The path they were following was rough and their speed was only slightly above a crawl. Spur was laying down on the back seat to keep from being tossed around roughly, and when they approached a hill, Rafe snatched a pair of binoculars out of the glove compartment.
“Stop here. Let’s ease up that hill and see what’s happening on the other side.” He was already opening the passenger door. Spur cleared the back of the front seat and scrambled out onto the ground right behind him.
Rafe removed his hat and tossed it back onto the seat and pulled the binoculars from the case as Levi tossed his own hat back inside the car and joined him.
Hurrying, they climbed the hill and as they neared the top, dropped to their knees and then down to their stomachs to crawl into a position so only their heads were above the crest and they were shielded from view by the deep grass.
Rafe had signaled Spur into a crawl position, but ordered the dog to stay near his feet. Easing the glasses to his eyes, he focused them to study the surrounding area and took his time perusing all the shadowed and shaded places within his view. He’d almost decided that they could safely drive further when he saw a glint of light flash from the darkness at the edge of the distant pine trees. That miniscule twinkle shot adrenalin through his body, awakening every sense to acute alertness.
“Got them,” he muttered. He handed the glasses to Levi. “At the edge of the pines, just to left of the eagle nest.”
Levi studied the area for a full minute before he nodded. “What do you think it is?”
Rafe shrugged. “But its man-made and most likely them. Back in the trees behind that eagle’s nest is a blind that my grandfather built so he could watch the eagles. It’s been there for ages, and I remember Jenny talking about her and Cunningham coming out here to watch the eagles.”
Levi cast him a skeptical look. “Would a blind still be there?”
Rafe smirked at the absurdity of the question. “My grandfather built it. Of course, it’s still there.”
“Okay. So, it’s all open from here. How’re we gonna get there without being seen?”
Rafe rolled over on his back and closed his eyes against the brightness of the sun. “That, my friend, is the question.”
For what seemed to grow into a long span of time neither of them spoke, both of them playing out scenarios in their heads, trying to visualize a way to bring about a positive outcome.
“It’d take a long time to crawl there on our bellies,” Levi said finally.
Rafe grunted. “Too damn long.” Slowly he rolled so he was again on his stomach. “Maybe we can set a trap for them as they come back through this way.”
“You said Cunningham knows about a road through the pines. He might not plan to come back this way,” Levi considered verbally, as his eyes scrutinized the tree line.
“But he will if he hears a lot of sirens coming from the other side of those trees.” Rafe paused a minute working out details of a plan that had bubbled in his mind as he again scanned the area with his binoculars. “We’ll set up a way to disable his car coming back this way and tempt him with a different mode of transportation that will only accommodate one person. Hopefully he’ll leave the women behind to make a getaway.”
Chapter 19
Uci pushed the shovel down into the dirt and lifted out another spade full, depositing it on the growing mound beside the hole, but then she paused and wiped her forehead. She’d been digging for at least twenty minutes, but the ground was wet and heavy, as well as being tightly packed.
Using only one crutch, Mesa hobbled to her side. “Let me dig some, Uci. You need a break.”
“She’s doing fine,” Cunningham barked. “Leave her alone.”
Mesa felt a sudden upwelling of anger. “Go to hell. She’s too old for this kind of heavy labor.” She removed the shovel from Uci’s hands and stepped into her place as the old woman stepped back and slumped against the side of the sturdy blind that her husband had built so many years ago.
He’d loved to come here and watch the eagles, especially when there were young ones in the nest. She’d often accompanied him and strangely, she felt close to him now, in his special place. A hint of a smile tilted the wrinkled corners of her mouth.
The filtered sun shone through in only a few places, and all the while appearing not to notice it, Uci slouched next to one of those bright rays.
Watching to make sure Cunningham’s attention was on Mesa, one of her wrinkled hands slipped into a pocket and emerged with a tiny mirror concealed within it. Her hand dropped casually into the sun’s brightest ray and turned toward the pasture. Her thin fingers slowly opened, and she hoped mightily that someone was out there somewhere to see the resulting flash. She knew she couldn’t risk sending the flash for long, but somehow, this felt like just the right time.
When Cunningham looked over at her a few seconds later, she was sitting quietly, both hands resting in her lap, her eyes closed, and for a second he wondered if she was dead. Then he saw her chest lift with breathing and decided she was just resting.
The solid thunk of the shovel striking something hard caught his ears and he stepped forward to look down into the hole. The heavy plastic container was only visible on one side, but he pushed Mesa back almost knocking her over in his exuberance. He bent and slowly drug the plastic tub up, out of the hole, a smile lighting his face.
“Finally,” he grunted, wrenching the tightly closed top away, revealing stack upon stack of currency. “Just like I left it, only now I don’t have to share with Shiver or anyone else. It’s all mine.”
He looked at Mesa, knowing the injury to her leg would make rising difficult for her and running extremely awkward. “Sit down there, beside the old woman. Neither one of you move until I get back.” He bent and lifted the tub, intending to carry it to the car, but its weight was surprising. He lowered it to the ground again and began dragging it instead, his eyes on the two women until he moved out of their field of vision.
The spying screen had been built back from the nest in the thickest part of the big pines. Surrounded by their protecting shade and concealment if offered the watcher a view of the nest without the birds knowing they were there, but it was inaccessible to a vehicle. The closest a car could get was about thirty yards away from the back of the blind, on a small two track dirt road that led through the pine forest, out to a small county highway almost three quarters of a mile away.
As soon as he was out of sight, Uci sprang to her feet with more agility than a woman her age should possess. “Come on, child, we don’t have long.” She held her hand out for Mesa and aided her to her feet, then she shoved the only crutch that had been taken from the car into the younger woman’s hand. “When you get past the blind, turn left into the trees. Move as quietly as you can, but keep going until you reach the creek.”
“What about you?” Mesa was surprised with Uci’s resiliency, but she didn’t want to leave the old woman behind.
“I’ll be right behind you. I doubt that foolish wasicu can read sign, but I’m going to make it harder for him, just in case he can. Go, now.” Uci’s previously frail body moved with grace and strength as she helped the younger woman around the side of the blind. “Go,” she whispered again when they were clear of the tiny shield. Mesa hobbled as fast as she could, seriously impeded by the heavy undergrowth and her unbalanced gait. Behind her, Mesa heard Uci’s aged voice breaking into a soft chant in her native tongue, and it sent a shiver along her spine.
This was not a time for singing, she knew, but instead of turning back to drag the old woman with her, Mesa was strangely compelled to keep going forward. The voice followed her as she fled, but she heard no sound of the fauna behind her being disturbed. Everything suddenly became surreal to her, as a thick mist began to swirl around her, cloaking the sound of movement, blocking out the mottled sunshine, enclosing her in a shroud of bright cloudiness.
In the distance she could hear the wail of sirens and prayed it was Rafe and his people coming
for her and Uci, but then, not that far behind her she heard Cunningham’s burst of rage when he returned and discovered the empty screen.
“Keep going, daughter,” Uci’s voice whispered from right behind her and one old arm slipped around her waist, helping provide a steadier gait. “We’re almost there,” Uci whispered again.
A large tree emerged from the mist as they approached, and as they rounded its bulk, the old woman pulled Mesa to a stop. They stood listening for a moment, then Uci pushed aside vines and brush at the base of a tall tree and pushed Mesa through it, ahead of her. Unbelievably, the base of the tree was open on the side, revealing the hollowness of the tree’s trunk. “Inside,” Uci instructed. “Rest against the tree and be very quiet. He’s not far behind us, but you’ll be safe here.”
“What about you?” Mesa asked as she pressed into the small space and turned to face Uci.
The old woman grinned. “I’ll be fine. There are many places out here to hide from a bumbling fool. Don’t worry about the sounds you hear, and don’t come out until Rafe comes for you, no matter what. Do you understand me?”
Mesa shook her head negatively. “There’s room in here, Uci.”
“Don’t fear, child. Fear makes us weak. Have faith and pray that Rafe finds us both soon.” When she finished speaking, she backed away, the brush tangle fell back into place and all was silent.
Mesa sensed, rather than heard Uci moving away, then she heard the intrusive crashing of Cunningham moving through an environment that was totally alien to him. As he drew nearer, she could hear his heavy breathing and the muttered curses that came from him as he struggled through the gloomy thickets. She knew he was very near the tree that concealed her when he came to a stop. She needed to be silent if she hoped to survive.
Her heart pounded so hard she was sure that’s what he was listening to, or her breathing. She swallowed and struggled to contain the fear that she knew was stealing her resolve, and then felt strength surge through her as his voice broke the stillness.
“This won’t work,” he yelled. “I’ll find you, you know. How far can a cripple and an old woman go out here?” He paused to listen. “When I do find you, you’ll pay for wasting my time.”
Then off to one side, Mesa heard a sudden crash and Uci’s scream. Her heart lurched at the sound. Something dreadful had happened to Rafe’s grandmother. She knew it.
^^^
“Levi,” a thread of excitement edged Rafe’s voice. “Do you see that mist over there in the area of the eagles nest?” He pushed the glasses toward his friend.
The deputy nodded without using the binoculars. “Yeah, what you think’s causing that?”
Rafe grinned. “Uci.”
Levi looked at him skeptically. “You’re kidding, right?”
Shaking his head negatively, Rafe got to his feet. “There are things about my grandmother that I don’t understand, and she can do things that we can’t imagine, but right now, with every fiber of my being, I know she’s doing something and we’ve gotta get over there fast to help.” He was already moving back toward the big SUV, Spur on his heels.
Levi scrambled to follow him and within seconds they were in the patrol vehicle roaring toward the mist, both men and the big bulldog bouncing around in the confines of the SUV as it crossed the pitted terrain.
When Rafe slid the patrol unit to a stop, he bailed out, gun in hand, Spur ordered at his heel. From the passenger side, Levi followed suit and all three advanced with caution toward the heavy fog that still hung close to the ground beneath the pine trees.
^^^
Her fear for Uci over-shadowed her fear for herself and, ignoring the pain in her leg, Mesa burst from concealment behind him, her crutch drawn back like a big league slugger getting ready for a fast ball. Cunningham turned and met the swing of her crutch. It knocked him back a step as it shattered against his shoulder, leaving Mesa precariously balanced on one strong leg.
Sobbing because she feared for Uci, Mesa forgot about the wound in her leg and launched herself at him, slapping and scratching, hoping to distract him from going after the old woman.
In self-defense, he slapped her across the face, knocking her onto her back. Then he drug her to her feet and pushed her in the general direction of the eagles nest.
“You murderer,” she screamed at him as he shoved her again. She hobbled quickly ahead of him until he wrapped one hand in her long hair and jerked her to a stop.
“Not so fast, bitch. You’re my ticket out of here.” Guiding her from behind, he maintained his hold in her hair, forcing her to proceed ahead of him.
Having heard Mesa screaming at Cunningham, Rafe charged in that direction, motioning for Levi to circle around. When he spotted them, through the mist, his heart dropped.
Having heard someone tearing through the underbrush, Cunningham held his weapon positioned beneath Mesa’s chin, her body in front of him, shielding him from Rafe, when he broke out of the fog.
“Stop right there, Storm Horse, or you get to watch her die.” His cold voice ordered.
Rafe stopped, his eyes meeting Mesa’s, his heart staggered by the sight in front of him. Her eyes were filled with fear and the leg of her pants was stained with blood. He knew her unexpected activity had opened her leg wound and for that alone, he itched to kill the man using her for a shield.
“Put your gun down,” Cunningham continued, “and back up toward the hunting blind.”
Mesa managed to shake her head negatively. “Don’t do it Rafe,” she gasped, tears running down her cheeks. “He’ll kill you.”
“And I’ll kill you if he doesn’t,” the deranged man snapped.
Fury flooded Mesa with courage. “And leave yourself an easy target? I doubt that.”
“Shut up, bitch,” he growled near her ear.
“He’s already gonna kill me,” Mesa’s eyes were steady as she looked at Rafe, her voice strong. “Raale needs at least one of us, Rafe. Do not let him kill us both.”
“I said, shut up,” Cunningham screamed in her ear.
Her eyes closed for a second then opened and fixed on Rafe’s. “Kill him, Rafe. Shoot through me and kill this animal.” Tears of rage dripped onto her cheeks. She didn’t want to die, but she needed to know that Rafe wouldn’t. She needed to know that their precious little girl would have at least one parent to raise her.
Rafe’s eyes reflected his shock and the revulsion he felt at her suggestion. “Baby, I…”
“He’ll kill us both!” she gasped, desperate to make him understand. “I trust you. If you shoot me, there’s a chance I’ll survive. If he does, I won’t.”
Behind her, she could feel Cunningham’s body tense, perhaps for the first time realizing, that he just might be vulnerable.
“Shut up,” he screamed again, shoving the gun tighter into her chin.
Mesa gasped from the pain, her pleading eyes locked on Rafe. Her lips moved silently. “Kill him,” made no sound, but the words tore Rafe’s heart apart.
Seeing her with that gun to her throat, that insane animal glaring at him from behind her, Rafe shook his head from side to side. “Mesa, baby, I love you.”
She nodded slightly, in spite of the gun under her chin. “Then kill this bastard,” she hissed, from between clinched teeth, the pistol under her chin preventing her from opening her mouth.
Cunningham recognized the moment that Rafe made the decision to do as Mesa asked. “I give up,” he gasped. “You’re both crazy,” he panted, slowly bringing the gun from beneath Mesa’s chin, hoping Rafe had been fooled into believing him.
Mesa felt the movement in his wrist as the muzzle of the weapon began to swing toward the man she loved. “Nooo,” she screamed, shoving backward with all the strength of her fury, the back of her head connecting with Cunningham’s throat.
Cunningham wasn’t prepared for her reaction and his feet tangled in the brush behind him as he stumbled. The shot he had intended for Rafe flew high and, unable to regain his balance, began to top
ple. Even as he fell, he was hit by almost a hundred pounds of protective, hard muscled, very angry bulldog.
Spur’s focus was fastened on the arm that wielded the weapon and as he snarled and locked his powerful jaws, bones snapped in Cunningham’s wrist, rendering the hand useless and allowing the gun to end up on the ground several yards away.
Cunningham’s screams echoed through the trees, accompanied by Spurs unrestrained snarls.
Rafe’s first concern was Mesa and he rushed to pull her up from where she’d fallen near to the writhing man/dog duo.
“You okay?” he asked quickly.
She nodded and pushed him back gently. “Help Spur.”
Rafe grinned. “I will, in a few seconds. Spur was in ‘stay’ mode so long I thought he might pass out. He deserves a few seconds of victory.” Then he turned as Levi appeared through the fog, an uninjured Uci at his side.
“Uci,” Mesa gasped, relief washing over her at seeing the elderly woman alive and apparently unhurt. She tried to hobble over to her but didn’t make much more than a move before the old woman reached her instead.
“I told you to stay hidden, child,” Uci scolded gently, even as she pulled the young woman into her thin, surprisingly strong arms.
The two women embraced, and the two men moved to pull Spur off Cunningham. Using plastic snap strap cuffs, Levi fastened Cunningham’s uninjured arm to the back of his belt, and then pulled the moaning man to his feet.
The dog strained toward Cunningham every time the man moved, but Rafe held him securely as Levi aided the now sniveling lawyer through the brush toward the patrol vehicle. Once the prisoner was out of sight, Spur calmed down and wagged his tail while looking up at his handler. Rafe could have sworn the animal was smiling.
Rafe’s attention was now directed toward the two women. “Don’t either of you ever let yourselves get in a situation like this again. I’m too damned old for this stress.” He wrapped his strong arms around them both and pulled them against his chest, unbelievably thankful that they were still alive.
Sweet Talking Lawman Page 27