Chapter 2 – Billy Flynn

Cristian wired back that afternoon, but it was two days before he returned from El Paso. He had another trial in Claytonville on Wednesday and needed Tuesday to prepare for it, so we met in Maude's office on Monday afternoon.

To say that Maude's own personal attorney (and brand new husband) was perplexed would be saying a lot. Cristian was calm and steady, and very little rattled him. The court order he held in his hands came as close as anything I've ever seen. "I know that we're all aware of most of the facts, but let's go over this just to make sure. Maude, how did you acquire the property that the saloon stands on?"

Maude cleared her throat and took a sip of her ever-present brandy. "I came through here on the way to San Antonio about fifteen years ago. We had a layover and I got to see the town, and everybody was so friendly. The LB Bar was the only saloon in town, and I wandered down there and had a long chat with Ray Ames. And I found out about this man named Billy Flynn who had a piece of land in the middle of the town with a building half-started on it. Billy's bankroll had fallen on hard times, and he was desperate to sell his saloon-in-progress. My money was waiting for me in San Antone, along with my daughter, Doralice. The deal was just too good to pass up, and I wired her what I was gonna do. I never got an answer."

Doralice bowed her head and muttered under her breath, "Stupid. I was stupid." I reached over and took her hand in mine. She smiled, like she always did, and lit up the room.

"Billy Flynn and me struck a deal, and we shook on it. I went on to San Antonio and got the money in order, then wired Billy and told him when I'd be back with it. That's when I found out what Doralice had done." It was a long, painful story that ended with Doralice sentenced to hang in Mexico for what was self-defense. That's how I got involved with the Donovan's, and wasn't relevant to the purchase of the land in Little Bend and the building of Maude's. And Doralice didn't need to hear it again.

"When I came back to town we had Terence Moss draw up the bill of sale. He was the attorney here in town at the time. And I got Maude's built. That's it. That's all there is to it. Nothin' elaborate, nothin' underhanded, nothin' complicated. And certainly nothin' fraudulent."

Cristian nodded. "The original bill of sale is in the safe in my office. I've read it over many times, in the course of one transaction or another. Maude's absolutely correct when she says it's not complicated or fraudulent. Bart, when we're done here I'd like you to come up to my office and look it over."

"Any particular reason, Cristian?" I'd be more than happy to cooperate; I was just curious more than anything.

"Several of them. I'll explain when we get there. Maude, has anyone questioned you about ownership, construction, remodeling, anything to do with the property or the building in the last six months – no, the last year?"

Maude shook her head. "No one except you, darlin'."

"Doralice, you haven't said much. Anything you can think of to add?"

Those blonde curls shook with her head, but there was something in her eyes . . . I didn't know what it was, but something was bothering her.

Cristian got up. "Alright, then I think Bart and I better go on up to my office. I promise not to keep him."

We were halfway to the law office before I asked. "Why did you want me to see the original bill of sale, Cristian?"

"Let's wait until we get inside."

Once we were in Cristian's offices, he pulled the shade down and locked the doors. "If this is a scam, it could be anybody involved. I don't want to take any chances. As for you reading the bill of sale – Mavericks have been in Little Bend a lot longer than I have. You might recognize a name or a description of something that I wouldn't. Here, come on in here, it's more comfortable."

I followed Cristian into his office; I could see Maude's hand in the decoration. The desk and bookcases were solid mahogany; the two overstuffed chairs covered in dark blue velvet fabric. A formidable looking safe in one corner of the room; a true man's office. I took one of the chairs and waited while Cristian unlocked the safe. Once given the document, it took me almost thirty minutes to read it through once, then read it again. There were only two things that were familiar; the first one was the name Billy Flynn.

Billy was a well-known card sharp who tried to put together enough money to build a saloon in Little Bend for years. Pappy and Uncle Ben used to talk about him when we were kids; they'd have liked nothing better than for Billy to get himself run out of town. It looked like that was never gonna happen, and they reluctantly accepted the fact that Little Bend was stuck with him.

Then, almost overnight, things began to change. First, it was rumored that Billy had acquired a piece of property in town; the very land that Maude's stands on. Next, the old warehouse standing in that spot was torn down, and new building began. Things slowed on the new building until one day it all came to a halt, and the rumor circulated that Billy was in financial trouble and needed to sell everything he owned. Sometime later, according to Pappy, Maude moved to Little Bend and building began again – only this time it was owned by Maude Donovan, not Billy Flynn.

The second thing that was familiar was the address listed for the property. Little Bend had just begun giving addresses to businesses and buildings erected on Main Street, and Maude's property on the bill of sale was shown as 549 Main Street. A few years later the buildings were renumbered, and the address was changed to 561, but the original bill of sale was never corrected to reflect the new address.

"Whatever happened to Billy Flynn?" I asked Cristian. "Does anybody know?"

"Killed in a gunfight in Abilene five or six years ago," Cristian told me. I was surprised he knew.

"Do you know who did it?" It might not seem important, but it might turn out to be important.

"No."

"See if you can find out," I advised. "And this change of address – do you have anything from the city council that shows the change?"

"Not in Maude's file. I'll check and see if I have one anyplace else. If not, I'll get one from them."

I spent another fifteen minutes or so going over the bill of sale again. No matter how many times I read it, I couldn't come up with anything else. "Sorry, Cristian, that's all I can find."

"That's more than I caught, Bart. I knew you might find things I couldn't. I'll get going on this right away, and thanks for your help."

I stood up to go but thought of something else. "Just remember, if this is some kind of a con, whoever's pulling it could know somethin' about one of us that the others don't. Or it might have nothin' to do with any of us."

"I hope you're right about that – that it has nothing to do with any of us." There was a tone in Cristian's voice that I hadn't heard before. It wasn't exactly fear . . . maybe just plain worry. And maybe I was imagining things.