The Forsaken

How’d you find me?” Jason Colson asked.

“I asked at the Big Teepee.”

“How’d you know where to start?”

“Mom told me.”

“Didn’t know she knew,” Jason said, sitting down on a railroad tie outside the barn, staring out at the rolling brown pastures, that big, endless lake where ducks and geese gathered. “We hadn’t spoken in a long while.”

“Uncle Van,” Qui

“I told him not to,” Jason said, stroking his old-dog goatee and mustache. His cheeks and neck were clean-shaven. His clothes were neat and fit well. He’d grown his hair long, not like some kind of hippie but like a man from another time, the frontier days or something. He was darker than Qui

“I’m glad to see you, Qui

Qui

“How’s Caddy?” Jason said. “Van’s told me some things. I’ve been real concerned.”

“How about we just talk about why I’m here?”

Jason looked off and shook his head, not being able to think of another reason his son might come to see him. He seemed like he had started to settle in, would maybe give Qui

“You used to ride with a crew called the Born Losers,” Qui

Jason nodded, eyes scrunched up, knees bunched up around his chest, looking up at Qui

“Well, some bad shit happened about a hundred years ago,” Qui

“Can you stay a bit?” Jason said. “We can talk about all this stuff. But can I take you out for a meal?”

“Some barbecue at the Teepee?”

“A steak di

“I don’t have time,” Qui

“You sure don’t waste a lot of time,” Jason said. “Can you at least tell me about your mother? How’s Jean doing?”

“I don’t preach, Jason,” Qui

“I didn’t lynch that man,” Jason said. “Sure, I remember it. But I didn’t kill someone . . . I’ve fucked up plenty, son.”

“Don’t call me that,” Qui

“I said I’ve fucked up plenty,” Jason said. “I go to meetings in the basement of a church every Wednesday. I’ve gotten up on the horse again and fallen off. Right now, I’m staying on. But any bad things I’ve done, I’ve done them to myself.”

“That a fact?”

“And my actions have hurt others,” Jason said. “I know that. You really come all this way to ask me about the damn Born Losers? I fooled around with that group maybe a month at most. I left town and never hung out with them again. A buddy of mine wanted me to ride and it was just something to do between films.”

“Raising hell and becoming a star.”

“I wasn’t a star,” Jason said. “I busted up my whole body and head to make other people stars. Broke my back twice and nearly every bone in the body.”

“I figure they don’t give Oscars for that.”

“I know you’re bitter,” Jason said. “I don’t blame you.”

“July fourth, 1977,” Qui

“Hell, I don’t know.”

“Hell you don’t,” Qui

“I did love his sister.”

“He shouldn’t have made this thing OK,” Qui

“Some man killed Hank Stillwell’s daughter,” Jason said. “Raped and shot another girl. There was this man lived up in the hills . . .”

“How about you follow me to the Hinds County sheriff’s office,” Qui

“What situation?”

“Ru

“I didn’t kill anyone,” Jason said, standing. The lake behind him had turned a hard copper-gold, ducks skimming the water a bit and then landing with a gentle smoothness in small coves and hidden pockets. Qui

His face had a plastic quality to it of someone having to fit it back together but not getting the configuration just right. One of the blue eyes was just a little off and Qui

“I know I’m not pretty to look at,” Jason said. “I wish I’d taken better care of myself. I wish I’d taken better care of you and Caddy. Why don’t you go have di

Qui

“Did you see Chains LeDoux, Hank Stillwell, or any of the gang abduct that man?” Qui

“I knew you’d find a reason to come after me,” Jason said, “but I never figured it would be for something I hadn’t done.”

The men stood within maybe five feet of each other up on that hill, sunset leaving everything red and black, clouds scrambled above them in weird colors. “You’re refusing to make a statement or take part in an interview?”

“What the hell we doing now?” Jason said, rubbing his goatee. “God damn.”

“You’re coming with me.”

“No, sir,” he said. “I can’t walk off my job.”

“You’re coming back to Jericho,” Qui

“Damn, you sure hate me.”

Qui

Jason bowed and shook his head. “OK.”

“You can notify who you like,” Qui

“I wasn’t part of this.”

“You got a lot of explaining to do,” Qui

“Nothing to explain.”

“We’ll get that on record,” Qui

•   •   •

Chains LeDoux walked out of prison as he’d come in, the jeans a little tighter but the old T-shirt, fla