To Hell and Beyond by Mark Henry

Author:Mark Henry [Henry, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2017-04-03T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 34

August 27

Clay let the pocket watch twirl in front of him, twisting and untwisting on the long golden chain. The weather had turned cooler and brought enough rain to stop the fires. An afternoon drizzle had beaten the dust back down, and the sun now shone bright yellow on the crest of the western mountains. The light reflected beautifully off the spinning watch.

Trap stood in the corral, rubbing the mule colt’s ears but looking at his son, who sat on a stump, his leg in a splint courtesy of Doc Bruner. “Isn’t it about time you filled me in on everything?” Blake asked. “I was a part of it, if you both care to recall.”

“I’d be happy to, if I understood it myself, son.” Trap shrugged and turned his attention back to the colt.

“He sure twisted off on us, didn’t he, Trap?” Clay seemed hypnotized by the watch. “I mean, he put that young Kenworth girl through hell just to get back at you. That seems too wicked even for Johannes.”

“His mind was gone, eaten up by revenge,” Trap mused. “How’s the girl doing?”

“Pretty well, considering what she’s been through,” Blake offered from the stump. He seemed more outspoken now that the ordeal was over, as if he’d passed some test of manhood and was now allowed to be a larger part of the conversation. “Telegraph and telephone lines are all down, so her mother can’t get through to make her come home. She and her daddy are gettin’ reacquainted. Old Man Kenworth told me he was startin’ to think about bucking his wife and having the girl stay out here permanent. I don’t know if he’ll ever pay to get the lines fixed.”

Clay cocked an eyebrow at Blake. “So, you been out to the Kenworth place checkin’ in on the girl, have you? Good boy. You remind me of me.”

Blake smirked. “I took her on a buggy ride yesterday evening, but all she could talk about was how handsome and brave that Mr. Madsen was.” He threw a pine cone at Clay. “It’s like you weren’t even there, Pa. I don’t know how you put up with that all these years.”

“Wouldn’t have bothered him unless your mama was involved.” Clay let the watch twirl around his finger while he spoke. “And she never was, to my utter dismay.”

“You think he’s still out there?” Blake leaned forward on the stump, steadying himself on his homemade cane. He looked hard at both men.

“I don’t know.” Trap shrugged, dropping the colt’s rear foot to stand up straight and face his son.

“Well, I know.” Clay caught the watch in his palm and held it. “I know and so do you. Johannes ain’t dead, and that’s a fact. Any man bullheaded enough to dog after you all these years, patient enough to put together a plan like that, and tough enough to hack off his own arm to get away, didn’t die in the fire. No, sir, I don’t know how he escaped from that inferno, but I do know this: He damn sure didn’t die.

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