"What kinda job?" Max asked, leaning across the table.
Charlie lowered his voice. "A new bank. You remember I tol' you I heard las' year they were minin' for oil up in Texas?
I decided to pay them diggin's a visit on my way north." He poured another drink and swallowed it quickly.
"Well, they found it all right.
It's the craziest thing you ever saw.
They sink a well down in the groun' an' instead of water, up comes oil.
Then they pipe it off, barrel it an' ship it east.
There's oil all over the place an' that bank's just bustin' with money."
"Sounds good to me," Max said. "What's the deal?"
"A local man set up the job but he needs help.
He wants two shares, we get one share each."
"Fair enough," Max said. He turned to Mike. "What do you think?"
Mike nodded.
"When we pull the job?" he asked.
Charlie looked at him. "Right after the new year. The bank is gettin' in a lot of money then for new diggin'." He refilled all the glasses. "We'll have to start tomorrow.
It took me three weeks to ride down here."
15.
MAX PUSHED HIS WAY INTO THE SALOON BEHIND Charlie Dobbs.
It was crowded with oil-miners and cowboys and the dice table and faro layouts were working full blast.
Men were standing three deep around them waiting for a chance at the games.
"What'd I tell you?" Charlie chortled. "This is a real boom town all right." He led the way down the bar to where a man was standing by himself.
The man turned and looked at him.
"You took long enough gettin' here," he said in a low voice.
"It's a long ride, Ed," Charlie said.
"Meet me outside," Ed said, throwing a silver dollar on the bar and walking out.
He glanced quickly at Max as he passed.
Max caught a glimpse of pale gimlet eyes without expression. The man seemed to be in his late forties, with a long, sandy mustache trailing across his lip. There was something familiar about him but Max couldn't place it. There was only the feeling that he had seen him before.
The man was waiting outside the saloon for them.
He walked ahead and they followed him into a dark alley.
He turned to face them. "I said we needed four men," he said angrily.
"There's another man, Ed," Charlie said quickly. "He's layin' up just outside of town."
"All right.
You got here just in time.
Tomorrow night – that's Friday night – the president and the cashier of the bank work late makin' up the riggin' crews' payrolls for Saturday.
They usually get through about ten o'clock.
We get them as they come out the door an' hustle them back inside.
That way, they can open the safe for us; we don't have to blow it."
"All right with me," Charlie said. "What do you think, Max?"
Max looked at Ed.
"They carry guns?"
"I reckon. You afraid of gunplay?"
Max shook his head. "No. I jus' like to know what to expect"
"How much you think we'll get?" Charlie interjected.
"Fifty thousand, maybe more."
Charlie whistled. "Fifty thousand!"
"You'll drift over here one at a time. Quiet.
I don't want no one to be lookin' at us.
We'll meet in back of the bank at nine thirty sharp."
Ed looked at them and they nodded again.
He started to walk away, then came back. He peered at Max. "Ain't I seen you someplace before?"