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Luray Caverns is eastern America's largest and most popular caverns. A physical and geological wonder, the caverns possess cathedral-sized rooms with ceilings ten stories high, filled with towering stone columns and crystal-clear pools. Nestled in the scenic and historic Shenandoah Valley, Luray Caverns is one of Virginia's most popular tourist attractions. Nearly daily an assortment of schools take field trips to the caverns.
The drive to Luray Caverns was a relatively short one from Bryce Mountain, around thirty minutes. It would take Jenny three times as long to get there from Reagan airport. While driving there, it hit Jackson about the school field trips.
“Ronnie, I just remembered how popular the caverns are for school field trips. We cannot endanger any kids,” he said in a panic.
Ronnie looked at him, then nodded. “Yeah, I agree. Let's see what she says about the tail. Also, since we will be there way ahead of her, let's drive around the area and see if there is another good spot to lie in wait.”
Once in the Luray area, they started to drive around. They even drove over to nearby I-66 to see what some of the back roads looked like near that interstate. They knew that Jenny would be coming to them via I-66. Jackson called Jenny when they had worked out a way to trap her pursuers. Jackson told Jenny to take the exit onto state route 17 near Delaplane, Virginia. He told her to then make a right onto Maidstone Road near the small local airport, and gave her the land markings to look for so that she could make a right turn down a winding and dusty dirt road. They would be able to connect with her on that road.
Jenny also confirmed with them that there were two SUVs following her. When she had picked up on the fact that she was being followed, it looked like each car had just two men. But, she had to be sure. She decided to make a big show of stopping at a gas station convenience store without getting gas. She braked hard at the entrance, looked rushed as she walked down the aisles obviously looking for a certain item, found it, then paid for it. The item she paid for was a box of tampons. Once purchased, she went to the ladies room before returning to her car. She hoped that her performance would satisfy her pursuers. More importantly, it allowed her to see how many men were on her tail.
Ronnie and Jackson had found a perfect hiding spot in the woods behind a smattering of oak trees just off the winding dirt road they had described to Jenny. Once Jenny let them know she was about to get off I-66, the two men were going to get out of the car, and with guns in hand lie in wait for Jenny to pass. They would then give her a gun and all three would position themselves at various spots on both sides of the winding dirt road to wait for her followers. Earlier, Jackson said to Ronnie, “So this will be a flat-out ambush, right?”
Ronnie could not tell if Jackson was being sarcastic or just plain naive. “Jack, this is real serious stuff. The big leagues. You know, save the world kind of stuff. You need to put yourself into a different state of mind, buddy. Kill or be killed. These guys only mean us harm. If we get the jump on any of them, we need to take them down. Period.”
Jackson got the message. “I know, Ronnie,” he said sheepishly. “I am ready. My whole brave new world still takes some getting used to.”
Ronnie just smiled and patted him on the back.
While settling in to wait for Jenny, Ronnie flipped on the news station on the radio, which was reporting the headline reports of the Steve Mills heart attack. Jackson spoke first.
“Well there goes our plan!” he said, obviously frustrated. Last night, while talking to Jenny, the three of them agreed that it made the most sense to track down Steve Mills and force him to talk. Jenny had gotten information on his home and office. They had intended to confront him that day.
Ronnie just silently stared out the front car window. He then said, “They are really starting to circle their wagons, now. In situations like this, the bad guys end up settling for less than expected. I wonder how far they have progressed with the big plot. I am getting concerned that their fear of being exposed may force them to move into action earlier than planned.”
Jackson had not thought about that. Ronnie's observation started to redirect his thinking. Just then, on the radio, the news channel was going into greater detail about the Duncan reward. The radio news anchor was reading the Duncan statement verbatim. On hearing it, Jackson pounded the dashboard, momentarily stunning Ronnie.
“Whoa, man. You alright?” Ronnie asked.
Jackson turned to his friend with a wild, yet excited look in his eyes. Ronnie had not seen Jackson this excited since they watched the super bowl together many years ago when Jackson was married to his cousin. In fact, since they reconnected several days ago, Ronnie had not seen his friend happy at all. He had forgotten that Jackson Lowery could look happy.
“Ronnie, they know! Don't you see? The Duncans know I am innocent, but they need our help. They want me to reach out to them. They know I did not kill Amy!”
At this point, Ronnie saw that Jackson appeared to be on the verge of tears. He tried to get a handle on what was going on.
“Slow down there, buddy. Just take a couple of deep breaths. Let's back up a bit. What did you just hear in the statement that led you to believe what you just said - that they believe you are innocent and are sending you a coded message to reach out to them?”
“I know it's crazy, but it is right there in the 1-800 number, Ronnie. The last part. 1789. That is the restaurant where I took Amy. That is where we had our one and only date. Somehow, they know that and the bad guys don't. Maybe Amy kept a diary or something, but it is not a coincidence that they would choose the number 1-800-AMY-1789! They want me to call that number!”
Ronnie was not convinced.
“It could also be the opposite, Jack,” he said. “They could know about the date and still think that you had an obsession over their daughter.”
Jackson was about to reply, but soon realized that he would have to table his thoughts. They had been interrupted by the sound of several cars' racing engines. What followed those sounds was the sound of sub machine fire.
Jackson's phone then rang. They looked at each other, knowing it was Jenny. Jackson picked up the phone, putting it on speaker.
“Jenny,” he said. “Are you alright?”
“I've been hit! They opened fire when I got on 17. It's bad. I think I am passing out, but am trying to make it to you. I'm coming in hot. Cover m...”
Another gunshot interrupted Jenny before she could finish. Jackson and Ronnie heard an explosion coming from Jenny's end. Then silence. Seconds later, they could hear a car coming down the winding dirt road. They saw the cloud of smoke before the car was visible.
When the black Expedition came into view it had slowed down considerably, as if it was running out of gas. As Jackson and Ronnie hurried to the car, they saw nothing but blood on the front windshield. Bits and pieces of her phone was scattered all over the dashboard. Jenny was slumped forward with her head on the steering wheel. She looked unconscious.
Jackson opened the driver's side door, while Ronnie reached in carefully trying to see where she had been shot. Blood was coming from her left shoulder. He gently guided her out of the car, handed her to Jackson and said, “Jack, get a towel from my duffel bag and stuff it into the wound on her shoulder. Then lay her in back of the big tree near our car. I am going to the bend to pick them off. Once you set her down, go on the other side of the road opposite me and shoot like hell at anyone who makes it past me. Whatever you do, Jack, shoot to kill!”
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While waiting for Jenny Roberts to land at Reagan airport, McNair had double-parked near the B Terminal and dropped off Byron Beck where he could follow Jenny from the baggage claim to the car rental station. Todd Brown double-parked near the Enterprise car rental exit, since they knew she had reserved a car from that company. John, from Livermore's team, had been assigned to mill around the Enterprise counter to verify the make and model of the car Jenny eventually rented.
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When Jenny climbed into the Expedition, John was caught watching her when she adjusted her side door rear view mirror. He quickly moved out of her line of sight, but knew he had been seen, and told Brown when he climbed back into the car. Both sets of cars, Brown and John in one; McNair and Beck in the other, followed Jenny down the George Washington Parkway and west on I-66. Just past Manassas, they noticed that she took an exit and rushed into a gas station convenience store. Watching her through binoculars, Brown could see that she had purchased some tampons. She went back on the road after visiting the bathroom.
As they were getting closer to I-81, McNair got a call from Strother. “You still following the Roberts woman, right?” Strother asked.
“Yes, Todd and John are in the lead car. We are right behind her. She is in our sights.”
“Well, Mason and his techies have been able to zero in on her phone signals. They have locked in on where she is making her calls. Lowery and Thomas are less than ten miles from you and we have a satellite on their location,” Strother said, hardly restraining his excitement.
“Man,” McNair said. “Those techies are good. What do you want us to do?”
“Based on where we think Lowery and Thomas are located, Roberts will probably get off on Road 17. More than likely, they have planned some kind of ambush. When she gets off of I-66, take her out. Then go finish off Lowery and Jackson.”
“Will do, Dick. Let me set it up with Todd. I'm out for now.”
When Jenny exited onto Road 17, John pulled out his automatic rifle and immediately started firing at Jenny. The first shot hit her on the upper left side of her back, but she was able to gather herself enough to swerve back and forth avoiding most of John's shots. She then turned onto a winding dirt road, kicking up dust and blocking Brown’s sight as he tried to follow. McNair then called Brown.
“Todd, stop the car. We have them pretty much trapped. The two of you should get out and circle to the left. We will go to the right. Let's continue on foot and go take them out.”
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Jackson had stabilized Jenny as best he could. She was starting to come around. She reached out to Jackson. He took her hand and she pushed it away. Then, he got it. Even in her semi-conscious condition, she wanted him to hand her a gun. Seeing her like this made Jackson angry. He was angry at the men who did this to her, who killed Amy, and were trying to kill him. He handed her one of the guns Ronnie had given him. He then grabbed Jenny's face to make sure she was focused, telling her that Ronnie was ahead of them to the right of the road and that he was heading to the left of the road. Jackson patted her on the cheek and crept beyond the tree to his left.
Up ahead, Ronnie was crawling in the woods in the direction of Maidstone Road. On either side of the winding dirt road was a combination of chest-high foliage and dense woods. Anyone crouching down was virtually unseen. Ronnie did not hear any running car engines, which meant that the four gunmen had gotten out of their cars and were planning on circling them in both directions. Tactically, when circling a target, you should go as wide as possible. But Ronnie also knew that in the heat of battle, patience sometimes gets lost.
For those who are young and inexperienced, their circling technique essentially amounts to a slightly wider straight line. Ronnie decided to move little, if at all. He didn’t know the experience levels of his pursuers, but knew these guys were good. Still, he was going to let the men come to him. He had been in many a battle, and he had the patience of Job. Ronnie was fine with letting the game come to him.
Jackson was moving through the woods on pure instinct. Following Ronnie's orders, he was not going on a half-cocked chase. Rather, he was going to remain positioned in the foliage, not far from the big tree, waiting for whomever he might see. Plus, he felt uncomfortable moving too far away from Jenny while she was still in a half conscious state. He crouched on one knee, pointing his gun to the left of the winding road. It did not take long before he heard gunfire coming from Ronnie's direction. Two shots, a moan, then silence. Jackson felt sweat rolling down his face. He was determined to keep his hands from shaking.
Ronnie was lying on the ground in a sniper's pose. As he expected, the two men who were circling in his direction were barely twenty yards from the winding road. Ronnie also noticed that they were much too close to each other. From his prone position, Ronnie saw their legs first. He then followed them with the barrel of his gun until they were less than thirty feet away. Both men were so intent on making it to where they believed Jenny's car was that they were not focused on what was immediately in front of them, a mistake that cost them their lives. Ronnie did two quick taps, both head shots and the men dropped. Not missing a beat, Ronnie backpedaled toward the big tree where he had left Jackson and Jenny.
Jackson saw Ronnie backing toward him and breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped forward a bit from out of the foliage, drawing Ronnie's attention. Ronnie then put two fingers to his eyes, then pointed in a sweeping manner to the winding dirt road all the way beyond Jackson back to the big tree. Jackson understood. The other two men were circling now from his side.
Ronnie instinctively believed that the remaining two men were more experienced. Or at least one of them was. He knew they had heard the gunfire, but they did not respond in any audible way. Ronnie could hear the quiet. Like true pros, the remaining mercenaries were riding things out, sticking with the plan. Ronnie had to be careful with these last two. Looking at Jackson, he held his hand down, making sure that Jackson stayed where he was and that he remain alert.
Ronnie then crept back to the big tree and checked on Jenny. Jenny's face had lost most of its color. Still, she was pointing her gun towards the foliage in back of the tree. It then struck Ronnie that she might be safer and less of a target sitting deeper in the woods rather than right against the biggest tree around. Ronnie scooped her up and half dragged her past the Grand Cherokee into the woods. Jenny understood and weakly nodded thanks.
While Ronnie was moving Jenny, Jackson heard a twig snap slightly behind him to his far left, but not as far back as the big tree. He then saw movement. Someone was edging toward the tree. In another couple of seconds, they would have a bead on Ronnie, who was still helping Jenny. Jackson aimed at the figure and fired. Since he had not fired a gun in many years, Jackson had forgotten the force of the kick from a handgun. He almost lost his balance as the kick jerked him backward. A yelping scream followed as the man reached for his knee and fell forward. Ronnie hit the ground and fired two more shots in the direction of where he heard the screams. The screams stopped.
Russ McNair saw Byron Beck grab his knee after he had been shot. He then saw him fall face forward when struck by two more bullets. McNair knew that Thomas and Jackson had taken out Brown and John, thereby leaving him alone. He wished he had gotten the automatic rifle instead of letting John have it. He thought about opening fire toward the big tree, but Beck had been hit from gunfire that had come from both sides of the tree. Whichever direction he fired in would lead to a quick return volley from the other direction. He decided that he would shoot in both places, first to the tree's left, then to its right. He stood to shoot.
Jenny had somewhat come to her senses when she saw Ronnie fire the two shots into the woods past the tree she had laying against. Ronnie had gotten back on the ground and was crawling to the woods. That is when Jenny saw a man stand up and fire to the other side of the tree where Jackson had been positioned. With a bird's eye view at the man's head, Jenny cocked her gun and fired, clipping him in his shoulder. The man dropped the gun, turned and broke out into a run, deeper into the woods. Jenny dropped her gun, exhausted.
Ronnie saw the man run and went to check on Jackson, who had been running back to where Ronnie and Jenny were.
“You guys okay?” Jackson asked.
“Yes, wanted to make sure you were good. Nice work, Jack. I was going to give this last guy a chase, but we have some cleaning up to do. And, we don't want to be here when the
police arrive. Put Jenny in the Cherokee and drive it past her Expedition to where the other cars are near Maidstone.”
Jackson did as he was told. Jenny had passed out so he gently put her in the back of the Cherokee. He then reached into her Expedition, grabbing her suitcase and purse, making sure that the car was cleaned out. He drove to where the other cars were parked.
Ronnie flagged him down and came to the window. “Jack, the only reason why they shot Jenny is because they knew where we were. I studied satellite tracking quite a bit and can tell you that they found us by tracking the phone number she was calling. They still probably are zeroed in on our body heat. Help me load up the bodies. We are going to put them in one of their SUVs. I know how we can shake them. Can you get us to Luray Caverns from here?”
“Definitely,” Jackson replied.
“Good. Once the bodies are in the SUV, I will follow you to Luray. When you get there, let's hope there are still school buses in the parking lot. Park as close to one or more of the buses as possible. Most of those bus drivers leave their engines on. All good for us. I will squeeze in right behind you, then get into the car with you. When the buses leave, we will leave too. Hopefully, the satellite will be thrown off just enough. We can then go back to Jenny's hideaway and patch her up.”
Jackson nodded. “Let's do it.”
They placed the three bodies in the SUV that had been driven by Todd Brown. Ronnie then grabbed the keys from the SUV they were leaving behind just in case the last wounded man tried to come back for it. Ronnie then started up the SUV, which contained the bodies and followed Jackson on Maidstone Road, then back on I-66.
FIVE
Rex's office had been inundated with calls all day, both about Steve Mills and the Duncan's statement. Rex's staff issued a public statement of condolences regarding Mills, but were otherwise silent on that matter. As to Reba and Rex's reward announcement, the staff said that it was a deeply personal matter and that the family would not rest until their daughter's killer was brought to justice.
The Plan (The Jackson Lowery Trilogy Book 1) Page 16