A Hole in the Sky by William C. Dietz Read Free Book Online

knowing that he wouldn’t leave any tracks. His caution wasn’t the result of a specific threat, but because it was always best to be careful, even when there was no apparent danger.
    Having left the streambed at a point approximately thirty feet from the cottonwood, he made straight for it. The dry calf-high grass swished past his boots and a raven made a throaty cawing sound as Capelli arrived at the base of the tree. With a flapping noise, the bird took to the air.
    He passed his binoculars around so they hung down his back and shinnied up the textured trunk, up to the point where he found reliable footholds in a series of sturdy branches. A few minutes later Capelli was as high as he could safely go and scanning the countryside through the binoculars.
I taught you that
, the voice said.
I taught you to stop, look, and think
.
    Yeah
, Capelli agreed.
You were a fucking genius. Now shut the hell up
.
    The voice could be quite insistent, but this time it did as it was told, and Capelli was free to examine the horizon without any distractions. And it was then, while scanning the highway, that he saw the tiny figures coming up the road. His heart began to beat faster. Were they Hybrids? Grims?
    No; as Capelli rolled the image into perfect focus he saw that they were humans. And that was when he swore. Not because they were headed east on Route 40; lots of people did that. But because these individuals were jogging! And nobody runs while carrying a heavy pack unless they have a very good reason to do so.
    Like catching up with people ahead of them.
    Turning the glasses to the right, Capelli scanned the area beyond the bridge, before making his way out of the tree. Once on the ground it was a simple matter to hurry down to the streambed and follow the water back to the bridge. He found Locke reading a leather-bound book. He closed it as Capelli approached. “See anything?”
    “Yeah, I sure as hell did. How many people did you show those gold coins to back in Burlington?”
    Lock frowned. “Not many. Two, no
three
people, counting yourself. I exchanged one of them for some silver coins and I gave the other away.”
    “You did
what
?”
    “I gave it to a woman with a sick child so that she could pay for a doctor,” Locke answered defiantly. “Why do you ask?”
    “Because five men are hot on our trail,” Capelli answered darkly. “Maybe it was the money changer, or maybe it was the woman, but somebody fingered you. And now some very unpleasant people are coming to take your gold.”
    Locke looked doubtful. “What makes you so sure?”
    “Because they’re
running
, goddammit, and that’s the only explanation that makes sense. Now, here’s what we’re going to do. I want you to head over to the rise on the other side of the stream and build a little fire.”
    Locke frowned. “You’re going to use me as bait.”
    “That’s right,” Capelli replied, as he removed the Marksman from its scabbard.
    “How do I know I can trust you?” Locke wanted to know. “You could let them kill me.”
    “You should have considered that before you went to sleep last night.”
    Locke grinned. “That’s true! I’m alive, aren’t I?”
    “For the moment. Now take your pack and rifle, cross the stream, and build that fire.”
    “Okay,” Locke said reluctantly. “But what if they shoot me from a thousand yards away?”
    “Then you’ll be dead. Now get going.”
    Rowdy had reappeared by then. He nosed the ground, then ran to catch up as Locke splashed through the stream and climbed the slope beyond. Rowdy was always up for an outing and followed along behind, pausing every now and then to lift a leg.
    Capelli considered calling the dog back, thought better of it, and took a moment to stash both the pack and the Rossmore on top of the retaining wall that ran under the bridge. Then he returned to the stream and followed it north. That enabled him to move quickly and stay off the skyline as he made his way towards the spot he