Less than a mile and a half out of town, they turned left onto a dirt lane, and continued up the drive about a mile, to the two-story house perched on a hill. The sign at the entrance to the driveway read, “Creek-View Bed and Breakfast.”
As he parked Shane said, “Isn’t this where your friend lives who taught you about mushrooming?”
Kate nodded and said, “You’ll love her. She’s fun and wonderful, and a great cook!”
Shane replied suspiciously, “I hope she’s got a lot of food ready. I’m starved from the…stress of the morning!” He smiled at Kate, who returned the smile, knowing exactly what had made them both so hungry.
Pete added, “We seem to have had a lot of…stress too, last night and again this morning so we’re starved!” He smiled proudly while Tasha blushed, as they headed from the pick-up to the front door.
Kate placed an arm around Tasha and said, “I couldn’t be happier for you two!”
Just as they arrived at the front door the door suddenly swung open, and a man in his fifties pushed the storm door open with his shoulder while he wheeled two .22 rifles out with his right hand. Leaning against the door he said, “Hi, I’m Carter, Mary’s husband. She said you’d be joining us for breakfast.”
Shane stared at Carter, not knowing what to do, while Kate took Carter’s hand, and pulled him in for a hug, rifles and all.
Carter returned the hug, released Kate, and leaned back against the door with his shoulder. He cradled both rifles in one arm and held the door open, while he offered his free hand to Shane. “Glad to meet you all. Go right in. I’m stocking up the truck for some ground squirrel shooting later. I’ll be right back.”
Carter then shook each person’s hand, as they walked in and said their name. A large wide smile never left his face. They instantly knew his greeting was sincere, and that he was genuinely glad to receive them as guests.
Kate walked in to the entry like she was arriving home, and immediately exclaimed, “Bentley! Bentley!” A medium sized handsome dog, with pointed, sound-tracking ears that stood halfway up and then flopped over, and a crooked tail, raced to greet Kate. He jumped up and down, and spun around avoiding hitting her, obviously excited to see her.
As he wriggled in circles, to Shane’s amazement, the dog began talking, as if murmuring, “Where have you been, I’ve been looking for you, forever!” He continued to “talk” to Kate as she greeted him and petted him. He then fell over on his back, and presented his belly for rubs, which Kate generously and vigorously supplied.
Kate had dropped to her knees in the entryway leaving just enough room for Shane, Tasha and Pete to come in, and wait behind her, as she nuzzled and kissed the dog like a long-lost friend. Carter’s wife Mary walked in from the kitchen and said, “He remembers you, every time!”
Kate jumped up and hugged Mary, finally turning back to the others, and introduced everyone, first to Mary, and then to Bentley. Shane stooped down to pet Bentley’s short, yellow lab-like coat. He was instantly sniffed, and then licked in the face by Bentley’s long black tongue. Shane loved dogs, and was fondly reminded of how much he had wanted his own, for so long.
Mary said, “I heard you all met my gun-toting husband. Come on in. We were going to have a Bloody Mary. Can I get you each one, or something else?” Everyone opted for a Bloody Mary, and Mary directed them to the couch and chairs in the living room, within sight of the kitchen, as she went to get drinks.
But then, one-by-one, as company often does when faced with a host departing for the kitchen, Kate, Shane, Tasha and then Pete followed Mary to the kitchen, and stood at the center island as she prepared the drinks. Mary just grinned, as if she expected everyone to end up there. She was genuinely excited, and happy to see Kate, and meet the rest of her crew. Her hospitality and friendliness were infectious, and she flowed through the kitchen making drinks and preparing food, as if she was a magician, mastering each task as though it was simple and effortless, even as the results proved outstanding. Shane wished Jesse was there to appreciate the art of Mary’s movement and delivery.
As Carter returned through the front door, Bentley made the rounds from Kate to Tasha to Pete to Shane. Finally, everyone was sufficiently licked and sniffed, and had returned the affection with appropriate hugs, pats, and comments. Satisfied that everything was under control and had met with his approval, Bentley walked to the door to be let out onto the deck, where he would assume the position of protector of his realm, and watcher of rock chucks, deer, and red-digger ground squirrels.
The adults stood around the center island in a circle, talking excitedly, and getting to know each other, as Mary prepared the fare to be served, and Carter made sure the drinks remained full. He poured refills from a pitcher of Bloody Mary’s pre-made earlier that morning.
While everyone had tasted a Bloody Mary before, no one could recall one so tasty. As with all her recipes, the hostess was coy about her secret ingredients, but eventually confessed to using a slice of bacon, Absolut vodka and her own blend of spices, to complete the drink, and coat the rim of the glass. The flavor was exceptional.
Shane looked at his watch and the time was exactly 8:30 in the morning. He was finally really relaxing, enjoying being a normal person with people he loved, and he was even making new friends. He felt blessed. He was de-stressing and convincing himself that life could be good, normal and safe.
But he wondered where Walter and the convoy were now, and what Heath was doing at that very moment. A nagging feeling that something was about to happen haunted the recesses of his consciousness. He pushed the worrisome thought further back in his mind, until it was out of sight. He was going to enjoy himself today.
As Shane sipped his Bloody Mary, the convoy was closer than he imagined. They had driven for several hours to reach the outskirts of Treasure Valley, near Boise. They had gassed up in Parma, in southern Idaho. The town was small and not far from Interstate 84 where they would continue their journey due north, another four hours, to the ranch. The convoy’s counter surveillance team had trailed at a respectable distance, to ensure they were not followed.
The group had taken a route through Nevada to Oregon, driving from Carson City through Reno, Winnemucca, and finally McDermitt, where Highway 95 entered Oregon, at the city limits. They had driven northward, through desolate, unpopulated stretches of sage brush and high desert. Cell sites in the area were sparse at best.
The country was monotonous and unspectacular, until the highway crossed the Owyhee River at Rome, and finally reached prettier country, with more water and the accompanying greenery, near Jordan Valley. After Jordan Valley the highway eventually dropped in to the Treasure Valley, west of Boise. Walter had always loved Boise, “a good-sized, clean, small, yet big city,” he boasted.
The little towns along the route had been perfect places for the convoy to detour and wait, while counter-surveillance teams ran through their routines, to assure they weren’t followed. The teams then rushed forward to rejoin the group. At Jordan Valley, and again at Parma one counter-surveillance team had deployed a drone, to watch all roads entering the area, for any suspicious vehicles following them. At the same time, all convoy vehicles were re-scanned for GPS vehicle tracking devices, while the lead vehicles were fueled, and the rest of the team took a break. The sky was also continually monitored by a team member.
Prior to leaving on the trip, Tom had taken everyone’s cell phones, and locked them in to a portable lead lined safe, with all cell phones turned off. If anyone attempted to track their movements by cell, it would be impossible...no towers to ping, and no signals could escape the safe.
Communication between vehicles in the convoy was accomplished using portable handheld radios, set to scrambled frequencies Tom and Jesse had programmed at the last minute, before the group had departed from Carson City. The channel selected had also been programmed in to one radio given to Kate and Pete, which had accompanied the group flying to Joseph.
The cadre wanted to ensure as b
est they could that no one would know where they were going, as they worked on unraveling the mystery contained in the AG files, Shane’s dad had sacrificed his life to preserve. They were committed to not repeating a mistake like the one they made with Wesley.
The convoy made their final counter-surveillance check in Parma, before they drove on to I-84 to travel north, as planned. They would continue through Idaho, and once again enter Oregon at Ontario, and continue to the ranch. So far everything had been fine.
But Lee and Tom were disappointed they had discovered no one following the convoy. They had developed a plan to capture and interrogate anyone following them, or conducting surveillance on the group. They planned to extract information to discover who may be monitoring their moves. But the well-developed plan had so far produced no results. They continued on toward the ranch with dwindling hopes of success.
As the convoy left Ontario, Carter served the breakfast guests their second Bloody Mary in a fresh glass, with a celery, bacon flavored and season-salted rim, another secret to Mary’s success as a mixologist. Mary continued chatting with the group around her kitchen island, as she effortlessly assembled the ingredients for the main course. An enticing sweet aroma escaped the oven, teasing the already hungry crew.
The kitchen and house were welcoming and comfortable, and the view of the surrounding mountains was spectacular. The day was warming up nicely and although it was just early May, the weather was nice enough to eat on the deck. Mary had Carter set the table for the group outside, while she worked on finalizing the breakfast. He seemed to take direction well, even when chastised for a small error in concentration, as he visited with the guests.
A smoker on the deck offered up the aroma of smoke-barbequed pork. The guests moved to the deck, and sat in padded Adirondack chairs, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the area, as Bentley curled up at Kate’s feet. Bentley remained content, but watchful and alert, as if he too was expecting trouble. Shane smiled down at the dog, and reached to continue petting him, as Bentley remained on guard for strangers. Shane thought he needed a dog like Bentley, and Kate smiled, apparently reading his mind.
Shane finally leaned back in the comfortable deck chair, sinking deep in to the plush cushions, allowing his shoulders and mind to fall in to a mesmerizing state of relaxation. He looked skyward and watched a flock of geese squawking, as they flew northeast, directly overhead, not 50 feet above the table. The birds were in tight formation, and paid no attention to their admirers below.
Shane closed his eyes as the morning sun bathed and warmed his face. When he opened them, movement in the pasture to his left alerted Shane’s eyes. He gazed over at a pair of spotted twin fawns, as they bound toward their mother, who had just stood up after a nap in the field. He thought to himself what a perfect place this truly was, and how many such places must exist, scattered throughout the country. The United States held many such gems within its borders.
Shane was now finally really relaxed. Kate seemed to sense his mood, and reached for his hand to squeeze and caress, as she sat next to him. Bentley moved toward Shane, and collapsed on Shane’s feet, as if protecting him while he rested. Shane smiled, knowing he had already bonded with Bentley, his new and loyal friend.
Mary brought out an air pot of coffee with accompanying cream, sugar, honey and flavored creams, while Carter took a perfectly smoked pork loin off the smoker, to carve. Mary reminded him to let the loin rest for a few minutes, to seal in the juices before he began carving. Carter just smiled and nodded to the guests, as he disappeared into the kitchen, with his wife in pursuit, chatting out more instructions.
Kate stroked Shane’s strong hand with her own soft hand, playing with each finger as she settled into the scene, and appreciated the beauty of the area once again. But before she could get more comfortable, Mary returned immediately with bowls which she placed in front of each guest, on different colored placemats.
Each bowl presented vanilla yogurt, topped with baked pears, basted in a mixture of brown sugar, orange juice, butter, cinnamon and cloves. The guests all immediately came to attention, as the aroma of the hot pears and spices hit their noses. They all took a spoonful, blew on it to cool it down, and took a healthy bite. Each guest was instantly rewarded with an explosive medley of sweet and citrus blended flavors that delighted their taste buds.
As Mary directed Carter to carve the loin into slices of perfect thickness that would meet her exacting standards, she stirred black beans one last time, before creating her trademark dish, Huevos Rancheros.
On warm corn tortillas, Mary spread a thin layer of sour cream, sprinkled on a blend of three Mexican shredded cheeses, and topped that with hot black beans infused with diced peppers and onions. She topped the bean blend with more shredded cheese, and covered the affair with chopped fresh baby spinach, and a small dollop of sour cream.
She then crowned the dish with one perfectly round fried egg, taken hot off the egg pan. She garnished the presentation with red, orange, and yellow bell peppers, sliced in thin wedges, placed alongside sliced tomatoes, avocados and limes. She then sprinkled finely grated parmesan cheese over the entire plate and added a dusting of finely chopped fresh Cilantro.
Carter added a healthy slice of smoke-barbequed pork loin, and delivered two completed plates to Kate and Tasha, who had both just finished their yogurt and pears.
Mary carried out the last two plates, and served Pete and Shane, as Carter topped off the Bloody Mary’s one more time. Before sitting to join the guests at breakfast, Mary positioned a tilted sun umbrella to block the warming sun, shining in Shane’s eyes. She then sat with her coffee, and talked about her first adventure with Kate, on the mushroom trail, in the high country.
Kate and Mary laughed and teased each other about mishaps along the trail, as Shane, Pete and Tasha listened to the conversation intently. Meanwhile, the creek rushed past the house thirty yards below the deck, and the occasional flight of geese barked and squawked directions to each other, as they appeared briefly overhead. The leaders of these squadrons occasionally relinquished their positions to rest, as they allowed a new leader to cut air for the group.
The effect of the meal and the ambiance was mystical. Shane relished the scrumptious meal, while he looked out over horse farms in the green agricultural valley, and wondered if he had made wrong choices about where he had lived, until now. He knew he could fit in and be very, very happy, right here in this sparsely populated county. It was his kind of place. And Carter and Mary were his kind of people.
Kate was teasing Mary about sharing her last warm beer when they had first met. Shane watched closely, and noticed that Kate really enjoyed the company of this generous and kind woman, who had become a fast-friend. As he studied Mary, he thought how many similarities there were between Mary and Kate.
Mary was a ¾-size version of Kate, smaller, about twenty years older, and beautiful in her own right. He could tell Mary was fun loving, and like Kate, was also talented, smart and athletic. He realized for the first time in a long time, that he had never developed friends like this, and he suddenly had a longing for stability and a more normal life.
He also realized that Kate needed that too, and he silently began to dream of an exit plan from this dangerous, nomadic profession he had chosen. He yearned to embrace a more traditional and rewarding life with Kate, family and friends. He was suddenly reminded of what he had always really known, that work comes and goes, but family, friends and living life are what is important, in the little time we are granted on earth.
Carter returned with his own plate, and sat at the table, taking the only vacant chair. Shane asked him about the history of the valley, and received an articulate and well-organized briefing of the people, places and events that had created the history of the area. Shane felt an instant kinship to Carter, who appeared to have a somewhat similar history, from the little he shared on their first meeting.
At the end of the discussion, Shane felt he could lean back and go t
o sleep in the chair. He was completely safe, relaxed, and stuffed with good food. The Bloody Marys had worked their magic too, and the warmth of the day called to him like a mythical seductress, urging him to release all of his worries, if just for an instant.
And as he rested and sank further into peace and calm, he thought to himself what a good day it would be just to sleep right here on the deck, in the sun, with the sounds of the creek, geese and neighing horses in the background. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes as Tasha and Kate helped Mary clear the plates. Normally he would have helped, but he had to stay here and keep Carter and Pete good company…not saying a word, with his eyes closed. He thought, “Someone has to be gracious.”
Fifteen minutes later Kate was shaking Shane’s shoulder and saying, “Are you already asleep? I guess I’m going to have to be gentler with you next time!”
Shane opened one eye and said, “I’m just baiting you for more attention, my love.” He smiled up at her, receiving a warm kiss.
Kate said, “Carter and Mary have invited us to go red digger shooting with them on their ATVs today. Do you want to go, honey?”
Shane grinned and said, “I will as soon as I can move. I’m stuffed after all that great food. I shouldn’t have eaten the second slice of pork Carter put on my plate …but man it was so good!”
14
“It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time.”
(Winston S. Churchill)
Pete and Tasha left in the pick-up to tour more of the county, while Shane and Carter loaded the ATVs on to the trailer. Kate and Mary cleaned the kitchen and started the dishwasher, as Kate filled Mary in on her new love. They chatted on like two sisters who needed to catch up after a several months’ absence from each other’s lives.
Finishing before the girls, Shane returned to the deck, and laid back even deeper in his deck chair. He basked in the warm sun that had just managed to sneak past the shade. He thought to himself, “I really need to get back to work and make a plan. I need a good solid plan with contingencies. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe then, I’ll make a plan.” He slowly drifted off to sleep holding on to the feeling of the warm sun on his face, for as long as he could be conscious of its presence.
The Case Page 37