Chapter 13

In the morning Ron and Brenda got up and Ron found a loaf of homemade bread and he and Brenda ate bread and jam for breakfast. Brenda washed the sheets and hung them out on the clothesline next to the cabin. Ron assembled their gear for the trip back home and searched for the bolt that he had removed from the rudder of the Cessna. They were sitting on the bench in front of the cabin when John Priest came walking his horse up the gravel road. He waved as he neared them.

"They're going to send a helicopter for you as soon as the fog lifts in Anchorage," John said as he tied his horse to a pole in front of the cabin. "I told them to let Howell know that you two were alright."

"I guess you'll be $100,000 richer soon," Ron told John.

John shook his head, "What would a wilderness preacher do with that much money. You could buy me one of those Casio portable organs though. It has to be portable so that I can take it to Valdez with me in the winter. It would be nice to have music at our services. The parish isn't real big but we have some campers in the summer and there are several cabins in the area. Mostly people who can't stand being crowded like down south."

Ron chuckled at the thought of the State of Washington being considered a southern state.

"I'm going to make sure that you get that money," Ron said, "If you can't use it, use it to help the others around here.

Ron told John about their troubles the past few days and told him about killing the two Bower brothers.

John shook his head; "I sent a bullet over their heads a month ago. They were trying to steal my horse. I think they wanted to eat it. I know the State Police were here looking for them for a while. I don't know what for."

Ron pulled the wanted posters out of his jacket and handed them to John.

"Nasty fellows, huh," he grunted. He handed the papers back to Ron.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you," John said, "You folks make out ok by yourselves?"

Ron and Brenda both grinned and John started to grin too. He got up and untied his horse and took it to the barn. John fed the horse and cleaned out the stall. Ron brought fresh water to the barn for the horse.

"I guess the police will ask you about those Bower brothers," John stated. "I wouldn't worry too much about it, I got the impression that the police didn't like them too much either. They seemed real anxious to catch them."

As they were returning from the barn they heard a helicopter approaching the cabin. The helicopter circled the cabin once and set down in the clearing. The pilot and co-pilot were both policemen and asked Ron and Brenda a few questions about their experiences since the crash. Ron knew that they would not like the idea of him having guns with them so he told them about the rifle and pistol. Ron had given the Bower brothers rifles to John Priest. The policemen took the guns and put them in the helicopter where Ron and Brenda could not reach them. After loading the gear Ron and Brenda said goodbye to John and boarded the helicopter for the flight to Anchorage.

The helicopter ride to Anchorage was uneventful and Ron and Brenda held hands all of the way. When the helicopter landed at Anchorage several people were waiting for them, as Ron knew they would be. Brenda and Ron were put in separate cars and driven to the police station. They were put in separate rooms and different policemen questioned both. Ron was surprised when a man he thought was a detective identified himself as FBI.