THE WILL 17

when he shut the gate he noticed the hay yard and around the house was deathley still, no activity like as usually found.hen tie his horse and carefully moved toward the house.roberto wasnt at the hay barn as usual, but tobey didnt think much on that as he had told roberto to stay out of sight as much as possible. when he got to the front door of his house he saw a line of fresh blood going across the porch and into the house. he stepped quick and threw the door open. inside he found roberto sitting on a kitchen chair with a rifle across his lap. when he realized it was tobey a sigh of relief came from him. tobey hurryed over to him. he had been shot, the bullit going through the meat under his arm on the left side. tobey grabbed a couple of towels and soaked them in warm water then pressed them to the bullit holes. the bullit had pass clear through. tobey called for a ambulance then the law. going back to roberto he asked what had happened. " just as i bent over to move a bale the bullit hit me. i fell face down and didnt move , i was afraid he would come shoot me again.. he thinks ime dead".roberto explained through clenched teeth. out side a deputy pulled up and behind him the ambulance. while the ambulance crew worked on roberto tobey and the deputy stood to one side. " what is it about you all here that you draw gun fire"? the deputy asked. " we have something some one else wants i guess." he then told the deputy about the threatning letters to roberto and juana. " juana left town, we wentto see her bout the threatening letter, her room mate she went to mexico." the deputy explained. when they looked at roberto he nodded" she has family there, she is scared." the ambulance attendent looked up from bandaging roberto" he would be better off at the hospital, but says he wont go." " we want the shooter to think he is dead. bandage him the best you can. ill keep him here in the house." tobey told them. turning to the deputy tobey said" can you guys do a drive by every so ofter?" the deputy nodded" ill see to it. just watch your back" the deputy and the ambulance attendents left. they even fluffed and covereed some pillows to look like a body on a guerney. tobey stayed in the house as long as possible. he made roberto comfortable. then he slipped out the door and went to unsaddle his horse.. then he feed all the cattle. by then a pick up had backed up to the hay stack and a man was loading bales. tobey got to him just as he finished. " i didnt know there was any one here to load me" the man said in a sheepish voice. " i lost my yard man today. ime sorry you had to load yourself."tobey answered the man counted out the cash for the hay and handed it to tobey" ime sorry your man got shot. he was a good man to have here."he got in his truck and pulled out back to the hiway. tobey whipped out his talley book and wrote down the license plate number.