Read Online Keeper of the Books (Keeper of the Books, Book 1) by Jason D. Morrow - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jason D. Morrow
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then widened. “There! Do you see that?” Marum pointed at a man and his cart. The cart had a thick canvas tarp the back.
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Peddlers go in and out of here at all hours,” she said. “There’s a good chance he’s leaving the city.”
“You suppose we should just ask him for a ride?”
Marum looked at Nate like he was crazy. “No,” she finally said. “We sneak into the back just as he’s beginning to take off. We will stay under the tarp until we’re safely out.”
“And what if this guy ain’t leaving the city?” Nate said.
“Well, it’s better than sitting here out in the open.”
Nate supposed she was right. There was nothing left for him to do here today. He didn’t know where Joe was, but it was clear that he hadn’t appeared in this area. He supposed that was a good thing. But Marum was right. There was no point in looking for him now. He had to get into the back of that cart and fast. The longer they waited in the streets, the better chance Mister Gibbons and his men would find them. And Nate suspected that he would be at the other end of a short rope right next to Marum if he were caught. He wasn’t three minutes into being in a new land and he was already an outlaw on the run.
He supposed the only good part about any of this was that no one here knew who he was. At least, he guessed that was the case. That, and Levi Thompson was nowhere to be found. Nate had bought himself some time.
He nodded at Marum and held tight to his six-shooter. This was either going to work out perfectly or it would be a disaster.
Only one way to find out.
Levi
Summer, 1882 A.D.
The weak cabin had crumbled from the blast of dynamite and was thrown about in fiery bits of wood and pieces of glass. But there were no bodies. No Nathaniel. No Joseph. No employer that was supposed to meet with them.
Levi Thompson would have thought he had been suckered or tricked if Amos hadn’t said something about the vanishing of the other two thieves, Stewart and Ralph. Was this the same situation? Had the Cole brothers simply disappeared like the others?
Levi kicked at the dirt and smoldering ash, wondering if he had somehow missed something. There was no way a single stick of dynamite would have vaporized them. There would be limbs. Fingers. Toes. Blood. Instead there was nothing. Sheriff Marston looked through the smoldering rubble, which produced no results either.
Levi had been so close to catching them. A sudden jolt of anger surged through him like he had never felt before. He turned from the cabin and marched toward the horses where Amos sat on the ground.
Amos must have sensed danger because he stood upright, placing his chained wrists in front of his face as if to try and block any blunt force Levi was about to deal out.
“Where’d they go?” Levi yelled as he grabbed Amos by the shirt. “Where’d they go?” He shoved Amos to the ground and pulled out his pistol, pressing the barrel against his forehead.
Tears streaked down the man’s face. “I don’t know! I don’t know!” He was helpless and without answers, Levi knew. But there had to be answers somewhere.
As if Marston had been reading Levi’s thoughts, he called out in excitement. “I found somethin’!”
Levi turned sharply and marched back toward the debris. Marston held a dusty book in one of his hands. With his other hand he picked at his teeth.
“Ain’t this what they stoled?” Marston asked.
Levi snatched it away from the sheriff. He looked at the edges and the spine. There were no burn marks of any kind. No singes along the sides of the pages. The dynamite had been unable to destroy the book, yet everything around it was a smoldering mess. He squinted as he stared at it—the book with no title.
Levi knew the story. According to Amos, if he opened the book he would vanish like the others.
“That’s it!” Amos said, now sitting upright on his knees. “That’s the
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Peddlers go in and out of here at all hours,” she said. “There’s a good chance he’s leaving the city.”
“You suppose we should just ask him for a ride?”
Marum looked at Nate like he was crazy. “No,” she finally said. “We sneak into the back just as he’s beginning to take off. We will stay under the tarp until we’re safely out.”
“And what if this guy ain’t leaving the city?” Nate said.
“Well, it’s better than sitting here out in the open.”
Nate supposed she was right. There was nothing left for him to do here today. He didn’t know where Joe was, but it was clear that he hadn’t appeared in this area. He supposed that was a good thing. But Marum was right. There was no point in looking for him now. He had to get into the back of that cart and fast. The longer they waited in the streets, the better chance Mister Gibbons and his men would find them. And Nate suspected that he would be at the other end of a short rope right next to Marum if he were caught. He wasn’t three minutes into being in a new land and he was already an outlaw on the run.
He supposed the only good part about any of this was that no one here knew who he was. At least, he guessed that was the case. That, and Levi Thompson was nowhere to be found. Nate had bought himself some time.
He nodded at Marum and held tight to his six-shooter. This was either going to work out perfectly or it would be a disaster.
Only one way to find out.
Levi
Summer, 1882 A.D.
The weak cabin had crumbled from the blast of dynamite and was thrown about in fiery bits of wood and pieces of glass. But there were no bodies. No Nathaniel. No Joseph. No employer that was supposed to meet with them.
Levi Thompson would have thought he had been suckered or tricked if Amos hadn’t said something about the vanishing of the other two thieves, Stewart and Ralph. Was this the same situation? Had the Cole brothers simply disappeared like the others?
Levi kicked at the dirt and smoldering ash, wondering if he had somehow missed something. There was no way a single stick of dynamite would have vaporized them. There would be limbs. Fingers. Toes. Blood. Instead there was nothing. Sheriff Marston looked through the smoldering rubble, which produced no results either.
Levi had been so close to catching them. A sudden jolt of anger surged through him like he had never felt before. He turned from the cabin and marched toward the horses where Amos sat on the ground.
Amos must have sensed danger because he stood upright, placing his chained wrists in front of his face as if to try and block any blunt force Levi was about to deal out.
“Where’d they go?” Levi yelled as he grabbed Amos by the shirt. “Where’d they go?” He shoved Amos to the ground and pulled out his pistol, pressing the barrel against his forehead.
Tears streaked down the man’s face. “I don’t know! I don’t know!” He was helpless and without answers, Levi knew. But there had to be answers somewhere.
As if Marston had been reading Levi’s thoughts, he called out in excitement. “I found somethin’!”
Levi turned sharply and marched back toward the debris. Marston held a dusty book in one of his hands. With his other hand he picked at his teeth.
“Ain’t this what they stoled?” Marston asked.
Levi snatched it away from the sheriff. He looked at the edges and the spine. There were no burn marks of any kind. No singes along the sides of the pages. The dynamite had been unable to destroy the book, yet everything around it was a smoldering mess. He squinted as he stared at it—the book with no title.
Levi knew the story. According to Amos, if he opened the book he would vanish like the others.
“That’s it!” Amos said, now sitting upright on his knees. “That’s the
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