Chapter 35

“That blundering idiot,” screamed Phillip. He was safely in his hotel room in Odessa when the Texas Ranger came to check on him. “He used my name at the hotel in Willow Bend.”

“Did you hire him to kill this Christopher Le Monte,” asked the Ranger.

“No! I only offered a reward to anyone to help me find him . . . he’s my half brother . . . Bernie and I want to find him so we can share our father’s estate with him . . . not kill him. I don’t know who this fellow was.”

“Then why did this fellow . . . whoever he is, try to kill Mr. Le Monte, but instead managed to kill Mr. John Morgan at Willow Bend?” asked the Ranger.

“I haven’t the faintest idea,” replied Phillip. “Maybe the fellow had an old grudge against this . . . John Morgan.”

“Well there is no way it could have been you that fired those shots,” said the Texas lawman “you couldn’t have been in two places at the same time.”

“Does that mean you’re not going to hold me?”

“I don’t see how, nor on what charge,” said the officer “Only I wish you would go home and leave this matter up to us . . . oh, and no more rewards.”

“I’ll do that,” said Phillip as he opened the door to the room so the Texas Ranger could leave “I’ll be on the next train back to Baton Rouge tomorrow.”