“Where were you?” whispered Blaze.
“I was behind the man who was behind the gun.”
“It was you, Collins? You hit him?”
“He had to be hit.”
Blaze took a deep breath and settled back in his chair, but his eyes still searched Cultus’s face.
“Collins,” he said slowly, “I don’t understand why or how you happened to be there, but God knows I’m grateful. You saved my life. In another second or two, that shotgun would have made mincemeat out of me. For once in his life, Kendall Marsh wasn’t bluffin’.”
“That shotgun didn’t sound like a bluff. Gosh, I shore was scared that it had killed somebody, but the light was out and I had a hunch that the loads had gone into the ceiling.”
Blaze gave his order to the waiter, who shuffled away.
“How did you happen to be there, Collins?” he asked.
“I saw you go through town, and I saw a lady follow yuh; so I followed her.”