"It's okay, Gil. Nothin' you could've done, not without riskin' everyone," Rusty said.
"It doesn't matter. The fact is, it happened on my watch. While I was letting that … travesty of justice take place before my very eyes, others were taking action."
Hickman sighed and laid back. "Cut to the chase, Gil. I gotta sleep."
"I called an election. Pretty basic, no time to organize anything else. Just names on scraps of paper."
Now he was awake again.
"Whose names?"
"Yours and mine, Paul."
In a haze, Hick shook, then watched slack-jawed as Summers shuffled out. Perhaps it was his imagination, but Hickman could have sworn the old mayor's shoulders looked a little less stooped.
"What the … ?"
"Well, it's what you've wanted all along, ain't it?" Rusty said. "I wouldn't have your job, no way. Hard times are comin', Paul. Harder than anythin' we've seen so far. But I'll support you, as long as you do the right thing by the folks here."
A smile spread across Hickman's face. He'd won. He'd actually won. He didn't feel the elation he'd expected, but then he was exhausted. It would come, no doubt. "Thanks, Rusty. I appreciate it."
Rusty Kaminski leaned forward as if to get up and brought his whiskered face close to Hickman. "As long as you do the right thing, I said."
"Of course."
He got up, gave a brief nod to Hickman, put his hat on and tipped it in farewell. "I'll be watchin' Mr. Mayor. I'll be watchin'."
Hickman stared at the back of the door as it closed behind the sheriff.
"If I were you, Rusty, I'd spend more time watchin' my back."
And the new mayor of the last city closed his eyes and fell asleep.
LAST CITY Book 2
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