The three men who were still alive not long ago turned into corpses in a blink of an eye, swining under the wooden pedestal by their necks and motionless like dried salted fish. To ensure that they were dead, the law enforcement officers waited for a long time before untying the noose around their necks. The corpses were then collected. The drunk sheriff climbed down from the wooden platform slowly after carrying out his social calling; and so, the crowd dispersed. As they returned home, they chatted about what had just taken place, especially what the one-armed man said at the end. His unsettling last words had put many on edge, and they started to worry significantly about their own safety. Preoccupied, the new oriental man in town wasn’t the cause for concern at the moment.
Zhang Heng looked at the bounty list on the wall, but there were no good targets to choose from. Left with no other options, he could only pull the faces of a few fugitives he wanted to capture from his memory.
After that, Zhang Heng brought Radish on a stroll to the grocery store in town. A person who had been watching him from afar also came to the grocery store. After some time, though, the Asian man didn’t come out. A little anxious, the person wanted to check out the grocery store but was afraid of getting spotted by Zhang Heng. Since his horse was still outside the grocery store, it did not make sense that he would just disappear suddenly. Just when he hesitated, a voice came from behind him.
“Are you following me?” Zhang Heng was also a little surprised when he saw the person who’d been tailing him. Although the person tried hard to pretend to be an adult, he seemed like she was only eleven or twelve years old and had a face full of freckles. No wonder Zhang Heng did not notice her when he turned around earlier.
“Are you the sister of those two cowboys?”
“What cowboys… oh, you are talking about those guys. No, I have nothing to do with them, sir,” the girl said. “Then why are you following me?” Zhang Heng stuffed some soap and daily necessities that he bought from the grocery store into the bags beside the saddle.
“Please allow me to introduce myself, I… my name is Wendy, and my father is a rancher nearby.”
“So?” Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows.
“I see you are looking for a job. This is the case: About two weeks ago, my father went out to talk business with someone. He said that he would be back in ten days at most, but as you can see, the deadline has arrived, but he is not home yet.”
“Maybe something held him back along the way,” Zhang Heng said. Since the freckled girl in front of him had nothing to do with the two cowboys, Zhang Heng had no intention to embarrass her. So, he turned around and prepared to leave with Radish.
When Wendy saw that he was leaving, she quickly ran in front of him.
“No, my father has always been a very punctual person, and the town he went to has a telegraph office as well. If he couldn’t come back because of some emergency, he would’ve definitely sent my mother and me a telegram!” “And then?”
“He didn’t send us anything, and it’s been a long time since we lost contact with him. My mother and I are both worried about his safety.”
“I can understand your worries, but shouldn’t you go to the town’s sheriff for this kind of thing?” Zhang Heng changed directions and brought Radish to walk past Wendy’s side. “I went to Sheriff Terrell. He sent a telegram to the police station in that town, and they told him that my father left six days ago.”
“So, is your problem solved?”
“No, of course not. I think they are lying. This is obvious. If my father left six days ago, he should have arrived home by now, and he will definitely send a telegram to my mother and me before he leaves,” replied Wendy as she followed Zhang Heng.
“But the sheriff did say that he had left that town.”
“I don’t know. I have a bad hunch. I think something bad had happened to him. I told Sheriff Terrell about my hunch, but he didn’t believe me at all, and he asked me to go home and wait patiently. The bailiffs in the town are also busy with other cases. They refuse to take the time to find my father.”
“Where are your father’s friends? Why don’t you ask them for help?”
“Our family has no friends here. My mother is a Spanish immigrant, and my father is half Apache. You are not the first person to be alienated in this town, and you will not be the last,” Wendy went on. “I know how it feels. I saw the things that you did when you first entered the town. I think you are a tough person, just like my father. So, I want to offer you a job, Mister.”
“Help you find your father?”
“Yes, I can pay you sixty dollars after you complete the task.” Wendy looked nervously into Zhang Heng’s eyes. This was basically the same as a standard bounty reward. Besides, Zhang Heng could use his investigation skills in this matter, and he did not need to travel far. Although the investigation might require him to leave Lincoln County for a period of time, it was not a problem since he had extra 24 hours every day. Besides, if he wanted to earn some extra cash, he would eventually have to leave town whether he liked it or not.
But there were some things Zhang Heng wanted to clarify in advance. He stopped, asking, “What will happen if I accept this job offer, and your father returns home by himself?”
“I will still pay you the money.” Zhang Heng nodded, “I’m going to say something that you may not like to hear…what if something horrible happened to your father?”
“It doesn’t matter. I have already considered all kinds of possibilities myself,” Wendy hesitated, “As long as you can prove that he is no longer in this world, I will pay you the money.” “Very well, I’ll take the job,” Zhang Heng said., “Pay me half of the money for the deposit, then write an employment contract. I also need you to tell me more information about your father. I will come back once I discover your father’s whereabouts.”
Wendy was overjoyed when she heard Zhang Heng’s promise, but she added, “No need for all that trouble. I will go with you, and I will tell you more about my father on the road. I want to know the results as soon as possible.”
“Hold up. Did you just say that you want to find your father with me?” Zhang Heng frowned.
“Yes, don’t despise me just because of my age. I can provide you with a lot of help,” Wendy insisted. “In addition to providing information about my father, there are many things I can do. I tamed my first pony when I was only seven…”
“But you know that we might come across great danger when we leave town.”
Zhang Heng did not want someone dragging his feet.
“Of course! It is the reason why I hired you. Otherwise, I would have gone by myself.” Wendy’s eyes widened, puzzled.
“So… you just want to hire a bodyguard?”
“Yes, if you want to call yourself that.”
“Goodbye.”
Zhang Heng walked towards the hotel with Radish.
Wendy hurriedly shouted when she saw Zhang Heng left, “How about the 70 dollars, or 75? This is as much as I can pay you. If you want more, I’ll just go to other people. Although the people in town don’t like us, they will not refuse the job if I pay them money. As long as I pay a good price, someone will definitely be willing to be my bodyguard.”
“Please, I have no interest in being directed by a kid.” Zhang Heng shrugged her off with a wave and kept walking, “I hope you find your father as soon as possible, Wendy.”
as soon.
