'Who?' Max asked.

'Brett Fielding.' Carter slammed his fist on the bar. 'Damn varmint runs that new saloon. He seems to know what I'll do before I know about it myself. He stole my customers with his—'

Max raised a gloved hand, silencing Carter.

'I know Brett. I met him this evening.' Max pulled the glove from his right hand, one finger at a time, and flexed the long fingers. 'He wanted me to kill you.'

Carter backed a pace to slam into the wall.

'He wanted—'

'Quit worrying. Brett held out on me.' Max patted his holster. 'The cheap critter wanted to pay five hundred, but I only get my Peacemaker out of its holster for one thousand dollars—in advance.'

'One thousand!' Carter winced so hard his face almost caved in. 'I... I wonder if—'

Max narrowed his eyes to streaks of ice, then grabbed Carter's collar and pulled him up to his chin, Carter's flailing arms showering glasses to the floor.

'One thousand dollars, now.' Max widened his eyes, his breath hot on Carter's damp cheeks. 'Or my gun stays in its holster, and Brett lives.'

Carter grabbed the bar and pushed back, trying to break Max's grip but, on finding no give, he slumped.

'I'll pay,' he croaked.

Max held on a moment, then released Carter's collar and, with mock care, straightened his ruffled jacket.

Carter rummaged beneath the bar and emerged with a bulging envelope, but Max tore it from his grip and extracted a wad of bills. He riffled through the bills, then looked up, his right eye twitching.

'This is only five hundred, too,' he intoned, each word ripping through his gritted teeth as he loomed over Carter. 'Are all you bartenders cheap critters?'

'But I can raise more,' Carter whined, wringing his hands. 'I can. I can. If you kill Brett, I'll pay you the rest by the end of the month. You must make exceptions, surely.'

Max slapped the bills on the bar, then slumped his shoulders a mite and sighed.

'Yeah, sometimes I accept two installments.'

Carter glanced at the wad, seeing the topmost bill teeter, then fall to the side to make the whole pile cascade, one by one, to the floor.

'And you'll accept a second installment this time?' Carter flashed a hopeful smile.

Max chuckled, then whirled his hand to his hip. His Peacemaker cleared leather and blasted a single slug through Carter's forehead.

As Carter wheeled to the floor, Max collected the bills and slipped them into his inside pocket, resting them behind the five hundred dollars Brett had paid him earlier.

'Yeah,' he said, 'and your five hundred was the second installment.'