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But Charlie didn’t reply.
Will’s blood froze cold. His blurred vision cleared slightly. Walking towards him was indeed the shape of a man, but it was not Charlie. It was someone else. Someone unknown.
Will felt utterly defenseless. Despite having firearms training, Heinlein had ordered that his gun be revoked. How he wished he still had it.
“L … Lance Nielsen,” he shouted over the wind.
The figure stopped but said nothing. He couldn’t see the man’s face, but the outline of his head tilted to the side as if considering him. As if considering what to do next.
“I know it’s you.” Will knew his best bet was to keep him talking. Try to de-escalate whatever the man had on his mind, no matter how depraved.
The wind and mist swirled around them, two lone figures in the barren hills, meeting unannounced and unprepared.
“Lance, I’m Doctor Will Cooper,” Will went on, his voice cracking as he shouted. “I’m here to help you.”
The shape moved closer. The man’s face emerged with it. He was quite young, in his late twenties. He was thin, and he had pointed features. His eyes were piercing, catching what little light there was in the mist. Two pinpoints staring.
And they felt cold and devious.
“I … I’m here to help you,” Will repeated.
Finally, the man broke his silence. “I saw the cops down at the Marlane place,” his voice said loudly, yet having a thin, nasal quality to it.
“Yes,” Will said, the man taking a step closer and stopping again. “Someone was murdered.”
“It wasn’t Gina, the owner, was it?” the man said. “If it was, you should ask Mac Gleeson about that. He’s been wanting her land since before she bought it.”
“And you think he would kill to get it?” Will asked.
The man stepped forward again, and Will instinctively stepped backwards.
“Are you afraid of me?” the man said, tilting his head again.
“That depends,” Will answered. “What are you capable of?”
“The same every human is capable of,” he said, quieter now as the wind finally began to die down.
The mist swirled.
“We spoke with Mac Gleeson and one of his hands, Harry.”
The man grinned and nodded as if he knew what was coming.
“And you’re here to arrest me then?” the man said.
“Not necessarily,” Will said. “We just want to talk and see if you know something.”
“Oh, I know plenty,” the man said. “But if it’s my word against Mac Gleeson’s, I’m not worth spit.”
“Everyone has equal value. Why would you say that?” Will saw a tell in the man’s behavior. His body language was telling Will that he was uncomfortable.
He thinks he’s under threat,Will thought. Any man under threat could be dangerous. Like an animal with its back against an open cage.
“He’s got money, I’ve got nothin’. That’s how it works around here.” Then there was a pause. The man stared at Will, his brow furrowed. “Areyou going to arrest me?”
“We just want to ask you about the woman who was murdered on the Marlane farm,” Will explained. “Her name was Maggie. I believe you worked with her?”
The wind picked up again, and as the mist moved and swirled around them, Will saw something he did not like. The man froze in place. His face went blank. There was no emotion. No humanity.
