Free Blue-Eyed Devil by Robert B. Parker

said.
    “He gonna come after them?”
    “Probably will,” Virgil said.
    “He’s the law in Appaloosa,” Rose said.
    Virgil said, “Yep.”
    “We the law here,” Cato said.
    Virgil nodded.
    “Bounty hunters out?” Rose said.
    Virgil nodded again.
    “Might be some Pinkertons, too,” he said.
    “Might have to hire us couple of deputies,” Rose said. “Fellas with experience, say, like you boys.”
    “Could arrest them,” Cato said.
    “Cole’s Indian?” Rose said.
    “Can’t make us give up our prisoners,” Cato said.
    “’Course they can’t,” Rose said.
    Virgil shook his head.
    “Indian won’t go for it,” he said.
    “The breed’s brother?” Rose said.
    Virgil nodded.
    “He won’t go to jail,” Rose said.
    Virgil shook his head.
    “We leave the cell unlocked,” Cato said.
    “He won’t,” Virgil said.
    “Don’t make no sense,” Rose said. “You think Virgil’s right, Everett?”
    “Might be,” I said. “Often is.”
    “Well,” Rose said. “Let’s go talk to them. They don’t want to come in, least we can give them a running start.”
    “Maybe they don’t want to run,” Virgil said.
    Rose looked at Cato again, and leaned back a little in his chair and smiled.
    “They want to stay and fight,” Rose said. “The least we can do is offer them some high-priced backup.”

31
    V IRGIL HAD BROUGHT some whiskey in his saddlebags, and we sat on a plank bench outside of the small barn and passed the bottle. Kah-to-nay declined to drink. A few dark red chickens scratched in the barnyard. A sow with a litter wallowed in a pen beside the barn. Two big-footed farm horses stood placidly in a corral, their heads hanging over the top rail. Our own horses were gathered at the watering trough.
    “How long you think before Callico come here?” Pony said.
    “Dunno,” Virgil said. “All I’m sure is that his wife knows you’re here.”
    “Chiquita warned you,” Pony said.
    “Yes.”
    Pony smiled.
    “Chiquita doesn’t want anything to happen to Pony Flores,” he said.
    “True,” Virgil said.
    Pony said something in Apache to Kah-to-nay. Kah-to-nay made a faint shrug.
    “If wife don’t gossip to him,” Pony said. “He maybe not come for weeks.”
    “Maybe,” Virgil said. “Or maybe he’s waiting for us at the jail when we get back to town.”
    “We can arrest you,” Rose said. “Put you in the jail. We wouldn’t lock the cell. That way, we can say you our prisoner and we won’t release you to him.”
    Kah-to-nay shook his head sharply and spoke in Apache. Pony nodded and held his hand up at his brother.
    “How many people Callico bring?” Pony said.
    “Gotta leave some people to watch the town,” Virgil said. “Figure six or eight, plus himself.”
    “He any good?” Pony said.
    “Amos Callico?” Cato said. “Very good.”
    Pony nodded.
    “You are very good?” Pony said.
    “Yes,” Cato said.
    Pony nodded.
    “You and Everett stay, too, Virgil?”
    “Long as we need to,” Virgil said.
    Kah-to-nay spoke again in Apache. Pony nodded.
    “So, we all stay here maybe one, maybe two, three weeks, wait for Callico to come arrest me and Kah-to-nay. Maybe big fight.”
    “Pretty much,” Rose said.
    Pony nodded.
    “Kah-to-nay not go to white jail,” Pony said.
    All of us nodded.
    “Better we go away,” Pony said.
    “Where?” Virgil said.
    “Apache places,” Pony said.
    “That’s where they’ll be looking for you,” I said.
    Pony smiled.
    “Some Apache places white-eyes don’t go,” he said.
    “Might depend a little on the white-eye,” Virgil said.
    Pony grinned wider.
    “Yes, Virgil, you go, maybe Everett go with you,” he said. “But mostly not.”
    Virgil nodded.
    “You gonna stay on the run all your life?” I said.
    “See tomorrow,” Pony said. “Don’t do Chiricahua good, think about long time from now.”
    “No,” Virgil said. “I’d guess it don’t. You need anything.”
    Pony shook his head.
    “You know where me and Everett