An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley Read Free Page A

associates—Mr. Parker, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Gunderson, and Mr. Stephens. The lady is named Clara, except that her Christian name ain’t Clara, and she isn’t a lady. Unless you count lady of ill repute, that is.”
    Clara threw back her head and cackled at this. The others snickered, their eyes flicking back and forth between their boss and the captive girl.
    “Are you folks here to rescue me?” Crystal asked again, her voice hopeful.
    Morgan frowned, as if considering her request. “Well now, I reckon that depends. Mind telling us who tied you up like this, and why?”
    “O’Bannon and his boys did it. They keep me like this while they’re out working during the day.”
    “And O’Bannon would be one of the tree jockeys down yonder?”
    She nodded. “Is he…is he dead?”
    “Well, I’m not sure which one he was, but yes, they’re all dead.”
    Crystal’s body sagged on the hook. She sighed. Her expression changed from doubt and fear to one of relieved elation.
    “They only let me loose at night, and then I had to… to service them.”
    “Fuck them, you mean?”
    She nodded. “Mostly. Sometimes I’d cook or clean, but mostly it was sex.”
    “And did you mind doing that?”
    Crystal shrugged. “I didn’t mind, I guess. It kept me alive. They kidnapped me from a whorehouse I was working in down near Big River. Not much of a difference.”
    “Well,” Morgan said. “I reckon there’s no harm in letting you go, provided you do for me and my associates what you were willing to do for the lumberjacks. After all, it’s like you said—anything to stay alive. Am I right?”
    She glanced at the others, studying their reactions, and then looked back to Morgan.
    “No. I mean. yes. I don’t guess that would be too bad.”
    “Good. Gunderson, you got your knife on you?”
    “Sure do, boss.”
    “Hand it here.”
    Gunderson reached down, rolled up his pant leg and reached into his boot, withdrawing a knife from the side. He surrendered it to Morgan without a word. Morgan raised the blade. Crystal cowered, cringing as he sliced through the bailing twine around her wrists. Then, as she stood their rubbing her hands together to restore the circulation, he freed her ankles and handed the knife back to Gunderson.
    “Thank you,” Crystal murmured.
    “Don’t mention it,” Morgan said. His voice took on a sarcastic edge. “Lincoln freed the slaves. I reckon we should all live by that example.”
    “Should I… start servicing you now?”
    “Damn girl! I like your spirit.” Chuckling, Morgan shook his head and sniffed. “But no. Get cleaned up first. Enjoy your freedom. Make yourself at home. There’ll be plenty of time for thanking us later. We ain’t leaving here for a while.”
     
     
     
    TWO
     
     
    “You sure about the posse, boss?”
    Morgan, Parker, Johnson and Stephens were seated around the table, playing a hand of cards with the lumberjacks’ deck and eating some of the dead men’s beans and potatoes that Clara and Crystal had cooked up. Clara now lounged on one of the musty cots. Crystal sat nearby, her eyes darting back and forth between each of them. Gunderson sat by the window, a long rifle in his hands. Although he was listening to the conversation, he kept his attention focused on the group of pine trees where Stephens had hung the bait earlier.
    “Understand,” Parker continued, “I don’t mean to disagree with you or anything like that. I’m just nervous is all.”
    “Nervous?” Johnson laughed. “I’d dare say scared is more like it. Ready to shit your britches at the thought of hanging.”
    Parker’s ears turned red. “Fuck you, Johnson. I ain’t afraid of hanging.”
    “You damn well should be,” Morgan said around a mouthful of beans, “because if they ever catch us, we’ll hang for sure. After all the shit we’ve done across this country? No doubt about it, boys. We’d hang. But I don’t think they will catch us. I think the posse has given up