“Grab his gun, man. ’Nother gun over there.”

Approaching footsteps. “Hey, there’s a chick here. Pretty. Should we—”

“Naa, man, I ain’t that drunk.”

When they’d stolen my pistol and left me to die, they’d also stolen the one way I could have known I wasn’t a coward. I wasn’t running away—I was running for help because the gun was unloaded.

“Darby, are you okay?” Roy asked.

“I’m better than okay. I’m exonerated.” I slid the action back slightly and stuck my finger into the chamber, then quietly closed it.

“It’s finally over,” Cookie said.

“Yes.” My neck started to itch.

Something had fallen from Sam’s pocket. A walkie-talkie.

The itch grew. What had Sam said? The mine tapped out shortly after the accident that killed the miners. We found an investor who took the whole lot. No one killed Mae. She moved to Pocatello. I never tried to kill you. I bought Mule Shoe.

I knew the answer to question two, who wanted it. Just one problem.

We. Sam had said “we.”

My neck was on fire. I still needed to figure out who he was working with. Roy? He was the one who shot Sam, but he wouldn’t drive down the price of his own resort. Cookie? Possibly someone had found out about her PTSD and stint at Clan Firinn. Yeah right. Then she’d somehow stabbed herself in the back and hit herself over the head. Spuds, the missing staffer? Open to bribes? Wyatt? He’d been in prison and was strong enough to have carried bodies into the building and set it on fire. He’d also ridden out to safety . . . and freedom.

“Roy.” Cookie put her hand on Roy’s arm holding the pistol. “We need to have a mindset for resolution here. Sam was the killer.” She gently removed the weapon from Roy’s hands.

Mindset. The arson note had that unique phrasing. You should make your mindset one of defeat. Wyatt had used a similar phrase when we were trapped in the lodge. We want you to adopt the survival mindset.

And Roy had written the welcome greeting in the brochure. You should bring to Mule Shoe your mindset for success.

It wasn’t unusual for people who lived and worked together to pick up each other’s unique dictionary of words and phrases. I’d have to figure out something else. Some clue I’d overlooked. Where had everyone been? What had people said?

I bought Mule Shoe. Probably the lowest bid, which was SD. Sam . . . Dankworth?

Words written. A note. As per our tradition. The note from Scott Thomas to me. Gift. The puzzle pieces dropped into place.

I knew who, and I knew what I had to do. I just hoped it wouldn’t kill me. Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid. God is with you.