Wilkins, however, did not seem worried. “I never thought Jim would go into the hold-up business,” he commented, “especially for a measly one thousand eight hundred dollars. Maybe you don’t know it, but Jim was gettin’ tolerable plethoric. He was mighty saving and propinquous, Jim was; and he had some property out West—maybe ten thousand dollars’ worth. I’m his heir, and as I ain’t been in no ways intimidated with him, of course I ain’t inconsolable about his decease, nor I ain’t pretendin’ to be. But this hold-up story don’t explain none about that letter from Bill that he sent me.”
Caruth’s heart stopped for an instant; then raced madly. “What letter?” he questioned, as calmly as he could.
“This one.” Wilkins drew a paper from his pocket. “Jim enclosed it with a note of his own. He says: ‘Come at once. Millions in sight, but mighty dangerous. Bill’s letter explains.’ Bill’s letter is monumentous—mighty monumentous; but it ain’t to say illuminatin’. Maybe Jim forgot to send the key. I ’spose you don’t know anything about it?”
Caruth thought for a moment. To cover his pause, he poured out a drink and shoved the bottle across to Wilkins, who promptly followed his example.
“Perhaps I do,” he said at last. “About an hour before your brother’s flight, a special delivery letter arrived here from some place in Europe. It was addressed to me, but when I opened it, I found it enclosed another, stained and rumpled, which was addressed in my care. The name of the person for whom it was intended had been washed out. Your brother saw it and claimed it was for him. He asked me to open it and see if it was not addressed to ‘Jim’ and signed ‘Bill.’ I found that it was, and gave it to him. Perhaps that is the letter he sent you.”
“I reckon it is. And you don’t know nothing more about it? I don’t ’spose Jim showed it to you. But he might have intimidated something about it. You don’t know nothin’ at all?” Plainly the Westerner was disappointed.
“Nothing.”
“Well, I’ll tell you unequivalent, Mr. Caruth! I don’t believe Jim robbed you none. Jim warn’t a damn fool; none whatever! An’ nobody but a damn fool would rustle that money the way you think he did. I’m apostrophizing that the same parties stole it that did for Jim. An’ I’ve got an idea they croaked him to get this here crypto cable. I’m gamblin’ that it’s worth a good deal more’n any eighteen hundred dollars, if a man could only elusivate it. Sure you don’t know nothin’ more about it?”
“No!” Caruth’s lips were dry and his tones were not convincing.
The big plainsman studied him for a moment. “Well,” he said, “I’ve told you how I feel. Jim’s dead, and I don’t say I’d go out of my way to envenom him. But I do say that I want some light on this missive, and I’m going to have it. And if anybody gets hurt in consequence of my sloshing around, it won’t be my fault. You said you didn’t know no more about it, didn’t you?”