Alone in the Wild (Rockton #5)(61)

He means that we’d be valuable to them. I see Dalton getting ready to make some sarcastic comment, but then he tightens his jaw and slides a look my way, tossing this grenade to me.

“That’s an interesting proposition,” I say. “If this goes well, we could discuss it.” I take off my pack and open it. “We don’t have a lot of need for trade supplies in Rockton, but there’s always an interest in craftsmanship. We’d love work like this.”

I pull out the piece I’d cut from the dead woman’s jacket. I’m not eager to open trade with this family, but if I were to hazard a guess on the artisan, I’d point at Missy. If she can create items that Rockton considers valuable, it might help her position here.

But when I show the piece, I get only blank expressions. Then Cherise says, “I don’t have time for pretty sewing, but Missy might be able to do something like that.”

Missy nods. “They say I do fine work, with my tanning and my crafting.” She takes off her coat and passes it to me. It is indeed excellent, and I say so, but when I ask if she does anything decorative, she considers and then says, “Those we trade with are looking for practical pieces. Long lasting and warm and pleasant to wear—soft furs and smooth leathers. They aren’t interested in work such as that, so I haven’t tried it, but I could, if you left that with me.”

I say I will, though I assure her that Rockton is interested in general craftsmanship, too, and while a little decoration would be appreciated, what she’s already doing would also be valuable. Far more so than the meat or hides her family would otherwise provide.

“As for this work…” I lift the piece, and I’m ready to ask if they recognize the workmanship, but Cypher catches my eye and I stop before linking it to the baby. We’ll deal with this family if that’s our only way of finding Abby’s mother, but I shouldn’t provide clues to set them on her trail.

I cut the piece in two and leave half with Missy, and we say our goodbyes. Storm and I walk in front, the guys behind, all of us quiet. Once we’re far enough from the encampment, Cypher says, “That piece you were showing. You didn’t just happen to be carrying that in your pack, did you?”

“It’s from the dead woman. Edwin identified it as that family’s work, and he said one of the girls was pregnant, so it all lined up.”

“He lied,” Dalton mutters. “Lied and sent us on a wild-goose chase.”

“I think he was hoping to send us into a dead end,” I say. “Tell us what we needed to conclude it was the baby of a family who shouldn’t be raising one. We’d decide to keep Abby. Everyone’s happy. Well, you know, except the actual mother.” I shake my head. “Sure, I get that he thinks we’d make good parents, but what about her?”

“He lied because he knows where that comes from,” Cypher says. “And he doesn’t want you and Eric going there.” He glances at Dalton. “It’s from the Second Settlement.”





TWENTY-EIGHT


There are two major settlements out here, both originating from Rockton. The first and, yes, the second. No reason to get fancy with names. The first is an actual settlement. It’s been in the same place since Edwin led a group from Rockton. The second is more nomadic. They build semipermanent residences, which they abandon when the food supply shifts. They’ll also move if they feel at all threatened by trappers, miners, settlers, or hostiles. The Second Settlement does minimal outside trading, and that’s a two-way street of paranoia. They don’t like mingling with others, and others don’t like mingling with them. Secretive and eccentric. That’s what I’d call them. As for Cypher’s opinion:

“Batshit fucking crazy,” he says as we walk. “You were telling me you think the hostiles are some kind of cult. If they are, they might have come from the Second Settlement, ’cause those fuckers are a cult. Except they aren’t the kind that recruits in shopping malls. Their doors are closed.”

“But you know them?” I say.

“Once upon a time, I was an exception to the rule. And the rule itself wasn’t so much a rule as a general guideline. While they didn’t throw open their doors to traders, they did business with a very select number of settlers. They picked me because I was sheriff when a group of them left Rockton. I let them go and sold the council a line of bullshit about how hard I looked for them. So, when I left Rockton, they invited me to trade. But then, about five years back, they had a change in leadership, and the doors swung shut.”

“Why did Edwin lie?” I say. “If they don’t trade, he can’t be worried about us opening a line of exchange with them.”

“You know Edwin,” Cypher says. “He’s a crafty old bastard. He’s hedging his bets here, protecting what’s his. The Second Settlement doesn’t hold a grudge against Rockton. If you go sniffing around…?”

He shrugs. “You and Eric make a good team. That’s why Edwin’s reopened that connection. He might talk shit about Eric, but he trusts him. Eric’s a strong leader. Tough and fair. He can be a pain in the ass to deal with, but you’re not. You’re the diplomat. If Edwin’s opened that door for you two, the Second Settlement might, too. Edwin doesn’t want that. Also, the old man’s got a nasty streak. Giving you their baby would warm the cockles of his heart all winter.”