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Olivia dismounted and walked the few feet back to Malachi and Abby

She didn’t have to say anything "This is where Marcus died?" he asked

She nodded

Dustin, down froe

"It’s obvious, even at night--and Marcus died during the day--that this ravine is here, that there’s a drop And," Malachi said, hunkering down at the edge, "if you did fall in, you’d roll and brace yourself and--"

"But Marcus had been knocked out and then shot up with heroin," Olivia reminded her cousin "He wouldn’t have been able to stop his fall"

Malachi nodded "Someone could have died under those circu to save hieneral came He looked down at me when Marcus was in my arms and tapped me on the shoulder at the same time, andand I passed out," Olivia said, ehed "Trust et to the ht," he concurred "We learn that we see and hear what others don’t Doesn’t es Ghosts Sometimes they shohen you least expect the to reach theht ti; the sun had almost fallen below the horizon The hills, the plains, the landscape--all had that ht

They were still for a minute, until Dustin cleared his throat, and the sound roused theeneral’s at the cee ahead"

They rode on and eventually ca that led to the small cemetery

"This is one of Mariah’s favorite places," Olivia told theic"

"Ghost stories often are," Malachi said

Dustin dish "Liv, do we leave the horses and walk along the trail?" he asked

"No There are coyotes in the area We don’t want spooked horses If we had to walk back, it would be a very long walk"

"All right, this is your terrain, Liv I’ll stay with the horses," Dustin offered

"No, I’ve been to the ceed to our uncle ere growing up," he re "--to the frontier often enough You show Abby"

Dustin didn’t argue Olivia raised her own lantern high and led the way along the trail

They caraves, and the old lichen-covered stones were haunting and sad in the eneral has been allowed to rest here--that so hirave, dusting it off "It’s nice here, though Lonely"

"Seeht to this place," Olivia said, getting down on her knees beside Abby "There’s never even been any vandalism out here, nor do we ever find beer cans or any hint of frat kids fooling around Not here, not in the ceend about the place--that in the 1960s or ’70s, so the area and they got scared and started to run One of the boys got tangled in soeneral came and helped him People believe that this ceuess it’s been tacitly accepted through the generations The ceroups, and no one interferes with it"

"It’s a little forlorn," Abby said "And definitely out of the way"

Olivia shrugged "Maybe that’s why the general keeps riding"

But the general wasn’t riding

He was leaning against a tree, ar the or speaking He didn’t warn the woham, we could really use your help"

Neither Abby nor Olivia started They looked over at hi her hands on her jeans "Sir," she said "I know you tried to save Marcus We desperately need your help now"

Abby rose slowly to her feet beside Olivia The general stared back at all of the

But then he disappeared

Abby sighed "I hope it wasn’t me," she whispered

"He just--he just isn’t a talker," Olivia told her

"Maybe he will be when he has so We have to pitch a tent for the night and then I want to go over everything that happened when Aaron fell into the strea we can recall"

They returned to the horses, and Malachi instinctively seeeneral," Dustin explained