Plain Trouble Read Online Free PDF

steaming mug in front of Joe then took the seat across from him. “Thanks to him we got the hole patched before the bottom fell out of those clouds.”
    “Where’d you live before you came to Bitter Springs, Cal?” Joe asked as casually as possible.
    His ears turned red and then, by degrees, the color spread to his face. Still he would not look at Joe.
    “He’s cousin to the Schmidts,” Alpheus offered.
    “Is that right?” Joe toyed with the edge of the towel. “Where’d you live before?”
    This time Cal braved a glance in his direction. “San Antone,” he said.
    Joe’s eyes narrowed. Had he found the man who might be Pale Indian so easily? It seemed so.  
    “Why’d you leave?” he asked evenly then punctuated the question with a lift of his brow.
    When Cal didn’t answer immediately, Alpheus pushed back his chair and shook his head as he rose. “Ida tells me you’re a Ranger now, Joe.”
    He tore his attention from Cal to find Alpheus studying him. “Ida?”
    “Ida Klein.”  
    Joe couldn’t help notice it was Alpheus’s turn to look embarrassed. Interesting.
    “I am,” he said. “Ranger Company out of San Antone.” Joe stared past Alpheus at Cal. “Sounds like you and I come from the same place. Small world, isn’t it, Cal?”
    “Sure is.”  
    “I’ll say.” Alpheus shrugged. “Look at how you just happened to be coming down the road at the right time to save my Bess.”
    Joe nearly fell out of his chair. That gorgeous woman was…“Bess?”  
    Bessie Mae, plain as day had certainly blossomed in his absence. Now he was likely the man looking embarrassed.
    Alpheus chuckled. “She lit out of here this morning with more spunk than good sense. I reckon she took exception to the fact I had Cal up on the roof helping instead of her.” Another chuckle. “Ain’t that right, Cal?”
    Silence. Joe looked around to see that Cal was gone.
    Alpheus shook his head then took a healthy gulp of coffee. “Don’t mind him,” he said as he set the cup back on the table. “He’s not much for conversation.”
    Most bank robbers-turned-murderers aren’t. “What do you know about him, Alpheus?”
    The older man shrugged. “Gus Schmidt come by with him last week. Said his nephew was new in town and needed work. Said he’d vouch for him. Why?” He paused to narrow his eyes. “You’re here on Ranger business aren’t you?”
    Joe only hesitated a moment before making the decision to draw Alpheus Jones into his circle of confidants. “I’m going to need your cooperation and your word that what I tell you won’t leave this room before I answer that.”  
    “You’ve got both,” he said.
    He leaned closer and lowered his voice lest the man in question was lingering nearby. “No questions asked?”
    “Don’t need to,” the rancher said. “Your daddy raised you to be a good God-fearin’ man, and the state of Texas put a badge on your chest. That’s good enough for me.” He rose abruptly. “Let me just go make sure it’s just the two of us in the house.” He paused. “And Bess, of course, but she’s not likely to be interrupting us. Not with her temper and that soaking she took.”
    He grinned and managed a nod. “Probably not.”
    Alpheus stepped out and then a minute later returned. “All right. It’s just the two of us. You can speak freely.”
    A sip of the strong brew, and Joe was ready to tell the tale. Choosing his words carefully, he caught Alpheus up on his reason for returning to Bitter Springs.  
    “I’m not sure if Ben Bauer wants me to take Tommy in or prove him innocent,” he added. “I know what I’d prefer, but I’ve got to stay neutral.”
    Even as he said the words, Joe knew they weren’t completely the truth. There was nothing he’d like better than to prove Pale Indian was someone – anyone – other than Tommy Klein.
    The older man rose and walked to the stove then returned with the coffee pot to pour himself another cup. Joe waved away his offer