Charlie left to see Doc Jones. I watched the rough-looking character for a few seconds then thought I ought to make my acquaintance.
“Miles! Are you leaving?” came the voice from the edge of the kitchen. I turned to see Molly standing there with a pie in her hand. “Do you think you could get this to Luciana and the boys without falling and dropping it along the way?”
I met her halfway where she handed me the pie. “Does Mateo get a piece or is it just for the boys and his wife?”
She gave me that look, then answered, “Tell Luciana that he can have a piece if he’s helping around the house,” she paused then inquired, “Why don’t you leave that old shotgun here?”
I glanced at the shotgun, then at the pie. “I think I can manage both.”
Hesitating at the table of the man, I decided not to stop and talk, but headed on outside. It was still snowing, but not nearly as bad. With that I could feel the temperature dropping. Trudging through the snow I had several thoughts going through my mind. Could that man be Upton Shaw? I didn’t get a close enough look to rightly tell. Maybe it was the man who had shot Charlie. Most likely it was neither, but the mind can start to work on a body.
It then shifted to the Blackstones. Jessie was working with Darnelle at the store. And that thought made me think of Wilson Foster. He wasn’t a bad guy, in fact, he was the kind of man a town needed on the city council. Maybe what led to his stroke is what was causing all his animosity. I wondered about Keim and how he was doing.
In all my wondering, I wasn’t paying real good attention to my footing. The next thing I knew I was in the snow; the Greener was in my hand, but what happened to the pie? Looking slightly in front of me I saw an indentation in the snow. Reaching down I picked up the pie. Half of it was still on the plate so I picked up the pieces and began to fit them back on the plate. Fortunately it was cold enough that the pie was partially frozen.
Quickly I looked back toward the diner. Thank goodness Molly wasn’t standing out front, but I did see the rough-looking newcomer exit the diner. He glanced around some then started across the street. Was he going to Doc’s office?
I crossed the street, then set the pie on the window ledge at Solly’s place. I wiped the snow from the shotgun, but I didn’t have time to check the barrel. There was a notion inside of me to go check on Doc so I headed that direction. One thing about the snow, I had to move slowly and it was quiet. As I came to the end of the block, I peered first over toward the diner, then peeked around the corner where Doc’s office was.
The man was standing out front, hunched inside his coat, smoking a cigarette. He looked around several times, then flicked the finished smoke into the snow. Pulling his gun, he entered the office. I had to hurry.
“Sit yourself down,” hollered Doc from the back room. “I’m in the process of cleaning out a wound.”
The man walked on into where Doc was working on Charlie’s arm. “You can stop now, Doc. He won’t be needing it.”
I entered and heard him him cock his pistol. There was only a second’s time in which I could react. “Goodbye, Sheriff Gold.”
His few words before firing gave me time to swing the Greener down on top of his head. When I cracked him on the skull, he dropped immediately but not before he fired his gun. The bullet struck the table where Charlie was sitting lodging in it. Charlie had jumped up, and now there was blood coming from his arm.
Doc had been working on cutting out the infected parts, and when Charlie jumped, the scalpel slid across his arm opening it up. “Sit down and be still!” yelled Doc. Then he looked in my direction. “Now see what you’ve made me do! Get out, and drag that bum with you!”
“Uh, I hit him pretty hard, Doc. You might want to check him.”
Doc wiped his face and down his chin. “Well, just let him lay there until I’m through with Charlie. I’ve had to do some cutting on him.”
Before long Edith had joined us, and from across the street in ran Molly. She looked at the man on the floor, then up at me. “Miles, have you been to Luciana’s? Where’s the pie?”
There was no “are you all right?” “what happened?” none of that, only “where is the pie?”
“Headin’ there now!” I exclaimed then rushed out, not explaining. I’d let Doc do that.
Upon arriving at Solly’s place, I found the pie gone. Was it a bum? I’d check with Solly first since his place of business was now open.
“Well, if it isn’t the Marshal. Come in Miles, join me in a piece of pie that some dear soul left on my window ledge.”