It is said that when it comes to the Scarlett brother's, you're either for Arlen or for Hank. There is a third brother, but people usually leave him to his own business.
Joe's wife was asked by Arlen Scarlett to work for him as Marybeth has her own accounting business. Joe wasn't happy about this as he wasn't for or against one over the other.
When Marybeth was with Arlen, she saw that he was a little distracted. He kept looking at his phone. When he got a phone call, he about jumped out of his skin. He stepped outside to talk to his lawyer. Marybeth looked on from inside the office. When Arlen came back, he burst through the door yelling, "there was a secret will." Apparently Opal liked to play Hank against Arlen and they both thought they were going to get the ranch. This secret will that his lawyer found, states that Arlen will be getting the ranch.
At the Scarlett wing of the Twelve Sleep County Historical Society, Joe could see all the pro-Arlen and pro-Hank followers.
It was also at the ceremony that Joe recognized someone. That someone is Bill Monroe. The same guy that beat the crap out of Joe earlier in the book.
In doing his daily rounds, he heard the pop of a shot gun. Grabbing his binoculars, he saw a man step out from behind the door and wave. Bill Monroe. Antelope season was four months away.
Joe needs to get to the bottom of all this and figure out what all this is about. Meanwhile back at the ranch, Bill Monroe or should I say John Keeley is making himself known. Telling Hank who he really was and stopped Hank in his tracks. Watching him like a hawk and just as he was about to turn around, John Keeley cut Hank's throat open.
As Joe and his buddy Nate approach the bank of the ranch via their boat, Nate notices someone standing in the rain. It was Opal. As they walked further up the bank, part of the embankment collapsed into the river. Noticing something, Nate walks over and notices the bumper of a car. Opal's Cadillac.
Walking through the house, they heard a moan from under the floor. Recalling a cellar door, the guys go outside. Recognizing the moan as they got close and realizing it was Wyatt Scarlett, the youngest brother. What Joe saw next was very surprising, a taxidermy studio.
Wyatt sat on the floor holding his brother Arlen's head in his lap, but he was clearly dead. Lying next to him was a man's entire arm. Joe asked Wyatt what happened. All he said is that his brother's are dead. Joe asked him who did this and all Wyatt said was Bill Monroe. He asked him where he is and he didn't know and then asked him if that was his arm.
Following the trail of blood, he found John Keeley slumped on the floor in the barn. After a few exchanges of words even I was shocked at what Joe did. He slowly raised his gun to John's head and pulled the trigger.
The ranch house and barn go up in flames killing all the brother's and also resulting in Joe loosing his job as the Twelve Sleep County game warden. With all this unfolding at the end of the book and as the next one in line awaits as a continuation of this one, I am curious to see what lies ahead for Joe since he is no longer the game warden.
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