She checked her watch. “He should be coming soon.”
They got dressed. He backed his car into the bush so that Mason wouldn't see it. Then, he and Josie sat on the hood and waited.
They didn’t have to wait long. They heard the familiar rumble of Mason’s truck long before they spotted his headlights approaching through the trees. He drove his truck right into the middle of the clearing and stopped, leaving it running, the lights on. He got out, leaving the door open, and went to the back of the truck. There was the unmistakeable sound of a shovel being picked up, and Mason jumping to the ground.
“Stay here,” Jerrold whispered. Josie nodded obediently.
His confidence suddenly deserted him, but his resolve remained, unshaken. He was so scared now that his hands shook. Clenching himself, he took the gun out of his pocket and moved into the clearing. Mason saw him and started in surprise.
“What’re you doing here, asshole?”
Jerrold took a deep breath and stepped fully into the light.
“It’s over, Mason,” Jerrold said in a voice which sounded surprisingly calm, and raised the gun so that Mason could see it.
A look that was a mixture of dread, betrayal, and tired realization came over Mason’s features, and he replied in a voice that was equally quiet, calm, “Josie’s here, isn't she.”