IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON. I came back from my turn walking the town and found Allie in the office with Virgil. Laurel sat on the couch silently. Virgil sat at his desk. Allie was on the couch next to Laurel, leaning forward, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

“Want me to come back?” I said.

Virgil shook his head and pointed at a chair. I sat.

“I wanted to tell her here, with you,” Allie said to Virgil.

Virgil nodded.

“I just found out,” Allie said.

Virgil nodded.

“Laurel’s mother killed herself last night,” Allie said.

She put her hand on Laurel’s knee. Laurel didn’t move. She was looking hard at Virgil. Virgil stood and walked to the couch. He gestured for Allie to sit at his desk, and when she stood he took her place beside Laurel. Laurel edged slightly toward him and let her shoulder touch his.

“I’m sorry,” Virgil said to her.

She nodded.

“But your life ain’t gonna change much,” Virgil said. “You been with us, and you’ll be with us. We’ll take care of you.”

She nodded. Her face had not changed. She remained motionless. Then she leaned toward Virgil and whispered to him. He listened. Then he nodded.

“Probably is,” he said.

“I got something else I got to do, Virgil,” Allie said.

Virgil nodded.

“I got to tell you things,” Allie said.

Virgil nodded again.

“If we going to take care of this child, I got to start clean for her,” Allie said.

Virgil waited.

“Brother Percival is in cahoots with Pike,” Allie said.

Virgil nodded.

“Pike agreed to let him have his crusade if he closed down the other saloons and not Pike’s,” Allie said.

Virgil nodded.

“Then Pike gets all the saloon profit in town,” Allie said. “And Brother Percival’s church gets to be bigger and bigger.”

“Kinda figured a lot of that,” Virgil said.

“But it’s changed,” Allie said. “Percival is going to close down Pike.”

All of us were silent for a time.

Then Virgil said, “How do you know?”

“That’s the shameful part, Virgil,” Allie said. “I been with him. Even after he bothered this child, I been with him.”

“I kinda knew that, too, Allie,” Virgil said.

“How’d you know that?” Allie said.

Virgil didn’t answer.

“Percival would be with me and he would drink and he would tell me things,” Allie said. “He’s crazy, Virgil. I think he actually thinks he’s God.”

“Probably ain’t,” Virgil said.

Allie went on, in a kind of rush.

“He says he gets Pike outta the way… and you and Everett… says he will turn the town into a new Bethlehem.”

“He think Pike’s going to go along with this?” Virgil said.

“No,” Allie said. “He knows there’ll be a fight. He sent Choctaw Brown out to hire more deacons.”

“He thinks Choctaw’s with him on this?”

“Yes.”

“Choctaw’s with Pike,” Virgil said.

“How do you know?” Allie said.

Virgil shook his head and didn’t answer.

“I had to tell you,” Allie said. “I knew I’d have to say I was with Percival, but you had to know. He said he was going to get rid of you, too. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“No,” Virgil said.

He looked at Laurel.

“I am hard to get rid of,” he said. “You shouldn’t worry about it.”

She whispered in his ear.

“Me ’n Everett,” Virgil said. “Like always.”

She whispered to him again. He listened and nodded slowly.

“Good idea,” he said. “Everett, see if you can find Pony Flores, if you would.”

Which I did.

“GOT REASON TO THINK there’ll be trouble between Percival and Pike,” Virgil said to Pony.

“Si,” Pony said.

“I think Pike will chew Percival up and spit him out,” Virgil said.

“Si,” Pony said.

“But before he does,” Virgil said, “Everett and me may be in the middle of it.”

Pony nodded.

“Where do you stand?” Virgil said.

Pony pointed at Virgil.

“Okay,” Virgil said. “Ball goes up, somebody gotta be looking out for Laurel.”

Pony nodded and pointed at his chest.

“You all right with Pony?” Virgil said to Laurel.

She nodded slowly.

“Might keep an eye on Allie, too,” Virgil said.

“Like mother chicken,” Pony said.

“How come you’re not sticking with Pike?” I said.

Pony nodded at Laurel.

“Chiquita,” he said.

I nodded.

“You know anything ’bout all this?” Virgil said.

“Pike know ’bout Percival,” Pony said.

“Choctaw?” I said.

“Everybody know Choctaw work for Pike,” Pony said.

“ ’Cept Percival,” Virgil said.

“Percival crazy,” Pony said.

“Pike knows that, too?” Virgil said.

“Everybody know that, too.”

“ ’Cept Percival,” Virgil said.

“Pike say he don’t mind if you boys get killed, either,” Pony said.

“Be his town then,” I said. “You think Pike got the outfit to do the job?”

“Percival? Sure,” Pony said. “You boys and me?” He grinned and shook his head.

“ ’ Less he’s hiring some new boys,” I said. “Choctaw’s the best he’s got.”

“Choctaw’s good,” Virgil said.

“Good as you?” I said.

Virgil said, “Subject to proof.”

“Pike the best,” Pony said.

“Might be,” Virgil said.

“Is,” Pony said. “Seen him.”

“Maybe we’ll find out,” Virgil said.

“Pike said he was gonna kill you,” Allie said.

Her voice seemed hoarse and small, as if she were forcing it out through a narrow opening.

We all looked at her.

“Who’d he say that to?” Virgil asked her.

“Me,” she said. “Men tend to brag when… you know.”

Virgil stared at her as if he were startled. Which wasn’t possible, because Virgil Cole was never startled.

“Allie,” he said. “ ’Stead of telling me who you been with, be easier if you gave me a short list of men you haven’t.”

“Wasn’t with him often,” Allie said. “Percival used to give me to him once in a while when he’d come over, and they’d be drinking.”

Virgil stood and walked to the office door and looked out at the street for a while. Laurel watched him closely.

Without taking his eyes off the street, Virgil said, “We got to go over this, Allie, all of it, you, me, Laurel. But now ain’t the time.”

He turned slowly from the door and looked at Allie.

“Right now you got one thing to do. You look out for Laurel. You and Pony. You do what Pony says and you don’t ask questions and you don’t think. You do what he says.”

“I am trying to help, Virgil, honest to God. I’m a different woman. I only want to help.”

“You hear what I told you,” Virgil said.

“Yes.”

Virgil walked back and sat beside Laurel again.

“You too, Laurel,” he said. “When it all starts, you do what Pony says, just like it was me.”

She nodded.

“Can you talk with him?” Virgil said.

She shook her head.

“Okay,” Virgil said. “Pony ain’t much of a talker, anyway.”