Around 3:30 in the afternoon, Bill went outside to go get the boys. He stood under the tree house and yelled, "Mattlock! Will!"
There was no answer. Bo and Lamar were walking from the barn to the house.
"Mattlock! Will!" Bill repeated.
"Bo…. Lamar. Have you seen the boys?" Bill asked.
The two men looked at each other and back at Bill. "No," they said in unison.
Bill quickly climbed the ladder to the tree house, opened the door, crouched, and looked inside. Bo and Lamar watched from below. He turned around and climbed back down the ladder.
"They're not in the tree house," Bill said.
"We was wonderin' why they didn't come by the barn yet for a ride this afternoon," Bo replied.
"Yeah," Lamar affirmed.
Bill walked quickly into the house with Bo and Lamar trying to keep up from behind. Bill burst through the door. Bo and Lamar entered the house behind Bill and stood in the foyer with their hats in their hands. "Mattlock!" Bill yelled. Roy, Annie, and Flo came in first, alarmed by Bill's tone. Sergei followed behind them.
When there was no answer from Mattlock inside the house, Bill said, "Sergei…."
"Yes, Bill?" Sergei replied.
"When did you last see the boys? They weren't in the tree house and Bo and Lamar haven't seen them," Bill replied with urgency in his voice.
Sergei looked nervously around the room at everyone. "Let's see…uh….1 o'clock?" he said.
"Are you sure?" Bill asked.
"Sometime around 1 or 1:30. I'm sure," Sergei replied.
"They're missing," Bill said.
Flo gasped and put both hands to her mouth.
"They could be anywhere. We need to find them before dark," Bill said.
"How can we help, Mr. Houston?" Lamar asked.
Bill rubbed his hand through his hair and then rubbed his chin nervously. "We need to get some horses together and search for them. They must have gone off into the woods."
"Don't worry, Bill. They can't have gone far," Roy reassured.
"I'll help you out, Bill, honey," Cattle Annie said.
"Thanks to the both of you," Bill said.
"How many horses, Mr. Houston?" Bo asked.
Bill looked around the room. "Flo, would you mind staying at the house with Sergei while we all go looking for the boys, in case they come back here?"
"Not at all," Flo said with a worried look on her face.
"Five horses, boys," Bill said.
"It'll take a bit to get them all saddled up," Bo said.
"Just do it as fast as you can," Bill replied.
Bo and Lamar ran out of the house and out to the barn. Bill stood in the living room pacing and wringing his hands.
"It'll be all right, honey," Cattle Annie said. "We'll find 'em in no time flat."
Meanwhile, Mattlock and Will had entered the undeveloped property west of the Houston acreage. The sun was nearing the horizon and it was getting colder.
"I think we're lost," Mattlock finally admitted.
Will stood frozen with a look of panic on his face.
"I think we should stop and wait. Daddy may be trying to find us," Mattlock said.
"I'm scared," Will said.
"Don't worry," Mattlock replied. "Let's go over here and sit down," he said as he directed Will to sit down on a log.
"I can't believe we're lost. And we didn't tell anyone where we went," Will said with a quavering voice.
Mattlock put his left arm around Will's shoulders. "Don't worry. I know my Daddy. He's already out looking for us."
"Are you sure?" Will asked.
"Yep," Mattlock replied.
"We're going to be in so much trouble," Will said.
Mattlock just looked at him without saying anything.
Roy, Bill, Bo, Lamar, and Cattle Annie were all out in the barn getting on their horses. "Bo, you take the north forest," Bill said. He directed Bo to go it alone because he knew the forest around the property better than anyone. "When you're done checking the north side, cross the road and check the neighbors to see if they've seen the boys." Bill paused and continued. "Lamar and Cattle Annie, I want you to take the south forest. And, Roy and I will take the west."
"Okay, Mr. Houston," Bo said.
"We'll meet back here at the barn in an hour and a half whether we find them or not. It's 4:30 now. I'll see you all back here at 6 pm sharp," Bill said decisively. All of them fanned out and went their separate ways as the sun went down.
"I've never seen Bill so all fired up before," Cattle Annie said.
"Little Mattlock is the apple of that man's eye," Lamar replied.
"Well, I always knew that. He's just always so calm and collected," Cattle Annie said.
"I hope we find those boys alright. There are some nasty critters out here at night," Lamar said. "Even if they don't run into any of those critters, they're bound to get scared."
"Poor babies. I'm sure we'll find 'em," Cattle Annie said.
Heading deeper into the woods, Lamar yelled, "Mattlock! Will!"
Cattle Annie echoed Lamar. "Mattlock! Will!"
Sensing that Will was getting more and more nervous and being the older cousin, Mattlock came up with an idea to calm Will down. "Hey Will…Do you want to play a game?"
"A game? Now?" Will asked.
"Sure. Got nothin' better to do," Mattlock replied.
"I guess," Will replied.
"Okay. I see something that starts with the letter 'L'," Mattlock said. "What do you think that is?"
"I know this game. I've played it in the car with mom and dad," Will replied. "It's called 'I Spy.'"
"I don't know what it's called. I thought I just made it up," Mattlock said.
"My dad said he learned about the game when he was out of America," Will said.
"Well, what do you see that starts with 'L?'" Mattlock repeated.
Will looked around, and up and down. "That's easy. Leaves!" Will replied.
"Yep. Your turn," Mattlock said.
Will took his time and looked all around once more. "I spy something that begins with 'D,'" he said.
Mattlock scrutinized the area around them and then looked off in the distance. He looked down at the ground. "Dirt?"
Will shook his head 'no.'
Mattlock got a progressively more puzzled look on his face, not discovering what Will was seeing. "I don't know. I don't see anything that starts with 'D,'" he said.
Will held one index finger to his lips and with his other index finger pointed deeper into the woods but not too far from them.
Mattlock looked and said, "Deer!" Unfortunately he said it a little too loudly, and the deer perked up and bound into the woods away from them. "That was neat! I haven't been that close to a deer before."
"Me neither," Will said.
"My turn," Mattlock said, and looked around. After a few moments he said, "I spy something that begins with 'P.'"
Will guessed 'puddle' right away and the boys played the game for a few more minutes until it got dark.
Roy and Bill were riding alongside one another on the west edge of the property. Bill wore anxiety on his face like a funeral pall.
"Bill, don't worry. We'll find them," Roy said.
"I'm not worried about them being lost. There are some wild animals out here and they are just little boys. Mattlock forgets that he's little," Bill said.
"He's quite the boy, isn't he?" Roy said.
"What do you mean?" Bill asked.
"Outgoing, adventurous, humorous," Roy listed.
"That and more. He's a good boy," Bill said. "Will's a great boy too."
"He is, but he's a little more timid than I'd like him to be," Roy said. "Your boy is bold."
"There's room in the world for all kinds, Roy. We can't all be like you and Mattlock," Bill said.
"True," Roy replied.
Bill shouted, "Mattlock! Will!" There was no response.
"Still, I worry about him. He's very sensitive, like his mother. He's got to be terrified right now," Roy said.
"Maybe he is. Mattlock has a way about him," Bill said. "Will probably doesn't feel too alone."
"I hope so," Roy said. He paused and yelled, "Will! Mattlock!"
The boys were squeezed together sitting on the log in the dark to keep warm. "I'm scared," Will said.
"Don't be," Mattlock replied.
"I can't help it," Will said.
Just then, the boys heard some twigs snap in the woods. Then they heard some howls, yips, and yelps alternating with each other in the near distance. Mattlock could barely see Will's wide eyes in the almost pitch black darkness.
Mattlock appeared worried now. "Let's get down and hide on the ground behind this log and be quiet," he said to Will.
"Why? What's that sound?" Will asked, somewhat breathless.
"I don't know, but if we're quiet and we hide, maybe it will go away," Mattlock replied.
Will saw some logic in the argument and complied. The two crawled close to the log and faced each other on the ground shivering. Neither was dressed warm enough for a Texas winter night.
Bo rode his horse through the darkness, illuminating his path through the north side of the property with his flashlight. He yelled, "Mattlock! Will!" He shined his flashlight on the ground and up in the trees, in case the boys climbed up in one and couldn't get down. He periodically stopped his horse to listen to the forest sounds to see if he could hear the boys talking or crying for help. Most of the times he stopped, he didn't hear anything except the usual sounds of nature. A few times, he heard some scurrying sounds through the leaves and saw a possum one time and a raccoon another.
Cattle Annie and Lamar were still wandering through the area they were responsible for searching. Both had turned on their flashlights and were shining them everywhere they could.
"What time is it?" Lamar asked.
Cattle Annie shined her flashlight on her wristwatch. "It's quarter 'til six."
"We better start headin' on back," Lamar said.
"Dang it! Where can these boys be?" Cattle Annie said, pushing her hat back on her head.
"I hope they're alright," Lamar said, starting to sound like he had his doubts.
"I'm sure they're fine. They're just not anywhere near us. That's all," Cattle Annie said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself, as much as she was trying to convince Lamar.
Lamar tried calling them again. "Mattlock! Will!"
"Sure is getting' cold out here. Must be forty degrees or so," Cattle Annie said.
"Let's head on back. We don't want to worry anyone," Lamar cautioned.
They continued to call the boys and shine their flashlights on the way back. Meanwhile Roy and Bill crossed over into the undeveloped property west of the Houston property. They had their flashlights lit and searched the landscape. They talked to each other and shouted out the boys' names often, but there still had been no answer.
"It's getting time to go back. Perhaps we should call the police for help," Roy advised.
"You may be right," Bill said. "I don't know what I'm going to do if I lose Mattlock," he said, rubbing his hand through his hair after they had stopped their horses.
"You're not going to. We'll find him. We'll find them both," Roy reassured.
"I don't know how you handled two wars and that government contract work you did – or do. Just the thought of losing Mattlock has me practically beside myself," Bill commented.
"I think you have to be a bit of a thrill seeker. You must have some of that to be so successful in business," Roy said.
"Maybe. But life and limb are not usually at stake. I'm never terrified like I am now," Bill said.
Roy reached out and put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "It will be alright, Bill. We'll find them both. Let's keep looking. The others will understand if we're a little late to our rendezvous.
The boys were flat on their stomachs on the ground next to the log facing each other. Mattlock was holding one of Will's hands in one of his and they were whispering to each other. They talked about what sorts of presents they wanted from Santa and how they'd like to spend the rest of Will's visit. Suddenly, Mattlock hushed Will and looked about twenty feet away from where they were. He saw red eyes glowing in the darkness.
"What's wrong?" Will asked in a whisper.
"Shh!" Mattlock said, and pointed in the direction of the eyes.
Will and Mattlock both got a look of panic on their faces, not knowing who or what the sinister eyes belonged to. Then they heard larger footfalls and, what earlier had been shivering in the cold air, turned into outright trembling in terror. Will's eyes teared up and Mattlock gripped his cousin's hand harder. Then, sounding incredibly near, Bill shouted, "Mattlock! Will!" The red-eyed creature scurried away in a hurry and Mattlock jumped up from behind the log and yelled, "Daddy! We're here!" A flashlight shined in Mattlock's face as Will got up from the ground.
Bill jumped off his horse and ran over to Mattlock and lifted him in his arms. Mattlock hugged Bill's neck for dear life. Roy got down off of his horse and picked up Will and held him on his right hip. Will held on to Roy's jacket.
"You boys gave us all a fright," Roy said.
"You should have told someone where you were going, son," Bill said.
"I know, Daddy. I'll never forget again," Mattlock replied.
"Well, let's get back home, then," Bill said. "The others are waiting for us."
The two men put the boys on their horses first and climbed astride the horses themselves. They headed back to the mansion following the trail they had just created with their two horses. It took about twenty-five minutes to arrive back at the barn where everyone was waiting.
"We were going to send a search party after y'all," Bo said. "Looks like you found yourselves a couple of rascals," he said smiling a big, toothy grin.
"Sure did," Bill said as he jumped off his horse and then lowered Mattlock to the ground. Mattlock stood with his hands behind his back and avoided eye contact with the group.
Roy got off his horse and put Will on the ground. Will walked over and stood near Mattlock. "Yep, they were pretty far off course today," Roy said.
Bo took the reins of both Bill and Roy's horses. "I'll put your horses up with the others. Lamar, you best be getting' back to Beulah. You know how she gets if you're late."
"Thanks, Bo," Lamar said, tipping his hat to him. "Good luck, Mattlock and Will," Lamar said as he left.
The two boys looked at each other with worried expressions.
"I'll go tell Flo the boys are safe and sound," Cattle Annie said, and walked by both boys and patted them on their heads, and headed to the house.
The boys were left standing in the dark outside the barn with Roy and Bill after Bo, Lamar, and Cattle Annie went their separate ways.
"Are we in trouble, Daddy?" Mattlock asked quietly, averting his eyes from either man.
"I don't know son. We need to eat dinner and I need to think about it a bit," Bill said calmly.
"Am I going to get a spanking?" Will asked Roy directly.
Roy looked at him. "I don't think this warrants a spanking, but I need to think about it like your Uncle Bill. You both really had us all scared. You could have been hurt, or worse," Roy explained.
"Enough of this talk. Let's all go inside and see what Sergei has for us to eat," Bill said. After that was said, the two boys and the two men walked together back to the house for dinner, and, for the boys, likely, an early bedtime.