A horse whinnied sharply in the barn.
Caleb’s hand dropped.
The moment vanished.
He stood.
“I’ll check.”
Clara watched him go with a strange mixture of disappointment and relief.
Inside the barn, nothing seemed wrong.
But the side door stood open.
Caleb was certain he had closed it.
He stepped inside.
A folded paper had been nailed to the stall post.
Only four words were written on it.
Ask who survived the river.
Caleb stared.
His blood turned cold.
He tore the note down before Clara could see it.
For two days, he said nothing.
Then he rode into Red Creek alone.
At the telegraph office he sent a message east to a former Pinkerton investigator he had once hired during his search for Eleanor.
VERIFY ANY RECORDS CONNECTED TO ELEANOR MERCER AFTER MAY 1876. URGENT.
The answer came the following afternoon.
NO CONFIRMED DEATH RECORD. POSSIBLE WOMAN MATCHING DESCRIPTION TREATED IN CHEYENNE JUNE 1876. RECORD INCOMPLETE. INVESTIGATING.
Caleb read the message three times.
