Chapter 12 #2
Yes, he had only been married to Grace a short while, but the lack of her light, laugh, and kindness made Hunter feel dead and hollow inside.
He wanted her back. He wanted her to chew him out about something silly like leaving a dirty mug in the sink.
He wanted to see her smile nervously at him every time she changed something in the house to be more to her liking.
He wanted to open his kitchen door and smell the wonders she had made for dinner every night for the rest of his life.
Most of all, Hunter wanted to hold Grace and kiss her soft cheeks and tender lips.
He wanted to stroke her silky hair, breathing in the smell of it.
He wanted to hold her when she was afraid, when she was happy, and when she was sad.
He wanted to have a life with her, a future with children, and eventually, grandchildren.
He wanted so much, and the thought that it might all be taken from him because one man was so terribly selfish that he thought an entire state should be his and his alone was enough to make Hunter’s temper flare.
They soon had to stop again.
Andrew, Michael, Kevin, and Kyle all stood around looking hopelessly lost.
“What’s wrong?” Hunter asked.
“They seem to have been zigzagging here,” Andrew said. “The hoofprints are all jumbled. Some are turning left, some right, and some left again. I can’t make heads or tails out of it.”
“Yes, it’s become impossible to figure this out,” Michael said. He looked around. “Where would they be going?” he asked. “There’s nothing close by.”
“There are those hills,” Hunter said. “On the right.”
“Yes, but they seem quite far,” Andrew said.
“It seems to be the only place they could go,” Hunter said. “There’s nothing out here.”
“Hey!” Kyle called, riding up to them. “Look! Over there! That’s a lot of dust.”
“Is it a cart?” Kevin asked. He pulled out a spyglass and peered through it. “Yes, it’s a cart coming quickly.”
“Should we wait here for it or ride to intercept?” Michael asked.
“It’s coming from the direction of those hills,” Hunter said.
Andrew was silent for a moment and then nodded. “Let’s go meet them and find out why they’re in such a hurry.”
Hunter urged his horse on, and the posse rode across the grassland to the approaching cart. It came swiftly, closing the gap in a matter of minutes. And then it showed no signs of slowing until it was right on top of them.
The driver was a burly man with the weathered skin of someone who spent all his time outdoors. From his look and demeanor, Hunter guessed he was a farmer.
“Hi there,” Andrew said with a raised hand. “Is that you, Mr. Pike?”
“Oh no, I can’t talk to you,” Mr. Pike said, holding up his hand and looking away. He had red eyes, and his face was blotchy. He looked as though he had been sobbing. “You’re nothing but bad luck!”
Hunter rode up closer. There was something in the back of Mr. Pike’s cart attracting flies. The smell of death lay heavily on it, stewing in the hot summer sunshine. As he looked, he saw that a corner of a tarpaulin had lifted, and to his horror, a hand was visible.
“Hold on, that’s not fair,” Michael said, not unkindly. “We’re trying to make this area safe.”
Mr. Pike shook his head. “Safe? That’s a joke. Since you arrived, everything’s gone to the dogs. Now get out of my way.”
“Andrew,” Hunter said softly, waving the other man over. He indicated the back of the cart with his chin.
Andrew looked, and the revulsion on his face confirmed that Hunter hadn’t been seeing things. With his head injury and the hot day, he had been wondering.
“Mr. Pike, who is that under the tarp?” Andrew asked. “What happened?”
“It’s all your fault!” Mr. Pike wailed and, pulling a pistol from his waistband, he pointed it at Andrew.
Everyone reacted by pulling their own weapons and pointing them at Mr. Pike. Only Hunter held back.
“Whoa!” Hunter cried, holding up his hands. “We don’t want trouble. Put your guns down.”
“He’s right,” Andrew said. “This isn’t who we are. Put them away!”
The others holstered their guns reluctantly.
Mr. Pike’s pistol remained pointing at Andrew, but Andrew didn’t seem terribly worried about it.
“It’s been a rough day,” Andrew said. “We had an incident in the town. You probably don’t know, but they kidnapped Hunter’s wife. Took her right out of the sheriff’s office where she was delivering dinner. Can you believe that?”
Mr. Pike’s pistol wavered, but he said nothing.
“Did something similar happen to you?” Andrew asked.
Mr. Pike’s mouth worked as though he was chewing the inside of his lips, trying to decide if he should say anything. “You have to let me go. If they see … I’ll lose them too.”
“Who?” Hunter asked. “Please, Mr. Pike, if you know anything, you have to help.”
Mr. Pike shook his head. “They take those you love. And then …” He wiped his nose with his sleeve. “And then they’re gone forever. Now let me go.”
“Sure,” Andrew said and steered his horse out of the way. “We don’t want to add to your burden. We just wanted to ask if you might have any idea where we could find Hunter’s wife. She must be scared, and Hunter here is torn up about her being gone. I’m sure you understand.”
Mr. Pike turned to Hunter, his eyes welling with tears, but there was a flame behind them. “You might want to try that way,” he said, pointing at the hills. “Now, I’m leaving.”
The posse got out of his way, and Mr. Pike and his cart rattled on over the grassland.