Undead at Sundown Read Online Free PDF Page A

and tried to figure out if he was pretty dumb or pretty smart. He guessed he would find out in time. ‘I guess I can see the sense in that.’
         ‘What bout you Bill, what made you become a law man?’
         ‘I guess where I grew up there wasn’t much else to do either,’
          Ken let out a small chuckle.
          ‘So why don't you tell me what happened to my predecessor,’ asked Bill.
          ‘Your peeder what?' replied a puzzled Ken.
          ‘Predecessor, the man who was in the job before me. Sheriff Watts wasn’t it?’
         ‘Oh, I got ya' replied Ken. ‘Let me fix us another drink and I'll tell you what I know.’ Ken got up off his seat and went to pour two more drinks. Bill had a look around the room. There were two jail cells, two desks and a gun cupboard. There was a back which Bill guessed led out to the toilet. Ken returned to the desk with two drinks, placed one in front of Bill and sat down holding the other.
          ‘Sheriff Watts was a good man,’ Ken began. ‘One of the best, He looked at things a little differently than other people here, always willin' to help someone out if he felt somethin' was unjust, whilst everyone else was screamin' for a hangin'. He saved the lives of more than one innocent man let me tell ya. He was sheriff of this town for twenty-five years, and served as a deputy many years before that. He understood how the people here worked, how they thought and he knew how to handle folks but let me tell you somethin'. If you crossed him, if he knew you was a bad sort, then you were in a whole heap of shit. He was like a rabid dog that wouldn't let go once he got his teeth into somethin' or someone who deserved it. He wouldn't stop until justice had been served and I guess in the end, that was what got him killed, him bein' unable to stop and give up. See he had been followin' a string of cattle robberies in the Town and the surroundin' areas. No-one had a clue who was doin' it and everyone figured it was somethin' to do with Jack or Joel Blackwater.’
         ‘Blackwater? Is he some local big shot?’ asked Bill.
          ‘Oh he’s more than just that, he's Mr Money in this county and every county nearby. Anyway we will talk about him in a bit. As I was sayin, everyone thought it was somethin' to do with those boys, but Blackwater himself rode on into town to set things straight.’
         ‘Afraid the sheriff might go after him?’ Bill asked before taking a sip of his drink.
          ‘Oh I don't think it was that. Jack Blackwater ain’t afraid of any man alive so far as I know. That son of his though is a different kind of crazy, a real dangerous sort. Then theres the fact he’s got hundreds of hired guns willin' to come serve him whenever he hollers. Nah he weren't afraid, but he grew up here and knew Sheriff Watts for many years, was quite fond of him I think. Some say growin’ up they were like brothers but you hear all kinds of stuff in little towns and most is horse shit. I remember seein' them both around here any moons back  but I'll be damned if I can recall them hangin’ around together. Anyway, Blackwater came to town to put things straight with the sheriff and I think the sheriff believed him. Blackwater said he’d heard things and while he didn’t want to drop anybody in the shit, he gave the sheriff a clue or two as to who might or might not be rustlin' on all the local farms. Anyhow, Blackwater leaves town and the sheriff suddenly gets a bee in his bonnet about the Hamilton boys from two towns north and from then on when he wasn't seeing to local town business he was ridin' out and asking questions as to the location of those boys. So it turns out they get to hear about him askin' all those questions about them and one evenin' the three of em ride into town to have a talk with the sheriff. I was sitting at my desk, when they strode in here, real nasty lookin’ mother fuckers they were.’