Read Claimed (The Flash Gold Chronicles, #4) for Free Online Page A

digging.”
    “Cedar,” Kali said, giving him a move-back-a-little hand wave, “it’s easier to establish a rapport with people if you’re not towering over them, being disapproving and intimidating.”
    He took a single step back, crossed his arms over his chest, and shut his mouth.
    “That’s more intimidating, not less,” Kali whispered.
    The girl smiled for the first time. Cedar kept his mouth shut. He would let Kali try whatever she had in mind without interference, though he was inclined to ask this Mary to show them to her supposed trapline to verify her story.
    “I’m Kali, and we’re up here seeing if folks want to order goods from Seattle for the winter.” Kali sat on a stump, so her head was lower than the girl’s. “Are you and your family going to be up here for long?”
    “I guess so,” Mary said.
    “You haven’t had any visitors, have you? People trying to get your kin to sell their claim and head back to Dawson?”
    “If I answer your questions, do I get that ride on your... uhm... what d’you call it?”
    “A self-automated bicycle, and, yes, you can have a ride. If Cedar there doesn’t mind running along behind again.” Kali wriggled her eyebrows at him.
    Mary studied Cedar for a moment, then whispered to Kali, “He looks like he minds a lot of things.”
    “Nah, he was just born with a grumpy face.”
    Cedar thought about telling her he had a get-to-the-point face rather than a grumpy one, but he simply turned his attention to their surroundings, watching the trees and listening for sounds of other people while Kali continued talking. Mary demanded a description of the SAB’s attributes, including an answer to “How fast does it go?” before letting Kali direct the conversation back to talk of visitors.
    “There were some people,” the girl admitted. “And there were... things that happened. Some said ghosts of dead prospectors were haunting the creek.”
    “Oh?” Kali said. “What happened to make them think that?”
    “People’s chutes broke in the middle of the night, and equipment started disappearing. At first, neighbors were blaming neighbors, but then these eerie silver lights started appearing in the hills at night. Some people disappeared, too, went crazy, they said, and run off. Nobody saw them again. When someone checked in town to see if they’d come back, nobody there had seen them, either.”
    “Interesting,” Kali said thoughtfully.
    Interesting? It sounded like a tall tale to Cedar. Though he supposed someone who wanted to convince people to sell their claims cheaply might come up with some outlandish methods for scaring them.
    “After that, the strangers came through,” Mary said, “asking if anyone was interested in selling their land.”
    “Can you tell us what they looked like? Anyone dressed all in white?” Kali glanced at Cedar.
    He almost snorted. She oughtn’t to ask leading questions like that, especially to a kid. Besides, Cudgel wasn’t the sort to do the trivial work of an operation himself.
    “Oh sure,” Mary said, “I remember the fellow. He had those funny shoes.”
    Cedar’s skepticism dropped like a mallet. “Funny shoes?”
    The girl nodded. “Like they weren’t made out of leather, but some kind of shiny, no scaly, hide. Almost like a snake or something.”
    This time when Kali met his eyes, Cedar returned the look and nodded once. For a moment, he could scarcely breathe. This girl had seen Cudgel’s alligator-hide boots. What would he have been doing out here?
    “When was this?” Cedar asked.
    “Couple of weeks ago,” Mary said, “and I reckon he’s gone now, but those two men are still about, trying to scare people off. Maybe I could take you to them.”
    “ You’re not scared of them?” Kali asked.
    The girl propped a foot on a log and jammed a fist against her hip. “No, ’course not.” When Cedar and Kali exchanged looks again, the girl lowered her fist. “Well, maybe a little bit. But I really want to