Page 23 of Hell and Gone
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to examine the coroner’s findings, take a look for myself. Maybe there was something subtle that was overlooked.”
Braddock scowled.
He doesn’t like anyone stepping on his authority. He especially doesn’t like any state, or worse, federal government interfering.Everett, if he didn’t play this right, could end up Braddock’s worst enemy. “Maybe I’m wrong. But another pair of eyes can’t hurt. If I’m wrong, I’ll be the first to say so in the morning.”
Braddock’s scowl shifted. He held up the first casting. “If the scene was perfectly clean, then what’s this?”
“I saidalmostperfectly clean. This is what we found: the fresh track of a rider moving out of the grove Carson was hung in. The horse and rider kept to the game trails and he hid his tracks well. He used rocky ground, like the murderer did in Endless Sky’s high pasture. Except, his horse stepped on an ant pile and then kicked them off in the dirt beside the trail. The horse left one perfect print behind.”
Howell whistled. He beckoned for the casting from Carson’s murder and laid both side by side.
Everett saw the understanding slam into him. “These are the same tracks!”
“The same rider was in both places, Mister Howell, and in both places, two men ended up dead. I think this rider killed Carson Riley and tried to make it look like a suicide. Maybe he forced him to write a note? Or maybe the whole thing is faked. But after Carson’s death, I think this rider killed your man in your high pasture. And both times, the rider slipped out to public land that abuts both Endless Sky and Lazy Twenty-Two.”
Silence.
“Now that I’ve got a cast of this horse’s print from both of these deaths, if I find the tracks again, I can find the rider.”
“You’re sayin’ you can identify the horse and rider based on this print? That you could recognize it if you find it again? Anywhere?” Braddock asked.
“I can.”
Silence. Braddock nodded, a small smile curling his lips.
“And,” Everett said carefully, “in light of all of this, I would like to officially recommend opening a missing persons investigation on the two Heart’s Rafter cowboys. Dell and Aaron.”
A rumble went through the crowd, from the deputies to the cowboys stuffing the Braddock’s office door. Curses and bitten-off promises, exclamations and low whistles.
“You did all this in a day, did you, son?” Braddock said quietly. He shook his head, pursed his lips. Worry warred with frustration on his forehead. Fear shone in the back of his eyes. “If what you’re sayin’ is right, there’s a murderer loose in my mountains.”
Everett held his stare.How many murderers has this old man seen?
Did he know enough to recognize he was looking one in the eyes?
“It’s the fuckin’ truckers!” one of the Endless Sky cowboys in the doorway shouted. “They’re back for more! If they want blood, they can fuckin’ have it!” Cheers rose from the other hands, good ole boys hooting and hollering as they nodded to each other. Every man was armed, from the revolver on their hips to the knives on their belts and the shotguns and rifles slung over their shoulders.
Everett swallowed.
Howell stood, facing his men. “That’s enough!” he barked. “We are not turning vigilante! That’s how this mess started! I am not losing any more men to this madness! We have lost enough!” He waited until every one of his men looked him in the eyes and nodded.
“Darby,” Howell said, turning back. “We got arealproblem on our hands.”
“That we do.” Braddock stood, his hands on his gun belt as his lips pursed. “Dan, I don’t have enough men to cover all the ground we need to cover. I can send my deputies to the highways and to the truck stop. Round up the local boys and start interrogatin’ the lot. Find out who among them is still talkin’ ‘bout revenge. Find out where they been, what their alibis are for these deaths. Check some stables, too. We gotta shake a few trees down there, knock some heads together.”
“And we need to clear out the public land,” Howell said. His jaw clenched hard, the muscles straining as he gripped his hat. “We need to close up this mountain. Flush out this murderer if he’s still up there. And flush out the rustlers stealing our stock.”
“And the drug runners.” Braddock scowled.
“Could all be one and the same,” Everett said softly. “Like you said, Sheriff. Criminals diversify. We could be looking at drug runners getting into cattle rustling and murdering anyone who gets in their way. We could be getting lost in the weeds.”
Braddock nodded. “Could very well be, son.” He frowned. “We need to follow the evidence, wherever it leads. I’ll get you the autopsy report. You look it over, tell me what you think.”
Everett felt eyeballs burning into the back of his head. He could feel Lawrence, feel the weight of his presence.
He didn’t turn around. He didn’t look.
“Dan, form up a posse. I’m deputizing you and anyone who rides with you,” Braddock said. “Get your boys to sweep the Crazies. Go through the public lands and round up any squatters, any rustlers, any drug runners. You find ‘em, you bring ‘em in,aliveif you can. We’ll draw a noose around these mountains and strangle anyone hidin’ inside.” Braddock glared in Lawrence’s direction. “Law, you and your hands wanna ride in the posse?”
