Maybe they were waiting for this.

“I’m all right,” he said.

“Light your lamp, will you?” Deliberately, he moved, and there was no sound within the room—only, outside, a running of feet on the hard-packed earth. Then a door slammed open and Sparkman stood there, gun in hand.

“It’s all right, I think,” Sandifer said. “We shot it out.”

Elaine entered the room with a light and caught herself with a gasp at the sight before her. Jim reached for the lamp.

“Go to your father,” he said swiftly. “We’ll take care of this!” Sparkman looked around, followed into the room by Grimes. “Good grief!” he gasped. “They are all dead! All of them!”

“The woman, too?” Sandifer’s face paled. “I hope I didn’t—”

“You didn’t,” Grimes said. “She was shot in the back, by her own son. Shootin’ in the dark, blind an’ gun crazy.”

“Maybe it’s better,” Sparkman said, “She was an old hellion.” Klee Mont had caught his right at the end of his eyebrow, and a second shot along the ribs. Sandifer walked away from him and stood over Lee Martin. His face twisted in a sneer, the dead man lay sprawled on the floor literally shot to doll rags.

“You didn’t miss many,” Sparkman said grimly.

“I didn’t figure to,” Jim said. “I’ll see the old man, then, give you a hand.”

“Forget it.” Grimes looked up, his eyes faintly humorous. “You stay in there. An’ don’t spend all your time with the old man. We need a new setup on this here spread, an’ with a new son-in-law who’s a first-rate cattleman, Gray could set back an’ relax!”

Sandifer stopped with his hand on the curtain. “Maybe you got something there,” he said thoughtfully. “Maybe you have!” “You can take my word for it,” Elaine said, stepping into the door beside Jim. “He has! He surely has!”