“Did they try to get to you guys?” Andrea asked.
Both nodded. “But luckily a lot of the Arkansas State Troopers on this side of the state are single or don’t have much family. They don’t have a lot to threaten us with.”
“Do you know what the ultimate goal is with these camps?” Curt asked them, curious if they knew.
“Sure, it’s a big redistribution. Of goods, resources, and land. I heard a rumor that they’re saying this virus is an extinction level event or something like that.”
“It’s bad, but it’s not that bad,” Andrea told them. “Trust me, from somebody who’s had it.”
“None of this makes much sense to me,” the K9 trooper said. “It’s like we’re missing a bigger piece of the puzzle. But listen, if you get stopped again, you give the officers this.” He fished a card out of his pocket and handed it to Andrea. “And don’t lose that travel letter. That might get you across the state alone.”
“Thank you, both,” Andrea told them.
“Appreciate you helping us out,” Rob said from the back.
“Hurry to where you’re going. Avoid Little Rock, and gas up before you get to the bigger cities.”
“Thank you,” Curt said, turning the vehicle back on.
They watched as the troopers went back to their vehicle before pulling back onto the highway.
“Do you think they’re on the level?” Curt asked behind his shoulder.
“I hope they are. They might have just given me the miracle I needed. We’ll see,” Rob said, relaxing at last.
Seventeen
Harry and Ranger were working around the area where the berries were. He had a bucket with him, but he was only half-heartedly picking them. What he was doing was trying to stay out of the way, and maybe find some more gold. He loved pirates and his favorite show on Disney was one about a kid pirate named Jake. He thought it would be a lot of fun to find more gold like Jake on TV did, but he couldn’t wander off. His grandma and her friend Luis were about twenty feet down the row, picking berries as well.
“Ranger, do you think my dad is going to be ok?” Harry whispered.
Ranger gave his human a look, then tilted his head to the side as if to say that was a silly question.
“I think so too, I just… Momma is gone now, and Daddy’s gone to fetch her…”
The word fetch made Ranger sit bolt upright. He bobbed his head left to right to see if his kid had a ball or stick in his hands. He let out a sigh and relaxed when he realized the little packmate was talking about something else. He would have to pay attention and listen harder; the little one wasn’t easy to understand all the time.
“Are you finding any more gold?” Luis called.
“No sir,” Harry called back. “But I’m looking for it. Last time I just tripped, and there it was.”
“You know,” Goldie said to both of them, “Doctor Dante ordered that big fancy schmancy metal detector. Nobody has ever used it, and it’s probably still in a box.”
“I don’t know how to use one of those things,” Luis told her. “Do you?”
“I’ve used one a time or two,” she admitted. “And once I did spend some time down by Murfreesboro when I was younger. I went diamond hunting there.”
“Diamond hunting?” Harry asked, walking to the spot between the two of them.
“Yes. There’s an old caldera there. I guess folks used to try to mine it, then it went to the government. Now, they made it a state park. So, you can just go there and go looking and digging for diamonds.”
Harry thought about it, and knew pirates loved diamonds almost as much as gold. He was interested.
“How would you find them?” he asked her.
“Mostly just by walking. See, I didn’t stay out there too long. Grandpa, back when he was alive, had a truck tire blow out. Turns out we both got stuck on that side of the state while we got a new tire and part of his front end rebuilt. We took advantage of the downtime by walking up and down that plowed field, looking for them.”
“Did you ever find any?” Harry asked.
“Your grandpa did. Actually, he found it the same time a boy your age at the time found it. They both saw it and the kid picked it up first. It was as easy as that. Your grandpa didn’t fuss none. The boy said he was going to sell it and use the money to help his grandparents out.”
“Oh, wow, so is gold like, more expensive than diamonds?” Harry asked.
Ranger had followed Harry to the new spot, but now he was vying for his pack-mate’s attention by rubbing his head on the boy’s mid section. Harry smiled and hugged the dog one handed, and then started scratching his ears the way he liked.
“It’s worth is more than gold, if we’re talking about value on a pound-to-pound basis,” Luis answered when Goldie hesitated.
“Hm… And you said the little boy was my age?” Harry asked.
“I think so. Little Westley. I’ll never forget him.” Goldie smiled. “He found buried treasure and used it to help out his family.”
That did it. If he wasn’t going to be a big tough rancher like his father, Harry was for sure going to become a pirate.
“I wish we had a treasure map AND the gold detector thing,” Harry said, mostly to himself.
Luis stood up with a jolt and dumped his basket in with Goldie’s. “I’ll be right back.”
Dante and Rob together had rotated the harvest before the work crew had showed up the first time, so they could get the mix together in the silos. Now all Dante had to do was finish the harvest. He was worried. They had topped off their silos and he went over the yields in his head. Rob estimated nine to
