act on earth.
The Old Man had literally felt himself cross over a line and truly become evil. He knew it for a fact. There was nothing he could do to redeem himself in full. But he could, at least temporarily stop the killing. He wasn't doing it for Stewie Woods or Hayden Powell or Peter Sollito or Emily Betts or Tod Marchand. He still didn't like what any of them stood for. He was doing it for himself.
Someday in some place, he would need to answer for what he had done these past two months. He at least wanted to be able to tell the inquisitor about one good thing. He shifted in his saddle and rubbed the right thigh of his trousers. The keys for Tod Marchand's green Mercedes SUV that the Old Man had found back at the Nez Perce Creek campsite, made a hard little ball in his pocket.
***
EARLY ON SATURDAY MORNING, Joe Pickett finished his monthly report for his area supervisor, Trey Crump. In it, he dutifully explained the status of the situation regarding Jim Finotta. At the conclusion of the report, after a summary of elk herd trend counts and citations issued, he wrote that he had reason to believe that someone impersonating the environmental terrorist Stewie Woods was holed up in a remote cabin somewhere in the Bighorn Mountains. He said he planned to investigate the possibility later that day
When the report was complete, he attached it to an e-mail and sent it to Crump's office in Cody
Joe rolled his chair back and exited his tiny home office. Both Lucy and April had been picked up earlier for a weekend church camp, leaving ten-year-old Sheridan (whose age group would go to the camp in the next week) alone and in front of the television watching morning cartoons and enjoying her solitude.
Marybeth was descending the stairs, Joe stopped and watched her, then whistled. She waved him away She had already been out to the stables to feed the horses. She had returned, showered, and changed clothes. Her hair was up and she wore a white blouse and pleated khakis. She would be working at the library today until three. She looked concerned.
'Is it still your plan to see if you can find that cabin today?' She didn't say 'Stewie' or 'Stewie's cabin,' Joe noted. She spoke low enough not to be overhead by Sheridan in the other room.
'I'm going to leave as soon as I finish getting ready,' he said.
She met him at the base of the stairs and stopped on the last step. 'I don't like the idea of you going up there alone.'
He reached for her and put his hands on her hips. 'Are you afraid I'm going to punch him in the nose? I just might, you know'
'Joe, I'm not kidding. He's expecting me and if you show up ... well, who knows?'
Joe sized up Marybeth. 'You look good today,' he said. 'What time do you need to leave for the library?'
'We don't have time for that.' A look of exasperation came over Marybeth's face. 'I'm not kidding you, Joe. It's not a good idea for you to go up there without any backup. You know that.'
Joe thought about it for a moment.
'You're letting your feelings cloud your judgment.' Marybeth said. 'That's not like you.'
Joe had to agree. 'I'll call Sheriff Barnum.'
She nodded. 'Good.'
'And I'll run it by Trey in Cody'
'Better still.'
He stepped aside so Marybeth could get her purse and sack lunch for her day at the library.
Before she left, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply It was much more than a morning good-bye kiss.
'I've never seen you jealous before, Joe, and don't get me wrong .. .it's flattering,' she said, holding his face inches from hers. 'But you have nothing to worry about. You're my man.' Then she smiled.
Slightly flustered, Joe smiled back. 'I should be back by dark,' he said. 'I'll call as soon as I'm back in cell phone range.'
She fluttered her eyes coquettishly 'I'll be waiting.'
Sheridan overheard her mother and moaned from the living room.
Marybeth car was pulling out onto the Bighorn Road when Trey Crump called Joe on his office telephone. Crump was a game warden with twenty-one years of experience and was known as one of the real good ones. He was tough, fair, independent, and knowledgeable and as area supervisor he had the reputation of standing by the wardens he oversaw. It was rare for him to call, and even rarer for Crump to read Joe's monthly report the day Joe sent it.
'Before we get to this part about trying to find Stewie Woods,' Crump said gruffly, 'what in the hell did you do to piss off this Jim Finotta guy so bad?'
Joe said there was nothing more than what was in the report; he
suspected Finotta of poaching and was trying to pursue the case.
'I hear he's an asshole,' Crump said.
'What you hear is correct.'
'There's all kinds of heat and light going on at headquarters over this,' Crump sighed. 'The director has called me twice in the last week to ask you to cool it. He kind of wanted me to agree that you're being overzealous and need to be reined in'
Joe smiled to himself. 'But you didn't call.'
