The only question came from Charlie Shimshock who asked, “Do you want me to send some food out to you and Mrs. Elliott, Jake?”
“I’d appreciate the offer, Charlie, but we should be back in a couple of hours.”
Charlie nodded then turned away as the others began untying their horses. Just two minutes later, Jake and Sara were alone again.
After returning to their stone seats, Sara asked, “Do you want me to come with you when you return to the forest?”
Jake studied her eyes for a few seconds but knew he wouldn’t be able to determine whether she would rather remain outside or not. He decided that it was better that she didn’t have to witness the gruesome excavation.
“It won’t be a pleasant sight, Sara. It might be better if you took Vulcan back to the ranch house and waited for me to return.”
“I already understood how bad it would be before I asked, Jake. If I can’t stand beside you at the very worst of times, then I don’t deserve to be with you for the best of them. I want to stay with you, Jake.”
Jake nodded then said, “Alright. It’s just that I didn’t react well when I realized what I’d found in that hole and I didn’t want you to go through it if you didn’t have to.”
She took his hand and said, “We share everything now.”
“Thank you, Sara.”
Jake was about to say more when he spotted a rider and a carriage that was probably a hearse coming from the south.
He stood and as Sara rose to her feet, he said, “Sheriff Zendt and the mortician, Isiah Redmond are coming. I’m sure that they both know what to expect when they get here in a few more minutes.”
_____
Sheriff Zendt dismounted ten minutes later, and Mister Redmond climbed down from his hearse’s seat while his assistant remained sitting on the driver’s seat.
After tying off his horse next to Vulcan, the sheriff and the mortician approached Jake and Sara.
Jake then said, “Mister Redmond, we’re going to need your assistant and a blanket to wrap my father’s body. I have a shovel.”
Isiah Redmond nodded and beckoned to his assistant as he shouted, “Fred, come along and bring one of the heavy blankets.”
Fred loudly replied, “Yes, sir,” before he began climbing down from the driver’s seat.
Jake then turned to the sheriff and said, “Arv, I’ll explain why I asked for you to come while we’re walking.”
“I can understand why you’d rather have me show up than my deputies, Jake.”
Jake nodded and was pleased that the sheriff hadn’t started questioning him about why he knew that he’d found his father’s body and not Dave Forrest’s. He must not have been as surprised as Jake had been.
When Jake took Sara’s hand before they started walking through the gap in the rocks, the sheriff did seem surprised, but didn’t say anything.
Once they were past the narrow natural entrance, Jake began telling the sheriff how he’d discovered his father’s gravesite and then after he finished explaining what he knew, he started talking about what had happened on the Elk after he returned from Helena and found Dave Forrest gone and the letter he left behind. He even mentioned the missing money and the Martini-Henry by the time they entered the forest.
When they stopped before the half-filled hole, Jake said, “I’ll start moving the branches away. The hole is where my father’s feet are, so the branches were meant to cover the entire gravesite.”
The sheriff said, “I’ll help, Jake,” so Jake handed the shovel to the mortician’s assistant before he and the sheriff began pulling the branches off the rest of the soft ground.
Sara had moved out of the way but remained as close to Jake as possible. When the branches were all clear, she walked with him to the gravesite and took his hand.
Jake didn’t ask the assistant to be careful but before he dug the shovel into the ground, he said, "I found the tips of my father’s boots about three feet down.”
Fred nodded then began to carefully scoop the soft dirt away while everyone else watched the exposed ground.
But after just a foot or so of soil had been removed, Jake spotted an unnatural color and said, “Hold it for a second!”
Fred pulled the shovel away and Jake stepped close to the fresh hole then reached down and after his fingers touched the object, he brushed away some of the dirt and pulled out his father’s cream Stetson with the embroidered elk band. He stepped back and nodded to let Fred continue before he began brushing the accumulated filth from the hat. He knew it was just a diversion, so after those first few strokes, he just held it in his hand and turned his eyes back to his father’s burial site.
Sara quickly took his free hand and after a short look into his eyes, turned back to watch the exhumation. She was determined to remain strong for Jake and was impressed with his concentration and decisiveness after those first few minutes since leaving his refuge.
They continued to watch as Fred worked his way down to where Jake had first dug his small hole. He was being more precise after Jake had removed his father’s hat, but after he’d take out another foot of soil, it had been the only thing they’d found.
It was just five minutes later that Fred stopped and tossed the shovel aside before he looked at his boss and said, “I think we can remove Mister Elliott now.”
Jake couldn’t see his father’s face but was sure that Fred knew what he was doing. Mister Redmond spread the blanket on the
