the fed

 The next morning a ford fairlane pulled into the yard. a tall man got out and stood by the car. the passenger side was occupied by the crooked dea agent. he didn't get out but sat staring ahead through his dark aviator glasses. the tall man stepped up to sam and coalie, stuck out his hand with a broad smile on his narrow hawkish face. his hair was slicked back , his white shirt wrinkled and showed sweat stains around the  coller and the under arms. coalie looked over at sam  who was looking at the little black man still in the car.  a snarl forming on his lips. sam turned his head toward the tall man. as he appraised the man coalie stepped to one side putting the fed at the apex of a triangle. sam at one corner, coalie and the fed   at the other corners.


    " I told you not to bring that piss ant with you". sam groweled
   " I had to he has jurisdiction in this case. I assure you he will stay in the car and cause no trouble>" the t man was smilling a wolfish smile
  " well he already is trouble. you can take him back to the hiway or town or where ever but we do no business as long he is on my place." sams voice had lowered to almost a whisper.
   ' GIVE ME THE PACK AND ILL LEAVE AND WONT BE BACK".  the authority was dripping from the words the agent spit out.

    ' YOU BETTER LEAVE MR. FED. WE DONT THINK WE WILL DEAL WITH YOU AND YOUR SLIMEY BUDDY." coalie had just as much contempt as sam
   ' ime a  agent of the united states treasury department and you need to" before he finished coalie had stepped up to him and pushed the barrel of a pistol into the mans ribs
  " GIT" he snarled
    the agent slowly backed to the car with coalie matching him step for step. he opened the door and slide behind the wheel then shut the door. the engine turned over and caught. sam stepped to the open window. " you come back with help, fbi, county , or the national guard, I don't care, but if you bring that little piece of cannon fodder back on my place you get nothing here. understand?"
   the fed nodded solomley, coalies pistol was still pointing at him. the car backed up, turned and headed out of the yard.
    " you played hell coalie." sam looked at coalie as he put the pistol back in his clip holster in the small of his back.
  " yeah, but I don't think that guy was on the up and up. I figgered we might as well get it over with."
  " well what do we do now? I don't know who to trust but you, and I sometimes wonder about that!" sam said

  that afternoon a tohono police car rolled into the yard. a slim indian policeman got out from behind the wheel and walked around to the passenger door. when he opened it eppi slide out slowly and stiffly. he stood for a moment leaning on the car. his face was a washed out tan. his hand trembled and he was visibly weak and unsteady.


" damn eppi. what are you doin here? you need to be in bed." sam rushed up. putting his arm around eppies waist to support him.
  eppi winced and pulled back" not there sam! ime sore as hell."
  sam held eppi on one side by the arm and the indian police man held the other and walked eppi to a chair on the porch. after sitting down heavily he looked up at the indian policeman" Ralston, will you get my brief case out of the car?" the man nodded and went to the car returning with the case. sissy seeing eppi on the porch stepped out the door with a tall glass of water which the chief acceped with a grateful nod.
   after drinking half the water he looked around at sissy" hello sister he smilled a crooked grin.
  " hello brother"she replied with a giggle. " what else you need?"
   "nothing yet, maybe more water in a minute."  he had the case on his lap and flipped the latches. he pulled a manila envelope out of the case. handing it to sam he said " read that"
   sam took the envelope and sat down on the stepps and began to read the two pages inside. after a minute he looked at eppi and then resumed reading.  when he finished  he returned the pages to the envelope and handed it back to eppi. he returned it to the case.
   " what you think cowboy" eppi asked
   " I think we cant trust a soul between here and hell. and maybe not then. where did you get that information?" sam was grim.
   " came from a under cover agent in altar. I figgered you needed to know. where is the pack you got?  eppi was starting to hurt and it showed.

  " its safe for the time being. you want it?" coalie asked
  " yeah, but if those two who were this morning find out they will pull rank to get it.  but I think you read them right , they are the rats after the cheese." eppi was gritting his teeth
  sissy came back with another glass of water. eppi was sagging in the chair almost to pass out.
   " can he lay down a while ?" she asked
  sam and Ralston helped the big indian to his feet and into the house. as he lay back on sissy s bed he let out a big sigh. " thanks  I just need a little rest." he winked at sissy.
   a red spot had appeared on his shirt on his left side.  sissy rolled the shirt up and saw the bandage over the stitches was red with fresh blood
    . a hour later sam, Ralston and coalie was on the porch. sissy sat by the bed with eppi who was snoring . " when he got that report he insisted he bring it to you. I tried to talk him out of it but it was wasted effort." Ralston was explaining. " he wants you to give us the pack. we will give it to the fed. then the FBI is going to follow it  and see who gets it. we know there are more going to come thru. and we now where the source is.  so we just need the pick up man in phoenix. "
   sam looked at coalie who was busy whittling a stick with his bowed over it. turning to Ralston he said " will that stop the coyotes from commin thru here?"
   " no, but you need  to let that happen so the FBI can track them.  eppi told them that you would cooperate with them." Ralston was saying.
   coalie got up and went in the house and came back with the pack which he dropped at the policemans feet. " how come you don't wear a side arm Ralston?" he asked

" I always get my bow and arrows tangled up in my legs when I walk" he grinned at
   coalie giggled as he sat down
a hour later the jeep waggoneer  rolled out of the yard   with eppi .   the dust was boiling up in its wake. when it turned onto the road a few minutes later the ford fairlane  eased out of a mesquite thicket and followed.
   sam , coalie, and sissy stood on the steps watching.  " I hope ole Ralston don't need that bow and arrows before he gets to the res." coalie mumbled.
  sissy s eyes were moist and a tear rolled down her cheek.  sam looked at her and wondered what the concern was for, her friends in altar or eppi.