Free Wolf Creek by Ford Fargo

will be easy enough to find out. I believe
the victim is staying right here at the hotel. Would you mind if I
borrow the boots long enough to check it out?”
    “Not at all deputy, they are only worth six
dollars to me, that’s what I allowed for the bet. If that fella
wants them for that amount, it’s okay by me. They are one size too
small for me.”
    “I understand that you came to town for the
tournament,” Quint stated.
    Luke nodded, “That’s right, and I have to
get over to The Lucky Break and get my tournament fee paid.”
    Quint took the boots in hand, then said,
“I’ll see that you either get the boots back or the six
dollars.”
    Quint returned to the lobby with the boots
in hand and found out that the trail boss, Nelson Berg, of the
Slash B had rented a bank of rooms for his men, so the only name on
the register belonged to Berg. Quint found the man in the hotel’s
lobby reading a newspaper. The man eyed Quint as he walked toward
his chair. Berg shifting his gaze to look at the boots Quint was
carrying.
    After a few minutes of explanation by Quint,
Berg shook his head. “I heard about TJ’s boots being taken. These
boys pay no mind to what can happen in a strange place at night
when booze is involved. TJ is most likely in his room upstairs;
I’ll go with you and see if those are his.”
    TJ gleefully identified the boots as his,
then stamped a foot into each one, “Yep, this is them all
right.”
    Quint explained that if he wanted the boots
he would have to pay six dollars to the man that had won them.
    Afterwards, Quint stepped to Room 14, but
Luke was not there. He would see that Luke got the six dollars
later.
    Quint was particularly busy that night
handling drunks—lots of knee crawling drunks who got that way
quickly on cheap whiskey. One even fell off his horse; other drunks
fought with one another or fell to the street to vomit. Those Quint
arrested would sleep it off in jail then pay a fine before
released. He was tired from last night’s activities and did not
look forward to a repeat again tonight, but knew it was coming.
    Quint had forgotten about Luke Short’s six
dollars still in his pocket until the following morning when he
changed shirts. He transferred the bills to the clean shirt. Quint
spent more time checking out the horse theft. So far, the missing
horse had not been located and he had learned nothing that would
help solve the mystery. He spent the night holding in check all the
revelry the cowboys in town created so as not to disturb the
tournament crowd.
    It was the following morning when Quint
again located the six dollars in his pocket.
    He decided to take the time to look up Luke
Short and give him his money. He walked toward the hotel where he
spotted Luke Short just coming out the door.
    Quint walked to Luke’s side and held out the
six dollars to him. “Here’s the money for those boots.”
    Luke’s eyes widen and he smiled broadly.
“Hey, thanks, I forgot all about that deal. I take it that those
were the boots in question?”
    Quint nodded. “Yep, the owner was really
happy to get them back.”
    Luke held the six dollars up. “Now I can
afford some breakfast.”
    Quint smiled. “I take it that the cards did
not go your way last night?”
    Luke shook his head. “I got into the
tournament, even made it through the first round. I beat out the
others at the table and qualified to move on to the next round.
Late last night, after three players lost out, there was a sizeable
pot with just me and a fella named Sam Jones left to finish the
game. I figured that I had the winning cards, so I went for broke
and threw everything I had onto the table. Well, as luck goes, my
hand came in second place. I lost all my chips so I’m out of the
tournament.”
    He shrugged a shoulder. “Sometimes I win,
sometimes I lose. It would be interesting to see who ends up
winning the tournament. Now, thanks to this boot money, I can stick
around until it’s over. Maybe I’ll get the