Chapter Four
"What happened, Al?" Sam asked, having completely lost his appetite for breakfast.
Al punched some more buttons on the handlink. "Well, in the original history, Billy and Jacob went out to go hunting, but they never returned. Their bodies were found two days later, separated. According to Ziggy, Billy was driving the four-wheeler and crashed into a tree and was killed instantly. Jacob was found about half a mile away, killed by a gunshot wound."
"What? Who would want to kill a kid, Al?"
"Apparently, they were both riding the four-wheeler when it crashed, and Billy's body protected Jacob from the force of the crash. So Jacob went on foot to get help. He was wearing all camouflage with no blaze. The only thing the authorities could figure is that a hunter mistook Jacob for a deer and shot him but never owned up to it."
"Blaze?" Sam asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, blaze orange. You're a hunter, don't you remember?"
Sam frowned a little and shook his head.
"Ah, you're Swiss-cheesed." Al waved his hand around in the air as if to dismiss that thought, and continued. "Blaze orange is also called hunter's orange. It's this really bright... Here. It's this." He raised his right leg and tugged on his pants.
Sam tried to hide a grimace but failed. Al gave him a sarcastic "Thanks buddy" look. "Hunters are supposed to wear at least 144 square inches of this color so they can be seen by other hunters and not get shot," Al continued. "That's also why it took so long to find the bodies. Sam, there's over 40,000 acres of trees out there." He pointed out the window with his cigar and continued. "And neither Henderson boy was wearing orange. Even in the winter, those woods are thick, and it's hard to find camouflaged people."
"So we just wear orange," Sam surmised.
"But Billy still gets killed in the crash. Look, I'm gonna go see if I can find out exactly when they get killed. You keep Billy off that four-wheeler." Al punched a button on the handlink. (whoosh) He stepped into the blue rectangle of light that had appeared in the middle of the kitchen. (whoosh) He was gone, leaving Sam to his thoughts.