Page 31 of Let Her Live

Jake held up a hand. He needed those boys out of here now before Henry lost his temper. Plus, he couldn't talk to Henry until they screwed off. And considering how volatile Henry was seeming—he was definitely the man Jake wanted to talk to.

"Take your tent down and get out," Jake said to the boys. "And you'll be on your way."

"Fine," the boys said.

Henry waved his hand, clearly disgruntled.

"Get the hell out of my sight," Henry said to the boys. "I don't care what the hell you do, just get out of here!"

The young men glared at Jake and Fiona for a moment before grabbing their gear and their tent and disappearing back into the woods. Jake sighed, turning to face Henry.

"You seemed like you were getting quite aggressive with them," Jake commented.

Henry waved his hand again. "They're just stupid kids. I've dealt with them before. Now what's this all about? I don't typically see FBI personnel around here."

Jake exchanged a look with Fiona. He'd cut to the chase soon, but first, he wanted to feel Henry out a bit, get a general idea of his attitude. "I'm Agent Jake Tucker, and this is Fiona Red. We're new around here, and are getting a good feel of the area."

Henry didn't seem to buy it, raising an eyebrow. "That so? Well what can I help you with?"

"Well, we heard about some issues involving trophy hunting on conservation land," Jake said.

Instantly, Henry's face reddened. "So, the news has spread about that, huh?"

Jake nodded, noticing the sudden change in Henry's demeanor. He seemed anxious as though he knew more than he was letting on.

"That it has," Jake said. "We're just trying to get a sense of what's going on around here."

Henry hesitated before finally nodding. "Alright, I suppose I can talk to you about it. But let's take a walk. I don't want to be standing around here all day."

Jake agreed, and they began walking through the forest. Fiona followed closely behind, her eyes scanning the area for any sign of danger.

"So, what do you know about trophy hunting?" Henry asked after a few minutes of silence.

Jake cleared his throat. "We know that it's been happening in this area, and we want to put a stop to it."

Henry scoffed. "Good luck with that. They've been hunting out here for years, and I doubt they're going to stop now. I even..." Henry shook his head. "Doesn't matter now."

"What is it?" Jake pressed. For a moment there, it almost seemed like Henry was about to confess his past.

"Well, I tried to make some of them pay, and it didn't go well for me," Henry explained. "Been trying to keep myself low key since, but those boys trespassing got me real mad."

"Make them pay how?" Fiona asked, exchanging a look with Jake.

Henry stopped, frowning. "What are you folks really here for?"

Jake glanced at Fiona again, who nodded. There was no sense in delaying it any further, but they needed a better place to talk than this.

"Why don't we talk somewhere more private?" Jake asked.

Henry looked at them skeptically before nodding. "I suppose I have nothing better to do at the moment. We can talk in my office."

***

Henry had come willingly, but that didn't shake Jake's skepticism of him.

Back in Henry's office, he cleared his throat as Jake and Fiona sat across from him. Unlike the rest of the building, there was no taxidermy in Henry's office—just paintings of animals and wildlife and nature hanging on the walls.

"You don't keep any taxidermy in here," Jake noted.

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