Yeah, theyre right people. A little screwy, some of em. But they do keep a household.

Hows the food?

Best I ate in a while.

She sits down on the couch near the chair and rests her elbows on her knees. She sets the gun on the coffee table, and he looks at it. It would be within his reach if he were not tied.

You better be careful, girl. You best be sure I cant bust this rope and make a grab at that.

If you can do it, I invite you to. Itll finish the job one way or the other.

He looks at her for a long time, his eyes searching her, but not under her clothes like where his brothers eyes went. The eyes of Moses Todd dig into her head and make curious explorations.

A hearty laugh bursts from his throat, and she jumps a little. She can see little bits of food crusted in his beard.

You got qualities, child, he says. You sure got qualities.

Howd you find me anyway?

Im a tracker. Grew up with hunters in Arkansas. Filthy men, you wouldnt like em. But they taught me how to track and hunt. And there aint many tow-headed girls on the plains these days yours aint a hard trail to sniff out.

She looks him up and down, suspiciously.

I dont guess youre that good a tracker, she says.

Im here, aint I? Hey, did you see the horde they got downtown a couple miles back? Downright blindin I was drivin through them like mosquitoes. You dont wanna get caught in the middle of that without a quick means of exit.

Yeah, I saw it. They learned to eat other things. Horses, raccoons. Theyve gone cannibal, some of em.

Is that right. He shakes his head. Now that is a unqualified perversion of nature, aint it?

It dont bode well for starvin em off, she agrees.

I reckon when you leave here, he says, you wont be going back through town then.

She looks at him.

Listen, she says. I know why youre comin after me. I know what you intend.

I guessed as much from bein tied to a chair at gunpoint.

Your brother, I took care of him so he wouldnt come back, I mean. I wouldnt wish that on anybody. I took care of it.

I know you did, and Im obliged. But it dont quite make up for killin him in the first place.

I got to tell you, he wasnt a good man, your brother. He tried things. He was movin to take unsolicited liberties with me.

Moses Todd lowered his head and looked sadly into his lap for a moment. Then he raised his eyes and spoke softly to her.

To be honest, he said, I sort of figured that might be the case. He shouldnt of done it. And you have my right sympathies about that. Abraham and me, we were cut from different cloth.