“Well, she got her divorce right away, and they was married inside of six months.”
“She must have known him before Len was sent up.”
“Oh, shore. They’d been friends a long time.”
“Len and Prentice?”
“Prentice and the woman. Oh, I suppose him and Len was good enough friends.”
“You wasn’t sheriff at that time, was yuh?”
“Nope. Harry Cole was the sheriff. Afterward he bought out the Oasis Saloon. He’s made good money over there.”
“What’ll become of the kid now?”
“Larry? I dunno, Hartley; never thought about him. Say, that is somethin’ to think about. Mebbe Len wants him. I’ll have to find out about that right away, because I don’t suppose Prentice left anythin’. Anyway, it probably can’t be touched until the estate is settled up. I’ll talk with Grant, at the bank, and see what he knows about Prentice’s finances.”
The next day they buried Charley Prentice in the little cemetery on the slope behind the town. The countryside came to pay homage to a man they had known as a good citizen. His sudden fall from grace meant nothing against a good record. Hashknife and Sleepy did not intend to go to the funeral, although the sheriff asked them to go with him.