Voices From Within (Book 2)

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Caught in the Act

Reggie went into the pantry and bundled up into Ivan's warmest clothes. He pulled on Ivan's winter boots and strapped his knife in place. He left out the back side of the cabin. The northwest wind had created long stretches of bare ground and strips of snow drifts eight inches high, making it unable to determine how much snow fell.

He walked along the cords of wood stacked on the south side of the cabin. He stepped through the snow to the corral fence line and followed it to the barn. His footsteps in the snow made a crunching sound as the bitter temperature made it hard to breathe.

When he reached the barn, he saw how agitated Jack was in his stall. His horse knew someone, or something was outside. The thought of wolves crossed his mind, knowing they would be hungry after the blizzard. He wished he would have grabbed a rifle.

The cattle huddled next to the barn for protection against the wind. He moved with caution to the outside barn door and unlatched the lock. Then Reggie heard their voices. He took out his pistol and cracked the door slightly to size up the rustlers. It was Jenkins and another one of Charlotte's escorts. Reggie couldn't remember his name, but he recognized him.

"Put your hands up," said Reggie as he shoved the door open, moving the snow wide enough for him to step out with his pistol drawn.

The men froze as they stood next to the cattle. Piper looked behind his shoulder, and Reggie looked over the cattle and saw two horses tied in the tree line.

"Don't even think about running. Now move."

"What are you going to do? You have one pistol and there are two of us," said Piper with arrogance.

Reggie pulled his knife and said, "I going to kill one of you, and then I will hunt down the other and cut him to ribbons. Who's first?"

"Don't shoot. I'll explain," said Jenkins.

The men raised their hands and crawled out of the cattle pen. Reggie held the weapons on the men and marched them into the barn. Reggie lit a hurricane lamp on the desk and turned up the wick.

He grabbed a rope and walked over to the two young men. He grabbed the mouthy one and shoved his face into the barn post of a horse stall. Then he threw him on the ground and tied his hands behind his back. Jenkins willingly put his hands behind his back. Reggie tied his hands and pushed him down on a stool, leaving Piper laying on the dirt floor.

"I want answers. Who hired you to rustle Ivan's cattle?"

Jenkins looked at Piper, who by now was sitting upright, and Piper shook his head. Reggie grabbed Jenkins by the throat and held him up against the post. He slammed the back of his head and said, "I said I want answers. Now do I have to beat it out of you, or are you going to talk?"

He tightened his choke hold and raised his fist.

"The senator hired us," blurted Jenkins.

"Why?"

"They paid us to steal Ivan's cattle."

"Where are the cattle? What did you do with them?"

Jenkins squirmed and coughed. Reggie set him on the ground and dropped his chokehold.

"The cattle are in Mr. Berman's back pasture. The senator was going to blackmail Berman with cattle rustling charges to get his land."

Reggie looked up in exasperation, knowing the cattle had been out in the elements for over a month with who knows what kind of protection or feed. Besides, they all could be dead after this blizzard.