Free Last Train to Bannock [Clayburn 02] by Marvin H. Albert Page A

itself off. it had suddenly turned itself on again. The lake was half full of water.
        Since leaving Parrish, Cora had taken her evening meals with Clayburn. Their growing ease with each other appeared to irritate Haycox, who was usually hovering nearby. That evening as they sat together after the mules and horses had been watered, she looked more cheerful than she had been the night before.
        "You knew that lake had refilled all along, Clay. Why didn't you say so?"
        He smiled at her. "It might've emptied itself again since I last saw it."
        "Then what would we have done?"
        "Gone two days without water. It would have been hard on the mules-but we'd have made it."
        "And I suppose you've also known all along exactly what we're going to do about the sand dunes tomorrow?"
        Clayburn nodded. "Passed along them when I was riding south. It's windy this time of year, and the wind keeps shifting the dunes, sweeping some parts almost clear. And we can bull through the parts that aren't clear, if we tackle it the right way."
        "If we do," Cora said slowly, "that'll mean we'll be out of the desert ahead of Adler."
        "Uh-huh." Clayburn's forehead creased. He finished the coffee in his cup and set it down carefully. "I expect that's when Adler will hit at us."
        Cora frowned at him. "You sound very sure of it. But we've been on the trail for over a week now and nothing has happened."
        "For reasons," Clayburn said. "First of all we were still too near Parrish most of the week. Adler would wait till we're well beyond reach of the law. He'd wait, too, in hopes we might break down without interference from him. And this country's too flat-you can see riders coming at you from a long way off. When we get into the hill and canyon country, and he finds out we've made it and he's behind us-that's when he'll do something about us."
        "You sound as if you know exactly when he'll do it, and how. And exactly what we'll do to stop him."
        Clayburn shook his head. "Not exactly. It'll depend on the time and place."
        She stared at him in silence for a few seconds. "You know, Clay, you act like you can read every thought in Adler's head. And I've got a hunch you can."
        Clayburn hunched his heavy shoulders and smiled meaninglessly. "If you play against a man, it only makes sense to put yourself in his place and figure out what you'd do if you were him. Everybody does that."
        "No. Everybody tries . It's like that little poker session of ours. I was concentrating on tricking you-while you had already thought out what I was doing and what to do about it."
        Haycox, sitting stiffly on the other side of Cora, spoke up suddenly. "Clayburn, I hope you turn out to be as good at fighting as you're supposed to be at thinking long thoughts."
        Cora looked at Haycox. "You've seen him fight."
        "With his fists," Haycox drawled. "But next time it'll have to be with guns. You've hired a fine bunch of brawlers, Cora. I'm just wondering how they'll stand up to bullets."
        Jim Roud had drifted over while they were talking. He grinned down at Haycox. "Don't worry yourself about that, gunfighter. We can all handle ourselves if it comes to shooting, too."
        Haycox gazed up at him sardonically. "Can you? From what I heard, being a deputy in Parrish didn't give a man much practice with a gun. There was always Marshal Kavanaugh to hide behind."
        Roud's ugly face flushed.
        Clayburn said, quickly and softly, "Easy, Jim…"
        Roud glanced down at him, controlled himself, and shifted his glance to Haycox. "Want a demonstration?" He pointed with his left hand to a small rock just near enough to be seen in the failing evening light. "Watch it."
        His right hand blurred, whipping the Colt up out of his holster. It fired as it cleared leather. The rock jumped, breaking down the middle into two