“Why are you telling me this?”

“I’m tired of running from it. I’m done. But you still have a choice.”

“Do as I say, but not as I do?” Lyle said. “As I see it, you’re the last person in the world to be preaching to me.”

Max had just confessed to killing a man. How could his warning fall on such deaf ears? “Lyle, I’m all alone in this world, but you have a wife… a grandson. Killing Reed won’t bring you the peace you think it will. How are you going to look Meredith in the eye? Pip?”

“I’ll look ’em in the eye just fine knowing that the man who killed that boy’s mother is dead. I came into these woods to kill Reed Harris and bring my grandson home, and that’s what I’m gonna do. If you try and stop me”—Lyle looked hard into Max’s eyes—“well, friend, that would be a big mistake.”

“You gonna shoot me, Lyle? Is that what you’re gonna do?” As if the threat ahead of him weren’t enough, now he had a threat walking beside him.

“I’m putting Reed and that other guy down like the cur dogs they are. I’m just letting you know that nothing, not you, not them, not God Almighty, is gonna stop me.”

CHAPTER 59

That night, after a supper of rehydrated eggs, with his wet clothing hanging in the branches of a nearby tree, Spud crawled back into his sleeping bag. Reed had brought a tent for him and Pip to share, but not for Spud, who stared up at the stars and pondered how he would kill Reed Harris.

Reed had made a point of carrying his handgun into the tent when he and Pip went to bed, so sneaking in to cut Reed’s throat was out of the question. Reed was probably waiting for Spud to act; that’s why he kept the gun ready. Besides, Spud couldn’t bring himself to kill Reed with Pip lying so close.

Spud had been foolish to butt heads with Reed when they crossed the river. He had nothing to gain other than to put Reed on notice that the tide had changed. But the tide hadn’t changed, had it? Reed still had the gun, and with the gun came power and control. If Reed left his gun alone even for a minute, that would be all Spud would need. If not, he would have to use his knife—and wait until dark so that Pip wouldn’t see the blood.

Tomorrow night they would be in Canada. He would bide his time until then, do it along the trail while the gun remained zipped in the backpack. Reed sometimes rested on a fallen tree or rock to wait for Spud and Pip to catch up. That would be the best time to strike. Spud would have the knife out and ready. If Reed stayed still long enough for Spud to get close, it would only take one quick slash across the throat.