Part 34 (1/2)
”Is he what?”'
”Is Ben Raines just a mortal man?”
Jake Campo opened his mouth to cuss the outlaw, then closed it. He walked away. Dammit it to h.e.l.l-he didn't know. He just plain didn't know!
Ben had found some old popcorn and, together, they popped the corn and dyed it all different colors, using food coloring from the kitchen pantry.
Rani found some thread and strung the brightly colored popcorn around the small tree Ben had cut.
But something was missing.
Rani said, ”You take that end of the house, Ben.
And I'll take the other. You find something for me, and I'll find something for you. We have to have some presents under the tree.”
Giggling and laughing like children, they went their ways and each returned with a gift, Rani's wrapped in a piece of old grocery bag, Ben's wrapped in a piece of newspaper. They put them under the tree and began preparing dinner. They ate C-rations by candle light and then opened their gifts.
Ben had found a pair of diamond earrings for her, and she had found a pocket watch for him. She fitted the earrings and Ben wound the old watch.
”Perfect Christmas,” Ben said.
Chapter 33.
Jake Campo sat straight up in his blankets. He knew what had gotten his boys, and it hadn't been Ben Raines.
Throwing his blankets aside, he jerked on his boots and ran to the communications truck, startling the sleepy man.
”Get the boys on the horn!” he snapped.
”Right now.”
His teams contacted, Jake said, ”Stay out of the homes, the bars, the buildings. Don't touch nothing.
Everything is b.o.o.by-trapped. I ”member somebody telling me about it. You guys copy all this?”
”Yeah. When you gonna get here?”
”Soon,” Jake radioed. ”Real soon. For now, you guys hunt a hole and stay put.”
He told Texas Red what had gone down. ”You see, Red. Raines ain't no G.o.d.
But I tell you what he's gonna be, real soon.”
”What?”
”G.o.dd.a.m.n dead!”
The morning after Christmas, Ben and Rani pulled out and headed north. Before leaving, Ben had loaded both trucks with as much emergency gear as possible, including ammunition and explosives from one of many hidden caches.
”Where are we going, Ben?” Rani asked.
”Into the wilderness area. We'll winter there and set up traps for Campo and his crud.”
”Are you going to call Colonel Gray and ask him to send in help?”
”Nope.”
”We were awfully lucky down in Texas, Ben.
But you know luck has a nasty habit of running out.
Usually at the worst of times.”
”This is something I have to do by myself, Rani. If you want to help, fine. If not, I can call in and have a team come and get you. It's all up to you.”
”You know I'm staying with you right to the end, Ben. But why is this so important to you?”
”Call it macho, male pride, stubborn, stupid; it's probably a mixture of all those things. It's ...”
Ben seemed to be at a loss for words.
”It's for Jordy, isn't it, Ben?”
”Yes.”
She took his hand. ”Then we'll do it together.”
They drove until the paved roads ran out.
Then Ben off-loaded the supplies from Rani'struck and carefully hid the vehicle and his small trailer. With Rani by his side, Ben drove deep into what had been known as the Boise National Forest, to the southern branch of the Middle Fork Salmon. It took them three days to get all the supplies to the cabin deep in the timber.
She noticed Ben kept looking up at the sky.
”Ben, I know you're checking the skies for snow warnings. But even if it snows ten feet, you're leaving a trail a blind man could follow. Broken limbs and marked trees that the truck has rubbed against. You've deliberately tossed c.r.a.p on the ground. You want them to find us, don't you?”
”I want them to know I've gone into the deep timber, yes. Finding our exact location is something else, though. You've seen the placement of that cabin, Rani. You know a person could walk within fifty feet of it and not see it unless they knew exactly where to look. Ike built it, years ago. Well, that's not entirely true. He found what was left of it and renovated it. I'm going to stash you in the cabin and leave the truck some miles from the cabin. While I'm backtracking to the cabin, I'll begin setting up traps.”
”Ben,” she said with great patience, ”you could call in Colonel Gray and his Scouts and be done with this matter in no time.”
”Of course I could.” He smiled grimly.
”But it's much more personally satisfying this way.”
”And men say women are complicated.”