Pat Garrett could hear voices in the orchard.
Rumors had led the sheriff and his deputies to Fort Sumner. If the Kid was indeed closeby, his old friend Pete Maxwell might know where to find him. But as they made their way to the plaza where they could look in on the Maxwell house, Garrett signaled for his deputies to hide.
The voices spoke in Spanish, too softly for the lawmen to make out a word. Then a figure in the orchard rose to its feet.
He wore a broad hat that hid his face from Garrett and his men.