“Well, there’s no hurry. Take a few days and decide what you’d like to do.”
Lars hesitated. “Does that mean I’m a free man now?”
“Absolutely,” Joseph answered. “I’ve ordered you some fake identification. Social security number, driver’s license, etc. As far as anyone else is concerned, you’ll be Nickolas Adams.”
Lars nodded. “Okay with me. Reminds me of a story I once read.”
“My brother has taken Rowan back to the Maine village with him. Pity her, if you are capable. Erica has fully recovered, though Earl and Ruth still aren’t thrilled with her choice. And our eagle friends have flown west under cover of the storm.”
“I would’ve liked to see them again,” Lars said.
“Maybe you will. They’ve promised to visit again soon.”
“What about Raymond Merrill?”
Joseph shook his head. “Last I heard, he’s met with his family and they are headed off somewhere for a new start. Didn’t tell me where. I don’t really care, to be honest. As long as he sticks to his word to forget everything, everything is fine on my end.”
“What about the cash?” Lars asked.
“Keep it if you want. You should probably open several accounts at different banks once your ID arrives. As for the cash I received, I’ve decided to make an anonymous donation to an organization which pays former soldiers to deal with poachers.”
Lars laughed quietly, then said, “Fitting.”
“I think so.”
“So, it’s back to the quiet life around here, I guess.”
“I certainly hope so,” Joseph said. Then he faced Lars and said, “The family has conferred. We think you ought to stick around for a while, Mr. Olsen. Get to know everyone, relax, camp, hike—whatever you like to do. See what it’s like apart from the tension and trouble of late.”
“I would’ve felt safer in the Gaza Strip these past few weeks,” Lars remarked with a smile.
Joseph nodded, smiling, and said, “Well, what you see now is the norm around here. Give it a chance. See how the quiet life suits you.”
Lars was looking around at the peaceful farm. He saw cows and horses enjoying the last of the year’s grass before a winter of hay and silage. Snow was accumulating on his new truck, melting on the warm hood. The snow made a sound—a tiny fraction of the sound made by rain. A peaceful sound. He hadn’t spent a full winter in a cold, interior mountain climate for many years and he realized then, watching and hearing the new snow, how much he had missed it. Long walks in the snow. Smoke rising from chimneys. The feeling of coming in out of the cold. Slippers. Hot coffee and hot meals. Winter sunrises and sunsets. A full moon over a snowy field. Christmas lights and crackling fires. Crystal clear nights with a sky full of stars.
He looked at Joseph and said, “I think it will suit me just fine.”
Thanks & Notes
***
UPDATE: September 2016. Book 5 coming in October.
***
Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me so far, and my apologies for making you wait so long for book 4.
This is the end of the original storyline I began with in late 2012--the Snow’s vs. the Merrill’s. If the reviews are good and it sells well enough, I will try to think of something else for the pack to deal with. Unfortunately, without conflict, there’s not much to build a story around, and I don’t wish to turn to internal conflict within the pack in order to drag people along.
I’m still surprised sometimes that anyone wants to read these random things I’ve made up. Grateful, but surprised.
I’ve been thinking lately about having a game warden, or some sort of investigator, looking into the murders Abel has committed in Maine over the years (such as the hermit in this story). Also I’ve been trying to think of something for else for Lars to get involved with. Nothing definitive yet on either idea. Time will tell.
In the meantime, I’m working on something new. Maybe more ideas for the North Woods will come to me as I work. That’s usually how it goes.
April 2016
New book: The Watchdog under pen name Nick Adams. Please give it a try.
Random Facts that some people find interesting
Since Raymond Merrill and his wife were at such odds, I thought it would be funny to name them after Ray and Deb from Everybody Loves Raymond.
If Abel had a theme song, it would be The Beast by Twisted Sister. That song seriously scared me as a little kid.
Lars is probably too old to look like Mark Wahlberg, but his attitude and mannerisms were somewhat based on Bob Lee Swagger from Shooter.
The town and name of Ludlow, as well as the idea of a close-knit and self-sufficient family living on a rural farm, came from Legends of the Fall.
Lars is obsessed with strange disappearances, in rural areas and national parks, because I am fascinated by the real cases presented by David Paulides. Listen to an interview on YouTube or read one of the books to see what I mean. But don’t do it near bed time.
Snow Rising (The Great North Woods Pack Book 4) Page 19