When Jake answered his phone a few minutes later, it was Mike.
“Jake, Andy told me you wanted the code to the gate.”
“Did he tell you he thought he saw Kate?”
“Yes, but if you go in there in your Jeep in broad daylight, you will blow this whole operation.”
“I can’t help it. You know how I feel about Kate.”
“Is she more important than all those Asian girls trapped into prostitution and who knows what else?”
Jake was quiet. He knew he didn’t have a right to make the decision to terminate the operation without saving the Asian girls inside the spa. He felt totally helpless.
“You’re right,” he agreed reluctantly. “You know I could have walked around to the back gate at the spa that leads into the National Forest and gone in after Kate?”
“I know, but you’re a good man, Jake,” Mike said. “You wouldn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize this operation. Why don’t you come back to the lodge and we will decide how to proceed. Do you want to ride in the limousine with us or drive behind in your Jeep?”
After Kate saw the driver at the front door, she began to hope he had seen or heard her. Maybe he would tell someone. But on the other hand, who would he tell? His boss wouldn’t want anyone to know Kuri had her tied up and held prisoner in a closet.
She sank back against the wall and tried to consider her options. Could anyone of the Asian girls help her? She was afraid that was out of the question. Now she had seen Kuri with the big, curved knife, she was sure she was the one who had killed Kioko. If that were the case, the women would also know it, and would be too frightened to help.
Jennifer must be out of her mind with worry. She had told her and Hank she would be back in a few minutes. The few minutes had turned into hours. Jake had disappeared for several days. Obviously he was no help. It would soon be time for Hank to go home. What would he do about Jennifer? Would he leave her alone at the lodge? Surely, he wouldn’t do that. Maybe he would take her home with him.
She had to fight down her rising panic. Why had she felt it necessary for her to find out if Jake was at the spa? Even though he and Jennifer had become good friends, was he really a man she could trust? Could she believe he had a change of heart?
The questions kept running through her head like a ticker tape through a machine. She was confused. She wanted to scream with frustration. She had better forget about Jake and start praying. Instead of being her last option, praying should have been her first. She had to get out of there and home to Jennifer.
As Jake turned the Jeep around, and headed back toward the lodge, he felt as though a sharp knife had stabbed his heart and his life’s blood was slowly ebbing out. He couldn’t recall ever feeling this weak and helpless. He directed the Jeep to the side of the road and rested his head on the steering wheel.
As he felt the tears streaming down his face, he lifted his hand and wiped at them. He could not remember the last time he had shed tears. Probably when he was a small boy.
As he put the Jeep into gear, he glanced toward his left, where a narrow road wound its way down to a couple of houses. An SUV was parked a short distance down the road. He would have recognized that car anywhere. Turning the key to shut off the engine, he stepped out of the Jeep and ran toward the car.
All the doors were locked and he could see nothing when he walked around and peered in the windows. No clue as to why Kate might have gone to the spa. But suddenly, he knew. His interest in the spa had always bothered her. Could it be she was jealous and had gone there looking for him?
If she only knew how he felt about her. She was everything he had ever wanted in a woman, but never hoped to find. She and Jennifer were the family he had always wanted, but never hoped to have. Didn’t she know, because of her, he had become a better person?
Now he was anxious to get back to the lodge and tell Mike what he had found. Maybe he could change Mike’s mind about letting him go in before dark.
When he arrived at the lodge, Jennifer ran out and he slammed on his brakes and jumped out. He had planned on going straight to Mike’s cabin but he knew at that moment Jennifer needed him more.
He caught her in his arms and gave her a big hug as she turned up her face, eyes red and swollen from crying.
“Have you found Mom yet?” she asked, clutching at him.
“Not yet, but I think I know where she is.”
“Where? Why don’t you go and get her?”
“Jennifer, I need you to be brave. Can you do that for me?”
She stared at him and after a moment, she slowly nodded.
“I believe she’s at the health spa.”
“What would she be doing there?”
“I don’t know the answer to that question.”
“Then, how do you know she’s there?”
“Remember I told you about the fisherman who are actually agents for the USCIS?” At her nod, he continued. “The driver of the limousine is one of our agents.”
“Hank and I figured that out,” she said proudly.
“I’m impressed,” Jake said, knowing a little light talk might relieve some of Jennifer’s stress. “How did you do that?”
“When the limousine drove past the lodge and parked in front of Mike Barton’s cabin,” she said smugly.
“Good detective work,” he said, giving her another hug. “Would you like to hear our plan?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Let’s sit down on the steps and I’ll tell you. Then, you can go in and tell Hank.”
They sat down beside each other and Jennifer pressed against Jake’s side.
“Tonight, as soon as it gets dark, Mike and all of the agents, are going in the limousine up to the spa. The driver has already set it up. He has told Kuri he is bringing up a group of businessmen from Lava Cove for the evening. While Kuri is being distracted, I will slip around to the back door and get inside and find the room where we believe your mother is being held.”
“But what if the back door is locked?”
Relieved to hear Jennifer’s laugh and see her face no longer had that pinched look Jake smiled and held up his arm to flex his muscles.
“You go in and tell Hank what our plan is,” Jake said. “And if you or Hank come up with any good ideas, you come and tell me.”
Jennifer jumped up and headed for the front door of the lodge.
“Jennifer,” Jake called after her, “I’ll be in Mike Barton’s cabin with him and the other agents.”
She gave a wave and closed the door, disappearing from sight.
Giving a sigh of relief, Jake stood up from the steps. He had to admit talking to Jennifer had made him feel better. His energy and confidence had returned. He climbed the hill to the cabins.
When Jake walked into Mike’s cabin, the agents were in various positions, some lounging on the bed, others slouched in chairs and a couple sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall. Mike had pinned a large white sheet of paper on the wall and was drawing on it with a black felt pen and the agents were watching intently.
When his cell phone suddenly pealed out in the quiet room, he pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at it. The caller ID identified the call as coming from the lodge.
“Yo,” he said as he flipped it open. “What’s up?”
“Hank said dinner is ready and your men should come down now and eat,” Jennifer said. “Says it’s important for you all to keep up your strength.”
Jake couldn’t help but smile. “You tell him we’ll be right down.”
He heard Hank calling something in the background.
Then Jennifer repeated, “He says he’s been baking pies all afternoon.”
“We’ll be right there,” he told her and flipped the phone shut.
Turning to Mike, he said, “Dinner is ready and there’s fresh pie.”
The men needed no urging. They were out the door and heading down the hill before Mike could speak a word of dismissal.
“What do you think?” Jake asked. “Did you get the bugs all worked out of your plan?”
“I think we did,” Mike said, sounding pleased. “There really should be nothing to it. We will coordinate with the USCIS in Salt Lake so there is no chance for one of the men to warn Kuri. Since the only person at the spa who might be dangerous is Kuri, we will take her down while you go in the back door and rescue Kate.”
“Sounds great,” Jake said enthusiastically, anxious for darkness to fall over the valley. “How about we go down and try out some of Hank’s pies?”
“Sounds good to me,” Mike said, following Jake out of the cabin and closing the door behind them.
When the two men entered the small dining room at the lodge, there was a murmur of talk among the agents. Jennifer and Hank were serving up plates piled generously with roast beef, carrots, mashed potatoes, and gravy.
Jake smiled. Hank had certainly gone all out to satisfy the men’s appetites.
After the men had all been served, Jennifer went from table to table and writing on a pad of paper, she took their orders for pie. Jake had to admire how in control she appeared, although he knew she was desperately worried about her mother.
Jake kept glancing out the window and was relieved when he saw the sun drop behind the mountain. It wouldn’t take long for twilight to be invaded by total darkness. It was all he could do to keep from getting up and pacing the floor.
When he could stand it no longer, he excused himself from the table where he sat with Mike and two of the other agents and went into the kitchen.
“Hank, that was a great spread you put on tonight,” he said. “I know the men really appreciated it. We are all a little uptight about this raid tonight. Maybe not about the raid, but about finding Kate.”
Hank only nodded. Jake realized that was unusual for him. Hank always had something to say. He was probably as worried as the rest of them about Kate. He told himself if he could get Kate out of the spa alive and unharmed, he would ask her to marry him. Knowing his background, she probably wouldn’t feel comfortable with him. In fact, he thought, he should probably just leave Mountain Springs and continue working for the USCIS.
He knew the thought of not having Kate and Jennifer as a part of his life would be incredibly painful. But he loved them both and wanted only the best for them.
Hours had passed since Kuri had warned Kate about making any noise. Her legs had become numb from being in the same position for so long and she had gradually dozed off.
She didn’t know what had awakened her but she was suddenly wide-awake.
Her first thought was that she would no longer use Jennifer as an excuse. If she saw Jake again, she was going to tell him how she felt about him. She wanted so much to have a life with Jake.
Knowing Kioko’s throat had been slashed, Jake was anxious to start the raid. He didn’t understand Mike’s reasoning for waiting until dark. He went into the kitchen where Jennifer was helping Hank with the dishes.
“Great dinner,” he complimented Hank, who only grunted in response.
Jake knew if he gave in to his urge to pace the floor, he would only worry Hank and Jennifer. Not wanting to talk to Mike again, he left through the back door of the kitchen and walked up to his cabin.
He had only paced back and forth across the room a few times when he heard a knock at the door. Looking out the window, he saw darkness had fallen over the mountains and he hurried to open it.
It was one of the agents. “Mike says to tell you, we are ready. He thought you might like to follow behind in your Jeep.”
Jake nodded and grabbed his jacket off the back of a chair and followed the agent down to the group of men who were standing by the limousine.
“I’m assuming you want to follow us in your Jeep,” Mike said.
Nodding, Jake took out his keys, slid in behind the steering wheel of his Jeep, and watched as Mike climbed into the rental car and the agents entered the limousine. He sat tapping a rhythm on the steering wheel as he waited for the limousine to turn around. He gave a sigh of relief as it drove out of the driveway, Mike following behind in the rental car. He fell in behind Mike and the three vehicles were soon turning the corner onto the road, which led up the hill to their destination.
Chapter 13
Jake was almost sure Kuri had killed Kioko because of her complaining. Why wouldn’t she kill Kate for snooping around? He prayed desperately that if Kuri’s intention was to get rid of Kate, she would put it off until the agents had time to enter the spa.
The entourage arrived at the gate blocking the entrance to the spa. Jake waited patiently while the driver of the limousine punched in the numbers of the combination that would open the gate. It seemed to take an eternity before the gate began to slide back. He was right on the bumper of the vehicle in front of him as they started through. He suppressed a strong urge to pull around the two vehicles and drive to the back door.
He waited for the six agents and Mike to step out of their vehicles and head toward the front door before he jumped out and ran along the wall of the spa to the back door in an attempt to keep from triggering the security lights or any alarm.
Under cover of the flurry of the men entering the spa, Jake reached the back door and tried it. Locked. He debated whether to break it down or go around and enter through the front. It only took him a split second to make the decision.
Standing back a short distance, he hit the door with his shoulder. It splintered and he was in. If the agents hadn’t yet taken Kuri into custody, he would certainly have caused a diversion, he thought. But a quick glance showed one of the agents had Kuri in handcuffs and fastened to an arm of a heavy couch. The other agents were urging the Asian girls to get their clothes packed, telling them they were taking them to safety.
Jake saw the locked door in the hallway immediately. Sliding the bolt back, he carefully pushed the door open. The light from the hallway shone in on a figure huddled on the floor a short distance away. Quickly, he flipped on the switch and flooded the store room with light.
A bound and gagged Kate looked up at him in surprise and he dropped quickly to his knees beside her. He removed the tape from her mouth as gently as he could, and then moved to the knotted ropes that bound her.
“Oh, Jake,” Kate began to sob. “How did you know I was here? I was so scared.”
“It’s all right, sweetheart,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “I’ve got you now. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Kuri is in custody and we’re taking the young women out of here.”
“We? Who’s we? Where are you taking the women?”
“I’ll explain it all to you later. Right now I have to get you back to Jennifer.”
“Where is Jennifer?” Kate asked.
“She’s at the lodge with Hank,” he said. “You would be so proud of her. She has been a real trooper.”
He held her away, and pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped the tears from her face, and then gave her a passionate kiss.
“How did you know I was here?” she asked, as Jake lifted his face from hers.
“Kate, I need to explain some things to you, but first I want to know how you got yourself into this predicament.”
“I’m so embarrassed.”
“Were you by chance looking for me?”
She buried her head in his shoulder and he could feel her nod.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you where I was. I could have prevented this if I had. But you’re going to have to learn to trust me. I had gone up to Salt Lake City.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” She raised her head to sta
re at him. “You always tell me where you’re going.”
“Let’s get out of here, and I’ll explain everything to you.”
Jake stood and helped her to her feet. He put out his hands to steady her as she fell against him. He could imagine how stiff she must be, sitting on the floor, bound and gagged for hours.
Putting an arm around her, he led her out of the storage room into the large front room, which was a beehive of activity.
“I’ve got her,” he announced in a loud, triumphant voice.
The Asian girls with piles of clothes in their arms, hovering over suitcases, as they chattered excitedly to each other, paused, and stared.
Mike turned and gave Jake a thumbs-up. Then he turned back to the men. “Okay, let’s get these girls to our safe house. It’s going to take more than one trip so we need to get a move on.”
“Mike, I’m going to take Kate down to the lodge,” Jake said. “Then I’ll be back to help.”
“I think we’ve got it covered, Jake. Take your time, and I’ll touch base with you later.”
“What is going on?” Kate asked, looking at the chaos. “I hope I haven’t caused all this.”
“Of course, you did,” Jake teased. “Don’t you think you’re worth it?”
Seeing the puzzled look on Kate’s face, he hurried to say, “Let’s go. I’ll explain everything on the way to the lodge. Which reminds me, I had better give Hank and Jennifer a call and let them know I have you.”
Suiting actions to words, he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and punched in a number. A moment later, he was speaking into it.
Murder in Mountain Springs Page 16