Free Texas Killers by J. T. Edson Page B

you’ve a mind to for me to use.”
    â€œCall me—‘Gotz,’” the man offered.
    â€œWhy sure, Mr.—‘Gotz,’” Dusty accepted cheerfully.
    â€œSecond card’s come up. It’s why do you-all want to hire me.
    â€œTo kill the tyrant—!” “Gotz” began, raising his voice slightly.
    â€œDon’t tell the whole damned room,” Dusty growled. “Anyways, that’s what your bunch brought in good old ‘Sharpshooter’ Schindler to do.”
    â€œDon’t play games with me, Mr. Cl—!” “Gotz” commenced.
    â€œKeep your voice down, damn you!” Dusty interrupted in a hiss charged with menace.
    â€œSchindler is dead, as you know!” the man pointed out, but in a much lower key than his previous pair of utterances. “I heard the marshal saying so at the warehouse. Did you kill both him and Beguinage?”
    â€œI would have, but Beguinage got to him first,” Dusty answered. Although he realized that his true identity had not been revealed as he had requested, he did not know what else Marshal Digbry might have said. So he decided against claiming responsibility for Schindler’s death. “You see, Mr. ‘Gotz,’ I’m like Beguinage. I don’t take to long-horns coming in and trying to graze my range, happen you know what I mean.”
    â€œI do,” the man admitted, as impressed as the Comtesse and von Farlenheim had been by the knowledge that the Texan had succeeded in killing Europe’s “premier assassin.”
    â€œThen my question still goes, ’cept I’ll put it another way,” Dusty continued. “Why’re you so all fired eager to pay me as much as I’m going to ask for killing the Crown Prince when all you have to do is sit back and let them hire me to do it? He’d be just as dead and it won’t cost you-all a thin dime.”
    â€œThe difference, Mr. Clint,” “Gotz” said, employing a dramatic near whisper. “Is that we want you to kill the tyrant.”
    â€œAnd they don’t ?” Dusty inquired, adopting a similar tone.
    â€œThey have their own plan, intended to make it appear that we are responsible,” the man explained. “All they wanted from you was that you kept Beguinage occupied. Now he is dead, they have no further need for you.”
    â€œSeemed right eager to keep me on just now, though,” Dusty remarked. “And I’d told them about me burning Beguinage down.”
    â€œThey’d hardly be likely to tell you the truth,” “Gotz” pointed out. “But I can assure you that they were only using you to act as a lure for him and never meant to let you earn the sum you asked for by killing the tyrant.”
    â€œSounds like you’ve got somebody close to them, learning what they’re up to,” Dusty suggested and raised a prohibitive hand. “Don’t bother denying it. That’s your affair and I’d reckon you’d be loco if you hadn’t. So, seeing’s you know how much I was to get, let’s hear you raise the ante.”
    â€œI don’t understand.”
    â€œHow much higher’ll you-all pay?”
    â€œHigher?” “Gotz” repeated. “But I just told you that they didn’t intend to let you earn the sum—”
    â€œYou also told me that you did,” Dusty reminded the man. “Which I’d not take any less for doing it. But, just to show you my heart’s inthe right place, I’ll not ask for any more. Take it or leave it, mister. Because that’s the only deal you’ll get from me. Bring on the four thousand dollars—”
    â€œ Four thousand!” “Gotz” spat out indignantly. “ They were only offering three thousand five hundred!”
    â€œWell I swan, so they were!” Dusty ejaculated, in tones of mock exasperation, having satisfied himself that