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"I do it for the exercise."
Frat shook his head, a triumphant grin on his face. "You sure needed a lot of exercise before meeting Uncle Mike. And when you and my mom talked about the damage to Gonzo's arm, you cut a lot then. Before you went riding with Molly, too. And that same day, after you got back and cleaned up your horse, you chopped until dinner."
Valentine sat down on the stump, staring at the youth. "Hell," was all he could think to say. He looked over at Frat. "Do you know about the deal with your sister?"
"Yeah, Mom and Dad were up most of the night talking about it. They talked about packing up and asking you to lead them out of Wisconsin. My mom said that wouldn't work because Mike was having us watched. Turned out she was right. They woke Molly up early and talked about it upstairs first thing this morning."
"Did they decide anything?"
"I don't know. Molly started crying."
Valentine concentrated on keeping his face blank.
"Frat, do me a favor. You have a few rabbit snares around, don't you?"
"Uh-huh. There's a warren up in one of the pastures, and there's rabbits in the hills, too."
Valentine scanned the hills. "Go up and check your traps. See if you can see where that other patroller is. Can do?"
"Sure. Can do."
"Come and look for me in the stable if you spot him. But first of all go in the house for a few minutes. Like you were just sitting around, and your parents came up with something to get you out of their hair. Now get going."
Frat scampered off toward the house.
Valentine forced himself to put away his tools for the benefit of the hidden observer. He wandered to the stable, in no particular hurry. The ancient stalls, missing their doors, enclosed the horses with short lengths of rope. The rich smell of horse sweat and manure filled the warm afternoon air.
Five horses, he considered. Three belong to the Carlsons, then his and Gonzalez's. Mrs. Carlson on one, the girls on the second, Gonzalez sharing the third with Mr. Carlson, taking turns riding it. He and Frat could walk; the boy looked lean and capable. They're farm and riding horses, not packhorses. Best keep the load under 150 pounds for travel up and down hills. Blankets and tenting, rope and equipment. Farrier supplies for the horses, or losing a shoe means losing a horse. Maybe a week's food for man and beast. Would a week get us out of reach? God, the lifesign. Extra Reapers in Glarus to think about, they'd cover the thirty miles to LaGrange between dusk and midnight, running. Shit, we'd be drawing to an inside straight. And Gonzalez can't shoot.
"Hi, David," a scratchy voice said.
Molly.
"Phew, you're sweaty. Frat said you were cutting wood."
"Oh, yeah. Well, I thought I'd leave your dad with a good supply. Or he could sell it, help pay for all the food we ate. Don't know how to pay him back for saving our lives. Are you okay?"
She ran her hands through uncombed hair, pulling the sun-kissed blond strands behind her. "So you know, then."
No point in lying, he thought. "Yes. I sort of eavesdropped last night through the basement air vent. None of my busi-ness, I know, Molly. Your uncle painted a pretty ugly picture. What did your parents say?"
"They just told me to do some thinking, and we'd talk about it more today. But I've already made up my mind."
"Not the Masada solution, I hope."
A hint of her old smile crossed her face. "No." She took a deep breath. "I'm going to do it, of course." It came out as a single word: I'mgoingtodoit. As if by saying it faster, it would be over with all the more quickly.
Valentine had a feeling all morning that would be her decision. What alternative did she have? Perhaps he could offer one.
"Did you tell your parents?"
"Not yet. I... wanted to tell you first. I know that sounds dumb. I mean, it's not like you're my husband, but-"
"Molly," he interrupted, "I've been thinking about getting your family out of here. And not just since yesterday, either. It's a slim chance, I'll admit. Here's what we do-"
"David, don't start. It's okay."
"No, listen to what I've-"
