Longarm and the Colorado gundown

_{“Of course not, sir. Not at all. Regardless of the branch we, um, have no vacancies at the moment.”}

_{“Now ain’t that a shame,” Longarm observed mildly.}

_{“Yes, sir. Quite a pity.” The clerk gave Longarm an oily, up-yours sort of look that said he was lying and didn’t particularly give a shit that Longarm knew it.}

_{“Funny how you had a room available till I laid down that voucher.”}

_{“Did I say that, sir? My error if so. Please accept my apologies.”}

_{Longarm opened his mouth to speak.}

_{Then closed it again.}

_{What the hell was he gonna say? Give me a room or else? Not really. This SOB hadn’t done anything to be arrested for, and it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for a deputy U.S. marshal to commence his visit in Snowshoe by beating up on the citizens there.}

_{And if nothing else, this little experience gave Longarm a hint about the kind of reception he could expect in the town. Just about what he’d figured, of course, but he sure would’ve been willing to be proved wrong.}

_{What it came down to, the folks there had been warned that there was a deputy on the way to spring the Utes. No surprise about that. The judge’s ruling back in Nebraska would be announced to the public at the time the writ was issued. By now anybody who cared could know that the Utes of Snowshoe, Colorado, had gone and secured their release.}

_{And given what these people undoubtedly believed about the Indians, there wasn’t any other way they could’ve been expected to react once the knowledge reached them.}

_{After all, members of this same Ute tribe had murdered their agent and fought a pitched battle with soldiers not so very long ago. In truth—not that it was a point Longarm would want to dwell on when he discussed the matter with any local folks—it was more than merely possible that some of the individual Utes who were there today could’ve participated in that fighting too. Even if by some chance there were no actual participants there in Snowshoe at the moment, it was certain that close relatives of those Utes would’ve been involved then.}

_{It only stood to reason then that the white residents of Snowshoe would be reacting out of fear. They would honestly believe that the Utes in the neighborhood might up and go on the warpath anytime at all, with or without warning, with or without justification.}