“To that sulfuric mineral springs he showed me, right?”
“Yes.”
“I went there today,” Joe said. “I had a hell of a time getting there in that stupid little car, but I got close enough I could walk in.”
Her eyes grew wide as she listened.
“I saw the remains of the fawn,” he said. “Only part of the skull was left, and a few thigh bones. The rest will dissolve within a few weeks. But those weren’t the only bones in the spring.”
“Oh, no,” she said, covering her mouth with her hand.
“The bodies of two men were in there too,” he said.
“Most of their flesh had been eaten away, but I could tell they were men by the size. There were two skulls, each with big holes in the forehead.”
She brought up her other hand and peered at him over her fingertips.
“And I found this near the spring,” Joe said, fishing in his breast pocket. He handed it to her. It was a pen, the gold nearly eaten off. But the words to sheriff barnum for 28
years of svc could still be seen on the barrel.
Marybeth looked at Joe hard. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to report it,” Joe said, fully aware of the implications of that. “But I’m going to do it anonymously.”
Three days later, after receiving the call from Trey Crump telling him that the shooting of Smoke had been investigated and Joe was cleared, he finally went into his home office. Joe had been consciously avoiding it since glancing at his desk the first day home and confirming his fear about mounds of paperwork. Now, he sat in his chair, looked at the pile of envelopes and parcels, and didn’t know where to begin. He sorted through the mail, putting it roughly into piles relating to the agency, letters from hunters and fishers, and general mail. There was one small envelope he didn’t know how to classify. It was addressed to J. Pickett and had no return address. The postage mark on it said laguardia airport—new york city. It was postmarked two days before.
Nate? he thought.
He slit open the envelope, pulled out a single card. It read:
Good work, my hero. I’m glad I’m such a good swimmer.
While I’m pretty certain I’d at last found what I’ve been looking for, you are home now. And since I’d never dream of interfering, at least not uninvited, my search must continue, though at least now I have a solid reference.
I respect family very much. I bet you didn’t know that.
Someday, though, I may change my mind. And you might change yours.
It was signed with that single, familiar “S.”
