“Sure. You would have had to because Iknowyou wouldn’t have jumped.”
“Right.”
She looked him over. He seemed no worse for wear except for his scratched and bleeding feet. “You’ll need some salve and bandages for those,” she said.
He followed her gaze to his feet. Until now, he hadn’t noticed. “I don’t suppose you brought my socks and boots?”
“No. I’m sorry. I didn’t think of it.”
“S’all right.” Call took his mare’s reins from her and led Artemis to the stream. He waded in and stood there long enough to let the blood wash away before he climbed into the saddle. “Show me the way,” he said, coming alongside Laurel.
Call realized that he’d been wrong about the path being circuitous. It wound in a series of S curves, but it didn’t bring them back to the pool. They joined the CabinCreek Trail some one hundred yards southeast of Morrison Station and about two hundred yards from where the grassy trampled path left the trail and led to the pool.
“Did you and Rooster try that route when you set out to find Josey Pye?”
Laurel shook her head. “Never thought of it. We were following at night and stayed on the main trail. If there was evidence he had gone off that way, we wouldn’t have seen it.”
“Is there another route down, one that goes toward town?”
“There is, but you’d have to cross the stream up top to find it. It’s a less steep incline than what we just traveled and it connects back to the trail about a mile northwest of town. There’s not a lot of reason to use it, except if you want to get up to the top of the falls and you don’t have a horse. It’s an easier climb. Longer, but easier.” She swiveled her head to look at him. “Why? What are you thinking?”
Call removed the greenback from his pocket and held it out for her to take. “Better than the scrap we found in the strongbox.”
Laurel held it gingerly as she examined it. “You found this up there?”
“Yep. Caught in a bramble bush. Sheerest luck.”
“What do you suppose happened to the rest of it? I mean, why isn’t it a whole bill?”
“I think someone tore it. Probably meant to tear it in half and missed the mark. I looked around for the missing part but couldn’t find it or any other bills.”
Laurel returned the bill. “But you think this came from the robbery?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
She nodded but she wasn’t done. The mere thought of Call making the climb to the top of the falls filled her with real terror, and fear like that made her angry. “You could have killed yourself, you know. Going up there wasn’t safe. We talked about that. I’d ask you what you were thinking, but I don’t believe you were.”
“You won’t like it, but I figured I might do myself grievous injury but probably wouldn’t die.” He chuckled when she muttered something unintelligible under her breath. Better not to ask her to repeat it. “Did you hear back from Mr. Stonechurch?”
Laurel blew out a hot breath and willed herself to calm. “Almost immediately. He’s sending Dr. Singer. He’s relatively new to Stonechurch. I only met him once when he came through on the stage, but he made a good impression. He lanced a carbuncle on Rooster’s neck that was bothering him horribly and didn’t charge for the service. Left medicine behind as well. I guess we’ll find out what he knows about dead bodies.”
“When will he get here?”
“Mr. Stonechurch promised to put him on the next coach. He should be here tomorrow morning.” They were passing the station and Laurel asked if Call wanted to stop and attend to his bare feet. He didn’t.
“Time enough for that later. Rooster went for the sheriff?”
“Yes. They both should be at the pool by now.”
They were. Rooster was standing at the edge of the pool talking to Dillon, who was still in the water. Sheriff Rayleigh Carter was hunkered a few feet back of the body, looking it over.
“You sure this is Josey Pye?” he asked, tipping back his hat and using a forearm to wipe at his brow.
Laurel gave her reins to Call and dismounted. “I’m sure,” she said, walking up to him. “Rooster? Any doubt in your mind?”
Rooster turned his head. “No doubt. I said so. Twice.”
Carter continued to address Laurel. He was a big man, broad-shouldered and thick-necked, naturally intimidating without making an effort. He would have cast Laurel in his shadow had he stood. He stayed down and gave her what passed for a polite smile but what most people would have called a grimace. “Thought I should hear it fromyou. I didn’t know the man well. Mostly saw him in passing at Sweeny’s.”
