By Kirsten Page
Copyright 1999
Kid sat in silence staring out at the small lake. He clutched Lou’s journal tighter than he had realized until his hands became stiff. Glaring down at it, he tried to stop his trembling fingers as he opened it to the first page. It was dated not two days after they had all first come together. With an awkward feeling in his stomach he began skimming through it until he reached something that gripped at his heart.
...and then, he promised that he wouldn’t reveal my secret. Kid was wonderful, telling me that I had a right to make my own way. Then, something prompted me to kiss him! I don’t know why I did, I don’t even know him. Yet there’s something in his eyes that causes me to keep staring.......
He clenched his fists and crumpled the blank sheet of paper that was holding in his hands. Somehow it helped to hear the crispy sound of something being destroyed between his fingers.
Then, he tried starting again as he pulled out a fresh piece of paper. With his still-shakey hands, he began to start the letter. Unsure of who to address it to, he skipped to the main part.
I am writing this letter to bring the saddening news
that Louise
McCloud is dead.
I know that her brother and sister are still living there,
and it is my strong desire to come and take
them away from there until they
are old enough to make their own way.
It may seem strange that a man you don’t know
is asking to adopt them,
but I feel that it is the only way I can deal with this loss.
Louise and I were
very close,
and I believe that it would be her wish for me to raise
them in a
home like she had always wanted.
Tell Jeremiah and Theresa that
I share in their deep sorrow, and will be
in touch soon.
Respectfully,
Kid
Carefully he re-read his own writing. It was such a simple letter for such a large issue. He just didn’t know what else he could say. Gently he folded in half and sealed it in an envelope. He would give it to Noah when he headed that way on his run two days from now.
Then, something drew him back to the journal. Without rhyme or reason, he flipped it to the last entry that she had made. It was dated less that a week ago.
Jimmy paced nervously around the inside of the bunkhouse. Cole was content in his sleep, so he didn’t seem bothered by the noises. The other riders sat in contemplation...most of them dreading what was to befall the next day.
“I’ve got to go find him,” Jimmy said before picking up his hat.
Buck sat up straight and glanced at his friend, “Don’t you think we should just give him some time?”
Yes, we should give him time. I’m just not going to let him do this to himself! Jimmy nodded, “Yeah, except it’s getting dark out there.”
Buck could sense the worried shade across Jimmy’s face. He was no stranger to loss, and it was obvious that the loss of Lou was playing a severe toll on all of them. After he had lost his best friend, he needed time and space to be alone and deal with his grief, obviously Kid needed the same thing. “Let’s just give him a few more minutes.”
Jimmy nodded. While he was truly distressed for his friend, that time he spent in concern for Kid had also given him the chance to forget about his own sadness. So in a sense, he had created his own escape, just as Kid was doing.
No being quite adapted to the wavering in and out of consciousness, Lou wasn’t surprised when she woke up and found herself in a completely different building instead of on a horse.
The room was bare with the exception of the bed she was in, the night stand that sat beside her, and the candle that had been left burning. It was stripped of any pictures or decorations at all. The only view was a window with cracked glass, and curtains had seen better days.
Lou tried to sit up, but this time she felt stiffer than she ever had before. It was as if someone punched her in the stomach each time she tried to stand up. She had never felt quite this helpless before, still is was comforting to know that even if she could rise to her feet, the door was sure to be locked anyway.
Closing her eyes, she strained to listen for any sounds that might offer some clue as to where she might be. Faint voices could be heard, and it sounded like they were coming up from downstairs. Then, ever so suddenly, she could hear the raised tones of what sounded like, two...no, three people.
It appeared to be a heated argument, and from what she could tell, nobody was winning.
“Wayne, I want my money!” One of them shouted.
“Look, I told you that if Cole doesn’t start doing his job, there WON’T be any money, and there won’t be any extra reward,” Wayne shot back.
Then a third voice entered the scene that Lou had not heard before. “You picked him out, so if he doesn’t come through, let it be on your head.”
“I’ll take that responsibility,” he replied.
There was a long pause, and Lou thought that perhaps she had heard the end of it. Although she knew some of their scheme, she was not aware of all that they were after. The way her head was pounding had made it no easier to try and sort out either.
One of the voices raised once again, “What about that girl? You brought her here...which is another thing. What if she’s got friends that come looking?”
Wayne seemed confident enough in his reply, and it also made Lou’s skin curl. “She’s not going to be a problem, I’ll see to that much. Besides, all her friends think she’s dead. You should have seen the way her ‘boyfriend’ dug up what he thought was her body. He wailed like a baby,” he added with a laugh.
Fear choked her like a hangman’s noose. Could it be that they had planned this so well as to even plot out the perfect cover-up for her death? If that were so, and all of the boys thought she was truly dead...there could be no hope that anyone would come after her.
“Kid, I’m alive,” she whispered, “I’m alive, and I need you more than ever. Please don’t let me die alone like this.”
On to Chapter Thirteen
