Page 48 of Battle Mountain

“So nobody fucking knows where he is?” Jimbo asked.

“That’s about the size of it,” Joe said. “But no need to panic. I’m sure he’ll show up.” Joe wanted to believe what he told Jimbo.

“What if he doesn’t?” Jimbo asked. “I brought my clients all the way from Raleigh here to Bumfuck, Wyoming, for a ten-day trophy elk hunt. It cost a pretty penny, as you can imagine. Now I show up and the guy I sent tens of thousands of dollars to isn’t even here to meet us. Instead, we find a couple of fish cops standing around twiddling their thumbs. That’s called fraud where Icome from in North Carolina. I don’t know what you call it here in Bumfuck, Wyoming.”

“Jimbo…” the passenger cautioned.

“Raymond…” Jimbo replied in a mocking tone.

His passenger, Raymond-something, was an overweight bald man with a round face, a tiny mustache, and reading glasses hanging from a chain around his neck. He, like Jimbo, was decked out in state-of-the-industry high-tech hunting clothes and boots. Raymond-something looked puzzled and embarrassed by the whole situation. Joe noticed he had glanced away as Jimbo complained, as if he were distancing himself from the scene.

The third hunter, whom Raymond-something referred to as Kent, was rail-thin and had an upside-down triangle of a face, a broad forehead tapering down into a tiny chin. He seemed to be amused by everything, and Joe observed that he was likely pretty drunk. His eyes were watery and his reactions to what was being said were slow on the uptake. Joe’s impression was confirmed when he noticed an empty Coors can on the grass on the side of the Land Rover. Kent must have accidentally kicked it out when he swung outside.

“We’re not fish cops,” Kany said as she walked up and stood shoulder to shoulder with Joe. “We’re game wardens from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

“We have full authority to enforce our state’s laws. That includes arresting people who get out of line.”

Joe nodded in agreement.

“If you’re officers of the law,” Jimbo said as he leaned forward and balled his fists at his side, “you should arrest Rankin for misleading us. That is, unless you’re in cahoots with him.”

“Jimbo, please,” Raymond-something said. “Let’s take a few seconds and talk this over.”

Jimbo reluctantly agreed, and the two men turned and walked to the rear of the vehicle and stood behind it. Kent darted back inside the SUV for a fresh beer and then joined them. The three hunters engaged in an energetic back-and-forth in whispered tones so as not be overheard.

“That escalated quickly,” Kany said out of the corner of her mouth.

“You just never know,” Joe agreed.

He gauged the situation. “I don’t think Jimbo is trouble,” he said in a low tone only she could hear. “I think he’s just embarrassed and out of his element. He probably talked up this hunt to his clients all the way out here, and now he doesn’t want them to think it’s his fault. He wanted to impress them.”

“Thatimpresses me,” Kany said as she chinned toward the SUV. “That’s a 2023 Land Rover Range Rover LWB. It starts at a hundred and seven thousand dollars. This one is probably worth more than that because it has all the bells and whistles on it.”

Joe looked over in amazement at Susan Kany. “How do you know that?”

She shrugged. “I priced it online after I saw one at the airport the other day. One of the Centurions had one to take to the B-Lazy-U Ranch. I was just curious.”

“Hmmm.”

“What do you think they’ll do now?” she asked about the hunters. “Go back home?”

“I doubt it,” Joe said. “That would be too much of a debacle for Jimbo. He’ll feel that he needs to take some kind of action.”

The three hunters broke up and returned to the front of their vehicle. Jimbo took the lead and Raymond and Kent stood behind him.

Jimbo crossed his arms over his chest in a defiant stance. “I need the names of a couple of other local elk-hunting guides,” he said, looking from Joe to Kany and back again. “And I need a list of lawyers who will sue Rankin’s ass for fraud on my behalf—and maybe your department for perpetuating his fraudulent scheme.”

“How about you just turn around and go home?” Audrey Racines suddenly said to Jimbo. She’d joined Joe and Kany. “We don’t need jerks like you around here anyway.”

Joe turned to Racines. “We really don’t need your help right now,” he whispered.

Racines’s eyes flared, but she held her tongue.

“I’ll tell you what,” Kany said gently to the three hunters. “We’ll get this figured out so everybody’s happy and no one needs to sue anyone.”

As she spoke, she approached the hunters and handed each one of them her business card. “I’ll call down to town and get you reservations at either the Hot Springs Resort or the Riviera Motel. Whichever one has the three best rooms available. Both are very comfortable, and the three of you can soak in the local hot springs tonight and relax. I’ll text you a list of local outfitters, and if need be, I can make recommendations. In the meanwhile, you can enjoy the town and have a few beers and a nice meal. I’d suggest you call ahead for a dinner reservation,” she said. “You’re sharing the town with a bunch of private pilots.”

“I like the sound of that,” Kent said, hoisting his can of beer.

---