“Why now? That was more than thirty years ago. What the hell’s happened now to start this up again?”
“I don’t know. It just happened a few hours ago. We just got Mama back to the house. She’s telling Jesse now, and I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night here.”
Bowie glanced at the clock. It was just after 3:00 p.m.
“I don’t know how long it will take to get a chopper out here to pick me up, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. Tell Mama I’m on the way. Will one of you come into Eden to pick me up when they drop me off?”
“Yes. I will. I’m so sorry to be calling with such bad news,” Samuel added.
“I’m sorry, too, for all of us,” Bowie said. “I love you, Samuel.”
“Love you, too, bro,” Samuel said.
The call disconnected, and Samuel was still standing there, staring at the phone, when he heard footsteps and looked to see Bella coming toward him. He walked into her arms and came undone.
*
Bowie came out of the office leading with his chin, and headed for the boss.
“Claude! Claude!” he yelled to be heard over the noise on the drilling rig.
Claude Franklin turned, saw the look on Bowie Youngblood’s face and knew something was wrong. He headed toward him at a trot.
There were tears still on Bowie’s face when he grabbed Claude by the arm.
“I need a chopper, ASAP. My father’s been murdered. There’s going to be hell to pay on the mountain. I need to get home as soon as possible,” he said, then began to explain.
Claude was speechless. In his whole life he’d never known anyone who was murdered, and to hear Bowie naming the other side of his family as the ones responsible was beyond understanding.
“Go pack. I’ll get you a chopper, son. Just get your head on straight.”
Bowie nodded and took off toward their sleeping quarters, the long black braid hanging down his back bouncing with every step.
*
By the time Bella and Samuel got back into the house, it appeared that Leigh’s momentary weakness had passed in her need to care for her youngest son. She was sitting at Jesse’s bedside, waiting for his meds to kick in as he cried himself to sleep.
The longer she sat, the angrier she became. By the time Jesse fell asleep, she was so mad she was shaking. She went through the house in search of her boys, calling them by name.
They came rushing out of the kitchen, thinking she needed them to tend to Jesse. He was a big strong man and, due to his head injuries, was hard to handle when he got upset, but when they saw she was alone they slowed down.
Leigh put her hands on her hips.
“I’m going to Eden. I want the killer to know before he lays his head on a pillow tonight that his days are numbered. Will you go with me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison.
“What about Jesse?” Michael said.
“I gave him one of his pills. He’s sound asleep.”
“Do you want to change clothes or anything?” Samuel asked.
Leigh looked down at the shirt and jeans she’d been wearing in the garden. They had blood all over them. She thought of the scratches on her face and realized she hadn’t even pulled the leaves out of her hair, and then let it go.
“No. I’m not changing anything. I’m not hiding the hideousness of what was done.”
“You can ride with me,” Samuel said.
“Aidan and I will follow you in my SUV,” Michael said.
“Bring your rifles,” Leigh said.
Bella gasped.
Maura and Leslie looked anxious.
“Do you think you’re all in danger?” Bella asked.
“No, not unless we turn our backs,” Leigh snapped, and then grabbed her purse and the keys to her Jeep. “We won’t be long. Jesse isn’t going to wake up, so don’t worry.”
“We’re not afraid of him,” Maura said, and hugged Leigh.
“Be careful. All of you,” Bella said, as she hugged Leigh, too.
Leslie kissed her mother-in-law on the cheek and then squeezed her hand.
“Scare the shit out of them, Mama.”
“I fully intend to,” Leigh said, and went out the front door with her sons behind her.
She tossed the keys to Samuel and then got in the passenger seat as he slid behind the wheel.
Moments later they were gone.
*
Henry Clayton had been the police chief in Eden for more than fifteen years. He’d just gotten off the phone with Constable Riordan, who’d filled him in on the murder and the name Stanton Youngblood had scratched in the dirt before he died.
Clayton was shocked. He’d gone to school with Stanton and had always thought of him as a friend. He didn’t know what to think, other than that the Wayne family held sway over the town and nearly everyone in it, including him. The constable was in charge of the case, but he would be depending on Clayton for assistance when the investigation got under way. Before Clayton could formulate a plan for himself, he heard the sound of vehicles coming down Main very fast, and when he began to hear constant honking, he frowned.
“What the hell?”