The Final Rule Read Online Free PDF Page A

there been a really bad drought that year and it spread. Burned up the main house, the fields, even half the town.”
    “How come they didn’t rebuild?”
    “Orchard takes a long time to mature.” George said. “Some of those pecan trees were close to a hundred years old when they burned. That’s not something you can rebuild from.”
    “They could have used the land for something else, like cattle.”
    “Folks tried. But the coyotes are bad up in that area. Joseph Collins can’t even run a herd on the adjacent property. They get picked off faster than they can have baby cows. Amazing the damage a pack of those varmints can do in a night.”
    The ground here’s real hungry, Mr. Marshal. It don’t even leave anything left for the coyotes.
    “You sure it was coyotes?”
    George paused mid bite. “What else could it be?”
    “Did they find any carcasses?” Jon rested his elbows on the table. “Or just bones stripped clean? Like that Carter girl? Out of curiosity, how many people who’ve had a run in with Lenny have wound up in that field?”
    “Lenny’s family was never tied to Beth Carter’s disappearance. And those remains were never verified as hers. The original land owners buried their dead out there, the trail of tears runs right across that field, not to mention the bodies put there during the prohibition. So those bones could have belonged to anyone.”
    “Did you check her dental records?”
    George barked a laugh. “Lot’a folks in Gilford can barely afford to put food on the table. They’re not going to spend money on their teeth. Hell, I’d say there are locals under the age of twenty who were born at home, delivered by an aunt or sister. For the ones up in the mountains plumbing’s a luxury.”
    “But you still think it was her.”
    “Like I said—”
    “No proof. But what does your gut tell you?” The expression on George’s face said it all. “Does Lenny have any connection to the property?”
    “Not really.” George shrugged. “The house he rents bumps up to the back side.”
    “What about his dad?”
    “His place is on the main stretch. About a quarter mile down that gravel road running in front of the Grove.”
    Why didn’t it surprise him that someone like Lenny wouldn’t think twice about dirtying their own nest with a body? It was like a big fuck-you because he knew he could get away with it.
    “Who owns the grove?”
    “Some investors I think. They bought it some time ago.”
    “And they didn’t develop it?”
    “Nope.”
    “Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”
    “Not really. Lot’a rich folk buy land just to have it as an investment.”
    There could have been another reason they didn’t develop it. Evil wasn’t a man and it burrowed in the ground.
    Jon ate while he mulled over the thought. Ellis picked at his French fries. When he caught Jon looking he ate one. Then two.
    Jon wanted Ellis to eat the whole damn plate but he didn’t want to push him.
    “You boys ready for desert?” The waitress stopped by with a coffee pot in one hand and a pitcher of iced tea in the other. She refilled their drinks.
    “I’d like to have some of that chocolate cake I’ve been hearing so much about.”
    She looked at Jon and Ellis. “And what about you two?”
    “No thanks,” Ellis said.
    “Sure, I’ll take a slice, but make sure to bring two spoons.”
    “Coming right up.”
    Ellis cut Jon a look.
    “What?”
    “I don’t want any cake.”
    “Who says I’m gonna share?”
    “Two spoons?”
    “I have two hands, don’t I?”
    Ellis laughed. It was soft but it was real, and it reassured Jon that they really were going to be okay.
    After the waitress brought their dessert the conversation turned to small talk. Jon even managed to get Ellis to eat a few bites of cake. While getting him to eat was good, the smiles Ellis gave him around the spoon were better.
    George put his empty dish on top of the other empty plates. The waitress came by and refilled his