’d given up.”
    “So he says. And here’s something else you might think about. Tom Cain knew about that shipment, too.”
    “You’re saying that he had something to do with it?”
    “I’m saying that since the rest of us are under suspicion, he should be too. And personally, I don’t know why you’d want to get hooked up with a man like Cain.”
    “I’m doing him a favor. He’s an old friend of mine.”
    “Favor, huh? By my lights he’s a bully and a liar.” He smiled. “You know what this is about? He wants to marry the woman I plan to marry. It’d be one thing if she wanted to marry him. I’d step aside. I wouldn’t want to force her into anything. I’m not like that. But Cain’ll do anything. And I guess I should’ve figured he’d come up with something like this. Like saying I was in cahoots with those robbers or something. He gets me in trouble and then he has a clear field with Amy. Or that’s what he thinks anyway. But I know better. I’m sure if I was out of the picture Amy would find another man—she’s very pretty and very healthy—but it wouldn’t be Tom Cain. Not under any circumstances I can think of.”
    “That a serious accusation or you just talking?”
    Deep sigh. “I don’t know. I hate Cain and I’d like to see him run out of town. Or sent to prison. He made out real good taming this town. So I got to admit I may just be talking. But I’ve thought about it and I can’t see who else it would’ve been that tipped off those robbers. Maybe somebody at the other end, at the bank. But there’s no way for me to know that since I don’t know any of the people over there. And besides, if it was somebody over there I’d think the president of the bank would have his suspicions and he hasn’t said anything. And he’s been over here twice. So as far as I’m concerned that leaves Cain.”
    “So you are accusing Cain of robbery and murder.”
    Lenihan had an easy smile. “And you know what? I