Chapter 84: Uncle as a Spy
The next day.
...
Davey woke with a hangover.
He rubbed his pounding head and felt a soft body beside him. After dancing with Mary Beth the night before, she’d grown bolder—talking for ages about, among other things, her dream of becoming a romance novelist. Davey hadn’t meant to drink much, but once Mary Beth picked up the bottle, he couldn’t very well refuse.
As the booze loosened his tongue, he told her he supported her dream and even offered to start a publishing house to print her novels. That kind of confidence came from having American dollars in his pockets—an offer any young woman would find tempting.
After that the memory goes blank. They must have both gotten drunk; Mary Beth ended up sleeping beside him. In the open air nothing else could have happened.
It was already midday, but plenty of the camp still slept off their hangovers. Hardworking Kieran was already helping Pearson sort food. Dutch stood by his tent, puffing a cigar, his eyes drifting over at Davey now and then—he clearly didn’t like that Davey had slept next to Mary Beth.
Camp life was getting on Davey’s nerves. The smell of booze and sweat made him crave a proper wash back at his place. Mac, of course, was snoring away.
Davey didn’t want to linger, so he wandered over and nudged Mac. “Time to get up, Mac.”
Mac roused and, seeing Davey, groaned, “Can’t you let me sleep a bit longer, Davey?”
“Fine—sleep on. I’m heading back,” Davey said.
That snapped Mac awake. “Don’t be like that, Davey. I’m up now, aren’t I?”
Compared to camp life, Mac clearly missed the comforts of Valentine and couldn’t wait to get there. He didn’t know Davey had no intention of letting him continue indulging so freely.
Just as Davey was about to saddle up with Mac, Uncle ambled over. “Hey, Davey—take me with you. You don’t mind looking after an old, useless man, do you?”
Davey was surprised—he hadn’t expected Uncle to want to leave. “Of course, Uncle.”
Davey wouldn’t refuse. One more mouth to feed wasn’t a problem. At that moment Arthur approached.
“Davey, if you don’t mind, take Kieran with you,” Arthur said. “Life in camp’s been rough on him. You had a few former O’Driscolls with you before—he might do better with you.”
Arthur had stepped in many times to stop Bill from bullying Kieran, but he couldn’t be everywhere. The others still treated the former O’Driscoll like an outsider. Kieran had saved Arthur back at Six-Point Cabin, and this was Arthur repaying that debt.
“Sure, Arthur. I don’t have an extra horse—if Uncle doesn’t mind, Kieran can ride with him,” Davey replied. He liked the lad; Kieran had even shared a scrap with him back in Colter Village.
“I don’t mind. The kid seems decent,” Uncle said.
With Davey’s agreement, Arthur called Kieran over. Kieran accepted—he understood this was Arthur helping him. Though invisible in camp, he knew Davey was different now, and he never forgot that meal at Colter Village.
Dutch didn’t object; he apparently accepted Uncle tagging along. As for Kieran—being a former O’Driscoll—no one cared much. Only Pearson grumbled about losing a good helper. Susan Grimshaw actually liked Kieran; he handled many chores, and going with Davey seemed like a fine opportunity.
On the ride back to Valentine, Davey asked Uncle how he’d convinced Dutch to let them go.
Uncle chuckled. “I told Dutch I’d go spy on you. If you planned anything that’d betray the gang, I’d report it back to him. You know I’m just dead weight in the gang—I can’t really help with much. Now I’m heading to your place to grow old. Don’t forget my booze.”
Davey laughed—Uncle still had his tricks. “Don’t worry, Uncle. Drink as much as you like, but don’t drink yourself to death. Then I’ll have to go to the trouble of finding somewhere to bury you.”
Author's Note
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