“You make that look easy,” Logan said.
“It’s easy if you do it right. Season the wood properly, put a good edge on the axe, all that’s left is to know how to swing.” He took each halved piece, quartered them, and tossed the pieces onto a growing pile of other split wood. He then paused and fixed each of them with a hard stare.
“I believe you boys understand that Zach did not kill those women and neither did I.”
“Yes, sir, we do,” Logan said. “But my brother and I talked a little bit after we met with you and we can’t help but believe you know more than you’re saying.”
Fred did not answer and picked up another log. He eyed it a moment before sitting it on one end. “If you’re inclined, why don’t you tell me what you’ve learned so far.”
They exchanged glances. Liam shrugged. Logan shrugged back.
“Alright, two were shot with a nine-millimeter firearm, maybe more than one. A knife was used on the other two, but we haven’t told anyone that little tidbit and we’d appreciate it if you kept it to yourself.”
Fred said nothing, but after a moment he gave one of his micro nods. Logan took it as a cue to continue.
“Then, whoever killed them loaded up the bodies into the van, drove it to that house, and set it on fire. They took the victims’ firearms and their trailer, which was loaded with their personal possessions. Clothing and stuff mostly.”
“We think they encountered their assailants up on the interstate,” Liam said, and then added. “And they most likely knew them.”
Fred paused a moment in his woodcutting to respond. “Sounds about right.”
“All the snow has covered up any kind of crime scene, but we’re curious how you found them,” Logan said.
“And why you went out of your way in a snowstorm to search for them,” Liam added.
Fred split the log before answering. “If you’ll ask around, you’ll find that Rachel and I visited Mount Weather and had breakfast with the Garcia family on the same day the new president was scheduled to arrive. We spent the day at Weather. Rachel had a doctor’s appointment and Maria had put together a baby shower for her. It was close to sundown when we left. Lois Marnix had guard duty at the main gate. She’s the one who told us the president was overdue and was not answering the radio. You can corroborate everything by interviewing the Garcias and Lois. It’ll be a waste of time, but it will verify I’m not lying.”
“Fair enough. What happened after you left Weather?” Logan asked.
“We went home. The next morning, Lois and her husband Norman came to our house. They told me and Rachel about some things that were going on and said if the president-elect was not located, there was no telling what kind of nonsense would happen. They asked me to go look for them.”
“So, you hopped on your horse and started searching,” Liam said.
“Yep,” Fred replied.
“That was some good searching,” Logan commented.
“It took me a while,” Fred said. “That choke point on the interstate made me stop and have a look around. I started riding in circles and noticed that fire. You could still smell it, which told me it was fairly fresh. Once I located the house that was the point of origin for the fire, it didn’t take much to find them. What’s the word back at Weather?”
“It looks like Gil VanAllen is going to be our next president,” Logan said. “One of his first official acts is to accuse Zach of murder. Oh, and he thinks you’re complicit somehow.”
“What do you boys think?” Fred asked.
“Honestly, we think if you had something to do with it, those bodies would have never been found, and you certainly would not have led us to them,” Logan said. “But there are people back at Mount Weather who are conjuring up all kinds of theories.”
Fred stared a moment before giving a slight nod. “I’m sure you boys will figure everything out.” He gestured at the truck. “You boys going to go retrieve the bodies?”
“Yes, sir, we’ve been voluntold to do it today,” Liam said.
Fred gave a small grunt and went back to splitting logs. It took the brothers a few seconds before realizing the conversation was over. They gathered up Priss and headed out.
“I still think he knows more than he’s telling,” Liam remarked.
Logan nodded, and shifted gears. “That old man knows all kinds of things, I’m betting,” he said. “Hell, I bet he knows who did it.”
“Why wouldn’t he tell?” Priss asked.
“Who knows, I’m sure he has his reasons,” Liam said. “How was Rachel?”
“She threw up her breakfast, but otherwise she’s good. She’s all smiles. Said she never believed she was ever going to have children.
“They’ve done a hell of a lot to the place. I was with a team that searched the house a couple of years ago. It was in bad shape. They’ve totally remodeled it.”
“The fortifications are impressive,” Logan remarked.
“Rachel really loves him, doesn’t she?” Liam asked.
“Yeah, I think she does,” Priss said. “He’s got to be twenty or more years older than her, but she seems happy.” She then changed the subject. “How long is it going to take to get there?”
Logan frowned. “Even though this truck is a beast, I don’t want to push it and risk running off the road or hitting a hidden pothole and breaking something. So, I’m guessing four hours.”
Priss frowned and crossed her arms. Liam noticed and knew his girlfriend was mad about something.
“What’s wrong, my little ray of sunshine?” he asked.
“You lied. This isn’t going to be a one-day job. By the time we get there and load up the bodies, it’ll be late afternoon. And we can’t travel at night.”
“Well, my sweet tasting honeybun, it is possible that we’ll have to sleep in the truck overnight,” Liam said.
“So, I’ll be stuck with you two
