Page 57 of Weatherman

Walt licked his lips as his eyes darted from the squat vehicle to the trio of dark green cylinders. “What if we get caught? What happens to us?”

“We ain’t gettin’ caught.”

“Yeah, but what if we do?”

“I said, we ain’t gettin’ caught.”

“Yeah, but?—”

Clem’s temper snapped, and he arm-barred his cousin across his throat, forcing the bigger man’s back against a tree. “Did you hear me, you piece of shit? We. Ain’t. Gettin’. Caught. Stop with your bullshit and get them barrels done.”

“Hold up. Anyone else hear that?”Weatherman stopped moving and signaled the other two rangers to halt as well. It was hard to detect, but there was a faint sound of a four-wheeler for a brief moment before it was swallowed up by the gurgling creek.

Officer Fine stage-whispered, “Yeah, I heard it too. Comin’ from over yonder.”

He pointed in the opposite direction of where Weatherman thought it came from. The forest could be deceptive, and a compass was always a good companion to have. There were very few markers in this area to follow, and getting lost was always a danger. Hikers got turned around easily, and many times, search parties had to be called in to find them.

Today was not a day for finding people. It was an exploration of bear trails and possible places where poaching sites might be found. Whoever was behind the massacres had to have a central place for curing hides and preserving the parts of the animals they took. The mountains were full of hidden places that had potential. The satellite images showed several tagged bears that used this route regularly, making this a prime target for the illegal hunting; therefore, the three-man team was sent to check it out. Drones were used when possible, but the heavy tree growth made it too difficult and inaccurate to fly them, and the chief wanted precision detailed reports.

All three rangers carried rifles and hoped they wouldn’t have to use them. Any wildlife, including bears, would ignore them, run away, or potentially attack. Weatherman hoped any encounters resulted in door number one or two.

The engine sound no longer dressed the air, but Weatherman was positive that there was a vehicle up here somewhere. Hechecked his GPS marker and glanced at the other two officers. “Either of you know about any campsites or private land up here?”

Fine shook his head. “Nope. All national forest.”

“We may have company. Be alert.”

The rangers moved forward with higher caution. Weatherman sensed the restlessness in Fine’s accelerated breathing. He wasn’t too thrilled himself at the thought of finding a two-legged predator as well as a four-legged one.

They kept to the left of the creek as they followed close to it. Weatherman was about to tell everyone to turn back when he stepped on something soft and crunchy. He looked down to see a pile of cheap dog food nuggets under his boot.

“Bingo,” he said, motioning the other two rangers forward. He pulled out his tracker and marked the spot. “I think it’s safe to say we’re getting close. It’s getting late, and we need to head back. Tomorrow, we’ll grab as many satellite images as possible of this area within a ten-mile radius. Think that’s wide enough?”

“Should be. What are we looking for?”

“We’ll know when we see it.”

CHAPTER 26

“Coach Driscoll saidhe’s gonna retire at the end of this school year.”

“First Baptist Church is havin’ their annual pancake night next Saturday.”

“There’s a stomach bug goin’ ’round the schools. Thelma Doss said all four a’ her kids got it last week.”

“Didja hear about them killed bears? Someone told me awhile back ’bout a big pile of ’em shot, cut up, and left out to rot.”

That got several heads to turn and another subject to chew over.

“Oh my goodness, I heard about that. I cain’t remember who told me, but it was somethin’ ’bout poachin’ bein’ on the upswing.”

“Not enough rain coming down. Bears and other wildlife are coming closer to the river and lakes for food sources. There’s been a lot more sightings this past year.”

“They say if you pee on the trees around the campsites, it keeps ’em away.”

I thought about Bryce. He was a ranger, and this was something he had to deal with. I didn’t know much abouthunting or regulations, but Tambre had mentioned poaching before, and from what I could tell, it was a big problem. I wondered how dangerous his job was.

Dating. I had no idea what that actually meant, as I’d never really dated anyone before. Now I was dating Bryce. He texted me in the mornings to wish me a good day and again at night to wish Pearl and me a good sleep. Most of our times as a couple were simple. He came by the salon to take me to lunch as often as he could. We held hands in public. Pearl and I spent several evenings at his mom’s house for dinner, and we watched TV together while Pearl played and Natalie stitched. He carried Pearl or held her hand as she toddled along, sometimes swinging between the two of us.

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