Montana Summer Ch. 15

Kenny shook his head. "Don't know. Wherever the road takes us. You've got the map. I'm just doing the steering."

---

Roy found Bill in the barn saddling a horse. "Hey, old man."

Bill looked up and smiled. "Roy! I didn't hear you drive up. How long you been here?"

"Just got here. Suzanne said I'd find you out here."

Bill finished cinching the saddle and then reached out to shake Roy's extended hand. "It's good to see you. I've got to ride out and check a few things. You wouldn't want to ride along, would you?"

"I'd love to. It's been too long since we've gone riding together."

The two men walked out to the corral. Roy eyed the horses. "Which one is Ryan's?"

Bill pointed to the horse that had begun to walk in their direction. "That's Bernie." Bill let out a chuckle. "Your son has spoiled that horse rotten. He's more like a big puppy than a horse."

"That's a good lookin' horse."

Bill waited until Bernie got to the fence and reached out and scratched Bernie's ears. "He really is. He was a bit of a disappointment to us at first. I was almost to the point of trying to sell him, and then Ryan started riding him." He shook his head. "I don't know what it is, but the horse really responded to Ryan. They seem to have some sort of mutual understanding."

"Well, which one do you want me to ride?"

Bill looked over the horses in the corral. "I think Blackie will suit you just fine. He's pretty even-tempered."

Roy saddled the horse under Bill's watchful eye. It had been quite a few years since he had last ridden, but he hadn't forgotten how to saddle a horse properly.

"You almost looked like you knew what you were doing," Bill joked as they mounted up and headed out.

"Well, you can take the boy out of the ranch, but you can't take the ranch out of the boy." Roy laughed as he settled into the saddle.

They had ridden in silence for a bit, each man lost in his own thoughts. Only the sounds of the horses' hooves breaking the thin crust of the snow broke the quiet of the afternoon. Although the day was clear and the sun shone brightly, it didn't seem to provide much in the way of heat.

"I've always missed this." Roy looked at the landscape before him. "The mountains, life on the ranch. I hate to admit it, but I'm a bit envious of Ryan."

"You could have come back." Bill turned his head and looked at Roy.

"Yeah, I know. Margaret would have never been happy here though. She was born into a different way of life. And, well, there was always what happened." Roy felt a lump growing in his throat.

Bill shook his head. "You know I never held that against you."

"I know that. I think every day I would've seen Jessi would have only made me feel guilty."

"That's in the past. Now we know it wasn't you. You weren't the one."

"How's Suzanne dealing with it?" Roy asked quietly.

"Pretty good, all in all. Better than I expected."

"What about Ryan and Jessi?"

Bill reined his horse to a stop. "They're closer than ever. Remind me to show you the picture we found up in the loft of the barn. Damned eerie. Old Will is a dead ringer for Ryan. There's a picture of Will and Ellen when they got married, and you'd swear it was a picture of Ryan and Jessi taken at one of them tourist places where they dress up in old-time costumes."

Roy shook his head. "Well, I doubt if Ryan will listen to me, but I'll see what I can do."

"I don't think it will do much good. The both of them believe it was meant to happen." Bill paused. He wasn't sure if he should say anything more.

"Meant to happen?" Roy scoffed at the idea. "That's ridiculous."

Bill studied his cousin for a minute and then took a deep breath. "Do you remember Grandpa telling us a story about ghosts up in the high country?"

Roy let out a warm chuckle as he thought about their grandfather telling tales late at night. "Yeah, I do. Grandpa could spin some wild yarns."

"It's no wild yarn." Bill's voice was steady and calm. "It's the truth."

"C'mon Bill, you're not going to tell me you believe there are ghosts in these mountains." Roy watched the expression on Bill's face. There was a dead seriousness in it.

"Yeah, I am. I've seen them." Bill's voice and the look on his face caused Roy's blood to run cold.

"Where?"

"We were spending the weekend before Jessi started school at the cabin. I got up to take a leak just before sun-up and I came round the corner of the cabin... and I saw them, ridin' single file, five of them. They stopped and the one in the lead looked at me. I don't mind telling you, Roy, I've never felt as scared as I did at that moment. His eyes, I can't begin to describe his eyes, but it felt like he was lookin' straight into my soul."

Roy had never seen Bill this serious before. "And you're sure you saw them. They couldn't have been a dream or something?"

Bill shook his head. "Nope. It was no dream. Ryan has seen them as well. More than once." Bill hesitated for a moment. "The night that Ryan got shot, the guy who shot him was killed by five arrows. Just before Ryan's horse threw him, he said he saw the ghost riders bearing down on the fella with the gun. Come morning, there wasn't a single sign of any other riders, well other than the five arrows poking out of the guy who took the shot at Ryan."

"But, what does all of this have to do with Ryan and Jessi?"

"When Ryan was recovering in the hospital, Jessi was in there when one of them appeared in the room. According to Ryan, it was Spotted Owl. He pointed at Jessi and told Ryan she would make a good wife, and she would bear him a son. Ryan says they told him they couldn't marry because they were brother and sister. Spotted Owl then told them Jessi was related by blood. Then Jessi and Ryan had the DNA testing done."

Roy shook his head as he looked at Bill. "It's almost too fantastic to believe."

"Yeah, it really is," Bill replied as he started his horse moving. "I know if someone was telling me the story, I'd have a hard time believing it myself."

The two men rode in silence for a long time; it was only when they were almost back at the corral when the silence was broken.

"Bill, I don't want you to take this the wrong way. I'm glad I'm not Jessi's biological father. I've always felt it seemed to put a wall up between us. I've always felt guilty about what happened."

Bill looked at Roy as they rode. "I've felt the same thing. Hopefully, we can put all of this behind us now, and try to forget that night once and for all."

---

Norm dropped another nugget into an empty Green Giant corn can. The label on the can showed bright yellow kernels of corn. Now, the can was three quarters full of nuggets twice the size of original contents and larger. 'Pricey can of corn now,' Norm thought as he covered the top with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Nuggets like this were worth more than just their weight as gold. Jewelry makers would pay top dollar for them to make earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.

The sun was getting close to setting. The men had stopped their work for the day. Vincenzo had sent two of them into town to pick up some supplies. They only had enough chemicals for a couple of more days, and Norm was beginning to get nervous.

He had a rough idea what Vincenzo's plan was. As soon as they stopped the panning, his usefulness to Tony would be finished. Over the past few days, Vincenzo had spent a lot of time with him watching what he did and had even taken part in the process of eliminating the impurities and reconstituting the gold with the mercury.

Norm lay awake long after going to bed for the past couple nights, trying to formulate a plan for escape. He thought his best opportunity would be when Vincenzo left to pick up Tony. He studied the map of the area under the pretense of looking for other likely sources for gold. He figured his best chance was to head up over the mountain and down the canyon. He had seen what looked to be a ranch on the map, and thought he might be able to find help there.

His mind was made up, and it didn't matter if he was going to have to spend a little time in jail for his actions. He would call the authorities and tell them everything he knew. It was his only real option. Once he left, his life would be in constant jeopardy. There could be no returning home. He had money saved from what he had received from Tony and Kenny but it wasn't enough to sustain him for any length of time, especially if he was on the run.

If he had an advantage, it was experience in the mountains. He could read a map, and use a compass. He had ferreted away a few supplies─bottled water, some energy bars, and spare batteries for his flashlight. When he put away his equipment, his small backpack would be ready.

Norm stood up and stretched. The sun was just getting ready to duck down behind the mountains. An overwhelming sense of being watched came over him. He tried not to panic. His immediate fear was his plan had been discovered. His fingers had a death grip on the strap of his pack as he turned around.

Not more than twenty feet away was a man on a horse staring at him. Norm had never seen anything like it in his life. 'Isn't he cold?' Norm wondered as he stared in bewilderment at the near naked man. Two long, black braids hung down past the man's shoulders.

When the rider's eyes met Norm's, he felt his whole body stiffen. No words were exchanged. The rider raised his hand and pointed in a direction different from the one Norm planned to make his escape.

Norm quickly glanced back down the mountain to see if any of the other men by the RV had spotted the rider. There was no evidence the men had seen anything. Norm turned to look at the rider, but he was gone.

He dropped his gear and trotted up the mountain to where the rider and horse had stood. There was nothing to be seen except undisturbed snow. No tracks─nothing to prove what he had seen was real. His whole body began to shake, was the rider been trying to help him in some way?

---

Ryan crawled into bed and lay there looking at the dark ceiling. The evening had gone better than he could have imagined. It seemed his mother had come to accept the choices he made for himself. More than likely, she still harbored some disappointment, but at least for tonight, she had not vocalized her objections.

His father told him Margaret's father was more than pleased with Ryan's decision to take up ranching. According to his father, his exact comment had been, "If he decides to go into politics later on, his ranching background will put him in good stead with the voters of Montana."

Ryan had sensed immediately the tension he felt when his parents visited earlier in the summer was no longer there. His mother had been very amiable towards his aunt and uncle. There had been no rolling of the eyes, or snide references of how bucolic she perceived ranch life to be.

Roy looked with amazement at the pictures and the diaries Ryan and Bill found in the old trunk in the barn. He had looked up at Bill at one point and commented, "I don't remember how many times we heard about the diaries, and how Granddad lamented their loss."

A smile formed on Ryan's face. Tomorrow Jessi would be here. He was looking forward to spending time with her this weekend. He was happy to hear Josh was coming with the girls. He liked Josh from the moment Becky introduced him. It was going to be a good weekend. Warm thoughts flooded his brain as he drifted off to sleep.

---

"You're awful quiet today." Esther looked at her husband. He had scarcely uttered a word all morning.

Charlie shook his head. "Just thinking."

His eyes focused on the mountain in the distance. He felt a general unease. It was a feeling something was wrong, but it was something he was unable to put his finger on.

The dream kept coming back to him. The dream of the warriors preparing for battle, and of the pale rider sitting on his horse in the distance, waiting, loomed in his mind. What did it mean? Was the vision of the pale rider an ominous portent of something to come?

"I'm going in to town. Do you want to go?" Esther asked as she finished her final cup of morning coffee.

"No. I think I'll saddle up the horse and go for a ride." Charlie finally turned his gaze to his wife.

"Don't get lost." Esther chuckled under her breath.

"Hmpf!" Charlie huffed indignantly. "I know these mountains like the back of my hand."

"Just be home in time for supper." Esther continued laughing to herself as she went to get her coat and purse.

Charlie was grateful for the moment of levity in an otherwise somber morning. "You know me. I'm not one for missing a meal."

After Esther left, Charlie went out to the corral and saddled his horse. He stuffed the lunch he prepared in one side of the saddlebags and set out at a quick trot. Once out of sight of the village, he slowed his horse to a walk. The crisp air felt good. It made him feel alive.

---

"Where's your boyfriend?" Janice looked at her daughter.

"I dropped him off at Jessi's. We're all supposed to go out there for supper. Ryan's parents are in town for a few days."

"What time are we supposed to be out there?"

"Around six or so. Suzanne said it didn't matter. We're just supposed to show up whenever we're ready." Becky had her hands tightly clenched behind her back. She had left Josh out at the ranch because she wanted to talk to her parents alone.

She took a deep breath and looked at her mother. "I need to talk to you and Dad before we got out there. There's something important I have to say to the both of you."

Janice stopped what she was doing and looked at her daughter. "There's nothing wrong, is there?"

Becky shook her head. "No, there's nothing wrong. It's just something I need to talk to you and Dad about."

"Your dad should be home anytime." Janice looked up at the clock. "Are we supposed to get dressed up or anything?"

Becky laughed. "Nope, it's a come as you are supper."

"Sit down." Janice pointed to a chair at the small kitchen table. "How serious are things with this boy?"

Becky felt her cheeks redden. "Well, not too serious yet. I really like him. We're still at the getting-to-know-each-other stage. I don't know if I should call him my boyfriend or not."

Janice sipped her coffee and smiled. "It seems each time I call, he is there. I was just wondering." The sound of a pickup pulling into the driveway interrupted Janice and Becky's conversation. Janice looked at the clock again. "Sounds like your father is home."

Becky craned her neck and looked out the window. "Yup, it's him."

Rob came through the door wearing a big grin. "Get over here and give me a hug, girl."

Becky got up from her chair and put her arms around her father. "Hi Dad."

"Well, you're looking good." Rob looked around the kitchen. "I thought you were bringin' that boy home to meet us."

"I did. He's out at Jessi's right now."

"Becky says that she wants to talk to us first," Janice interjected.

"Oh?" Rob looked at his daughter. "What do you want to talk to us about?"

"Sit down with Mom and me." Becky felt nervous. She had gone through this conversation with her parents a thousand times in her head.

Rob nodded and pulled a chair out from the table and sat down. "Okay, what's up?"

Becky felt her palms grow damp with nervousness. "I...uh." It was harder than she thought. She tried again. "It's about Jessi and Ryan."

Rob gave Janice a do-you-know-what-she-means look. Janice just shook her head slightly.

"Oh, God. Okay. You know Ryan and Jessi are close. And you know about them supposedly being half brother and sister."

"Yeah." Rob nodded, a little confused at what this had to with them. "I knew about Jessi and Ryan, and about Roy being Jessi's father."

"I knew I should have brought Jessi with me," Becky said more to herself. "Jessi and Ryan had a feeling they weren't actually related. So, they had a DNA test done at the University."

Janice still couldn't quite understand what this had to with them. "Okay, so what did the test say?"

"They're not related. Ryan's dad isn't Jessi's dad."

Rob shrugged his shoulders. "I guess Bill was wrong. He must be Jessi's biological father after all."

"No." Becky shook her head. "There's no evidence that they are related at all."

"Okay but what does this have to do with us?" Rob asked.

"We know who the biological father is." Becky's voice got quiet. "When Jessi and Ryan had the DNA test done, it was for a study of some sort. Josh and I went with them and donated samples for the study."

A small gasp escaped from Janice's lips.

Becky looked her father straight in the eye. "The test showed Jessi and I have the same father."

All of the blood seemed to drain from Rob's face. "There's got to be some sort of mistake here." He looked at his wife. "It's impossible."

Janice reached for Becky's hand. "And there's no chance of a mistake?"

"No, Jessi already asked. The samples are tested multiple times. The results were the same with each test."

"Why don't you go upstairs and get ready. I want to talk to your father for a few minutes."

After Becky went upstairs Rob looked at his wife. "I never had sex with Suzanne, I promise."

Janice looked at her husband. "I think you did." She closed her eyes as she felt the burn of tears. "Probably the night of that damned party."

Rob hung his head in shame. "Maybe. I don't remember much about that night."

Janice wished she didn't remember what she did. Most parts of that evening were still crystal clear in her head. She felt helpless to stop what she had been doing. For months after the party, she had been haunted with dreams of what she had done.

---

Milt Walker answered his phone. "Sheriff Walker."

"Hi Milt, it's Phil Rivers."

"Hi Phil! Good to hear from you."

Phil chuckled. "I hope you think so after you hear what I have to tell you."

Milt sat up straight in his chair. He reached for a pen. "What have you got for me?"

"Well, I went to lunch with some other agents today, and there was one from New York with us. He specializes in RICO investigations. He overheard me talking about Vincenzo Napolinni. He said the name sounded familiar. After lunch, he called his office. Seems that Mr. Napolinni works for one Antonio 'Tony' Scarlucci."

"How's Scarlucci spelled?" Milt wrote down the names on a yellow legal pad as he heard them.

"Tony worked his way up in the mob. He ran liquor in Jersey for a few years, then got into the numbers racket in New York and slowly moved up. They sent him out to Denver about fifteen years ago to take care of the 'Family's' business. Mr. Napolinni's uncle and Tony's cousin were married in Sicily."

The eyebrows on Milt's forehead rose as he listened to the FBI agent from Denver.

"Mr. Napolinni has been in the US for about five years, and works for Tony. We don't have any hard evidence of any wrongdoing on Mr. Napolinni's part, but they believe he has worked his way up to be Tony's right-hand man."

"Well, what about the travel magazine Napolinni is supposed to be working for, is it really legitimate?"

"Yes, in that it regularly publishes. The ownership, however, leads some people to believe it's a front for money laundering in Italy."

"I don't mind telling you, Phil, I've got a funny feeling about all of this. It just doesn't sit right with me." Milt mused as he doodled on the pad in front of him.

"Doesn't make a lot of sense. I can't see Mr. Napolinni coming out here just to take pictures," Phil responded.

"No, I can't either." Milt's voice got quiet. "There's another reason they're here, and I have a funny feeling I know what it might be."

"Really? Care to share your thoughts?"

"It's just a hunch, but it's the only thing that makes any sense. You have to promise not to tell another living soul what I'm going to tell you. You're going to find it hard to believe."