8. Rumors
Carefully Rango went a few steps forward.
"Jake?" he asked. "Is that you?"
The shadow came closer. "Who else?"
The voice of the famous western killer sounded exhausted.
"Excuse me my appearance, but I had a very bad night walk."
"Why so?"
"I guess you have a problem, haven't you?" The rattlesnake lifted his hat covered eyes. "With a mysterious killer."
Rango's grew big. "What is it? Who is it? Do you know who it is?"
But the snake didn't answer first. Instead, he leaned his upper body against a house roof and took the chance to breathe in and out several times.
"I already had the bad pleasure to meet him."
"When?"
"A half hour ago."
"Did he…"
"Attack me? Kill me?" The old gunslinger smiled. "First fits, but the second one, no. I'm still here. He had thought he could mystify me, but I had some luck. He threw something at me, but it kept sticking in my belt."
The gigantic snake rolled her big coils around and stopped with his belt in front of Rango, where the chameleon could see a needle arrow stuck in the leather.
Carefully, he took it, while the snake was still panting for air. "It wasn't easy to escape his hunt."
Rango rubbed the needle between his fingers. "What kind of animal could that be?"
"If you want to hear my opinion, sheriff," Jake interrupted. "I heard about such kind of cases in Texas many months ago. Bloodless bodies, and always outlaws. But no hints of his identity."
Rango looked at him thoughtfully. "Any hope that he will disappear again?"
Jake's raised eyebrows gave him no hope. "Until he has enough," the armed rattlesnake said leisurely. "But if not… he will continue killing."
For a moment there was silence. But then, Rango threw the needle on the floor.
"Alright! That's enough. That guy wants a victim? Well, he can get it. It's still my town."