Joe sighed. He was as angry at Missy for inadvertently revealing Nate’s whereabouts as he was disappointed in what Bud had become. “It’s probably hard to sneak up on guys when you can hardly stand up.”

Bud nodded. “You’re telling me?”

“She’s a cancer,” Joe said. “Why do you still listen to her?”

“A cancer?” Bud said, sitting back and slapping his thighs with his big hands, “Cancer can be cured most of the time. No, she’s a damned witch! She’s an in-the-flesh witch! She put her spell on me for a while and she took everything I owned, and now she’s working on that guy, the Earl of Lexington. She’ll have everything he’s got soon, I’ll bet you money. I mean, if I still had some.”

Joe said, “I won’t take that bet.”

Bud laughed drily. “The only revenge I got is that the way things are going, I’m not sure I could have afforded to pay the taxes or comply with all the new regulations they’re putting on us out here. I’m glad somebody else has to deal with that shit. But I don’t like the idea of your friend coming after me, either.”

Joe said, “Bud, Nate’s not after you. That’s all in Missy’s imagination. Not that she hasn’t tried to hire him to intimidate you, but that’s not what Nate does.”

Bud said, “What does he do?”

Which momentarily left Joe at a loss for words.

The kitchen drapes parted, and Joe saw Marybeth look out. Her face fell when she saw Bud Longbrake and how he looked. Joe nodded to her and indicated that everything was fine. Before she let the curtains fall back into place, he could see her purse her lips and shake her head sadly.

“I asked what he did,” Bud repeated.

“I take drunk old ranchers home,” Nate said, stepping out from the shadows where he’d been hiding. His.454 was low at his side but not in the holster.

At the sound of Nate’s voice, Bud’s arm rose stiffly and he fluttered his hands and his boots kicked out in alarm.

“Calm down,” Nate said to Bud, putting a hand on his shoulder. “If I was going to kill you, you’d already be dead.”

Joe shrugged to Bud, as if to say, You know he’s right.

“Where’s your pickup, Bud?” Nate asked.

Bud gestured vaguely toward the sagebrush field in back of the house. “Out there somewhere,” he said.

“Why don’t we go find it?”

“Then what?” Bud asked.

“Then I’ll take you home. Are you still living in that apartment over the Western wear store on Main?”

Bud nodded.

“Then let’s go.”

Bud didn’t move.

Nate reached out and grasped Bud’s ear and twisted it. “I said, let’s go.”

Joe had seen Nate twist off enough ears. He said, “Nate. ”

But the pressure caused Bud to rise clumsily and stand up. Nate let go of Bud’s ear and Bud pawed at it with his free hand like a bear cub.

“Can I at least see the girls?” Bud asked Joe. “I miss them girls.”

“They’re in bed,” Joe fibbed. “It’s a school night, Bud.”

“I do miss them girls.”

“They miss you, too,” Joe said. “You were a good grandpa to them.”

“Until that witch screwed it all up.”

Joe nodded.

“You know the worse thing about her?” Bud said suddenly.

Joe braced himself.

“I still love her. I still goddamn love her, even after all she did to me.”

Joe said, “That is the worst thing, all right.”

“What about my Army Colt?” Bud asked Joe. “I like to have it within reach.”

“Go home, Bud. I’ll drop it by later.”

“Come on,” Nate said. “Can you find your keys?”

Bud clumsily started patting himself. In addition to his pickup keys, he located his can of Copenhagen and a warm bottle of beer. Bud twisted the cap off and took a long drink, and offered it to Joe and then Nate.

“No thanks, Bud,” Joe said.

As Nate guided Bud out the backyard toward the distant truck, Joe heard Bud say, “If you really want to kill me, I probably wouldn’t put up too much of a fight.”

“Shut up,” Nate responded.

Later, as Joe crawled into bed, Marybeth said, “It’s so sad what’s happened to Bud. I don’t know what’s going to become of him.”

He moved close to her and she turned away to her side. Their bodies fit so well together, he thought.

She said, “I keep expecting to get a call from the sheriff’s office asking us to come down and bail him out of jail. Or identify a body.” She didn’t sound sleepy.

He said, “Your mother’s body count is getting pretty high. How did you manage to turn out so well?”

“I guess I’m the black sheep of the family.”

Joe chuckled. “Yup. No one can accuse you of trading up.”

“Do you think he’ll come back? Bud, I mean?”

Joe pulled her closer. Her body felt warm and soft. He buried his face into her hair. “I doubt it. He knows now Nate’s not after him. And deep down, Bud’s a good man. He’ll wake up and be ashamed of himself for showing up here, I think.”

“Mmmm.”

“Marybeth,” he whispered into her ear, “I was wondering. ”

“Joe,” she said, cutting him off. “First, we need to talk.”

“About what?”

She took a deep soft breath and paused. “I can see the direction this is all headed. I could see it tonight when you and Nate got your guns and went outside. It was like your sails were full. I know it was me who called Nate for help, but at the time I wasn’t sure when I’d see you again, if at all.

“You’re thinking of going back up into those mountains, aren’t you? You want to find those brothers,” she said.

He closed his eyes, even though she wasn’t looking at his face. “No one believes me, honey.”

“I do.”

“I keep thinking about everything that happened-how they whipped me. I keep thinking about Terri Wade and. that other woman. Something was going on up there and I couldn’t see it at the time. I still can’t. But whatever it is, it’s still there. That the sheriff in Carbon County and all those DCI boys couldn’t find the Grim Brothers at all puzzles the heck out of me. That the FBI seems to be monitoring the situation makes no logical sense. And who is this Bobby McCue representing? There are a load of unanswered questions, starting with why the Grim Brothers are up there in the first place. Plus, there are lives at stake. Even though Terri Wade and the mystery woman seemed to be there willingly, I just don’t buy it. No woman would choose to be alone in the wilderness like that with those two brothers around. I think they’re being held, even if they didn’t act like it. Just walking away doesn’t feel right.”

She turned to face him. He could see the side of her face in the soft light of the moon outside. She still looked youthful, attractive, strong. He wanted her.

She said, “Be thankful you were able to walk away, Joe.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Maybe it was a blessing,” she said. “You may not be so lucky the next time.”

He said nothing for a long time. Then: “I’ll tell you something I have trouble putting into words. I’m scaredto go back up there. I’ve been scared a lot in the past. But this one is different somehow. I don’t think I can beat them.”

She reached out and touched his cheek. She spoke softly, “Eventually, those brothers will get caught or turn themselves in. And who knows-maybe those women are up there on their own accord. Not all women have brains in their heads, Joe. Some are actually attracted by men like that, which sickens me. But for once, why not let the system work? You don’t need to be the one driving it this time.”

She said, “For God’s sake, they aren’t even in your district anymore. You’ve been reassigned, so they’re someone else’s problem now. We both know the governor wants you to stay out of it. And the sheriff down there probably never wants to see you again. If you went after them, it would be purely personal, and that’s not good.”

“Still,” he said.

“Look,” she said, propping herself up on an elbow. His arm that had been draped over her fell away from her movement. “You’ve been gone a long time. You see the situation here. April is like a stick of dynamite walking around in a room filled with candles. She’s just going to go off if we aren’t there to help and guide her. Sheridan’s got a year left before she goes to college, Joe. To college! She’s in a situation right now where she goes to practice every night and that hysterical coach of hers mistreats her because she won’t suck up to him. She doesn’t say much about it. She’s miserable-but she won’t quit. Who does that remind you of?”