Sara in Montana - A Christmas Wish

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Sara in Montana - A Christmas Wish Page 6

by Morris Fenris

Trent nodded. “It was. He checked into the names David Patterson and Trevor Ward. Nothing concrete came up on David Patterson. His background information doesn’t seem to go back very far. His name’s only been on their radar for a little over five years.”

  “What do you mean when you say ‘on their radar’ for only five years? He turns 35 next month,” Sara commented.

  “What my friend told me was that David Patterson seems to have been a do-gooder up until about five years ago. Not even a traffic ticket. Then, all of a sudden his name starts showing up in conversations and in information deep-cover personnel provided.” Trent watched Sara as he delivered this news, liking the confusion he witnessed crossing her face. His friends at the FBI had cautioned him about sharing too much information with her, just in case she was more involved than she was letting on.

  Unable to sit still any longer, Sara carefully pushed herself off of the overstuffed couch and approached the fireplace, pacing back and forth while she tried to make sense of what was going on.

  Trent watched her silently, giving her plenty of time to assimilate what he had already told her before delivering the rest of his news. “Sara, when did you first meet David Patterson?”

  Sara stopped her pacing and turned to face Trent. “Well, I worked for him for almost a year before I ever personally met him. I worked for a small import business that wasn’t doing very well. When the owner decided to retire, David’s company bought him out and combined us with his larger company. He kept the three of us on staff and gave us all nice raises, but we were told he was traveling out of the country and his assistant took care of all of the details.” Now that she thought about it, that whole time had been confusing and she had often wondered how one purchased a company and hired employees they had never met or seen.

  “So, David purchased the company you worked for without even seeing it?” Trent knew he was pumping her for information, but she didn’t seem hesitant to provide it, and his friends at the FBI could use all the intel he could come up with.

  Sara shook her head, “No, everything was done via telecom and courier service.”

  “But you met his assistant?”

  “Yes, several times. His name was Jacob Heath.” Sara tried to keep the sadness from creeping into her voice as memories of Jacob filtered through her mind.

  “Was?” Trent asked.

  Sara nodded slowly. “He was killed in a mugging several weeks after David returned from his overseas trip. I remember David was very upset. I think he and Jacob had been fairly close and Jacob handled everything here in the states for David when he was abroad.”

  Trent thought about this information for a few minutes before asking, “Who took over Jacob’s place in the company after his death?” He was afraid he already knew the answer, but wondered if she had put things together yet.

  “Several of us pitched in to help right after Jacob’s death.”

  Trent nodded, “That makes sense. But who did David put in his position permanently?”

  Sara looked at Trent trying to discover why he was going down this particular line of thought. “About a month after Jacob’s death, David promoted me to that position.”

  “Were you the most qualified person for the job at the time?”

  “Not really. There were several other people who had worked with David and Jacob for longer, but David was insistent that I had what he was looking for and could help him take his company to the next level.”

  “So there was a big learning curve?”

  “No, David helped me establish connections with each of his contacts. He even taught me how to accept shipments in the warehouse, but I don’t handle the warehouse stuff anymore.”

  Trent nodded. He remembered her telling him she had been moved to the front office and wasn’t in direct contact with the warehouse merchandise any longer. Deciding she probably didn’t know anything else about David Patterson, he was quiet as he watched her stare into the fireplace.

  Turning around suddenly, she looked at Trent and he could see the wariness as it consumed her face. “What about Trevor Ward?” Sara asked.

  “Well, that’s where things start to get interesting. Trevor Ward is a known contract hit man for a drug cartel that operates out of Columbia.” He waited for Sara to catch up as she processed what he was telling her.

  “It seems that Mr. Ward is one of the DEA’s most wanted individuals and he’s been operating under the radar for several years now. They know he’s guilty, but haven’t been able to prove anything.” Trent watched Sara for her reaction to this information. She appeared scared and wrapped her arms around herself in a self-protective posture.

  “Hit man? You mean, like on television where people pay him money to kill other people?” Sara couldn’t believe what she was hearing, though she had no doubt in her mind that Trevor Ward was capable of killing another human being and walking away without a second glance. The man had always given her the creeps.

  Sara walked back to the couch and gingerly sat down. The ache in her ribs was not as persistent, but certain movements definitely let her know that not everything was fine. Adjusting her position so that breathing was easier, she finally relaxed back into the cushions and took some slow breaths while she waited for the pain to subside.

  Trent watched Sara as she settled back into the seat. He saw her wince several times as she adjusted her position and glanced at his watch. There were still several hours to go before she could take another pain pill. He didn’t like seeing her in pain and decided to finish this conversation up quickly. He had promised her a phone call to her sister, and immediately after fulfilling that promise, Little Miss Sara was headed back to bed. He’d wait until he had her settled again before he made contact again with his FBI buddies.

  “Are you familiar with a man by the name of Enrico Gonzales?”

  Sara had finally gotten comfortable, but upon hearing Trent’s question, sat up and nodded her head, “Yes. Enrico came to work for David almost two years ago, not long after I took over Jacob’s position. He’s part of Trevor’s security team.”

  “Enrico Gonzales is an agent with the DEA. He’s been working deep-cover for the last several years. He’s been tracking the shipments of cocaine and heroin coming in from Columbia for the last 8 months.”

  “Coming in? Through David’s business?”

  “Yeah. Any significant change in the business around that time?”

  Sara slowly nodded her head. A little over 8 months ago, David had returned from a South America buying trip with a contract in hand with a large exporter in Columbia. Most importers stayed away from doing business with companies in Columbia because of the danger from the drug cartels.

  “Sara? What are you thinking?” Trent watched the thoughts cross her face and wondered what conclusion she had just drawn.

  “David went on a buying trip just under a year ago.”

  “To where?”

  “South America,” Sara looked up at Trent and could see he still had questions. “He came back with a large contract with a company in Columbia.”

  “You sound like that’s not a normal occurrence.”

  “It’s not,” Sara said, shaking her head no. “Most companies aren’t willing to risk their merchandise or their cash in an area controlled by the drug cartels. It’s too risky.”

  “But David came back with a contract from there?”

  “Yes. When I questioned him about it, he told me he had everything under control and I shouldn’t worry about it.”

  “So how have things been with that particular contract?”

  “Really good. In fact, we’ve had fewer problems getting merchandise in from Columbia than places like Canada.” Sara thought for a moment and then said, “In fact, I can’t remember any shipments from Columbia that haven’t arrived on time and with everything accounted for.”

  “Is that unusual?” Trent asked.

  Sara nodded her head. “Very. Shipping companies are routinely late and usually the shipping manife
sts will have something wrong with them. The Columbia company never makes a mistake and their courier service is excellent. No shipment is ever late with them.”

  Trent waited to see if she would start to put the pieces together before he asked, “You didn’t think that was odd? Even a little bit?”

  “Well…I did. But every time I would bring it up to David, he would tell me not to borrow trouble and worry about the suppliers who didn’t have such good shipment choices or warehouse personnel. There were always problems and spot fires to be put out elsewhere, so that’s what I did.”

  “It sounds like you took your job seriously and were an asset to David’s company.”

  “I’m just very organized.” Sara paused and then asked, “What about Enrico. Is he in danger from David and Trevor?”

  “He contacted his superior two days ago and told them what had happened with you.”

  “Enrico was one of the men helping to load the yacht with the packages,” Sara said, remembering.

  “Anyway, he told his superior that Trevor was demanding David find you before their entire operation was blown to pieces. Trevor seems to think you have it all figured out ... the drugs coming in – the cash going out.”

  Sara shook her head, “But I don’t. I mean, I didn’t. I didn’t have any idea this was going on.”

  “Enrico assured the DEA that you were completely innocent and didn’t have a clue as to what David was into. They were very relieved to hear that I have you and you’re no longer out on the streets.”

  “Why would that concern them?”

  “It seems that Trevor convinced David to put a price on your head. There’s a bounty of $50K for the person who locates you and tells him your whereabouts.”

  “Fifty thousand dollars?” Sara said, sitting upright. “But I don’t know anything!” Sara couldn’t believe her boss, the man she had thought she was in love with, would do such a thing.

  “It gets better. You ready?” Trent waited for her to nod her head.

  “Enrico said there’s a huge delivery of cocaine coming in to San Diego in three days time. If I did my math right, that would have been about the time you and your hubby were supposed to have met up with your sister in San Diego, is that right?”

  “First off, he’s not my hubby. Secondly, that’s exactly right. I can’t believe he was going to conduct a huge drug deal on our honeymoon.” Sara could no longer sit still and got up to pace around the room again.

  Trent watched her for a second before he continued, “Enrico told his superiors where the delivery is going to take place, when, and how many security personnel will be there. They’re working hand-in-hand with the FBI and local authorities to set up a sting operation. If everything goes right, they’re going to take them all down in one fell swoop.”

  “If they’ve known what’s been going on, why haven’t they done something before now?”

  “They’ve been playing a waiting game.”

  “Waiting for what?”

  “For the Quintana brothers to leave Columbia and show themselves. They run the cartel and rarely leave Columbia. It seems that one of them is ill and needs medical treatment not currently available in their country. They are traveling to San Diego so that he can receive this medical procedure. This may be the DEA’s only chance to catch these guys and put them away.”

  Sara didn’t say anything as she processed this new information. Finally, she turned to Trent and asked, “So, I get to stay here for a few more days?”

  Trent smiled and nodded. “I have been ordered by the DEA and FBI to keep you out of trouble and under my watchful eye. I told them that they didn’t know what they were asking and that, even though it would be a sacrifice on my part, I would do my best.”

  This time his humor didn’t even faze her and she replied, “Well, I’ll do my best to lower my escape attempts to only a dozen or so a day. I wouldn’t want to tire you out.”

  Trent chuckled and loved the fact that she could not only take his jesting, but then turn it back around on him. She simply made him laugh.

  Standing up, he headed toward the hallway and asked, “Are you ready to go make that phone call now?”

  Sara hurried to his side. “Are you sure the weather isn’t too bad? But, yes, I’d love to go call my sister. I can’t wait to hear her voice.”

  “Let me grab you a coat and we’ll head out. The safe house is only about 10 minutes from here, and if we go now, we should have no trouble getting back before the roads get really bad.” Trent headed towards the back of the house as Sara followed.

  “Great,” Sara said, putting the borrowed jacket on and zipping it up as she followed Trent towards the garage.

  Reaching up on a shelf, he handed her a pair of Jane’s snow boots and urged her to put them on. “Your tennis shoes are not going to cut it in this weather. Tomorrow, providing the roads get plowed and the stores open, I’ll take you into town and we can get you outfitted for a Montana winter properly. At a minimum you need boots, a coat, and some gloves.”

  Sara grinned as she stuffed her feet into the boots. The boots were several sizes too big for her small feet, but would keep them warm and dry.

  Before opening the door, Trent turned back to face Sara, putting him within inches of their bodies touching as Sara straightened up. Placing his hand upon her cheek, he turned her head up so he could look into her eyes. “Sara, I don’t want you to worry about the things I’ve told you. My friends at the FBI are going to get David and Trevor.”

  Sara placed her hand over Trent’s where it lay on her cheek. “I know. I’m kind of worried about my sister and her daughter. What if David tries to hurt them to get to me?”

  “Let’s go call her and find out if he’s made contact with her. My buddies in the FBI have already offered to bring your sister and her family into protective custody until this operation is finished, but only if they’re in danger. Moving them right now, if David hasn’t threatened them in anyway, could compromise their operation if David has your sister under surveillance.”

  Sara understood this and nodded in agreement. “What am I supposed to tell her? Can I tell her the truth?”

  Trent nodded, “Let’s find out if David has contacted her first and then we’ll go from there.” Reaching over and pulling a stocking cap down over her head, making sure her ears were covered, Trent turned back towards the door. “You ready for another adventure?”

  Sara nodded and followed him outside.

  Chapter 9

  Stepping through the back door, Sara stood and marveled at the scene before her. The snow was falling heavily and as she held her hand out, several large flakes landed on her palm. The entire landscape had been bathed in fresh white snow, and everything looked peaceful. The wind was still blowing, but Sara didn’t even notice the chill as she took in the beauty.

  “It’s pretty, huh?” Trent asked, having turned to make sure Sara had her footing. He skimmed his eyes over her face as she took in the view and smiled. His heart beat a little faster and he had to resist the urge to pull her in close. As she focused on him again, her smile had him wishing they were curled up together in front of a fire.

  Bringing his thoughts back to the task at hand, he reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled her with him towards the jeep. “Let’s get going. The snow’s not slowing down and I want to get back here before the roads become unmanageable.”

  “I’ve never seen so much snow in my life,” Sara giggled as she buckled her seatbelt and rubbed her hands to bring some warmth back into them.

  “You’ve not seen anything yet. Tomorrow morning, I’ll probably have to dig the vehicles out.” Trent looked over at Sara and saw the look of confusion on her face.

  “Dig out? You mean, dig out of the house?”

  “No, dig out the tires of the vehicles. The jeep does real good on top of the snow, but pack it around the tires, and it’s not going anywhere. Don’t look so worried. This happens all the time up here during the winter.”

 
Sara nodded her head and tried to envision enough snow to bury the jeep’s tires. She was definitely not in California anymore.

  Trent hurried around the jeep to the driver’s side, quickly entered, and started the vehicle up. Rubbing his hands together, he verified that Sara had her seatbelt on while doing his own. Looking over at her he said, “The heater takes a few minutes to warm up. Hang on.”

  Sara split her time between watching the ever-whitening landscape and Trent’s hands on the steering wheel. She admired the ease at which he handled the vehicle on the slippery roads, and was very thankful that she was not trapped on the highway tonight. She could have died out there in this type of storm.

  Not wanting to spend anymore time dwelling on those somber thoughts, she turned her head and asked, “So what kinds of activities does the large town of Castle Peaks undertake during the holiday season?”

 

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