Page 71 of River Ride

“Copy that.”

I took both dogs into the thick trees behind where Dad was crouched down on the bank and let them sniff the ground and search for anything we might be able to use. Max and Sarge weren’t bloodhounds, but they were super smart and good at finding stuff that shouldn’t be where they found it.

Max whined and sat down next to a clump of bushes that I thought looked like poison ivy. “What did you find, boy?”

He sat and looked at me and I moved bushes and weeds and long grass until I found what he smelled.

Hat belonging to a game warden.

“Dad. Got it.”

Travis and Virge caught up with me and I pointed at the hat. “Great work, Harlan.” Dad picked up the hat by the edge of the brim and carried it. “Push through to the road and we’ll start a search for Kody’s truck. It has to be in these woods.”

We came out at the road and could see the squad about three-quarters of a mile back. “The truck should be easier to find than the hat,” I said.

“You’d think so,” said Travis. “Let’s find it and I’ll call Ted to come get it. He might be able to get prints off it.”

“But not if Kody surprised the guys at the river,” said Virge.

“Wrong, Virge,” said Travis. “Think about it a bit more. Those guys would’ve moved Kody’s truck off the side of the road and pushed or driven it into the trees.”

“Yeah, you’re right, Dad. They fuckin touched the Wildlife truck.”

Travis chuckled. “Give me one once in a while, Virgie.”

“That’s one for you, Dad.” My brother turned and said to me, “Harlan, keep score.”

“Piss off, Virge. Keep your own score and I’ll keep mine. I think you’ve got a helluva long way to go to catch up to me.”

“Find the truck, boys. Get on it.”

“Doing it, Dad.”

Me and Virge ran in different directions with the dogs, and I found the truck. Deep in the woods where it would never be seen from the road.

“Got the truck, but I can’t find the keys,” I hollered.

Dad and Virge caught up with me and Dad was on the phone giving Ted directions.

Carpenter Ranch. Black Eagle Pass. Montana.

Billy knocked on the door of the Carpenter ranch house and Jed stepped outside and didn’t invite them in.

“I’m getting bloody sick of you deputies harassing me and I’m thinking of suing Harrison Country for the way I’ve been treated since the beginning of this case.”

“You killed a man for stepping on your property,” Mister Carpenter,” said Billy. “For that, you will be going to jail for years. Your trial has come up on the docket for next week and you’ll be given a chance to say what you have to say onthe witness stand. In the meantime I’d like to ask you a few questions about Kody Kollard.”

“Who’s that?”

“Our local game warden.”

“Don’t know him.”

“He drowned recently, and I wondered what you knew about that.”

“Nothing. I never knew the man.”

“You or your son been fishing lately?”

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