Paradise Ranch (Jack and Ashley detective series Book 2)

by R. D. Sherrill

“I need you to begin making a left turn,” Jack commanded in a monotone voice. “Make it slow and steady, nothing quick. To the right there’s a vertical speed indicator. Up means you’re climbing, down means you’re going down. Easy enough. Just make sure we are flying level and give it plenty of throttle. We don’t’ want to stall in the turn.”

  “Didn’t you hear me?” Earl repeated. “We can’t go back there. They’ll kill all of us, especially me. They’ll know that I …”

  “You what?” Ashley asked.

  “… that I betrayed them. You know!” Earl finished.

  Jack ignored the conversation, focusing instead on getting the plane safely on the ground.

  “Turn the yoke left, watch your turn coordinator on the left side, middle,” Jack continued. “Earl, I need you to watch the instruments for us. You’re going to be our eyes on the instruments.”

  “But we can’t go back,” Earl continued to protest.

  “It’s that or crash,” Jack tried to look Earl in the eye but only saw a blur. “Besides, they’re long gone. There’s a herd of federal agents headed to New Hope and Paradise Ranch as we speak. Tubbs and Elijah aren’t going to hang around the airport to turn them-selves in.”

  Earl looked at Jack for a moment before agreeing. “Okay, what do you need?”

  “On the right, above the steering wheel, there’s a dial that looks like a clock,” Jack explained. “It’s the altimeter. It tells us how far we are above the ground. The small hand is thousands and the big hand is hundreds. What time is it?”

  Earl leaned forward as Ashley started her turn. “It’s four o’clock.”

  “Four thousand feet,” Jack noted. “Okay, we’re going to descend at five hundred feet a minute. We should have enough fuel to do that so it’ll be a standard landing.”

  “Standard landing,” Ashley repeated. “Right.”

  The plane was beginning to close in on her as she continued the turn, her hands shaking on the yoke as she clutched it with a death grip. She fought a panic attack, knowing that allowing herself to slip into that place would mean certain death for everyone on the plane. Jack was in no condition to land.

  “We’re gonna keep turning, smoothly, until we see the lights of the airport,” Jack continued. “They should still be on the horizon.”

  Ashley continued the turn, keeping an eye on the instruments to make sure she wasn’t taking a nose dive.

  “That’s right, nice and smooth, honey,” Jack said, watching Ashley’s trembling hands as the west winds started buffeting the aircraft. “Don’t worry, there will be a little turbulence until we get turned.”

  Earl sang out as lights appeared on the horizon. “There it is!”

  Earl pointed to the glow of the airstrip. Further out on the horizon, even to Jack’s questionable vision, there was another glow.

  “What’s that, just beyond the airport?” Ashley asked as she stopped her turn.

  “My home,” Earl choked out, seeing the glow of the burning factory in the far distance beyond New Hope.

  Jack reached over and pulled back on the throttle, gesturing to Ashley to push forward on the yoke.

  “Okay, we’re going to start cutting speed and altitude,” Jack declared, looking at Earl who was still wistfully eyeing the fire in the distance. “Earl, I need you to stay focused. Keep an eye on the altimeter. We’re going to do some seat of the pants flying but we still need you to watch the instruments. Understand?”

  Earl nodded, returning his gaze to the control panel.

  “Ashley, we need to start trimming nose up when we …” Jack trailed off.

  Ashley, who was watching the horizon, looked at Jack who had stopped in mid-sentence. She was met with a glassy-eyed look, Jack’s mouth still opened as if he was speaking.

  “Jack?” Ashley yelped at her silent partner. “Jack! Snap out of it. Jack!”

  Jack’s eyes fluttered for a moment before he looked back at her in bewilderment.

  “Feathering the trim!” Ashley reminded him.

  “Yeah,” Jack feebly agreed, shaking his head as if trying to clear the daze he had slipped into.

  “The flaps, um, I mean the trim,” Jack continued. “You need to pull the lever down as we descend. That’ll help slow us down. And the fuel mixture, you need to push them in, all the way.”

  Ashley looked at the horizon, then back to Jack. “You need to stay with me, Jack. I need you.”

  “Two o’clock,” Earl announced from the back seat as he eyed the gauge.

  “Watch your pitch,” Jack added, pointing to the dial immediately behind the yoke. “Make sure you stay nose high and we’re wings level.”

  The airport was quickly approaching, too quickly for Ashley.

  “Steady as she goes,” Jack encouraged as he worked the flaps and trim from the passenger seat, reaching over to further reduce the throttle. “You’re doing fine. Just aim for the middle of the runway.”

  “One o’clock,” Earl called out, nervously glancing from the instruments to the airstrip that now filled the front window.

  “Air speed?” Jack asked. “The dial on the far left.”

  Earl leaned into the front seat, over Ashley’s shoulder. “Ninety.”

  “Good, let’s throttle back a bit more,” Jack urged as the sound of the plane changed with his adjustment. “We don’t want to go in dead stick but we also don’t want to come screaming in.”

  “I don’t know if I can do it, Jack!” Ashley bellowed with fear in her eyes.

  “Sure you can,” Jack encouraged, putting on a calm voice despite his apprehension. “Just keep her level.”

  “Five hundred,” Earl announced, his revelation com-ing just as lights flashed and an alarm sounded from the control panel.

  “What’s that?” Ashley’s voice shook. “Are we out of gas?”

  Jack thought for a moment, then his eyes opened wide. “The landing gear!”

  Jack lunged for the gear mechanism, slamming it down. The sound of the gear engaging filled the cock-pit.

  “What should I do?” Ashley shook. “Should I pull up?”

  “No!” Jack shot back. “We’ll make it … I hope.”

  “One hundred,” Earl called out as the gear continued moving beneath them.

  “Keep her smooth,” Jack encouraged. “Make sure you can see the runway. Don’t lose sight of it, whatever you do. Pull back on the yoke, flare the nose just a bit.”

  “I can’t tell how high we are,” Earl called out, eyeing the dial.

  “That’s because we aren’t high at all. We’re landing!” Jack called back as the yelp of the tires sounded, throwing the trio around the cockpit as the aircraft smacked the ground.

  Jack pulled the throttle back as Ashley fought to control the aircraft after the wheels hit the tarmac.

  “Use your pedals,” Jack commanded as Ashley tried to steer with the yoke. “The brakes! Hit them, but smoothly!”

  Ashley slammed the brakes, sending the nose of the plane downward, throwing her passengers forward.

  “That’s not smooth!” Jack admonished. “You’ll give me a concussion.”

  Ashley gained back control of the aircraft as the engine still revved.

  “Over to the fuel pumps,” Jack gestured. “It’s over by the big hanger.”

  Ashley fought the plane like an amateur driver taking a road test, lurching back and forth until she reached the pumps.

  “Kill it,” Jack directed with a cut throat gesture.

  The engine quieted, leaving the trio sitting inside the cockpit gathering their collective breath.

  “The eagle … has … landed,” Jack slowly declared.

  Earl reached up and patted Ashley on the shoulder. “Good job, ya know, not killing us and all.”

  “You’re welcome,” Ashley choked out, her hands still in a death grip on the yoke.

  “You can let go now,” Jack commented, “We’re stopped.”

  Ashley continued her white knuckle hold on the yoke, fighting back te
ars as she struggled for regular breaths.

  “Come on, darlin, we’ve got work to do,” Jack encouraged. “You never know if people are still lurking around town. You know, people with guns.”

  Jack reached over and peeled Ashley’s hands from the yoke, separating her finger by finger from the controls. “Earl, I need you to help me out. I don’t know if I’ve got my sea legs yet.”

  Earl climbed out of the cockpit and carefully helped Jack down from the plane.

  “Give me a minute,” Jack directed as he leaned on the wing, bent over. “The world is spinning.”

  Ashley rubbed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks as she released her pent-up fear. She didn’t want Jack to see her cry. She had held the tears until he climbed out of the plane.

  “Okay, Earl. I need to you to go to the terminal and turn on the pumps,” Jack said, still leaning on the wing. “The place will be locked so feel free to break in. You have permission to break the law. Once you’re inside, behind the front console there will be the switch to the pumps. Turn them on and then come back here.”

  “Are you good?” Earl asked.

  “Yeah, just gimme a minute and I’ll be fine,” Jack waved him off. “Just go do it.”

  Earl trotted off toward the control center as Jack used the length of the wing to make his way toward the pumps. He let go of the wing like a baby letting go of its mother to take its first steps, staggering to the pumps and finding a lean on the tall cabinet that held the air-plane fuel.

  “Ashley,” Jack called out. “Get over here.”

  Ashley brushed away her remaining tears and climbed out of the plane. She joined Jack at the pumps, surprised to see him waving a gun.

  “I need you to shoot something for me,” Jack said, stooped over with a wry look on his face. “Take this and shoot the lock off. I don’t think I can see good enough to do it. I’m still seeing double.”

  Ashley took the gun. “You were seeing triple a little while ago so you must be feeling better.”

  Jack gave her a pained grin. “I feel like I’m in a dream. Nothing feels right.”

  Ashley realized Jack had suffered a major concussion and, given the huge knot on his head, she feared he may have even suffered a cracked skull. He would need medical attention as soon as they reached their destination.

  “Just aim and shoot it right in the middle,” Jack directed, stepping back to give her room.

  “Walther PPK, huh?” Ashley commented as she adeptly looked at the gun and chambered a round.

  “I wanted a little more kick for my back up,” Jack smirked, patting his right leg where he kept his backup weapon strapped to his ankle in a hidden holster.

  Ashley took aim and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the lock but failed to break it. She took a second shot with the same result. “Tough lock.”

  The third time was the charm as the lock fell to the ground, the metal door swinging open to reveal the fuel pumps. Ashley returned Jack’s gun, shoving it in his back waistband, making Jack wince.

  “The barrel was still hot,” Jack cringed.

  “Sorry,” Ashley apologized, not missing a beat as she reached out and grabbed the fueling hose. “Where do we stick this?”

  Jack motioned for the hose. “Let me do it.”

  The fuel pumps came to life at that moment. Jack took the fueling hose and started walking toward the plane.

  “Good job, Earl,” Jack complimented as he heard footfalls heading back from the control center.

  “Oh, you’re very welcome,” came the reply but it wasn’t Earl’s voice. It was Elijah’s. Jack froze.

  “And I want to thank you for coming back to get us,” Elijah stepped out of the shadows. “As you can imagine, it’s hard to get a cab at this time of night.”

  Earl followed Elijah into the light. Tubbs fell in be-hind with a gun pointed at Earl’s head.

  “Plus, you delivered our betrayer to us,” Elijah smiled, looking back at Earl, giving the sheriff a nod. Tubbs then pushed Earl to his knees. “Now we can show what happens to those who betray the faith.”

  The sheriff chambered a round and took aim at the back of Earl’s head.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Jack called out, whipping out his gun and pointing it at the sheriff.

  The smile remained on Elijah’s face as he shook his head disapprovingly.

  “I so detest violence. Why can’t we all just get along?”

  With that, Elijah pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at Jack. “Honestly, Jack, I don’t enjoy doing this, you know, holding a gun. I’m a man of peace.”

  They had the jump on him. Two guns to one. Ashley was unarmed and standing beside Jack, unable to help in the standoff.

  Jack allowed himself to fall back against the wing.

  “Surely we don’t have to go through this again,” Elijah smirked. “We have you outgunned so why not put down your weapon and cooperate.”

  Jack nodded but didn’t lower his weapon. Instead, he aimed his gun at Ashley’s leg.

  “What’s he doing?” Tubbs asked, keeping his gun pressed to Earl’s head.

  “What are you doing, Jack?” Elijah asked.

  “Playing my hand,” Jack replied, supporting himself with the wing.

  “Your hand?” Elijah questioned.

  “You’re going to let Earl go,” Jack declared confidently. “You’re going to let him go and run into the night, unharmed.”

  “Are we now?” Elijah said, fascinated by Jack’s defiance.

  “And then we will fly you anywhere you want to go,” Jack continued.

  “I’m just going to shoot him,” Tubbs said, his finger twitching on the trigger.

  “The minute you shoot him I’m going to shoot my partner,” Jack vowed, his gun aimed at her knee, the fact that he had just referred to her as his partner mortifying her. “Now, unless one of you is a pilot, then I count only one of us who can fly you out of here at this point. As you can see, I’m in no shape to fly, and I’m afraid Ashley wouldn’t be either with a bullet in her knee.”

  The brothers looked at each other for a moment, taking in Jack’s directive.

  “He’s bluffing,” Tubbs growled. “He wouldn’t shoot his own partner.”

  Elijah looked at Jack who tried to return the gaze de-spite his double vision.

  “I don’t think he is,” Elijah called back, assessing the agent. “He was willing to kill all of us a few minutes ago. I don’t think much has changed.”

  The four stood on the quiet airstrip for a full minute, looking at one another like chess players plotting their next move.

  “Let him go,” Elijah ordered.

  “What?” Tubbs asked incredulously. “He betrayed us.”

  “He can’t run forever,” Elijah noted. “He’ll turn up again. Life has a way of going in a circle. It’s Karma.”

  The sheriff grudgingly kicked Earl to the ground in front of him. “You won’t be so lucky next time. And, there WILL be a next time.”

  “Git,” Jack ordered. “Run and don’t stop running, you hear?”

  “But,” Earl began as he stood up.

  “Just do it,” Jack directed. “We’ll be fine.”

  A confused look on his face, Earl did as he was told and raced into the darkness. Jack continued holding his gun on the sheriff for a couple of minutes, giving Earl time to get well clear of the airstrip.

  “Okay, Jack,” Elijah said. “Your part of the deal now.”

  “A deal is a deal,” Jack said as he popped the clip out of the gun and threw it onto the nearby grass. Ash-ley’s jaw dropped, seeing Jack surrender his weapon. She had expected her unpredictable partner to pull a trick, a distraction or something to get the drop once the hostage was gone. They were now at the mercy of Elijah and his brother.

  “Just a question,” Elijah wondered, still holding the gun on Jack. “Why did you come back?”

  Jack shrugged his shoulders. “I hate to admit it, but I forgot to fuel up.”
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br />   Elijah looked at Jack for a moment, trying to figure if he was telling the truth. He broke in a deep laugh.

  “The great Agent Looper, forgetting to get gas?” Elijah laughed, his amusement catching on with Tubbs who actually broke into a laugh which quickly turned into a cough. “That is too funny.”

  The sheriff stepped forward and waved his gun at Jack. “Fuel up then. We’ve got a ways to go and I don’t want to be running out of gas while we’re in the air.”

  Jack picked up the fueling hose and pulled it over to the plane, stumbling a couple of times before reaching the fueling cap.

  “Top it off,” Tubbs warned. “We’ll be going several hundred miles.”

  “You’re going to get to see our island,” Elijah lit up. “You’re going to love it.”

  Elijah turned his attention to Ashley. “Go ahead and get in. We’re going to be leaving as soon as we’re fueled up. I get a feeling some of your friends may be showing up soon.”

  The wheels spun on the pumps as Jack turned on the fueling hose. He stood looking at Tubbs, who compulsively took out a cigarette.

  “I take it that Elijah got all the brains in the family,” Jack observed, nodding at the sheriff’s lighter as he leaned against the fuselage, his comment catching Tubbs before he lit his cigarette. “Airplane fuel is somewhat flammable.”

  Tubbs flicked the unlit cigarette away, eyeing Jack with a look that could kill.

  “You think you’re pretty slick, don’t you?” the sheriff snarled. “Dressed in your little black suit and tie, strutting around like you’re somebody. Big federal agent, thinking you’re better than everybody”

  Jack continued filling the fuel tank as he looked back at the sheriff, his vision finally allowing him to focus somewhat.

  “No, I don’t think I’m better than everybody,” Jack denied. “Now, honest? Yes, I’m a lot more honest than you since you’re just a common criminal hiding behind a badge.”

  The gun shook in the sheriff’s hand. Jack had hit a nerve.

  “So, what makes a lawman go bad like you did?” Jack continued pushing buttons. “Did your brother make you go to the dark side? He’s the one who calls the shots, ain’t he? The smart one in the family?”

  “You better watch your mouth,” Tubbs growled just as the gas hose kicked in Jack’s hand. “Enough talk. It’s full. Get to moving!”