Page 7 (2/2)
“I see plenty of tracks” Beau studied the ground “But most of them look like yours and mine”
“We had to free Jasper And then I had to co about clues, I’d have been more careful” Sky crouched to look closer “The para sneakers But unless the shotgun fell off the ATV, soh to steal it Here’s where the roll bar landed They would’ve had to reach—”
He broke off as he found the track A dozen paces short of the seep, it was almost obscured by the others It was the shallow i and pointed, the sole and heel worn around the edges,man; maybe even a boy Or
A sense of unease crept over Sky He didn’t like what he was seeing And he didn’t like where his thoughts were leading him
“Let’s see what else we can find,” he said, rising “Maybe we’ll get lucky”
“Here” Beau had started a wider circle of the spring He’d dropped to a crouch and was gazing at the ground, where the crushed stub of a marijuana joint, hand-wrapped in brown paper, lay in the dust
“We’d better collect this” Beau had worked for the DEA between his army stint and his return to the Rimrock This was his area of expertise He whipped out his cell phone and snapped a photo “If they were s it, too”
“I saw a sandwich bag in the truck” Sky found what he was looking for and returned After turning the plastic bag inside out, Beau used it to scoop up the joint
“With luck it’ll have some traceable DNA on it,” he said
“You’re not going to turn it over to Abner Sweeney, are you?” Sky asked
“Sweeney wouldn’t know DNA froed evidence into the pocket of his shirt “I’ll hang on to this until we learnif a suspect turns up”
Sky bit back what he’d been about to say It was too soon to borrow trouble, too soon toon his own before he voiced his suspicions But in the end he knehere his loyalties lay Somebody had trespassed on ranch property and shot an irreplaceable old ht be, would have to pay
“Maybe I can find the casing from the shot,” he said “If we don’t collect it now, it’s liable to end up in some pack rat’s midden”
“Good luck with that,” Beau said “It could be anywhere within a couple of hundred yards, and we need to get back before long”
“Give me fifteen minutes”