"That man is insane," the captain declared to any who were listening.
"Captain, we'd like to make out departure here," Kid said. "We're chasing that insane man down, unfortunately."
"And how do you expect to do that? Surely you're not going to jump in after him?"
"We'd like to use one of your rowboats," Kid said.
"This is highly unusual, but I suppose for a price that can be arranged."
This was turning out to be an expensive venture, Ruth couldn't help thinking, but enough money had been taken that it still made it all worth it.
After retrieving their things and paying the captain, they were soon rowing their way to shore. More than one of the crew members had been watching Abbot's fate and had seen him survive his swim and disappear into the woods.
Ruth looked away from Kid, trying not to notice the way his muscles rippled as he rowed the boat, but her eyes occasionally darted in that direction, She hoped he didn't notice.
"You should have stayed on the Viola," Kid told her after they'd reached land and began their pursuit on foot.
"Then why didn't you say anything to me?"
"Because I know it would have been a waste of breath."
She grinned. He was absolutely right and some part of her delighted in the fact that he was reading her so well. Though if any part of her character came across to people it was probably her stubbornness and was nothing to take special note of.
Kid was an excellent tracker. He knew which way to go based on trampled growth, snapped twigs or scattered leaves though sometimes it was a trick in finding those things.
She tried to move quickly, but she was probably slowing him down. It wasn't easy following someone in the woods when you had a skirt that kept snagging on things, and it wasn't the best for a fast pace in the best of circumstances. Not to mention, Kid's strides were longer than hers, and she could see he was visibly shortening them for her sake.
They stopped only when necessary, once to eat more hardtack and whenever nature or fatigue required it. But when evening came, they still hadn't caught up with Abbot, and to make matters worse, a gentle rain began to fall that slowly picked up speed until it was pelting their skin and clothes instead.
They start seeking shelter over Abbot, which wasn't any easier to find, but they happily stumbled on a clearing and a cabin.
"Maybe he's hiding in there," she said, pointing to the log structure. "And if he's not, at least we'll be out of the rain for a while."
"He would've been looking for somewhere to get himself out of the rain," Kid agreed. "There's a good chance."
The cabin turned out to be a jail and the inside looked abandoned. There was a desk and chair on the outside and inside the cell there was only a cot and blanket. There weren't many places to hide, but the blanket had been suspiciously draped to hide what was underneath it.
Kid went inside first and Ruth stayed right behind him. She had the strange feeling they weren't alone, and she didn't mean in a spiritual sense.
They heard the rusty creak first before metal door slammed shut.
Whipping around, they discovered their adversary, who stood grinning at them in triumph. He must have been hiding under the desk.
Kid shook the bars. Despite the obvious disuse of the place, the construction was still solid.
"I'd like to see you all try to follow me now," he said clearly pleased with himself.
"You have to let us out," Ruth begged. "We might starve in here and then you'd add murder to your list of crimes."
He took the key that was hanging off the hook and pocketed it. "That's a chance I'll have to take, but you all seem like resourceful people to me. " He left on that note with the keys and the ever elusive mission money.
"Okay, I was upset before, but now I want to see him behind bars," Sister Ruth said angrily. "It'd be much easier to forgive him if he were the one locked up."
"We walked into this one. Literally." He tried the barred window. It felt as sturdy as the door. They were well and truly trapped.
"I feel like it's my fault again."
"It's not. I fell for it just as easily."
"Well, if there's a jail, there must be a sheriff. Someone'll be along to free us directly." Even she could hear the unsurety in her own voice. A jail didn't guarantee a sheriff, and it didn't allow that another one might have been built since this one, especially given that they appeared to be out in the middle of nowhere.
