Excerpt: Forget Mary

They found a spot on the back pew not far from the church door – one that afforded them a good view of anyone coming or going. They were early and only a few particularly pious souls were already gathered in the seats. Bill regarded one of them from the corner of his eye – a thin, blonde man, plainly dressed but wearing an out-of-place, stiff-brimmed hat, the kind that city folk wore.

“We’re being followed,” he said.

Sam nodded. “I suspected as much. Pickett wasn’t gonna let us loose in town without seeing what we were up to. I don’t expect there’s any harm in it if we lay low a few days.”

“So I shouldn’t bust that guy up none?”

“No Bill, you shouldn’t.”

Bill pulled one of the hymn books from the small shelf in front of them. He leafed through the pages without paying much attention to the words, just to look normal.

“If I see Seaborne walk in here, I can’t make the same guarantee,” he said.

Sam nodded. “I understand,” he said. “Just be sure you let me get up and leave ‘fore you start shooting.”

“Will do.”

“And as I suspect as most of the congregation are well armed, and you having that one bullet and all, I’ll be sure to come back in later to pay you my respects.”

“I’d appreciate if you didn’t bring flowers,” said Bill.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” said Sam.

They sat in silence for a few moments, the humor quickly giving way to the possibility that it might just go down exactly that way...