Chapter 6

I got up the next morning with the false dawn. As I stretched out, Shadow watched me. We had been going through this routine for years. After starting my coffee, I stepped out of the camper. Shadow followed like a shot and ran off to take care of his morning business. I followed along at my own pace, using the vault toilet.

As I came out, I noticed Lucy at my remuda corral, watching Margarite and Jughead. She was dressed in sweats. It looked like we had interrupted her morning jog. As I walked up, she exclaimed: “That is a beautiful horse, Mr. Reynolds.”

“Thanks, Ms. Rutledge. Here give this to her.” I pulled out butterscotch and showed her how to feed Margarite. As we talked, I got a cup of coffee for both of us. “Tell me, Ms. Rutledge, how did you end up out here, in the middle of nowhere?”

“I grew up in Chicago, Mr. Reynolds. The only trees or animals were in parks and zoos. Then in high school, I saw an earth day presentation. That’s when I decided to go into forestry.”

“And you’ve interned up here for two years? You must like the area.”

“Yes, it’s quiet, and Mr. Wilcox is teaching me all about the forest.”

“That’s interesting, from what the sheriff told me, he seems to be a bit out of place around here.”

“He’s a busy man with a lot of responsibilities. But I’m sure you already knew that.”

“What do you mean? I just met him yesterday.”

“Oh, I thought that you knew each other. I remember seeing your name on an appointment reminder for Mr. Wilcox.”

“When was this?”

“Last year, right after Mr. Wilcox found the body.”

When she mentioned Percy finding a body, I thought I might find out more about Jake’s murder. “Body, what body?” I asked.

“There was an old hermit that had been killed in a hunting accident. Mr. Wilcox was on an inspection tour when he found him.”

“Really, what happened?”

“Well, there were a lot of law enforcement people around. Mainly because it happened on federal land. About a week later, I saw the appointment slip with your name on it. I thought that you might have been army buddies. Mr. Wilcox was in Vietnam.”

I chuckled, thinking about youth and their concept of time. “No, Vietnam was a bit before my time. My war was more recent.”

“Maybe you knew each other in Washington. Mr. Wilcox used to work there.”

Confused, I asked, “Where in Washington, the only time I was there was to visit my ex-wife, in Seattle. That was a long time ago.”

“Not Washington state, Washington DC. Mr. Wilcox worked for the justice department.”

“Well, that pretty much chinches it. The closest I’ve been to DC was Fort Bragg. And to tell you the truth, even that was probably too close.”

“What did you do after the army?” She asked.

“Mostly, I’ve been moving from place to place. I guess you could say I was trying to find a home.”

“That sounds exciting.”

“Not really, after a while it gets boring. That’s why I said I was looking for a home.”

“That shouldn’t be too hard. Just pick a place and settle down.”

“Well, if I didn’t care about where I was, you would be right. But just anyplace wouldn’t work. I don’t care for big cities and crowded spaces. But at the same time, I would like to be near people.”

“Is that why you’re up here?”

“No, that old hermit that you mentioned was an old friend of mine. He left me his property in his will. I came here to check it out.”

“So, you plan on staying here?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I guess it all depends on what I find.”

As I finished my coffee, I glanced to the east and realized that it was about dawn. “Ms. Rutledge, I’ve bent your ear for way too long. I’m sure that you’ve got better things to do than listen to a broken-down old cowboy.” As she tried to sputter a denial, I continued, “I need to get rigged up for the trail. I’ve still got a good days traveling ahead. When I come back, we can talk some more.”

As Lucy walked away, she looked back several times. I had the feeling that she had even more questions. Then it dawned on me. I had never mentioned being in the army. Now I had some unanswered questions of my own.