by Kathy Herman
“We’re just glad you’re home, boy.” Grandpa patted Hawk’s soggy shoulder.
“We listened to the FBI chatter on Natalie’s phone,” Elliot said. “It helped to pass the time, but we’re sure glad you’re home safe and sound.”
“I wanted to rush over and give you a hug when we came by and pretended to meet the landscapers,” Kate said, “but I was afraid that wouldn’t seem natural.”
“Do you think?” Hawk laughed. “Ziegler and Barron would’ve never let me live it down.”
Elliot winked. “Not to mention all those guys watching from the command center.”
“It’s worth mentioning here,” Kate said, “that not only did Hawk pull it off, but Abby and Jesse did a superior job of acting natural so that this seemed like any other day at Angel View. Well done, one and all.”
Jesse took a bow, then grabbed Hawk by the arm. “Come on, big brother. You smell as bad as I do. We need to get cleaned up for dinner or they’ll mistake us for the hogs and throw us scraps.”
Natalie Sloan shook her head. “You are one fun, kooky family, that’s all I’ve got to say.”
Kate laughed. “Stay tuned. It can get worse.”
“Are Natalie and Clarissa going to join us for dinner?” Jesse said.
“The command center has surveillance of the exterior of the house,” Natalie said. “I’m sure we can safely sit down and enjoy dinner together.”
“Natalie, do you want Wolf in or out?” Jay said, his German shepherd sitting at his side. “I’ll be sleeping on the couch.”
“Does he bark at every rabbit and mouse?” Natalie said.
“No, ma’am. He’s used to all that. If he barks, it’d be a good idea to pay attention.”
Natalie laughed. “Welcome aboard, Wolf. Looks like you’ll be sleeping in tonight.”
After dinner, while the others were out in the kitchen playing gin rummy, Kate and Elliot pulled Hawk into their room and closed the door. Hawk sat on the side of the bed.
“Virgil called before you got home tonight and wanted us to tell you something,” Kate said. “This is just for us to know, not Natalie or Clarissa, or anyone else.”
Hawk looked surprised. “Okay. What did he say?”
“That Romo is really running the show,” Elliot said. “Virgil feels like a bystander. Romo’s not using any of Virgil’s deputies to assist in the operation.”
“I thought Romo and Sheriff Granger were working together.”
“So did Virgil,” Elliot said. “But it’s not working out that way. Romo’s authority trumps Virgil’s, and he wants his own people to be the actors, and I guess everything else too. What Virgil wants us to know is that Deputy Billy Gene Duncan is taking a few days of his vacation up here. And even though he’s a guest, he will be observing what’s going on.”
“Why the secrecy?”
“Well,” Elliot said, “except for our family, no one in the FBI or on the guest roster will recognize him. He just doesn’t want you to blow his cover. He’s not going to do anything but keep Virgil apprised of things. But he can’t be having you, Abby, Jay, Jesse, or Buck speaking to him and addressing him as Deputy Duncan. I guess you could say that since he wasn’t invited up here by the FBI, he’s here undercover.”
“Oh,” Hawk said, “I get it. So I should just ignore him?”
Elliot arched his eyebrows. “I think you have to. Otherwise, Romo will be curious who it is you’re talking to or waving at and have the surveillance cameras zero in on him. He just wants to blend in like any other guest at Angel View. Virgil said it would be a favor to him and make him feel a whole lot better, just knowing Billy Gene was up here keeping an eye on things. You know we’re family to Virgil. Being shut out of this case is really tough.”
Kate nodded. “Virgil has been there for us through everything in the past eight years. Sitting this one out is torture for him.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it is,” Hawk said. “Okay, I can pretend I don’t see Deputy Duncan as long as he knows I’m not being rude by ignoring him.”
“Believe me, he knows,” Elliot said. “That’s exactly what he wants.”
“What about Abby, Jay, Jesse, and Grandpa?”
Elliot looked at Kate. “We told them Deputy Duncan was there on vacation and did not want to be pulled into the case, so should they see him, to just ignore him and not talk to him. They all agreed. You’re the only one we told about Virgil’s conversation.”
“No worries,” Hawk said. “I won’t say anything. And if I see Deputy Duncan, I’ll pretend I don’t. But there’s a part of me that’s uncomfortable with the sheriff being at odds with Romo. Part of the reason I trusted Romo was because the sheriff seemed to.”
Elliot patted Hawk’s knee. “Virgil never said he didn’t trust Romo—just that Romo likes to be in control. Probably if we let him, he’ll do a fine job, and this will be over soon. Just go back out there and do what you did today. If the bounty hunter is at Angel View, Romo’s team ought to be able to spot him in the crowd before long.”
“I’m nervous about the guy making a move,” Hawk said, “especially when I don’t really know what that will look like.”
Elliot smiled. “That’s why you’re surrounded by FBI actors, Hawk. But remember, you’ve got God with you. He’ll work His plan. And that’s the one that counts.”
“You’re right. No point in worrying.”
“Did Special Agents Ziegler and Barron say anything about putting a mike in your ear tomorrow?” Elliot said. “I thought I heard someone at the command center talking about it on the radio.”
Hawk nodded. “They did, actually. I guess that’s the plan. When the time comes, I hope I can do what they’re counting on me to do. And not freeze.”
Elliot pulled Hawk to his feet. “I have every confidence you will. Not in your own strength, but in His. We’d better get back out there or Natalie and Clarissa will come looking for us.”
Hawk sat in the kitchen by himself after everyone in the family had gone to bed. Everyone except Abby and Jay. Hawk pretended to be reading the newspaper but stole a few well-spaced glances at the two lovebirds sitting together on the couch. Even their kisses seemed so innocent. He thought of Laura Lynn and what he had thrown away. He hoped that Jay would make smarter choices than he had, and that Abby and Jay would be true to their commitment to save themselves for marriage.
So why couldn’t he stop thinking about Kennedy? He wished he’d had a chance to say good-bye. He wished he could ask her forgiveness for not telling her that he was in a serious relationship. They had never talked about God. What they believed. Whether they thought what they were doing was right or wrong. Their relationship had begun in a sweeping flood of passion. They just allowed themselves to be carried downstream, never stopping to assess the damage. And then she was taken and he was left behind with scores of unanswered questions he would take to his grave. He felt a wave of sadness come over him, and he willed it away. He couldn’t allow himself to grieve right now or he would never be able to help the FBI catch the man who would have killed Kennedy, had he gotten to her first. Hawk just wished he knew who had.
Lord, what’s wrong with me? I know my relationship with her was all wrong. What we shared, You ordained for marriage, not something to be enjoyed lightly and without a lasting commitment. But is it wrong that I should grieve her passing? She was a lovely person and I miss her. I’ve never felt closer to anyone in my life. I wish I understood why. I guess not understanding is another consequence.
He watched as Jay and Abby kissed good night, and then as Abby got up and slowly, reluctantly, let go of Jay’s hand. She walked down the hall to her bedroom, and Jay curled up on the couch and spread an afghan over himself.
Nicely done, Hawk thought.
“I didn’t know you were still up,” Clarissa said in a hushed voice. “I was just going to brew a pot of coff
ee and make some notes on my laptop. The kitchen table is about the only place I can do it while everyone’s asleep.”
“No worries,” Hawk said. “I’m finished reading. I’m headed for bed.”
“You okay? You look concerned.”
“I’m fine,” Hawk said. “I was just thinking about Kennedy Tay— Nameless. I’m sad she’s dead. I never had the chance to say good-bye.”
“I’m sorry. You’ve been through a lot. The Bureau owes you a debt of gratitude for helping us to get the bounty hunter. It’ll be over soon, and you can get back to real life.”
Whatever that is. I’m not even sure anymore. “I hope you’re right. Good night, Clarissa.”
“Good night.”
Chapter 19
Deputy Billy Gene Duncan stood staring at himself in the bathroom mirror in his room at the Angel View Lodge. He decided he might look more like he was on vacation if he skipped shaving this morning. He took his razor and trimmed his stubble until it looked more like a five o’clock shadow. He smiled. Not exactly Tom Cruise, but cool looking nonetheless.
He put on a pair of denim cargo shorts and a white T-shirt. Then he took a tiny Bluetooth earpiece out of its case and pushed it all the way into his ear. After putting on the neck loop transmitter and syncing it to his cell phone, Billy Gene threw on a short-sleeve plaid shirt and buttoned it, completely hiding the transmitter.
He put the SOS button in his right shoe and laced his white Nikes. He added a red-and-gray Razorbacks cap. A pair of shades. Black Hawk Down in paperback—and voilà! Instant tourist. He laughed. He never read novels, but he’d seen the movie a dozen times and could easily talk about it, if asked what he was reading.
When he heard a knock at his door, he checked his watch. Seven o’clock straight up. “Who is it?”
“Room service.”
Billy Gene took off his sunglasses and cap, looked through the peephole, then let the young man into the room. He set the tray on the desk.
Billy Gene signed the ticket and included the tip. “Thank you kindly. When y’all said thirty minutes, you were right on the money.”
“We try. Thank you, sir.”
The young man left, and Billy Gene sat down and instantly began to devour three eggs over easy, three strips of bacon, grits, hash browns, an English muffin, orange juice, and black coffee. He had just stuffed the last bite of the English muffin into his mouth when his cell phone rang. He took a gulp of coffee, then answered the call.
“Hey, boss. I’m synced and ready. You should be in.”
“Yes, I hear you loud and clear,” Virgil said. “Can you hear me through your earpiece?”
“Yes, sir. Like you were standin’ right here.”
“Would you try your silent SOS button and see if it’s working?”
Billy Gene pushed the foot device two times, signaling a yes.
“Perfect,” Virgil said. “So how’s it going so far?”
“I haven’t been out in the light yet, but just now finished a he-man’s breakfast in my room, and was going to go outside and look around. I know this property pretty well, but I’ll be lookin’ with different eyes.”
“Good plan,” Virgil said. “Just remember that the command center has surveillance on almost every inch of the common areas outside, as well as the gift shop and Flutter’s. I’m going to bite the bullet and go apologize to Romo, and pretend to be a part of things. Tell me what you’re wearing so I’ll be able to spot you on the surveillance cameras.”
Billy Gene described his attire. “Oh, and I’m sporting one of those Tom Cruise five o’clock shadows. Makes me look cool. The feds aren’t the only ones with actors.”
Virgil chuckled. “Okay, Mr. Cool. Keep your earpiece in and your eyes on Hawk Cummings. I’ll be in touch.”
“Will do.”
t
Virgil pulled up to the barn on Pete Jameson’s farm and turned off the motor. He would make himself apologize because he had taken an oath to protect the people of Raleigh County, and that’s what he planned to do, whatever it took. Once he cleared the air with Romo, no one would think twice about him standing around watching the FBI’s surveillance cameras. Thanks to Mitch, and despite Romo, he now knew what the bounty hunter looked like. Though Virgil’s burner phone was in the back of a trash truck on the way to the landfill, Jalili’s face was clear in his mind. If he could spot him before Romo’s people did, maybe he could think of a way to use Billy Gene instead of Hawk to draw him out in the open.
Virgil got out of the car and went up the steps to the front door of the command center and stepped inside. Special agents were walking all directions, but he instantly spotted Romo sitting at one of the computers.
Moving over to the side where he wouldn’t be in anyone’s way, Virgil looked up at the surveillance monitors. On the top-left screen, he saw Abby in Flutter’s carrying a tray with breakfast orders. The next screen showed Savannah’s car parked outside the lodge office, the “open” sign lit in the office window. The monitor on the upper right showed the drone moving slowly above one side of Kate’s log house. Another on the bottom left had a view of the gazebo and the back lawn of the lodge. The next screen showed two couples with children come out of the back exit of the lodge and walk into Flutter’s. On the bottom-right monitor, Virgil saw Jesse entering the hummingbird garden, pulling a red wagon loaded with tall bottles—probably nectar to refill the feeders. Looked like the beginning of a typical day at Angel View.
Virgil glanced over at Romo, who was on his feet, walking in Virgil’s direction.
Here goes. Virgil set his phone so Billy Gene could hear and put it in his shirt pocket.
“Well, hello, Sheriff,” Romo said. “I’m surprised to see you.”
“I owe you an apology,” Virgil said, trying to look sheepish. “I had no right to judge you. You’re the one in charge of this operation, and I’d really like to lend my support. Can we start over? I promise to keep my two cents to myself.”
Romo held out his hand and shook Virgil’s. “Of course we can start over. Yesterday’s history.”
“Anything new I should know about?” Virgil said.
“Our intel is ninety-nine percent sure the bounty hunter is already here. Before Hawk arrives this morning, one of our agents staying at the house will have fitted him with an invisible earpiece and wire so we can hear everything he’s saying. We will be watching facial expressions and movements of all the men we see on the surveillance monitors, and especially the men who are in closest proximity to Hawk.”
“Too bad you don’t know what this bounty hunter looks like,” Virgil said, knowing full well that Romo did know.
“Yes, but don’t forget we have the facial recognition turned on, and if he’s in the system, we’ve got him.”
“Unless he’s disguised himself,” Virgil said.
Romo’s face looked blank. “I doubt that. He has no reason to think anyone here knows he’s coming.”
“You’re probably right,” Virgil said. “I tend to play it safe and plan for the worst.”
Romo pointed to the surveillance screens. “Connor Richardson just pulled up with Hawk.”
Virgil pretended his phone vibrated. “Excuse me, I need to take this.”
He walked away from Romo, his phone to his ear. “Are you hearing all this?” Virgil said to Billy Gene.
“Oh, yes, sir. Most of it, anyway.”
“Where are you now?”
“I’m down at the pier, lookin’ up the hill at Flutter’s. I see Richardson’s burgundy truck. Looks like Hawk just got out and is walkin’ over to the landscapers.”
“Right. And both landscapers are FBI actors,” Virgil said.
“Copy that.”
“If you go into Flutter’s, two male customers are FBI actors. And so is the busboy.”
“Good to know,” Billy Gene said.
“And all of the grounds crew are FBI actors as well.”
“They’ve got a bunch of folks out here,” Billy Gene said. “Guess I just better act like a tourist and don’t pay them any mind.”
“That’s the plan. They’ve got Hawk fitted with a setup much like yours so they can hear what’s going on around him.”
“Did I hear Romo correctly, that the bounty hunter is here?” Billy Gene said.
“Yes. And I think they know what he looks like but aren’t telling me.”
“Why would they do that?”
“I wish I knew,” Virgil said. “But it’s pretty obvious they’re shutting us out of this operation … Billy Gene, you do know if they figure out what we’re doing, it’ll be our careers, right?”
“Yes, sir. But they won’t. I’m going to sniff out the bounty hunter and lead him right under their uppity FBI noses. Hawk will never be in danger.”
“I like your attitude,” Virgil said. “Let’s hope you’re right.”
t
Hawk walked over to where Ziegler and Barron were standing.
“Good morning, Hawk,” Ziegler said. “I understand you’re feeling wired this morning.”
Hawk laughed. “You could say that.”
“That’s it, smile. You’re live,” Barron said. “Why don’t we head down to the gazebo to start out? Special Agent Romo wants you to move around the grounds today and pretend to work with the grounds crew. There are special agents that will move with you, but without being conspicuous. If the bounty hunter is here, and our intel says he is, he might decide to make his move. That’s what we want.”
“Okay,” Hawk said. “Can you explain what you anticipate his move might look like?”
Barron nodded. “If you’re by yourself where he has some breathing room, we expect he’ll start to slowly close in. The special agents in the command center will have him spotted on surveillance monitors and tell you where he is and what he’s doing, and any moves you need to make. You’ll hear everything. You need to trust us without questioning. You may have just seconds to respond. Understand?”