Radigan (1958) Read Online Free Page B

above sea level here, and any place out of town it's higher." He indicated Radigan with a jerk of his head. "Up at Tom's place it's a half mile higher. And cold? Seen it forty below up there, many a time."
    The door opened then and a big man came in. As tall as Radigan's six feet and two inches, he was thirty pounds heavier than Radigan's one hundred and eighty-five.
    His square, powerful head sat on a wide thick neck and powerful shoulders, yet for all his beef he moved easily, and he glanced sharply at Radigan, then again.
    "I know you from somewhere," he said. "Maybe. "
    "You live around here?"
    The cowhands had straightened up at the bar and so had Flynn. "Could be."
    The newcomer hesitated as if to say something further but a shrill yell from down the street and the rattle of hoofs and harness brought the stage up to the door.
    Flynn, Radigan thought, was relieved, but he made no move toward the door until the three cowhands had gone out. The big man stood in frowning concentration, then called after the last man through the door. "Coker," he said, "shake the snow off those robes in the buckboard."
    Radigan glanced out the window. It was snowing, not very seriously, but snowing nonetheless.
    He felt relieved. A good snow now might close the country for all winter. His first glance registered the snow, but the second caught the horse tied behind the stage.
    Hickman stepped in the door. "Sheriff," he said, "we've a dead man out here."
    Downey came from behind the bar. All of them went out but Tom Radigan. He refilled his glass.
    Hickman glanced at him curiously. "Ain't you curious?" "Me?" Radigan glanced at him.
    "I've seen a dead man."
    He tossed off his drink and stared at his glass, wondering why he ever touched the stuff. He didn't really like it and he had discovered long ago that it took a lot to have any effect on him and when he got the effect he didn't like it.
    The door pushed open and men came in carrying a body which they stretched on the pool table. The big man followed them in, his features a study in puzzled anger.
    A man obviously the stage driver entered with Downey and Flynn.
    "About ten mile out," the driver was saying, "we come around a bend and there was this horse, walkin' toward us. We figured it was somethin' for you."
    The deputy sheriff stared sourly at the dead man. Why didn't they let the horse keep going? Clean out of the county? "Anybody know him?" he asked.
    Nobody spoke up. In the silence Hickman glanced quizzically at Radigan.
    Flynn noted the glance.
    "He's some shot up," Downey commented, "and I'd say early last night." At Flynn's questioning glance Downey flushed. "Worked with doctors durin' the war," he said.
    "I know some thing about wounds."
    "He could have come quite a ways," Flynn commented, "since early last night."
    Torn Radigan was sure he knew what Flynn was thinking, that the unknown dead man could have come from the ranch under the mesa. There were not too many places he could have come from except maybe Jemez or Jemez Springs. Deputy Sheriff Flynn, Radigan decided, was no fool.
    "All the wounds are in front," Radigan commented.
    "That's where you'd expect 'em to be," Hickman said. "That's Vin Cable."
    Flynn turned sharply around. "Damn it, Hickman!" he demanded irritably. "What would Vin Cable be doing up here? He's a warrior, a dollar-on-the-barrelhead fighting man."
    Hickman shrugged. "How should I know what he was doin' here? Maybe somebody is startin' a war?"
    "Cable must've killed five or six men," Downey said.
    "That folks can testify to," Hickman added. "No tellin' how many he dry gulched."
    The big man turned sharply on Hickman. "You talk a lot," he said.
    "You don't like it?" Hickman's voice was mild. He was idly whittling with a bowie knife.
    "Stop it," Flynn said, glaring at him. The deputy looked as sore as a hound dog with a had tooth. He smelled trouble, Radigan surmised and, good officer that he was, wanted to avoid it.
    Coker came to the door and called to the