Chapter 4

What would the sheriff say? Knowing Ben Hunter, probably not much. Ben was an old-fashioned lawman, one who believed a man was innocent until proven guilty and trustworthy until that was violated. Even former convicts who had served their time deserved to be treated like humans. Perry wasn’t sure what would happen next, but for now, he felt that giving Ike a place to stay was the right thing to do.

The old site of Esperanza was twenty miles up the mountain. Even if it still existed as a town, there was no way the weary man could get there tonight. Perry suspected there was no more than a dollar or two in the pockets of those cheesecloth-thin khaki pants. Ike could not afford a room, a meal—much of anything. Karma had a way of coming back around. You did right, and you got right back. Perry put the SUV in gear and slid out into the stormy night. Tomorrow would be soon enough to deal with Ike rsquo;s future. 2