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in what he said about a
confused or overstimulated brain
. He said much the same thing about me turning into a wolf.”
    Sam gave him a dubious look.
    â€œDid he, then?” he said.
    Stone’s face reddened. He sucked on the cough drop and fished the bag of tobacco from his shirt pocket with shaky fingertips.
    â€œAll right, I know what you’re thinking,” he said.
    â€œSo now you’re
mind reading
too?” Sam said.
    â€œDang it, no,” Stone said, getting agitated. “I don’t mean it like that. I mean, I know it sounds like everything he said makes me look june bug crazy. But I saw more out there today that I didn’t mention—something that’s got nothing to do with me having a
confused mind
.”
    â€œOh?” said Sam.
    â€œThat’s right,” said Stone. He lowered his tone of voice, giving a cautious look at Boomer Phipps, who lay snoring on his bunk with his forearm over his face. “While I was running out to Mama Belleza, I pictured her falling dead on the ground. When I got to her the shotgun was gone. There was a smoking revolver lying beside her.”
    Stone watched the Ranger for a reaction.
    â€œThat is strange,” Sam said, seeing how the sheriff was getting more and more edgy talking about it.
    â€œYes, it is,” said Stone. “So how would Doc Tierney explain that?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Sam said. “You’ll have to ask him. He sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. Maybe it’s just going to take more time away from the drinking—get your nerves back in shape. Gunplay can take a lot out of a man.”
    Stone didn’t seem to hear his reply. He appeared lost in deep puzzled thought.
    â€œDid I change the outcome someway, keep her from getting killed, running out and shouting at her like I did?” he said. He rubbed his forehead. “The more I think about all this, the stranger it all gets. I used to think
getting
sober was hard. Now I think the hardest part is
staying
that way.”
    â€œPut it all out your mind for a while, Sheriff,” Sam said. “Having these gunmen working for Edsel Centrila around is enough to keep you busy for now.”
    â€œI’m not worried about Centrila’s flunkies,” Stone said, sucking on the cough drop while he steadied his fingers and started rolling a smoke.
    â€œI know you’re not worried about them,” said Sam. “I’m just saying ease down a little. Staying sober looks like it requires some work.”
    â€œYeah, it does,” said Stone. “Not only am I not worried about Centrila and his gun monkeys, get right down to it, I’m not really too worried about all this other stuff either.” He gave another shrug. “I’m just curious mostly.” He crunched the remnant of the cough drop and swallowed it.
    â€œI understand,” Sam said. He observed Stone’s demeanor start winding down more.
    The sheriff opened the tobacco bag with his teeth and shook out some loose tobacco onto the cigarette paper. He grinned and tightened the bag’s drawstring with his teeth.
    â€œAnyway, I shouldn’t have brought none of this up,” he said. “I should have learned my lesson by now, going around telling folks what I think. Half the young’uns in this town still call me the
wolf-man
.” He chuckled a little and shook his head. “Maybe the doctor’s right. Maybe it’s all—”
    His words stopped as three gunshots ripped along the street from the direction of the Silver Palace. Dropping the cigarette fixings, he hurried out the door, the Ranger right behind him. Heads of clerks and store owners stuck out of doorways along the boardwalks on either side of the streets. As they ran toward the Palace, they saw the body lying out front near the hitch rail. At the open doorway of the big saloon, they saw drinkers already gathered around Donald Ferry. The