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Episode Seventeen
concluded with:
As Hunter shot out
of the office and closed the door behind him, he saw Thorton Weaver quickly
turn his head and begin to shuffle papers on his desk. The two tellers on duty
took similar actions. They hadn’t heard what was being said in the office, but
they heard the boss yelling. They knew Rush Hunter had been cut down good.
Hunter could hear laughter as he exited the bank. He thought about turning
around and glaring at the three men but realized it would do no good. The men
didn’t fear him. Rush Hunter was the sheriff, but George Conklin was the real
law in Hard Stone.
Episode Eighteen
***
Rance
Dehner peered over his cards at Stacey Hooper, who glanced back apprehensively.
Both men sensed that something was amiss but neither one knew exactly what.
A casual
observer would see nothing out of the ordinary. Five men were playing poker at
a round table in the Lucky Miner Saloon. However, Rance and his friend both
noticed that George Conklin was acting strangely. The banker appeared
distracted and disinterested in the game.
Rush Hunter
stepped into the saloon, accompanied by Slade Pierson. Dehner smiled and nodded
his head at the sheriff, then suddenly saw the tin on Pierson’s vest. Rush
Hunter and the gunslick whose head Rance had clobbered took up a position behind
the detective, directly facing Stacey Hooper and George Conklin. Conklin sat
beside the gambler.
“You’re
cheating!” The banker yelled at Stacey Hooper.
“What?”
Hooper was genuinely surprised by the accusation.
Conklin had
moved his chair back, his body poised to drop under the table. He glared at the
sheriff, and shouted again, “You’re cheating!”
Rush Hunter
stood erect as if paralyzed. His body trembled, but otherwise he seemed unable
to move. Conklin shifted his gaze to the deputy. Rance turned in his chair and
saw Pierson drawing his weapon. Dehner tackled the gunman and slammed his head
against one of the wooden boards, the moment they hit the floor.
George
Conklin stood up and yelled at the sheriff. “What kind of lawdog are you? Act
now!”
Hunter
cursed loudly, then drew his gun and sent a red flame into Conklin’s shoulder.
The banker spun and fell. The crowd in the saloon began to scatter.
“I’ll kill
you!” The sheriff kicked over an empty chair, shoved the table aside, and made
determined strides toward Conklin.
Stacey
Hooper sprang from his chair and yanked out his gun but was unsure of who, if
anyone, to shoot. Rance buoyed to his feet, jumped on the table and, using it
as a springboard, jumped on the sheriff. The two men went down, Hunter’s curses
now becoming more desperate. Dehner wrestled the Colt away from the sheriff,
then stood up and saw his friend, pistol in hand, standing with the customary amused expression on his face.
“Like I
said earlier, good friend,” Stacey was chuckling, “life never seems to be dull
when you are around.”
Tomorrow: Chapter
Nineteen, the conclusion of Last Job