Brokken Yesterdays by Lynda J Cox

Author:Lynda J Cox [Cox, Lynda J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lynda J Cox
Published: 2019-02-04T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

“You’re certain it wasn’t a big cat?” Jon scanned the dark woods, every nerve on edge. The silence in the copse of trees only added to the tension humming through him.

“Positive.” Knight stood, brushing humus, crumbling leaves, and dirt from his knees. “This was done with surgical precision.”

A twig snapping in the thick stand of live oak and pine made both men turn. Jon brought the carbine up at the same time. The sound didn’t repeat. The oppressive silence deepened and held until Knight picked up the spade. “You keep watch. I’ll bury them.”

“I’ll bury them. I promised Miss Lavender I would.” Jon pulled his gaze from the thick woods.

“I can’t shoot a rifle,” Knight pointed out, raising his left hand. “As long as they’re buried, that’s what she would want.”

Jon nodded. Knight wouldn’t be the prudent choice for manning the carbine. He scanned the woods, leading his survey with the muzzle of the rifle. His gaze didn’t linger on any one spot too long, knowing if he did, the shadows would begin to play tricks on his sight, making him see things that weren’t there.

The horses snorted and shuffled uneasily. An almost inaudible rustle of fallen leaves from somewhere behind him lifted the hair on the back of Jon’s neck. He slowly pivoted, trying to keep from peering too intently into the dark shadows and letting his sight recognize the few, tiny dapples of sunlight penetrating the copse. A single glint that didn’t belong shoved his heart into his throat.

“Doc, are you done?” he asked, even as he jacked a round home and sighted the rifle into the dense growth.

“Done enough.” Knight tamped a last shovelful of dirt down on the small grave.

“We need to get out of here.” Jon held the rifle steady, his finger curled around the trigger. That glint continued from what he suspected was the unblinking stare of the cougar.

Knight untied his horse and swung up, shifting the spade to his left hand. He reached behind himself, under the tail of his frock coat, and withdrew a heavy revolver. “I’ll cover you.”

Jon let a mirthless smile cross his face. “I thought you said you couldn’t shoot.”

“I said I couldn’t shoot a rifle.” The doctor directed his weapon in the general direction Jon had the carbine aimed. “I don’t need both hands to hold a revolver steady enough to fire it.”

Once they were in the open, Jon let his guard down, and Knight tucked the revolver away. Jon reined his horse to a stop. “If Miss Lavender asks, it was a cougar kill. Victoria needs to hear the truth.”

“No.” Knight brought his horse to a stop next to him. “People need to know the truth. The more people know, the sooner we can catch whoever is doing this.”

Jon studied the frayed stitching on the top of the saddle horn. “You’re right. What makes a person do that?”

“I don’t know.” Knight’s shoulders rose with the deep breath he sucked in. “I thought, during that war, I’d seen the lowest depths of barbarity.

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