by A P Bateman
“In what?”
“In riding this town’s ass. Claude Conrad owns it; Big Dave enforces it. Bart runs along with what they do. I guess he’d be different if they weren’t around.” She shrugged. “I guess.”
“I know about Beth’s son. They have him, they’re holding him over her.”
She nodded. “She told me last month. She’s hidden that fact well. I was all but ready to run out, but it’s that fact which makes me hang in there, believing my son is being held too.”
“Why would they hold your son?” Stone asked. “I mean; Beth’s son gets them the Sheriff’s compliance. They own the law. But John is a different matter. Why hold him?”
“The mine. It’s all I can think of. It didn’t close. The private investigator I hired told me they were taking out mine workings, the waste that is, and dumping it.”
“I think I know where.” Stone was convinced that the turning area near the bomb blast site was the end of the line for the mine waste.
She nodded. “They don’t hold any licenses for mining, and nor will they have informed the IRS or the state of Oregon of any mining income or mineral excavation taxes.”
“Tell me more about this PI you hired.”
She shrugged. “I drove out and used the internet in a town a hundred miles from here.”
“They let you leave?”
“Sure. I had my car working back then, still had some money in the bank. I was never held prisoner, I just don’t have the means to leave anymore and I wouldn’t want to without knowing what happened to John.”
“So you paid this guy, gave him what information you had?”
“Which wasn’t much, admittedly. But he turned up in town, talked to people, took a few trips up into the mountains. He told me the mine was working on something, he found where they were dumping waste. He said he had to leave town for a while, but he’d be back with some help and a plan. He was kind of on a mission by now, because I’d run out of money. He said he knew a reporter, a free-lance journalist, maybe there would be some recompense there. A big story to sell to the nationals. He wasn’t interested in billing me for his work. He was a good guy, ex-FBI. He kind of got on a mission. He was like you, not scared to get under their skin. One of Big Dave’s trucks flattened him on the mountain road. He was heading out of Aldridge Valley towards the interstate.”
“And the reporter?”
Deborah smiled. “What do you think?” She had tears in her eyes, her chin quivered. “He showed up, talked to some people. Nobody saw him again. And that was the end of me finding out about my boy.”
Stone pressed his hand on hers, squeezed. “It’s not. I’m here now.”
She placed her other hand on top of his and squeezed him back. “Beth said the State Police found the reporter’s car abandoned in Redmond. Nobody saw or heard from him again.”
Stone eyed the half-eaten second burger. He was tempted to tackle it again, but he had to admit he was full. He hadn’t touched many of the fries. Maybe his stomach had shrunk. But the meat and bread and cheese, the perfect hunger combination of protein and carbohydrate with probably nothing but empty calories had done its job. “Here, take this,” he released her hand and gave her the second cell phone he’d taken off the man he’d rendered unconscious. “Just in case you need it. I figure they’ve got the phones here tapped all over town.”
She shrugged. “The phones only dial two numbers; Claude’s and Big Dave’s.”
“I thought as much.”
“Gator dropped off my car keys,” she paused. “He said the job’s done, and he didn’t want paying. He’s left it at his yard so nobody suspects. He said it was brimmed with gas.”
“That’s good of him. Now you have a ride whenever you need it.”
She reached across the counter and placed her hand on top of his. “It’s amazing how kind people can be,” she said. “Thank you.”
“No, thanks for dinner.”
30
Stone could see the pickup truck parked outside of the hotel. From his position he could see two men seated in the front seats. They had parked across the limited pull in, and he supposed they figured they had a good view down both directions of the main street. The vehicle was illuminated by a set of old fashioned wrought iron streetlamps on either side of the pull in. It wasn’t the best counter surveillance technique Stone had seen.
Part of him wanted to simply empty the M4 assault rifle on the vehicle, but there was the chance these could be just two country guys sitting in their truck. He was almost past caring and it surprised him how ruthless the events over the past two days had made him feel.
There were houses on both sides of the hotel. Stone headed around the back yards and reached the rear garden of the hotel within a few minutes. He couldn’t see anybody pulling sentry duty, and he cautiously made his way to the rear of the hotel and peered in through the kitchen window. The door was locked. Stone tried the door to the side, near the swing seat where Maggie had sat and admonished him through a haze of whisky and painkillers, but it too was locked. He tapped a few times on the glass. A light came on and he could see Dr Fallon staring out from where the bar met the kitchen. He frowned, disappeared back into the bar, then came back with Maggie. Maggie looked at the doctor momentarily and the two spoke briefly. Dr Fallon disappeared and Maggie opened a drawer and took out a set of keys. She walked up to the door and peered both ways. She unlocked the door and pulled it gently inwards. She held a finger to her lips to silence him.
“Oh my dear boy!” She hugged him close. Stone could feel her soft breasts on him, her breath warm and heavy. She smelled faintly of perfume. She reminded him of an older, unhappily-married woman he’d seen for a summer when he was just seventeen. Her embrace took him back to those wonderfully carefree, though pivotal years. The summer he had left his boyhood behind forever. “Thank goodness you’re okay!”
Stone eased himself free and looked at her. Her bruising had really come out, and most of one side of her face was black, purple and blue. “How are you?”
She closed the door gently and relocked it. She put the keys back in the drawer and draped a napkin over them. She pulled him towards a dry goods storeroom. “Not good,” she replied. “This is nothing.” She pointed to her face. “Claude Conrad has Doctor Fallon, Gator McClusky and Tom from the hardware store here under house arrest. A couple of his men are watching out front to make sure we all stay put. There’s more men patrolling all over town, out looking for you.”
“What about the sheriff?”
“She’s worried about you too. She told me to call her if I see you. Not to contact the Conrad brothers… as if I would! But to get word to her directly.”
Stone nodded. “Do me a favour?”
“Anything.”
“Don’t,” he said firmly. “I’m going to have a word with her myself. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”
“Sure.” She looked at him. “You look like hell. Do you want me to run you a bath?”
“Do I still have my room?” he smiled.
“Not in so many words,” she paused. “Big Dave came and took all of your gear. Let me run you a bath, or shower if you prefer. Some of my husband’s clothes should fit you…” she trailed off, sadness in her eyes.
Stone hugged her again. It felt good, comforting. He pulled away and winked. “Thanks Maggie. First, let’s go speak to your house guests.”
“Your car’s all fixed up,” Gator stood and shook Stone’s hand. “If I were you I’d rev the nuts off all eight cylinders and get the hell out of here, Son.”
Dr Fallon and the man Stone had learned was called Tom from the hardware store nodded acknowledgement.
“I’m making it difficult for you all by being here,” Stone said. “I’ll leave in the morning. I’ll come back with the FBI.”
“Son, if you’re going to stir up a bee’s nest, then you’ve got to stick around for the honey,” Tom said. “We all know what’s gone on here, we’ve all got a vested interest, bu
t we’ve also been too scared to act. Maybe because we weren’t capable. Seems you’ve been through nearly twenty of their men, one ways or another. I guess you’re the guy to show us the way.”
Dr Fallon nodded. “I can’t live like this anymore. I want my old life back,” he said. “And I’ll get it, or I’ll die trying.”
Gator nodded. “We all feel the same way, Mister Stone. Not just us, plenty of our friends too. We’ve talked to most people we know, the ones we’d put most faith in. They’re all up for a fight. Seems you’ve shown them that the Conrad’s men are only so tough.”
“Do you all have access to weapons?”
Gator smiled. “And then some. Second Amendment country here, all the way.”
“But can you use them?” Stone asked. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
“What are you suggesting?”
Stone told them.
31
Stone had showered and cleaned his wounds. He had used a pair of tweezers to remove some of the fragments and shrapnel of bullet fragments and pieces of rock that had ripped his trousers and embedded in his flesh. It was painful work, and he ran the hot water over his legs when he was finished and the water ran red. He soaped them, wincing as it stung at his flesh. He towelled dry and got changed, then left the hotel via the rear entrance and crossed through the private yards of houses until he was able to walk parallel to the main strip. The street lights had come on, but only every third one was illuminated and most of the houses were in almost total darkness.
The police SUV was parked outside the Sheriff’s offices, along with another pickup. The low orange hue of a light glowed somewhere inside. Stone skirted the grass and leaned against one of the giant pines. There was nobody around. His eyes were well accustomed to the darkness.
The weapon was made ready. The sights, or lack of them, would be an issue past fifty metres. But he was going to be a hell of a lot closer than that.
Stone made to move, but stopped when the glass door opened and a man stepped out. Beth appeared in the doorway after him and drew him near. They kissed for a moment, then the man pulled away and walked down the path and towards the truck. Beth watched him. He got in, fired up and drove off. Beth waved, then stepped back inside.
Stone watched the truck drive a slow circle out of the driveway and accelerate towards the main strip. He leaned back against the tree, felt like he’d been dealt a huge blow in the gut. He felt dizzy, lightheaded. She had been blatantly coming on to him, had not mentioned another man in her life. Part of him had toyed with the possibility of igniting an old flame. He took a couple of deliberately deep breaths. He strode across the grass and barged through the glass door. Beth wasn’t in the foyer. He kicked the door open and stormed into her office. Beth was looking up at the doorway, she was stunned when she saw him.
“Oh Rob, thank God!” she dashed out from behind her desk to him, but recoiled as he moved the rifle muzzle and she ran onto it just below her ribs. “Jesus!” she exclaimed, holding her stomach, wincing at the pain. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Sit!” Stone shouted. He kept the M4 trained on her. “Put your gun on the table.”
“I haven’t got a gun!”
“Where’s the Glock I gave you?”
“With Big Dave,” she said. “What are you doing?”
“Nice rifle,” he commented, turning the M4 over a little. “Thought you didn’t have a weapon?”
“I hid it in my car, I knew I’d need it eventually,” she said quietly. “Hey! Where’s the sight?”
“Broken.”
“That was a Leupold!” she exclaimed. “You owe me!”
“Funny, that’s what I was thinking,” he said. “Except you owe me and explanation. Where did they take you?”
“To Big Dave’s. Claude was there as well. They told me to stop stirring things up. They kept my pistol, or your pistol. That and the shotguns, and the Colt .45 you were carrying.”
“And that was it?”
“No,” she went to get up, but stopped when the rifle moved and Stone’s eyes seemed to dare her to move again. “Look, they have my son. They said if Abandon could return to normal, if you left and they could be sure that people would remain quiet, then they would let Josh go.”
“They don’t want me to leave!” Stone snapped. “They want me dead!”
“I know.” She dropped her eyes to the floor, when she looked back up they were wet and glossy with tears. “You’ve got to get out of here, Rob. Like right now. I’ll help you. I’ll drive you to the next big town. How about Redmond? There’s transport links. I can arrange your car to be delivered to you when it’s fixed.”
Stone did not correct her. His car was just fine. “Redmond? Where the missing journalist was last known to be?” Stone shook his head. “Sorry, I have other plans.”
“Look, I involved you. I thought you could help me, but it’s got worse. Let me help you get away and you can forget all about Abandon and Aldridge Valley. It’s my fault things have escalated.”
“It’s too late. I’ve made other arrangements. It’s not just you and your son. Other people are involved. I’m not turning my back on them. They need me.” He stared at her coldly. “It’s not like they can rely on the law around here.”
“That’s a cheap shot,” she said, her face flushed with sadness. “If I can get Josh back, get things back on an even keel, I can railroad Big Dave and Claude. I know I can. I will be able to be the law again. Put things right.”
Stone shook his head. “It’s way past that Beth. Besides, there’s more to it now.”
“Like what?”
“There’s a lot that doesn’t add up here.” Stone lowered the rifle, but he kept it loosely aimed near her feet. “When I was abducted and put in the car, taken into the woods to be killed and buried in that shallow grave, one of the Conrad brother’s men was shot at the grave that was meant for me.”
“That’s what you said.”
“A single shot.”
“Right.”
“The magazine in this rifle held twenty-nine rounds when I found it.”
“So? It had a two-thousand-dollar scope too.”
Stone shrugged. “Not the maximum thirty rounds, but twenty-nine.”
“Common practice. Less tension on the magazine spring. It wasn’t being loaded and unloaded before or after a daily patrol in Afghanistan or on a training range; it was going to sit indefinitely. I didn’t want it sticking or jamming when I needed it. What, do you think I shot that man? Why would I?”
“To reel me in. If I had more questions to ask, then I’d stick around.”
“Really? Come on, Rob,” she said. “Did you see me? Hear either of my vehicles? Both are great big V8s, did you hear a big V8 thundering off in the woods?” She looked at him. “Did you Rob?”
“No.”
“No.” She stood up. “What else? What else doesn’t add up with you and me?”
“You mentioned I killed that first man while he had his back to me.”
“So?”
“I didn’t tell you how I killed him.”
“Yes you did!”
“I didn’t!” he snapped.
“Did too! What, is this grade school? You did. That’s it. What else?”
Stone hesitated. They had only ever argued twice before and she had wiped the floor with him. He looked at her, her face flushed and her eyes burning back into him. “You seemed to be pretty forward with me.”
“I was, but sort of, kind of girl is in the way, isn’t she? Bent over her little microscope in New York.” She stood and took a step forwards. “She’s in the way of us, Rob. Isn’t she?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” said Stone. “Are you seeing anyone?”
“No.”
Stone flicked the safety up on the selector. Beth stepped nearer. “God, I’m so glad you’re okay.” She stepped in and hugged him, her hands wandering over his back. He winced. “Are you okay?”
“Bullet and rock fra
gments. Here and there. I think I got most of them out in the shower. Just like a bad graze, that’s all.” She smelled good. Her hair tickled his cheek. He’d missed her over the years.
“God, you’ve been in the wars,” she whispered. She moved her lips from his ear and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Her lips were light and soft and they met his lips. They always reminded Stone of sliced strawberries. Wet and smooth. “I’ve missed you,” she said softly. “Have you missed me?”
“Yes.”
“I want you, Rob,” she said. “Right here, right now…” She started to unbuckle her belt and then turned her attention to his, looking at her desk for a place to sit.
Stone caught her wrist and shook his head. “Not now, not here,” he said. His heart was pounding and his breathing was rapid. “I need to be somewhere.”
“Where?” Her hands moved up to his chest, smoothed over his muscles, her fingers probing the gaps in the shirt.
“I have some of the people in town making a stand. They’re going to help me.”
“Good, what’s the plan?” She looked at him intensely, her eyes glossy and dark in the dim light. “Who is involved? Tell me.”
“Almost everyone,” replied Stone. “They’re going to start fires at the sports bar and at the diner. When the Conrad brothers and their men come down, we’ll settle it in the street.”
“An all-out battle? That’s not the wisest thing. People will get hurt. Killed.”
“It’s how it’s going to play out. Most people will be holed up and taking aim at the Conrad brothers, or anybody working for them.” Stone picked up the rifle. “The people will take back their town and they’ll rebuild it. Wipe the place clean, start over.”
“Rehearse that?”
“A little.”
She smiled. “When is all this going down?”
“About two hours from now,” Stone said. “If I were you, I’d get ready. You’ll be the only law around here when it’s over. You get to take your town back, make your mark.”
32