by Val Welch
“Yeah, it got pretty intense,” Carson admitted, looking past the campfire to the hobbled horses peacefully grazing in the clearing.
“Intense? Hell, from what I heard it was a big ol’ firefight and you shot the hell out of those idiots. The next morning at first light when the choppers showed up, me and the dogs took a hike up there and watched them load the bodies. There had to be a dozen dead and just as many prisoners.”
Carson closely examined the sorrel mare as she moved through the clearing grazing. “I lost it. Shelby’s usually there to rein me in.”
Walter followed his gaze and nodded at the mare. “Yeah, she pulled up lame, I had to hole up and give her a day to rest on the ride back into town.”
“Threw a shoe huh?”
“Yep, I’ll fix her up when I get her home in the morning.”
“Where’s home?”
“I’ve got a little place out by Pinedale. It’s on the road past the post office, if you want to look me up.”
Carson drained his cup and sat it on the stump. “Walter, I want to thank you and Moses for finding her.”
Walter turned, spat and wiped the dripping stream of tobacco with the back of his hand. “How’s she doing? I heard she walked all the way out to the highway and got frost bit.”
“She’s going to be fine. I’m on my way back over to the hospital now.”
Walter threw another log on the fire. “I heard the leader of those idiots got away. Are you still trying to hunt him down?”
“Yeah, we’re still looking for him.”
Walter glanced toward Gabe’s house. “Gabe knows him and his bunch real well.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Walter poked the fire with a stick. “He’s packing up over there. You might want to stop by before he takes off.”
Carson turned toward Gabe’s house and saw him loading a rifle case into the back of his SUV. “Thanks again, Walter.”
Walter nodded. “Take it easy, Pilgrim.”
Carson got into his car and watched Gabe disappear back into his garage as he drove over. He parked behind Gabe’s SUV, got out and walked through the garage. The door to the kitchen was ajar. He walked up the steps, knocked on the door jam and said, “Hello, anyone home?” as he walked into the kitchen.
Gabe was standing at the counter loading food into a small ice chest. “Carson, how’s it going?”
“Good, looks like you’re taking a trip.”
Gabe continued to pack the ice chest. “Yeah, I’ve got some time off and thought I’d get some fishing in. My buddy’s got a place down at Lake Roosevelt.”
“I heard they’ve got some huge catfish down there,” Carson said. He walked into the kitchen and stepped around a pile camping gear stacked near the back door.
“So they tell me,” Gabe said. “To be truthful, the prospect of getting away from all this EFA crap is good enough for me. It’s torn my family apart. Troy and Joaquin will probably spend at least a decade in prison. Anna and Rebeca are trying to come to terms with a life without them. And, I just found out that Doc and Mom called off their engagement.”
“Yeah, that’s a lot to deal with.”
Gabe finished packing the chest, grabbed the handle with his good hand and walked past him into the garage. Carson stooped down, picked up some of the camping gear and followed.
Gabe was waiting at the back of the SUV. “Sorry. I didn’t even ask how Shelby was today.”
Carson put the gear down. “She’s doing better. Doc’s weaning her from the drugs and so far the pain isn’t too bad. I’m on my way back over there now.” He gestured toward Walter’s camp. “I stopped by to give Walter his rifle and saw you were home. I just wanted to say thanks for everything out there. I know it got pretty crazy and I don’t think I could have held on without your help.”
Gabe lowered the tailgate and Carson noted that the rifle had been moved out of sight. “Hey, it’s my job, or was my job, anyhow.” Gabe shrugged as he started loading the back of the SUV.
Carson helped him stow the gear and close the tailgate.
“I know it’s your job, but you went beyond the call and I know it’s because of how you feel about Shelby.” He held up his palm when he saw Gabe’s startled face. “Let me finish, please. I would be lying if I said it didn’t bother me, but I know you’re a good guy and if she chooses you, then so be it.”
Gabe shook his head and looked away. “Damn, it would be so much easier if I could hate you.”
Carson laughed. “Yeah, that’s the hell of it.”
Forty-Four
Shelby had been awake for a few minutes watching Doc at the nurses’ station. He looked exhausted, and obviously hadn’t shaved or combed his hair in days. She felt horrible for inflicting this trauma on him.
He must have felt her eyes on him, because he looked up and smiled. She waved at him and noticed that the bandage on her hand was much smaller. The pain was better too, more of a constant dull throb than the excruciating pain that had plagued her in spite of the heavy sedation she’d been under.
She had no idea what day or time it was.
Doc walked across the hallway and into the small adjoining room where she watched him scrub his hands and arms before donning a gown and mask. He walked into the room with a cup of ice chips. “You look good, sweetheart. How are you feeling?”
“The pain is better and I don’t feel as groggy. Where’s Carson?”
He fed her a spoonful of chips. “I kicked him out a few hours ago. Don’t worry, he keeps coming back.”
She smiled, greedily sucking on the ice. “What happened at the compound? Did they take them all in?”
“I’m going to let Carson fill you in on all that.”
“Where’s Gabe? Is he okay?”
He gave her another spoonful and sat the cup down. “Yes, he’s fine.”
She grabbed his hand between her bandaged hands. “Doc, you look horrible. Are you okay?”
He nodded and she saw the tears in his eyes. “Oh God, what aren’t you telling me?”
He shook his head and sat down on the chair next to the bed. “Shelby, please don’t get upset. Everyone is okay and so are you. In fact, you’ll probably be out of here in a few days.”
She shook her head and leaned toward him. “There’s something you’re not telling me. Spill it now.”
“Okay.” He shrugged. “Lydia and I called off the engagement.”
“Oh Dad. I’m sorry. What happened?”
“We had a disagreement that I’d rather not discuss.”
“Does it have anything to do with me and Gabe?”
He shook his head. “Shelby, please respect my privacy.”
She leaned back against the pillows. “Dad, I hope you can work it out. I know how much you love her. If you want to talk or if there’s anything I can do, please let me know.”
“Thanks. Do you want some more ice?”
“Yes, though I’d rather have a chocolate milkshake.”
He laughed and fed her another spoonful. “Keep this down and we’ll see about some Jell-O in a few minutes.”
“I’m starving,” she complained as she sucked on the ice.
“That’s a good sign. We just need to take it slow until we get your system back online.”
“I feel grimy. Can I have a shower and wash my hair before Carson comes back?”
He laughed. “Yes, we’ll get you cleaned up in time for Romeo. I think the bandages on your hands can come off too.”
“Good, I want to feed myself.” She grinned and then opened her mouth for more ice chips.
* * * * *
Carson left Gabe and drove down the road to Doc’s driveway. He backed into the garage, closed the door and watched the road through the kitchen window while calling Morgan on his cell phone. “Carson, what’s up?” Morgan asked.
“I just left Gabe Navarro’s house. He’s packing up for a fishing trip. I think we need surveillance on him.”
“Why?”
�
��He’s taking a rifle and no fishing poles on this fishing trip.”
“Hmmm, that’s interesting. We just listened to a conversation he had with his cousin Anna a couple of hours ago. They’ve developed a very interesting scenario that involves someone named Aunt Stella, who may be a member of the Malone family.”
“Okay. What’s their scenario?”
“Nick Malone killed the real Dante, assumed his identity and has strong-armed the members into performing increasingly more violent and illegal acts. His ultimate goal was to raise enough money through selling meth and running illegals to buy the missiles. And this is where it gets very interesting. He then uses the missiles to extort money from the government by shooting down a military aircraft and threatening to take the missile threat public.”
“Damn. It makes more sense than Nick Malone caring about the environment. That scenario is driving the profilers crazy.”
“That’s what Navarro seem to think too.”
“So how does this Aunt Stella fit in?”
“From what Navarro said, we think she lives near a military training base. Nick and Eden Malone may be with her and planning on shooting down a military aircraft.”
“So, Gabe’s going looking for them?”
“That’s what it seems like. Where is he now?”
“I just left him at his house. I’m at Doc’s waiting for him to drive by.”
“What’s he driving?”
“Late model Chevy Tahoe SUV, dark blue, Arizona plates HEZ-008.”
“Okay, stay with him and keep in touch until a team catches up with you.”
“Okay,” Carson said. After ending the call, he ran into the mudroom to grab his coat and saw Gabe coming down the street. After Gabe passed by, he opened the garage and drove out into the street. He stayed far enough behind to be reasonably sure Gabe wasn’t aware of him and followed him out of town on Highway 77. He called Morgan, gave him their location and continued to tail Gabe.
His cell rang as he was getting ready to call Morgan again. “Hey, where are you?”
“Still going south on Highway 77. You got someone headed this way?”
“See that red jeep that just passed you?”
“Yeah.”
“They’re our guys. You can break off.”
Carson slowed, pulled over to the edge of the roadway and watched as Gabe and the jeep disappeared over the horizon.
Forty-Five
Gabe watched in his rearview mirror as Carson pulled over after the red jeep Cherokee passed him and knew he’d been handed off. He set his cruise control; turned up the Jackson Browne CD he’d been listening to and continued driving south, keeping the Cherokee in his mirror.
Two hours later, as darkness fell, he drove through Globe and continued south on Highway 77, the Cherokee still trailing several cars behind him. An hour later, just out of Dudleyville, he maneuvered into the midst of several cars in front of a semi and waited. Just before they passed over the Zapata wash bridge, he turned off his lights, made a quick left off the highway and drove under the bridge. He hid in the pitch black night until he was positive the Cherokee had continued following the line of cars.
A few minutes later he was back underway taking the secondary roads and skirting Tucson. He arrived at his destination, parked, put his 9mm on the console next to his thigh and tried to sleep until sunrise.
* * * * *
After watching Gabe disappear over the horizon, Carson sped back to Doc’s house and went to work. He set up the queries on the six names Morgan and SAC Reynolds had given him. While they were running, he rummaged through his briefcase until he found Shelby’s flash drive. He downloaded the data she had retrieved from Judith Navarro’s computer and looked at it again. There were several e-mails to and from Stella Navarro. He added Stella Navarro to his query, and then started packing for the trip he knew he had to take.
An hour later, while uploading his results to the case file, he called Morgan. “I just uploaded my research results to the case files. Aunt Stella is a Navarro. She lives on a ranch outside of Tucson. We may be dealing with a hostage situation and Gabe Navarro is headed right into it. We need to rein him in before he does something crazy.”
“I’m looking at the file now. Damn, I think your right. Get over here to the airfield. I’ll have the chopper drop you in with a hostage rescue team.”
On the way to the airfield, Carson’s cell rang. He picked it up and saw it was the hospital. “This is Special Agent Billings.”
“Hey, where are you?” Shelby asked.
He smiled. “Hi, girlfriend. You sound great. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Where are you?”
He sighed. “I’m not going to make it back over to you tonight. I’m on my way to catch a chopper.”
“Oh, why?”
“Shelby, it’s work.”
“Oh good, catch me up on the case. Doc won’t tell me anything.”
“Dante aka Nick Malone and probably Eden are running around with the missiles. The surveillance guys taped a conversation between Gabe and his cousin Anna, who came up with a very interesting scenario, which entails the Malones shooting down a military aircraft with one of the missiles and blackmailing the government by threatening to take the missile threat public.”
“Okay … sounds kind of far-fetched, but go on.”
“Anna and Gabe mentioned someone named Aunt Stella who Morgan assumed was a relative of the Malones. But there was a Stella Navarro on the e-mails you downloaded from Judith Navarro’s computer. I ran her through a query and found that she lives on a ranch outside of Tucson, very close to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.”
“So you think the Malones know Aunt Stella and took the missiles from the warehouse in Tucson to her place and are going to shoot down an F-16 on a training run?”
“Yes and so does Gabe, that seems to be where he’s heading.”
“Does Morgan know all this?”
“Yes, he put a tail on Gabe who is driving down now and he’s sending me down on a chopper to meet a hostage rescue team.”
“Why are you crashing the party?”
“Because Gabe’s my friend and I owe him.”
“Owe him what?”
“My help and support. If you’d been with us on the trail looking for you and taking over the EFA compound, you’d know what I mean. Shelby, he’s racked with guilt about what happened to you. He’s probably going to lose his job. His cousins are going away for a long time, and to top it off, Doc and Lydia called off the wedding. He’s totally despondent and he’s not thinking. I need to get there before he does the unthinkable and executes Nick Malone.”
“No way, he’s not going to do that, he’s too levelheaded.”
He took a deep breath and forced himself to say it. “Shelby, you’d be surprised how easy it is to lose it and pull the trigger when you shouldn’t.”
“Carson, this is crazy, you’re a computer geek. You’re not equipped for this kind of mission. I can’t believe you’re going and that Morgan’s letting you.”
He smiled. “It’s so good to hear your voice. You know how much I love you, don’t you?”
“Oh Carson, please just come back to me. I need you to take care of me and Hayden.”
He laughed. “Who’s Hayden?”
“Our baby. His name is Hayden and he’s a wonderful kid; we’re going to have an amazing life together.”
“Are you back on the pain meds?”
“No … I won’t take them. I don’t want to take any chances with our future and I don’t want you to either. Please, I’m begging you … please don’t do this. I know this sounds crazy, but I have a really bad feeling about this.” She sobbed.
“Shelby, Shelby … please baby. Be calm. I’m going to be fine.” He heard her gasp a deep breath and felt like shit for putting her through this. “Please, don’t be upset. There’s going to be a whole team there. Just try to relax, please.”
“Okay, I know you’re right, I’m just fr
eaked out after everything that happened on the mountain. I know you’ll be careful. What time will you get there?”
“I should be there by twenty-one hundred. I’m pretty sure Gabe won’t make a move until first light so that gives us a few hours to find him.”
“Where did you say the ranch is?”
“It’s off I-10 near a little town called Vail, on the Old Spanish trail. Stella Navarro has been living there for at least twenty years from what I can tell. Evidently it’s right in the Davis-Monthan flight path. You can probably set a watch by the fly overs. It’s all in the case files. I actually found satellite pictures of the ranch buildings.”
“I’m calling Morgan right now to confirm everything you just told me and that he’s sending enough coverage out from Tucson,” she said as another small sob escaped.
“I’m not lying to you. Please just think about what can happen to Gabe if this goes wrong.”
“Carson, I’m not going to lose you. Gabe has made some very bad decisions and a lot of people have paid for them. He’s had many chances along the way to change the course of this case. Damn, he could have stopped the Malones from growing pot before their first bust, but he chose to turn a blind eye.”
Carson stopped in front of the command center hanger and shut off the ignition. The chopper was sitting on the tarmac waiting. “Listen, girlfriend, I’ve got to go now. Please try not to worry.”
He heard her take another deep breath and his resolve started to waiver.
“Call me on my cell phone. We need to stay in touch. I can help you get through this.”
“I will, baby, I’ll call you when I get there. I love you, please just relax and take care of yourself, okay?”
“Okay, go,” she sighed. “Just remember I love you.”
“I love you too, Shelby.” The vivid image of his last day in Afghanistan flashed into his mind as he sprinted across the tarmac crouched low under the whirling blades and climbed into the front passenger seat. He took a deep breath and braced himself against the gut-wrenching anxiety as he prepared to face another mission.