vehicles. A little bit of arranging, Kabe and I with the heavy load at the head, the four of us packed Anya out to the truck. Body hauls were as somber as funerals. I felt like making conversation somehow disrespected the dead. Still, life goes on, and every other minute either I or Kabe stole a glance at each other. Don't know if anyone else noted, but I felt it on my skin each and every time.
Fred caught sight of us before I did him ... could tell by the, "Need a hand?" He yelled out.
"That's mighty nice of you," I teased, finding him through a break in the trees, "since you only got the one to offer."
He bounded up the trail to meet us. "Payback, Joe, payback," was all he got out. Then the weight of what we carried settled onto him and he fell quiet.
Most all the gear and the bikes had already been loaded into the back of the NPS pickup. We shoved stuff to the side, making room to lay the body down. Gunter sat in the cab of the truck, staring straight ahead. He kept glancing at his 62
Hard Fall
by James Buchanan
watch and picking at the window frame of the passenger door. Never once offered to help or nothing. And all of that seemed a mite strange to me.
Nadia and Fred sandwiched Gunter between them for the ride out. I let Kabe take shotgun in Ramon's truck so I could more or less stretch out in the back seat. I remembered about the first mile and a half before exhaustion folded me into a restless blanket of sleep. The last thing I recollect seeing before my eyes drifted shut was Kabe's self-satisfied little smile.
A fist pounding my ankle brought me out of my comatose state. I blinked and Nadia, leaning through the open door of Ramon's four-wheel drive, came into focus. "Hey, Sugar," she drawled, "we're going to split up now. Fred and I will meet the ambulance at the ranger station in Bryce, they're going to take the body to the hospital in Panguitch. Noreen of your office called 'em up for us. We'll transfer the body into the care of the coroner's office there. Ramon's going to take Gunter back to their original campsite. We've told him to stick around for a while. He's camped in NPS territory so I'm going to have my guys keep an eye on him for y'all. Start passing my favors around early."
"Okay," I managed to mumble through a yawn. "I'll ring you tomorrow and we can compare notes of what we got."
Dirty and disheveled I clambered out of the back seat. Nadia moved so I could get by, then slammed the door. "Where's my gear?"
"I stashed it on the Harding's porch." A jerk of her chin indicated the ranch house.
63
Hard Fall
by James Buchanan
"Good." I rolled my shoulders to ease out the stiffness as I walked toward the truck. "Let me get the evidence bags out from where I chucked 'em. Then y'all can go."
Nadia fell into step beside me. "Keep me in the loop, if you would?" She grinned. "Well the death itself ain't my jurisdiction, but I'm interested. If you need any help with anything let me know. A little interagency cooperation never hurt anyone."
"Thanks." I leaned over the back gate and pulled the baggies of miscellaneous possible evidence from the pocket of the sleeve. "You ever need anything, just call and ask for Deputy Joe. More than happy to help. Law enforcement's thin as hairs on a bald man's head 'round here, so I don't mind helping out with someone else's party, neither."
What I wanted to do with the rest of my day was head for a hot shower and clean pair of socks. Instead, I knew I needed to sort my rack. If I waited, then I might put it off too long, and before you know it I'd be out on a call with a sack full of tangled rope and rusted carabiners ... or my climbing clothes sitting on a pile of laundry at the house instead of being in my pack. I was still kicking myself for that one.
Kabe'd already settled himself on the porch. Late afternoon sun filtered almost golden through the thin mountain air. As I helped everyone get Gunter's gear transferred to Ramon's SUV, I kept my eye on Kabe. Not
Fred caught sight of us before I did him ... could tell by the, "Need a hand?" He yelled out.
"That's mighty nice of you," I teased, finding him through a break in the trees, "since you only got the one to offer."
He bounded up the trail to meet us. "Payback, Joe, payback," was all he got out. Then the weight of what we carried settled onto him and he fell quiet.
Most all the gear and the bikes had already been loaded into the back of the NPS pickup. We shoved stuff to the side, making room to lay the body down. Gunter sat in the cab of the truck, staring straight ahead. He kept glancing at his 62
Hard Fall
by James Buchanan
watch and picking at the window frame of the passenger door. Never once offered to help or nothing. And all of that seemed a mite strange to me.
Nadia and Fred sandwiched Gunter between them for the ride out. I let Kabe take shotgun in Ramon's truck so I could more or less stretch out in the back seat. I remembered about the first mile and a half before exhaustion folded me into a restless blanket of sleep. The last thing I recollect seeing before my eyes drifted shut was Kabe's self-satisfied little smile.
A fist pounding my ankle brought me out of my comatose state. I blinked and Nadia, leaning through the open door of Ramon's four-wheel drive, came into focus. "Hey, Sugar," she drawled, "we're going to split up now. Fred and I will meet the ambulance at the ranger station in Bryce, they're going to take the body to the hospital in Panguitch. Noreen of your office called 'em up for us. We'll transfer the body into the care of the coroner's office there. Ramon's going to take Gunter back to their original campsite. We've told him to stick around for a while. He's camped in NPS territory so I'm going to have my guys keep an eye on him for y'all. Start passing my favors around early."
"Okay," I managed to mumble through a yawn. "I'll ring you tomorrow and we can compare notes of what we got."
Dirty and disheveled I clambered out of the back seat. Nadia moved so I could get by, then slammed the door. "Where's my gear?"
"I stashed it on the Harding's porch." A jerk of her chin indicated the ranch house.
63
Hard Fall
by James Buchanan
"Good." I rolled my shoulders to ease out the stiffness as I walked toward the truck. "Let me get the evidence bags out from where I chucked 'em. Then y'all can go."
Nadia fell into step beside me. "Keep me in the loop, if you would?" She grinned. "Well the death itself ain't my jurisdiction, but I'm interested. If you need any help with anything let me know. A little interagency cooperation never hurt anyone."
"Thanks." I leaned over the back gate and pulled the baggies of miscellaneous possible evidence from the pocket of the sleeve. "You ever need anything, just call and ask for Deputy Joe. More than happy to help. Law enforcement's thin as hairs on a bald man's head 'round here, so I don't mind helping out with someone else's party, neither."
What I wanted to do with the rest of my day was head for a hot shower and clean pair of socks. Instead, I knew I needed to sort my rack. If I waited, then I might put it off too long, and before you know it I'd be out on a call with a sack full of tangled rope and rusted carabiners ... or my climbing clothes sitting on a pile of laundry at the house instead of being in my pack. I was still kicking myself for that one.
Kabe'd already settled himself on the porch. Late afternoon sun filtered almost golden through the thin mountain air. As I helped everyone get Gunter's gear transferred to Ramon's SUV, I kept my eye on Kabe. Not
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