Eddie took a deep breath, let it out. “Ben Slightman’s dirty,” he said. “He’s the tattletale. I’m almost sure of it.”

“Yes, I know.”

Eddie looked at him, wide-eyed. “You know ? How could you possibly—”

“Let’s say I suspected.”

“How?”

“His spectacles,” Roland said. “Ben Slightman the Elder’s the only person in Calla Bryn Sturgis with spectacles. Come on, Eddie, day’s waiting. We can talk as we walk.”

Seventeen

They couldn’t, though, not at first, because the path was too steep and narrow. But later, as they approached the bottom of the mesa, it grew wider and more forgiving. Talk once more became practical, and Eddie told Roland about the book, The Dogan or The Hogan, and the author’s oddly disputable name. He recounted the oddity of the copyright page (not entirely sure that Roland grasped this part), and said it had made him wonder if something was pointing toward the son, too. That seemed like a crazy idea, but—

“I think that if Benny Slightman was helping his father inform on us,” Roland said, “Jake would know.”

“Are you sure he doesn’t?” Eddie asked.

This gave Roland some pause. Then he shook his head. “Jake suspects the father.”

“He told you that?”

“He didn’t have to.”

They had almost reached the horses, who raised their heads alertly and seemed glad to see them.

“He’s out there at the Rocking B,” Eddie said. “Maybe we ought to take a ride out there. Invent some reason to bring him back to the Pere’s…” He trailed off, looking at Roland closely. “No?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because this is Jake’s part of it.”

“That’s hard, Roland. He and Benny Slightman like each other. A lot. If Jake ends up being the one to show the Calla what his Dad’s been doing—”

“Jake will do what he needs to do,” Roland said. “So will we all.”

“But he’s still just a boy, Roland. Don’t you see that?”

“He won’t be for much longer,” Roland said, and mounted up. He hoped Eddie didn’t see the momentary wince of pain that cramped his face when he swung his right leg over the saddle, but of course Eddie did.

Chapter III

The Dogan, Part 2

One

Jake and Benny Slightman spent the morning of that same day moving hay bales from the upper lofts of the Rocking B’s three inner barns to the lower lofts, then breaking them open. The afternoon was for swimming and water-fighting in the Whye, which was still pleasant enough if one avoided the deep pools; those had grown cold with the season.