Forager (9781771275606) (14 page)

“
Hush now, Dennis,” scolded the woman. “You don’t want to be
talking like that. I’m sure it wouldn’t matter whose daughter was
taken.”

“
Maybe, maybe not. All I’m saying is that it sure seems strange
that those Scavengers were lucky enough to capture the one girl in
this whole town that would practically guarantee the mayor’s
cooperation.”

“
I suppose it is a little strange. Do you think they planned it
that way?”

“
I don’t know how they could have. I’d never seen any of them
before. Had you?”

“
No, none of them looked like anyone I know…”

The pair passed out of hearing. Sawyer’s eyes held the same
concern I was feeling. “Is he right? Did those Scavengers kidnap
Chane because of who her father is?”

He frowned. “We may never know. I’ll tell you this much
though—if they did, if this wasn’t just finding a rose in a garden
of weeds. Those Scavengers have either been watching this town, or
someone in their band knows the mayor and his family.”

The light faded from the sky. In the distance two cats yowled.
Their hisses and howls attracted the attention of several dogs. A
chorus of barking erupted in the night air. The animals didn’t know
Chane was a prisoner. They didn’t know how desperately we needed to
keep the combine running. They didn’t know the emotions that raced
through me. All they knew was their own instincts. Would life be
easier that way?

When we got back to my RV, the mayor was waiting for us along
with Frank Miller and the Bull, Kurt. I dismounted, and Sawyer
showed me how to hobble Fred. Once that was done, I removed her
saddle and let Sawyer show me the right amount of oats to give her.
No wonder Sawyer made us get such a large bag.

“
I’m declaring a Town Emergency,” the mayor said to Sawyer
“Your authority as a Forager is superseded until such time as the
emergency is over, namely, the safe return of my
daughter.”

This was new. I’d never heard of a Town Emergency
before.

The mayor looked at Sawyer and said, “Dillon is not leaving
town tomorrow. He will return the stores he was given and report to
the orchard at first light. You are to take yourself to the
infirmary and remain under the care of Dr. White until your wound
is healed. Kurt here will escort you and make sure you arrive
safely.”

No!
I
screamed in my head.
A house falling on me couldn’t have flattened me more than
the mayor’s words. I wanted to argue, fight, kick…something. This
wasn’t fair. I looked to Sawyer. All he did was raise an
eyebrow.

“
Are you sure that’s a good idea? You realize that by pinning
Dillon here, no one will be able to locate the alternator for your
harvester? It’s not like you’ll have help coming from the city.
Even your Town Emergency doesn’t extend beyond its
borders.”

“
I know the governor’s laws as well as you do, Forager. Tell
them, Frank.”

Frank frowned. “We’re putting together a crew to start
harvesting by hand. The mayor wanted Dillon on it, but I thought it
would be better to keep him closer to town. It’ll be easier to keep
an eye on him.” Frank’s eyes shifted from Sawyer, to me, and back,
like he was giving instructions.

Sawyer seemed thoughtful as he studied Frank. He said, “If
that’s what you want, I won’t fight you. I have a request, though.
Would it be possible for me to leave my horse with Dillon? I’m not
going to be able to take care of her if I’m cooped up in the
infirmary.”

The mayor nodded his approval.

Frank continued, “I don’t think that’ll be a problem. You do
realize that Dillon will be working long hours and won’t be able to
spend a lot of time with your mare?”

“
He’ll be able to spend more time with her than I will.” Sawyer
gave a pointed look to the mayor. “Besides, Dillon is the only one
in this town I trust to do it.”

My spirits lifted marginally at his vote of trust, but quickly
faded with the disappointment of having my mission
cancelled.

“
Shall we go, then?” Kurt sneered.

“
Hold on—I’ve left some things inside. I’d like to have them
with me. Dillon, if you’d help me?” Sawyer pointed at my
RV.

He clambered out of the wheelchair. Lending him a shoulder, we
staggered into the RV.

Inside, Sawyer tightened his grip on my shoulder, turned me so
we were face-to-face, and said, “We don’t have much time, so listen
close. That man, Frank, he doesn’t like what the mayor’s doing. I
think Frank’s right, but you have to make up your own mind. I’ve
left you Fred. You can take the rifle, pistol and bow, and I’ll
leave you this.” He took off the wide-brimmed green hat with the
silver clover insignia and handed it to me. “It’s your choice to
use them or not.”

I’d seen the looks that passed between Frank and Sawyer. I’d
seen how easily Sawyer could read me. Was he reading Frank the same
way? Was he right?

Sawyer quickly gathered his wires and bulbs. He packed them in
his saddlebags while I hid the hat in a cupboard. “Are…are you sure
this is what Frank means?”

He hesitated for a moment before answering. “As sure as I can
be. When we go back out, pay attention to Frank. He might do or say
something to confirm my suspicions.”

“
Don’t you at least want to keep the pistol?”

“
What for? Even if I had bullets for it, the firing pin’s
busted. That pistol is only good for threats.”

I helped him back outside and into the wheelchair. Neither the
mayor nor Kurt noticed Sawyer’s missing hat. Frank did. His eyes
got big and round. He stayed quiet, though.

The mayor pointed Kurt to the handles on the back of the
wheelchair. “We’re done here. Let’s go.”

Frank held up a hand. “One moment please. There’s something
Dillon needs to know. In case he has any thoughts about not doing
as he’s told.”

Shooting one deer made me the town delinquent?

The mayor’s eyes got hard and sharp. “Yes, he should know.
Please continue.”

“
Dillon,” Frank said, “in a Town Emergency the mayor has
absolute authority. Going against his wishes could result in
banishment.” Frank looked at Fred then back at me. Once again, his
eyes were saying something different than his words. This time he
was saying them to me. I was positive Sawyer was right, but what
was I going to do?

Sawyer raised a hand in farewell as Kurt pushed him off into
the fading light. Frank and the mayor followed. None of them looked
back.

My RV was too empty and too quiet. Taking out Sawyer’s hat, I
stared at it a long time before placing it on my head. It was
heavier than I expected, but not uncomfortable. In fact, I liked
the solidity of it.

I trudged into the bathroom where a mirror hung over the sink.
The wide brim of the hat hid my bangs and cast a dark shadow over
my face. It made me look older. I liked that too.

Back in the living room, I sat on the couch, tracing the hat’s
clover insignia with my finger. What was Chane doing right now? Was
she tied up against a tree somewhere? Had she been given anything
to eat? To drink? Those questions led me in one direction. How
could I best help her?

I could pretend I hadn’t seen the look Frank gave me.
Report to the orchard tomorrow morning and pick apples like the
mayor wanted.
Climbing trees was easy
enough, but how was one more set of hands picking apples going to
help Chane?

Following Frank’s unspoken
directions could lead to banishment.
Would the townsfolk think I’d abandoned
them? Would Chane? I choked down a scream of frustration. Was
either choice the right one?

Standing up, I paced the room. Night fell upon me in my
brooding. The walls of the RV closed in. I escaped outside and
quickly realized the caged feeling was caused by more than just
being in the RV.

Fred whinnied softly from over where I’d hobbled her. I
wondered if horses experienced emotions. Did Fred know indecision?
Could she feel mine? I rubbed the white hair on her
forehead.

Too many thoughts chased themselves through my head. The mayor
wanted me to do one thing, Frank and Sawyer another. The easy
choice was to stay and do what the mayor wanted. The one that
ensured I would always have a place to call my own. The one that
could someday mean I’d have a chance to be with Chane.

But easy and safe wasn’t what I wanted. I longed to be out
past the fields, searching abandoned buildings and discovering
their treasures. I could help this town and, yes, be a
hero.

The alternator was the key. A working combine could harvest at
night, all night. The lights worked. They’d been on at last year’s
harvest festival. No one liked working at night, not even the
horses that pulled the grain wagons, but it was a better solution
than having a whole slew of people trudging through the
fields.

“
What should I do, Fred?”

She dropped her head to the grass to graze.
What did I expect,
answers from a horse?

My fingers encountered a few burrs in Fred’s coat. I’d
forgotten to groom her. I searched the saddlebags for a
brush.

The darkness of the night made it hard to identify the
contents of the bags without touching them. The first bag held the
cordless drill and voltage meter, along with an assortment of wires
and tools. The next two held food, one for Sawyer and one for Fred.
More tools were in a fourth, fifth, and sixth. Finally, I found the
brush in the second to last bag. I peeked in the final bag. It held
my sack of food. The one Millie had filled for me
earlier.

Tossing the brush back in its bag, I started to saddle
Fred. Seeing that bag of food was like looking truth in the face.
Millie packed it clear full. There was way more food in there than
I would ever eat in three days. I realized that
more
was the answer for the Scavengers,
for the town, for the quotas. Finding that alternator was the only
way to insure that everyone got what they wanted.

It was dark and Sawyer wasn’t there to guide me, so saddling
Fred took a whole lot longer than I’d counted on. I knew I got it
right, because after I attached the saddlebags and mounted, I
wasn’t upside down between her legs.

Sawyer’s hat was in my hands. The silver clover glowed in the
moonlight. I understood the symbol. It was a way to inform, a mark
of authority, even a warning. Placing the hat on my head made the
world right.

With a soft squeeze of my legs, Fred headed us out. My thighs
ached from the earlier riding, but this was my one chance. I
couldn’t wait until morning and risk being seen. We needed to be
several miles out before anyone realized we were gone.

I steered Fred onto the softer turf of the lawns. I didn’t
want the
clump, clump
of her hooves on the asphalt giving us away. Cringing and
holding my breath every time we crossed a street, I held her to a
walk, but it proved futile.

“
I thought you were in the infirmary. Why are you sneaking
away?”

It was Josh Mason. Of all the people I could have come across,
why did it have to be him?

What was he doing roaming around after dark? Not that it
mattered—he’d found me, and unless I thought of something quick, I
wouldn’t make it out of town.

“
Hey Forager, I’m talking to you! Maybe you don’t remember, but
I’m the mayor’s son. You better answer me, or I’ll have my dad and
his enforcers down here.”

He’d mistaken me for
Sawyer!
I
didn’t have Sawyer’s no-nonsense, don’t-mess-with-me panache, but
if I wanted to get farther than three blocks from my RV, I was
going to have to fake it.

My heart thumped against my ribcage, the beat fast enough I
thought my chest might explode. The night hid my tell-all face,
which was surely beet red or ghost white. I had a plan, but could I
really pull it off?

Reaching for Sawyer’s pistol, the one he pointed at Kurt, the
one that didn’t have any bullets, the one that didn’t even work, I
made my voice as coarse and deep as possible. “Move or I’ll put a
bullet in ya.” The ratcheting of the hammer being cocked was as
crisp and satisfying out here in the open as it had been back in my
RV.

I’m almost positive it wasn’t my voice that convinced him.
Josh held his hands up in front of his face. “All right, fine, but
my father’s gonna hear about this.”

An insult about him running off to his daddy sat on my lips.
Luckily, my brain engaged and pushed the slur back down. This act
contained one more scene. To be Sawyer, I needed to ride off and
keep my mouth shut.

Leaving Josh behind, I nudged Fred into a walk.
Again, riding her in the yards as much as
possible.
My
heart rate slowed and I released a heavy breath. I’d gotten away
with it. I forced myself not to turn around. Sawyer wouldn’t
have.

After two long blocks of locking my eyes on the next house in
line, the pull from behind was too great. The crescent moon only
cast its glow a few hundred yards behind me, and Josh was nowhere
in sight.