“Ye hit it, Ross,” laughed McLaren.
“Well,” said Kelsey savagely, “in this country you’ve just about got to buy a man like Joe Rich.”
“Ye mean to make it worth while for somebody to forget friendship, Kelsey?”
“That’s just what I mean, McLaren!”
“Oh, well, have it yer own way, lad. Friendship is a great thing, and it’s har-rd to overcome with silver. As much of a law-abidin’ citizen as I am, I’d vote to hang the man that would even betray Joe Rich for money.”
“You wouldn’t stretch friendship to cover a man who was wanted for murder, would yuh, Mac?” asked Kelsey.
“Friendship,” said McLaren heavily, “is ver-ry elastic. If it wasn’t there’s few of us that would have any.”
“By ⸺, that’s true!” snorted Layton. “I guess we’ll just leave that reward as it is, Mac.”
“All right, yo’re the doctors,” said Kelsey. “I merely wanted to speed things up a little.”
Merrick smiled thinly.