Deadly Election (9781101619223) by J. R. Roberts

“Congressman Turner has been in office for three terms, and expects to win a fourth. We want to disappoint him.”
    “Well, what’s left to do today?” Clint asked.
    “Nothing,” Gryder said. “I’m going home from here. You can do what you want.”
    Heck Thomas came over to join them and said, “I’d like to get a drink.”
    “That sounds good to me,” Clint said.
    “Me, too,” Carla said.
    Heck looked at her.
    “You ain’t gonna go into a saloon.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because a woman who looks like you in a saloon means trouble.”
    “I won’t cause any trouble.”
    “Yeah, you will,” Heck said. “You won’t wanna, and you won’t start nothin’, but there’ll be trouble.”
    “That’s silly,” she said.
    “I’ll leave you folks to your discussion,” Gryder said. “I’ll see you all at breakfast tomorrow at the house.”
    He gave them a salute, and left.
    “We can get a drink here, Heck,” Clint said. “Carla won’t cause any trouble here. It’s a restaurant.”
    Heck shook his head, but didn’t say anything.
    “Let’s go,” Clint said, and led the way out of the back room into the restaurant.
    They got a table and told the waiter they only wanted drinks. He took their order.
    When Clint and Heck had their beers and Carla a glass of brandy, she said, “See?” to Heck. “No trouble.”
    “Like Clint said, this ain’t no saloon,” Heck answered. “In a saloon there’d be trouble.”
    “But why?”
    “Because you’re too damned beautiful.”
    “Why, Marshal Thomas,” she said, “are you flirting with me?”
    “I ain’t flirtin’,” Heck said, “and I ain’t gonna sit here and drink.” He downed his entire beer and stood up.“There’s a saloon across the street. That’s where I’ll be until you two come out.”
    “What’s the matter with him?” Carla asked as Heck walked out.
    “He just wants to stand at a bar and have a drink,” Clint said. He waved at the waiter to bring another beer.
    Andy George stood at the bar with a beer, waiting for his boss to arrive. When he did, he joined his subordinate and called for a beer.
    “I was surprised to hear from you so soon,” the man said. “You got your help already?”
    “We got ’em.”
    “Where are your friends?”
    “Out collectin’ them,” George said. “We got three more men.”
    “Six against two?” the man asked. “Is that enough?”
    “Yeah, although we’re facing two good men.”
    “Adams has Heck Thomas backing him up,” the man said, “and he’s a lawman. Is that a problem?”
    “For the right amount of money,” the man said, “nothing is a problem.”
    “All right, then.”
    “When do we go?”
    “Not for a while,” the man said. “We want his campaign to get going first.”
    “Why?”
    “It’s not important that you know why,” the man said. “Just follow orders.”
    “So what do you want us to do in the meantime?”
    “Do whatever you want,” the man said. “Just be available when I want you.”
    “One of us will always be here,” George said.
    “That’s fine.” The boss drank his beer, set his empty mug down. He took out an envelope and passed it to Andy George. “That’s fine. We’ll talk again soon.”
    As he left, George opened the envelope to see a sheaf of bills. A taste of what was to come, but it was a taste the others didn’t have to know about.
    He pocketed the envelope and told the bartender, “Another beer.”

THIRTY
    “This has not been an enjoyable day,” Clint said.
    “When you agreed to run,” Carla asked, “did you really think it would be fun?”
    “Well, no, but I didn’t think I’d be making speeches, and having supper with people I didn’t like—”
    “Trust me,” Carla said, “it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
    “Well, thanks.”
    “I’m just telling you the truth,” she said, “and when you’re involved in politics, you’re not going to find a lot of people who will do that.”
    “But you