Who did Jacob see in the forest, if not Brady? I trust Jacob implicitly, and I can't imagine he was mistaken, so what is the alternative? If it was Brady, wouldn't he come up with an excuse? Why, yes, I did meet someone on the trail--a stranger who took pity on me and shared his stash of protein bars.
Who the hell shot at us? Executed the two wounded hostiles? Tried to kill the rest of us?
It makes sense that it was the same person who shot at Brady a few days ago. Was Brady really the target, though? He was nowhere in sight when the sniper executed the hostiles and opened fire on us.
There are too many loose ends that "Brady is innocent" does not explain.
Yet none stamp him as guilty either.
We're missing a piece of the puzzle here. A huge one. And I'm starting to think I know what it is--or at the very least, I know where to begin this trail.
A few words from Brady, dismissed as the rantings of a killer, determined to lay blame anywhere he could.
Words that could have come straight from the serial killer handbook.
I'm being set up.
Why?
Because I know a secret.
56
"We're taking you to Edwin," Dalton says to Brady as we leave the scene of the settler massacre.
"Who?" Brady says.
"We need to get Gregory back," I say.
"Greg--? My stepfather? He's here?" Genuine fear spikes Brady's voice.
"He's being held hostage," I say. "In exchange for you."
"What?"
"You massacred three people from a settlement out here. They wanted a guarantee that we'd hand you over. Your stepfather volunteered."
"Volun . . . ?" He stares at us. Then he laughs. "Oh, that's funny. I know you don't mean it to be. You're trying to scare me into thinking you're handing me over to these crazy mountain men. I don't know why you'd bring Greg into this, but telling me he voluntarily turned hostage in exchange for me?" He shakes his head. "That bastard wouldn't voluntarily piss on me if I were on fire. He doesn't do anything for anyone except himself."
"Well, he did. Unless you're suggesting the guy we left as a hostage is an imposter."
I describe Gregory Wallace, and Brady's ashen complexion answers for him.
"No," he says. "That's not--He has an agenda. Goddamn it, no. He's up to something and . . ."
"And what?"
"And I have no idea what it is, but I can promise you--Wait. Hell, yes." He wheels on us so fast he startles Storm. "What are you about to do?"
I glance at Dalton.
"Didn't you just say you're taking me to trade for Greg?" Brady says.
"No, we're taking you to work this out," I say. "We aren't going to turn you over for execution. That's not--"
"But it's what Gregory expects. That in order to get him back, you'll need to hand me over. Which means he doesn't need to kill me. You guys handed me over. Some crazy mountain men killed me. Not his fault."
"So he wants you dead."