ITWAS THE longestandmostpleasantfallhecouldremembersincereturningtotheranchafterastintinthemilitaryandthree years in college. Unlike many years, when “fall” was a hard freeze that came out of nowhere and instantly killed all the deciduousgreenery,thisonehadbroughtoutcolorshedidn’tknow existedoutsideofNew England Yellow leavescrunched underfootandseamsofcrimsonranupeverymountaindraw.
The late-afternoonsundappled the water and ignited the river cottonwoods and buckbrushalongthe bankwithintense golds and reds. Italmosthurthis eyes. Aslightbreeze rattled throughthe dryingleaves and hundreds ofthemhad detached upriver andnow floatedlikeatinyyellow armadaonthesurfaceofthewater Abovehim,abaldeagleinathermal current glidedinalazycircle.
He was outfitted in chest-high waders, a waterproof Simms jacket with a mesh fly-fishing vest over it, and a Stormy Kromer rancher’s cap. Alanyard loaded withscissors, spools oftippet, and forceps hungfromhis neck. Afishingnetwas attachedtothecollarofhisvestandawadingstaffundulatedinthestrongcurrentfromwhereitwastiedoffonhisbelt.
The backof his vest sagged fromthe weight of the Glockinthe rear pocket The weaponheld fifteenrounds and had enoughstoppingpowertotakedownthebiggestofwild-gamespecies.Clayneverwentanywherewithoutit.
The wonderful thingaboutfly-fishing, he’d discovered, was thatitwas all-consuming The tactics, the gear, readingthe water,thechoiceofflies,keepinghisbalanceonsmoothroundriverrocks allofthatfullyoccupiedhismindandpushedout otherconcerns.
Fly-fishingwaslikesexinthatway.
AFTER HE’D RETURNED totheranchheadquartersthatafternoon,ClayJuniorhadthrownhisrodandgearintoanopenPolaris Rangeranddroveitstraightthroughthehayfieldtothebendintheriver.
He particularly wanted to take his mind off dinner that night with Sheridan Pickett That was when she would see the engagementringfortheveryfirsttime.
The ringhadbeeninhis pocketfor a week He’djustbeenlookingfor the rightmoment Inhis mind,theywere already engaged.
Should he ask Sheridan’s father, Joe, for permission first? Clay Junior had debated it several times. In the end, he’d decidednotto JoePickettwasthelocalgamewarden,afriendofhisdad’s,andthefatherofthreedaughters Sheridanwasthe
Star highschool athlete; armyveteran; conventionallyhandsome, withbroad shoulders, blue eyes, and a square jaw; a futureastheforemanofatwenty-thousand-acreranchthatwasoneofthelargestinnorth-centralWyoming.Hehadalotgoing forhim Whywouldn’thebeconfident?
Besides, Sheridanhad a mind of her own. Too muchso at times, he thought. She wouldn’t let her father’s reservations abouthiminfluenceher
At first, he thought it was a rockslide Theyhappened onthe steep canyonwall, and sometimes theygathered so much momentum,theysnappedofftreesastheytoredownthemountain.
Notarockslide,ClayJuniorthought,butagrizzlybear more than twice his size. The doe regained her footingas the river shallowed and she was able to scramble toward the shoreline justa few feet aboveClayJunior.Shewascloseenoughthatdropletsofwaterfromherthrashingsprayedacrosshisface.
Thegrizzlyclosedthedistanceandroseontoits backlegs andtoweredover him,blottingoutthelight Hecouldseeits thick coat shimmer as river water sluiced out of it. Long claws were curved like yellow scythes, and the bear was close enoughhecouldsmellit Thestinkwaslikewetdog,onlytwentytimesworse Thebearroaredathim,andClayJuniorfelthis anusinstinctivelypuckerandhislimbsgoweak.He’dneverheardasoundthataffectedhiminsuchaprimal,visceralway.
Scrambling,hesteppedbackandhis bootsoleslippedonthetopofaroundriver rock.Losinghis balance,hefell back and to the side, and fumbled the Glockinto the river The weaponthumped onthe side ofhis thighthroughthe waders, then
The grizzlylunged ontop ofhimand pinned himflatonhis backto the rocks onthe floor ofthe river, a footand a half beneaththesurface Asthejawsclosedaroundhishead,thelastsoundClayJuniorheardwastheawfulcrunchofthoseteeth throughhisskull.
THE NEXT DAY, Wyominggame wardenJoe Pickettwas feelingall ofhis fifty-one years whenhe received a call fromClay Hutmacher,theforemanoftheDoubleDiamondRanch.
He was exhausted, but pleasantly so, and the morning had gone smoothly. He’d witnessed no violations and issued no warningsorticketsandmadenoarrests.Thecampshe’dvisitedweregenerallycleanandthehuntershe’dmetwerefriendly andethical.Theirfoodwashungfromtreestodiscouragebearsandnoonehadreportedanylargecarnivoreorwolfsightings. He was still a little surprised bythe four youngmenhe’d metearlyoninhis rounds: hipsters fromJacksonHole withlong beardsandblaze-orangeporkpiehats,whowerehuntingelknotfortrophyracksbuttofilltheirfreezersforthewinter.Itwas goodtomeetyoungerhunterskeepingthelocaltraditionsalive,hethought Itencouragedhimtokeepdoingwhathewasdoing andknowingitwasright.
THEDAY BEFORE hadbeenmorechallenging.He’dencounteredthreeelkhuntersfromPennsylvaniacampedonBureauofLand Managementlandastone’sthrowfromtheboundaryfenceofabigranchknowntolocalsastheDoubleD.ThePennsylvania huntershadmadeitcleartohimthattheyintendedto“corner-cross”fromtheparceltheywereontoanadjacentpublicparcel bymeansofaladdertheyhadbuiltspeciallyforthepurposeandbroughtwiththemtoWyoming.Theplan,theyexplained,was to move across the checkerboard of public lands without stepping foot on private The hunters showed Joe the extremely accurateGPSmappingappsthey’dputontheirphonestomakesuretheystayedlegal.
Joe had warned themthatcorner-crossingwas a complicated issue, and a newlycontentious one There were laws that allowed citizens to access all public lands, as well as laws that said that even entering the airspace of private land was trespassing.Sincetherewasnowayforthehunterstoclimbtheladderfromcornertocornerandnotpreventanypartoftheir bodiesfrompassingoveratinysliceofprivatelandontheway,theywereriskingtrespassingchargesfromthecountysheriff
Joecouldseebothsidesoftheissue.Legalhuntersdidhavetherighttoaccesspublicland,evenifthewaytheydiditwas legally dubious. At the same time, local landowners owned huge, and hugely expensive, tracts of “private” acreage that containedsquaresofpubliclandinsideofit.Ifjustanyonecouldaccessthoseinholdingsatanytime,wastheprivateproperty actuallyprivate?
“Corner-locked”publiclandwasabigissueintheWest,wheresomuchterritorywasownedbythefederalgovernment. Therewere24millionacresofcorner-lockedlandinWyomingalone,thesamesizeasYellowstoneParkandtheWindRiver Indian Reservation. That was twice as much land as Rhode Island, and it was bigger than the landmass of the state of Connecticut.
Joe thought about that, considering the implications. Clay Junior was seeing his oldest daughter, Sheridan, and the relationship seemed to be getting much more serious than Joe wanted to accept or acknowledge. Sheridan had her own apartmentintown,soheandMarybethdidn’talwaysknowwhatwasgoingonwithher IfClayJuniorhadn’tsleptinhisownbed…
“The boss has had it with them, you know,” Hutmacher said, referring to the wealthy owner of the ranch, Michael Thompson,wholivedmostoftheyearinAtlanta,wherehistelecomfirmwasheadquartered Thompsonandhisyoungwife, Brandy,visitedtheranchonlyacoupleoftimesayeartohunttrophyelkandtouritduringthesummermonths,butwhenthey didhealwaysmadesuretoharangueJoeaboutkeepingtrespassersoffhisranch
“Iknow,”Joesaid.
“Wherewerethey?”
Joe described where the Pennsylvanians had camped onthe northernborder of the Double D, about sixmiles fromthe highway.
“I’mgoingtosendacoupleofmyguysoutthereonATVs,”Hutmacher said “Ifwecatch’em,we’ll holdtheminplace untilthesheriffarrivestoarrestthebastards.”
Joe sighed Itwasn’treallynecessaryto saythatthe Twelve Sleep CountySheriff’s Departmentmightnotrespond with their best or atall. Since SheriffScottTibbs had retired sevenmonths before, the office was inturmoil. Two oftheir best deputies,RyanSteckandJustinWoods,hadresignedandleftthe state for new law enforcementjobs.Aninterimsheriffhad beenselectedbythecountycommissioners:awomannamedElaineBeveridge,aformercountycommissioner Unfortunately, Beveridgehadmadeitahabitnevertoanswerherphoneorleaveherdesk.Anewelectionwascomingup,andJudgeHewitt had hand-selected a candidate named JacksonBishop, and he was backingBishop publiclyand financially At the moment, however,theofficewascompletelyandtotallyadrift.
TWO HOURS LATER,afterJoehadeatenhissacklunchofcoldfriedchickenandorangeslicesinhispickupandhadfedDaisy herrationofdrieddogfoodoutofatinbowl,Hutmachercalledback.Hewasintears.
ALTHOUGH HE RARELY activatedeitherhissirenorthewigwaglightsmountedonthetopofthecabofhisgreenFordpickup, Joeturnedonbothofthemwhenhefishtailedfromthecountyroadontotheinterstatehighway.
Joe understood the reasonfor her breachof protocol There had beenfour bear attacks onhumans inthe last monthin Wyoming,morethaneverbefore.ThreehadoccurredjustoutsidetheboundariesofYellowstonePark,butonehadhappeneda hundredandfiftymilesstraightsouthofthepark.This,ifitturnedouttobeabearattack,wouldbethefirstoneintheBighorn Mountainsofnorth-centralWyoming Thereweren’tsupposedtobegrizzlybearsintheBighorns.
THEPREDATORATTACK Teamconsistedoffivearmedwardensfromaroundthestatewhowerecalledtorespondimmediately to large-carnivore attacks. They were a kind of SWAT team, except trained to confront wild animals instead of human perpetrators. Members ofthe PAT were equipped withtactical gear, high-end optics and communications equipment, armor, bear spray, and semiautomatic rifles Joe was analternate member ofthe teamand was called uponifthe teamwas a man downorifoneofthemwasunavailableonamoment’snotice.
GOINGOFFWHAT littleHutmacherhadtoldhim,JoedrovestraightthroughtheranchyardoftheDoubleDtoatwo-trackroad thatleddowntotheTwelveSleepRiver.Theheadquarters complexoftheranchwas impressive,withamagnificentgabled homebuiltoflocalsandstonenestledintothesideofahill,surroundedbyoutbuildingsandquartersforranchemployees The foreman’shomewasatwo-storylogstructuresetdownandtothesideoftheowner’shouse,butwiththesameexpansiveview oftheriverbottomandthemountainsbeyond.JoenoticedashedrovebythatHutmacher’spickupwasn’tparkedinitsusual place
Two vehicles were parked onthe edge ofthe field nextto a barbed-wire fence thatkeptcattle fromtramplingthe river itself OnewasClay’sFordF-350pickupwiththeDoubleDlogopaintedonthefrontdoors Theotherwasanopentwo-seat PolarisRangerATVmountedwithaflyrodcarriertoitsrollcage.Twentyfeetfromthevehicleswasanopenwiregatethat ledtotheriverthroughthebrushontheothersideofthefence
The brushnear the river was thick, and the onlywayto pushthroughit was to use a series of game trails that wound throughthe eight-foot-tall willows.As he did,the brushclosedaroundhimandhe feltslightlyclaustrophobic.He couldsee nothingbeyondafewfeet,andheknewthatapredatorcouldbetuckedawayinthetangleandhewouldn’tseeituntilitwas toolate.
Whenheclearedthewillowsandtheriveropenedupbeforehim,Joestoppedandsurveyedthescenecarefully.Therewas so muchcolor inthe trees and the sun’s dappled reflectionoffthe water that, for a moment, itwas hard to concentrate The impressionistictableauinfrontofhimwaslikeapulsating,neonMonetpainting.
Claywas a bigmanwithginger hair, darkblue eyes, and a square-cut jaw that gave hima lookofauthority That jaw trembledwhenhesaid,“He’sgone,Joe.Tornapart.Abearmusthavegothim.”
He saw where Clayhad dugat the mound earlier, revealingClayJunior’s mutilated face and head The skinwas pure white and mottled gray, his eyes wide open. There was a row oflarge round punctures across his forehead and beneathhis chin,andmoregapingholesonthesidesofhisheadaroundthetemples Therewasnodoubthewasdead
Joe stood up and breathed in. His heartbeatfast. Death, he thought, musthave beenalmostinstantaneous. There was no bloodonClayJunior’sfaceoronthegroundaroundhim,sohehadn’tbledoutinthatlocation Hisskullhadbeencrushedby thetremendousforceofclosingjaws.
Joe had never heard of a bear attack taking place on a river and the body cached along the bank Both were unusual circumstances.Wasthatwhatreallyhappened?
WHEN CLAY WAS gone, Joe leaned againstthe grille ofhis pickup withhis cell phone inhis hand He’d placed his shotgun withinreachacrossthehood.Insidethecab,Daisystaredathimwithherheadcockedtothesideasiftoaskwhatwasgoing onoutthere
“Ofcourse,”hesaid Whilepunchingoff,Clay’swordsechoedinhishead: “He was going to be your son-in-law.”
CHAPTERTHREE
Rawlins
ON THE SAME day,attheWyomingStatePenitentiaryinRawlins,twohundredandforty-sixmilestothesouth,WDOCInmate Number 24886 shuffled downthe hallwayinhis state-issued Crocs, accompanied oneither side byCorrections Officers R. WinnerandC.Egleston.Theywereheadedtowardtheouttakeroomnearthefrontlobby.
The prisoner kept his head downand did not engage withother convicts who watched himpass by. He’d left the pod behindhim,buthisrouteincludedtheopendoorsofthemailroom,thelawlibrary,andthecomputerroom.Hisearswerestill ringingwiththehoots,catcalls,andcursesthathadblastedoutinEpodwhenWinnerannouncedhisnamethatmorningafter breakfast.
Two newbies saw himcoming and reacted by backing up against the hallway walls and not making eye contact. Even thoughtheyhadjustarrived,thenewbiesknewtoavoidprisonerswearingorangewhocamefromEpod.Orangewasthecolor ofhardenedcriminals,andEpodwaswheretheywerehoused.
“Exceptwhenhe does,” Eglestonsaid COConnie Eglestonwas new to the facilityand had obviouslybeenassigned to shadowWinnertolearntheropes.ShewasoneofonlythreefemaleCOs.
The Brothers were Black, La Familia was Mexican, and the Warrior Chiefs were Native American. WOODS stood for “WhitesOnlyOneDaySoon”DallasCateswastheirundisputedleader
“Whenthe cowboys and the Indians get together onthe same side against the Blacks and the browns, that’s interesting, don’tyouthink?”Winneraskedrhetorically “Kindoflikecatsanddogsjoiningup,right?Iguessthisisthenew WildWest, eh,bro?”
Cateshadchangedhisbodyoverhisyearsinprison He’doncehadthewirybuildofaworldchampionrodeocontestant, an athlete from Saddlestring who’d won both the bull-riding and saddle bronc events at the National Finals Rodeo in consecutive years after takinggold buckles atthe PendletonRound-Up, the CalgaryStampede, and Cheyenne Frontier Days Sincethen,he’daddedfortypoundsofsolidmuscleonhisframe.Histhighswereasthickastrunks,hisneckfannedouttothe topsofhisshoulders,hisbicepslikehams,andhischestahardcask
Inkcovered his body. He’d onlyused the best prisontattoo artists, fromthe serpents that crawled up his thighs, to the buckingbullsacrosshissix-pack,totheall-capitalized WOODS doneinGermanGothicfontacrosshispecs,totheportraitof his mother, Brenda, onhis shoulder The undersides of bothforearms and the backof his left hand were covered innewly mintedredtattoosthatCateshidbykeepinghishandsdownathissidesandturnedinward.
Therewasnowayhe’dtelltheCOthatthecashcameasamonthlytributefromWOODSmembersunderhisprotection,or that other individuals and gangs paid Cates for leavingthemalone or settlingdisputes. The roll amounted to over eighteen hundreddollars.Theoutsidebillswerefivesandones,andthelargerdenominationswereinthemiddleoftheroll.
Winner fanned througheachbookto make sure there was no contraband pressed inside As he did, he said, “The Art of War.Interesting.AndthenwehavetheHolyBibleand Wilderness Evasion: A Guide to Hiding Out and Eluding Pursuit in Remote Areas
AFTER SEVERAL QUIET minutesinwhichneitherCatesnorWinnersaidaword,Eglestonpushedthroughthedoorwithaclear plasticsquarefilledwiththeclothes Cates hadwornwhenhearrivedinRawlins five years before.There was alsoa small boxwithacowboyhatcrammedinside.TheCOplacedtheparcelsonthesteeltableandsteppedback.
“Youknowwhattodo,”WinnersaidtoCates.
He did He unzipped the square and removed his Westernshirtwiththe snap buttons, the size 28 Wranglers, the scuffed round-toeTonyLamaboots,andcivilianundershortsandsocks.Alloftheitemshadaplasticodor. Onlythesocksandbootsstill fit Theshirtwouldn’tbuttonandthejeanswouldn’tzipup Hiscustom-madepurebeaver hatwasjammedintotheboxandcompletelymisshapen.Catesdidn’teventrytoputiton. Catespiledtheclothesbackonthetable.
“Kindofunhealthy,I’dsay,”Eglestonresponded Cateswantedtokillthembothwithhisbarehands.WhenaseniormemberofLaFamiliahadcommentedonthetattooof Brenda’s image, Cates waited for his chance and had pushed the man’s face onto a hot stove and held himdownuntil the victim’srighteyeballliquefiedandacridsmokefilledthekitchen Noonehadevergonethereagain
“And I’m just sorry about that,” Winner said “I truly am Things get lost in the storage room, and that’s a fact You probablydon’t remember signingthe propertyrelease whenyoucame backhere. The release yousigned says we have no liabilityforlostorstolenitemswhileyou’reincarcerated.Doyouwantmetogogetthereleaseyousigned?”
Bright white skinny jeans two sizes too large, a plastic belt decorated with dinosaurs, and an XXL pink sweatshirt emblazonedwithDON’TLETYOURBABIESGROWUPTOBECOWBOYS
CATES STARED AT Winner for half a minute Finally, the CO broke his gaze and looked away Cates got dressed inthe new clothesandstuffedhisoldonesintotheplasticparceltotakewithhim.Hecarriedhisruinedhatbythebriminhisfreehand.
THE SKY WAS grayand overcastand the wind was blowingas italways was inRawlins whenDallas Cates pushed his way throughthedoubledoorstowardtheparkinglot Hedepositedthesquarecubeofhisoldclothesintoagarbagecanontheway out.
Shelookedolderthanshewasbecauseherfacewasweatheredfromtoomuchtimeinthesun,toomuchtimeinthewind, and too muchtime mixingalcohol and meth. She swore that she was no longer a tweaker and now relied solelyonweed, alcohol,andtheoccasionalOxyforthepaininherlowerback.Cateswasn’tsurehebelievedher.
They’d met online and she’d confessed to himthat she’d once been a teenage buckle bunny who liked to hang around rodeosandbedcontestants.She’dalsoconfessedthatshe’dalwayshadhereyesonDallasCates,butthathewastoobigofa staratthetimetogetclosetohim
THATNIGHT,JOE Pickettdrovedownthecountyroadtohishomeinthedark Hewasbone-tiredfromtheeventsofthedayand dull withtrauma. He knew he’d never be able to unsee ClayJunior’s face and wounds, or unfeel the jolthe’d experienced whenheencounteredthefreshgrizzlybeartrackinthemud.Hisneckachedfromlookingoverhisshoulder.
HEY WERE ALL at the dining room table when Joe entered the house through the mudroom Empty plates sat in front of everyoneexceptforSheridan,whoselasagnawasuntouched.Marybethwasatthefootofthetabletobeclosertothekitchen, and bothLiv and Nate satacross fromSheridan. Theyall turned toward him, and the two house dogs padded over to greet Daisy Tube,theirhalf-Corgiandhalf-Labmix,lickedDaisy’sface Bert’sDog,themixed-breedCatahoulacreature,staredat Joewithcrazyeyes.
“Notagoodday,”hesaidtoeveryoneatthetable
“Didyoufindthebear?”Nateasked.
Joe removed his hat and shook his head He sat down in the empty chair at the head of the table and reached out to Sheridan.Hisoldestdaughterhadtwo-year-oldKestrelRomanowskiinherlap,andtheenergeticlittletoddlerseemedcontent tobecuddled.
“It’sbignews,”Joesaid.“TherewasevenacameracrewfromaCaspertelevisionstationoutattheDoubleD.TheGame and Fishdirector is beside himself and headquarters is panicking All the higher-ups were callingme this afternoonlike I didn’tknowthisisthefifthgrizzlyattackthisfall.”
“Whatabouttonight?”Nateasked “Whatifthebearcomesback?” “Wesetupacommandcenter downbytheriver for thetimebeing,”Joesaid.“It’ll bemannedbysheriff’sdeputiesand localcopstonight TheybroughtoutfloodlightstoilluminatethekillzonelikeafootballfieldandalloftheLEOsarearmed up.Isetafewlegholdsnaresupbythecacheincasethegrizzlytriestosneakbackforthebody.”
The snares were designed and builtbyGame and Fishpersonnel. Theyconsisted ofquarter-inchcable and heavymetal fittings and theywere anchored to nearbytree trunks Their purpose was to hold the animal alive and inplace until armed responderscouldarrive.
“DidClayJuniorprovokethebear?”Nateasked “Idon’tseehow,”Joesaid.“FromwhatIcouldtell,hewasfishingintheriverandthebearattackedhim.That’snottosay maybe somethingelse happened Iguess it’s possible he somehow gothimselfcaughtup betweena sow and her cubs, butI didn’tseeanyevidenceofit.Nooneheardanygunshotsoranything,butClayJuniorwasdowninthatcanyon,soshotswould havebeenhardtohear.”
“Didheusebearspray?”Nateasked “Unknown,” Joe said. “There’s a lotto figure out. Justlike Idon’tknow ifhe was armed, althoughIassume he was. I didn’tuncoverhisbodyanyfurtherthanhowIfounditbecauseIneededtoleaveitfortheforensicsteam Ihatedtojustleave himlikethat.”
“Nobodyunderstands this because ClayJunior was … ClayJunior,” Sheridansaid. “All the guys wanted to be like him andallthegirlswantedtobewithhim AndforreasonsI’llneverunderstand,hechoseme ButI’mnotready,notwithClay Junior,anyway.”
Geronimo Jones had become a partner in Yarak, Inc. in the past year and had taken on the challenge of growing the companyto include additional locations and more master falconers His idea offinancingthe expansionvia cryptocurrency mining had hit a snag when the market tumbled the previous winter. Although the crypto mines he’d built hadn’t gone completelybust,theywerebarelybreakingeven
“He’s gotsome other ideas he wants to runbyme, butfor now we’re justdoingour bestto keep the business running. That’soneofthereasonsLivandIwantSheridantotakeonabiggerrole.”
JOHNSON HAD A plan,oneshe’dproposedtoCateswhilehewasinprison,andCateshadacquiesced Theyneededtogetout ofWyoming,thebothofthem,she’dsaid.Shewouldneverbeabletoshakeherhistory,nomatterwhereshewentinthestate. ThatwastheproblemwithWyoming,she’dsaid.Everybodyknew everybody.Onedegreeofseparationstillexistedina statewithlessthanamillionpeopleinit IfshegotajobasawaitressinJackson,say,somebodywouldrecognizeheras that BobbiJohnsonfromGillette,theonewhohadworkedinalocaldineranddeliberatelyurinatedinthesoupsoffourmembers ofthecitycouncilbecausethey’dopposedapetitiontolegalizeweed
She’d beencaughtwhena fellow employee ratted her out, and her name and photo had made all the news outlets inthe stateandhadbeenpickedupbythe New York Post andtheUK Daily Mail.
While inthe Campbell Countyjail, Johnsonhad discovered meth. She’d followed the case ofchampionrodeo cowboy DallasCatesfromhercell,andshe’dbegunwritinghimletters. Therestwashistory
Therewasonlyoneplacethetwoofthemcouldgo,shesaid: California.Thestatewastolerantofpeoplelikethem,she claimed,becauseitnolongerhadrulesandmanyofthecitieswerenolongerevencivilized.Thesocialwelfaresystemwould rewardthemuntiltheycouldgetontheirfeet,establishthemselves,andstartfresh.MaybeDallascouldgetajobinthemovie business,shesaid. She certainlyfoundhimcharismaticandattractive,andallthoserodeobucklebunnieswhousedtofollow himaroundonthecircuitdidaswell
They’d pick up Bobbi’s sister, Carmin, along the way and take her and her two fatherless babies with them, she said. Carminneededanewstart,too
“Yeah,sure,”Cateshadsaid.Californiaitwouldbe.He’dcompetedtheremanytimesatrodeosupanddownthecoastand theweather was good.
“YOU ASKED ME aboutmylist,”Catessaidashehelduphishandanddisplayedthetattooedseriesofboxes.Theywereinthe processofrecharging,whichmeantdrinkingJimBeamandeatingM&M’sandporkrinds
“These are the people who ruined everythingfor me. TheytookawayeverythingI’d ever accomplished, theykilled my dreamsandmyfuture,andtheydestroyedmyfamily,”hesaid Johnsonlistenedintentlywithherheadonhisbarechest,hereyesgluedtohisface.
“There was a time whenfolks comingto the Cates place used to pass bya signthatsaid DULL KNIFE OUTFITTERS, C&C SEWERANDSEPTICTANKSERVICE,BIRTHPLACEOFPRCAWORLDCHAMPIONCOWBOYDALLASCATES”
Then he gestured at the pen-drawn box: “And now a CO who disrespected me inside for five years and stole my championshipbuckle.I’lldealwithhimfirst.Theotherswon’tseemecoming.”
AN HOURLATER,CateslaynakedontopofthebeddrinkingwhiskeystraightfromthebottlewhileJohnsonsnorednexttohim HerpalewhiteskindancedwithflashingcolorsfromthecrappyTV.Catesnudgedhersoshe’dturnfromherbacktoherside tostophersnoring Itworked
He said something about an “alleged human and bear encounter” and calling in the “Predator Attack Team” In the backgroundoftheshot,CatesrecognizedtheveryfamiliaroutlineoftheBighornMountains.
