We stopped by the McClure place on the way home. Doc checked Linda and her new baby, then patched up Frank’s wound. With that stop it was dark when we rode back into Durango. The lights were out and except for a few places the town was dark. I knew the saloons were probably open, but they were up a couple of blocks and then down the street.
There was a light in Solly’s place and one in the diner, but I knew both were closed. I stopped there and told Doc to go on home. I knew he was frazzled and when he dismounted and started walking in the snow towards his place, he stumbled and fell, being stiff and half frozen. I told him I’d take his horse on over to Vexler’s along with the others after dropping the bodies off at Parker’s.
I glanced in the diner and saw Molly at the window. She waved, then motioned for me to come down to the diner. I tipped my hat and nodded, then headed up the street to Parker’s shop. Paul had been the undertaker for several years now. The sign in front of his shop read, Mortuary and Cabinet Maker. I had to bang on the door several times before he answered. He told me to take the bodies around to the back where he had a shed attached to the back of his shop.
He had pulled on a coat, and met me. “Got some stiffs for me,” he cackled, then added, “the pun intended.” The bodies were not only stiff from being dead, but frozen from the cold with no blood circulating in their bodies. “I’ll keep them outside and get caskets ready for them tomorrow. Do you know who they are?”
“Either myself or Doc Jones will be up tomorrow to give you some names. Let me know the cost.”
“Don’t know when I’ll get them buried,” he answered. “The ground is too frozen to dig right now.”
I nodded, thinking that I wouldn’t want his job. ‘Course he’d hire out the digging, but it would be quite a job even when it began to thaw. After unloading, I then headed up to Vexloer’s. The big door at the livery was closed, but I knew Moses would be up and most likely propped up by his little stove.
He opened the big door and I led the horses in. “You can have the tack, and I’ll talk with you later about the horses. Take care of Star and Doc’s horse will yuh?”
I saw him look over the horses then scratch his chin. “Marshal, you used to think about raisin’ horses didn’t yuh?” he asked, but before I could answer he continued. “There’s a couple of fine lookin’ mares there that would make a match with that thoroughbred stallion of yours.”
Glancing over at Star, I looked at the two horses Moses was speaking of. “Maybe,” I muttered, “but right now I’ve got to get on down to the diner.”
It took a little time walking through the snow and ice. It had warmed up just enough and for time to pass that some of the snow melted, but now with night and the temperature dropping it had turned to ice. The door of the diner was unlocked so I went on in to find Molly putting some wood on the stove. I also saw that she had the coffeepot on the stove and was warming up a plate of food.
I took off my heavy coat and she came over when she saw me to give me a hug. “Brrr, you’re cold. Come sit by the fire. I kept some of those enchiladas that you like warm for you.”
I took off my heavy coat and she came over when she saw me to give me a hug. “Brrr, you’re cold. Come sit by the fire. I kept some of those enchiladas that you like warm for you.”
First off, she poured me a cup of coffee. It wasn’t fresh, but it was hot. She was right, I was cold to the bone. Then she placed a plate of enchiladas in front of me covered with sauce and onions. On the side was a mess of pintos. “Eat up, Mister,” she said, jokingly. “That’s supper tonight and tomorrow night. We haven’t been busy, but Emelda made up a bunch of enchiladas.”
She poured herself a cup of the strong brew and sat down beside me. While I was feeding my face, she was watching me. “Rough time?” she inquired as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Here, use the napkin.”
I squinted up at her with a pretend frown, but then I just had to smile. I sighed, “Rough time.”
The last bite of beans was on my fork when she got up and headed for the kitchen. “I didn’t forget you,” she said as she left. A few minutes later she came back with a large piece of butterscotch pie on a plate. With the heat from the stove, and my stomach now feeling warm from the food, I was in a much better frame of mind and soul. But when she brought out that piece of pie. Well, now there’s a woman that knows her man!
There was only one lamp burning, off on the counter where you enter the kitchen and it was turned down low. The only other light came from the stove. She put her hand on mine as I ate at the pie, sipping coffee between bites. “Want to talk about it?”
We sat there, pretty much in the dark while I told her of Doc’s ordeal and what happened in the cabin with the Goss gang. She told me that she let Marta off today so she could take tomorrow off. “I know it’s too cold to do much, but I reckoned we could just stay around the house.”
“Sounds good,” I replied. “I will have to go down to Parker’s for a few minutes, but I want to talk to you about something anyway. Moses mentioned that…”