Black Hills

anywhere she wasn’t told to go.
    “I’ve just come from seeing Lil over at the refuge, and figured I owed you a stop-by.”
    Coop could see it clearly enough in the man’s face. “To tell me you’re hitting dead ends.”
    “To tell you that. Fact is, what we got is a dead cougar, a thirty-two slug, a buncha tracks in the snow, and a vague description of someone you saw in the dark. We’ve been giving it a push, but there’s not much to move along.”
    “You got copies of her threat file?”
    “Yeah, and we’ve been following up on that. I rode out and spoke personal to a couple of men who went by the refuge a few months back and gave them some trouble. Don’t fit the physical, either of them. One’s got a wife swears he was home that night, and through the morning—and he was at work nine on the dot in Sturgis. That’s verified. The other runs damn near three hundred pounds. I don’t think you’d’ve mistaken him.”
    “No.”
    “I talked to a couple rangers I know, and they’ll be keeping an eye out at the park, spreading the word. But I’m going to tell you like I had to tell Lil, we’re going to need a serious run of luck to tie this up. I gotta figure whoever it was is gone. Nobody with a lick of sense would’ve stayed up there when that storm came in. We’ll keep doing what we can do, but I wanted to tell her straight. And you, too.”
    “There are a lot of places a man could wait out a storm. In the hills and in the valley. If he had some experience, some provisions, or some luck.”
    “That’s a fact. We made some calls, checking if somebody who looked like they’d come off the trail moved into one of the motels or hotels around here. We didn’t get anything. Her camera’s been up and running since, and nobody’s seen anybody around the refuge—or the Chance place—who shouldn’t be around.”
    “It sounds like you’ve covered everything you could cover.”
    “Doesn’t close the book on it, though. Open book keeps my palms itchy.” Willy stood a moment, looking out at the snow, the sky. “Well. Good to see Sam up and around. I hope I’m tough as him when I get his age. If you think of anything I need to know, I’ll be around to hear it.”
    “I appreciate you coming by.”
    Willy nodded, gave Little Sis a pat on her flank. “Pretty girl. You take care, Coop.”
    He would, Coop thought. But what he needed to take care of was at the refuge.
    He dealt with the horse, so Little Sis got her rubdown and her apple. He took care of the rest of the chores, ones as routine to him now as dressing every morning. Because there would be coffee hot and fresh, he went into his grandmother’s kitchen.
    His grandfather walked in, without his cane. Coop fought down the urge to comment, especially when Sam gave him a quick scowl.
    “I’m still going to use it when I go outside, or if my leg gives me trouble. I’m just testing things, that’s all.”
    “Stubborn old goat,” Lucy said as she came out of the laundry room with a basket full of whites.
    “That makes two of us.” Sam limped over, took the basket, and while Coop held his breath limped away again to set it on a chair. “Now.” His face actually flushed with pleasure as he turned, winked at Coop. “Why don’t you get the menfolks some coffee, woman?”
    Lucy folded her lips, but not before the quick smile escaped. “Oh, sit down.”
    Sam let out a quiet sigh as he sat. “I smell a chicken roasting.” He scented the air like a wolf. “Heard a rumor about mashed potatoes. You ought to help me eat that, Coop, before this woman fattens me up like a pig before the roast.”
    “Actually, I have something to do. But if you hear somebody sneaking around in here later tonight, you’ll know it’s me coming after the leftovers.”
    “I can make you up some, put it over next door for you,” Lucy offered.
    The bunkhouse had become “next door.”
    “Don’t worry about that. I can fend for myself.”
    “Well.” She set coffee in front of both of them, then ran her hand along Coop’s shoulder. “It looks nice over there, but I wish you’d take another look up in the attic. I know you could use more furniture.”
    “I can only sit in one chair at a time, Grandma. I wanted to tell you the mare—Little Sis—is coming along.”
    “I saw you working her.” Lucy poured the water she had simmering in the kettle to make the tea she preferred that time of day. “She’s got a sweet way.”
    “I think she’ll be