And Kill Them All Read Online Free PDF Page A

I heard, “You bastards won’t get me past the town limits of this one-dog, jerkwater hellhole. Probably won’t get me off the boardwalk outside. So much as try to leave this stink hole of a jail with me in tow and you’ll all end up deader’n a trio of rotten cottonwoods.”
    I turned to see a scruffy, bearded joker leaned against his cage’s chained and padlocked door. A set of nasty moustaches hung down past the prisoner’s chin and swept the upper part of a thick chest. Smart-mouthed jackass had one foot wrapped in a wad of blood-encrusted bandages. Big ole dressing made the end of his leg look about the size of a sixty-pound, yellow-meat watermelon.
    â€œBrother Irby’ll kill the hell out of both you ranger sons a bitches ’fore he lets you take me anywheres, much less Fort Worth for a hangin’,” the foot-shot idget growled. “Ain’t neither one a you bastards got grit ’nuff to string up any us Teal boys.”
    Cosner rolled his eyes and looked like he wanted to puke his socks up. “He might be right. This jackass’s brothers and several other gunnies are holed up over yonder at the Saratoga Saloon. They’ve been hanging around ever since the day after Marshal Cobb had to leave town.”
    â€œWhen was that?” I said.
    Cosner scratched a tobacco-stained chin. “Well, he struck out four days ago. This walking pile of dung’s friends and family showed up next morning ’bout ten o’clock. Done kept me holed up in here the entire time. Haven’t even been able to visit the outhouse. Got four chamber pots and they’re all overflowing. Wasn’t for a Messican friend of mine guess I’d’ve already starved.”
    â€œThey threaten you?” Boz said.
    â€œHell, yes, they threatened me. Threatened everybody in town. ’S why ain’t nobody out in the streets. I ’uz about to give up and let ’em have this no-account, low-life stack of skunk shit.”
    â€œHis friends been pressin’ you?” Boz said.
    â€œDamn right. Several of them boys stood outside the door earlier this mornin’. Said if’n I didn’t give the smelly bastard up, they’d set fire to the jail. Wait in the street and kill me when I come out. Don’t ’specially wanna die over a shit heel like this ’un, tell you for certain sure, fellers.”
    Boston Teal’s unshaven face went scarlet. “Come on. Lemme outta this here cage. I’ll kick the dog crap outta yer smart-mouthed ass, star toter. Callin’ any of us Teal boys skunk shit and such is an act that can sure ’nuff get yer narrow ass put in a coffin.”
    Cosner didn’t bother to so much as glance his prisoner’s direction when he shot back, “Aw, shut up, you stupid son of a bitch. One more syllable from you’s gonna be just about all I can stand. Might just send you to Jesus myself. Save these fellers the hellish task of havin’ to escort you all the way back to Fort Worth. A fate I personally consider worse than gettin’ my family jewels caught in the clothes wringer on my wife’s new washtub.”
    Sure all he wanted was to diffuse the tension a bit when Boz offered, “Why’d Marshal Cobb leave town in the first place, Deputy?”
    Cosner resumed his seat behind the desk. He appeared to soften a bit. “Man’s wife passed away. ’Fore she went and sprouted wings, he’d promised that good lady he’d take her back to Columbus, Mississippi, for proper burial. ’S where her family’s all planted.”
    â€œGot any idea how long he figured on being gone?” I said.
    Cosner scratched an ear, then slapped at the side of his head like a dog that might’ve come across a flea. “As much as three weeks, I ’magine,” he mumbled, then gazed at his fingers, as though he’d squished something on one of them. “Maybe longer.