Chapter 33
The Good Night Motel had fourteen guest rooms. Only six of them were occupied. Benjamin was the sole employee from ten at night until five in the morning. He was desk clerk, concierge, custodian, maintenance man, and delivery boy for seven hours. Most nights there was very little action. JP hoped this was one of those nights.
The small office was partitioned off from the registration area with an open doorway. A five-foot desk sat at the opposite end of the room, leaving just enough space on the side for a small trashcan. Bicycle tire marks marred the bottom half of the picture-less walls. A small corkboard hung to the left of the desk. Pinned to it were a business license, an IRS notice addressed to employees, and a pamphlet about work safety. The desk held a relatively new Mac computer and keyboard along with a Hewlett Packard printer/copier/fax combo. The only other thing on the desk was a wire basket with a half-dozen, letter-size papers in it. JP didn’t look to see what they were.
He sat down on the desk chair and started to work. If he wheeled his chair back about three feet he could see through the doorway and into the lobby, but from where he was sitting, no one could see him unless they came around the corner. JP began to research each one of the ex-convicts, starting with the criminal records he had received earlier, to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. Nothing stood out.
JP looked into the backgrounds of each one of the thugs. He paid particular attention to the two remaining men: Vose and Gillich. He checked the Texas State Bar records for Harvard Law School graduate, Gilbert Vose, but found no complaints filed. Vose attended law school on an anonymously funded scholarship. Upon graduation he went to work for the mob.
Gillich, on the other hand, obtained a high school diploma when he was nearly nineteen. His employment history was sporadic for the next five years until he ended up with the same employer as the other five men who were recently released from prison. Googling Gillich’s name brought up another Gillich, who showed up numerous times in the database as the Dixie Mafia boss out of Georgia. JP wondered if the two were related, but was unsuccessful in determining one way or the other.
JP heard the bell ring on the door as someone entered the lobby to the Good Night Motel. From the sound of the footsteps he surmised there were two people. He heard a male voice speak, but he didn’t hear all of what he said. He did, however, hear, “FBI.” JP moved closer to the opening so he could hear better, but remained where he couldn’t be seen.
“We’re looking for a person of interest on a case.” JP heard some paper rattle. “Are any of these people guests at this motel?”
Benjamin looked at the photos the man showed him and shook his head. “I don’t know who the guests are,” Benjamin said with a mouth full of jerky. He swallowed. “I only work weekends, so I haven’t been here since last Sunday and I just came in about half an hour ago. I couldn’t tell you who was in any of the rooms, and no guests have been in the lobby since I arrived.”
“I need to know the names of your guests. Can you look in your computer and see who they are?”
Benjamin laid the package of jerky he was still holding on the counter. The woman glanced at the package. “Would you like some jerky?” Ben offered.
She shook her head. The FBI agent clicked his fingernails on the counter.
Benjamin returned to the computer screen. “Yes. There are only six rooms filled,” his voice cracked a little.
“Can you print me a list?” the FBI agent asked.
JP wondered if they had a warrant. He guessed not, or the agent would have said something about it. Benjamin likely didn’t know that he needed one. The Hutterite colony had an obvious lack of televisions for him to watch Law and Order or any other police procedurals. And JP suspected that they didn’t teach much about legal rights in his school.
“Okay,” Benjamin said.
JP heard the printer run and then Benjamin spoke again. “Here it is. It has the names and the room numbers.”
“That’s all I need for now.”
“Thank you,” a raspy female voice said.
JP heard the lobby door open and close. He remained where he was until Benjamin stepped into the doorway.
“They’re looking for you, Ron, and Sabre,” Benjamin said, speaking rapidly. His eyes gleamed and he bounced from foot to foot. JP wasn’t sure if he was scared or excited. “They showed me your pictures. I told them you weren’t guests. I didn’t want to lie.”
“You didn’t lie, Benjamin. You did just fine. Can you see where they went? Did they leave?”
“No, they walked toward the rooms.”
“How many were there?”
“Two. A man and a woman. The man did all the talking.”
“Yes, I could hear him,” JP said. “I better not go out there, so can you look and see if you can tell what they’re doing.”
A wide grin crossed Benjamin’s face. “Sure. I’ll be right back.”
“Benjamin,” JP called after him. “Be careful. Don’t let them know you’re watching them.” He didn’t answer as he was already out the door.
JP looked at his watch. Waiting tried his patience almost as much as hiding, and now he was doing both. He paced the few steps he could without getting in the doorway. This place is smaller than Tuper’s cabin and I was feeling caged there. He checked his watch again. It was only a minute later. Several minutes passed before the door opened. JP could tell by the footsteps that it was Benjamin, but he waited until he came into sight.
“They’re knocking on each door and talking to people.” He shivered. “It was cold out there,” he said. “I saw them go inside and then come right out again. Most of the time I couldn’t get close enough to hear what they were saying, but they did go right past me once on their way to the first room on the top floor.”
“Where were you?” JP feared that he had been seen.
“I went up the back steps to a small deck on the roof, but you can’t see it from the front. I couldn’t see them from there, but I could hear them.”
“What did they say?”
“The woman said, ‘This is the last motel. What’s our next move?’”
JP waited for him to finish and tell him what the answer was, but he didn’t say anything else. “What did the man say?”
“I don’t know. They kept walking and I couldn’t hear anything after that.”
“You did a great job, Benjamin. You just go back to the front desk in case they come in again. If they don’t, let me know when they leave.”
About ten more minutes passed before Benjamin said, “They’re walking toward their car.” He paused. “They just got in.” Another pause. “And they’re driving away.”
JP took a deep breath and blew it out.
Chapter 34
JP yawned as they bounced along the dirt road leading back to the Bruderhof, and Benjamin followed suit. JP was anxious to get back to the colony where he could see that Sabre was safe and to share what had happened at the hotel.
“It’s been a while since I pulled an all-nighter,” JP said. “How do you keep this up?”
“I’m always a little beat after two nights in a row, but it’s not too bad. I don’t mind it. And I like seeing what’s going on in the other world. It was especially exciting tonight with the FBI showing up.”
JP chuckled. He hoped he hadn’t created a monster.
Benjamin parked by the side of the barn, and he and JP walked to the communal dining room to eat. Once inside, Benjamin went to get a plate of food while JP joined Tuper, Ron, and Sabre at a table.
“You’re allowed to eat with the men now, Sabre?” JP asked.
“Jacob said it was alright for the Welt Leut to eat together as long as we eat at a separate table. So here I am eating with the big dogs.”
JP told the group about the FBI showing up at the motel.
“Why do you suppose they picked that motel?” Sabre asked.
“I think they checked them all. It was pretty late and Benjamin heard them say that this wa
s their last one. They probably worked their way across town and The Good Night Motel was the end of the line.”
“Did you learn anything else?” Sabre asked.
“I checked out Charlene Gerardi,” JP said. “She’s a practicing nurse at St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson, Wyoming. She’s married and recently gave birth to her second child. I don’t think she’s a likely candidate to be chasing after Ron.”
“That’s good to know,” Ron said and took a bite of his toast.
“What about the ‘crazy vampire guy’?” Sabre asked. She turned to Ron. “What’s his name?”
Ron swallowed his bread, but before he could answer, JP said, “His name is Bernard Stanley Johnson and he’s been dead for two years.”
“Yeah, but he’s a vampire so he was dead before, right?” Ron said. “Or did someone put a stake through his heart?”
“He was hit by a train.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Ron said with sincerity.
“Anything else?” Sabre asked.
JP told them what he had learned about Vose and Gillich, which wasn’t much more than they already knew. His computer research also uncovered that Gillich had a loyal girlfriend who visited him regularly while he was in prison. She was living in a small town outside of Dallas. “And,” JP said, “Marshal Mendoza left another message. He wants Ron to contact him. He swears he can help, but his message sounded pretty cryptic. I just don’t know where he stands.”
“I still think that’s a bad idea,” Sabre said.
“Here’s the kicker. I talked to my friend Ernie again. He said Gillich was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge in a little town called Kellogg, but….”
“That’s in Idaho,” Ron said.
“That’s right. We passed through it when we came from Coeur d’Alene,” Sabre said.
“I know,” JP said. “I looked it up online.”
“When was he arrested?” Ron asked.
“Wednesday night, but they released him the same night. Apparently they didn’t check his background or they would’ve discovered he was violating his probation.”
“So he could have been following us,” Sabre said.
“Or maybe he’s the one who placed the bug in your car,” Ron added.
“But how would he even know about JP? Unless,” she looked up wide-eyed, “they were following me. How else would they know?”
As usual, Tuper appeared to be disinterested and not paying attention until he spoke in his usual soft tone. “Gina Whatshername.”
Everyone looked at Tuper. For a second no one said anything. Then Ron suggested, “Maybe Gillich threatened her.”
“Or she’s been working with him all along,” JP said. “Do you have a picture of her?”
Ron took out his wallet and handed a photo of Gina to JP. “I took this about a month ago when she wasn’t looking. She never would let me take her picture. She claimed she wasn’t photogenic.”
Just as the photo changed hands, Benjamin walked by with his breakfast. He saw the picture of Gina as he passed behind JP and asked, “Do you know her?”
“Yes,” JP said. “Why?”
“That’s the woman who was with the FBI guy last night.”
“Are you sure?” Sabre asked.
“I’m absolutely sure. She was standing right in front of me.”
Without realizing it, Sabre put on her cross-examination voice. “Did she show you a badge?”
“No.”
“Did she ask any questions?”
“No.”
“But the man showed you his badge?”
“Yes.” Benjamin glanced at his breakfast, but he was too polite to walk away while Sabre was questioning him.
“What did the man look like?”
“He was about Ron’s height. He had brown hair and brown eyes.”
“About how old?”
“Maybe thirty or thirty-five years old.”
“Fat? Skinny? What?”
“He was in good shape. Kind of muscular.”
Sabre turned to Ron, “Could that be Gillich?”
“It could be. And ten million other men in America.”
“But if it is him,” Sabre said, “then maybe the FBI isn’t looking for us at all. Maybe it’s just Gillich. He could be holding Gina captive for all we know. Maybe he threatened her with something.” She looked back at Benjamin. “Did Gina do anything that made you think she may be afraid?”
“No. And when they were talking later she sounded frustrated, but not afraid.”
Ron bit at his lower lip. Sabre put her hand on his forearm. “That still doesn’t mean she’s working with him.”
“Either way it’s not good. She’s either working with the guy who’s trying to kill me, or setting me up for murder, or she’s in terrible danger herself.”
Chapter 35
“We have to leave. It isn’t fair to these wonderful people for us to stay any longer,” Sabre said to JP as they walked toward the room at the back of the barn where they had all met the day before. It was one of the few places they could meet privately. “The Hutterites don’t like violence. And did you know that they have lasted over four hundred years without a homicide on their premises? We’re not going to be the ones to break their record.”
Sabre heard little footsteps in the straw behind her. When she turned around she spotted Katie P. following them. She knelt down so she would be eye to eye with her. “Where are you going, Katie?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Just watching you. You have pretty hair.”
“You are so sweet,” Sabre said, but she felt guilty for not having her hair covered like the rest of the women. She would ask for a scarf when she went in. “I have to do something right now, Katie. Can I come see you a little later?”
“Okay,” she said and dashed away.
Sabre and JP walked past the last stall and stepped inside the little room. Tuper and Ron followed.
“I agree,” JP said. “What we need to do is lead Gillich, if that’s who was at The Good Night Motel, somewhere else, somewhere away from the colony.”
“I know a place,” Tuper said. “It’s not far from here, but it’s difficult to get to. You can’t drive the last mile. We’d have to go on snowmobiles or horseback. I don’t have access to any snowmobiles, but horses I got.” He looked at JP. “You and I could go. We could ride from here, draw him there, and then come back and get Ron and Sabre when it’s safe.”
“Are there markers that we can give so someone could find it if we give directions?”
“Yes. It’s not that difficult if you know what you’re looking for.”
Sabre frowned. “You’re going to lead a serial murderer into an area where an ambulance can’t even go. What if one of you is shot?”
“Won’t happen.” Tuper said.
“How are you going to draw him out anyway? You don’t even know where he is. And even if you did, how would you convince him to come?”
“We know he’s pretty close,” JP said. “And I know how to contact his girlfriend. I’m betting he’ll get the word. He’s been following Ron all around the country. He’s not going to stop now. Besides, I’m tired of sitting around like a fly on a bull’s butt never knowing when his tail’s going to swat me off.”
“When do you want to go?” Tuper asked.
“I got a couple of hours sleep earlier so I’m good to go whenever you are.”
“My horses aren’t far from here. I expect we can hitch a ride with Benjamin or Jacob to where I got ‘em stabled. We’ll leave as soon as we get back with the horses if you want.”
“Do you think this will work?” Ron asked.
“It will if you help us.”
“Of course. What can I do?”
“I need you to call Gillich’s girlfriend. Tell her you want a meeting with Gillich. We’ll give you the time and the directions. Are you willing to do that?”
“Absolutely,” Ron said. “Let’s do it.”
“Really?” Sabr
e said.
“We have to try something,” JP said. “We can’t go on like this. So, unless someone has a better idea….”
Sabre remained silent.
***
JP, Tuper, and Ron hitched a ride with Benjamin to the stables. Tuper rode in the front and JP and Ron rode in the back of the pickup, which was covered by a wooden frame the Hutterites had made for it. As soon as they had a cell signal JP called Ernie and told him his plan to flush Gillich out. He gave him the information on the girlfriend.
“What would you like me to do?” Ernie asked.
“Nothing. I just want you to know where I am in case something goes wrong.”
“Just don’t go getting yourself killed,” Ernie said.
***
In less than ten minutes they arrived at the farm where Tuper stabled his three horses. Benjamin knew exactly how to get there since Tuper gave Jacob and the colony access to the horses whenever they needed them. Benjamin often went there just to exercise them for Tuper.
They parked and walked to the stable. Ron and Benjamin went inside with Tuper and JP.
Tuper walked toward the stalls at the end of the barn. “Here’s my boys,” he said, as he petted the large gelding who nudged Tuper’s head with his nose.
“We’ll get our horses and ride back to the colony, pack them up, and then leave from there. We have everything ready to go, so it won’t take long,” JP said. “Ron, stop at that last spot on the road where you get cell reception and make your call to Gillich’s girlfriend. Benjamin knows where it is. That way it’ll give us enough time to get there. Gillich is probably in Great Falls so it won’t take him long. We don’t want him there before us.”
“We can cut across from here on the horses, so we’ll likely beat you back to the colony,” Tuper said.
Ron patted one of the horses on the nose. “Should I tell Gillich he needs a snowmobile or horse to get there?”
“Yes, but he may still try to use a Jeep or something.”
“If he does, he’ll be walking part of the way,” Tuper added. “So either way, we should beat him there.”
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