“Stay in touch,” he said. “I’ll talk to Steve Ferryman. His people are sending out the e-mails to Intuit settlements, relaying information about blood prophets and how to help them stay alive. I’ll have him include you on the Lakeside list. And I’ll ask him to find out if any Intuit settlements have heard about bison being killed.” And he would call Lieutenant Montgomery. It wasn’t likely that the police would hear about dead bison, but Montgomery and his captain, Burke, heard about a surprising number of things that happened beyond their territory.

Finishing up the call with Jackson, Simon made his calls to Steve Ferryman and Lieutenant Montgomery.

Then he went downstairs to find out who was on the other line.

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 7

Windsday, Juin 6

Jesse Walker pushed at a lock of gray hair that had escaped the hairclip and looked up from her list as Shelley Bookman, the community’s librarian, rushed into the general store.

“I contacted everyone I could think of, either to help Floyd deal with the meat or offer up a bit of freezer space,” Shelley said. “And I brought over the discussion list, in case we have a chance to talk about more than meat.”

“I wouldn’t push for more discussion,” Jesse warned. “At least, not until we have a better idea how upset Joe Wolfgard is about the bison being killed like that.”

“I know, I know, but he’s the first one of them to initiate contact with us since some of our ancestors pitched a few tents here and bargained for some land. He came into the library last week.”

“Did he take out any books?”

“No, he shied away as soon as he saw me, but he came in.”

Jesse looked at her list. “I’ve put in calls to the dairy farm, the produce farm, and the ranch. A couple of women from the farms are on their way to help, and Tom and Ellen Garcia are heading in from the ranch. For now, that’s all we can do.”

She watched the younger woman go to the door and look out. Like Tobias, Shelley was thirty years old and a child of Prairie Gold, having lived in this small community all her life except for the years she’d gone to school for her degree to become a librarian. The outside world wasn’t an easy place for Intuits, and while Shelley never talked about her years away, Jesse had the feeling that the woman’s heart had been betrayed and broken. Whatever had happened, Shelley liked men just fine as long as they wanted to be friends, but she wouldn’t consider being more.

A shame, really, because, in Jesse’s experience, a lot of enjoyment could be had with the right man.

Shelley hurried back to the counter. “Tobias is driving up, and Joe Wolfgard is with him.”