“It’s kind of like that here.”
“What?” The phone cut out for a minute. “Did you say there are cops there too?”
“Yeah, and DEA agents. They just arrested Congressman Riley.”
“Meg, do you realize that we’re sitting on the story of the century? Northwest Extreme magazine, who would have thought that?”
Greg was right. It was ironic given how desperately I had wanted to write investigative pieces for the O for so many years, and here I was on assignment for an adventure magazine and the biggest story had just landed in my lap. Gam would have said that it wasn’t a coincidence. She would have said that it was a stroke of divine intervention.
“I’m going live nationally. The NBC affiliate wants to partner with us. Northwest Extreme has the story. How crazy is this? We don’t do breaking news.” He shouted to someone and then returned to the call. “Meg, we have the biggest story on the West Coast in my lifetime, thanks to you. You know, you may have just saved the magazine.”
“Really?” I wanted to tell Greg about Pops, but more shouts sounded in the background.
“I’ve gotta go, Meg. Be safe. I’ll check in when this all over.” He hung up without another word.
It felt like divine intervention, but I never would have imagined that so many paths and connections would cross. The longer I sat with what I had just witnessed, the more reality began to sink in. Could Pops really be alive? Every time my brain tried to negate the thought, my intuition disagreed. It had to be Pops. Who else could it be?
After about an hour, DEA agents began emerging from the cave. They brought up Congressman Riley and escorted him into the back of an unmarked car. He gave me a nasty grin as he walked past me.
“This isn’t over, Ms. Reed.”
What did that mean? My body gave an involuntary shudder at his menacing stare.
Agent Hart, who had been in charge down below, approached me. “Ms. Reed, mind if I take a seat?” He motioned to the empty space next to me on the bench.
“Go ahead.”
He studied me for a moment. “I’m sure you have some questions for me.”
Ha! I wanted to scream. Yes, I had questions. But instead I looked at my feet. “Was that my dad down there?”
My chest felt tight as I waited for him to respond. I picked up a pinecone from the forest floor and stabbed it into my already cut-up hand.
“Do you want an EMT to take a look at that?” he asked.
I shook my head and dug a piece of lava rock free. “It’s fine.” I felt like Greg with his spider bite.
He nodded and spoke softly. “Charlie Reed is one of the best. He’s been working this case with us for awhile now and made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Lying to me, letting me believe he was dead, that was the ultimate sacrifice? I wanted to punch something. Rage bubbled inside me. How he could do that to me? Why?
Agent Hart must have picked up on my anger. “Charlie is working with my team now. It’s going to take a while to gather all the evidence down there, but as soon he’s done he’ll come talk to you. I told him I could hold off on the post interview.”
Oh great, what a sacrifice, I thought, biting my lip so hard I drew blood. I licked it with my tongue. The taste of iron filled my mouth.
“I’m not sure I have anything to say to him right now,” I replied, tossing the pinecone on the ground.
“He thought you might say that.” Agent Hart smiled, which made me fume even more. “Why don’t you go back to your hotel and get some rest. Charlie knows where to find you. We do too.”
“That’s it? That’s all I get? A pat on the head and go take a rest?” I jumped to my feet. My face burned with heat. “My dad died. He DIED in a terrible bike accident. Two years ago. Do you know what it feels like to get a call that the person you love more than anyone in the world is gone?”
I didn’t give him a chance to respond. I continued on my tirade, pacing back and forth in front of the bench. “How could he do that to me? How? He let me believe he was dead. He let me suffer through the worst years of my life and that’s it? He’ll come talk to me?”
Agent Hart stood. “I assure you that Charlie had no other choice, Ms. Reed. Putting you and the rest of your family through what he’s had to for the last couple years has taken a huge toll on him.”
“Why him? He’s a reporter. He did all of this for a story?”
“No. We approached him. He was already on the inside. He had all the contacts, and people trusted him. These operations take time. Time we didn’t have. Using Charlie allowed us to speed up the process. There’s precedent. We’ve used civilians in cases like this before.”
“I have to get out of here.” I ran my hands through my hair.
“I understand. I’ll send Charlie your way as soon as we’re done.”
I started to walk toward the car, but he stopped me. “One more thing before you go, Ms. Reed. If it makes you feel any better, your father has just helped us bring down the largest drug smuggling ring in the state’s history. This is a big win for us. A big win.”
“Great.” I started toward my car, but then I stopped and turned around. “Wait, what about Kira?”
“Kira?” Agent Hart repeated.
“The ranger who was killed in the cave.” A monarch butterfly bigger than my hand flew and landed on the bench we’d been sitting on. I wondered what Gam would say about the monarch’s appearance. She believed that when any animal crossed our path, it was a sign to pay attention.
He nodded. “Of course. Congressman Riley has been arrested for her murder, as well as on multiple counts of drug trafficking and distribution.”
“Congressman Riley killed her?”
Agent Hart’s walkie-talkie crackled with static. He adjusted the volume. “I’m afraid so. Kira had been watching the congressman’s movements—for other reasons—some legislation that he was trying to push through.”
I started at the monarch’s black-and-yellow wings. “Yeah, I know about that.”
“Unfortunately, Kira didn’t realize that she had stumbled upon one of the biggest drug trafficking rings that the U.S. has ever seen. The legislation was a tiny piece of a bigger puzzle.”
“And Kira figured that out?” I was impressed.
“Not exactly. We’ve suspected Congressman Riley’s involvement for years. We had a surveillance team on him. We had your dad infiltrate the group of street kids that Riley and his crew use to transport narcotics in different regions, but we didn’t have definitive proof until now. One of Kira’s rangers spotted Riley in the caves a couple of weeks ago, and we reached out to her to set up a tour.”
Now that made sense. I hadn’t been able to grasp the motive behind the congressman’s publicity tour in the lava tube. I wondered if the ranger he was referring to was Dupree. Kira must have gone to the police. It had all been a setup, and Kira had been part of it.
“We figured it was our chance to track his movement. This network of underground caves was an ideal place to stash money and drugs. We organized multiple sweeps but couldn’t find anything. We hoped by bringing Riley here, he might slip up.”
“And Kira?”
“A stroke of bad luck. She tried to confront Riley. We told her to leave it to us, but she followed him the other morning and, as you know, he saw to it that she wouldn’t see the light of day again.”
“How did he get the trowel?”
Agent Hart shook his head. “I’m not sure. Maybe one of the geologists left it down in the cave?”
So Professor LeAnna hadn’t lied. “Did they know? Professor LeAnna and her grad students?”
The butterfly flew between us and then glided away. I wanted to follow it and escape the scent of baking ponderosa pine needles and the muddled thoughts running through my brain. It felt like everything was off balance.
“No. This was a tight operation. Need to know only.”
“What about Harley Coltrane?”
“Did he know?”
“Was he involved?”
“Not to the best of our knowledge. His beef, if you’ll pardon the pun, is with land rights. We don’t have any evidence linking him to drug trafficking. That could change though. We still have hours of interviews to conduct, but as far as I can tell he wanted Riley to pass the legislation.”
I took strange comfort in hearing that. “Is Dupree okay? He’s not part of this, is he?”
Agent Hart looked confused momentarily. “You mean the forest ranger?”
I nodded.
“As in involved in smuggling? Or working for us? No . . . no. My team is taking his statement. Sounds like he was trying to find proof to bring to us. He’s fine.”
“That’s a relief,” I said, exhaling. Who knows if I would be having this conversation if it weren’t for Dupree. I owed him my life. Gam always says that help shows up when we need it. That was true for me. Thank goodness for small miracles, I thought, but then the image of Pops in disguise returned. How could he do this to me? How?
Chapter 36
Agent Hart told me I was free to go and that his team would be in touch. I left the caves, and when I got back to the hotel I had no memory of the drive. After stumbling up the stairs, I burst into my room, immediately called Matt, and managed to screech and sob out pieces of the story.
“Megs, slow down. Breathe. You’re not making any sense.”
“I know I’m not making any sense! None of it makes sense, Matt. Pops is alive. He’s alive!”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. He’s been alive this entire time. Oh, my God. How?”
“Megs, you have to chill. You’re having a panic attack.”
“I know. I’m well aware of that fact.”
“Hold on. I’m coming over.” He hung up.
This couldn’t be real. I paced from the balcony to the bed and back. I felt like maybe if I walked off my nervous energy it would help make sense of things. Part of me was thrilled to know that Pops was alive, but the other part of me couldn’t understand how he could do this to me. After he died, I used to pretend that he wasn’t dead. I would let my mind trick itself into believing that he was on assignment or deep undercover. Everyone assured me that it was a normal response to grief.
It took months—years—to come to terms with his death, and now he was alive. Not only alive but had willingly allowed me to believe that he was dead. I wasn’t sure I could ever forgive him for that. And no matter how important the case or the story, wasn’t I just as important?
Matt showed up ten minutes later with a bag of fried chicken and sweet potato fries and two ginger ales. “I thought you might need some sustenance,” he said, smiling and handing me the paper bag.
“Thanks.” I managed a weak smile.
“You’re a mess, Meg,” Matt joked, licking his index finger and running it along my cheek. He held it up to reveal red mud.
“However I look, I feel about a thousand times worse,” I replied.
He tussled my hair. “I’m teasing you, you always look great to me.”
We walked to the balcony and Matt set out lunch. I picked at a piece of the crispy, spicy coating on the chicken. It was delicious, but who could eat at a time like this? Matt cracked open a can of fizzy ginger ale and passed it to me. “You look really pale. Maybe you should drink this.”
“Of course I don’t look great,” I snapped. Then I realized how my tone sounded. “Sorry, I’m not mad at you. I just can’t wrap my head around any of this.”
Matt nodded. “I get it. I feel the same way, so I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling.”
“Why would he do that to me?”
“I’m sure he had his reasons.”
“That’s what the DEA agent said, but Matt, come on. It’s me. You don’t have to defend him. It’s a pretty terrible thing to do no matter the reason.”
“I know.” Matt ripped off a chunk of chicken.
“Think of everything I’ve been through. He wouldn’t have caused me that kind of stress, would he? And right before graduation. He flipped my entire world upside down.” I took a sip of the soda. The bubbles went up my nose. I jumped up and started pacing again. “Oh, my gosh, what about Mother? I’ve spent the last two years hating her. It wasn’t her fault. It was his!”
“Try to calm down. I know you’re upset and I get it—trust me, I do—but I also know that Charlie loved you more than anything on this planet. He had to have had a good reason to do what he did.”
“The thing is, Matt, I don’t even care right now. I’m sure once I get over the shock of all of this, that will change, but right now I’m so mad I want to scream.”
“Okay, go ahead. We’re outside. Give it your best go.” Matt leaned back in his chair.
“What?”
“Scream. Let it out. Who cares?”
“You want me to scream right here on the balcony, with all those people floating on the river down there?” I pointed to the colorful paddle-boards bobbing on the water below us.
“Sure. Why not?”
I let out a half laugh. As always, Matt had found a way to settle me, even slightly. I stopped pacing and sat down. “What am I going to do?”
Matt reached across the table and placed his hand over mine. “Nothing. For the moment you’re going to relax and eat. We’re in this together, and I’ll help you figure it out.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Thanks.”
“No need to thank me. That’s what friends are for.”
I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was the intensity of learning that my dad was actually alive or Matt’s kindness in my moment of complete breakdown, but I yanked his arm closer, leaned in, and kissed him. Our lips locked as he returned my kiss. I could taste a hint of mint gum on his breath. I let everything around me fall away. Sure, maybe my world had taken a complete shift on its axis once again, but I had Matt by my side, and with him I could survive anything.
Chapter 37
“Woah, I wasn’t expecting that,” Matt said when we finally pulled away from each other.
“Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”
“Don’t apologize, I loved it.” Matt kissed the top of my head. His eyes were gentle and filled with empathy. “Megs, we have to go finish this, you know that, right?”
My fingers were greasy from the chicken. I wiped them on my pants and then brushed a tear from my eye. “I know. I just don’t even know where to start.”
“I do.” Matt reached for my hand.
“Where are we going?”
“To the warehouse.” He tossed our lunch in the garbage and led me outside and into his car. Everything looked fuzzy. The sun had a soft halo around it, and the sky looked hazy. We drove to the warehouse in silence.
“I should have jumped in the shower,” I said to Matt when I looked down at my pants.
“Megs, you look fine, and this isn’t exactly a beauty contest.” He steered into the parking lot and my jaw dropped. There were satellite media vans, unmarked police cars, police cars and trucks with their lights flashing, and at least ten black vans with the letters DEA plastered on the side.
“OMG!”
Matt turned with his chin hanging down. “Holy crap. This is insane.”
“Greg wasn’t kidding about being on the story of the century,” I said as Matt tried to find a place to park. “Over there.” I pointed to a space by the coffee kiosk.
Bystanders had gathered around the coffee cart and spilled out onto the street. There were so many police officers and DEA agents moving around and shouting out orders that I couldn’t track any of them. Reporters had pushed as close as they could to the temporary barricade that the police had created, and they were boxing one another out to get the best position.
Matt parked and walked around to open my door for me. He put his arm around my shoulder. “I’m right here with you, okay?”
“Okay.” I nodded. I had tucked the agate into my pocket earlier. Clutching it so hard I thought I might crack it, I
let Matt guide me through the crowd.
Greg spotted us. “Over here!” He used his muscular bulk to block out the throng of reporters around him. Who knew that Central Oregon had so many media outlets? I could only imagine the newsrooms in Portland, and throughout the country for that matter, that would be rushing like mad to get a team on the road to Bend.
“Can you believe this?” Greg yanked us to the front of the barricade. “I’ve never seen anything like this in all my years.” He was bursting with a level of excitement that I had never seen.
Matt removed his arm from my shoulder. I wanted it back, but at that moment three DEA agents in matching black jackets ushered Sheriff Daniels toward a waiting SUV. His hands were cuffed behind his back, and he’d positioned his hat over his brow so that no one could see his eyes.
Greg grabbed my left hand and Matt grabbed my right. We stood there stunned, hands entwined, and watched the team load Sheriff Daniels into the SUV. Was this really happening? There was nothing to say. The moment transcended words. We stayed in complete rapture for the next two hours while the DEA agents unearthed the giant wooden crates from the abandoned warehouse and rounded up the homeless kids. I wondered if PDJ’s friend was one of them.
There was a constant stream of noise from reporters and the authorities. Sometime later, Detective Summer approached the barricade and spotted me. “Ms. Reed, can you come with me?”
I swallowed hard and looked to Greg and Matt.
Matt released my hand. “Can I come with her?”
Detective Summer shook his head. “Sorry. She’s in good hands. Don’t worry.” He moved the blockade for me. I could see a flash of bulbs behind me as I left with the agent.
He brought me to a pop-up white canopy, which had become temporary headquarters. “Have a seat.” He nodded to a metal folding chair.
“What am I doing here?” I asked.
“There’s someone who wants to see you, but I wanted to pass on my thanks first.”
“Thanks?” I squinted as the sun glared off the gold badge on his chest.
In Cave Danger Page 21