A Serpent's Tooth: A Walt Longmire Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page B

singing:
    “Whoopee ti yi yo, git along little dogies
    It’s your misfortune and none of my own
    Whoopee ti yi yo, git along little dogies
    You know that Wyoming will be your new home.”
    Vic stared at the two of us. “What the fuck?”
    Nancy smiled. “It’s the Durant High School fight song.”
    Vic nodded. “That’s likely to strike fear into the hearts of your opponents.”
    I interrupted. “I guess he’s been living in Barbara Thomas’s pump house for the last two weeks.”
    Nancy nodded. “I wouldn’t mind living at Barbara’s—it’s a nice place.”
    “His name is Cord, and we can’t seem to find anything to indicate that anybody’s looking for him. He’s carrying the Book of Mormon, and he quotes scripture.”
    “How old?”
    I sat on the ground by Nancy’s sensible black flats. “Fifteen, maybe.”
    She looked up at Ruby and Vic. “There are a lot of LDS splinter sects, fundamentalist polygamy groups that parted ways with the Mormons—Warren Jeffs stuff. There are a bunch in Utah, but there are also a few in southern Colorado, Arizona, Texas, and even one over in South Dakota.” She sighed, and her eyes returned to me. “Have you ever heard of the term Lost Boys?”
    Vic was the first to answer. “The vampire movie?”
    Nancy shook her head. “No.”
    I ventured an opinion. “Peter Pan?”
    She shook her head again. “Mormon castoffs; they’re the boys that get kicked out of these groups for what the elders deem inappropriate behavior, but mostly just to make room for the older men so that they can have their pick of the younger women as multiple wives.”
    “Charming.”
    “As far as I know the nearest polygamy group is in South Dakota.”
    “He was wearing a pair of pants that were from the Department of Sanitation in Belle Fourche.”
    “Probably got them from Goodwill or the Salvation Army.” She thought about it. “Is that Butte County?”
    “Yep.” I waited. “What?”
    “I’ve got a friend over there who works for the school system, and he mentioned something about one of those LDS splinter groups.” She thought about it some more. “Something like the Fundamentalist . . . no, the Apostolic Church of the Lamb of God.”
    Vic sighed. “Oh shit, not more sheep.”
    I reared up, glancing at Ruby. “See if you can get Tim Berg on the line by the time I get back from the Busy Bee.” I looked at Nancy. “It won’t do any harm to the boy to get in touch with these people, will it?”
    The therapist shook her head. “Chances are they’re the ones who tossed him out. I can’t see them wanting him back.”
    “Well, at least we can get some information on the kid.” I stood and folded my blanket. “Would you like to make the acquaintance of the Latter-day dogie while I go out and get us all some breakfast?”
    “Ready when you are.” She stood. “Do I have to do it through bars?”
    “The keys are hanging in the holding cell, but I wouldn’t turn my back on him for an instant—he’s a jackrabbit.”
    She saluted. “Roger that.”
    •   •   •
    The proprietor of the Busy Bee Café folded her arms and glared at me from the narrow aperture of the partially open door. “We’re closed.”
    I had looked through the windows and noticed that there wasn’t anybody else inside. “What do you mean, you’re closed. You haven’t been closed in thirty years.”
    “My dishwasher quit again, and I’m tired from working the Basque Festival.”
    “How about a couple of egg sandwiches?”
    “No.”
    “The usual?”
    “No, Walt. I’m pooped.” She shut the door in my face.
    “Jeez.” I turned to Vic. “Dash Inn?”
    “Looks like.” She turned and started down the sidewalk. “I’m parked on Main.”
    I caught up with her, and a scorching U-turn and five minutes later we were waiting at the drive-through window at the locally owned fast food restaurant. “Are you going to tell me about the running of the sheep?”
    “No.”
    “Well, who were