Slocum and the Diamond City Affair (9781101612118) by Jake Logan Page B

I damn sure hate Ike Clanton, who, I suspect, was behind the theft in the first place.”
    â€œThat makes two of us who hate Ike.”
    Slocum never asked him why, but from the sound of Moulton’s comment it told him that the man was no fan of the oldest son at Old Man Clanton’s casa.

9
    On the good horse that Moulton supplied and pushing him hard, Slocum made it back to Jim Davis’s ranch two nights later sometime past midnight. Barely dressed, Rosa came on the run under the stars.
    â€œYou’re back. Where is the horse?”
    â€œIn Nogales with his new owner.”
    â€œYou got him there?” O’Riley shouted, busting outside and still fastening his pants.
    â€œYes. I have a receipt for him.” He handed the paper to O’Riley and hugged Rosa’s form to his left hip.
    â€œOh! Thank God.” O’Riley crossed himself and looked to the stars.
    â€œHell’s bells,” Jim said, coming with a lamp. “Sounds like you baked the cake.”
    â€œI got lucky, my friend.”
    â€œAre you hungry?” Rosa asked.
    â€œI’d eat something simple.”
    â€œWe can fix you something,” she said, hugged him, and then tore loose to rush for the house.
    â€œO’Riley, put his horse up. The victor has come home.”
    â€œYou get any problems from Ike?” he asked Jim as they headed for the house.
    â€œNaw. Your Roman-nosed horse even made it home.”
    â€œGood. I’ll have see that Moulton’s horse gets back to him. Any word on the mare?”
    â€œWe think Ike’s got her hidden somewhere. I was in Tombstone all day talking to folks who know about things. There ain’t a word leaked out, and that’s strange.”
    â€œHow is that?”
    â€œHell, someone from Clanton’s bunch usually gets loose tongued on liquor and spills the beans. There ain’t a word about the mare.”
    â€œWe may need to put Ike’s balls in a vise.” Slocum smiled at his friend.
    â€œWhat are you planning to do?” O’Riley asked, coming back inside the small house a lot more enthused than Slocum had seen him at anytime previous.
    Slocum glanced up at him in the lamplight. “We’ve got to find the mare next.”
    â€œWhere can we start?” O’Riley asked.
    â€œI’m not sure, but we may need to find someone close to Ike and notch his ears until he tells us where he’s hid the mare.”
    Rosa put a platter on the table with the eggs, fried side meat, and reheated biscuits. The smell of the fresh breakfast ran up Slocum’s nose and reminded him how hungry he was. Saliva flooded from behind his lower teeth and he took up his fork to eat. The taste burst in his mouth at the first bite and he smiled at her. “Damn good.”
    She nodded and he could see how anxious she was to be closer to him, but she restrained herself, sitting back from the two men. Later he could give her the attention she needed. Her body, he decided, would be a great sweet desert after the meal.
    â€œWhere do we need to start?” Jim asked. “By damn, I want to help you two get this matter settled.”
    â€œTomorrow. We’ll cut out a couple of his hired men and rough them up if we need to, to find out where he’s stuck that mare.”
    O’Riley nodded. “I’ve never been tough in my life, but they have me so mad. I could get mean on them.”
    â€œGood, it looks like we’re going to have to be.”
    â€œWhere we going first?”
    â€œTombstone.”
    â€œYou figure we can head some of them off short of there?” Jim asked.
    Slocum shook his head. “No, I want them coming back from there.”
    Jim nodded. “Riding back home, all liquored up. Good idea.”
    â€œWe’ll need to be up there in a few hours to catch some of them.”
    â€œGrab the light. We’ll go saddle the horses,” O’Riley said. He and Jim left Slocum and