“He knows.”
The lump in her throat made it difficult to speak. “The two of you have never been separated before. He needs you, Dadron.”
“Open your eyes, Loki. Jules is grown up too, and he has Grace and the baby. I know Grace is too young for them to think about anything permanent yet, but he loves her and Hope, and he’s willing to wait. He doesn’t really need me anymore.”
Loki turned her back to him to hide the tears, startled when his arms closed around her. “And you’ve got Jake. Oklahoma isn’t that far away, and I’m sure we’ll be visiting back and forth. This is what I want to do. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”
Swiping at the tears and sniffling hard, she turned in his arms and laid her head on his shoulder. “Then you have my blessing.”
Dadron hugged her tight. “Good because my stew is getting cold, and I’d like to finish it. I got Jules a new flute for his birthday. Since you forgot, I’ll need new luggage too.”
“I did not forget your birthday.” Loki filled the coffeepot and set it over the coals. “Do you think Jake and I are wrong about Jules and Grace? I mean, couples have married much younger and stayed together for the rest of their lives.”
“Why don’t you let them make that decision?” Dadron washed his bowl, dried it, and placed it in the pack. “I’m going to catch a few hours’ sleep before it gets dark. We may still have visitors tonight.”
Loki sat gazing into the flames long after she heard snores from the tent. She had an ache deep inside her heart, like a hole that had opened and she couldn’t close it. Jake called her stubborn, opinionated, and controlling. She’d never thought about the boys leaving. They’d been her whole life for so long she didn’t really know how to live without them. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. How could she not have known that Dadron wasn’t happy being a private investigator and wanted to be a forest ranger? And why hadn’t he said something before now? Maybe he did, and I wasn’t listening.
The sound of boiling water broke her reverie. She’d controlled herself and everything around her for so long she’d forgotten to listen to the little things that weren’t being said. The sighs, sadness in a voice, or the far-off, distant look in their eyes. If she’d listened, she would have been prepared for this moment and even encouraged it.
Darkness had closed in around her, and the coffee she’d poured was now cold. Maybe this was what Jake was waiting for, for Loki to wake up and realize the boys had a right to their own life, and so did she. The ache dissipated. She tossed the cold coffee, more determined than ever to find the missing hunters and go home. Dadron hadn’t said it, but there was going to be a wedding in the near future. And there was no one Loki would rather have as family than Anna Claire and Mary Ann.
17
Reggie hung up the phone and poured another cup of coffee. “Morton said he’d try to dig up the file for us. I wouldn’t hold my breath on getting anything before morning. Some of the files have been transferred to digital, but there’s still a lot of them in old boxes. It could take days, and that’s if they have someone willing to actually look.”
A car pulled up outside. Reggie picked up his Glock and headed for the front door. “You stay here.” Not waiting for the knock, he swung the door open. “Captain Benson, what are you doing here?”
“I came to apologize. Can I come in?”
Reggie glanced to where Harry was standing in the kitchen doorway and swung the door open wide. “Captain Benson, this is Harry Redmond. He’s Jake Savior’s former partner from Corpus Christi.”
Benson stuck out his hand, and Harry shook it. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
“How’s Mr. Savior doing?”
“He seems to be improving. From what I understand, he’s got a lot of physical therapy in his future.”
“Would you like a cup of coffee, Captain?” Reggie led the way to the kitchen. “Might have one beer left.”
“Coffee sounds good.”
Reggie poured him a cup and set it on the table. “You said you wanted to apologize?”
“For my conduct when you and Mr. Savior came to the station. I was angry. My men are my responsibility, and when one dies, the buck stops with me.” He lowered his head and stared into the coffee. “I liked Rafe Wilson. He was a good officer. I’d like to see those pictures again if you’ve still got them. Show them to the men and get a real investigation started.” Benson raised his head. “And I’d like you to come back to work and head up that investigation.”
“I don’t think all the men feel the same way you do, Captain.”
“I’ll handle the men, and if any of them don’t like the way I run my station, they can transfer out. I haven’t processed your papers yet. As far as anyone knows, you’re on vacation.”
“Sounds like an offer you shouldn’t refuse, Reggie,” Harry said.
“I appreciate the offer, Captain, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to continue on vacation for a few more days. We may have found something that gives us a lead into who these bastards are. It would really help, though, if you’d authorize us to get into the old records.”
“Anything in particular you’re looking for?”
“About ten years ago there was a chop shop operating on the corner of Appaloosa and Cornish. Three brothers were running it, and they were all killed when the place was raided.”
“I remember that. It never made any sense to me. We barged in and ordered them to put their hands up. The next thing we know, they’re jerking out automatics and opening fire. We lost two good officers in that raid, one of them a twenty-year veteran, the other a young kid just out of the academy.”
“It’s just a theory at the moment, sir, but it gives us a place to start on the shootings here. If we can tie it to Anderson, we’ll know we’re on the right track,” Harry said.
Benson sipped his coffee. “Then you’re on the right track. Don Ashton was an officer here and with us when we made that raid. He transferred to Anderson the next day to take care of his parents.”
Reggie met Harry’s gaze across the table, his hands trembling slightly as he picked up his cup. “And Kirby Cain was Ashton’s partner.”
Harry nodded. “We need a list of all the officers on that raid and where they are now.”
“That’s easy. There’s me, Don Ashton, and Brad Mullins.”
“Where’s Brad Mullins?” Harry asked.
“He quit after the raid and moved away. His twin brother was one of the officers killed.”
“He could have joined a force somewhere else,” Reggie said. “I think we’d better find out.”
“I’ll call Morton and give you two access to the records room. After that I’ll make some calls and run a records check. If Mullins is still working, I’ll find him.”
“Guess I better make another pot of coffee.” Reggie dumped the grounds and refilled the pot. “Looks like we’ve got a long night ahead of us.”
Loki shifted the backpack off her shoulder and stopped to catch her breath. After a peaceful night, they’d set off at dawn and quickly covered the ground Dadron had covered yesterday.
“Here’s where I lost him.” Dadron knelt beside the creek. “It was getting too dark in here to see which way he came. Why don’t you take a break, and I’ll go upstream for a short distance.”
“Save time if I check downstream. One long whistle every five minutes or so, and we can stay in touch. If we find where he entered, two short whistles.”
Dadron glanced at his watch. “If we don’t find anything, we’ll meet back here in thirty minutes.”
Loki crossed the creek, her eyes on the ground but her senses open to smells and sounds as her thoughts turned to her conversation with her grandfather. He’d said their mother had angered Nalusa Falaya and that was why his son had died. She didn’t want to hate him, but his constant belittlement of their mother made it hard not to. What if he really is missing? We should be looking for him, not two strangers we’ve never met. Lost in thought, she was startled by the first
long whistle. Her feet slipped over the edge of the bank, and she landed on her back and rolled several feet to the edge of the water.
Lo-ke-ah.
The whisper was above her. She lay perfectly still, her hand on the rifle, and listened. Whoever was approaching wasn’t a pro. She could hear the sounds of his breathing as well as smell the distinct odor of cigarette smoke. The long whistle came again, closer this time. Dadron’s coming back.
Loki slipped her arms from the straps of the backpack and leapt to her feet. Her rifle came up to her shoulder, ready to fire. The area above her was empty, but she knew he was out there, somewhere close. Issuing one long whistle followed by two short ones, she climbed the bank and studied the ground.
Ignoring her warning to proceed with caution, Dadron crashed through the trees and skidded to a halt, out of breath. “What happened?”
Loki held a finger to her lips and pointed at the ground.
Still breathing hard, Dadron joined her and within seconds found the retreating footsteps. “He couldn’t have gotten far. Do you want to follow?”
Studying the terrain in the direction of the footsteps, Loki shook her head. “That’s probably what he’s expecting us to do. Let’s keep following the creek and pick up the other guy’s trail. I’ll take the opposite bank. We’ve been assuming he came from this side and crossed over, but he could have done that several times.”
“Good thinking, sis.”
The two separated, keeping an eye out for movement around them. Time passed slowly. The sun was high overhead by the time Loki called out, “I think I’ve got something here.”
Dadron crossed the creek and knelt beside her. “He must have entered the creek and walked up it. Do you want to take a break before we follow the tracks?”
“Let me have the binoculars.”
Dadron dropped his backpack and rummaged through it. “Here you go.”
“These things are amazing.” Loki adjusted the lens. “I think I see a cave, but it’s hard to judge just how far away it is.” Passing the binoculars to Dadron, she pointed at a spot just above the tree line. “What do you think?”
“Could be just the way the shadows fall on the rock, but it’s worth checking out. We need a place to hole up tonight, anyway.” Dadron nodded in the direction they’d come. “Do you think he’s still with us?”
“No, but he probably knows where we’re going. If you’re hungry, we can eat lunch. If not, I’d rather push on. If one or both of the missing hunters are in that cave, they’ve been without water for almost twenty-four hours or longer.”
Dadron raised the binoculars again. “If we keep going down about a half mile, we can stick to the trees when we cut across. If he’s watching, it will make us a harder target.”
Loki swung the backpack up and slipped her arms through the straps. “Let’s get moving, then.”
Going through the trees took longer, but they moved fast, not slowing down until they stood beneath the huge hole carved into the hillside. “Same boot tracks I found at the camp. This is where our guy came from.”
“You stand guard, and I’ll go in first.” Loki dropped her backpack and tossed Dadron her rifle before starting up the steep incline without giving him time to protest. “That way if it’s a trap, you can rescue me.”
“Take this.” Dadron passed her a flashlight. “It’s probably dark in there.”
“I hate caves.”
Dadron chuckled. “Watch out for the bats, bugs, and snakes.”
Loki ignored him as she reached the small outcropping in front of the cave. It wasn’t really bats, bugs, and snakes that were the problem. The problem was the feeling of the walls closing in around her, suffocating her. Gripping her knife firmly in her right hand, she peered around the edge. As Dadron had predicted, it was too dark to see very far. Even the flashlight didn’t provide enough light to see into the very back. “I’m going in.”
The cave was cool and dry but still gave off a musty smell. A layer of dead leaves crunched under her boots as she slowly slid along the wall. The camp was twenty feet in, inside a small room off the main corridor, and a body was slumped near a rocky outcropping. Loki fought her natural instincts to run forward and check. Instead she continued to examine the room before heading to the front. If he was alive, she needed the supplies Dadron had with him, and if he was dead, there wasn’t anything she could do for him, anyway. The fresh air outside smelled good. “One man inside. I haven’t checked him yet.”
Dadron tossed her the rifles, slung her backpack over his shoulder, and started up the incline. “Go ahead and check. I’ll keep guard at the entrance until we know if he’s alive.”
“I get all the good jobs,” Loki grumbled as she made her way to the small room. The closer she came, the stronger the smell of urine and feces. A weak groan emitted from the figure, and Loki rushed forward. “Dadron, he’s alive. I need some help in here.”
She cut the ropes binding the man’s arms and legs and quickly examined his body for wounds. His face showed signs of beating, but she’d have to wait until they had him outside and she removed his clothing to know the full extent of the damage.
“Shine the light for me,” Dadron said.
Loki turned the light toward the doorway. “We’re going to have to move him outside.”
“Keep the light on the floor so I can see where I’m stepping.” Dadron knelt and picked him up. “What was that you were saying about you get all the good jobs?”
18
“You look worse than I do.” Jake raised the bed, and Harry adjusted the pillows behind his head. “Did you get any sleep at all?”
“A couple of hours this morning. I’m beginning to remember why I don’t take vacations.”
Jake laughed, immediately regretting the action as pain shot across his shoulder into his chest. “Our vacations never turned out very good. Any word on Mullins yet?”
“Captain Benson is still checking, but from all appearances he disappeared into thin air after his brother’s funeral. Merriweather is running down a list of relatives of the three brothers. So far we’re coming up empty. No brothers or sisters, no wives or children, and their parents died years before.”
“If they were running a chop shop, they had to be working for someone. Have we tried that angle?”
“Why wait ten years?” Harry paced the small room. “That’s what keeps bugging me. I originally thought it might be a child who had harbored his hate until he grew up.”
“Sit down, Harry. You’re making me nervous.”
Harry flopped into the armchair. “I talked to Jules last night. He’s getting antsy. Loki and Dadron have been gone for three days without a word. He wants to go after them.”
“Maybe you should head out there. Benson, Merriweather, and the Anderson police department can handle this. If he sticks to his schedule, we’ve still got two weeks before he’ll strike again.”
“They had a lot of area to cover. I told Jules to give them two more days. If we don’t hear from them by then, I’ll pick him up and we’ll head out.”
Jake sighed and lowered the bed. He’d tried hard not to think about Loki, but he was getting worried. “I feel like we’re missing something on this case, and it’s right in front of us. Read that file to me again.”
Harry’s voice droned on, and Jake closed his eyes and relaxed. It should have been a simple raid. In and out in minutes without casualties. So why were the three brothers armed, and why did they start shooting? “Go back to the officers, Harry. Does it say who was shot first?”
“Looks like Derek Jones went down first.”
“And the young officer?”
“Not a lot here about the actual raid. Bart Mullins is barely mentioned. From the gist of the notes, they didn’t even know he was shot until it was all over.”
Jake frowned. No matter what the situation, an officer knew who was near him, who had his back, and whose back he was covering. There’s no way someone didn’t know Mullins was down. “Hate
to say it, Harry, but I smell a cover-up.”
Harry nodded. “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Which means we can only trust Benson so far.”
“What about Ashton?”
“I liked him, Jake. Hate to think he’s involved.”
Jake raised his bed again, trying to get comfortable. “I think you’d better take another trip to Anderson. Talk to Ashton and find out what really happened that day.”
“If he’s involved, he’s not going to be very talkative. Benson said he transferred the day after the raid.”
“Sounds to me like he was unhappy with the way things went down. It usually takes weeks for transfer papers to go through. Maybe he just quit.”
“Do I bring Reggie in on this?”
Jake nodded. “I think he’s a good guy. There’s one other thing you can do.”
“What?”
“Bring me a gun. If Benson is involved, he may try to finish the job.”
“Maybe I’ll just hang around until Reggie gets back.”
“I’d still feel better with my own gun. There’s one in my glove compartment.”
Harry walked toward the door. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“How is he?” Dadron dropped an armload of small sticks next to the pit he’d dug earlier.
“Surprisingly good for what he’s been through. He told me the guy holding him had left two days ago. Thanks to the coolness of the cave, he wasn’t as dehydrated as he could have been. Most of what we saw was exhaustion.” Loki stirred the stew. “A few bowls of this, and he should be ready to walk. Slow, but at least walking.”
“Good. I don’t think we should stay here tonight. We need to put some distance between us and the cave.”
“Did you bring down his things?”
Dadron nodded. “Wasn’t much there. One change of clothes and a few energy bars. I’m glad he had the clothes, though.”
Loki wrinkled her nose, remembering the mess she’d had to clean off him. “Me too. Any identification in the pack? He wasn’t carrying a wallet.”
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