After a fair while, after Harwood’s body had drifted down the pass a ways and nobody had come out into the clearing behind Jess to shoot her dead, Jess figured she ought to get up off her knees and go back into the woods and try to ascertain what had happened to Burke. She stood, though it hurt, and rested hunched over and blinking back tears, feeling every one of Harwood’s sucker punches.

Every part of her ached. But the island was quiet, and that probably wasn’t good. She stood straighter and wiped the blood from her face, started into the trees. Kept the pistol drawn and moved as cautiously as she could.

The forest was mainly silent, just the wind through the branches high above. Nothing moving at ground level, no sign of human life. The silence was eerie, and Jess didn’t like it. She didn’t like knowing that she might well be prey.

She happened upon Cole Sweeney first. The young deputy was lying where she’d shot him, leaned up against a tree with his head back and his eyes closed, and for a split second she thought he might be dead. But Cole heard her coming, and his eyes snapped open and he reached for the rifle beside him, but she was quicker with the pistol.

“Don’t,” she said, leveling the gun at his head. “Don’t get stupid, now.”

Sweeney glared at her. His leg was all bloody where she’d shot through his knee, and he winced every time he moved.

“You shot me,” he said.

Jess scoffed. “In the leg, dumb-ass. I could have put one through your head if I wanted, you ever consider that?”

The young deputy did consider it. “Why didn’t you?”

“I thought you might be worth saving,” she said. “You could have killed Burke when you had the chance, and you didn’t. I thought that maybe meant something.”

Sweeney left the rifle where it lay. He rested his head back again and looked up at the treetops and let out a long sigh.

“I wish you had killed me,” he said. “There’s nothing waiting for me if I make it off this island anyway.”

She shrugged. “You want, I can still shoot you,” she said. “But I think you’re giving up too easy. Burke served his hard time, and look at him now.”

Sweeney opened his eyes, arched an eyebrow like he wasn’t sure if she was joking or not. “The guy’s a freaking murderer.”

“Burke?” She shook her head. “He’d never even fired a gun before he came to this island. If he’s killed anyone, it’s since he ran into you.”

Sweeney stared at her.

“The guy just loves his dog,” she said. “He loves that damn dog enough to risk his life and his freedom over our stupid shit. You want a role model, Sweeney, you could do worse.”