“I was pretty sure he did, and I didn’t want anybody to suspect him, so I let ’em think I done it.”
“Billy DuMond robbed you that night,” said Hashknife. “But why did you take Angel’s I.O.U. for seventy-eight hundred, Rance?”
“I never thought about DuMond doin’ it. I—I wanted to help Angel out. He was busted, so I took his I.O.U.”
“That’s what Langley and Angel were tryin’ to find at the Circle Spade,” said Hashknife. “I thought it was.”
“But did you know Rance was here?” asked Sleepy.
“Suspected it, Sleepy.”
“Roper said yuh did,” said Fohl. “He was scared.”
“But Reimer and Kid Glover are in jail, Jess,” said Chuck. “They’ve confessed to robbin’ the train. Glover killed DuMond and Corby.”
“My God!” blurted Fohl. “Old Rance didn’t know anythin’ about it—and Langley burned his feet to make him tell.”
“It hurt like hell,” said old Rance simply. He was staring at Angel, whose white face showed in the lamplight.