Page 5 (1/2)

Surrounding the bar, surrounding the last of the booze, surrounded by Jack Crow’s obvious glee, they played his little guessing game

Carl evinced irritation Annabelle tried to look bored Cat was amused Adam was just as bewildered as he had been since Rooddaht Cat to himself

And when he spotted the misty affection in his co the sa his boot on the railing behind the bar with a thump that echoed in the now-eether"

He stared at their blank faces He soht, class We shall begin again," he said and they did

And this tian to see

" and the bullet hole froun - in his forehead, re the blood froht?"

No one spoke

"Right?" repeated Jack

"Right," Cat responded slowly "Well?"

"Well, what, goddaash hadn’t healed"

"From the cross" continued Adam

"From the holy silver cross," Jack corrected

"But the bullet wound was already closing!" Carl ju it all now He stood up from his stool and slapped the flat of his hand loudly on the top of the bar

Jack was grinning usted "I see it, all right I just don’t believe it"

And then Cat saw it He moaned "I don’t believe it either," he said But now he, too, was starting to grin

Annabelle looked lost "If so pretty soon"

Cat leaned close to her against the bar "A cloud of dust and a hearty Hi-yo fucking Silver!"

And everybody, save Annabelle, laughed She looked downright angry "Would so on?"

"Silver bullets," said Father Adam Then he paused and, with a nod toward Jack, amended, "Holy silver bullets, blessed by the Church"

"But I thought silver bullets were for olves," Annabelle asked

"They are," replied Adaht Jack He held up a hand to cut off the questions all had turned to ask the young priest "No!" he barked firmly "No! I don’t even want to know, Adalass

"You hear me?" Jack insisted

"I hear you"

Jack turned to Carl "Can you pour the bullets?"

Carl grinned sly He sat back down "Sure, I can pour them But can anybody here shoot except , Joplin You’re the base man How many times do I have to - "

"This is different," Carl insisted "I’m a marksman Somebody else could"

Jack leaned his elbows on the bar and stared hientle but absolutely final "It’s not going to happen, my friend"

Carl hated this "Well, dammit!" he retorted "Can you shoot?"

"Qualified whenever Uncle Sam asked"

Carl snorted "Qualified! Shit! Any fool don’t shoot hiood news, everyone," popped Cat brightly "I can probably qualify"

Jack sighed, looked at him "That bad?"

Cat smiled back "Pretty bad I can hit the broadside of a barn, but"

"But what?"

"It would help some if I was inside the barn at the tireat"

"Jack," Carl began "I"

"Shut up, Carl You’ll do no shooting"

Carl laughed "Like hell I won’t, big boy I’ll have to just to teach you bums" He turned to Ada"

Adam smiled thinly "They didn’t teach that in seo"

"Quiet, Cherry Cat," snapped Jack "Carl’s right We need the training Tell ood as you"

Carl took a sip frolass "Forever" He held up his hand before Jack could say anything "I’m serious Jack, this is a very different, very special tool You’ve gotta have a knack for it A certain touch I was just thinking that it’s sh that you could both carry it as a backup That dah to load in a hurry, and Cat needs so besides those stakes and wooden knives he carries Always has"

He sat back, drained his glass "But neither one of you is good enough to depend on your shooting If you were that good, you’d already know it I can teach you to be better than you are But if you’re serious about this you’re gonna need sounman"

Annabelle spoke up "You’ve already said you need at least two more men"

Jack looked at her "At least two"

"Then one of ’em had better be a shooter," added Carl

"Or both," said Adareed

Carl rattled the ice cubes in his e is," Carl mused, almost to himself, "that the kind of man we need, the kind that fits in around here, well, he’s not likely to be good at this sort of thing"

Annabelle frowned "It’s nothing to be ashaood at it"

Carl nodded, took a sip frounmen I’ve known and for our work it’s e need real gunmen That’s just a different kind of a dude"

Jack stood up suddenly "Well, I’ll be daht at Carl "Carlos! Everything you say tonight reunnored the question "Adam, call the Man and have soive hiet us silver," protested Carl "Can’t the kid here bless it?"

"Kid" Adam frowned "It should at least be a bishop"

"Okay," said Jack "Call the Man Have hiun? Anybody could with that! Or an M-16 or"

Adale bullet It must be a small one And it must have been part of a cross at one time"

"How do you know this?" Carl wanted to know

Jack did not "Never mind How small a bullet?"

"Any pistol will do"

Jack looked at him At his confident face The kid knew his facts, it seeh for a thousand rounds"

Adaets here Carl, you sure you can melt the crosses? Pour the silver?"

Carl snorted "Fuck off"

Cat, grinning, leaned close to Adam "Allow me to interpret ’Fuck off,’ in this case means: ’Why, of course, Mr Crow! I’m surprised you asked!’"

Adam smiled readily, but distantly Cat noticed it "You still with us?" he asked s

Adam shook his head, e" He looked at Jack "For over four hundred years longer, really But for four hundred well-recorded years ht of using silver bullets before" He paused "His Holiness was right You do have good instincts" And then he blushed and sipped

And when Cat saw that Jack was alhed out loud But he didn’t, thank God

"Yeah well" mumbled Jack and then, abruptly, shook all that away and raised his glass in a toast Everyone else did the saan

"There’s damn few of us left," finished Cat and Carl and Annabelle and for a single instant, as Adam watched, a look of infinite sadness and and what? So else, passed between’ them What is that look they share? wondered Adarinding tiredness Because this job would never, ever, ever be over

"So!" began Jack, suddenly aloddareat empty house "How lass "Seven," she replied "And quite lovely"

"There’s even roo wickedly