"Evans, Tabor - Longarm 234 - Longarm and the Renegade Assassins" - читать интересную книгу автора (Evans Tabor)

"Then you'd best show up and see what each of us can do to bring these
bastards in."

Longarm paused. Then nodded. "I'll be there."

Out in front of the throng of politicians, sycophants, and genuine
friends, a preacher, a man Longarm had never seen before, was droning to
the conclusion of an overlong eulogy that praised to the skies the recently
deceased commissioner from Washington City, but that barely mentioned
either Billy or the Denver-based U.S. attorney.

Not that any of that mattered, the way Longarm saw it. If there was a
God--right now Longarm wasn't so damn certain about that--but if there was
one, well, then he already knew the sort of man Billy'd been and would
throw open the Pearly Gates to welcome so fine a newcomer. And if there
wasn't, then it didn't matter anyhow.

For Billy's sake, though, Longarm found himself hoping there was
someone on the other side to give that good man a handshake and a big
welcome when he walked out onto his cloud and signed for his new harp.

Longarm was so wrapped up in thinking about things like that that he
was taken by surprise when the preacher all of a sudden wound up the
proceedings and stepped back so the mourners could file past the four
brightly polished coffins, each draped with a U.S. flag and covered in
bright flowers.

Longarm and Henry joined the line of people passing by the coffins.
It bothered Longarm that he didn't even know which one of them held Billy's
mortal remains. They weren't any of them marked that Longarm could see,
although presumably the undertaker knew which box was to go where.

Eventually all the public tears were shed and the final words had been
spoken. A large hearse took two of the coffins away and headed in the
direction of the railroad depot. Those, then, would be the bodies of the
commissioner and his wife.

The other two, each in a smaller and less ornate hearse, were carried
off toward the respective cemeteries chosen by the widows of the dead
Denver men.

Longarm, still with Henry beside him, paid his respects to Mrs. Vail.
He was going to have to remember, he reminded himself, to call on her every
now and then and see what he might do to help ease her burden. God, he
hoped Billy had left her well provided for, because the government would
only give her a pittance for a pension, if it bothered to give her anything
at all. Then, his heart near to breaking, he turned away.

He decided against going on to the cemetery to see Billy's coffin put
underground. This right here had been bad enough.