“Had a camp up near Clyde’s place, right at the edge of the bluffs. Been there awhile, looked like.”

“Why he no run away?” Sal said.

“What you fucking saying?” Otto turned on him again.

“Not saying nothing. If is me, I woulda run away, that’s all.”

Otto pushed his face right up into Sal’s. “Woulda run away, would you? You’re not the one runs away, you greasy Eyetie sonofabitch, you’re the one gets hog-tied and shafted—every fucking day of your life.”

Bennet wedged his open hand between their faces and gently eased Otto’s head back. “Are we doing this or what?”

It took the men twenty minutes to get close to Clyde’s place, piled into Otto’s truck and Siggy’s cruiser. They parked a little way up a logging trail, out of sight of the road. The moon was close to full, which helped them through the woods toward the bluffs, where the hobo had previously set up camp. In just minutes they could make out the glow of a campfire.

“Jesus H, he’s still here,” Finn said. “If I was him I would’ve hopped the first freight car to Mexico.”

“That’s the criminal mind.” Siggy spoke with authority, as he thumbed in a cheekful of chaw. “They have their territory, like to stay near the site of a kill. Tell by his physiog he did it. Rapists have tapering fingers and deep-set eyes. In Europe that’s all they need to lock you up.”

“What’s ‘tapering’?” Goldwin was checking his own fingers.

“In their eyes”—Magnus forked his fingers dramatically toward his own eyes—“you can see the face of their last victim.”

“Or in this case, her ass,” Siggy mumbled through his chaw.

“What we going to do?” Sal asked. “I mean, we just going to tell him to get on his way?”

Otto slapped his shoulder. “He hog-tied and raped my daughter, you yellow-bellied peckerwood.”

“He’s going to hear us,” Goldwin hissed.

“Listen up.” Bennet gestured for them to gather around. “North side is a long drop to the river, so he can’t go that way. Siggy and Otto, you’re the only two who’s armed, so you’re going to come up from opposite sides, ’case he tries to run off into the woods. Goldy, you’re with Siggy, you two come up on the west side. Give a good berth to the bluff so he don’t see you. Go on, now.” Siggy and Goldwin headed off.

Bennet watched them out of sight and continued.

“Finn, you’re with Otto; you two come up on this side here. Otto, you better not use that rifle less’n I say, you hear me? We want to know he did it out of his own mouth. Rest of us going to take the deer path, come in on the south side. Clear? No more talking.”