Bones’ eyes, which had fallen at the word “sorry,” widened as he realized Maddock was messing with him. “Hand it over, bro. Now!”
Maddock drew the stone from his bag and held it out.
Bones gasped. He took it in trembling hands and held it up. His eyes glowed, and his grin was almost beatific as he gazed on his ancestor's treasure.
“This is really it,” he whispered. “A part of me thought Esau was full of crap and maybe he’d made it all up. But it’s real.”
“So what do you think it is?” Maddock thought it was a fine example of craftsmanship, but apparently there was much more to the artifact.
“It looks kind of like a spear point, but I don’t think it’s a Native American artifact. The shape is too…refined, I guess. And there’s something about the stone itself that makes it seem…”
Ancient? Otherworldly? Alien?”
“Yeah, all that crap and more.” He lowered his hands and his eyes met Maddock's. “Thanks, bro. You don't know what this means to me.”
“No worries. Hopefully this is the first step to getting those guys off your grandfather’s back.”
“For sure.” Bones continued to examine the stone. “All these carvings of animals. They’re rough, like they were scratched on long after this was made. It’s weird, but when I look at them, I’m sure this thing has power.”
“You think it’ll let you talk to animals?”
“Maybe.” Bones admired the stone for a moment longer before tucking it into his belt and rising to his feet. “There’ll be time to look at it later. It occurs to me there’s only one man left. Let's find our friend Carter and show him what it's like to be hunted.”
They made their way to the cliff that overlooked the battlefield, lake, and vehicles. “We're almost too late.” Maddock pointed to the spot where a figure had just broken from the cover of the forest and was lumbering toward the parked trucks and jeeps. Carter.
“We can’t let him get away,” Bones said. “If this place has a tradition of hunting outsiders, they’ll want to cover it up. No way we’d get a fair trial around here.”
Maddock sighed. “Do what you’ve got to do.”
Bones smiled and raised his rifle.
“That's a long shot.” Maddock arched an eyebrow. “Think you can make it?”
Bones only grinned more broadly as he gently squeezed the trigger. Far below them, Carter fell flat on his face. “Dinner's on you for doubting me.”
“Are you kidding me? You can even think about eating after all this?” Maddock rubbed his temples. “We need to get out of here, and fast. Like you said, even though we're in the right, if we’re caught, what chance would we have of getting any kind of justice around here? Hell, in a town like this, the judge, jury, and victims are probably all first cousins. I think we need to dispose of the bodies, pitch the rifles into the lake, and get the hell out of Dodge.”
“You're right.” Bones drew the stone from where he had tucked it into his belt. “But if what Grandfather said about this thing is true, we won't have any trouble dealing with the bodies. After that, we’ve got one more loose end I'm going to tie up.”
“What are you going to do?” Maddock took a step back.
“I’m not sure.” Bones held the stone in the flat of his palm, staring hard at it. A minute passed in silence. Bones shook his head. “Either Esau was full of crap or we’re missing the key to unlock this thing.”
Maddock frowned. The key to unlock the stone. The key…
“Blood is the key! Remember the last line of the story.
“Maddock, you’re a freaking genius.” Bones pressed the stone against his still dripping chest wound, and closed his eyes. “Dude, I can feel it.”
“Feel what?”
“I can’t explain it but… holy crap, they’re coming.”
“Who is coming?” As if in reply, a loud rustling sound filled the forest. What Maddock saw momentarily took his breath. “Unbelievable.”
Chapter 12
Words failed Maddock as they drove away from the battlefield. What he had seen was burned in his mind. The power of the stone was real, and it just might have been their salvation.
They had wiped and disposed of all the rifles and pistols, tossing them into the lake. Bones wanted to save Carter's antique Colt, but Maddock put his foot down.
“Something that could be evidence at your murder trial doesn’t make for a good souvenir,” he said for what felt like the hundredth time.
“I know, but that was a sweet piece. He didn’t deserve it.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you covered our tracks nicely. I doubt anyone will find the bodies, and if they do…”
“Eaten by bears,” Bones said. “This stone is something else. You’ll have to try it sometime.”
“Sure. Next time we need to make it look like seven dead men were victims of animal attacks, I’ll use it.”
He had a feeling the names of the seven dead men would simply be added to the list of strange disappearances in Dark Entry. Maddock had seen and experienced some strange things in the time he and Bones had known one another, but what Bones had done with that stone was near the top of the list. The bears emerging silently from the trees and dragging away the bodies. The coyotes lapping up the blood. He shuddered at the memory. He supposed he would never grow fully accustomed to the idea that there were forces in this world that defied understanding.
When they were a quarter of a mile from the ranger station, he pulled the car off the shoulder of the road and cut the engine.
Bones grabbed his arm before he could open the door and get out. “You sure you want to be a part of this? I can take care of it myself.”
“They were hunting both of us.” Maddock felt the heat rising inside of him as he thought about what the men had tried to do to them. The way he saw it, justice had been meted out, but there was one more person who needed to pay. There was no telling how many murders could be laid at the man’s feet.
“I know.” Bones looked up at the night sky. “It’s just that you and I are different, Maddock. You're… better than me. You've always killed in combat or self-defense.”
“And you haven’t?”
“Well, still. I don't want you to…”
“Don't worry about it. My conscience is clear on this one. Besides, we're not going to do anything to the man. At least, not if your plan works.”
Bones gingerly drew his backpack from the back seat and held it at arm’s length. He clutched the stone in his other hand. He and Maddock had washed up in the lake and changed into clean clothes, but Maddock thought he could see a darkness in Bones’ face that wouldn’t soon wash away.
“It will work. It worked back at Dark Entry, didn't it?”
Maddock grimaced at the memory and nodded. It certainly had worked and he would never forget it. “Let's get on with it then.”
Earl Eddings checked his watch for what must have been the twentieth time. He should have heard from Carter by now. He wanted to call and make sure everything was all right, but that was strictly forbidden. Their connection had to be carefully hidden. Carter had already let too many people in on their little game. Perhaps it was time to put an end to it. He'd made a nice chunk of change out of the deal, Carter and his friends had their fun, and together they'd made sure the deaths were always written off as missing persons or tragic accidents. Perhaps they were tempting fate by keeping things going. Of course, getting out of the arrangement would be neither simple nor easy.
He propped his feet up on the desk and reached for his coffee. It had gone cold, but he didn't feel like brewing another pot. Besides, once he heard from Carter, he'd close the office and retire to his apartment in the back. He'd heat up a frozen pizza, watch a movie, maybe Smokey and the Bandit, and hit the sack. He swished the bitter drink around in his mouth and closed his eyes, trying to coax a bit of flavor from it. Paul Revere and the Raiders were on the radio. It was a good song, one of his favorites.