He took the papers from my hand, reading them more closely.
"I'll find a bag and we'll take his work with us."
He nodded,
his gaze still fixed on the papers. He didn't stop reading until I plucked them from his hand and added them to a canvas bag I'd already filled with the rest.
"What do you think he was doing?" I asked.
"No idea. Maybe a new hobby. Getting older and looking for answers." He took the bag from me. "We should get going."
I nodded and pulled back the curtain. The nightscape was empty. Behind me, Clay checked the other windows.
"All clear?" I asked.
"Seems so."
We stepped onto the porch. I inhaled. I could still smell the wolves, their thick scent hanging in the air, but the forest was still. We walked around the perimeter of the clearing.
"Vanished into the night," I murmured. "Just curious? They might be used to Dennis, so our scent doesn't spook them."
"Could be."
Clay surveyed the forest, but we heard only the whine of the wind.
"Let's go."
BEAST
WHEN WE REACHED the head of the trail, Clay turned and peered back at the cabin. Following his gaze, I saw a snowmobile parked at the far end of the deck.
"There wasn't a truck," I said.
He glanced over. "What?"
"I was just thinking. Dennis must have driven to the snowmobile shed in a truck, but there wasn't one on the road. Whoever killed him must have taken it, presumably so none of his neighbors would notice. Are you thinking we should do the same with the snowmobile? Put it back in the shed?"
"Good idea, but I was just looking for a faster way out of here. I don't want to be caught on a trail if those wolves come back."
On cue, a howl reverberated through the night. Another answered. I tracked the sound.
"At least a mile off," I said. "With luck they'll stay there. But if we can take the snowmobile and return it to the shed, we should."
We went back inside to find the keys. We didn't. Either the mutts took them for the truck or we'd buried them in Dennis's pocket.
Clay tried to hot-wire the snowmobile. Lucas had taught him how--for cars--but I don't think Clay had paid much attention. It wasn't a skill he'd ever needed, so he'd only listened to be respectful. Clay had taught Lucas a lot and if Lucas wanted to return a lesson, Clay wouldn't say he couldn't use it.
Only now he could use it, and could only vaguely recall the instructions.
After about twenty minutes, he settled back on his haunches and growled at the offending vehicle. "I remember how to do it with cars and the basic principles are the same but..." Another growl. "Machines. I'm a lot better at disabling them than starting them."
"Shocking." I hopped off the edge of the porch. "Forget it. By the time we get it going, we could have walked to the car and back."
He hated to admit the challenge had bested him, but after another moment of fiddling, he hefted the book bag, and we set out.
We could still hear the distant song of the wolves, so we relaxed, knowing they were far off. We talked about the kids and the school dilemma--a good distraction.
Clay moved into the lead as the moon slid behind cloud cover. "Kindergarten is a waste of time."