The Man Who Hated Ned O'Leary (Dig Two Graves 2)

Judith’s twins were outside, counting the money they earned selling the day’s newspapers, but he ignored their sales pitch and burst into the wagon with his heart drumming. Disappointment sank into him when he didn’t see Ned by Tommy’s side, but Dog got up from the floor at the sight of him. He barked and wagged his tail, approaching to lick Cole’s hand.

The noise woke up Tommy who stirred under the blanket in his narrow cot. It was way past noon, but the boy had a long night behind him, and an eventful day before that, so it made sense that he’d still been sleeping.

There were gentler ways to ask about lost lovers, but Cole was frantic with worry that Ned would slip out of his grasp and disappear forever. Years on, Cole would still be out looking for him, with the compass that once led him straight to the Wolfman. But the pointer would just lead him north, until he collapsed somewhere in the snow. Alone. Without Ned.

His eyes itched as he gave Tommy a gentle shake. “Where’s Ned? Please, Tommy, it’s important!”

Tommy shook his head and yawned, for a moment staring at Cole with big blue eyes.

[I don’t know. He gave me Dog.] The name was a whistle.

Cole stalled. Had he understood the signs right?

“He gave you Dog? To be your pet?” Cole asked. Needles trembled under his skin in anticipation of something, but he didn’t know what it was yet, too focused on finding out where Ned was hiding from him.

Tommy rubbed his eyes and met Cole’s gaze with more clarity. [He said he had a sin to pay for.] Tommy spread his arms to signify he didn’t understand what that meant, but Cole was already back on his feet.

“Judith? Have you seen Ned?” he shouted, jumping out of the wagon, but she was nowhere to be seen.

“Cole? Today’s paper?” One of the twins asked as if he were Cole’s equal, not a kid.

“No, thanks. Have you seen Ned?”

The other boy grinned. “Maybe. It all has a price—”

“Fine, give me the damn paper and tell me where he went.” Cole fished a coin out of his pocket, but it dropped from his fingers when his gaze stopped on the headline written in bold letters.

THE ROCKIES WOLFMAN TURNS HIMSELF IN!

Chapter 25

This couldn’t be happening.

“What is this? Are you trying to trick me?” Cole asked in a low voice, his gaze moving to the dirt-stained face of Judith’s boy.

The twins exchanged uncertain glances. “Do you not want the paper after all, sir?” one of them asked as his brother ducked to pick up the money.

Cole tried to swallow, but the presence in his throat was growing until it felt like an obstruction. “No. Tell me what this really says. Now. He couldn’t have done this… not after everything—” he said, but lead already settled in his stomach and was drizzling into his legs.

“Err… who, sir?”

The other boy picked up the newspaper and slowly read out, word by word. “Ned O’Leary, known as the Wolfman from the Rockies, stunned the police chief by turning himself in, even though he had escaped the noose in Beaver Springs earlier this year.”

Cole had been hanging on to a branch despite bearing great weight in his heart, but now his only solace snapped, and he fell. He punched the wagon once. Twice. Thrice, until his entire hand pulsed with pain.

“That damn fool!”

The boy holding the newspaper looked up at Cole, wide-eyed. “Is this… our Ned? We had the Wolfman visit?”

“He’s not a Wolfman! He’s just an idiot, who chose to spite me with his own death,” Cole roared, spun around, and ran for the pasture. Someone must have seen Ned leave. Why hadn’t anyone stopped him when he chose to walk off without his horse? It was madness!

Terje was filling the horse trough in the bright sunshine, as if Ned’s life didn’t hang by a thread. Cole could still not comprehend the stupidity of it all. Ned had come here, left his horse, his dog, said his goodbyes to Tommy, and just… left?

How dare he do something like this? He should have found Cole, dragged him out of Terje’s wagon, and fought him, if he wanted to get even. Not… not do this crazy thing.

“Were you here when Ned left?” Cole snapped, pulling at Terje’s shoulder so hard some of the water spilled from a wooden bucket and made a muddy spot between their feet. “Why didn’t you stop him?”

Terje frowned at him. “What? Why would I stop him? I tried to tell you he asked me to take good care of the horse but you walked off. Who am I to question him?”

Cole brought his hands down in fury, but punching the air wasn’t nearly as satisfying as feeling flesh yield. “Who does that? Who gives up on their horse and walks away? Didn’t it occur to you he was planning something horrible?” Cole roared at the top of his lungs, but, infuriatingly, Terje stared back at him as if it were Cole who’d lost his senses.