Festus leaned against the wall of the stables, humming softly to himself. He could just see where Sam and Charlie waited in the shadows, but his eyes were sharper than most men's in the dark and he knew they would be invisible to the two young men who were coming. At least he hoped they were coming and didn't plan to shoot him from ambush. The hillman was pretty sure they wouldn't take a chance on killing someone in a town where the marshal already had them connected to a robbery and two murders, but he felt a sudden chill as he saw Anderson and Wells approaching. Pushing himself away from the wall he spoke with bravado.

"I wuz gettin' tired of waitin'. Didn't I tell you I warn't fixin' on standin' around too long?"

Anderson and Wells looked around, then Wells asked, "Are you alone?"

"'Course I'm alone! I don't figger on sharin' that money with nobody. Did you brang it, did you?"

Wells asked slowly, "How do we know you won't be wanting more if we pay you off?"

"I give you my word."

Anderson smiled unpleasantly. "Just what is your word worth, mister?"

The hillman's eyes glittered. "I'm a Haggen. Oncet a Haggen gives his word it's just like swearin' on the Book. I'll give you fellers another word. If'n you don't pay me right now I'm goin' straight to the marshal and tell him everythin' I seen." The young men looked at each other and Festus said, "The onliest thing you get from stradlin' the fence is a sore backside, so make up yore minds."

Wells sighed and took out his wallet. "All right, Mr Haggen. If you will give us your word that you won't turn us over to the law, we will pay your extortion money." His voice turned icy. "We're only paying this once. If we ever see you again we'll kill you and take our chances. Do you understand?"

Festus nodded and Wells handed over several bills. The hillman counted them, frowning. "Is this here money from the holdup?"

Wells asked suspiciously, "What do you care where it's from?"

"I've heerd tell of the law makin' lists of numbers on stolen money so's they can catch the fellers what passes it." Festus examined the bills and said shrewdly, "You two wouldn' want me caught with stolen money, now would you? I might just have to do a whole heap of talkin' if'n I wuz to find myself in a fix like that...'specially with that there dead driver and guard throwed in and that young'un you shot out on the prairie."

Anderson drew his gun. "Mister, you talk too much."

"He sure does." Sam was coming forward with his shotgun and the two men blanched as they saw Charlie beside him, gun in hand.

Wells backhanded Festus. "You dirty double-crosser!"

The force of the blow knocked the hillman against the wall. He started to draw his gun, then flinched at the blast from Sam's shotgun. Festus staggered back, stunned, as Anderson and Wells dropped to the ground.

Sam thrust the shotgun at Charlie and took his friend's arm to steady him. "Festus, are you all right?"

"My ears is ringin' some." The hillman shook his head. "Don't think I'd care to be that closet to the bizness end of that there scattergun of yourn again, but I ain't hurt."

Relieved, Sam knelt to check the two men on the ground. They were both dead and he looked up at Charlie. "These your two friends?"

Charlie nodded, looking scared. "Sam, what's going to happen now?"

"Now we get the marshal."