Myra examined her sleeve where flecks of blood had gone black in the sun, and thought Ted Altman had made an unforgivable error in judgment when he took it upon himself to teach Tanya a lesson. He had paid the price for that mistake. If only the arrogant bastard had put the rattlesnake in George Custer’s tent as planned, all might now be well. Nothing would have gone forward with the professor out of the way. Dr. Custer was not young and strong like Tanya. The snake might have been enough, and if it had not, Ted Altman had the vial of venom milked from the snake itself only days before. He could have injected it, claiming it to be anti-venom. He was, after all, the group’s medic. They had picked him so carefully, too, now there are all these loose ends to tie up... and all left up to Myra Santos Griggs.
Myra slapped at a fly and grew impatient in the increasing heat. Am I the only one who can stay on track? Why am I always the one who has to hold things together? I am, after all, only second in command. That, too, might have to change. I know who is really in charge.
Pity it had taken so long to drive around by road this morning, she thought, They might have caught everyone still in camp. They would have made easy targets then. But by the time Ira worked his way into place down below, everyone was already at work up in the ruins.
Myra eased into position and jacked in a cartridge. She had waited long enough for the professor and Charlie Yazzie to come down for lunch. They must have spotted Ira Buck and were afraid to show themselves. She had told Ira to stay hidden until all three of those people were in the open. There was only one way to get them out now. She leaned into the warm stock of the rifle, took a deep breath, let it out, and squeezed the trigger ever so gently.
The fast little Spitzer boat-tail slapped Ira below the hollow in his throat, dead center of the breastbone. The light bullet blew through the bone, fragmenting with terrible internal effect. The blast still echoed as Harley Ponyboy dove for the ground and rolled for the shotgun. His first thought was that Charlie had spotted Ira and had taken him out, but he then remembered Charlie had only the .38, and such a shot would have been well beyond his range. He looked at Ira, who now wore a perplexed expression and stared down at the little well bubbling out of his shirtfront. Harley thought he saw a last pinpoint of fire in his right eye but only for an instant, and then the light went out for Ira Buck.
From the ruins, Charlie watched Ira fall, as did George Custer, now at the doorway. They exchanged glances and Charlie softly exclaimed, “Thomas got here in the nick of time.” Both men started down the hill to check and make sure Harley was all right.
Myra Griggs, in the deafening after-blast of her own rifle, did not hear Thomas and Aida coming up from behind.
When they heard the shot, Thomas fell to one knee and instantly located the shooter. Myra had already worked the bolt action and raised the rifle for another shot when he yelled at her to put down the gun. Myra instantly whirled and brought her rifle to point.
The slug from Thomas’s saddle gun caught her full in the chest. The 30-30 is big medicine at close range, and Myra slumped forward. Didn’t even twitch.
Thomas and Aida only glanced at the obviously dead woman as they rushed past her to the rim. At the edge of the canyon they looked down on Harley, who still was not sure who had shot Ira Buck but felt lucky to be alive.
When everyone finally gathered back in the camp, it was Harley who volunteered to take the horses back to the ranch. The others would return to tell Tanya Griggs of her mother’s death. Charlie had already informed authorities by way of his truck radio, and they were to meet the sheriff at Aida’s ranch to give statements. Someone would have to guide authorities back to the two bodies. Everyone was relieved the danger seemed to be past—but then, things are never really what they seem.
11
The Reckoning
On the drive back to the ranch no one spoke for the first several miles, each trying to puzzle through the events of the morning. Eventually, they all came to the same conclusion; Steven Griggs, and possibly Neva Travis, were the only ones left who might have the answers they were looking for.
Charlie was the first to speak and wondered who should be the one to tell Tanya Griggs of her mother’s death.
Though she did not know the girl, Aida, had at least known her mother, and said, “I’ll tell her,” then stared silently round the three men. “I think it needs a woman’s touch.”
“Fine by me,” George Custer said, “Though as head of the project, and having known both women, it’s rightfully my duty to tell her.”
“I’ll tell her, George!” Aida was adamant.
“Fine… Good,” the professor said softly, looking straight ahead. “It’s not like I relished the job.” There was only the slightest edge to his voice.
The first thing Charlie noticed when they turned into Aida’s gate were the two sheriffs cars in the yard. The second thing was that George Custer’s Suburban was gone.
“I hope Tanya didn’t take a turn for the worse and had to be taken back to the hospital.” Aida didn’t really see how this could be, as the girl appeared greatly improved when they left that morning.
As they pulled up into the yard, Thomas frowned. “Look, there’s Caleb and Ida Marie in the backseat of the patrol car. Surely, Bob and Tanya didn’t leave them here alone.”
Charlie ground his truck to an abrupt halt, and Thomas and Aida piled out and ran to the children.
The sheriff himself was coming out of the house and came to meet Charlie, who had also stepped down from his truck. The two knew each other slightly from a law enforcement conference in Farmington. The sheriff nodded at him. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, Yazzie. These kids called in right after you radioed to say you would meet us here.” He removed his hat and wiped the perspiration from his brow. “They were a little hesitant to talk to us. Not been around strangers much, I guess. I figured you people would be here shortly and thought it might be best if Aida talked to them first.”
Charlie pointed to Thomas, “That’s their father with Aida. I’m sure they’re getting the story right now.”
“Well, I’ll be interested to hear it. There are obvious signs of a struggle up there at the house, and it looks like someone might have left a little blood in the process. The deputy’s finishing up in there.” He dusted off the brim of his hat with his sleeve. “I’m not sure you know it yet, but the FBI has Steven Griggs in custody here in Cortez. Transferred him over from Moab this morning. He’d been holed up in an RV park on the river over there. The park’s owner said Griggs and his wife checked in about a week ago.”
Professor Custer came up and was introduced to the sheriff. “On your way in did you pass a white Suburban with state plates?” George asked.
“No, but there’s two turnoffs between here and the highway. We could have missed it. Your car missing?”
“Yes. Bob Mills and Tanya Griggs did have permission to use it, though.”
Thomas joined the group and nodded to the sheriff, who recognized him immediately. Thomas stuck out his hand and the sheriff took it, saying, “Long time Begay. You’re not still running with Harley Ponyboy are you?”
“Not at the moment, Matt.” Both of them were grinning now. “I expect he’ll be sorry he missed you, though. He always said you ran the nicest jail in the county.”
“What did the kids think happened here?” It had already been a long day, and the sheriff couldn’t see an end in sight.
“The fact is, Matt, my kids don’t know much. They took off running when the argument started and hid in the barn until everyone was gone.”
“Yep, that’s where my deputy found them. They said they hid out there after they made the call to 911 in the kitchen. Smart kids, for no older than they are.”
George Custer interrupted, “One of my people from the university, Bob Mills, was here with Tanya Griggs to watch the children while Aida was up at the ruins today. Tanya was just released from the hospital yesterday and is still not well. We’ve been worried about her.
”
“Tanya Griggs… Oh yes, the snakebite victim search and rescue flew in, right? Her father’s Steven Griggs… the FBI’s holding him. From what the kids told us, you don’t have to worry about the girl—it’s the other person that was bleeding when they left.”
Aida walked up with Ida Marie and Caleb in tow. “Hello, Matt, have you got this all figured out yet?”
“Not quite, Aida. We were hoping the children could fill us in.”
“All they told us was Bob Mills and Tanya took George’s truck. The kids were watching through a crack in the haymow. Caleb, here, wanted to run down and go with Tanya. Ida Marie had the good sense to hold him back. And Matt, she seemed to think Tanya had some sort of gun, at least, Ida Marie thought that’s what it might be.” Aida smoothed the girl’s hair, and then pulled Caleb to her and gave him a big hug.
Sheriff Matt Dubois’s radio crackled into life, and he walked over to tend to it. George Custer stood gazing off down the road, as though he expected to see his Suburban coming back in a cloud of dust.
Thomas whispered to Charlie, “What do you think is up with Bob and Tanya?” He looked over at the professor and caught his eye. He repeated the question, but neither the professor, nor Charlie would even venture a guess.
The professor now thought maybe they had been right when they first suspected Tanya Griggs was in league with her mother.
Charlie hesitated before saying, “I know one thing: the sheriff said he notified every agency available to set up a perimeter and called highway patrol to set up checkpoints on the main highways leading in and out of the area. But there are back roads that will get you out of here, if you know the country.”
George Custer frowned, “All the area topo maps are in my truck, and Bob knows where they are. He rode with me to Aneth and followed our route into the dig using them. Said he wanted to correlate our site with the others in the area. I had them all marked on the maps. Those maps show all the back-roads. You don’t think Tanya took Bob hostage, do you?”
Charlie shrugged and Thomas squinted out across the corrals. It was something neither of them could imagine.
The sheriff finished his talk on the radio, and when he came back, motioned Charlie aside. “The FBI contacted my office. Their people just picked up Neva Travis. They had an agent waiting for her when she arrived home. They are charging her with attempted murder and several other federal crimes as well. Her alliance with AFPAC is going to cost her. Several top-level people at AFPAC headquarters in Oklahoma were also picked up this morning. None of them will admit to having knowledge of what’s happened out here.”
After the sheriff and his deputy left, Aida took the children up to the house and got busy fixing supper—along with George Custer, who insisted on helping.
Thomas and Charlie, who had stopped to talk a moment on the veranda, saw Harley Ponyboy come riding in leading Aida’s mare behind. It was nearly sundown, and the horses looked all in.
Charlie and Thomas hurried down to help with the saddles and put out some feed. They still had not had time to fill Harley in on the latest developments when Aida came out on the porch and called them in to supper. Everyone was hungry, and the men lost no time getting to the house and washed up.
Harley buttered a large dinner roll and was stuffing part of it in his mouth as Charlie told him what was going on. “Bob Mills and Tanya Griggs had some kind of a fight took George’s truck and left the kids here alone. No one knows where they’ve gone.”
Harley kept his attention on his plate, but mumbled past the mouthful of food, “I know where they are.” He went on eating.
George Custer was bringing in another platter of pork chops and gave Harley a sharp look. “What do you mean, you know where they are?”
Thomas rolled his eyes and gave Charlie a look.
Harley speared a fresh pork chop off George’s platter and went on eating. Harley was one of those people who could chew and talk at the same time and thought no less of himself for doing so. “You know that old abandoned farm at the end of the road on past here? Well, that’s where they went. The Suburban is parked inside the hay shed. I saw it from the top of the ridge quite a ways before I turned off ta the ranch. You can’t see it from the road.” He looked up from his supper and smiled. “I just figured they wanted ta get away for a little ‘alone time’ if ya know what I mean.” Harley blushed even as he said this and tried to keep his mind on his food.
Aida had followed George into the dining room and just caught the tail end of the conversation. “That’s the old Johnson place. Hasn’t been anyone lived there for years. That’s the end of the road. There’s no other way out of there.” She set a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table and stood hands on hips. “Everyone figured they were trying to get away!”
Charlie was dumbstruck. “Maybe they were not trying to get away at all,” he said softly. “Maybe they’re smart enough to know the law will have the roads covered for a while.”
Thomas whistled. “Sheriff Dubois knows it’s a dead end up there, so he never even thought to look that direction. Someone’s had some experience being on the run.” He said this last with a hint of admiration.
“There’s a good chance, then, they’ll come back out after dark and make a run for it.” At this point George Custer really had no idea what they might do but thought this a reasonable assumption.
Charlie agreed. “It’ll be dark soon, Thomas and I might ought to take a run up there.”
Aida spoke up, “Charlie, the sheriff isn’t going to like that. Matt would expect you to call him.”
“Aida, if we wait for the sheriff they could be long gone by the time he gets here. You can go ahead and call him after we leave. We’ll consider him backup.”
Harley shoved the last of his food in his mouth, “Well I’m going too. I’m the one that found ’em.”
George Custer piped up as well, “That’s my vehicle they’ve got. I should go along.”
“George, someone needs to stay here with Aida and the kids. There’s no telling where those people will show up next—or what they might have in mind.” Charlie meant what he said, and the Professor could see he was seriously worried about Aida and the kids.
~~~~~~
Charlie turned the lights off well before the abandoned farm and slowed the truck to a crawl. They eased along with the windows down. Listening. Thomas reached up and took the bulb out of the overhead light. When it came to arriving someplace undetected, Thomas was well tutored.
Harley said the house was off the road on the right and backed up against the ridge. When he finally pointed out the entrance, Charlie eased on past and parked the truck out of sight in the scrub oak. The three men crept silently away from the truck. They considered themselves well armed, with Charlie’s .38 and Harley’s shotgun, which he had grown somewhat fond of. Thomas carried the borrowed saddle gun. None of the men thought they would have to use them. A girl and a dentist shouldn’t be that big a problem.
Charlie wasn’t sure if they would find the missing pair in the old hayshed, or if the two runaways might have taken up shelter in the house, which was on higher ground and might provide a wider area of surveillance.
They decided to come in along the back of the hayshed and work their way around, past a broken back window to a small side door, which, when they saw it, was hanging half off its hinges. Charlie, followed closely by Thomas, crept up to the gaping door. They had Harley stay at the back corner of the shed and keep an eye on the house.
Charlie’s eyes, by now, had become accustomed to the dark, and when he peered in, he could actually see quite well. The Suburban was pulled up into the shed, and he was surprised Harley could spot it even from the ridge. It would have been invisible from the road. He motioned for Thomas to cover him as he slipped in and stationed himself just inside the door. There was no outward sign of anyone in the vehicle. But when he went to its open rear window, he at once saw Tanya Griggs, bound and gagged, lying on the backseat. Her eyes were wide with fe
ar and, upon seeing him, she shook her head violently, trying to warn him off.
As Charlie stepped up to open the rear door, someone spoke quietly from the darkness. “I thought I heard a truck go by.” It was Bob Mill’s voice and he sounded pretty grim. “I should have known you would figure out our little ruse.” Bob moved out of the shadows, and Charlie could barely see the gun in his hand. Charlie’s gun was down at his side, and Bob had the drop on him, as they say. “Let go the gun, Charlie, I don’t want to shoot you. Truly, I don’t. You’re lucky it’s me. Myra’s the bloodthirsty one… I’ve had quite a time keeping her from killing people.”
Charlie decided dropping the gun would be the better part of valor; it might buy him some time. Then, too, Thomas was just outside with the 30-30. Dropping the gun sounded like the right thing to do. “Okay, Bob,” he said and let the Smith & Wesson fall.
Bob Mill’s demeanor immediately changed for the better, friendly, almost, as he stepped forward. “If you could just kick that gun over toward me, Charlie, I’d appreciate it. And please, don’t think you can rush me or anything foolish like that. Dr. Custer may have mentioned I was a Ranger before leaving the service. I’m rather proud of that. I’ve kept in shape—and in practice.” He looked toward the door. “Who’d you bring with you Charlie? I doubt you’d come alone. Is that Thomas out there?”
Charlie thought it best to keep quiet and let Bob do the talking.
Bob eased closer, waited, and when Charlie didn’t reply, backhanded him hard enough Charlie saw stars and crashed back against the door he had come in. Charlie had heard people talk about seeing stars but hadn’t really put much stock in it. Now he did. He shook his head and pressed a hand to his brow as though it might clear his brain of the little flashes of light. “What are you doing, Bob? Why’s Tanya tied up?” They were foolish questions, he knew, but figured they might buy a little time.” Where was Thomas and what was he waiting for?
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