Back of Beyond полностью

Jed gave her a scoop of eggs and three strips of bacon. He said, “I sent Dakota back on the trail to find a couple of strays.”

Gracie waited for a further explanation, but Jed ignored her. He was studying the others around the campfire with an almost scary intensity, she thought.

Gracie sat by Danielle and her sister reached over and patted her on the shoulder, as if touching base. It was an unusual and warm gesture, Gracie thought.

She listened in. Tristan Glode and K. W. Wilson hadn’t come to breakfast because they were gone. Their things had been cleared out of their tents and both of their horses were missing.

“No,” Jed said to answer a question from James Knox, “I can’t say it’s ever happened before. I’ve had the few rare unhappy customers, but I’ve never had any who up and went home. Especially on my horses.”

“I don’t see them sneaking away together,” Walt said, to snickers from Knox and Drey Russell.

Jed said, “I wish they would have talked to me about it. Being on your own in Yellowstone is dangerous.”

Gracie found herself watching Donna Glode, seeing what kind of impact the speculation was having on her. After all, her husband had left her. But she didn’t look distraught, Gracie thought. She looked guilty.

This was confirmed when Danielle leaned over and whispered in her ear, “She didn’t spend the night in her tent with him.”

Gracie nodded slightly to indicate she’d heard but didn’t give her sister away by looking at her or responding. Gracie noted how Donna glanced repeatedly at D’Amato, hoping, no doubt, he’d share a wink back. As far as she could tell, D’Amato pointedly didn’t turn his head toward Donna. And he seemed much more inhibited than he’d been so far. In fact, he looked ashamed, like a little boy. His two friends shot glances at him while they ate as if seeing him in a new light.

Walt said, “Do you think Dakota will find them and talk them into coming back?”

Jed said he hoped so. He looked stricken as well, Gracie thought. Maybe a little unsure of himself, for the first time. Like he had too much swirling around in his head. “I wish we knew when they left,” Jed said.

That’s when Gracie said, “I heard something last night. Am I the only one who did?”

She was. With Rachel observing her very carefully, her dad asked what she’d heard.

“It’s hard to describe,” she said. “I heard some feet thumping around outside and a kind of grunt, like someone got the wind knocked out of them. I didn’t recognize anyone or hear any voices, just the thumping and the grunt. I thought it might have been an animal in the camp.”

Her dad said, “Why didn’t you wake me up and tell me?”

Gracie looked over, her eyes dead. “I wasn’t sure whose tent you were in.”

“Meow,” Danielle whispered.

Her dad turned red and looked quickly away. Gracie felt both good and ashamed at the same time. She expected a glare from Rachel, but the woman eyed her stoically. As if assessing her for later.

“What time did you hear it?” Jed asked, ignoring the others.

Gracie shrugged, and chewed on a piece of bacon.

“I mean,” Jed said, “was it right after you went to bed or was it closer to this morning?”

“A few hours after I went to bed,” she said. “After midnight, I’m sure. I didn’t look at my watch, but I’d guess two or three in the morning.”

Jed nodded to himself, as if fitting this new information into a narrative.

“So they could have five or so hours on us,” Knox said. “I don’t see the point in going after them, then. By the time we caught up to them they’d be at the parking lot.”

“Maybe,” Jed said, worried. “But they might not have gotten that far while it was dark.”

“I still don’t see the two of them together,” Walt said. “I’d guess they’re traveling separately in the same direction.”

Russell said, “Fools. On their own they might get lost.”

D’Amato cleared his throat. “I volunteer to go after them. After all, it’s my fault…” He didn’t finish the sentence.

“You’re not going anywhere on your own,” Knox said flatly.

“They’ll be okay,” Russell said. “It’s their deal, not ours. It was their choice to leave.”

Jed nodded and addressed his comments to Donna. “I don’t think they’ll get lost or anything. Hell, the trail just parallels the shore of the lake nearly all the way back. There are a few side trails, but they’d follow our tracks from yesterday. I’m sure Dakota will find them. That girl can ride.”

Walt said, “It just doesn’t make sense to me. Just because there was a disagreement on which trail to take-it just doesn’t make sense.”

Gracie’s dad agreed. Rachel said nothing.

Donna Glode said to the fire, “You don’t understand. Tristan is all about control. And last night he lost it.” She looked over at D’Amato. “You’re not the reason he left. I’m the reason he left.”

D’Amato stared at his boots, still pointedly ignoring her. No one followed up with a reguest to Donna for clarification.