Longarm and the Shoshoni silver

And so, in sum, Longarm was more than anxious to get back into action by the time Senator Rumford and Chief Pocatello had agreed to disagree, for the rest of that year at least. Rumford got the Fort Hall agency to hide and hang on to all that silver for him so it wouldn't have to be packed all the way back again when, not if, the government agreed to Pocatello's terms. When plump Congressman Granger opined a couple of cold snaps would doubtless bring even a stubborn old savage to his senses, the older and far more talked-out Senator Rumford agreed with Longarm that Pocatello and that wise old medicine woman would be as likely to up the ante once they'd shown they could make it through another winter the same as ever.

So Dame Flora and her help tagged along, and even helped, when the dudes Longarm had to ride herd on headed back to civilization.

The going was faster now, because they didn't have to cope with overloaded mules. They still had to camp one night on the trail, to the delight of Dame Flora and likely Jeannie. Old Angus was a sort of husky cuss when you watched him splitting firewood in his shirtsleeves.

They all made it into Zion without anything more exciting than that taking place. By general agreement, everyone checked into the Overland overnight stop again. The stock was due for a good rest before pushing on down the delta in any case.

Longarm had meant to wait till after noon dinner to scout up the local authorities, figuring they'd be eating too. But Bishop Reynolds and that county coroner, Lukas, came over to pester him when they heard he was back in town. So Longarm joined them out in that big front room, saying, "I meant to come over to your courthouse later in the day."

Lukas said, "You' 11 be pleased to know we buried that poor gal you sent us over on the temple grounds. When those show

folk told us you suspected she might be one of them missing Mormon brides, the bishop here said it seemed wrong to plant even a would-be Saint in Potter's Field."

Longarm nodded at the church elder and lawman and said, 'That was neighborly of you, sir, and she really did come all this way to marry up with some Saint, or some son of a bitch who told her he was, before he helped himself to her dowry and murdered her the way he must have murdered others. The one we found was a Miss Una Munro. I got her home address and all written down somewhere. She didn't have anyone more likely to bury her decently than you Christian folks already have."

Lukas said, "Well, I never. I thought for certain she'd been killed by Indians. Them show folk told us you all found the body on Wagonwheel Hill, near the ashes of an Indian signal fire."

Longarm shrugged and said, "So someone wanted us to think. Only I think that that smoke talk was meaningless, and was designed to lead me to Miss Munro's body, just like it did. You don't have to be Indian to toss wet grass on a cow-chip fire, you know."

Lukas laughed uncertainly and said, "No argument about that. But why in thunder would anyone want you, a paid-up federal lawman, to find the body of a murdered woman on federal open range?"

'They hoped to keep me from suspecting where they'd planted her and all those others to begin with," Longarm answered laconically as he groped absently in his vest pockets while explaining. "Dame Flora MacSorley and her Scotch detective agency traced almost all those missing Scotch gals as far as the Mormon Delta, after which I suspect they were disappointed in love, considerably, by a suitor more interested in their dowry dinero than their fair white bodies."

As the two local men exchanged thunderstruck glances Longarm got out a cheroot, saying, "I'll ask you to forgive my manners this one time. Bishop. I get an awful green taste

in my mouth every time I have to consider how sick at heart as well as terrified those poor slickered spinsters must have felt, at the end of such a long trail, when they discovered the man of their dreams was a nightmare out to murder and rob 'em."

"Those are monstrous charges as well!" Bishop Reynolds declared severely as Longarm fumbled for a waterproof match with his other hand.

Longarm seemed to be having trouble thumbnailing a light as he quietly observed, "I know. That's why I was meaning to mosey over to your courthouse this afternoon. Got to get me some snoop warrants. Got to find more evidence before I charge anybody with playing Bluebeard with all those Scotch bluebelles."

"Justice Atwell is a Saint who answers to me!" snapped Reynolds with a stem look at Longarm's unlit cheroot. He added in an even more imperious tone, "Just tell us where you'd like to search here in Zion County and I'll say yes or no."

Longarm finally got his match going as he replied with a thin smile, ''Bueno. I'd start with your temple tithing ledgers, seeing you've offered to help."