Pumpkin Spice, стр. 23
Reuben had known Tobias briefly; they attend the same school in their youth. He never once had much of an opinion of Tobias, they didn’t become friends or even acquaintances, Reuben simply knew of the man. He forced himself to not think about whether Tobias had a family, instead he focused on the wrongs Tobias committed. The poster exclaimed he had robbed and raped a woman. Reuben did not question these words; it did occur to him that had this been the case he would have surely heard about this through either the newspaper of grapevine. But, alas, he had not, and facts were none of his business. His business was to obtain the bounty, and deliver it to Bo Barabbas.
It was Tobias Klide’s daughter’s fifth birthday. What luck, Reuben mumbled to himself. At least the family would have one final fond memory of the man. Unless of course he was being arrested and not killed. Who was Reuben kidding? There was no way in hell Tobias was living past the night. He watched the party unfold, it looked like a pleasant time. Then Tobias made his way to the bush to take a leak. That was when Reuben made his move. “Tobias? Tobias Klide?” Reuben pretending to be amazed and remember this poor unfortunate soul from his youth. Tobias stopped what he was doing and looked at Reuben, he had no idea who he was. To be fair, had Reuben not seen the poster nor read the name he’d have no idea who Tobias was either, as I said, they were not friends. “Reuben, Reuben Burrows!”
“I’m sorry, I don’t…” Before Tobias could finish his sentence, Reuben pulled out his pistol and pointed it directly at Tobias’ head. Tobias raised his arms, “Whoa, whoa. My family is here.” Reuben cocked the gun, “Come with me. Don’t make a scene. You don’t want your kids seeing your brain splatter all over a stranger’s shirt, do ya?” A tear fell down Tobias’ cheek, the same could have been said of Reuben, he found himself holding back the tears. “Can I at least say goodbye?” Reuben pushed the barrel of the pistol against Tobias’ forehead. “What do you think?” Reuben growled. Tobias knew he had no choice, “Will I ever see them again?”
“Not my call. Let’s go.” Reuben walked Tobias out from the party, and down the dirt road.
Bo was waiting for the men at the old mill. At the sight of Bo, Tobias screamed in fear, he knew his fate had been sealed. Reuben pushed him along. “You dun good, brother.” Bo proclaimed. “Barnabas wants to see you.” Bo took possession of Tobias. Reuben didn’t move, “I said go!” Bo yelled, Reuben rushed away. He kept looking back at Tobias until he and Bo had vanished within the mill. All went quiet. Reuben never learned what happened to Tobias Klide.
Reuben was greeted by Barnabas with a big hug and an even larger satchel of money. He gave his new stellar employee a pat on the shoulder and told him he did excellent. This was only the beginning of their bounty hunting adventures together. Barnabas assured Reuben that his future was paved in gold.
As time passed Reuben’s trust in Barnabas had grown ten-fold. While the business they were in together was not strictly speaking “honest” or “legal” he had proven to be good at it, and Barnabas had proven to be a man of his word. Reuben was able to buy a new house for himself and Penelope. The two were now planning on starting a family, though this was proving to be more difficult than tracking down wanted men.
All the while Reuben was clueless. He was playing into Barnabas’ scheme. The closer they became, the more Reuben trusted and relied on the profits from bounty hunting, the easier it would be to lure Reuben into the woods and never return.
A year had gone by and it was a new autumn day. Barnabas invited both Reuben and Penelope to his house for a dinner with some other local friends and business partners. Reuben and his wife dressed in their best attire; Reuben’s breath was stolen from him at the sight of Penelope in her gown. It was floral and black. He went in for the kiss.
For all the money Barnabas was acquiring through his many trades, he remained humble. His house was all of one story, with a cold cellar. It had a kitchen, dining area, and a reading room along with the master bedroom. He greeted his guests at the door and walked them to the table. In attendance were the Mayor, Sheriff Harry and his wife, as well as Betty Thatcher and her husband. Betty was the town seamstress and always made Barnabas look good. The group was seated at the table, Barnabas had hired a chef to cook for them that evening. They were treated to a wonderful roast with mashed potatoes, gravy, and an extra side of asparagus and green beans. For dessert the chef brought out a pumpkin pie, apple pie, and pecan pie. In retrospect the chef should have served pecan and apple pie only, as the pumpkin pie remained largely untouched, save for the slice enjoyed by Reuben.
The trees were soon bare. Autumn was coming to an end and winter was well on its way. Reuben, on this fateful morning, woke up, threw on his jacket and kissed Penelope on the forehead goodbye.
Barnabas handed him only one rolled up wanted poster, albeit with a twist. Reuben would