Shoot Angel! Read Online Free PDF Page B

cot,
motionless, when the door at the end of the passage crashed open,
and the two
deputies—Duggan and Koch—swaggered towards the cell. They peered in
at Angel’s still figure for a minute. Koch produced a key which he
placed in the lock of the door. He released the door and swung it
open. By this time Duggan had his gun in his hand. He stepped
inside the cell.
    ‘ Seems
a shame to wake him,’ Koch said. ‘He looks kind of
cozy.’
    Duggan apparently
didn ’t share
his partner’s humor. He stepped to the end of the cot, caught hold
of the end and tipped it sideways, spilling Angel to the
floor.
    ‘ Cozy
ain’t what this son of a bitch is about to get,’ Duggan snapped.
‘If I had my way I’d stomp the bastard right through the cracks in
this floor!’
    Shrugging off the blanket Angel
climbed to his feet. He stood waiting for Duggan ’s next move. The deputy’s face
reflected his inner hostility towards his prisoner, and Angel knew
enough not to do any provoking.
    ‘ Forget it,’ Koch said. ‘The judge’s waiting, and you know
he don’t like being delayed.’
    Duggan growled something under
his breath. He jerked his gun in Angel ’s direction.
    ‘ Out!’
he said. ‘And make it fast!’
    They took Angel along the
passage to the office. The sheriff was there and so was the man
they called the judge. The judge was fiddling with some
legal-looking papers. He glanced up as Angel was shoved through the
door. Angel took one look at the judge ’s hard, lined face, the flinty eyes,
and decided there and then that he didn’t like the man.
    ‘ This
the prisoner?’ The judge’s voice was as cold as the expression on
his face. Sheriff Sherman nodded and the judge asked: ‘He said
anything?’
    ‘ No,
your Honor,’ Sherman replied. ‘The prisoner has declined to give
any kind of statement.’
    ‘ I don’t like
uncooperative prisoners,’ remarked the judge. ‘Seems to be a sign
of non repentance.’
    ‘ Seems
to me a man might be willing to repent if he knew what he’d done in
the first place,’ Angel observed.
    The judge glanced up at the prisoner. His
brow furrowed as he studied the face of the young man standing
before him.
    ‘ I could almost
believe you didn’t know what it is you’ve done. You’ll be telling
the court you’ve lost your memory next.’
    ‘ Way
the law treats a body in this town that’s quite likely to happen,’
Angel said.
    Sherman smiled. ‘Wish I had a
dollar for every prisoner who’s come in here with that old
tale.’
    ‘ You
figure I got these bruises playing the piano?’ Angel turned to face
the judge. ‘Humor me, Judge. And tell me what I did.’
    ‘ First
you savagely attacked two of this town’s duly appointed law
officers. You then made a nuisance of yourself over at the saloon
known as Jinty’s Palace, terrifying one of the employees before
causing damage to the premises themselves.’
    ‘ I do all that?’ Angel asked.
    ‘ Why
did you come to Liberty?’ The judge leaned forward to ensure he
heard Angel’s reply.
    ‘ Just
looking for a friend. I heard he was here.’
    The judge stroked his cheek.
    ‘ This
friend—what’s your business with him?’
    ‘ That’s my affair, Judge.’
    The judge sl ammed his hand down on the
desktop.
    ‘ Smart-mouth me, my boy, and I won’t let you forget it in a
hurry! Now who is this so-called friend you say you came looking
for?’
    ‘ I figure you already
know that. And I don’t think I’d be far wrong guessing it’s why
you’re taking such an interest in me. Am I right or am I wrong,
Judge?’
    ‘ I haven’t an idea
what you’re talking about,’ the judge snapped. He shuffled the
papers on the desk before him. ‘Sheriff, there isn’t a name on
these documents. Who is this man?’
    Sherman ’s face reddened visibly. ‘I ... er
sorry, your Honor! You, what’s your name?’
    ‘ Angel—Frank Angel!’
    The judge hastily filled in the empty
spaces.
    ‘ The
prisoner is guilty on all charges.