Faithful Shadow Read Free Page B

on his desk; the one Joe had taken of Ryan fishing in the Yellowstone River when he was just a young boy. “She said there’s some blood on the door.”
    Joe looked up with an interest, surprised by the added twist. He leaned back in his chair and turned toward the window with a deep groan. This was going to be one of those days. In a single motion, he leaned forward and rolled out of the chair into a standing position, swaying a bit.
    “You up for a drive?” Not waiting for a response, Joe and Andy walked down the hall and out the front.
    “Do you want me to drive?” Andy paused with his hand on the passenger side door handle.
    Joe glared at him before getting behind the wheel, and started the truck without a word. As soon as Andy buckled his seatbelt, Joe backed up and peeled out. They drove in silence for a moment. Joe wanted to be left alone, while Andy didn’t know what to say without coming off as a nagger. They passed a caravan of firefighters on the right, and honked their horn, followed up with a wave of respect.
    “What’s the latest on the fire?” Andy asked, looking up at the black smoke rising from the east.
    “Last I heard it was moving rapidly toward the inn, but then again, we don’t ever hear the up to date.”
    “Sure would be a shame to have the inn damaged.” Andy shook his head with a heavy heart.
    Joe looked at the old man, surprised to feel a smile surfacing from the dark cloud of his mood. Andy may be annoying as hell, but at least he was genuine. It was gratifying to have his sprits lifted, even if only for a few moments. His headache even retreated further into the back of his head, not fully, but at least fading into the background for the time being. He lifted his nose into the air and smelled the unmistakable scent of burning timber. As sad as it was, the smell was soothing. It opened a floodgate of so many childhood memories—campouts, campfires, roasting marshmallows. He remembered one day in particular when he and his son had gone camping in Yosemite and…the headache began moving up. The grinding of gravel from the shoulder beneath the tires jerked him back into the moment. Joe replaced the memory of his son with the call they were responding to and eased the truck back onto the road. He looked at Andy without moving his head, seeing concern.
    “Did Mira mention anything else?”Joe asked as he turned off the main highway and headed toward the inn.
    “Just the broken window and some blood. Nothing else.”
    Joe passed the inn and turned right, slowing his speed to five miles an hour as the road narrowed and became uneven. There were never enough funds to fill the thousands of potholes and torn pavement across the park. He stopped the truck by the first cabin, waving to Mira as she waddled toward them.
    “Which one did you call about?” Joe asked as he stepped out of the truck.
    Mira hurried over, her chest and stomach bouncing from the effort. She stood for a moment, winded and wheezing. Without a word, she pointed down the road toward the last set of cabins.
    “What exactly happened?” Andy asked.
    “Not sure.” Mira sucked in a deep breath, her wheezing beginning to ease up. “I did my rounds this morning and saw the broken window.”
    “Was there anything damaged inside?” Joe didn’t bother taking any notes or starting a report. This type of call never got solved or had any leads; just a sad part of life. Stick too many young people from all around the country in a small space, add a dash of booze and pot, and you’re bound to get a little destruction.
    “I didn’t dare touch the door.” Mira shook her head, her flesh going pale. “No way did I want to look inside.”
    Joe nodded, not really sure why some blood was such a big deal. Bloody animal carcasses were a daily occurrence around the park.
    “We’ll have a look.” Andy gave her shoulder a good squeeze, telling her not to worry.
    They turned from the woman and walked toward the cabin, seeing the