Longarm #399 : Longarm and the Grand Canyon Murders (9781101554401) Read Online Free PDF Page B

and even serve up roasted pheasant!”
    “That does sound delicious,” Heidi told him. “And here, a little extra for your good recommendation.”
    “
Five
dollars?” he asked, staring at the money she had placed in his calloused hand. “Why, thank you!”
    “You are quite welcome,” Heidi said. “Now, if we could get moving, I am anxious for a bath and a nice clean and quiet place to piddle.”
    The man blushed and hobbled off with her four large pieces of luggage. Longarm was impressed with the kid and grinning as he followed him and Heidi to a buggy.
    “Piddle?” he chuckled with a grin on his handsome face.
    The Hotel Weatherford was right up the street from the train station, on Leroux Street in the middle of town. It was a big, multistoried brick building that stood proudly over its shorter neighbors; the registration desk was walnut and the lobby quite elegant.
    “A suite,” Heidi said to the clerk. “Something with a view other than a back alley.”
    “Of course, Mrs…. ?”
    “Mrs. Long?” she asked, looking up at Custis.
    “Sure, that’ll work.”
    The registration clerk gave them a strange and confused look, but he wrote down the particulars. “May I ask how long you’ll be staying as our guests?”
    “Only tonight and maybe tomorrow night. We need to get up to the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon.”
    “I see. There is a stagecoach that will take you up there, and it leaves this coming Wednesday.”
    “That’s four days from now, and we haven’t got that much time to waste,” Custis said.
    “We could hire a private coach,” Heidi quietly suggested.
    “Or horses.”
    “I would prefer our own private coach.”
    “Fair enough. A coach it is.” Longarm turned back to the clerk. “Can you tell me where I can hire one?”
    The clerk gave him the names of two men who had liveries and who might be able to take them north. “But it will be expensive. It’s quite a trip up to the Grand Canyon and Lees Ferry.”
    “How far would you reckon?” Longarm asked.
    “Well over a hundred difficult miles. I’d say closer to one hundred and forty miles of hard road.”
    “Oh, dear, that far!” Heidi said.
    “I’m afraid so, Mrs. Long. And you might want to reconsider the idea of going up there. The canyon is just a big ditch in the dirt, and I’m told the Colorado River isn’t anything to brag about. It’s muddy and dangerous. Maybe you’d rather see our Painted Desert or Petrified Forest. They’re a good sight closer to Flagstaff, and that’s what most of our guests come to see. Really beautiful sight, and those big trees that have turned to stone are something that you’ll never forget. Why, you can buy or even pick up pieces of petrified wood all over the place. Most of us around here have a ton of the stuff. It’s really beautiful when you get it wet and you can see the tree rings, the bark, and everything!”
    “Well, that does sound fascinating,” Heidi said, “but we really must get up to Lees Ferry. Custis…I mean Marshal Custis Long…is a federal marshal, and we’ve come to investigate the terrible murders that have taken place up by Lees Ferry.”
    The clerk stared at Longarm. “You’re a lawman with…”
    “With her?” Longarm asked, brow furrowed. “That’s right. But I’d prefer that you keep that piece of information to yourself. In fact, I
insist
on it.”
    “Yes, sir! I mean, yes, sir, Marshal Long! My lips are glued.”
    “If they aren’t, I’ll come back from Lees Ferry and sew them together with horsehair.”
    The clerk paled and dipped his chin up and down rapidly.
    When they were in their suite, Heidi turned on Longarm and said, “You really didn’t need to put such a fright into that clerk downstairs.”
    “Oh, but I did,” Longarm countered. “And while we are on this subject, I need to say that I never let anyone know I’m a federal officer of the law.”
    “And why not?”
    “Because there are plenty of men that just hate law