Death rides the night, p.16
Death Rides the Night,
p.16
“But why’d he kill Jake Munort?” Sam insisted. “That didn’t do him no good. Not after Jake had already willed his ranch to Ezra.”
“Whassat?” Ezra muttered.
“That’s right,” Pat told him. “You own Jake’s six sections now on top of the Spangler ranch. Why, I reckon Harlow didn’t know about that will Jake had made,” he told Sam. “Nobody knew about it till after Jake was dead. He knew Jake didn’t have any kin, an’ he thought Jake’s ranch would go on the open market after he was dead. That’s why he killed Jake. Same reason he had for killin’ the others. Ethan Page had refused to borrow from him an’ he had a mortgage that wasn’t signed. He forged Ethan’s signature soon as he was dead. And Mrs. Kincaid wouldn’t borrow neither, but George was honin’ to, an’ he knew he’d get the Kincaid place with George’s mother out of the way.”
The lights of the way station shone out cheerily through the night just ahead. Sam whooped the team into a final burst of speed, and leaped from the seat as they stopped in front of the door. He hit the ground running and flung the door open to burst inside.
Pat and Ezra got out of the buckboard more slowly. Pat’s shoulder was stiff and his head was beginning to ache again; and Ezra was stiff and lame all over from the knockings-around he had taken that day. They leaned on each other and limped toward the door and were met by a beaming Sam Sloan with a tiny blanket-wrapped figure cuddled in his arms.
“Looky here,” he exclaimed proudly. “Jes’ look at the little tyke, fellers. Purty as a pitcher, by golly. Sammy Ezra Sloan! How d’yuh like that, Ezra? You can be God-pappy.”
Pat saw Sally’s anxious face behind Sam, and he pushed past the exuberant father to throw one arm about her shoulders and draw her close.
Sally shuddered and pressed close to him without a word. She didn’t ask any questions. They were all together again and she knew the horrible nightmare of fear and false accusations was ended. Pat still had one good arm to hold her with, and Sally didn’t ask for more than that.
About the Author
Brett Halliday (1904–1977) was the primary pseudonym of American author Davis Dresser. Halliday is best known for creating the Mike Shayne Mysteries. The novels, which follow the exploits of fictional PI Mike Shayne, have inspired several feature films, a radio series, and a television series.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1944 by Jefferson House, Inc.
Cover design by Andy Ross
ISBN: 978-1-5040-2494-5
This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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Brett Halliday, Death Rides the Night
