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“I’m not mad, just drop it.” Charlie walked off the porch and stomped away.

Dante and Trevor gave Andrew a dirty look.

“Don’t fuck with us, Andrew. This is a volatile situation. We’ll take care of this so butt out,” Dante said, He and Trevor walked off the porch following Charlie.

Andrew crossed his arms in front of his chest and smiled.

Son of a bitch. The three of them are attracted to her. God, I hope this works for them. They all need to feel again.

* * * *

“Don, things are going as planned and there’s no need to worry. This guy is good, he’s one of the best I’m telling you,” Jerry Connor said as he poured himself a glass of brandy then offered one to Don.

“He set the whole shed on fire, what if the stables went, too?” Don asked all annoyed.

“Shhhh…Be quiet! Someone might hear you! No one was hurt, no animals were hurt, and no evidence was left behind,” Connor said with confidence.

“This time no evidence was left behind! This guy better be as good as you say he is or the police are going to be making a visit real soon.”

“Don’t worry,” Jerry said as Don left his office.

Jerry walked around the large mahogany desk to sit down in the black leather chair. He picked up the phone as he took another sip of brandy then smelled his Cuban cigar. He was feeling good about his plan and everything was going along schedule. He called his new employee who insisted upon being called the “stranger” and he suggested something else the stranger could do for an additional fee then hung up the phone.

“This is more fun than I expected.” Jerry leaned back in his chair with a huge smile on his face.

* * * *

The week had passed slowly and Lori couldn’t take the damn cast any longer. She didn’t want to wait until Monday. It was three days away and she’d had it. The damn thing was making her so itchy that it was driving her insane. She sat up in bed. It was a warm night, nearly eighty degrees as she slipped on her flip-flops and tiptoed down the hallway.

Even with her blue tank top and cotton shorts she was hot as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail then walked through the kitchen. She searched the kitchen drawers and cabinets looking for something sharp. She figured if she could make a hole in the cast then use a sharp knife to file through it she would be home-free. “What’s three days early?” she whispered as she searched.

She was unsuccessful but her mind was set. The cast would come off tonight. Then she had an idea. She remembered seeing the small handsaw in the barn along with some other tools. There was bound to be something in there she could use. She was so determined, she would use the electric saw if she had to get this damn thing off.

So she headed out the door and across the grass. The moon illuminated the sky and there was a plethora of stars. She moved slowly, holding her flashlight and ignoring the sudden uneasy feeling she had walking through the darkness. She told herself the barn wasn’t so far from the house as she heard crickets chirping and the leaves rustle together from the very light breeze. It was comforting considering the evening temperature and the added ten degrees inside the house. The thought of sleeping outside on the porch for the remainder of the night entered her mind but first there was the task at hand. She looked at the cast as she unhitched the latch on the barn door.

* * * *

Charlie was awoken by some noise outside near the truck. He jumped out of bed and headed downstairs. As he walked out the front door he could see his parents’ house in the distance. His father and brother Matt were out by the deck. Then he saw the sheriff patrol car and he knew something was wrong.

He grabbed his T-shirt and tossed it on him quickly. He wore his boxers and threw on a pair of blue jeans, socks, then his boots.

“What’s going on?” Dante asked.

“I don’t know. I’m headed over now. I don’t like the feeling I have.”

“Let me grab Trevor,” Dante said.

“No need. I’m right here.” Trevor was putting on his boots.

They ran over toward the house where Jasper and Freddie just arrived.

“What’s going on?” Charlie asked.

“Looks like our criminal strikes again. He left a headless rooster on the front porch, broke the stable door and now the horses are off in the fields,” Jasper told his cousin Charlie.

“Did you see anyone or hear anything?” Charlie asked as his father Phil saddled his horse along with Matt.

“Yeah, I heard the horses then some noise. I thought I saw someone headed toward Lou’s place, that’s why we called the Sheriff,” Matt added as he headed along with his father.