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Croggon Hainey slipped his unarmed hand down to the knob, and with tift motions side by side, he flipped the lock and whipped the door open--then pointed the Colt at approxiht, in order to properly repri there

"What do you want?" he alun-hand steady as a book on a table He dropped the weapon to the actual head-height of the prowler, as somewhat shorter than expected

The prowler quivered and cringed He threw his arms up above his head and curled his body in upon itself as he tried to melt into the striped wallpaper behind hih to be heard in Jefferson City "Sir, I didn’t…sir…Barebones sent me, sir!"

This revelation in no way assured the captain that it was safe or appropriate to lower his weapon, so he didn’t He eyed the intruder and saw precious little to worry him, but that didn’t set him at ease, either

The speaker was a skinnythe food-stained apron of a kitchen hand tied around his waist, and a faded blue shirt tucked into brown pants When he put his arh to see over his own elbow, the boy asked, "Sir? Are you the captain? You must be the captain, ain’t you?"

"I’m a captain, and I know Barebones, sofor" He backed into his roo his eyes or his gun off the kid in the doorway, he used one hand to light a lae for you, sir"

"Is that why you were trying to let yourself inside my room?"

"Only because I didn’t knohich one was yours, sir The lady downstairs said you’d taken two Sir, I have a e for you Here" He held out a folded piece of paper

"Set it down"

The boy bent his knees until he was down at a crouch He dropped the note

"Now get out of here before I fill you full of holes, you idiot kid!" Hainey aler was down the hall, down the stairs, and probably out into the street by the tiain, locking hireater care than he’d taken before he’d gone to bed

The weight of his weariness settled down on his shoulders as soon as the door was closed and he felt soht made his eyes water and the note was brittle in his hand as he opened it The e was composed in the flowery hand of a man who clearly enjoyed the look of his own pen to Jefferson City in another few hours--a Pinkerton operative sent froh places with very deep pockets Borrow a new ship and get out of town by the afternoon if you knohat’s good for you If Pinkerton’s paid to be involv-ed, so, but watch your back, too You’re being tracked

Hainey cru with enough rage to e of the bed He held the note over the lantern’s flaers, then he set the lantern aside and dropped himself back onto the bed The lantern stayed lit, because if he’d blown it out, he ht’ve fallen back asleep

He needed to think

Jefferson City wasn’t h Barebones was right--he probably had until the following afternoon before he ought to get too worried But Pinkerton? The detective agency? The captain had heard stories, and he didn’t like any of them The Pinks were strike-breakers, riot-saboteurs, and well organized thugs of the expensive sort Like Barebones’ note had suggested, they had pockets deep enough to pay for loyalty or infor it Down south of the Mason-Dixon, they weren’t so well known But in the north and west, the Pinks were their own secret society

To the best of Hainey’s knowledge, no one had ever called the Pinks on hiitimate business enterprises, his occasional bank robbery, or his interer than they already were

Why would anyone steal the Free Crow in the first place?

Anyone with the resources to invoke the Pinks ought to be able to afford their own damn war bird

He fu over and stifling the la the austere rooain, and before long the light of rouchy