Side Story #1 - Colt - Page 58

The two men entered the cabin, and Colt finally moved to set down the nuts and berries that he gathered in the forest. It was a little awkward holding onto them the whole time. He retrieved a "plate" for it, which was really just a thin slab of wood that he'd painstakingly carved a few months ago.

He hadn't had much experience with woodcarving previously, and his first few attempts had been unusable, splinter-laden lumps of shit. His persistence had eventually paid off, though, and now he had a modest stack of dining tools. Alice had commented on them a couple times, actually, saying that she liked their "rustic aesthetic."

He didn't like to use them too much, though. The more they got used, the more they needed be washed, which meant more wear and tear, until they would eventually need to be replaced. And he didn't enjoy woodcarving enough to be eager about doing that shit again. Maybe that would change in time, but he doubted it.

Malcolm took a seat by the door, and the twins were both watching him like baby hawks.

Colt kept an eye on him, of course. He might've grown to have a tiny morsel of affection for this weird motherfucker, but that wouldn't stop him from snapping the guy's neck like a twig if he thought Malcolm was about to harm the kids.

In fact, Colt wasn't even comfortable leaving them alone with him and Brick in the cabin. The quail would be done roasting soon, so he need to step outside for a moment to go get it, but he still decided to pick the twins up and bring them with him, anyway. Just in case. It was a bit of an extra hassle, but that was a small price to pay for peace of mind, he felt.

The bird needed a bit more time to cook, though. It was plump one, and roasting over an open fire was a pretty slow process, besides. If he had a functioning stove or oven, that would've sped things up quite a bit, but alas, such luxuries were beyond his means, at the moment.

Colt took the opportunity to reach out to Bohwanox again. The reaper actually responded this time, and Colt was able to tell him about their unexpected guest at the cabin. Boh asked if he should come back, but apparently, he'd been about to go check on Keith Hopper in prison again, so Colt told him to stay focused on that.

He started to tell Boh about his encounter with Fred Millerman and those other bigwigs at the golf course, but Malcolm came out to check on them and interrupted him before he got very far into it. The reaper was not happy about being left hanging.

"You hungry?" said Colt.

"Oh, uh... that's alright. I ate earlier. Thanks, though." Malcolm sat down on a stump on the other side of the fire.

Colt had put that stump there for Alice. He wondered what she was up to, right now.

"So, um..." Malcolm cleared his throat. "I'd like to take Brick back with me."

Colt had been expecting that, of course. As much as he wanted to argue against it, he didn't see how he could. "Okay," was all he said.

Malcolm cleared his throat again, drawing a raised eyebrow from Colt. "He's a bit, uh... uncooperative, though."

Yeah, no shit. But Colt didn't see how that was his problem. He remained silent.

"Would you mind helping me get him into my car?" asked Malcolm. He pointed up the dirt road, through a wall of trees. "It's parked a ways away. I'll bring it closer, of course, if you don't mind."

Colt did mind, as a matter of fact. He shook his head. "Do it yourself. I'm not tryin' to get bit."

Malcolm frowned. "I figured you'd be eager to get rid of him by now."

Colt just shrugged.

"It would mean a lot to my family if we got him back home as soon as possible."

Hmm. Colt's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Was that really true? According to Bohwanox, Janet Beaumont and her little brother hadn't seemed too concerned about Brick's disappearance.

Maybe the wife was, though. She'd been an absolute wreck back at the church. Moreover, Colt still wasn't entirely sure what she'd been crying about, much less why it had caused Alice to start crying, too.

Colt highly doubted that was about a missing dog, though. Especially a dog as unfriendly as this bastard.

Plus, he was still hoping to make use of Brick somehow in the investigation.

Ah, maybe that was Malcolm's true motive here. He wanted to use Brick, too.

Well, fuck that. Colt had a lot riding on this investigation now, and he wasn't about to help some other asshole solve it behind his back. He planned on being just as uncooperative as Brick, in that case. "Bring your family here, then," he said. "Maybe the dog'll be more receptive to one of them."

Malcolm face tensed, and he said nothing.

Hah. Called your bluff, you son of a bitch.

After a while longer of silence, Colt decided to let the guy off the hook and steer the conversation elsewhere. "You never answered me before, by the way. Why'd you give up being a cop?"

Malcolm's gaze went to the crackling fire and lingered there for a time. "Got a better offer."

Oh? Colt had expected him to say retirement. "Doing what?"

Malcolm smiled and gave him a look. "This and that."

Colt had had just about enough of this motherfucker dancing around his questions. He decided to just come out with it. "Would this and that have anything to with Philip Richardson?"

Malcolm blinked dully at him. His expression remained flat. Guarded. But his silence spoke volumes.

Colt waited patiently for his answer.

"...Turnabout is fair play, I suppose," said Malcolm. "I can see why Richardson and the others hired you."