“What now?” he murmured. “Are we supposed to wait here?”
She was just about to say that as an escape, this didn’t quite answer, when Einstein was back, tugging Daniel down again. She got on her hands and knees and followed as Einstein led them out the door they’d come in. Khan was still there, bringing up the rear again. This time Einstein led them due north, though she didn’t know of any additional structure that way. It was probably going to be a long crawl, she realized, and her hands were already deeply scratched from the dry stalks of grass. She tried to protect her palms with the cuffs of the coat’s sleeves, but that part wasn’t lined, so it only helped a little. At least there were too many furry shapes in the night for a shooter to bother with four that weren’t attacking. She looked back toward the house in the distance. She didn’t see any new lights on. They hadn’t started clearing the house yet. The dog sounds continued, faraway growling, the baying of Lola’s pups, and random staccato barks.
She lost track of time, only aware of the amount of sweat she was producing, the rasping sound of her panting, the fact that they’d been going slightly uphill the whole way and now Daniel was slowing some, and that her palms were being pierced again and again, despite the coat. But she didn’t think they’d gone very far when Daniel gasped quietly and stopped. She crawled up beside him.
It was the fence. They’d reached the northern boundary of the ranch. She looked for Einstein, wondering what they were supposed to do next, and then she realized that Einstein was already on the other side. He looked at her, then pointed his nose down to the bottom edge of the fence. She felt her way along the place he indicated and found that the earth dropped away from the line of chain link; what she’d thought was a shadow was actually a narrow gorge of dark rock. The space was easily big enough for her to slip through. She felt Daniel grab her ankle, using her for guidance. After they were both through, she turned to watch Khan struggle his way into the gorge. She winced, knowing the bottom edge of the chain link must be gouging into his skin. He didn’t make any audible complaint.
They came out on top of a shallow, rocky ravine. It had been invisible from the house, hidden in the lee of the slight rise of land; she’d never guessed that there was any end to the flat plains stretching north toward Oklahoma. Einstein was already scrambling down the rocks. It looked like he might be on a faint, narrow path. Khan nudged her from behind.
“Let’s go,” she whispered.
She lifted herself into a low crouch and, when Einstein didn’t object, started carefully down the slope. She could feel Daniel following closely. There did appear to be a path, though it could have been a game trail, too. There was a new sound in the darkness, a gentle whooshing that it took her a few seconds to place. She hadn’t realized the river came so close to the house.
It was only about fifteen feet to the bottom of the ravine, and when they reached it, Alex felt it was safe to straighten up. The water coursed quietly past them in the dark. She thought she could make out the far side; the river was much narrower here than it was by the barn. Einstein was yanking at something under a ledge, a place where the water had cut away the bank, leaving an overhanging shelf of stone. She went to help and was thrilled to see that it was a small rowboat. She thought she understood the protocol now.
“I will never say another bad word about your brother,” she muttered rashly as she helped tow the boat from its hiding place. If Kevin was still alive – and if she and Daniel lived through the night – she would no doubt break that promise, but for now she was filled with gratitude.
Daniel caught the other side of the boat and pushed. They had it in the water in seconds, the eddies swirling around their calves. Her coat trailed so much lower to the ground than his that the bottom edge was already in the river. The fur soaked up the water, getting heavier with each step. The current ran faster than the smooth surface implied, and they had their hands full hanging on to the boat while the dogs jumped in. Khan’s weight lowered the stern of the boat dangerously close to the rippling water, so they both piled into the prow next to Einstein; first Alex while Daniel held the boat, and then he leaped in next to her. The boat took off like an arrow shot from a bow.
She threw off the hot, heavy coat. She’d never be able to swim in it, if that became necessary. Daniel followed suit quickly, whether because he’d thought of the same danger or just because he trusted her to do the right thing.
The strong current pushed them swiftly westward. Alex had to assume that this was part of the plan; Kevin hadn’t left any oars. About ten minutes later, the water began to slow as it widened out around a broad bend. Her eyes had adjusted enough for her to make out what she thought was the far edge of the water. The current was pushing them toward the south bank – the same bank they’d started off from. Einstein was anxious in the prow, his ears pointed sharply upward, his muscles stretched taut. She wasn’t sure what he was watching for, but when they’d passed some invisible boundary, he suddenly launched from the boat and into the water. It was deep enough that he had to swim, but she couldn’t guess how far beneath his churning legs the bottom lay. He looked back at them and yelped.
Realizing it was probably a good idea to get out before Khan did, Alex jumped just a second later. The cool water closed briefly over her head before she surged back to the surface. She heard two splashes behind her – first a small one, then a huge one that sent a wave rolling over her head again. Khan swam past her, the water foaming white around his legs, and found his footing just a second before her toes scuffed against the sandy bottom. She turned to see Daniel fighting with the current as he tried to drag the wooden boat toward the bank. She knew she couldn’t help him if she was in too deep, so she waded downriver and met him when he reached the shallows. She grabbed the prow, and he pulled from the middle, his hand wrapped around the bench. It didn’t take long to get to the shore, where the dogs were shaking themselves off. They lugged the boat ten feet out of the water, then Daniel dropped it and looked at his hands. She did the same; the rough wood hadn’t been kind to her already torn palms. They were bleeding freely now, drops of red trickling from the tips of her fingers.
Daniel wiped his right hand against his jeans, leaving a bloody streak, then reached back into the boat and retrieved the gun and something smaller – a phone; it must have been Kevin’s. Daniel had had the good sense to keep both out of the water – impressive, given the shock and pressure they were both under. Luckily everything in her backpack was carefully Ziplocked.
She examined his face quickly. He didn’t look like he was going to break down, but there might not be much warning.
Daniel grabbed the coats and held them awkwardly bundled in both arms. She was about to tell him to leave them, but then she realized that there was going to be a murder investigation in the near future. Better to hide what evidence they could.
“Put them in the river – the boat, too,” she whispered. “We don’t want anyone to find either.”
Without hesitation, he hurried back to the edge of the water and dropped the coats into the current. Heavy as they were, it didn’t take long for them to saturate and disappear under the surface. Alex started shoving the boat, and Daniel joined her, pulling it downhill. In seconds, it was racing off across the dark water. She knew it was marked with their blood and prints, but hopefully it would travel far enough tonight that no one would connect it with Kevin’s house in the morning. The boat looked old and weathered, certainly not valuable. Perhaps the people who found it would consider it trash and treat it accordingly.