He nodded. “The way Della died, and then Norm so soon after—it still bothers me, too. But at least there was no mystery there.” That seemed to be enough personal conversation for him, and he flipped on the car’s radio.

ELI HAD SENT out word the night before that he planned to hold a meeting at his office at ten thirty. He’d invited the ranchers and farmers who’d been affected, in any way and to any degree, by his idiot nephew’s actions. He’d also included most of the people involved in the patrols, except Russ, who was driving to the airport with Shallie. Cord and Mitch, for instance, would have a valuable role to play; they knew the community and its landscape well, they knew Eric—to the extent that anyone could—and their opinions were respected.

Once everyone was seated, with Deputy Amos Edwards at the opposite end of the table, Eli began the meeting. He recounted the information concerning Eric and how his guilt had come to light, then said his nephew was at Sara’s but would join them now, if anyone wanted the opportunity to talk to him personally.

“As you all know,” Eli said, “he’s my nephew. But that means nothing. This isn’t about family. I called you all together to see how you feel about Eric Worth, what he’s admitted to doing—which includes recruiting the rest of them. And since this is a community issue, I want to see how, from your point of view, it should be handled.” Eli paused. “Do you want to launch lawsuits against him and the others? Do you want to see charges filed? You could choose to pursue theft, damage to property, cruelty to animals… What do you see as the right thing to do?” He paused again. “Eric’s virtually under house arrest and prohibited from contacting any of his companions in crime.”

There were whispered conversations around the table. Mitch sat back, arms folded, and Eli guessed he’d go along with Cord’s preference.

Finally, Miles Carey spoke up. “Okay, here’s what I think. First, this is a messed-up boy, which isn’t entirely his own fault.”

Eli nodded grimly.

“Not blaming you or Sara,” Miles went on. “We all know his father did a lot of damage. But Eric’s almost an adult now, and it’s time for him to act like one.”

“I agree,” Cord said. “None of us wants to see his life destroyed and Sara’s life damaged. I’d insist on what would basically be a form of probation. With supervision. He needs to pay for what he’s done, and the best way is to have him do some work for all his victims. Make sure he learns what we do and gets to know animals. That he understands he affected the entire community because of his actions.”