by Jeff Carson
The silhouettes of the two men seemed to disappear straight into the mountain.
Wolf wasted no time, sprinting along the fence to the edge and dropping to his belly to take a look. It was ten feet of a steep incline, then a row of rocks along the river. He swiveled and slid feet first, then hopped along the boulders in a fast jog.
At the end of the fence line, Wolf crawled to the top of the slope and peeked over.
A haphazard group of rock piles surrounded the steaming excavator. The site looked like a bomb had gone off somewhere high above, sending down tons of rubble.
Wolf realized it was the scree field. It was completely gone from the side of the mountain, and in its place now yawned a tall cave, flickering yellow from light within.
Wolf scrambled to the flat ground and sprinted through the gate, his steps crunching louder as he moved further from the river. The cave bobbled in his vision as he stepped fast, finally reaching a pile of rubble just as a beam pointed out of the hole. He crouched, pulled his pistol, and looked over the rocks.
One of the men jangled a set of keys in his hand and jogged by.
Wolf ducked his way around the pile, keeping out of sight.
A few seconds later, a diesel engine fired up, and then tires munched nearer.
Wolf stayed down as headlights streamed shadows across the gouged mountain above him. The lights turned away towards the river, then the truck backed into position with a loud beep.
The engine went silent, a door slammed shut, and the keys jangled as the man stepped back to the cave.
Wolf scurried to the edge of the rock pile and looked.
A black flatbed tow truck shined in the moonlight, looking brand new. Probably the best money could buy. Probably bought just for the occasion.
A series of metallic clacks pierced the air, then a motor whirred as the tilt tray slid back, angling to about twenty degrees until it scraped against the ground. Then there was a high-pitched whine and a gleaming cable with a thick metal hook on the end bobbled down the ramp.
After a few seconds, one of them stopped the winch and pulled the cable out of site into the cave.
Wolf walked silently around the pile, then straight to the opening.
“Stop what you’re doing and put your hands up.” He trained the Glock on the guy without the cable.
The two men turned with wide eyes and put their arms up, which sent the beams of their flashlights pointing up to the ceiling.
The sudden change in lighting gave all three of them the same idea at once, and when the two men shot lightning quick glances at each other, Wolf dove forward.
Wolf was only halfway to the nearest man when they turned off their flashlights, sending the cave pitch black. Wolf groped through empty air, brushing up against the back of one of the men’s cowboy hat.
He clamped his left arm around the guy’s head and sat down to bring him to the ground. The man buckled, and when Wolf felt his butt hit the ground, he yanked the man backwards so they both lay flat, with the man on top of him.
A few feet away, the cave lit up with a massive cone of flame from the other man’s pistol.
Wolf shot four times in a tight circle around where the blast had been, then slammed the butt of his Glock into the head of the man he held, hoping he’d connected with the temple.
The man on top of Wolf struggled with a strength he wasn’t expecting, kicking his feet down into the ground as he dug his shoulders hard into Wolf’s chest. Before Wolf could react, a slicing pain seared through his right thigh.
Wolf went berserk, rolling the man to the left and clubbing him in the head with repeated blows until he went limp.
Wolf pulled his arm out from under the man and blinked fast. His vision swam with fuzzy circles, and a tone whined in his ears, blanking out any hearing. He slid his hand along the ground, and his finger glanced off a hard metal cylinder. It was the flashlight.
He picked it up with his left hand and extended his arm up to the side.
He pointed the dark flashlight carefully, then pointed the gun. He took a deep breath and clicked the flashlight on.
A thunderous bang flashed to his front and right as the air above his left wrist rippled painfully against his skin.
He aimed the beam and fired twice into the other man’s head.
Chapter 41
Buck sat dead, two holes in his head, still holding the 45-caliber revolver in a loose grip against the dirt.
It was Buck. He was the one with the thick gray mustache, Wolf remembered.
Wolf swung the flashlight beam through the thick smoke to Earl, who lay on top of Wolf’s leg, still unmoving and bleeding steadily above his eye. Wolf checked his pulse, which was strong, but he would certainly be unconscious for a while. The number of blows Wolf had laid into him would have caused a concussion at the very least.
The stench of gunpowder was thick in the closed space, stinging Wolf’s eyes and obscuring the view within the cave.
He grunted, pulled his leg out from Earl, and stood, his entire body shaking with adrenaline.
His black Carhartt pants were sliced on the right thigh. He unbuckled his belt and pulled them down for a look. The cut was a few inches long and bleeding pretty badly, but it wasn’t deep. It would clot soon.
Buck’s flashlight had tumbled next to his feet, so Wolf picked it up and clicked it on too, then propped it against Buck’s leg to point up. He stripped the men of their weapons and turned to the cave, finally registering what lay inside.
An old green Colorado license plate hung on one screw from a dirty rear bumper of a 1980’s Chevy Suburban. The entire thing was so caked with dust it was almost invisible against the surrounding brown rock walls and roof of the cavern.
Wolf swept his hand on the tailgate, revealing a cream-colored paint job below, then walked along the passenger side of the truck, stopping at the rear passenger window.
Despite the adrenaline pumping through his veins, and despite half-expecting it, his heart sped faster as he swept the dust off the rear window with his palm, revealing a dark brown tuft of hair matted against the glass. It was unmistakably human.
He raked the forearm of his jacket across the window, bringing the entire head into view. Red fabric with a dark green triangular pattern was visible below the hairline. Underneath the clothing was emaciated gray skin, sucked deep against adolescent-sized vertebrae. Wolf’s heart ached as he swept the beam forward, revealing a black-haired doll lying face down on the bone-thin pair of gray legs.
Wolf took a deep breath and moved to the front passenger window. He rubbed his sleeve again and peered in.
The seat was reclined a bit, so Wolf had to shine the beam back, revealing the wide-open mouth of what he could only assume was the Silversmith’s dead wife. Her lips were shriveled and gums gone, making the teeth look unnaturally large. The lower jaw hung too low for the living, and her shoulder length hair was a wispy gray mess that looked very brittle. Around her neck hung a necklace of blue turquoise circles set in silver discs.
Wolf pushed his thumb on the door handle and pulled. The door clunked and swung open, cascading a thin avalanche of dirt from the roof.
He let the cloud settle, then shone the beam inside, revealing the dead body of the Silversmith in the driver’s seat. He wore a denim jacket with turquoise beaded tassels on his breast pockets. Dark black hair spiked out underneath a gray cowboy hat, reminding Wolf of Martin’s hat of similar design. The man’s lips sagged low, revealing the front bottom teeth, and his eyelids were sunk deep into his eye sockets.
Wolf pointed the light back to the woman. He took a deep breath, blocking out the faint beef jerky smell, and leaned in. He reached down with his thumb and forefinger and lifted the dead woman’s left wrist. With the sound of tiny twigs breaking, the arm rose, almost weightless in Wolf’s grip. He twisted the back of the hand clockwise, revealing all of the fingers.
A silver ring, inlayed with a bright red-orange coral stripe, gleamed in the beam of the flashli
ght.
Chapter 42
Wolf stepped out of the cave, sucked in the cool fishy air of the river, and then bent over and coughed, clearing the stale death from his lungs. Just then a pair of headlights came into view through the construction site gates.
He stood tall and squinted, seeing the dark, unmistakable shape of turret lights on a Ford Explorer.
A bright flashlight beam pierced into Wolf’s eyes from ten yards away. “There’s your cavalry,” said a loud voice behind it.
Wolf squinted and grabbed his holstered Glock.
“Drop it. Now.” The voice said instantly. It was Gary.
Wolf paused a beat and tossed the Glock a few feet to the side, knowing Gary would have a gun trained on him, held by a steady hand with true aim.
The SUV rocked to a stop in the parking lot and the door opened with a squeak. The two peaks and circle SCSD logo was painted on the side.
“Hi Gary.” Wolf said, watching Vickers step out of the SUV fifty yards away.
Gary lowered the flashlight and approached Wolf.
“Over here!” Gary yelled, waving the beam towards Vickers.
Vickers stood next to the vehicle, peering through the gates for a few moments, and then walked towards them.
“Your good man on the inside. Sergeant Vickers.” Wolf said.
Gary stepped near, revealing a black leather gloved hand pointing a .45 caliber revolver with a long barrel, much like the one Buck had had inside the cave. Gary’s expressionless, cleanly shaven mouth was the only visible part of his face underneath his leather hat.
He moved closer and pushed up the brim, revealing his ice blue eyes in the moonlight. He walked to the Glock and pulled it back with his boot. Then he tucked the flashlight under his arm and bent to pick it up, all the while keeping the barrel of his revolver locked on Wolf’s chest.
“What’s going on?” Vickers was twenty yards away, approaching cautiously with his own pistol drawn.
“Look what I found.” Gary holstered his revolver and beckoned Vickers with Wolf’s Glock.
Vickers was wide-eyed, aiming at the ground in front of Wolf’s feet, walking slow and deliberate. He flicked a look to Gary.
Gary ignored Vickers, aimed the Glock at Wolf, and stepped backwards to his original position, putting them in more or less an equilateral triangle formation.
“Gary. Don’t shoot.” Vickers held a hand up and aimed his Glock at the ground in between all three of them. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret. We’ll take him in and do this right. I know you’re upset about Derek, but we’ve gotta do this right, sir.”
Wolf narrowed his eyes and looked at Vickers. The dynamic between the two wasn’t as he’d expected it would be. “Vickers. Listen to me. Point your gun at Gary, now.”
Vickers looked at Wolf and then did a double take of the cave entrance. He looked over his shoulder as if noticing the piles of rubble for the first time. Then he glared at Gary and put his other hand underneath the butt of his pistol.
“What the hell is going on?”
Wolf spread his fingers. “I’ve just figured out Gary’s secret. That’s what’s going on.”
“You see, Sergeant Vickers,” Gary interjected in a loud voice, “Sixteen years ago, a landslide covered this hole, along with a car.” He pointed the flashlight to the cave entrance and lowered his voice. “In that car was a family.”
Vickers furrowed his brow and looked to the cave.
“Sergeant Wolf here just shot my men inside as they were trying to pull out the vehicle. That’s why I called you, to let you know what we found. Then Wolf here showed up.”
Wolf snorted. “Jesus, Vickers. Listen. Sixteen years ago, Gary buried this vehicle with a family he murdered inside of it. He forced them to sell him their land, then killed them to keep it secret, and buried them here. I have proof. But you need to disarm Gary now, and I’ll explain everything. Point your gun at him.”
“Don’t listen to him, son.” Gary’s voice boomed.
Vickers squinted his eyes and shook his head. “Shut up! Both of you.” His face looked pained as he stared at the ground.
“Sergeant Vickers.” Gary’s voice was barely audible over the rushing river.
Vickers lifted his gun and pointed it at Gary. “What the hell were your men doing uncovering this hole?”
“Sergeant Vickers. I’m going to ask you to do something, and then I want you to do it.” Gary’s voice was smooth and confident. “Please take a look inside that hole. You’ll see that this man killed my two men in cold blood. It will all make sense soon, son. I promise you.”
Vickers inhaled fast, looking at the cave entrance, then to Gary again.
Wolf turned his palms out. “Sergeant Vickers. Don’t listen to—”
“Shut up!” Vickers pointed his pistol at Wolf.
Wolf flinched as a loud explosion lit the night.
Vickers’s head jerked back, and then with an involuntary muscle twitch his gun went off with a deafening blast of its own.
Wolf dropped flat to his belly as the air above his head hissed, a bullet passing just inches from his skull.
Vickers tipped backwards with both hands still clutching the smoking pistol. Then his knees buckled, and his lifeless body flopped sideways into an unnatural looking contortion.
Gary’s gun steamed in the moonlight. His eyes were wide and his mouth was wide open and grinning. “Holy shit!” Gary bent at the hip and scanned Wolf with mock concern. “That was close! I shoulda just shot him when he walked up here.”
Wolf shook his head and pushed up on his hands and knees. “What the hell are you doing, Gary?”
Gary turned to Wolf. “What am I doing? The question is what are you doing?” He glanced to the sky in thought. “Let’s see. You’ve just shot the man who took your job as Sheriff, stabbed your ex-wife’s boyfriend, shot an old man in the woods, killed three of my men, and now shot the man who was next in line for your job?” He shook his head. “You’ve gone crazy.”
Wolf’s eyes narrowed as he sat back on his heels. “I only killed two of your men, Gary. That’s the first kink in your story you’re gonna want to get straight. Earl’s unconscious in there, but he’ll be fine. Or I don’t know, maybe you want to go in there and finish him off, just to get another kill under your belt.” Wolf shook his head, looking over at Vickers. “Man, and now you’ve got quite a mess on your hands. What were Buck and Earl doing just now? Towing that Suburban with the dead family in it to one of your mines? Going to bury it a mile deep? What, now are you going to do that yourself?”
Gary shrugged. “Exactly. That is, after I set it up to look like you killed Vickers.” He kept the Glock aimed at Wolf, walked to Vickers, and pried the other department issue Glock from his hand.
Gary faced Wolf and looked at the two nearly identical pistols. He pointed the one in his right hand, raised an eyebrow, and then pulled it back. Then he pointed the one in his left, then lowered them both with a grin. The grin vanished as he dropped the right pistol on the ground, sending it skidding to a halt at least five yards from Wolf, and then stepped towards Wolf.
Wolf caught a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision behind Gary.
Gary stepped close and shook his head. “You’re still wearing that God damn ring. If you would have just left that ring alone,” he sighed, “you wouldn’t be taking your last breaths right now.”
Wolf snorted. “It’s not my fault you’re a low-life murderer.”
Gary sneered and raised the pistol.
“Did you kill my father, Gary? Tell me that. You owe me that much.” Wolf glared. “Or were you a coward, hiring out that piece of dirty work? Or maybe your dad did it for you?”
Gary lowered the gun and took a deep shaky breath. His eyebrows peaked at the center. “I’m so sorry, son. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.” His eyes steeled into a wide glare and he brought the pistol back up.
“So you did,” Wolf said. “I can’t believe it.”
Gary�
�s hand shook and he lowered the pistol a few degrees. “Your father knew too much about this, and now you do, too. I’m sorry.” Gary aimed straight at Wolf’s chest.
“Hey! Hey! Hey!” A screaming voice came from the direction of the river.
Wolf dropped and rolled to his right as four pops echoed through the canyon. Wolf finished his roll, scrambled forward, and dove for his pistol.
With lightning reflexes Wolf picked it from the dirt and raised it up, but before he could aim, Gary landed next to him, his face bouncing off the ground. His eyes locked on Wolf’s for a brief instant, and then the light within went out, and Gary was still.
Wolf braced Gary’s arm and pried Vickers’ pistol out of his hand. “Took you long enough!” He yelled.
Rachette stepped away from the excavator into the moonlight. “You know me, my aim sucks. I had to get close.”
Chapter 43
“Are you kidding me?” Rachette stared at Wolf, pointing his yolk-covered fork at the cell phone pressed against his ear. “Okay. Yeah, I’m with him now.” Rachette rolled his eyes. “I don’t know. You guys have it covered? Okay, talk to you soon.”
Wolf raised an eyebrow and shoveled another bite of eggs and hash browns in his mouth. Then he surveyed the dining room of the Sunnyside Café, looking for the new girl again to get a third order of eggs and bacon started.
Rachette slapped the phone on the table, sipped his coffee, and sat back. “They found Gary’s father dead this morning.”
The new girl came to the table. “You guys okay?”
Rachette squinted, raised his eyebrows, and leaned forward without a smile. “I’m doing just fine,” he said in a throaty voice.
“Okay.” She nodded and stared blankly at Rachette for a beat. Then she shook her head and turned to Wolf with a smile. “And how about you?”
“I’ll take another order of bacon and eggs, thanks.”
“Geez, that’s quite an appetite you’ve got there.” She tilted her head and topped off their coffee cups, glancing sideways at Wolf as she did so.