Free The Man Who Fell from the Sky by Margaret Coel Page B

relax. Nobody was coming to an Indian camp on the rez looking for white men. Pretty soon the day came when they packed their saddlebags and rode off.”
    â€œWhat about leaving behind buried treasure?”
    Eldon leaned forward, rubbing at the air above his missing leg, as if he could rub away the pain. “Robbing trains is where they made the big hauls. If he left behind any treasure, it was after robbing a train.”
    Father John took a moment before he said, “Robert Walking Bear was hunting for treasure when he died. Ruth says he had a map he’d gotten from his grandfather.”
    â€œLuther Walking Bear.”
    â€œIs it possible Cassidy hid out with one of his ancestors and left behind a map?”
    Eldon gave a shout of laughter. “Walking Bears never owned any land, never wanted a place of their own. Liked roaming around, working on different ranches. Always wanted to be free to come and go, like in the Old Time.” He paused, his gaze on some faraway point. “I heard George hid out one time at Jesse Lyons’s place after robbing a train. I figure he was checking on Mary Boyd, Jesse’s wife. Half-breed from the rez, a real beauty and lots of gumption, and George was sweet on her. Courted her when he was ranching up around Dubois. After he went to prison, she married Jesse. Settled down on a piece of land south of Lander.”
    â€œDid they have children?”
    The old man shook his head. “Before she married Jesse, Mary had a daughter. Gave the girl to Gray Hair to bring up on the rez like an Arapaho. I hear descendants live around here somewhere.” He went quiet for a moment. One hand moved over the emptyspace below his right knee. “There’s stories about how the baby was George’s, but Mary kept it secret. Didn’t even tell him when he came back thirty years later.”
    â€œI’ve heard that he came back, but it’s possible that he and the Sundance Kid were killed in Bolivia by the militia.”
    Eldon laughed. “Can’t believe everything you read in history books. He came back, all right. Several times in the ’20s and ’30s. About 1934, he was here visiting old friends. Went on a camping trip looking for the loot he’d buried in the mountains. Looked up Mary and she went along. Oh, he never forgot her.” He took a long moment, staring into the center of the living room, rearranging memories, Father John thought. “You know,” he said finally, “there’s a hundred maps on the rez. Everybody says his ancestor got a map from Butch Cassidy himself, when what they do is go buy a map in town. You ask me, if Butch gave a map to anybody, it would’ve been Mary. So she’d have something if she needed it.”
    The old man looked tired, his eyelids at half-mast. Father John got to his feet, thanked him, and said he’d be back soon. He started for the door, aware of footsteps behind him. On the stoop, he turned to Lawrence. “I forgot to ask if he’d be willing to talk to the film director about Cassidy visiting Lone Bear’s camp.”
    â€œI’ll ask him after his nap,” Lawrence said. “I’ll get back to you.”

9
    THE WARRIOR ON the other side of the desk was thirty years old, home from Afghanistan three weeks, divorced six months ago from his high school girlfriend, custody of child awarded to mother with weekend visitation rights to father. Anxious hands thumped the armrests, dark eyes skittered around the office. “Dorie told social services lies about me. Said I neglected Sam, didn’t take care of him, wasn’t vigilant enough when he was with me. Yeah, that’s what she called it, vigilant.”
    Vicky jotted down notes below notes she had already made. At the top of the page she had written
Interview with Luke Wolf. Member of the Wolf family.
In the Old Time, the name was Soldier Wolf.
    â€œWhy would she allege neglect? Is there any