by lake, e a
Howard focused on his boss, his face tense and head shaking slightly. “Not now.”
“You didn’t tell them?” Willem demanded.
“Not, now, Willem.” Howard’s quiet, yet terse, words cut through the otherwise silent dining room like a cannon shot.
“I thought honesty was a virtue.” Willem wiped his mouth, rising from his chair. “Willow, Shawna.” He directed his attention at the young pair. “I’m afraid I have bad news. Your mother has passed away.”
“Damn it, Willem,” Howard shouted.
“Howard, I will not lie to my family.” Willem straightened, hearing Willow’s fork fall to her plate, as she cried out loudly. One of the handmaidens spirited Shawna away quickly as Willow reached for her knife and tore around the table at her tormentor. Howard jumped from his seat as she ran behind him, grabbing her around the waist. Two armed guards stepped into the dining room, hearing the commotion.
Willem shook off the approaching men. “I didn’t kill her,” he stated for Willow’s benefit. “She died when she fell from the wagon, on the way to the Salt Flats. I’m sorry,” he added, trying to be as heartfelt as possible.
“Why was she going there?” Willow asked between sobs, not understanding his words.
“She was on her way to help Grandma and Grandpa. That’s where all the old and feeble are now. Well, some of them now.” He paused, stroking hair from her face. “It seems we may have underestimated how much food and water we left behind. As I understand it, some of the poor people haven’t fared very well. Something about starvation, I’ve been told.”
Suzanne was on him quickly, her chair striking the floor as she rose to help Willow. “You bastard. How could you?” she screamed, clutching the teen tightly.
Willem straightened and then leaned into Suzanne’s face. “I said I didn’t kill her. As for the old folks, I don’t care. It was good enough for my mother and other friends to die in the desert, it’s good enough for them.” Grabbing her by the hair, his voice rose further. “I didn’t start this. I didn’t banish my family – my friends – to the arid wilderness. That was Talbot Bond and your families.”
Howard stepped between the pair, causing Willem to release Suzanne’s hair.
“I’ve exacted my revenge on everyone now but Talbot Bond. And his will be the sweetest of all,” Willem chortled.
Howard signaled for the remaining helpers to take the wives and their siblings, clutched tightly to them now, back to their rooms. As they left, he turned to his boss. “Why?” he shouted. “Why Willem? We don’t have to do this to those children. Nothing says you have to hurt them so bad that they want to die.” Walking away, he pulled at his own shaggy hair. “Use your damned head, man.”
Willem stood motionless, unreceptive to Howard’s advice. “All of our people die, and we’re the bad ones. Some of their people die, and we’re the bad ones. Does that make sense to you, Howard?”
Howard spun, his face soured with rage.
Willem scoffed at his second-in-command. “Soon, very soon Howard, there will be none left from that day but you and I. And when the rest are gone, what we say is truth. Get used to it, man. It’s coming soon.”
The sound of feet slapping in the hall alerted the pair, halting their discussion. One of the sentries sprinted into the massive dining hall. Scanning the room, he smiled Willem’s direction. “Riders, sir,” he spit out between gasps. “They found the camp. They got Bond surrounded.”
Willem grinned, raising his eyebrows in Howard’s direction. “Get a good night’s sleep, my friend. We ride at dawn.”
CHAPTER FORTY
Cara and Betsi jumped as Steven entered the shack. Cradled in his arms, they noticed Rose, sound asleep. The campfire, singing and dancing, had taken its toll on the four-year-old. Cara rose to take the child from her husband.
“All tuckered out?” she asked.
Steven nodded. “Yeah. She had a lot of fun with those Bosworth kids. They kept her entertained all night.” Softly grabbing a shoulder, he stopped her. “Everything okay?” Cara answered with a sad smile, one that showed him everything would eventually be all right.
He turned to Betsi. “Are you okay?” She nodded as she stood.
“Yes, fine, thank you,” she answered, moving toward the door. “I should go check and make sure Jeremy is set. He has a way of not taking care of himself very well.”
As she opened the heavy solid wood door, a figure waited outside, his hand held above his shoulder as if he were about to knock.
“Um, excuse me ma’am. I was just looking for Steven and Cara,” he stammered.
“What is it, Harley?” Steven asked, appearing in the doorway next to Betsi.
The news bearer shifted nervously. Twitching his head to the outside, he whispered past the stranger. “I think you and Cara need to come out here, boss.”
Steven considered his request. “When Cara gets Rosie all tucked in, we’ll be out.”
Harley stroked his face, and then pulled on his lips, all the while staring toward the main gate. “I think you need to come right away, Steven,” he answered. “We got a problem out front.”
After splitting into four separate units, Andy had each group split once more as they encircled and cautiously approached the camp. Finding no spies creeping about in the woods, Andy passed the order to close ranks. “Tighten the noose,” he grinned as he recalled his exact words.
A mere 50 yards from the wooden enclosure, hidden by nightfall, Andy passed the word for the torches to light up. That should – more likely would – be the first sign to the camp’s occupants they were entirely and completely surrounded.
Watching the individual fires come to life in the early evening darkness, Andy grinned. “Perfect, Freddy,” he called back to his friend. “We got ‘em now. Nowhere to run.”
Melinda rode up quickly to report her progress. “Circle is complete. No one in, no one out without us knowing about it.” She spun several times atop her scared steed. Something about the torch fire, bending and curling into the night sky, caused the animal anxiety. “Want us to tighten up a little more?”
Andy rose in his saddle, standing in his stirrups, surveying their circle. Searching far to his right, his lips tightened. “I think we need to shore up the south side there a bit, lieutenant. Looks a little open to me.”
Landry’s head spun that direction. “I think it’s just that little ridge over there, Andy. Makes it look that way.” Pulling her horse even with his, she awaited further instructions. Hearing none, she rubbed her forehead. “I can ride down there and double-check it if you want me to?”
Andy shot Freddy a quick grin before turning his leer to Melinda. “Yeah, why don’t you do that. Maybe they don’t have enough torches over there. Ever think of that?”
Landry had already spun her horse to the south, trotting away when she heard his criticism. Turning the steed, she shook her head at the younger Tarlisch. “You said one torch for every third person. Unless they’re lined up wrong, it’s probably just the hill.” Spurring her horse away, one last dig shot in Andy’s direction. “Of course, they were part of your half. So I suppose they could be all messed up.” Laughing, she rode into the darkness.
Andy drew his sidearm and pointed it in the blonde’s direction. “Some day bitch, some day, I’m gonna pop this safety off, and we’ll see how smart you are then.” Slowly, he lowered and holstered the gun.
Freddy snapped Andy out of his devious daydream. “You want to ride up to the gate and talk to the leader?”
His attention returning to the task at hand, Andy glared at the simple four-foot opening these mountain folks considered a gate. “Nah, we’ll wait for Landry to get back. Will said I needed to include her in all this stuff.” He chuckled toward his friend. “We’ll see if she’s useful at any of this. I can give Will a better report that way.”
Peeking back at his silent riding mate, Andy saw Freddy’s intense stare focused on the camp. “Ain’t much of a place, is it Freddy?” He
grinned seeing Freddy’s headshake.
“Not sure I’d want to live in a place this small, and remote, and…what’s the word? Oh yeah, rustic,” Freddy answered. “Probably beats the desert, but not by much, though.”
Focusing on the gate, Andy shrugged. “Anything beats the desert, Freddy,” he whispered. “Hell, this place looks like the promise land compared to where we were.”
Andy and Landry led their horses forward on a walk. Directly behind them, Freddy Wilson’s watchful eyes kept guard for any danger that might appear from the darkness. He and Andy had agreed they’d come too far to screw this up now.
Stopping mere feet from the opening, the three riders dismounted. Standing just inside the gate, five adults waited with crossed arms and frowns.
“I need to speak with the camp leader,” Andy announced.
Cara stepped forward, arms still crossed. “That would be me.”
Andy laughed, glancing back at his team. Grins covered their faces. “I asked for the leader, not his teenaged daughter,” Andy chortled. “I got important business to discuss.”
“You have explaining to do, young man,” Cara shot back. “Who do you think you are, encircling our camp without any announced cause?” Cara’s eyes rested on Andy, and Andy alone.
He grinned at the petite form claiming to be the leader. “Don’t need cause, lady. We have a big force here, all armed. We outnumber you at least three to one. That’s my cause.”
“And who exactly are you?” she asked in a tone that could not be mistaken for anything but hostile.
Andy laughed again, shaking his head slowly at her.
Before he could answer, a new voice rang out from the darkness. “Andy Tarlisch. The youngest and most useless of the Tarlisch kids.” Cara spun to see the speaker move forward from her rear. Steven stepped into the light. “A stain on what otherwise has always been a fairly decent family. Except for his cousin Willem, of course.”
Andy approached Steven, studying him from head to toe and back again. Cara tried to intercept the invader but received a shove from him. “Careful how you talk, old man. This pistol of mine has a habit of going off when I get my feelings hurt.” Leaning forward, he looked up at the slightly taller and much older man. “Or when my cousin gets insulted.”
The axe in his right hand slapped against his left open palm as Steven grinned at the youth. “You touch her again, I’ll bury this axe so deep in your skull they’ll have to pull it out from the back end.”
Andy roared with delight. “You do that, Freddy here will kill you faster than a jackrabbit. See how that ends up.”
Steven’s eyes glared deep into Andy’s soul, causing him to take a slight step back toward his group. “I guess we’ll be able to keep each other company then – in hell.”
Sensing a new direction was needed, Cara stepped between the men. “You,” she said poking at Andy’s chest, “need to back those men up. They’re scaring our children. Whatever you think you may want, it can wait until morning. And we can act civilized about this.”
Andy stared at his team. “We ain’t moving, lady. I got my orders, and I know what you’re up to. You ain’t sneaking no one out for help on my guard.” Finally turning to face Cara, Andy’s face lightened. “Speaking of guard, Melinda here took care of the nearest unit earlier.” His gaze intensified. “Six riders, six dead. No one’s coming to the rescue that means. Even if they sent half a dozen units, we’d still have them outnumbered, just like you.”
Cara glanced back at the assembly to see if someone, anyone had something to add. Seeing their tight expressions, she knew she was alone. “What exactly is it that you’re after?” she asked.
Andy and his team mounted their horses. High above, he looked down on Cara, smirking at her. “Come morning, my cousin will be here. He’ll tell you what he’s looking for.”
Landry and Freddy turned their horses back at the circle of fire. Andy leaned forward one last time. “I just wanted to make sure you understood something, lady. We’re out here; you or anyone else aren’t going anywhere.”
Turning his horse, Andy rode back with the others. Cara listened as someone approached from behind. An arm extended through hers, taking a soft grip on her forearm. “So you’ve met Andy,” Betsi stated. “He doesn’t like anybody except that monster that rides next to him at all times.”
Cara squeezed Betsi’s arm reassuringly. “Who was that woman with them?”
Leaning against the side of the opening, Steven looked her way. “Don’t know her. I remember Andy and Freddy from when they were younger. Andy is the youngest, with three older sisters that doted on him day and night. I see he still thinks he’s pretty special.” Rubbing his grey beard, Steven watched the trio join their ranks. “But the girl, she’s a real problem. You see the way she carries her pistol? See her face, her eyes?”
Steven paused causing the two women to stare his direction. Sighing, he completed his thoughts. “She’s a killer. She’s killed before, and she’ll kill again. I can’t tell you exactly how I know that, but I’m pretty sure I’m right.” Turning, he glanced at the assembly, then back at his wife. “Damn sure actually.” Slowly, Steven made his way away from the group.
Cara felt Betsi’s trembling hand tighten its grip on her arm. Only when she looked down did she notice her own shaking legs. Remembering Betsi’s warnings, she realized how badly this might turn out.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
The fire burned bright just inside the now smaller front gate. Rocking forward and back on a log, Cara stared at the flames like an answer to her worries might leap out at any time. Next to her, Chet Carlson poked at the bed of glowing embers, mostly for something to do it seemed. The fire was fine all on its own.
Betsi returned and sat next to her friend, taking her small hand in her own.
“Is Jeremy comfortable?” Cara asked. Betsi’s only reply was a small nod.
A long silence followed, an uncomfortable silence that made each harmless noise around them sound like a gunshot. Finally, Chet cleared his throat to gain the others’ attention.
“Willem Tarlisch will be looking for Talbot Bond come morning. That much we know.” Chet rubbed his hands near the flames to keep the cool night air from invading his dry skin. “I think we’re all straight on our story. Some will say he claimed to be headed to Wyoming. Others will say they were sure he said Colorado. Or maybe Montana.” He shrugged, playing again with the fire. “No matter what, that should keep him busy for a while. Get him out of our hair at least.”
Cara turned to Betsi. “Do you think that will work?” she asked.
Staring into the dark night sky, perhaps focused more on the thousands of stars above more than anything else, Betsi appeared to be a non-believer. “Willem’s very intelligent. He can see through tricks. I’ve seen it so many times. I’m not sure your answers will satisfy his need for revenge. I wish I could say they will, but I just don’t know.”
Steven approached through the darkness. “Willem Tarlisch has no moral compass, that’s the problem.” Noticing Betsi’s shocked expression, he tipped his head slightly. “I mean, no offense, Ms. Albrecht, but I know this for a fact.”
Shaking away any offense, Betsi patted the log next to her and Steven sat. “Please call me Betsi, Mr. Wake.” Shyly, she grinned through her bangs at him. “And then, perhaps, I’ll call you Steven.”
With a courteous nod to Betsi, Steven turned his attention to Cara and Chet. “Willem is a very intelligent young man. Betsi is correct on that point. When he was still in high school, the boy scored perfect on those college prep tests that everyone took back then. And from what I remember of him, he has a lot of common sense to go along with that intelligence.”
“His father always considered him too much of a know-it-all, you realize,” Betsi added.
Steven smiled at the comment, his eyes, too, focused on the dancing flames. “Yeah, Henry always yelled at Willem. Had his nose glued to some book most of the time. He always wondered why Willem w
asn’t more of a worker, like Virgil. I think Willem just found all that manual labor in farming too much of a bore. He had his sights set on bigger and better things for his clan.”
“And now that reign has begun,” Chet snorted. “And here we sit with our thumbs up our butts waiting for the devil himself to show his face. Bad planning people, bad planning.”
Cara rolled her eyes, looking away from the flames momentarily. “We didn’t anticipate any of this, Chet. How could we?”
Chet shrugged her way and concentrated on his stirring again.
“I’m not sure this plan is going to work,” Betsi murmured. “Not at all, I’m afraid. Willem will see through it. And there’s no telling how he will react when he finds out my father is dead.”
“Well, we’re going to have to do our best to convince him Bond left,” Steven finished. “Then we won’t have to deal with any of his shenanigans that way.”
Betsi shook noticeably, like a dog removing water from its coat. Cara looked at her friend. “Are you cold?” she asked. A single shake of her blonde hair was Betsi’s only response.
Cara turned to her husband. “Is Rosie sleeping?”
He stared at her, seemingly surprised by her question. “Of course she’s sleeping. I wouldn’t leave her alone in there still awake. She’d tear the place apart.” Chet shared a brief chuckle with him.
Leaning forward, Cara became more serious. “What do you mean alone? Isn’t Joshua in there with her?”
Steven glanced away momentarily and then back at her. “No.”
“Well, he needs to be,” Cara snipped. “If he’s hanging out with Calvin, he needs to go be with his sister. Please take care of that, Steven.”
Frozen in place, he stared at his wife. Rubbing his palms gently against one another, she saw his mouth twitch before he replied. “They’re not in camp. He’s out with the six others grabbing another pile of wood. Me and Harley sent them out after a quick dinner.”
