Micah rubbed his eyes as the sunlight streamed through the window onto his face. He reached at the empty place beside himself where Jason should be. His fingers felt nothing but air.

"Lord, what's he done got himself into to?" Micah asked his Father. He knew Jason should be back by now. There was no way 'taking care of business' would take almost two days. Surely if it would, Jason would've returned and told him about it, at least.

Micah scrambled to his feet and pulled on his boots. He glanced around, but found no sign of Jason. He decided right then that something must've happened to Jason. Just the thought made him sick to his stomach. He hurried outside, heading toward the sheriff's office, his heart intent on getting a search party for his missing friend.

***

"You think he's hurt or somethin'?" Sheriff Reeves asked, rubbing his mustache as he stared at Micah with concern.

"Yes, sir." Micah bit his lip, eyes brimming with tears and voice trembling. "Or worse."

Jedidiah eyed Micah, tossing the coin in his hands into the air and catching it. "What makes you think that? He could've just up and left to go back home."

Micah shook his head vehemently. "He didn't just leave. All his stuff is in his uncle's house, and even the pack mule is still there. I told him to be careful, I honestly did, 'cause after that note. . . ."

"Note?" Reeves asked, sharing a look with Jedidiah. "What note?"

Micah's mouth fell open. "You mean Jason didn't come tell y'all?"

"Nope. Do you know what it says?"

Micah nodded slowly. "I do. I'm the one who found it layin' on his saddle when we woke up the day after he got attacked. I managed to read it before he snatched it away. It said: If you stay, you die."

Reeves rubbed his scruffy chin. He took a moment before replying. "And he was supposed to tell us 'bout it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Wonder why he didn't?"

Jedidiah shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe he wrote it himself."

Reeves shot his deputy a withering glare. "Jason wouldn't write a note like that to himself. He's a respectable young man."

Jedidiah rubbed his head a little sheepishly. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry. I'm just--"

"Overly suspicious of strangers. I know. But this man ain't a stranger. I know him and his family. You can trust him."

"When did Jason go missin'?" Jedidiah asked, all apprehensiveness gone.

Micah chewed on his lip. "He didn't come home the night he got that note, or last night either. Somethin' bad must've happened."

Jedidiah placed his hands on his hips, turning to look at Reeves. "Sheriff, what're we gonna do?"

"We're gonna have a search party, that's what we're gonna do." Reeves replied, flicking a bug off his arm.

The front door flew open and in stumbled Abel. "Sheriff, sheriff! I f-f--"

"What in tarnation! Spit it out, Abel!"

Abel lifted his pale face to look Reeves in the eye. He shakily ran his hand across his forehead. "I f-found a d-dead man!"

"Where?" Jedidiah demanded, his hand reflexively reading at his pistol.

Reeves grabbed Abel by his shoulder. "Forget where. Just show us!"

"Yes s-sir!" Abel stuttered as he made his way back outside.

In minutes, Jedidiah, Sheriff Reeves, and Micah were galloping at breakneck speed to catch up to the fear-fueled Abel.

As they shot by a giant cactus, Micah prayed with all his heart that the dead man was not Jason. He prayed against the fear that threatened to choke him down. He buried his face into the back of Sheriff Reeves' shirt as the horse ate up the miles like a white bullet.

When the horse slid to a stop, Micah dreaded to get off. As the dirt kicked up by the horse swirled into the air and around his head like rough fingers, Reeves grabbed his arm with a grim smile.

"Come on, young'un. I'm dreadin' this just as much as you are," Reeves said, trying his best to fight against the panic he knew the boy was feeling.

Micah gave a nod, holding his head up even though all he wanted to do was find somewhere to hide.

Jedidiah and Abel joined Reeves and Micah. Each of them wearing a grim look.

"This way, Sheriff," Abel beckoned, trudging through the gritty dirt. When he noticed Micah just one step behind him, he turned and stopped the boy. "Hey, kid, you might wanna stay with the horses."

Sheriff Reeves shook his head at Abel. "No, Micah is comin' as well."

Abel shrugged. "As you wish, Sheriff."

The scene was more gruesome than Reeves or Jedidiah expected. They scared the vultures off the man's body, which was ravaged by coyotes as well as the vultures. His shirt was bloody and ripped open, exposing a bullet wound in the chest. His face was so marred that neither Jedidiah nor Reeves could recognize him.

Reeves pulled his shirt over his nose, hoping to ward off the worse of the stench. He pulled Micah up to his side, looking down at the boy who was warring with his tears. "Is this Jason?"

Micah took one look and dropped to his knees with a sob. He wanted to refuse that this mutilated body was Jason, but there was no denying that the shirt was the last one he'd seen Jason in. He let the tears flow as he crawled closer to the body, pressing his face into the tattered shirt. He could care less about the flies, the ants, or even the horrid smell. How could any of that matter when the most important person in his life was dead?

Jedidiah's coolness melted as he watched Micah cry his heart out. The boy's bitter sobs tugged at his heart strings, and he bent down beside him. He gently pulled Micah away from the corpse and into his arms. "Hey, bud, it's okay. I gotcha."

Reeves stared down at Jason's body. Micah's actions had just answered his question. He gazed at Abel, who was watching Jedidiah and Micah with sadness. "Abel."

Abel nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned his attention to Reeves. "Yes, sir?"

"How did you find this man anyway?" Reeves asked, unwilling to reveal the name of the deceased. "Why on Earth would you come down here for?"

Abel let out a shaky sigh. "Well, sheriff. This may be hard to believe, but further up this trail I have a goat with three legs in a little pen. I keep it down here so no one will try and steal her. Every evening I come to feed her."

"That doesn't explain much, Abel." Reeves stared at him through narrowed eyes. "This man's been dead for two days. Surely you'd found him before now."

"I would've, if I wasn't held up by a bunch of Indians," Abel agreed.

"Indians?"

"Yes, Indians. They wouldn't let me leave. They searched my little shack out there, took some of my shirts, and was pullin' up plants in the yard. I thought they were gonna take my goat, but they didn't. When I woke up this mornin', they were gone. That's when I tried to go back home and found him," Abel said, pointing down at the man.

Reeves didn't know if he could believe Abel, or not, but for now, that was all he had to go by. Even though it'd been awhile since the last Indian sighting, he didn't doubt that some had shown up. "I appreciate you comin' to me about this dead man. You just saved me a lot of searchin'."

Abel scratched his arm. "Is he that boy's Pa?"

Reeves shook his head. "No, he's Micah's friend. His name is Jason Archer, and he's been missing for almost two days. He came here from Abilene to visit his uncle, Shane."

Abel gulped so hard Reeves heard it. "A-and I found him d-dead in his house. Now his n-nephew. Lord help me!"

A flutter in Jason pocket caught Reeves eye. He bent down, shielding his face against the potent odor, and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper.

Sugar for when I'm not around. Much love, Dixie.

Reeves felt as if something inside him withered up. Jason had a fiancee and family who needed to be informed of his death. He handed the note to his deputy with a feeling of sorrow.

Jedidiah read the note in seconds. He shook his head, sympathy rising up in his chest for the family. He looked into Reeves' eyes. "What's the plan."

"You're headin' to Abilene."

Jedidiah nodded. "Yes, sir. How long do I have to get supplies?"

"You're not gettin' any supplies. You're reachin' Abilene today." Reeves loosened the girth strap of his horse's saddle and slid the saddle down into the dirt. He handed the reins to Jedidiah. "Here, take my horse so you'll have two mounts. I'm countin' on you."

Jedidiah gave a brief nod. He squeezed Micah before jumping into the saddle. He tied the reins of the sheriff's horse to his saddle with a rope. With a wave, he bolted down the trail, his destination: Abilene.