Aware that the other library employees were hovering, Marybeth led Joe to a small, dark conference room. She told the others to go ahead and leave, and that she would lock up.
When she closed the door, he told her what had happened at the meeting.
“You said
“I know,” he said. “But I could smell blood in that room, Marybeth. It got to me.”
Marybeth sighed and leaned back against a table, studying him, waiting for what would come next. He was taken by her profound sadness. It hurt him that she felt this way. Which meant he had to do something about it. It was his duty to fix it.
“I’m here for your permission,” he said.
“For what?”
“To do what I think best.”
“What? You don’t need my permission for that.”
Joe shook his head. “I’ve been giving this a lot of thought. For the past month, it’s been eating at me.”
She didn’t understand.
“Marybeth, I’ve been a bad husband and father. I haven’t protected April, or you, or our family. I’ve let lawyers do it. I’ve asked Robey about it, hoping he would do something. I’ve gone the easy, legal route.”
“But Joe . . .”
“Nobody cares for April like we do. The judge doesn’t care, the lawyers don’t care. To them, it’s just more paperwork, another case. Robey tries to care, but he’s busy. Now there are things happening where lawyers aren’t going to help us.”
Joe stepped forward and gently grasped Marybeth by her shoulders. “I’m not sure I can do any good, honey. But I can try.”
Marybeth was silent for a moment. Then she spoke gently. “You haven’t been a bad father or husband, Joe.”
He was pleased that she said it, but not sure he agreed with her. “The most important thing is that April is safe,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if she’s with us or that awful woman. Those things can be sorted out later. For now, we need to see that she’s safe.”
Marybeth’s eyes softened. “I agree,” she whispered.
“We can’t rely on the sheriff or the lawyers for this. We can’t rely on
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure yet,” he confessed. “But I know that the reason Melinda Strickland and her stormtroopers are going to confront the Sovereigns is because they think Spud Cargill is up there. If I can get to him first, or prove he isn’t really up there, there’s no reason for them to do it.”
“I trust you,” she said. “I trust you more than anyone I’ve ever known. Do what you have to do.”
“Are you sure? I’m not sure that I trust myself.”
“Go, Joe.”
He kissed her, and they left the library together. While she started her car, he brushed the snow off her windshield and made sure she had traction to pull away. He told her to keep her cell phone on and call him if she had any trouble getting home.
As she started to leave the parking lot, he ran through the snow to stop her. She rolled the window down. He reached in and squeezed her hand.
“Marybeth . . .” He had trouble finding the words.
“Say it, Joe.”
“Marybeth, I can’t promise I can save her.”
Marybeth left the parking lot and turned onto the unplowed street, and Joe watched until the snowfall absorbed her taillights.
He could never remember Saddlestring being as quiet as it was now. The only thing he could hear was the low burbling of the exhaust pipe of his pickup.
Residents had retreated to their houses and woodstoves. Stores, schools, and offices had closed. The snow absorbed all sound, and stilled all motion. There was no traffic.
Joe fought back a horrendous feeling of inevitable doom.
Then he climbed into his pickup and roared out of the parking lot.
Twenty-seven
THINK.
Joe had no clear idea where he should go or how he should proceed. He drove through Saddlestring on streets that were becoming more impassable by the minute. It was the kind of once-every-fifty-years storm where sending the plows out was pointless until it was over.
He drove by Bighorn Roofing to confirm that it was dark and locked. The same with Spud Cargill’s home. He knew he was treading old ground.
He thought of interviewing Mrs. Gardiner again, just to see if she could provide anything new, but dismissed the idea as useless. He wasn’t sure she was still in town and not en route to Nebraska.
