Page 30 of A Song for the Dead

“Thanks for the offer, Jo. That’s very kind of you, but we have a rule to keep him safe.” Kane raised both eyebrows. “As Jenna is the sheriff and we deal with a ton of crazy people, Tauri must only go with us, Nanny Raya, or Blackhawk.”

“I understand completely.” Jo smiled. “I have the same arrangement with Jaime. It’s the safest thing to do. Just keep it to a few people who are close to him.”

Jenna’s phone chimed. It was Rowley.

“We’ve found nothing. Maggie called. She’s snowed under at the office. Do you mind if we call it a day and head back there now?”He cleared his throat.“After we grab a bite to eat.”

Jenna brought him up to date. “Yeah, head back to the office. Clear the backlog and then take a closer look at the footage from the drones just in case you missed something.” She sighed. “He’s burying the bodies somewhere at Bear Peak. That place means something to him. Maybe it’s because it’s a serial killer’s dumping ground. Who knows. Make a note of anyone you saw in the forest and any vehicles.”

“Yes, ma’am.”Rowley disconnected.

THIRTY-SIX

They reached the meeting point early and Kane took out their weapons, stripped them down, and checked them. He slid his M18 pistol into the holster on his hip. He liked to draw Old Western-style, although he could draw fast from just about any position. It was comfortable to have his gun at his fingertips. Rowley had taken to wearing his weapon the same, but his favorite weapon was a six-shooter and, of course, his crossbow. Kane stripped one of the rifles and reassembled it, checked the load, and handed it to Jenna. He wouldn’t carry his sniper rifle into the forest unless he had a specific target in mind. He checked the backpacks. Although they all contained the same kit, he liked to make sure. Bear spray, extra ammo, water, and he added the sandwiches and coffee from Aunt Betty’s. He glanced around at Duke, rolling legs up in the damp leaves, tongue lolling in bliss. He smiled to himself. Duke loved a romp through the forest and spent most of his time nose down and sniffing everything along the way.

“There’s Atohi now. He’s driving the horse trailer.” Jenna looked at him surprised. “I figured we’d be hiking.”

Kane straightened. “It would be faster on horseback, especially if he knows a few shortcuts. We can only go so deep along the trails in the Beast.” He shut the back door and locked it. Not that anyone could steal the Beast. If they tried, they’d be trapped inside, and with bulletproof windows, there was no way out unless he opened the truck for them. He dropped the backpacks at Jenna’s feet. “I’ll go and help him unload the horses.”

“Afternoon.” Blackhawk jumped down from the truck, rifle in hand, and bent to rub Duke’s ears as the dog did his happy dance at seeing him. “I hope you don’t mind riding out to Twisted Limbs Trail. My horses needed the exercise. Working with Wolfe gives me no time to ride and they spend all day in the corral.” He straightened and rested his rifle against the wheel and then pulled out a backpack. “This man we seek, is he a suspect?”

Kane took the backpack and his rifle and handed them to Jenna. “Not yet, we just have a gut feeling something isn’t right about him, so we’re checking him out. He might be a straight shooter, but we need to eliminate him if he is.”

“That’s good to know.” Blackhawk frowned. “With all of us here, if something bad happened, there’s no one to care for Tauri.”

“Ah, but there is.” Jenna smiled at him. “Your mom asked to be a contact in the event anything happened, and we added her to the list. She’s family too, and you’re cousins. Don’t forget, Wolfe would step in in a second as well, as would Rowley. Don’t worry, we’ve thought of everything. Tauri isn’t alone in this world. He has a family.”

“Okay.” Blackhawk nodded slowly as if mulling over her words. “I’ll unload the horses. They’re a little frisky but not dangerous.”

Amused, Kane followed him to the back of the trailer. Blackhawk gentled his horses and they’d never known mistreatment. It would be unusual to find one of his horses mean-spirited. He had plans with him for a pony for Tauri. As they unloaded the horses, he turned to Blackhawk. “Have you chosen a pony for Tauri?”

“He is little now but will grow fast. Each time I see him he gets taller.” Blackhawk led a mare to Jenna and offered his cupped hands for her to mount. He turned back to Kane. “I was thinking a horse might be a better option. I have a gentle Appaloosa mare coming along. Has he ridden with you yet?”

Kane led Moon Dancer down the ramp and nodded. “Yeah, in front of my saddle. I gave him a few rides on Anna’s pony, but when Wolfe comes by for a visit, his daughter is going to want to ride him. I have explained to Tauri that the pony doesn’t belong to us.”

“You should keep riding with him on Warrior so he is used to the height and the way a horse moves. Come spring, after the melt, he’ll be ready and so will the mare.” Blackhawk led his own horse from the trailer, slid the rifle into the saddle holster, and pulled on his backpack.

After handing Jenna the rifle, Kane shrugged into his backpack and mounted Moon Dancer. The horse sidestepped and threw up its head. “Easy, boy, easy.” He turned the horse around in circles until he settled. “A nice amble through the forest will make you feel much better.”

“Do you know where Twisted Limbs Trail is located? Rowley found what he believed was the correct path and found nothing.” Jenna turned in her saddle as Blackhawk rode to her side.

“Yeah, it’s broken by a dry riverbed, and at this time of the year it’s fine, but heavy rain or the melt would make the trail unpassable.” Blackhawk took the lead. “I know a shortcut through the trees. Follow me.”

A cool breeze from the mountain forest brushed Kane’s cheeks. He scanned ahead, peering into the shafts of sunlight and deep shadows. Fall had changed the vegetation from green to every shade of brown and yellow. The pines had lost their sprigs of bright green new needles and pinecones hung heavy from the branches and tumbled all through the forest. Inhaling the pine-scented air, Kane moved close behind Jenna and alongside him Duke trotted along having the time of his life. The easy going would be good for him and the horses. They traveled west, moving through the dense forest with no recognizable path. It was as if Blackhawk was using special skills to keep them in the right direction. When they emerged on a dirt track, Kane rode up beside him. “I’m pretty good navigating the forest but that was amazing.”

“Ha.” Blackhawk wiggled his satellite phone and grinned. “A good tracker never leaves home without GPS. I plotted the shortcut earlier. I did know the location of Twisted Limbs Trail, but there’s always a shortcut through the forest.”

“And there’s a cabin.” Jenna pointed farther along the trail. “There’s smoke coming from the chimney. Someone must be home.”

Scanning the trail, Kane searched for signboards. By law, they couldn’t walk onto any property posted withkeep outortrespassers will be shotwithout the risk of being shot legally. In these cases, they’d call out or sound their horn if they were in his truck. He rode a short way in both directions and then returned to Jenna and Blackhawk, and shrugged. “It’s not posted. Maybe it’s an old hunter’s cabin and he’s just made himself at home?”

“I figure we call out anyhow.” Jenna met his gaze. “It would be the sensible thing to do. No way I’m just marching up to the front door and hoping for the best.”

Nodding in agreement, he looked at Blackhawk. “If we blend into the forest and Jenna calls out, if he believes she’s alone, he might come out onto the porch.” He looked at her. “Give me the rifle and I’ll have it trained on the door, just in case.” He smiled at her. “Trust me.”

“Always.” Jenna waited for them to hide and approached the house.

Kane dismounted and moved through the trees. He had a good view of the front door of the cabin and Jenna had placed her horse between two trees, making a direct shot from the occupant difficult. He held his breath as she called out. Moments later the door opened and a man stepped out onto the porch. Seeing he was unarmed, Kane relaxed and waited behind a tree.

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