Grady Hart: The Disappearing Act (Episode 11, Part 7 - The Final Episode)

The End of the Trail

Grady Hart (AKA Tom Parker) wiped a sheen of sweat from his brow, his hands blistered and raw against the rough wooden handle of the shovel. The Montana sun beat down on the clearing, and the rhythmic thunk of metal on dirt was the only sound breaking the stillness.

He’d been digging for hours— felt like days, a pointless exercise in stalling. He knew this was the end of the road. Either his crew had gotten the message or they hadn’t. If not, he knew he would be face down in one of these holes soon. He’d overheard Conor sending one of his men to telegram the rest of his own crew a few days ago. A few of them had shown up yesterday. The rest were nearby. That could only mean one thing. They were planning on traveling soon—with or without Tom Parker’s gold—but for sure without Tom Parker.

A newly fashioned pine box leaned precariously against a dilapidated shed nearby— and Grady knew what they intended to do with it. He lifted a canteen to his lips and used the distraction to scan the horizon for any sign of his crew. There was none.

The men around him watched with growing impatience, their fingers twitching near the triggers of their guns. Conor McGraw, the leader, paced the edge of the clearing, his lips pressed into a thin, colorless line.

Grady straightened, his spine popping. “It’s down here fer sure, fellas,” he said, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. “I know it’s close. I just know it. I can feel it. But I buried it real deep like—just like I dun told you a buncha times already—so’s nobody woulda come out here and find it.”