LOST AND FOUND - PART III
THE HUNT
Chapter 26
They picked up the two men's trail quickly and Mike, an expert tracker, took the lead. An hour later he stopped and dismounted to examine the trail then he looked up at Adam.
"We're getting close to them and they're getting close to those hills," he said as he nodded toward the foothills rising directly to their east.
"Where do you think they'll go in?" Adam asked.
"They'll probably head right for that cleft almost in the center so they can get up into those rocks to ambush us."
Adam reached into his saddlebag and removed something none of them had ever seen before. He lifted what looked like two small spyglasses fastened together to his eyes and began to survey the hills. In a moment he smiled.
"Right on the money, Mike, there they are behind the largest outcropping just to the right of center."
"What are those?" Joe said.
"They're called prism binoculars, a new invention, and you wouldn't believe how far you can see with them," his older brother said and handed them over.
Joe took a quick look and the three deputies each had their turn so they would know where the two men were dug in.
Once the new contraption was safely back in Adam's saddlebag he said, "We'll split up here and go around and above them on either side." He turned to his three deputies. "You three go to the left, Joe and I will go to the right and we'll meet directly above them."
His eyes narrowed with cold anger as he looked from man to man. "I want them taken alive," he said in a voice that left no room for argument. Then he turned away to urge his horse northeast with Joe quickly following.
The three deputies glanced at each other after Mike swung up into the saddle. All three felt they had a pretty good idea why Adam wanted them taken alive and none of them were happy with what they assumed he planned to do with them. They urged their horses southeast, each one thinking they would just have to deal with that problem when they were faced with it.
Adam and Joe reached the meeting place directly over the two men first. They were close enough to see the two men clearly and they settled in to wait for the deputies. But half-an-hour went by and they still waited. Then an hour went by and no sign of them. Adam carefully raised his head over the outcropping they were hiding behind then pulled back and turned to his brother who had his head cocked to the side, as though listening for something.
"They're getting restless and probably ready to move on. We're going to have to try and take them ourselves." He looked at Joe and waved a hand in front of his eyes. The younger man blinked and he focused on Adam.
"I need you to be with me on this, don't let your mind wander again."
Joe nodded, "Do you want to split up and go down either side?"
Adam considered this for a moment then shook his head. "I think it would be best if we stayed together, it's too risky to split up again."
He motioned for Joe to follow and carefully started down, angling away from the other two men so they wouldn't hear their approach. When they were directly opposite their quarry they turned and started in, staying low and slipping from one hiding place to another. Soon they were behind a large rock and when Adam took a quick look around the side he could see the lawyer standing with his back toward them, facing a sheer rock face. Trying not to laugh, he turned to Joe and whispered, "Stonehouse is answering the call of nature, but I don't see the blonde anywhere."
Joe grinned as his older brother took another look. "No, I don't see the other man. You go around the other side of this boulder but stay back to cover me," Adam said and stepped out to move silently toward the man still facing the rock.
The other man had finished his business and was just turning around when Adam quietly said, "Don't move Stonehouse."
The lawyer jumped and spun around, his eyes going directly to the gun he had set down on a rock that was too far away to be reached. His eyes went round with terror and his face even whiter as he stared at the man he had tried to murder twice.
Adam's eyes narrowed and he smiled coldly as he slowly moved to the side to place his gun next to the lawyer's. "Just want to make this fair," he said as he came back to stand opposite the other man. "Make your move," he said and stepped toward the lawyer. Then he laughed as the other man pulled a knife.
"Still have to cheat, even when the odds are even, do you?" Adam said in a harsh voice and took another step toward Stonehouse. Neither of them noticed Joe quietly moving toward them.
The lawyer made a desperate noise and lashed out at his pursuer, his arm swinging in an arc aiming for the other man's midsection. Adam easily avoided the blade by leaning back, and then he took a step forward while the lawyer's arm was still finishing the blow. He calmly raised his arms up, straight from the shoulder and slammed the flat of his hands over the lawyer's ears.
Stonehouse screamed in agony and crumpled to the ground at Adam's feet. "Don't ever pull a knife on me again, that just pisses me off," Joe heard his older brother say.
Adam picked up the knife, and then turned toward the rock where the guns were and spotted Joe. "Still no sign of anyone else?" he asked. His younger brother just shook his head as he intently watched Adam pick up his gun, slide it into the holster, and move toward the man still curled up on the ground. He continued watching carefully as Adam turned the man over and yanked his hands behind his back as he cuffed him. Then he hauled the prisoner to his feet, dragged him over to the rock face, and shoved him down and into a slight depression.
When he turned and saw Joe's puzzled expression he said, "What?"
"You didn't do it."
"Do what? Oh, you mean kill him? No, I promised Jerry I wouldn't and you know how I feel about keeping promises," Adam said and glanced back at Stonehouse and his surprised expression. "That's right, you owe your life to the man you murdered. Jerry was the best, worth infinitely more than a piece of human garbage like you." He glanced at Joe who had his head cocked to the side again and sighed before moving to stand in front of him.
Adam waved a hand in front of Joe's eyes again, but this time his younger brother didn't focus on him. "What's the matter with you?" he asked, but received no answer. As he turned away Joe's eyes rose, following the sound he was hearing to the top of the rock face and they focused sharply as he saw a small glint of sun on metal.
Joe put one hand on Adam's back and shoved him down while he drew his gun and pulled the trigger, aiming for where he had seen the reflection. Both shots sounded at the same time and the body of the lawyer's henchman flopped partway over the edge. His gun fell from his dead hand and hit the ground in between the two brothers and Stonehouse.
Joe shook his head and seemed to come back to himself as Adam quickly got to his feet. He grabbed his younger brother to look him over. "Are you alright? Did you get hit?" he said anxiously and was relieved when Joe shook his head.
"No, I didn't get hit, but isn't that blood on your shoulder?"
Adam turned his head to look at his left shoulder. The bullet had carved a deep groove in the flesh and shredded the cloth as it passed through. He frowned in annoyance, "Damn, Thea's going to be furious."
"Because you got shot?" Joe asked.
"No, because she just made this shirt for me. Of course because I got shot."
The younger man started laughing at how absurd this sounded but stopped startled when Adam drew his weapon and turned toward the prisoner. The man had been inching out, heading for the gun lying on the ground.
"Now, where do you think you're going and what did you think you were going to shoot that with, your feet?" Adam strode forward and picked the gun up. He gestured with the barrel of his own, "Get back in there and turn around, I don't even want to see your face again." Stonehouse quickly obeyed.
When he came back he stopped and looked up at the top of the outcropping with a calculating look. "Joe, where were you standing when you made that shot?"
"Right here," Joe said as he moved to the spot again. Adam came over to stand in front of him.
"And I was standing right here," he said then leaned forward. "I was in this position when the bullet hit." He put his index finger just below the furrow on his shoulder and slid it down his chest as he slowly straightened up. When he was standing straight his finger was directly over his heart. His younger brother stepped around in front to see.
"Looks like I would have taken one right through the heart if not for you Joe."
The two brothers stared at each other then turned away as they heard someone approaching. Adam called out, "Stop and identify yourselves." A chorus of three familiar voices yelling "me" made him chuckle and Joe joined in. They laughed even harder, releasing the tension of the day when three dirt-covered, badly messed up men limped into the small clear space.
"What happened," Adam finally managed to say and Nate rolled his eyes as he answered. "We fell in a hole."
His boss closed his eyes and shook his head. "Didn't you space yourselves out?"
"Yes," Nate said then rushed on to explain. "It was a big hole!"
Adam scrubbed his hands over his face. "Oh God, I can't stand it," he said then continued. "And you didn't see this hole that was big enough for all three of you to fall in?"
"Well," John said reluctantly, "only those two fell in at first. I fell in trying to help them out."
Mike spoke up, "But we didn't see the hole because it was covered by deadfall."
Nate opened his mouth again, but Adam put up a hand to stop him. "Please, no more explanations, I'm already getting a headache," as his men looked down and shifted their feet uncomfortably.
Adam stood. "Joe, lets go find the horses, including theirs," he indicated the dead man and the prisoner. "I want to get going so we can make it home early enough for me to start making arrangements for Jerry's funeral." He turned to his deputies. "Do you think you three can bring that body down and keep Stonehouse from escaping?" he said sarcastically. They nodded, still staring at the ground.
"I'll take your word for it," he said and walked off in the direction his deputies had come from. Joe followed closely behind.
Soon everyone was ready to go, but Adam and Nate hung back as the rest fell into line to pick their way down the hill. Nate cleared his throat and Adam turned to look at him.
"You realize what this means, don't you? You've got the lawyer in custody and McClaren and Jackson are dead. The siege is over, you won't have to live under a twenty-four hour guard now."
Adam looked at him with one brow raised and a half smile. "You would think so, wouldn't you? But for some reason I can't explain, that feeling of foreboding hasn't gone away." He paused to look around with narrowed eyes. "I can't rest easy just yet, Nate. Someone who means my family harm is still out there, I can feel it." He shook his head, "No, I'm not going to call off the watch yet, not until I feel comfortable with it."
Nate nodded, trusting in Adam's instincts as the two men spurred their horses forward to join the line and head for home.
THE HUNT
Chapter 26
They picked up the two men's trail quickly and Mike, an expert tracker, took the lead. An hour later he stopped and dismounted to examine the trail then he looked up at Adam.
"We're getting close to them and they're getting close to those hills," he said as he nodded toward the foothills rising directly to their east.
"Where do you think they'll go in?" Adam asked.
"They'll probably head right for that cleft almost in the center so they can get up into those rocks to ambush us."
Adam reached into his saddlebag and removed something none of them had ever seen before. He lifted what looked like two small spyglasses fastened together to his eyes and began to survey the hills. In a moment he smiled.
"Right on the money, Mike, there they are behind the largest outcropping just to the right of center."
"What are those?" Joe said.
"They're called prism binoculars, a new invention, and you wouldn't believe how far you can see with them," his older brother said and handed them over.
Joe took a quick look and the three deputies each had their turn so they would know where the two men were dug in.
Once the new contraption was safely back in Adam's saddlebag he said, "We'll split up here and go around and above them on either side." He turned to his three deputies. "You three go to the left, Joe and I will go to the right and we'll meet directly above them."
His eyes narrowed with cold anger as he looked from man to man. "I want them taken alive," he said in a voice that left no room for argument. Then he turned away to urge his horse northeast with Joe quickly following.
The three deputies glanced at each other after Mike swung up into the saddle. All three felt they had a pretty good idea why Adam wanted them taken alive and none of them were happy with what they assumed he planned to do with them. They urged their horses southeast, each one thinking they would just have to deal with that problem when they were faced with it.
Adam and Joe reached the meeting place directly over the two men first. They were close enough to see the two men clearly and they settled in to wait for the deputies. But half-an-hour went by and they still waited. Then an hour went by and no sign of them. Adam carefully raised his head over the outcropping they were hiding behind then pulled back and turned to his brother who had his head cocked to the side, as though listening for something.
"They're getting restless and probably ready to move on. We're going to have to try and take them ourselves." He looked at Joe and waved a hand in front of his eyes. The younger man blinked and he focused on Adam.
"I need you to be with me on this, don't let your mind wander again."
Joe nodded, "Do you want to split up and go down either side?"
Adam considered this for a moment then shook his head. "I think it would be best if we stayed together, it's too risky to split up again."
He motioned for Joe to follow and carefully started down, angling away from the other two men so they wouldn't hear their approach. When they were directly opposite their quarry they turned and started in, staying low and slipping from one hiding place to another. Soon they were behind a large rock and when Adam took a quick look around the side he could see the lawyer standing with his back toward them, facing a sheer rock face. Trying not to laugh, he turned to Joe and whispered, "Stonehouse is answering the call of nature, but I don't see the blonde anywhere."
Joe grinned as his older brother took another look. "No, I don't see the other man. You go around the other side of this boulder but stay back to cover me," Adam said and stepped out to move silently toward the man still facing the rock.
The other man had finished his business and was just turning around when Adam quietly said, "Don't move Stonehouse."
The lawyer jumped and spun around, his eyes going directly to the gun he had set down on a rock that was too far away to be reached. His eyes went round with terror and his face even whiter as he stared at the man he had tried to murder twice.
Adam's eyes narrowed and he smiled coldly as he slowly moved to the side to place his gun next to the lawyer's. "Just want to make this fair," he said as he came back to stand opposite the other man. "Make your move," he said and stepped toward the lawyer. Then he laughed as the other man pulled a knife.
"Still have to cheat, even when the odds are even, do you?" Adam said in a harsh voice and took another step toward Stonehouse. Neither of them noticed Joe quietly moving toward them.
The lawyer made a desperate noise and lashed out at his pursuer, his arm swinging in an arc aiming for the other man's midsection. Adam easily avoided the blade by leaning back, and then he took a step forward while the lawyer's arm was still finishing the blow. He calmly raised his arms up, straight from the shoulder and slammed the flat of his hands over the lawyer's ears.
Stonehouse screamed in agony and crumpled to the ground at Adam's feet. "Don't ever pull a knife on me again, that just pisses me off," Joe heard his older brother say.
Adam picked up the knife, and then turned toward the rock where the guns were and spotted Joe. "Still no sign of anyone else?" he asked. His younger brother just shook his head as he intently watched Adam pick up his gun, slide it into the holster, and move toward the man still curled up on the ground. He continued watching carefully as Adam turned the man over and yanked his hands behind his back as he cuffed him. Then he hauled the prisoner to his feet, dragged him over to the rock face, and shoved him down and into a slight depression.
When he turned and saw Joe's puzzled expression he said, "What?"
"You didn't do it."
"Do what? Oh, you mean kill him? No, I promised Jerry I wouldn't and you know how I feel about keeping promises," Adam said and glanced back at Stonehouse and his surprised expression. "That's right, you owe your life to the man you murdered. Jerry was the best, worth infinitely more than a piece of human garbage like you." He glanced at Joe who had his head cocked to the side again and sighed before moving to stand in front of him.
Adam waved a hand in front of Joe's eyes again, but this time his younger brother didn't focus on him. "What's the matter with you?" he asked, but received no answer. As he turned away Joe's eyes rose, following the sound he was hearing to the top of the rock face and they focused sharply as he saw a small glint of sun on metal.
Joe put one hand on Adam's back and shoved him down while he drew his gun and pulled the trigger, aiming for where he had seen the reflection. Both shots sounded at the same time and the body of the lawyer's henchman flopped partway over the edge. His gun fell from his dead hand and hit the ground in between the two brothers and Stonehouse.
Joe shook his head and seemed to come back to himself as Adam quickly got to his feet. He grabbed his younger brother to look him over. "Are you alright? Did you get hit?" he said anxiously and was relieved when Joe shook his head.
"No, I didn't get hit, but isn't that blood on your shoulder?"
Adam turned his head to look at his left shoulder. The bullet had carved a deep groove in the flesh and shredded the cloth as it passed through. He frowned in annoyance, "Damn, Thea's going to be furious."
"Because you got shot?" Joe asked.
"No, because she just made this shirt for me. Of course because I got shot."
The younger man started laughing at how absurd this sounded but stopped startled when Adam drew his weapon and turned toward the prisoner. The man had been inching out, heading for the gun lying on the ground.
"Now, where do you think you're going and what did you think you were going to shoot that with, your feet?" Adam strode forward and picked the gun up. He gestured with the barrel of his own, "Get back in there and turn around, I don't even want to see your face again." Stonehouse quickly obeyed.
When he came back he stopped and looked up at the top of the outcropping with a calculating look. "Joe, where were you standing when you made that shot?"
"Right here," Joe said as he moved to the spot again. Adam came over to stand in front of him.
"And I was standing right here," he said then leaned forward. "I was in this position when the bullet hit." He put his index finger just below the furrow on his shoulder and slid it down his chest as he slowly straightened up. When he was standing straight his finger was directly over his heart. His younger brother stepped around in front to see.
"Looks like I would have taken one right through the heart if not for you Joe."
The two brothers stared at each other then turned away as they heard someone approaching. Adam called out, "Stop and identify yourselves." A chorus of three familiar voices yelling "me" made him chuckle and Joe joined in. They laughed even harder, releasing the tension of the day when three dirt-covered, badly messed up men limped into the small clear space.
"What happened," Adam finally managed to say and Nate rolled his eyes as he answered. "We fell in a hole."
His boss closed his eyes and shook his head. "Didn't you space yourselves out?"
"Yes," Nate said then rushed on to explain. "It was a big hole!"
Adam scrubbed his hands over his face. "Oh God, I can't stand it," he said then continued. "And you didn't see this hole that was big enough for all three of you to fall in?"
"Well," John said reluctantly, "only those two fell in at first. I fell in trying to help them out."
Mike spoke up, "But we didn't see the hole because it was covered by deadfall."
Nate opened his mouth again, but Adam put up a hand to stop him. "Please, no more explanations, I'm already getting a headache," as his men looked down and shifted their feet uncomfortably.
Adam stood. "Joe, lets go find the horses, including theirs," he indicated the dead man and the prisoner. "I want to get going so we can make it home early enough for me to start making arrangements for Jerry's funeral." He turned to his deputies. "Do you think you three can bring that body down and keep Stonehouse from escaping?" he said sarcastically. They nodded, still staring at the ground.
"I'll take your word for it," he said and walked off in the direction his deputies had come from. Joe followed closely behind.
Soon everyone was ready to go, but Adam and Nate hung back as the rest fell into line to pick their way down the hill. Nate cleared his throat and Adam turned to look at him.
"You realize what this means, don't you? You've got the lawyer in custody and McClaren and Jackson are dead. The siege is over, you won't have to live under a twenty-four hour guard now."
Adam looked at him with one brow raised and a half smile. "You would think so, wouldn't you? But for some reason I can't explain, that feeling of foreboding hasn't gone away." He paused to look around with narrowed eyes. "I can't rest easy just yet, Nate. Someone who means my family harm is still out there, I can feel it." He shook his head, "No, I'm not going to call off the watch yet, not until I feel comfortable with it."
Nate nodded, trusting in Adam's instincts as the two men spurred their horses forward to join the line and head for home.