Page 68 of Wind Called

“The Merchant of Venice,” he said briefly, and she tugged at the brim of her floppy canvas hat.

“Well, that was probably more fun. Anyway, let’s get going.”

He tilted his head in acknowledgment, then kept plugging away, following the tracks as best he could, sometimes having to double back and check again when it seemed they were going astray. The only good thing was that it seemed the thief had given up on obscuring his trail, because, although it followed a meandering course as it avoided clumps of cholla and clusters of juniper, it wasn’t looping all over the place the way it had been a little farther back.

From time to time, Bellamy would send a wary glance up at the sky. Marc wasn’t sure why, since he hadn’t even spotted a hawk this far out, but maybe she was just worried about the two of them being so exposed. Their clothes were in natural colors, khaki green and light tan, so it wasn’t as if they were wearing bright pink or something that would stand out against the landscape — especially now that Bellamy’s coppery hair was mostly covered by that silly hat — but still, they were the only two people out here. If their prey was standing up on that rock formation someplace where they couldn’t spy him, he’d probably be able to see them pretty easily.

But they’d already set out on this course, so there didn’t seem to be much point in turning around. Either they’d come all this way for nothing…or they hadn’t.

Right then, Marc wasn’t sure which option was less appealing.

But he kept plugging away, doggedly following the faint trail the thief had left behind. As they walked, he noted how another red rock formation gradually came into view, not as tall as the one they’d been using as a landmark.

However, this new hill — or whatever you wanted to call it — was pocked with even more caves, several of them much deeper than the ones he’d spied earlier.

“He’s in there,” Bellamy said, coming to stand next to him.

Marc glanced down at her, a little surprised. “How do you know?”

“I just know.”

“Did the voices tell you that?”

At once, she shook her head, although her face, shadowed by her hat, showed nothing but confidence. “Not in so many words. But I think they would have told me if we’d gone astray, so I’m pretty sure we’re on the right track.”

From your lips to God’s ears,Marc thought, although he didn’t say anything. He knew the McAllisters were pagan and seemed to give most of their allegiance to the goddess Brigid, while the de la Paz clan was still firmly Catholic even hundreds of years after emigrating from Mexico. His parents had been nominally religious at best, although they dutifully took the clan to midnight mass on Christmas Eve and to services on Easter — probably to appease the elder ranks of the family more than anything else.

He nodded, and they continued on their way. Even if the voices hadn’t directly told Bellamy that their thief was hiding somewhere in those tall, jagged, red rocks, her certainty helped boost his spirits a little, especially since only a few minutes before, she’d been looking pretty dubious about the route they were taking. And this path felt a little more protected, thanks to the way junipers grew on either side, shielding them from unfriendly eyes.

With any luck, those shields would hold until they could get the jump on the guy.

Wishful thinking, maybe, but Marc had a feeling that was about all they had to go on right now.

So they’d keep going until they found him…or he found them.

20

Bellamy wasn’tsure why she felt so upbeat right then, unless it was the way the voices had whispered in her ears a while back.

You can.

Two simple words, but in this case, maybe they would be enough.

The sun was higher in the sky now, beating down on them, but off to the south and east, she could already see thunderheads building, fulfilling the promise of the dew earlier that morning. Most likely, the storms wouldn’t arrive for hours yet.

Still, if it rained, the hike back to Marc’s truck might not be as blazingly hot as it would be if the sun continued to rule uncontested in the heavens.

On the other hand, she recalled how they’d crossed a couple of dry creek beds on their way out here. Those creeks wouldn’t be nearly so dry if they got a good downpour, and they might be forced to wait on this side until the waters subsided.

The rocks that were their destination grew steadily closer. Despite that sensation of certainty from earlier, unease crept its way down her spine, telling Bellamy that at least part of her wasn’t quite so confident about this confrontation as she wanted to believe.

But she had Marc with her. He walked a few feet ahead, clearing the way as best he could, and the set of his shoulders and the lift of his chin let her know he wasn’t going to back down from whatever confrontation might be looming.

And that meant neither would she.

The ground began to slope upward as they grew closer to the big pile of red rock with its assortment of caves. Now that they were nearer to the formation, she thought she could see a barely visible path zigzagging its way upward.

“He practically left out the welcome mat,” Marc said with a grin as he pointed at the trail in question, which he must have spied right around the same time she had. “That’ll make it a lot easier to figure out which cave he’s holed up in.”

---