“Joe Rich still has friends,” he said meaningly.
McLaren’s eyes darkened, but he turned and walked away, with the flowery-vested member from Ransome following in his wake, his black coat-tails flapping, looking very much as Honey Bee had said—“a bouquet of flowers wrapped up in crêpe.”
Merrick and Ben Collins rode past the HJ a few hours later and stopped to tell Hashknife that Kelsey wanted him and the other two boys at the inquest on the following day.
“Just a matter of form,” said Merrick. “You boys found the body, and I think you were the last persons to see him alive; so the coroner will require your testimony.”
“Yeah; all right,” agreed Hashknife. “What time?”
“About two o’clock in the afternoon.”
Merrick’s white teeth flashed in a smile beneath his pointed black mustache as he glanced toward the house, where Laura was standing, looking out toward them.
“Rather a pleasant place to stay, Hartley,” he said meaningly.
Hashknife did not reply to this, but his gray eyes suddenly seemed to change color and became very hard. Merrick shifted his gaze and lifted his reins.
“Well, we’ll be amblin’ on,” he said. “See yuh tomorrow.”