"Roan brought him to Sharp to prospect. I was still prospecting myself. Kane was at the table for six months. He drank too much and lied too easily. The brothers didn't trust him, but Roan vouched for him because Roan was his friend. You watched him for the whole prospect year. You called church before he could patch in and put it to a vote. The vote went your way. No patch. You told Roan to drop the friendship."
"Roan dropped him."
"Yes, Prez."
"And Kane left Sharp."
"He left Sharp."
Phantom drinks his coffee. Sets it down. "I haven't thought about that man since I kicked him to the curb."
"He's been thinking about you, Prez."
"He has."
"The grudge is yours. He's coming at her to come at you. He picked the youngest Lyle on the rodeo circuit because hurting her hurts you the worst."
"Yes." Phantom looks at me. "You did good tonight, Spur."
"It came when I stopped chasing it."
"That's how memory works."
He stands up, walks to the kitchen outlet ,and pulls his phone off the charger. "Let’s get Roan on the line."
I stand up too.
He dials and puts the phone on speaker on the table between us.
It rings four times. Roan answers on the fifth.
His voice is rough. Phantom woke him. "Phantom?"
"Roan."
"What time is it?"
"Two in the morning. Wake the fuck up. This is important."
"I'm awake."
Phantom takes a breath. "Kane."
The line goes dead quiet. Then Roan, awake all the way: "What?"
"He's the man who's been hunting Dakota. Over a month of stalking. Photo at the property. Cinch cut at Abilene yesterday."
"Phantom."
"Yes?"
"Dakota's all right?"
"She rode through it."
"Of course she did. Damn wild child."
He’s quiet for a bit. I can hear Roan breathing on the line. "I dropped him when you told me to. Haven’t spoken to him since."
