Into the Wilderness
Page 159
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They were much bigger and deeper than the dog's prints; perhaps that was why she hadn't seen them immediately. Elizabeth crouched down and she stared, harder than she had ever stared at anything in her life. And two thoughts came to her: they were fresh; and they could not be Nathaniel's. He had not come down to the lake since the rain began.
There was a tightness in her throat which exploded in a rush of blood and snapping nerves. In an instant she was running, her thoughts flashing as quickly as her feet as they flew over the rock face.
She knew that Richard must be ahead of her. He would want to deal with Nathaniel first if he intended to take her back to Paradise against her will. Elizabeth caught a painful breath, half sob, half curse, and launched herself into the bush, catching her foot on a root and falling hard, pulling herself up with a wrench to move on. She felt like a lumbering cow without speed or grace, stumbling once and then again, scrambling ineffectively in wet leaves, pulling herself forward, soaked already to the skin with the dripping of the trees. With the sound of her own breathing blocking out all else, she made a halfhearted attempt to turn her toes inward and run on a narrow track as Nathaniel had taught her to do.
It could not have taken more than two minutes for her to reach the clearing, but she got there winded and unable to do anything else but clutch her arms to her heaving ribs and struggle for breath. Elizabeth paused in the damp shadows of a stand of white pine and tried to hear past the pounding of her heart in her ears. It began to rain again, in earnest now.
Something was different, but it took a few seconds for her to realize what it was: the empty grave had been filled in a high arc of fresh earth. Nathaniel had buried Joe without her.
She wiped the rain from her face and tried to gather her thoughts. From where she stood, there was no immediate sign of him. To walk into the clearing went against everything he had taught her, but he could be lying there out of sight, his head laid open to the rain, while Richard stood over him and waited for her to stumble in.
At that moment Nathaniel appeared in the doorway empty—handed—she had time to wonder where his rifle was—and Richard came out of the bush at the far edge of the clearing with his own gun to his shoulder and his sights on her husband.
Nathaniel was turned in her direction and saw her first. Surprise and sudden awareness flashed across his face; he tensed and disappeared back into the shadows as Richard called out.
"Bonner!" he bellowed. "Show yourself!"
"Richard Todd," Nathaniel called back in an easy tone. "Still showing up where you're not wanted, I see." Elizabeth could make out Nathaniel quite easily. He was gesturing with his chin in a hard motion for her to move away into the bush.
"I'll have to tie you up," Richard said. "Or shoot you. Take your choice. Either way you're going back to Paradise."
Nathaniel was gesturing to her more forcefully, but Elizabeth only clasped her arms closer around herself and shook her head.
"That's a fancy trick you got in mind," Nathaniel called back, frowning at Elizabeth.
"I guess they'll hang you for killing her," Richard called. "I won't mind watching."
For a moment Nathaniel's face froze and then something like real amusement passed over it. He laughed out loud, but Elizabeth was overcome with indignation.
"Cain't say that I'm sorry to disappoint," Nathaniel said. "She's alive as you and me."
"That grave says different," Richard called.
It was then that Elizabeth saw the rifle leaning up under the lip of the door, on the corner farthest from Richard and out of his line of vision. Nathaniel needed his rifle now; that thought went through her head very clearly, and without taking the time to think any further, Elizabeth lowered her head, and ran.
She dodged the pit between herself and the shelter, not hearing, not daring to listen to the voice raised in surprise behind her. With one hand she grabbed the rifle and then dove, headfirst, into the open doorway, casting the gun away from her as she did, hoping that it wasn't primed. She was vaguely aware of Nathaniel catching it as she hit the ground with her shoulder.
There was a scream from outside the shelter followed by a muffled gunshot. Elizabeth rolled and was up on her feet instantaneously, looking around herself for Nathaniel, but finding instead only the empty room and the stripped cot.
The second scream was louder, and drew her out of the shelter with jerk. Elizabeth stood just beyond the open doorway, looking into a scene that made no sense.
Nathaniel stood with his rifle sights trained downward. His hair hung in wet ropes down his back, and rain poured over his face, but his concentration was complete. With a terrible rush of awareness Elizabeth realized why he was aiming into the ground.
"For God's sake, man," bellowed Richard, his voice cracking high and hard. "Get me out of here!"
Elizabeth began to move past Nathaniel, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her up short. "Wait," he said. And then, to Richard: "Where's your rifle?"
From the pit where he sprawled, half in, half out, Richard's voice came loud. "It went off, you heard it. Even if I could reach it I couldn't reload. It's at the bottom."
Elizabeth pulled away from Nathaniel and walked forward, slowly. The rain was cold but she was flushed from head to foot. Then she reached the edge of the pit, and stopped. "God above," she whispered, turning to Nathaniel with a hand pressed hard to her chest. "We have to help him."
There was a tightness in her throat which exploded in a rush of blood and snapping nerves. In an instant she was running, her thoughts flashing as quickly as her feet as they flew over the rock face.
She knew that Richard must be ahead of her. He would want to deal with Nathaniel first if he intended to take her back to Paradise against her will. Elizabeth caught a painful breath, half sob, half curse, and launched herself into the bush, catching her foot on a root and falling hard, pulling herself up with a wrench to move on. She felt like a lumbering cow without speed or grace, stumbling once and then again, scrambling ineffectively in wet leaves, pulling herself forward, soaked already to the skin with the dripping of the trees. With the sound of her own breathing blocking out all else, she made a halfhearted attempt to turn her toes inward and run on a narrow track as Nathaniel had taught her to do.
It could not have taken more than two minutes for her to reach the clearing, but she got there winded and unable to do anything else but clutch her arms to her heaving ribs and struggle for breath. Elizabeth paused in the damp shadows of a stand of white pine and tried to hear past the pounding of her heart in her ears. It began to rain again, in earnest now.
Something was different, but it took a few seconds for her to realize what it was: the empty grave had been filled in a high arc of fresh earth. Nathaniel had buried Joe without her.
She wiped the rain from her face and tried to gather her thoughts. From where she stood, there was no immediate sign of him. To walk into the clearing went against everything he had taught her, but he could be lying there out of sight, his head laid open to the rain, while Richard stood over him and waited for her to stumble in.
At that moment Nathaniel appeared in the doorway empty—handed—she had time to wonder where his rifle was—and Richard came out of the bush at the far edge of the clearing with his own gun to his shoulder and his sights on her husband.
Nathaniel was turned in her direction and saw her first. Surprise and sudden awareness flashed across his face; he tensed and disappeared back into the shadows as Richard called out.
"Bonner!" he bellowed. "Show yourself!"
"Richard Todd," Nathaniel called back in an easy tone. "Still showing up where you're not wanted, I see." Elizabeth could make out Nathaniel quite easily. He was gesturing with his chin in a hard motion for her to move away into the bush.
"I'll have to tie you up," Richard said. "Or shoot you. Take your choice. Either way you're going back to Paradise."
Nathaniel was gesturing to her more forcefully, but Elizabeth only clasped her arms closer around herself and shook her head.
"That's a fancy trick you got in mind," Nathaniel called back, frowning at Elizabeth.
"I guess they'll hang you for killing her," Richard called. "I won't mind watching."
For a moment Nathaniel's face froze and then something like real amusement passed over it. He laughed out loud, but Elizabeth was overcome with indignation.
"Cain't say that I'm sorry to disappoint," Nathaniel said. "She's alive as you and me."
"That grave says different," Richard called.
It was then that Elizabeth saw the rifle leaning up under the lip of the door, on the corner farthest from Richard and out of his line of vision. Nathaniel needed his rifle now; that thought went through her head very clearly, and without taking the time to think any further, Elizabeth lowered her head, and ran.
She dodged the pit between herself and the shelter, not hearing, not daring to listen to the voice raised in surprise behind her. With one hand she grabbed the rifle and then dove, headfirst, into the open doorway, casting the gun away from her as she did, hoping that it wasn't primed. She was vaguely aware of Nathaniel catching it as she hit the ground with her shoulder.
There was a scream from outside the shelter followed by a muffled gunshot. Elizabeth rolled and was up on her feet instantaneously, looking around herself for Nathaniel, but finding instead only the empty room and the stripped cot.
The second scream was louder, and drew her out of the shelter with jerk. Elizabeth stood just beyond the open doorway, looking into a scene that made no sense.
Nathaniel stood with his rifle sights trained downward. His hair hung in wet ropes down his back, and rain poured over his face, but his concentration was complete. With a terrible rush of awareness Elizabeth realized why he was aiming into the ground.
"For God's sake, man," bellowed Richard, his voice cracking high and hard. "Get me out of here!"
Elizabeth began to move past Nathaniel, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her up short. "Wait," he said. And then, to Richard: "Where's your rifle?"
From the pit where he sprawled, half in, half out, Richard's voice came loud. "It went off, you heard it. Even if I could reach it I couldn't reload. It's at the bottom."
Elizabeth pulled away from Nathaniel and walked forward, slowly. The rain was cold but she was flushed from head to foot. Then she reached the edge of the pit, and stopped. "God above," she whispered, turning to Nathaniel with a hand pressed hard to her chest. "We have to help him."
