As we rambled through the crowd, a tall cowboy with a hatband full of toothpicks watched Leonard pass with open curiosity. I was right behind Leonard. I said to the cowboy, “He’s working a child’s party after this.”
The cowboy looked at me and nodded, like that explained everything.
We found a spot with a break in people, and went there. I took out my cell and called.
“Yeah,” Bert said.
“This is Hap Collins. I spoke to you earlier.”
“What about?”
I was more than a little certain now that Bert was not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
“Your stepdaughter. You told me to call.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m over by the door. Too many people in there, and hot.”
“Okay,” I said. “Meet you there. What’s your description?”
“What’s yours?”
“There’s two of us. I’m about six foot with brown hair, stocky. The guy with me is black-”
“Black?” He seemed surprised.
“Yeah. There’s a whole race of them. He’s just one of them.”
“Black, huh.”
“Now and always.”
There were actually a few black cowboys scattered about the barn, but they had on the proper duds. I said, “You’ll know us because he’s bigger than me and has gray at the temples. Oh yeah, he’s got on a funny hat.”
“Hey,” Leonard said.