Shortage (Best Laid Plans Book 2) (28 page)

He glanced at Tam, who had a rifle slung over her shoulder and a pistol at her hip. “What happened?” he asked.

She shrugged. “We surrounded them while they were focused on the door and they almost immediately gave up. Only five of them had guns. As for why they attacked you in the first place, I was hoping you could tell us.”

“They wanted food,” Matt said. “They seemed to think the entire shelter was stuffed full of provisions.”

The auburn-haired tomboy gave him an uncomfortable look. “Oh.”

“What do you mean, “Oh?” Matt demanded.

Chauncey answered. “None of us have repeated it, of course, but there's been a rumor going around about your shelter. People heard how much stuff Ferris found in there when he cleaned the place out, and a lot of people are speculating that your family moved in there because you'd found more.”

Well that wasn't exactly untrue. “If we did have any it's almost all gone now,” Matt said. “And we've been stretching it tight to make it last. You can see for yourselves right now if you want.”

Tam held up her hands. “Hey,
we
haven't been spreading that rumor!”

Matt calmed down a bit. “Sorry. I'm still pretty shaken up by the attack. Although it would be nice to know why nobody told me a rumor like that had been going around. If someone had we might've been more prepared for people to attack us.”

“It's just one of those things that's been going around for months,” Chauncey answered. “Personally I thought nobody would be stupid enough to try to steal from you since you've got that solid door that you keep locked every night. Not to mention you lead the town's defenses and you've got your reputation so you'd be the last one any sane person would want to cross.” He gestured over his shoulder at the subdued attackers. “I never expected anything like this!” Tam and the others within earshot hurriedly agreed, looking a bit shamefaced.

Matt sighed. He could think of plenty of reasons why nobody would tell him the rumor was going around, but he didn't want to ascribe those sorts of motivations to his friends. More likely they were just afraid the rumors were true and if they mentioned them he'd confirm it. It would be hard not to resent him at that point.

Either way he couldn't see any benefit from pursuing the matter. Especially not when they'd risked their lives to come help him. “Should we go question the attackers?” he asked.

He jumped slightly when Catherine came up alongside him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Well it's the biggest crime since Razor's attack. I for one would like to know more about what happened.”

“I need a doctor!” one of the wounded men shouted as they came up the ramp. He was clutching his side, lips drawn back in a snarl of pain. Beside him the other wounded man had torn off the sleeve of his shirt to bind his calf, with blood already soaking through the thin cloth.

Tam gave them a look of disgust. “You guys know exactly whose house you were attacking. You seriously think the doctor's going to help you after you tried to suffocate his family?”

Terry made his way up the ramp, rolling up his sleeves. “I couldn't call myself a doctor if I decided to pick and choose the patients I treat. Besides, I suppose if nothing else I should make sure they live to see justice.”

Matt turned to the man he'd shot through the calf. He'd also been one of those who'd gone with hunting parties. Without much luck it seemed. “You were speaking for your group. You want to tell me why you attacked us?”

The man gave him a look seething with hatred. “No mystery there. You had food, we were starving. So kill me for trying to feed my wife, and while you're at it you'll probably kill her for coming along with us because we knew we'd have to leave afterwards. She's never hurt a soul.”

Matt glanced at the handful of women among the attackers, who were all glaring at him resentfully, but directed his question at the spokesman. “Any accomplices?”

“Aside from the ones you gunned down?” The man glanced at his dead friends, then spat in Matt's direction. “None of this would've happened if you'd just shared what you had.”

“That's what Ferris claimed, but you'll notice not many people around here seem to agree with that line of thinking after the winter we've just had.”

Catherine caught his arm and pulled him aside, over near the shipping container shed where they could speak privately. “You're not looking so good, Matt.”

Matt absently rubbed at the graze on his arm. “Yeah well I just got shot at, smoked out, and I've got to deal with the fact that my family almost died because I let down my guard.”

“I don't mean that.” She took his forearm, not having to squeeze hard to press against bone. “We thought you were doing the best out of anyone in town but you're skin and bone. I could pick Sam up and tuck her under one arm, the poor dear. And Paul should be a pudgy little scamp.”

He did his best to control his temper. He was tired, hungry, and still practically shaking from the adrenaline of the attack. “What are you getting at, Madam Mayor?”

Catherine gave a soft, tired laugh. “Do I look any better? Does Tam? Ben? Even the Watsons with their goats are looking like they've been skipping meals. We've lost 531 people this winter out of a population of 1,282, and we're not even to spring planting yet, let alone harvesting any crops. 9 out of 10 animals in town have been butchered for meat, even pets, and you've heard the same whispers I have about some of the most desperate among the townspeople resorting to something far, far more terrible than eating pets. Things are going to get worse before they get better.”

Instead of asking her what she was getting at for a second time Matt simply waited. He didn't wait long before Catherine finally got to the point. “I want you to find Trev and Lewis and get any food they have.”

Matt wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but not that. “You want me to do what?”

The Mayor gave him an impatient look. “Come on, Matt, I'm sure you've worked this out. Trev and Lewis lost their shelter and everything in it when Ferris confiscated the structure. And then before he left your friend gifted you with hundreds of pounds of food. If the cousins had nothing and were desperate to survive the winter they would've gone after that cache themselves. Since they tossed it away without a second thought that means they have more. Probably lots more.”

“Which they'll have taken with them to eat over the winter.”

“Two men, hiking up into the mountains? They couldn't have carried all they had.”

He wasn't so sure of that. “Even so, you want me to hike up there to find them and ask? Assuming they're even still alive.”

She looked into his eyes calmly. “I'm sure you don't think those two are dead.”

Matt hesitated. “Well no, I think if anyone could survive up there they could.” He rallied. “But they trusted me to keep their location secret, along with everything else about them. Besides, I thought you said Aspen Hill was done with confiscating food!”

The Mayor's expression hardened. “Do you honestly think that's what I intend to do?” she said, sounding almost hurt. “I'm sending you up there to
buy
the food, Matt! However you can manage it.”

“But what could we possibly offer them that's more valuable than the food itself these days? You've run into this problem with every single negotiation for livestock you've done on behalf of the town.”

Catherine threw up her hands in exasperation. “And I've always managed to make the purchase! These are your friends, I trust you can talk them around. Offer them whatever they're willing to accept. We've got ammo, which they'll probably want. Or we can look at it like a loan and offer them future payments of food or other necessities.” She stepped forward and caught his arm. “But we
need
those supplies, Matt. Whatever they have. We've run out of canaries in the coal mine if even your family is starting to go hungry when you had Trev's cache. Think of Sam.”

Matt
did
think of Sam, and constantly worried about taking care of her. But he didn't appreciate the Mayor using that as a point of debate. Sure the plight of the town was some justification, but it still rankled. He sighed. “They've got no reason to love the town. I'm pretty sure they were up in the hills somewhere watching as Anderson directed the group that looted their shelter, and they definitely had to notice how everyone was celebrating their misfortune.”

“Well we'll just have to make it up to them.” The hand on his arm tightened. “Can you convince them?”

“To give up all the rest of the food they desperately need for stuff they can do without, or at best a tentative IOU?” Matt shook his head. “I can try. I suppose we don't have many other options.”

Chapter Thirteen

Reunion

In a way it was a relief for Matt to head back into the shelter and leave taking care of the attackers to Catherine while he packed up for his trip. If he was gone he wouldn't have to deal with whatever punishment was decided for them.

The thought may have been a bit selfish, but at the same time they'd attacked his family and Matt felt too close to the issue to be fair and unbiased. Even though he'd taken part in the executions of Razor's captured gang members their crimes had been something that affected the entire town, and in that situation finding unbiased hands to carry out justice would've been impossible so he'd done what was needed.

Sam wrapped her arms around him when he came back inside, burying her face in his chest in relief now that it was all over, and Matt took a moment to clutch her tight as his own relief swept over him. Arguably the situation had never gotten out of hand as long as they had the escape tunnel, but things could go wrong in any violent situation and he could've ended up losing what was most dear to him.

Looking down at her eyes, liquid pools of brown in the dim light in the shelter, he felt bad that he had to tell her he needed to leave, and even worse that this time he wasn't about to let her come along. Spring may have been trying to claw its way through winter down here, but up where he was going this sort of weather was still months away. In her condition Sam didn't have the strength to make that trip.

To be honest he wasn't sure he did either.

She accepted the news stoically and offered to help him pack, although when he tried to cheer her up by mentioning that the town would be providing provisions for his trip so the family would be able to split his usual share among themselves that didn't seem to help. But if it provided no comfort for her, the thought that she might be getting even a mouthful more each meal of food she desperately needed was a comfort to Matt. He hoped the warm weather came soon so they could start planting.

They'd nearly finished packing his cold weather gear, weapons and ammo, a hatchet and firestarting gear, and other necessities into a backpack he'd borrowed from the storehouse months ago for patrols when there was a light rap on the open door and Jane and Tom ducked into the shelter.

Matt left the packing behind and went over to shake their hands. “Thanks for seeing we needed help and calling in the cavalry,” he told the redheaded woman, who simply nodded. He turned to her companion. “How are you, Tom?”

“Starving,” the older man said with a shrug. “Otherwise can't complain.”

A somewhat uncomfortable silence fell as everyone waited for the other to say something. Finally Matt glanced back at his backpack. “So, uh, did you need something? I was about to go on a trip for the town.”

Jane jerked her head at Tom. “That's why we're here. Mayor Tillman wanted someone to go with you and we volunteered.”

Matt frowned slightly. He'd come to respect Jane's ability and thoroughness out on patrol, and the women was polite enough when he talked to her, but she'd kept herself aloof from the town and even those who went on patrol with her. Especially the refugees. Matt didn't know if she'd always been standoffish or it was thanks to whatever she'd suffered before coming to Aspen Hill, but Jane Mathers wasn't around to make friends. “You volunteered? Why?”

The redheaded woman shrugged. “The extra payment of food made it a tempting offer, and we were through that area more recently than anyone else so we can be useful.” She shrugged again. “Besides, if the guys you're going after are the same ones who saved us from those bandits I'd like to meet them. Get their autograph, express my undying gratitude, you know.”

Matt turned to look at Tom, who sighed. “It's not my idea of a fun way to spend however many days it takes to get there and back, but my family needs the food. Besides, I feel like I owe it to Jane, and to Mitch, to look after her. We wouldn't be here without their leadership and protection.”

If anything Jane looked almost annoyed by the high praise as she waved at Matt's pack. “Got everything you need? It's going to be cold up in the mountains.”

“Yeah, I'm set.” Matt went over and started to pick up his pack. “Let's go talk to the Mayor about food for the trip.”

“Aren't you forgetting something?” Sam asked, turning him around and standing on tiptoes to kiss him with surprising fierceness. He got the hint when she didn't show any signs of breaking it off, holding him tight in a way that suggested she wasn't letting go anytime soon. After a few seconds he got over his surprise and let the backpack drop out of his hand so he could wrap his arms around his wife. Neither of them had had the energy for this sort of thing for what felt like forever, and he wasn't about to complain.

An impatient cough from Jane brought him back to the present. He pulled back to see her and Tom still waiting by the door, the older man grinning at them. Meanwhile, familiar with the necessities of living in cramped quarters with multiple couples, including newlyweds, April was already shooing the boys out the door while Terry and their parents followed close behind.

Matt felt his face redden, and he gave his traveling companions a sheepish look. “I, um, need to say goodbye. Can I meet you at the storehouse a bit later?”

* * * * *

Even as important as this task was, out of necessity Catherine's generosity could only extend so far. She allotted them enough food for four days, the bare minimum needed to get to the cousins' hideout near Candland Mountain in snowy conditions from where they were, then back again. Matt had taken the backroads up to there riding in the Halssons' SUV and knew the way, which was good since Jane and her group had gotten lost and taken an incredibly circuitous route to get to Aspen Hill.

He was willing to allow that it was possible to make the distance there and back in that time on foot, but he had no idea how the terrain combined with deep snow would complicate things, especially since they were all weakened by hunger. It almost annoyed him that Catherine's solution to that was that they'd certainly reach the hideout in four days, and if worse came to worst they could always take whatever provisions they needed for the trip back out of the food the town was purchasing from the cousins.

The Mayor was a sensible woman, not one for making assumptions, but he supposed in desperate times they had to take a leap of faith.

He kept a steady pace after they set out, slowing down rather than stopping whenever any of them looked winded, and having them eat their meals of crudely dried meat as they walked. They all carried the water bottles they were currently drinking from in their coats to keep them from freezing, which Matt insisted on since eating snow would only chill them and sap strength they needed for walking. He planned to light a fire when they stopped for the night, not only for warmth but so that they could melt more water to fill their bottles and get a good long drink, then hopefully keep whatever they melted unfrozen for the next day's hike.

Compared to the hikes he'd done last fall their pace was fairly slow and he'd never felt so exhausted, thanks in part to hunger and in part to a mostly uphill climb. That first day they made enough distance to get up beyond where the snow piled around their ankles to where it piled to their knees or even their hips in some places.

With their packs they couldn't hope to walk on the crust without sinking, some places a few inches and some places a few feet, wading through powder and barking their shins on the icy crust with each step. Matt regretted not thinking to bring snowshoes, but as long as they picked their path carefully they should be fine. At the very least there'd been no sign of any storms when they set out, and the weather continued to remain clear, if colder up at these elevations.

They'd made about half the distance in half a day, but unfortunately it was the easiest distance. Now they had deep snow and steeper inclines to contend with, which would make it a question of how long it would take to cover the rest of the distance the next day, if they even could. Matt was optimistic as he helped set up camp, though, estimating that with an early start they'd reach Highway 31 sometime in the afternoon. From there it wouldn't be long to the hideout.

The morning dawned clear and cold, and Matt was pleased to discover that the-relatively-warmer temperatures yesterday that had softened the snow and made it such a chore to trudge through had resulted in a solid frozen crust that held their weight even in their packs as long as they stepped carefully. He had them quickly break camp and continue on, eating breakfast as they went. The snow crust carried them for a few hours, but it wasn't the heat of the rising sun that made it disappear.

They'd come high enough that even during the day it wasn't warm enough to melt much of a crust to freeze on the snow. From here on out they'd be wading through powder the rest of the way, a tradeoff of lighter snow that was easier to kick through, but up to their hips or higher so every step was a chore. Their speed cut down dramatically, and Matt was sure he wasn't the only one whose muscles began to burn so fiercely he was forced to rest no matter how slow they'd been going. Tom especially was red-faced and huffing, the strain in his expression giving the lie to his insistence that he was ready to move on at the end of each rest.

But finally they reached the highway, a bit later than Matt had estimated but not too far off course. The road itself wasn't much better than anywhere else with snow piled high along it, but at least the railings to either side had gathered snowdrifts from the prevailing winds and left the powder not quite as deep on the far side.

Grinning with relief, Matt crossed to the lee side of the railing and led his companions north for the final short leg of their trip.

* * * * *

Lewis was busy seasoning the wheat he'd just boiled, with strips of rabbit cooking on the stovetop nearby, when Trev burst into the hideout.

“You've got to see this!” he said, doing his best not to shout.

His cousin immediately drew his 1911, holding it ready to quickly raise and aim. “Intruders?”

Trev couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. “Kind of. You'll have to wait and see. Come on.” He turned and started back down the gentle slope toward the cliffs overlooking the road.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Lewis demanded, standing at the threshold so he wouldn't get snow on his socks and shivering at the icy blasts of wind swirling into the lean-to around him. “I've got food cooking!”

“Take it off the stove. Believe me, it'll be worth it.”

Trev kept on going, and about a minute later his cousin trotted down the path they'd trampled through the deep snow to catch up to him. His boots were untied and he was still pulling on his heavy coat, and his irritation looked like it was about to boil over into actual anger. “Seriously, man, “Wait and see” is
not
the right response to a potentially dangerous situation.”

Trev grinned and took the last few steps to the edge of the cliff, motioning towards the road south of them. “So why don't you show me what the proper response is.”

Grumbling to himself, Lewis accepted the binoculars Trev offered him and followed his pointing finger. He spent a few tense moments adjusting the range and getting a good look at the three approaching people, then slowly lowered the binoculars again to let them hang from the strap around his neck as he continued to gape southward. “Well, I wasn't expecting that.”

Grin widening, Trev stepped up beside his cousin. “That's what I thought. Should we go welcome our guests?”

His cousin thoughtfully reached up and tugged at his full beard. They'd made it a point to bathe regularly and do the necessary trimming and grooming, but as the days got colder and colder they'd both taken to letting their hair grow out to provide that added bit of warmth. Trev couldn't grow a very good beard, mostly on his jaw and neck, but it still warmed his face.

He got the hint. “I suppose if they're still an hour or so away we could take some time to make ourselves presentable.”

* * * * *

Matt left Tom and Jane behind at the road with his backpack while he crossed the river on the familiar rocks and started up the slope towards his friends' hideout.

He wasn't about to give out Trev and Lewis's secrets to anyone, even if he trusted the two new residents of Aspen Hill well enough. They'd certainly pointed out where he'd expected to find the “Spirits of Huntington River” who'd saved them from bandits last Halloween. It had been a few miles to the south of here, but it strongly supported his suspicions about Trev and Lewis being the ones who'd helped the refugees.

On the way across the river he nearly slipped on the icy rocks, barely catching himself before tumbling into the partially frozen-over water, and he muttered in annoyance under his breath. He'd known it was going to still be winter up in the mountains, probably for another few months yet, and had prepared accordingly. But at the same time it was a bit of a pain to leave during the first relatively mild days of spring down in the valley and come up here to trudge through several feet of snow in temperatures well below freezing to search for his friends.

Trev and Lewis may have had a good reason doing it, but he still thought they were crazy to come live up here where snow stuck around for 9 months of the year. Assuming they were still alive at all. Matt shook aside that grim thought and started up the slope, finding it even more slippery and treacherous than he remembered with all the snow around.