by H. L. Wegley
“Understood. Now let’s go. Jennifer is in the restroom on loop C, about three hundred yards from here.”
“Hence, Fort John.”
“You’re pretty sharp.” Katie fired her acrid comment at him.
“So’s your tongue, young lady.”
Lee glanced at Katie and shook his head. “Katie, please cool it while I tell Jenn we’re all right.”
“Yes, Lee,” Katie replied. Her melodrama, sounding like the epitome of compliance, was not lost on Lee. Nor was the glare of her defiant gaze.
Peterson glared back and his face grew red again. “Young lady, I would handcuff those eyes of yours if that was possible.”
“And I would tell you what you can—”
“Katie! Cool it! Jenn is already going to be trigger-happy. Do you want me to get shot?”
“I’m sorry, Lee. I lost my temper.”
“Just like Jenn,” he muttered.
Katie smiled at his comment, but she kept her mouth shut.
Now to cool off Jennifer.
25
Lee jogged down the road to loop C. He turned the corner onto the lane, and then slowed, knowing the dicey part lay a few feet straight ahead.
“Jenn, it’s Lee. Are you and the girls OK in there?” He waited.
No response.
“Jenn, Peterson and the SWAT team are here. We got Jacko, and Trader’s on the run. It’s all over. You can come out now.”
“We heard shots, Lee. What happened?”
“Katie had to shoot Jacko.”
Lee could hear a cacophony of female voices.
Jennifer shouted something.
The voices stopped.
“How do we know this isn’t a trap?”
“Come on, Jenn, this is crazy.” Lee turned around, his back to Fort John. “Peterson, tell one of your men to step out in the open and shine his flashlight on his SWAT team uniform.”
“Do what he said, Ruska.” Peterson ordered.
After Peterson’s command and the flash of the light, Jennifer opened the door.
Simultaneously, lights came on from several points in the bushes, illuminating the entire scene.
Jennifer ran into his arms. He kept them open until he could also wrap them around Mel and Kirsten.
While he tried to kiss Jennifer, Kirsten tugged on his shredded coat sleeve. “Did Katie really shoot Jacko?”
Mel tugged on his other arm. “Did she do it in machine-gun mode?”
He heard Jennifer’s voice rise above the pandemonium, “Rain check?”
“Most certainly,” he replied.
“Katie mowed him down just like in the movies?” Mel stared into his eyes, and when he nodded, her whole frame relaxed.
It occurred to Lee that these girls’ greatest fear had been the men who held them. Now that fear was gone forever. Except Trader. Lee’d have to see what he could do about that.
The van rolled towards them. “Lee, Jennifer.” Peterson resorted to his voice of authority. “We need to get you two and the girls into the van for safety’s sake. We don’t want to risk any sniper fire.”
Katie’s voice came from somewhere inside. “Jenn, are all three of you OK? Trader didn’t pay you a visit, did he?”
Jennifer swept Mel and Kirsten through the van door with her arm. “We’re all fine, Katie. No signs of Trader.”
Mel plopped down beside Katie on the rear seat of the van. “Tell us what happened. Where did you run into Jacko?”
Kirsten slid in beside them. “Yes, tell us.”
Katie lowered her head, but said nothing.
Lee wanted to intervene, but stopped when she looked up at Mel.
“Jacko trapped Lee in the house. I was holding the gun and watching from outside. I did what I had to do. That’s enough for now, Mel. Can we talk about something else?”
“What a girl,” he whispered to Jennifer as they took the seat in front of the three girls.
“Yes.” Jennifer leaned her head against his shoulder. “Without her, we might not have survived tonight.”
In the backseat, Mel and Kirsten draped arms around Katie.
“I’m glad the bad men are dead,” Mel blurted out. “This has been a horrible night.”
“I’ll certainly never forget it,” Kirsten said softly.
“That’s an understatement,” Jennifer whispered to Lee.
“I love you, Jenn, and I’m glad to have you sitting beside me, safe and sound. That’s an understatement, too.”
Peterson climbed into the passenger side of the van and turned to Jennifer. “Where’s your SUV? You mentioned something about being shot at when you called from Forks.”
“Just go one hundred yards or so around this loop and you’ll see it. We hid it before we went to the parking area by the river.”
“We’ll need to do forensics on it if there are bullet holes, and you’ll need repairs.”
“There are bullet holes…in all the right places.” Jennifer snapped back.
“You mean there are right places to have bullet holes in your car?”
“Yes. The places where the bullets don’t hit you on their way through.”
“You do have a point, Jennifer. But my point is you’re going to be without your vehicle for a few weeks. The FBI will pay their portion for the rental. Changing the subject, based upon that Boatman character, I’m extending the investigation offshore. We’ll involve the Coast Guard. If we get lucky and find something, we can use our agents deployed overseas.”
“I hope you trace these guys all the way to where they’re selling the girls. Maybe even rescue some,” Lee said.
“Unfortunately that’s a rarity. In other countries there are too many officials on the take, or too intimidated to talk. Some are paying customers who won’t incriminate themselves.”
“We’ve got to do something to put a stop to this trafficking business.” Jennifer’s voice rose. “I’m going to do something, whatever it takes.”
Peterson turned back towards the driver. “Let’s roll out for Forks.”
Jennifer sat up, rigid. “My engagement ring! It’s in the car. Does it have to be impounded, too?”
“No, it doesn’t.” Peterson said. “Ed, circle around to Jennifer’s SUV.”
“Why did you leave your ring, Jenn?” Lee asked, puzzled.
“I just had this feeling that I shouldn’t wear it. Not having it on helped me fool Trader. The traffickers thought I was a teenager.”
“If you’d have worn it…”
“Yes. Things might have turned out differently. Makes you think Someone was watching out for me.” She gave him a warm smile.
“Someone was.” He returned her smile, and then leaned forward between Peterson and Ed. “What about the FBI team? They’re all over the camp and—”
“And a few other places, too,” Peterson said. “Also, there are state police, Clallam County deputies, and some Forks police. Watch as we drive down Mora Road. The SWAT team will have plenty of transportation when they’re finished out here.”
After Jennifer retrieved her ring, the van left the campground.
While they drove back towards Forks, they passed police cars at strategic locations along Mora Road. The speed and comprehensiveness of the FBI response, once it began, impressed him. “You’re really putting the squeeze on Trader, aren’t you?”
“That’s the idea. We have roadblocks along Highway 101 both north and south of Forks. If he doesn’t decide to play mountain man, we’ll nail him soon.”
“And if he does?” Jennifer asked.
“I was afraid you might ask that.” Peterson paused. “Then all bets are off, for us and for him. This is wild, unforgiving country. And about getting the girls back to their parents,” Peterson paused. “I thought about holding the girls at Forks. But the roads may not be open until late in the day—too many trees down. I’m going to tell their parents to meet us at the field office in Seattle.”
Katie shifted uneasily in her seat. “That’s fine
for Mel and Kirsten. But I have some special considerations and…and a request.”
“Oh, and what might that be?”
Katie leaned forward. “My foster parents, and I use that term loosely, don’t want me, and I don’t want them. There has been attempted, well, attempted abuse several times. I was planning to run away if I couldn’t get moved to a new home. But Trader caught me first.”
“Who’s your caseworker?” Petersen asked.
“Mrs. Barnes, in Seattle. She was recently assigned to me. I’ve only seen her a couple of times, so we don’t know each other very well, yet.”
“Do you have her number?”
“Yes. I memorized her number in case I needed help.”
“But you said you were planning to run away.”
“Peterson, that was only if I couldn’t get help. I hadn’t called Mrs. Barnes about the…problem yet. Then Trader came along and gave me a bigger one.”
“Katie, I’m sorry we got started on the wrong foot. I happen to know someone who works for the state, someone who can help us even at 5:00 AM. It so happens this someone also owes me a big favor. I’m about to call it in.”
Katie’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry for what I said, Agent Peterson. The way things worked out, maybe you arrived at the perfect time, because Trader didn’t get another shot at us.”
“That’s as it should be,” Lee nodded. “He already had more than his fair share of shots at Jenn and me.”
“OK. Here’s the plan for the next hour or so. I’m going to make a few phone calls, and then we’ll be arriving at the Forks police station around 6:00 AM. There, we’re going to take statements from each of you and ask a lot of questions. Then you girls can call your families and tell them you’re safe. But before you call, I’ll give you a list of details you should omit when you talk to your parents, things which might hurt our investigation. Then, it’s five hours in the van back to Seattle, where your parents will pick you up.”
“The only person who needs to hear that Katie’s all right already knows. It’s me,” Jennifer said.
“And me too, Jenn,” Lee murmured.
Jennifer pulled her head back and smiled at him. “What about Katie, Lee? She has no one to call, no one she wants to call.”
“That’s a tough one.”
The look he received from Jennifer translated to three words. She might as well have spoken them. Fix Katie’s problem.
Lee put his arm around Jennifer and pulled her close.
How do I fix it?
You already know how.
He waffled between the two sides of his mind—the logical and the sensing. “Jenn, I’m so tired I can’t even think right now.”
Jennifer glared at him.
“I need coffee, Jenn.”
She gave him twin laser beams.
He avoided them. “Hey, Peterson, is there any chance of swinging by the coffee shop on the way in? They should open before we get there.”
“There’s coffee at the police station.”
“Correction.” Lee shook his head. “There’s black tar at the police station.”
“Use cream and sugar.”
“Have some mercy, man. I need espresso, multiple shots. They use the good stuff at the coffee shop.”
“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Peterson pursed his lips. “If it will get you to shut up so I can make another phone call—Ed, drive to the coffee shop, and then to the police station.”
“Thanks, Peterson,” Ed grinned at his boss. “You should try it. You’ll like it.”
“And then I would develop a one-hundred-dollar-a-month espresso habit like every yuppie in town,” Peterson mumbled.
“Make that a hundred and fifty and you can have a gold card and a couple of free drinks each month.” Lee grinned.
“Brandt, why don’t you, uh, kiss Jennifer, or anything else that will plug your mouth for a few minutes.”
“Jenn, did you hear that? Peterson wants me to kiss you for a few minutes. Who am I to disobey an FBI agent?”
Jennifer leaned closer to him. “Not until you answer my question.”
“What question?”
“Don’t play dumb. You know what I’m talking about.”
He knew all right. There was what he knew, there was what he feared, and then there were the words of Elijah in 1 Kings 18:21, words that convicted him. “How long will you waver between two opinions?” His mind and heart had a heated discussion on that subject.
The context of that verse was wavering between God and Baal, not the custody of children. Yeah, but Baal worshipers sacrificed children. Is that what you’re gonna do?
“Oh, man. Jenn, I really need coffee.” He tried to make his voice sound pitiful, desperate.
Wimpy!
Jennifer glared at him again. “Lee Brandt, you need a lot more than what coffee can give you.”
****
At 5:35 AM Lee’s triple-grande caramel mocha was frothing from the steam applied by the barista.
Katie, Mel, and Kirsten sipped hot chocolate, and Jennifer waited for her double tall mocha.
When they climbed back into the van, Peterson smiled and handed Jennifer his cell phone.
Excitement flashed in her eyes as she listened to the person on the other end.
“Yes, that’s great,” Jennifer paused, frowned, and then stated firmly, “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Thanks. Here’s Peterson.”
Though the three girls chatted as they sipped their hot drinks, Katie had eyed Jennifer during the entire phone call with a skeptical frown on her face.
Lee believed her expression was about to change. He also believed it was time to give Jennifer an answer. He pulled Jennifer’s face close to his and whispered, “Katie goes home with you, right?”
“Yes, Mr. Brandt.”
“Jenn, that’s where she needs to be, now. I know that. I’m a little slow. After all, you’ve got at least forty-five IQ points on me. Will you please show a little mercy on—”
Jennifer’s lips truncated his sentence. She kissed him long and meaningfully, while the three girls in the backseat sang, “Ooooh,” in three-part harmony.
He placed his cheek against Jennifer’s and whispered in her ear. “We’re driving into the police station. Shouldn’t you tell her now?”
Jennifer kissed his cheek. “Yes. She needs to know before Mel and Kirsten start calling their parents. And, Lee, you need to shave.”
Jennifer unbuckled her seat belt and twisted around to face Katie.
Katie’s gaze locked onto Jennifer’s face like a heat-seeking missile on a jet fighter’s afterburner.
“When we go inside, Katie, you don’t need to call anyone. That’s been taken care of.”
“So Peterson called for me?”
“He did. But what I really mean is the people who need to know you’re safe already know. They’re sitting in front of you.”
Her eyes grew wide. “You wouldn’t joke about something like that would you, Jenn?”
“No. We have the approval from Mrs. Barnes for you to stay with me, for now.”
While Ed braked to a stop in front of the Forks police station, Katie unbuckled her seat belt, flung her arms out to Jennifer, and then hesitated.
“It’s OK, Katie. I sometimes shoot, but I don’t bite.”
“I won’t be any trouble for you, Jenn. I promise. I won’t interfere with you and Lee—”
Jennifer pulled Katie into a tight hug. “You don’t have to worry about any of the details, or about Lee and me. We’ll all be talking to Mrs. Barnes when we get to Seattle. For now, you have a home, and Lee and I are delighted.”
Lee placed his arm around her. “We are, Katie.”
“Everybody, out,” Peterson ordered. “We’ve got some work to do here.”
****
The FBI and police worked well together as they elicited information from the girls and coordinated their calls to family. The biggest hitch was the inability to get consensus on a composi
te of Trader.
After the fifth set of eyes and mouths were discarded from the crude computer drawing, Mel became agitated. She grabbed a sheet of blank computer paper and a pencil from the desk. “No.” She blew out a blast of air. “He looks like this.” She drew quickly.
Katie pointed to the sketch. “That’s Trader.”
Jennifer mussed Mel’s hair. “It sure is.”
Kirsten put her hand on Mel’s shoulder. “Who needs computers when we’ve got Mel?”
Peterson stepped behind Mel and studied her sketch. “Finish it up, Mel. It looks like we have something we can send out.”
Lee patted Mel’s head. “Good job, Mel. Trader’s toast, now.”
“I think I’ve heard that before.” Jennifer looked at him. “But this time, I agree.”
Eventually the questions from the police slowed to a trickle, and then stopped.
Peterson took Lee and Jennifer to a small table in a quieter corner of the room. “The Coast Guard just boarded a Saudi ship sailing a strange route for a freighter. We have no further details. But if it turns out this ship is involved, I’m guessing Trader’s business was selling the cream of the crop to the highest international bidders, or filling orders for them. I can think of some likely customers in the Middle East.”
Jennifer exploded from her chair and pounded on the table. “Just shut them down, Peterson! Whatever it takes.”
“Whatever it takes? When cases go international, politics come into play. Then all bets are off. But I’ll push as hard as I can for prosecution of everyone involved. Now, it appears—” His phone rang again, and he glanced down at it. “Just a minute. I’ve got to take this call.”
Lee’s head felt like he had a shot put inside. Fatigue set in rapidly as the caffeine and sugar wore off. He looked at the girls from underneath his heavy eyelids.
They looked nearly exhausted, too.
When Peterson returned, he scanned the five. “We have some news about Trader. We got a report of a car stolen from a bed-and-breakfast off Mora Road. The description of the car went out a few minutes ago, as did Trader’s picture.” He paused and studied their faces. “Well, I can see that bit of news didn’t perk you five up. I think we’d better get you into the van before we have to carry you out. Come on, Ed. All aboard for Seattle.”