第19部分(第5/7 頁)

e　quiet。　I　judged　that　this　was　one　of　those　times；　and　kept　my　own　mouth　shut。　〃We　all　thought　he　was　doped；　didn't　we？〃

Harry　Terwilliger　nodded。　Even　Percy；　sitting　off　by　himself　in　his　own　sullen　little　party　of　one；　nodded。

Brutal　glanced　at　me；　and　for　a　moment　I　met　his　eyes。　We　were　thinking　pretty　much　that　same　thing；　that　this　was　the　way　it　happened。　You　were　cruising　along；　everything　going　according　to　Hoyle；　you　made　one　mistake；　and　bang；　the　sky　fell　down　on　you。　They　had　thought　he　was　doped；　it　was　a　reasonable　assumption　to　make；　but　no　one　had　asked　if　he　was　doped。　I　thought　I　saw　something　else　in　Brutal's　eyes；　as　well：　Harry　and　Dean　would　learn　from　their　mistake。　Especially　Dean；　who　could　easily　have　gone　home　to　his　family　dead。　Percy　wouldn't。　Percy　maybe　couldn't。　All　Percy　could　do　was　sit　in　the　corner　and　sulk　because　he　was　in　the　shit　again。

There　were　seven　of　them　that　went　up　to　Indianola　to　take　charge　of　Wild　Bill　Wharton：　Harry；　Dean；　Percy；　two　other　guards　in　the　back　（I　have　forgotten　their　names；　although　I'm　sure　I　knew　them　once）；　plus　two　up　front。　They　took　what　we　used　to　call　the　stagecoach　…　a　Ford　panel…truck　which　had　been　steel…reinforced　and　equipped　with　supposedly　bulletproof　glass。　It　looked　like　a　cross　between　a　milk…wagon　and　an　armored　car。

Harry　Terwilliger　was　technically　in　charge　of　the　expedition。　He　handed　his　paperwork　over　to　the　county　sheriff　（not　Homer　Cribus　but　some　other　elected　yokel　like　him；　I　imagine）；　who　in　turn　handed　over　Mr。　William　Wharton；　hellraiser　extraordinaire；　as　Delacroix　might　have　put　it。　A　Cold　Mountain　prison　uniform　had　been　sent　ahead；　but　the　sheriff　and　his　men　hadn't　bothered　to　put　Wharton　in　it；　they　left　that　to　our　boys。　Wharton　was　d