I stood on the rock, making sure not to touch the barn, and could now see into the darken space, with my flashlight. I moved my small flashlight around, shining it through the crack. I still couldn’t see what Douglas had unloaded from his large truck.
I decided to return to the motel. I paused at the top of the hill, behind the service garage, and stared back at the house and barn. I felt as if something was pulling me back down the hill. I was tired and rejected the temptation to go back. I continued to walk around the service center building to the road.
When I was back in my motel room, I was thinking, I had to get into that barn and if necessary the house. I paced the floor most of the night and decided to call in some favors.
Tuesday morning I called Kenneth Jones, a childhood friend, who lived a block away from our family at Edwards air base. Kenneth is the Director of Safety at the San Diego Zoo. I always made sure, when I was in San Diego visiting Brighton Aeronautics, I would take time to have lunch or dinner with my old friend.
Kenneth answered his phone on the second ring. Hi Ken, I responded. Hey TJ, he answered back. Are you in town? No, I replied. I’m in Grand Junction Colorado. Kenneth has known me since we were children. He was two months older than me. He didn’t bother asking why I was in Colorado, knowing I was not one, to explain myself to others.
So what’s up buddy, he asked? I need to know where I get a tranquilizer gun. Preferably a rifle with scope and a half dozen, fast acting and strong tranquilizing darts. Kenneth was silent for a few seconds, then responded. Do you have your plane? Yes, I relied.
Without asking, what I wanted the tranquilizer gun for, he said. I’ll meet you at North Island Crown Bistro at 2:00 this afternoon.
We hung up and I looked at my watch. It was 9:45 Mountain Standard Time. This gave me a little over five hours to get to Halsey Airport at North Island outside of San Diego. North Island Crown Bistro was a little over a block away, from the airport hangar, where I always park my plane, when I’m in San Diego.
I hurried through my morning bathing and got dressed quickly. I called the hangar at Grand Junction Regional Airport and told the owner I would be taking my plane out today, but would be returning later tonight.
It took me forty minutes to drive to the airport and another thirty to get clearance from the tower to take off. Once airborne, I headed southwest towards southern California.
I landed at Halsey Field at 1:35 PST and taxied over to the hangar. I wasted no time with the hangars owner and quickly walked through the secured gates, onto a sidewalk that ran down the street, towards the restaurant, where I was to meet Kenneth. When I arrived, I saw Kenneth’s pickup truck parked in the restaurant’s parking lot.
The pickup truck was unmistakable. It had a cap on the back and was painted like a zebra with, San Diego Zoo Security, on the side. I walked into the restaurant and found Kenneth at the bar. I sat down next to him. He had a cold beer, already sitting in the space, next to him. We had a light lunch and casually talked about what was going on in our lives. He told me how his wife was doing and that he was a grandpa for the third time.
We spent about hour in the restaurant and then headed out to his truck. He drove me back to the hanger and we got and walked around to the back of the pickup. Kenneth unlocked and lifted the hatch on the cap, and dropped the tailgate, and reached in the back.
He pulled a long aluminum case out, letting it rest on the tailgate. He opened the case and inside was a model 389 Projector Tranquilizer rifle with day-night scope and two plastic cases, with five darts in each case.
This is the most versatile, accurate, and consistent cartridge-fired projector ever made, said Kenneth. The hinged, breech loading barrel, supports any size dart devices and is equipped with a revolutionary, airflow control ports. It’s quiet, with very little muzzle noise.
The ten darks are designed to take down a water buffalo and render it helpless in less than thirty seconds.
Kenneth reached further back, into the cap covered bed of the pickup, and pulled out a soft leather bag. He unzipped the bag and showed me a .45 caliber handgun with two full clips. This is just like the hand gun you own, he said. He zipped the case back up and handed it to me, without asking any questions. I thanked him and said someday I’ll explain all this to him.
I rang the buzzer next to the outside door of the hanger and a young man opened it and let me in. I walked straight to my plane and up the steps to the cabin space. I placed the rifle and handgun on the front seat. I was in the air by 3:55 Pacific Standard Time, for the two hour flight back to Grand Junction.
It was almost 6:30 when I landed in Grand Junction. I tossed the tranquilizer rifle and hand gun in the back of my rented SUV and pulled out of the private hanger’s parking area. I hit a fast food restaurant, going through the drive through, before leaving the airport area.
I’m not much on fast food, but I hadn’t eaten a lot at lunch and was hungry. After a few bites of the double cheese burger, I realized why this national fast food restaurant chain, used a clown for a mascot. The sandwich and fries were tasteless and a joke.
When I got back to the motel, it was still light out. I could see across the road to the truck service center and it was closed. I change out of the clothes I wore to San Diego into a pair of clean black jeans and black shirt. I guess I had convinced myself the black clothes made me invisible.
I waited until dark and slipped the hand gun into the waist band, of my pants, in the small of my back. I checked out the tranquilizer rifle and made sure, I was familiar with its operation. I placed one of the plastic dart boxes into my shirt breast pocket.
When the sun had completely set and the motel driveway was quiet, I headed out. I walked down to the end of the motel where the ice maker was sitting. I stepped off the concrete sidewalk onto the grass and made my way behind a row of rooms, out to the roadway.
I waited at the corner of the last motel room until no cars were coming from either direction. I darted across the road, slipping between two semi-trailers. When I reached the back of the truck service building, I looked around making sure I was alone.
I cautiously worked my way over to the rocky ledge, using the night vision binoculars to scan the estate sitting at the base of the hill. I could see the muddy Colorado River another fifty feet lower and a hundred feet further back from the fenced estate. The gravel area around the property was empty. Douglas’s pickup truck, was nowhere to be seen. His large fancy Kenworth truck was not sitting outside the service building.
As I had done the other nights, I made my way down the gravel road, until I could move into the wooded area. With the tranquilizer rifle in my left hand, I held the mini mag light, in my right. The mag light showed me the way through the trees and over the rocky landscape to the west side of the barn.
CHAPTER-8 My plan was to anesthetize the two dogs and search the barn first. If I felt I could enter the house, without being seen, through the rear door, than I was going to try that as a last resort.
The emotions I was feeling, as I got closer to the barn, told me something was wrong. I couldn’t tell whether it was events within the house, or in the barn that was driving me. It was as if I could feel, the racing heartbeat, of someone close by.
I was at the corner of the barn now and the property was dark. Several hundred yards away, I could hear the water rushing down the muddy Colorado River. I carefully moved parallel, with the side of the barn, until I reached the back corner. I peeked around the corner, looking east across the rear of the building, and saw it was clear. I lifted my night vision binoculars, up to my eyes, and scanned the area. About twenty feet out from the back of the building, the landscaped dropped drastically down to the river.
I stayed close to the barn, slowly working my way down to the other end. Once I was at the opposite corner of the barn, between it and the house, I saw the two pit bulls over by the rear porch. There was a dim porch light on and the big dog was lying on the upper part and the smaller dog on the ground.
I looked through the scope on the tranquilizer rifle and had a perfect shot at the larger dog. I slipped the barrel through the chain link fence and took aim.
Just as I was ready to take the shot, both dogs jumped up and darted towards the front of the house. I backed away from the corner of the barn, with my back to the wood structure, staying about a foot away. I hurried back around the barn to the opposite corner, where I could see Douglas, coming through the double gates.
I had thought, he had gone on another truck run, since his Kenworth truck was not up by the service building. I stayed hidden while he pulled his pickup truck into the center of the gravel area, between the house and barn.
I watched with caution, while he carried, what looked like several bags of groceries, into the house. He turned on more lights inside, including one on the front porch. The dogs were restless running around the pickup truck.
Douglas stayed in the house, for another half hour, before coming out to the barn. I decided to wait until he went back into the house and to bed. I would then take care of the dogs and checkout the barn.
When Douglas entered the barn he left the small man door open about eighteen inches. I thought he was planning on coming right back out, but then I heard country western music playing. He had turned on a radio in the barn and was doing something, maybe working on the tractor, or handling the things he unloaded, the other night.
I made my way down to the crack in the wall and stood on the rock, but couldn’t see him. The dogs were lying between his truck and the back porch. I leaned the tranquilizer rifle against a large tree, next to the barn, and made my way out to the gates staying low and under cover. When I reached the gates, I could see through the partially open door. All I saw was shadows of Douglas moving around inside. Even with the night vision binoculars, I couldn’t see more than a few feet inside the barn, because of the angle of the partially opened door.
While I was knelt down by the gates, the two dogs moved to the back porch once again. I stayed low and slowly made my way back to the barn. When I reached the half inch crack in the wall, light was penetrating through it. I stood on the rock again and looked through the crack and was shocked, by what I saw.
Douglas had a young girl hanging from the block and tackle in the center of the barn. He had removed all her clothes and was swinger her back and forth, laughing and singing to the music on the radio. The girl was still alive and kicking at him. She had a cloth gag on her mouth and her bare feet were inches off the floor.
I thought about sticking the .45 against the crack and trying to shoot Douglas, but if I missed, I could hit the girl. I grabbed the rifle and quickly made my way around to the back of the barn, and then over to the corner, where I could see the dogs. The big dog was standing on the edge of the porch and I had a great shot at him. I loaded a dark and took aim at his thick neck and pulled the trigger.
The dog yipped, did a few quick turn arounds, flipped and fell off the porch. The smaller of the two dogs came out from under the porch and was excited. I loaded another dart and shot that dog in the ass. He to jump a couple times and dropped to the ground.
I moved quickly back around the barn and over to the gates. I unhook the steel latch and pulled the first gate open, just far enough to allow me to enter. I pushed open the second gate a foot or two, then placed the tranquilizer rifle next to the gate and hung the night vision binoculars on the fence post. I then headed straight for the barn. When I reached the small man door, I pulled my handgun from my waist band and peeked inside.
Douglas was standing with his back to the door. He had a black cowboy hat on and his pants and underwear down around his ankles. He was saying something to the girl and then laughing and smacking her on the butt. He was physically abusing her and was getting ready to sexual assault her, any second now.
There was a camera on a tripod aimed at him and the girl. He was clicking off pictures with a remote device in his hand. Each time the camera would flash he would yell and smack the girl.
I looked down next to the open door and the wood two by four that holds the small door closed, was leaning against the wall. I picked up the board and shoved the handgun into the waistband in the front of my pants. I slipped through the door opening and the girl saw me. I put my finger up to my lips, letting her know to be quiet.
With the loud country western music playing, Douglas didn’t hear me approach him. When I was in position, I tapped him on the shoulder and yelled “Hey.” Douglas spun around and I swung the two by four as hard as I could, into his ribcage. I had hit him so hard the board splintered and broke into two pieces. He gasped for air and hit the floor, like a ton of bricks, tangled in his own pants.
I yanked a three foot long piece of rope, off a round steel stall support, and quickly tied Douglas’s hands together. He was gasping for air and barely conscience.
I untied the end of the rope that controlled the block and tackle, from a wood column, and lower the girl to the floor. I removed the gag from her mouth and then untied her hands. She ran around to the back of the adjacent horse stall, where her clothes were thrown on the floor.
While the girl was getting dressed, I slipped the steel hook, from the end of the block and tackle, through the rope around Douglas’s wrist. I pulled him up until his tip toes were inches off the floor. He was coughing up blood and moaning in pain. I had broken several of his ribs and maybe punctured his lung.
The young girl, now dressed and standing by the corner of the horse stall. I asked if she was alright and she shook her head yes. I saw a bucket of water, sitting on the floor, near her feet. When I walked over to the water bucket, I saw a steel cage sitting inside the horse stall. I had seen cages like this at the San Diego Zoo. They were used to transport and hold wild animals.
I realized now, the cage was where Douglas had confined the young girl and his other victims. The cage door was swung open with a key ring and a dozen keys still hanging from the padlock.
I took the bucket of cold water and threw it on Douglas, bringing him around. I reached in my back pocket and pulled out the flyer, I had gotten from Keezheekoni, and held it in front of him. Where is she, I asked him. He seemed shock by the photo of Christine. I grabbed him on the neck and applied an old martial arts grip. The pain shot through his body and he began to jerk and scream.
I’m only going to ask you one more time, releasing my grip. I pulled the handgun from my waist band and shoved it under his chin. Where’s she at, I asked again. Gone, he moaned. Gone where, I asked. Dead, he responded.
I lower the gun and stood there a few seconds, sadden by what I had just heard. I raised the revolver once again and held it under his chin. Who’s in the house, I asked.
Chocking on his blood, he said. My dad, Abagail and Caroline. Whose Abagail and Caroline, I asked. I was expecting him to reply, they were his mother and sister, but instead he said. Abagail was Christine’s daughter.
I turned to the young girl and asked what her name was. She replied, Marylou Watson. I walked around the end of the horse stall and bent down, with my left hand on the top of the cage, and my right hand on the keyring.
As soon as I touched the steel cage, pain shot though my entire body. I could hear boys and girls screaming out in pain. The faces of so many young people began flashing in my head like it had done, when I touched the back of the barn. Marylou touched me on the back and I moved my left hand off the top of the cage, and yanked the key ring, from the lock.
With the keyring in my hand, I told Marylou I needed to go into the house and get the other two women out. After I find them, I will take all of you to the county sheriff. She nodded her head and understood what I was telling her. She is a strong young woman, who wasn’t afraid.
Marylou and I were moving towards the door when Douglas, gasping for air and coughing, said his dad was bed ridden and paralyzed. I looked at Douglas and said he better be or he’s a dead man. Marylou turned walked over to Douglas and punched him as hard as she could in the groin. H
e let out a loud groan and spit out more blood.
At the door to the barn, I stopped and grabbed the Philco radio sitting on the shelf and slamming it down on the floor. I checked outside to make sure the dogs were still down.
Marylou and I walked across the gravel drive to the front of the house. We slowly took the three wooden steps up onto the front porch. There was dim light on next to the door. I took the keyring and tried the first key, but it wouldn’t fit the lock. I went through several more keys, before one would slide into the deadbolt.
Marylou was clutching my left arm, as I turned the handle on the steel door. When the door was slightly open, I pulled the handgun from my waistband. I pushed the front door open slowly with my foot. I could now see inside the house and a room that looked like the living room.
My eyes quickly scanned the space, before we move further into the house. We were standing in the entrance of the parlor. There was an antique bench sitting on the right, with a collage of family photos, covering the wall. The furniture was old but not dirty or overly worn. There was an older style television sitting in one corner, up against the front wall.
I moved further into the living room, keeping Marylou behind me. There was an eight foot wide arched opening straight in front of us, leading into the dining room. On the other side of the dining room was an opening into the kitchen. On the right back corner of the living room, just before entering the dining room was another smaller arched opening.
I moved further into the house and just before entering the dining room, I looked through the smaller ach and down a hallway that probably led to the bedrooms. I told Marylou to stay in the living room, while I check out the kitchen. She backed up a few feet and sat down on the arm of the overstuffed couch.
I walked through the dining room and into the kitchen. Lights were on under the cabinets. The steel door that leads to the back porch was on the far left side. I looked to my right and saw a regular six panel wood door. I held the gun up and opened the door slowly. There were steps going down to a basement. I leaned back, so I could see Marylou in the living room. She was still sitting on the arm of the couch, looking down the hallway in front of her.
Alien Among Us (TJ Steele Book 1) Page 20