Chapter 4

Darkness spread across the land as Bobby pulled into the outskirts of Aberdeen. He wanted to start the hunt for his boys immediately but knew it would be easier to wait until first light. He found a small motel and pulled into the parking lot to stop at the building marked office. After getting a room with double beds, Bobby moved his car around the building and parked in front of the number on the key. He got out, snagged his bags, and unlocked the door to step inside.

Since he hadn't stopped to eat along the way, Bobby walked down to the diner below the motel and picked up some takeout before settling in for the night. He was going to go online and double check the locations to visit with Rufus in the morning. He ate and scrolled through web sites waiting on Rufus to call him.

Bobby was making notes on several farms on the outskirts of the town that were for sale or for rent. He looked at his cell as it began to ring, thinking it was Rufus calling. He checked the time, not realizing how late it had gotten.

"Hello," Bobby greeted the caller.

"Well, I'm ten minutes out, where are you?" Rufus asked bluntly.

"The Clearwater Motel, corner room 17, ground floor. I'll see you shortly."

"Yeah, yeah. You're gonna owe me for this Bobby."

"Awe, quit fussing Rufus. What were you doing anyway? It gets you out of the house."

"You're funny," Rufus sneered before hanging up.

Bobby sat back and rubbed his tired eyes before shutting down his laptop and gathering the notes he had made. He finished the last of his drink and threw the cup away. He moved his bag from one bed for Rufus to use and sat at the table to wait for him to get there.

There was still tension between the two hunters, but they still worked together when the need arose, like now. There was only a hand full of hunters that Bobby trusted enough to work with him or that he was willing to contact when he needed help. It was the hunter's code to assist another hunter if called upon, when possible.

It wasn't long before there were two hard knocks at the door and Bobby got up to answer it. He opened the door and found Rufus standing there with his bag in his hand.

"Bobby," Rufus greeted him in a sour voice.

"Rufus, glad you could make it," Bobby replied stepping aside to let him enter.

Rufus stepped into the middle of the room and gave it a once over before sitting his bag on the free bed. He took a seat at the table and watched Bobby walk across the room and take a seat across from him.

"Well, wanna fill me in on what you know?" Rufus asked staring hard at Bobby.

"This is what I've found so far," Bobby replied pushing a folder toward him. "It's not much, but I found a couple of possibilities of where they might be holding my boys."

"So, we're checking these out in the morning?"

"Yeah, figured it would be better than to try and do it in the dark."

"Probably good idea. Don't want my ass getting shot or hexed."

"Me either. I figure we'll get up early, grab a free breakfast, and start checking the places out."

"Sounds good to me. I'm taking a leak and going to bed."

"I'll be right behind you," Bobby said. He waited until Rufus had finished in the bathroom and grabbed his bathroom bag. By the time he was finished and stepped from the room, Rufus was in bed with his back to him. He didn't speak as he quickly stripped and slipped between the sheets. He reached and turned the lamp that was between their beds off before stretching out and getting comfortable. 'Hold on boys, I'm coming for you,' Bobby whispered to himself and hoped he was in time.

Spn

They got up early the next morning and walked down to the office for breakfast. It was just the basics, but the coffee was good, and they ate enough to be full.

"I'll drive," Bobby stated as they exited the office.

"Fine with me," Rufus replied. "I drove enough yesterday."

"We'll start with the location furthest from the town and work our way inward."

"How many have you found to check out?"

"Four so far. These are the most likely of places. If they don't pan out, there's a few more on my list."

"Maybe we'll get…"

"Don't even say it. Don't jinx us before we even get started," Bobby growled at him as he unlocked the car doors.

"Alright, alright, sorry," Rufus snipped as he dropped into the passenger seat. "When you gonna get a new car Bobby? This one looks like it's been chewed up and spit out by a dump truck."

"It gets me where I want to go, and no one looks twice at it. That's the way I like it."

"Does the heat or a/c even work?"

"Well, right now we don't need either, so what does it matter."

"Fair enough." Rufus watched the scenery out the side window deciding not to continue the conversation.

The pair drove in silence the rest of the way to the first location Bobby had on his list. He stopped before getting too close to the farmhouse and parked. Both surveyed the area around the house for any suspicious activity but didn't see any.

"We should go in on foot to be on the safe side," Bobby said before getting out of the car.

"Before we get too deep in this, you should load your gun with these," Rufus told him as he pulled a box of bullets from his jacket pocket. He handed the box to Bobby.

"What are these?" Bobby inquired looking at the box for a moment before opening it. He shook a couple out and looked at them.

"They are supposed to kill witches. At least that's what the voodoo high priest told me. I've not had a chance to try them out, so I'm not sure if they work or not. But if they do, we've got an advantage."

"Now this is good news." Bobby pulled his handgun out and reloaded it with the bullets. "Okay, let's go check the place out."

They got out of the car and cut across a field toward the house. There was no movement around the place, and it didn't look like anyone had been there in a while. The grass needed mowing and the windows were coated with dirt and grim. It didn't take them long to find out this wasn't the right place, so they headed back to the car to drive to the next location on the list.

Bobby looked at the map and decided the quickest route to the next place. He did a U turn and headed back the way they came before turning off onto another road and heading to the next location. He only had to drive by the place to know it wasn't the place when he saw children playing in the yard.

"Third ones the charm," Rufus shrugged as Bobby headed for the next location.

Bobby pulled the car off the road and stopped before getting to the house. They got out and made their way into the trees toward the farmhouse. They stayed in the trees until they were on the backside of a detached garage. Bobby eased down the side of the garage to a window to look inside. He wiped the dirt from it and saw the boys' car. The imposters had driver a fake Baby since they were too far away to get the real thing.

"The Impala is in here," Bobby whispered to Rufus.

"What'd I tell you."

"Let's check the barn out to be sure the boys aren't out there."

"And then what?"

"We'll stake the place out and see if anyone comes or goes. And then we'll make a move."

"Okay, if the barn is clear, we can use it to watch the house."

"Let's go." Bobby moved around the garage and headed for the barn. They went in a side door and found it empty except for some boxes, old furniture, and random tools. Everything was coated in dirt, dust, and cobwebs. Knowing the brothers had to be inside, they set up at the door to watch the house.

A/N: Thank you for coming along for the ride and I hope you are enjoying the read. I do like reviews/comments. NC