Longarm and Kid Bodie (9781101622001)

by Evans, Tabor

  “So you’re saying the stepfather didn’t really care much about the boy?”

  “I don’t think so. And from the way that Bodie is taking this, the feeling was mutual.”

  “So what happens to Bodie and Homer?”

  “They’re staying the night at Dr. Winslow’s office. Tomorrow, I’ve been ordered to deliver the boy to Sheriff Miller’s office. Miller isn’t on my favorites list. He’s tough, ambitious, corrupt, and a bully.”

  “Yes,” Gloria said. “I’ve never heard a good word spoken about the man.”

  “I think Sheriff Miller is looking for something dramatic to help him win reelection. Three men died today, and I’m sure he’s going to call in the press and try to make himself look good and in control.”

  “What do you think will happen to Bodie?”

  “I’m afraid that Sheriff Miller might want to temporarily put him in jail and then find some judge who will force Bodie into a place he doesn’t deserve to be held.”

  “That would be terrible!” Gloria thought a moment. “But wouldn’t his grandmother Ida be his closest known relative and have something to say about that?”

  “I’d hope so,” Longarm replied. “But I don’t know. I don’t get the feeling that Bodie has ever even seen his grandmother or aunt, and he certainly hasn’t established any kind of relationship.”

  Gloria tossed down her drink. “Before you take the boy to see the sheriff, don’t you think we should go find Ida Clark and see if she will help and protect Bodie?”

  “That might be the best thing to do,” Longarm conceded.

  “Well,” Gloria said, “before we do that, you need to get a fresh shirt and coat. We don’t want you to shock Ida and Rose or make a bad first impression.”

  Longarm had to admit that she was right. “You have a shirt and coat you say might fit me?”

  “As a matter of fact I do. It belonged to my late husband, who was as tall as you.” Gloria put her empty glass down and stood up. “Take off your shirt and I’ll go get one from the closet.”

  Longarm finished his drink and poured another. “You sure are all business.”

  “A boy’s entire future is at stake, Custis. My motto is business before pleasure.”

  “Humph!” Longarm snorted. “Not sure if I agree. And after we find and see if the grandma and the aunt are interested in helping Bodie, when do we get around to the pleasure?”

  “In good time,” she said, helping him out of the bloodstained shirt. “All in good time.”

  * * *

  Longarm had cleaned himself up, and he supposed he should have gone back to his own place for a clean shirt and coat, but he was in a hurry to settle this matter. Besides, Gloria’s late husband had had good taste in clothing.

  “This must be their house,” Gloria said, stopping before a large, yellow two-story building with a beautiful rose garden and a white picket fence. The impressive and well-cared-for home was in one of Denver’s most prestigious neighborhoods, lined with tall elms.

  “Grandma Ida must have gotten some money somewhere,” Longarm said.

  “Yes, talk is she was married to a Chicago banker who contracted consumption and came here for the drier climate. He died and Ida sent for Rose, and they’ve been living here together for quite a few years.”

  “All right,” Longarm said, “let’s see what they have to say about Bodie.”

  When they knocked on the door, an attractive woman in her late forties, with red hair and still a hint of freckles appeared at the door. “Can I help you?”

  Longarm removed his hat and introduced himself and Gloria.

  “We have something we need to discuss with you and Mrs. Clark,” Longarm said, believing as he did in coming right to the point. “Is Mrs. Clark home?”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Well, yes and no,” Longarm replied. “But I’d rather wait and explain it to you both.”

  “Oh, dear! This sounds quite serious. Step inside. I’ll go get Ida. She’s resting upstairs, but I’m sure she’ll want to hear what brings you both to our home. Come on in.”

  The interior of the big house was lavishly furnished with expensive oil paintings, a winding marble staircase, and then a library filled with books. “Please make yourselves comfortable. I’ll be right back with Ida.”

  Rose excused herself and returned a few minutes later leading a tall, slender and stately elderly woman by the arm. Ida’s long hair was braided silver, her face practically unlined. Longarm had the feeling that Ida Clark had lived a very good and refined life.

  “And so, Marshal Long,” Ida said, after more introductions and when they were all seated, “why don’t you tell us what brings you and Miss Harmon to our door at this rather late hour of the day.”

  Once again, Longarm explained what had happened and why a boy and his dog were now in trouble, with nowhere to turn for help.

  Ida and Rose exchanged solemn glances several times during Longarm’s account, and when he was finished, Ida said, “So you have found and defended my grandson.”

  “Then you know the boy?” Gloria asked, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice.

  “No, I do not. But his mother is my daughter, and if the boy has her wild streak, then he’s not going to amount to anything and will probably wind up in prison or on a gallows.”

  Even Longarm was taken aback. “Mrs. Clark, Bodie is only . . .”

  “Marshal, I know how old the boy is,” she snapped. “When my daughter was with child, I began sending Ruby money. I sent quite a lot of money to mining and boom towns all over Nevada and California. I sent a large sum of money when Bodie was born and begged my daughter to bring him to Chicago to live with me and my late husband. But Ruby always did have a stubborn and rebellious streak. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve such a wild child who would, over the span of many years, break my heart over and over again.”

  “Was she your only child?” Longarm asked.

  “No, I had a son. Sweet Elmer died when he was eight, of diphtheria.”

  “I’m so very sorry.”

  Rose Atkinson patted Ida’s soft and blue-veined hand. “Marshal Long, as you can see and I’m sure understand, Ida and I have both suffered a great deal from the pain caused by the boy’s mother. And while we hope that Bodie will turn out to be a good person, we very much have our doubts. Blood, you see, always wins out in the end.”

  “That’s not true!” Gloria said, looking shocked and upset. “This boy has nothing. He doesn’t know where his mother is or even if she is alive. Bodie told Custis that he never knew his real father, and I’m sure that he never will. Mrs. Clark, you and Rose are the only family this boy has on earth. Surely you can show some compassion.”

  Ida’s face crumpled and tears began to roll down her shrunken cheeks. Her hands fluttered to her chest. “I have a very bad heart, Mrs. Harmon. The doctor says that I am never to get myself upset or my heart might stop. I contribute to many charities here in Denver as does dear Rose. We are good and caring people. It’s just that I cannot take any more heartache and disappointment from Ruby or her child.”

  “But,” Longarm vigorously protested, “Bodie has never caused you any heartache.”

  Ida stood up suddenly, her face tight with strain. “You just told us that this child named Bodie shot a man to death! Do you not think that in and of itself isn’t a heartache to his grandmother?”

  Longarm conceded the point with a solemn nod of his head. He came to his feet and turned to Gloria. “It appears that we have come here out of the mistaken belief that Bodie’s grandmother and aunt would want to help a boy who has nothing but a badly wounded wolf dog. We had better start thinking of what we need to tell Sheriff Miller tomorrow morning in his office that will help Bodie.”

  Rose spoke up. “What does She
riff Miller have to do with anything?”

  “He’s looking for publicity. He needs some issue to help himself get reelected. I think he’ll probably try his best to put both Bodie and me in a very bad light.”

  “But you are a United States federal marshal,” Rose argued. “Sheriff Miller can’t hurt you for firing on and killing a man in self-defense.”

  “That’s true,” Longarm admitted. “So he’ll have to try to smear the boy. Put him in jail or send him to some reformatory or house for criminally insane children.”

  Rose’s hand flew to her mouth and she looked as if she might faint. Ida paled, let out a small gasp, and collapsed deeper into her sofa chair.

  “Mrs. Clark,” Longarm said, suddenly filled with concern. “Are you going to be all right?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, “but please go away!”

  Longarm straightened and turned away from the two women. “Gloria, we need to go right now.”

  Gloria looked at the two wealthy and very distressed women and nodded. Nothing more was said as she and Longarm walked stiffly down the polished floor and let themselves out. It was dark outside. The perfume of roses filled the air and crickets were chirping madly.

  Gloria linked Custis to her with her arm, and they walked several blocks before either one could think of a word to say. Finally, Longarm stopped under a lamp on a street corner and turned to Gloria. “That went pretty bad, didn’t it?”

  “It was awful,” Gloria replied. “One part of me understands completely why Ida Clark turned such a cold face on her grandson. But another part of me simply cannot understand.”

  “It doesn’t matter if we understand what Ida and Rose feel,” Longarm said quietly. “We stated the case for Bodie and they made their decision. Now the boy’s fate is in my hands.”

  “Our hands,” Gloria corrected.

  “But you haven’t even met Bodie.”

  “Doesn’t matter. He’s a boy, and all he has is that badly wounded dog. If Sheriff Miller plans to use Bodie for his personal and ambitious gains, then I’ll fight him, and I can be a pretty formidable opponent when I know that I’m right.”

  For the first time in a while, Longarm smiled. “Gloria,” he said, “I think you and I are going to make a damned good pair.”

  She looked up, and in the lamplight her face was shining with tears. “You really think so?”

  “I’m sure of it.”

  “I hope so, Custis. Now, why don’t we go back to my rooms, pour some more of that whiskey, and I’ll make us both something delicious to eat while we figure out what we can do tomorrow morning to protect Bodie from the sheriff.”

  “I was hoping we might do something to help us tonight.”

  She laughed. “I think I can guess what you have in mind.”

  “That right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And?”

  “Let’s just have a few drinks, talk, and see where it all leads.”

  “Hopefully to your bedroom.”

  “Maybe so,” she said, managing a smile. “You’re due for something good to happen, I’d say.”

  “I say so too,” he agreed as they crossed the street and walked on.

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later they were climbing into Gloria’s large feather bed and then Longarm was kissing and touching all the right places. He found Gloria’s pleasure spot, and when she began to squirm and moan, he mounted her and they made love with a passion that surprised them both. When it was over, Longarm rolled off the woman and stared up at her bedroom ceiling.

  “How long has it been since you’ve had a man?” he asked quietly.

  “Two years.”

  “Since your husband.”

  “No, I had a lover a year after my husband died. We made love at least once a day for two months.”

  “And then?”

  “And then he decided that he didn’t want Denver and he didn’t want me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. He wasn’t that much of a man. I’m better off without him.”

  “Good.”

  Gloria rolled over onto Longarm. “So what do we do about Bodie tomorrow morning now that his grandmother and aunt have made it more than clear they want nothing to do with the boy . . . much less his wolf dog?”

  “I’m going to sleep on it,” Longarm told her.

  Gloria reached down and grabbed his flaccid manhood and began to stroke it. “Not all night, you aren’t!”

  Longarm grinned broadly. He had suspected that Gloria was going to be something special, and now he was sure of it.

  Chapter 4

  Longarm overslept, and when he awoke, Gloria had already left to open her dress shop. On the kitchen table was a written note that read:

  Dear Custis,

  I just didn’t have the heart to wake you after such a wonderful but long and exciting night together. As soon as possible, let me know how it went with Bodie and Sheriff Miller.

  Love, Gloria.

  “Damn!” Longarm whispered to himself when he consulted his railroad pocket watch and saw that it was nearly ten o’clock.

  He dressed hurriedly and locked Gloria’s door on his way out. His own room was only three blocks away, and he rushed over there to wash up a little, then shave and don his own shirt and coat. He knew that by the time he got to Sheriff Miller’s office with Bodie, it was going to be pushing noon.

  At eleven o’clock he burst into Dr. Winslow’s office to come unexpectedly face-to-face with Ida and Rose. Ida lit into Longarm before he could even ask the old lady why she was here at the doctor’s office.

  “He’s gone!” Ida cried. “My grandson and his dog have disappeared.”

  Longarm glanced at Rose, who nodded her head and fought back tears. He was about to say something when Dr. Winslow and his wife stepped into the room. The doctor looked upset. “That boy took his dog and left sometime in the night. We had yesterday’s receipts in a drawer and that money is also missing.”

  “How much?” Longarm asked.

  “About thirty dollars.”

  “Doc, I’m real sorry about that, and I promise I’ll make it up to you on my next payday,” Longarm said. “I don’t suppose that Bodie left us a clue as to where he has gone.”

  “No,” the doctor said. “And frankly, I really don’t care. I treated his dog for free, we fed the two of them, and this is what I get in return?”

  “Again, I’m sorry about the thirty dollars,” Longarm said, meaning it. “And I will pay back what Bodie stole.”

  “Never you mind about that,” Ida said. “I’ll take care of it. The boy is my grandson and last evening I told you he carried my daughter’s bad blood . . . but even so, I feel terrible about judging him so harshly.”

  “Me too,” Rose added. “Neither Ida nor I slept a wink last night, and we were so filled with remorse over what we said about the boy that we rushed over here to the office at first light. Of course, it was locked and we didn’t know where the doctor or his wife lived and . . .”

  “Never mind about that,” the doctor interrupted, cutting Rose off and turning to face Longarm. “The important thing to focus on right now is that the boy is somewhere out in the streets with a dog that is huge but quite weak from blood loss. We’re really hoping that you can find Bodie.”

  “So you can all tell him what a terrible kid he is and that he’s not only a killer but a thief?” Longarm asked.

  “That’s not fair,” Nurse Winslow said. “We bent over backward to help the boy after the shooting.”

  “You’re right,” Longarm conceded. “It was unfair to say that. But I sure wish that Bodie hadn’t decided to run. Sheriff Miller is probably already furious that I haven’t brought him by to make a statement. And now we don’t even know
where to find the kid and his dog.”

  “We’ll help you find him,” Ida offered. “Rose and I can join the search.”

  “Yes,” Rose said, her spirits lifting. “We need to find and help him. Maybe there’s still hope for Bodie. Maybe he isn’t past redemption. Has the boy received any education? Can he read or write?”

  Longarm didn’t see what that had to do with anything at the moment. “Probably not, Rose.” He passed a hand wearily across his face. “I guess we should just start walking the streets. Bodie thinks a great deal of his dog, and he might have gone into a butcher shop and bought Homer meat with part of the doctor’s thirty dollars.”

  “That’s a good guess,” Ida said. “And we should also visit the cafés and restaurants. You said that my grandson was quite thin. I’ll bet that the first thing he did early this morning was to get himself and that dog food.”

  “All right,” Longarm said, deciding that the time for talking about Bodie was over. “I have to go by the sheriff’s office and admit that we let Bodie out of our sight and he’s disappeared. The sheriff will, of course, be mad as a wet hen, and he’ll most likely assign a few of his deputies to also start looking for the boy and his dog. With any luck at all, one of us will spot Bodie and Homer.”

  “What do we do if he won’t come with us?” Ida asked anxiously.

  “Try to entice him with the promise of more money or food . . . or whatever you think will work,” Longarm advised. “And we’ll all meet up at your house.”

  Ida’s eyes widened. “My house?”

  “Yes. Inside or on that big front porch of yours. If we take Bodie to Sheriff Miller’s office, he’ll probably be placed under the man’s custody, which is the last thing I want or Bodie needs.”

  Ida and Rose nodded in agreement. Nurse Winslow touched Longarm’s sleeve. “I’m sorry that my husband and I can’t join in the search, but we have patients to see. I just wish I’d have slept here last night and prevented the boy and his dog from running away.”