by Dirk Patton
At the corner, Tanya stopped and dropped down until she was prone on the ground. Worming her way forward, she slowly poked her head out until she could see the front. A minute passed during which she was as still as a statue, then just as cautiously she retreated. Rolling around me, she indicated for me to take a look.
I copied how she’d moved, catching my breath when I got a look at the open area in front of her house. There was a veritable forest of little red flags sticking a foot out of the ground. I had no idea what they were marking, but was sure it had to do with the fight that had taken place. But what worried me was the black Suburban parked on a large, clear patch of grass that didn’t have any flags.
The vehicle was facing away from the house and I could only see the man in the passenger seat. He was smoking as he listened to the baseball game, his arm hanging out of the open window. Though I couldn’t see the other side, there had to be a second man behind the wheel. I couldn’t imagine being by yourself and sitting in the passenger seat.
I watched for close to a minute as the man slowly smoked his cigarette. Whenever he turned his head to take a drag, he was looking directly at the tree we needed to reach. Moving back, I sat up and pulled Tanya close.
“No way!” I mumbled. “He looks right at it every time he takes a puff.”
“We wait for him to finish his smoke,” she said with determination. “Move to the far side of the trunk. Even if he lights another, we’ll be hidden from view.”
I leaned away from her, turning my head and looking at the tree. She was right. It could work. It could also fail spectacularly and we’d wind up in jail. I didn’t even want to think about the charges that would come our way if we were caught trespassing on a crime scene and removing evidence. I looked at Tanya and shook my head.
She grabbed me by the back of the neck and shoved her mouth to my ear.
“I’m not leaving without it. If you want to go, I’ll wait until you’re clear.”
She released her grip and moved until our faces were inches apart. Stared into my eyes. Challenging me. I still don’t know why I did what happened next. Perhaps my dad was right about me and I don’t have any impulse control. But, with Tanya’s face that close, I just did the first thing that went through my head and kissed her.
Shocked, she didn’t move for a second, then jerked her face away and scowled at me. All I could do was grin and shrug. She held up a fist and made it clear what would happen if I tried anything like that again. Slowly, the moment passed and I started to lean forward to speak again.
Tanya pulled back, turning her head and giving me a warning look. I held my hands up in surrender and she allowed me to move in close to her ear.
“Sorry, but didn’t want to get caught and go to jail without having tried that.”
She gave me another look, then stabbed a stiff finger into my chest before pointing at the open ground slightly to our rear. I got the idea. We were going to circle around and approach the tree from the blind side. Nodding, I made an after you gesture and she slithered away, keeping the house between her and the Suburban.
We moved fifty yards out, coming to a stop only because of the predator fence. Turning, Tanya flattened herself on the grass and began crawling toward the tree. I followed, admiring the way her body writhed as she moved.
The baseball game was still going and we both froze in place when there was the rasp of a cigarette lighter. I was amazed at how loud it was, clearly recognizable even over the sound of the radio. I wanted to talk to Tanya and tell her we needed to retreat, but within seconds she was moving again. Sighing in resignation, I followed.
At the base of the tree, she stopped and slowly moved her head to the side for a look at the Suburban. Pulling back, she stood, staying tight against the trunk and hidden from the vehicle. She turned and put her back against the tree, waving me forward. I covered the last of the ground and stood up directly in front of her.
“Why’d you really kiss me?” she asked, stunning me with the question.
I looked at her and grinned. She reached forward and grabbed the back of my neck again. I started to turn my head so my ear was available, but she touched my chin with her other hand and pressed her mouth to mine. The last kiss had been a peck because I’d surprised her, but this one wasn’t. It lasted nearly ten seconds and if my heart hadn’t already been pounding, it would have when our lips parted.
She smiled and nodded toward the ground. Head slightly spinning, I gave her a questioning look and she rolled her eyes before making a stirrup with her hands. Oh.
I lifted her up and she disappeared into the branches. The previous trees had each taken less than two minutes and I allowed myself to think we were going to pull this off. Then I heard a car door open and slam shut a couple of seconds later. Pressing my back against the tree trunk, sweat popped out as a pair of heavy steps slowly crunched across the gravel drive.
When they suddenly went silent I nearly stuck my head around the tree to see what was happening, then I picked up the sound of someone walking on the lawn. Drawing closer. Coming directly toward the tree and stopping at the base on the far side. What the hell?
A moment later the sound of a zipper. Jesus Christ, I thought to myself as one of the men began taking a piss on the tree trunk. It seemed to take forever, the stream sounding weak and intermittent. Starting and stopping. He grunted with effort every time the flow ceased. I looked up, but didn’t see Tanya.
An eternity later he was done, releasing a long sigh, then the zipper went back up. I waited impatiently to hear footsteps retreating, but there was only silence. Until he spoke in surprise.
“What the hell?” he said to himself.
Then there was the scuff of shoes on grass as he moved and the scrape of leather.
“Hold it right there!” he shouted. “Jim! We’ve got an intruder!”
He’d somehow seen Tanya!
Another car door popped open, but instead of slamming shut, there was the sound of swiftly approaching feet. His partner was running to join him. The tree over my head suddenly lit up as one of them beamed a bright flashlight into the branches.
“Alright, keep your hands where we can see them and come on down!” a new voice shouted. The partner.
I stood frozen, my heart about to pound out of my chest. What would happen to Tanya if they took her? Thoughts of all the lies that had already been told about our dads swirled through my head. I looked down at the rifle in my hands. My dad’s rifle! Would he really have left it at home if he was going to a fight? And even without it, they’d killed him! What were they going to do to Tanya?
The rage that had filled me when I’d looked at Mary earlier surged up. Strangely, it had a calming effect. Cleared my mind. Suddenly I was able to analyze the situation without fear. At least fear for myself. I was terrified of what might happen to Tanya. Without another thought, I brought the rifle to my shoulder and rolled around the tree, bringing it onto target with my finger on the trigger.
“Don’t fucking move!” I shouted at the two men who were aiming their pistols up into the tree.
Their heads snapped in my direction and they froze, staring at the muzzle of the rifle. For what seemed forever, we stood like that, no one saying anything.
“You don’t want to do that, son,” one of them said, finally breaking the silence.
He started to lower his pistol away from Tanya. I reacted without thinking, moving the muzzle a few degrees to the side and firing a shot toward an empty field before snapping it back onto his head. He froze, fear showing clearly on his face.
“I said don’t move!” I growled through clenched teeth.
“Make them put their guns on the ground,” Tanya called from above my head.
Shit. I should’ve thought of that.
“You heard her,” I said. “Nice and slow.”
They did as ordered, bending a few inches at a time and gently placing their pistols on the grass.
“Five steps back!” Tanya called.
“Far enough!” I snapped when they didn’t seem like they were going to stop.
“Coming down,” Tanya called.
A moment later, I heard her land on the far side of the tree, then she stepped into view, stuffing the last camera into her pack. The two agents watched her carefully.
“What are you doing, son?” the man tried again. “Whatever it is, it’s a bad idea. No one’s been hurt, so why don’t you put that rifle down and we’ll do our best to help you.”
I nearly pulled the trigger when he said that.
“Like you helped the people that lived here?” I asked in a snarl. “Like you murdered them?”
Real fear appeared on both their faces when my words sank in.
“Oh, my God,” the one who hadn’t spoken said in a low breathy voice. “Please, kid. I’ve got a wife and kids of my own. Please don’t kill me.”
He was trembling, probably afraid I was some lunatic fringe militia kid. Well, maybe tonight I was.
“Easy,” Tanya said from close by my side. “Look at them. These guys didn’t have anything to do with it.”
Both men were terrified. Certain a bullet was about to come speeding their way at any second. And, Tanya was right. These were just a couple of guys doing their job. They weren’t killers. I took a deep breath, slightly bothered by what I’d been about to do.
Tanya moved behind me, approaching them from the side, staying far enough away so one of them couldn’t make a grab for her.
“Empty your pockets,” she said.
They stared at her, unmoving.
“NOW! Empty them! Everything. I’d better see at least two phones on the ground and the keys for that Suburban!”
They were tearing at their clothing before she finished speaking, pulling items out of pockets and flinging them onto the lawn. Tanya went behind me again and picked up the flashlight. Aimed it at their possessions on the ground. There were two phones, wallets, ID cases, keys, a lighter and a pack of cigarettes.
“Your Bureau phone and your backup weapons,” she said, raising the light and shining it in their eyes.
They hesitated briefly, then another phone, two snub nosed pistols and a fixed blade knife were added to the pile.
“Screw this,” Tanya said, putting the light back on them. “You’re screwing around. Strip. Down to your underwear.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” one of them asked, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the light.
Tanya hesitated a second, then scooped up one of their pistols and fired a shot into the ground.
“Does it look like I’m kidding?”
That broke the dam. They couldn’t undress fast enough. Buttons popped in their haste and soon they stood there in nothing but their underwear.
“Over there,” Tanya said, pointing at a spot thirty yards away with the pistol.
Slowly, they shuffled sideways to where she had pointed, afraid to turn their back on her.
“On the ground,” she commanded. “Face down.”
They shared a glance, sweat beading on their faces.
“Do it!” I shouted.
They’d momentarily forgotten about me, their heads snapping around to see the rifle still pointed at them. Slowly, each man dropped to a knee then lowered himself until prone in the grass.
Tanya rushed forward and scooped up everything they’d dropped. She piled it all into one of their jackets before rolling it into a big bundle. She caught my eye and tilted her head up. I looked where indicated and saw a phone line coming out of a box on a utility pole and running to the house’s roof.
“Can you hit that?” she asked.
While she kept a pistol trained on the two prone men, I raised the rifle and fired three shots that shattered the junction box on top of the pole. The wire that supplied landline telephone service to the house was severed and fell to the ground.
“Let’s go,” Tanya said. “We’re taking the Suburban.”
She was already hurrying to the agents’ vehicle.
“Stay put until we’re gone,” I said, trying to sound dangerous.
They didn’t respond and I didn’t waste another second. Turning, I lowered the rifle and ran for the big SUV. Tanya tossed their clothes and belongings into the back seat then ran around and jumped behind the wheel. The engine started as I reached the passenger door, skidding on the gravel. Jerking it open, I jumped in and she hit the gas.
Chapter 16
We raced away from the house in the FBI Suburban, my heart nearly pounding out of my chest. Tanya pushed the heavy vehicle hard, bottoming out a couple of times on the rough dirt track that led to the narrow highway.
“I’m sorry,” she said, eyes glued to the road in front of us in hopes of avoiding the worst ruts and potholes.
“For what?”
“For getting you mixed up in this. We’re in the shit, now.”
“You didn’t make me come,” I said. “It was my dad, too.”
We fell quiet for a short time, the rattling of the Suburban the only sound.
“They’re gonna find us,” she said, breaking the silence.
“Probably,” I admitted. “But we didn’t hurt anyone.”
“Not going to matter.”
I nodded my head, then braced myself as we blasted through a low spot where some water had settled. It was thrown up, momentarily blinding us when it came down on the windshield.
“Where do we go?” Tanya asked as the wipers quickly cleared the glass.
“Whatta you mean? My house.”
“We can’t! They’ll find us there. And your mom and Mary sure don’t need any more trouble.”
“They don’t know who we are!”
“They will. Both those guys got a good look at us. Maybe it’ll take a day, but they’ll figure it out. Then they’re coming!”
“What then?” I asked. “We did this for nothing?”
“I don’t know,” Tanya said.
For the first time, I detected a note of fear in her voice. Or maybe I was projecting how I was feeling. We needed a way to make sure the FBI didn’t find us. Better yet, a way to keep them from coming for us. But how?
I turned my head as realization dawned. Looking at Tanya’s pack, I tore it open and grabbed one of the cameras.
“What are you doing?” she asked, glancing at me.
“Going to see if this is worth having ruined our lives.”
I popped open the high-impact enclosure, then reached up and turned on an overhead light so I could see its interior. A circuit board with a camera lens and a small LCD screen with a row of buttons beneath for adjusting its settings. Below, a micro-SD memory card next to a row of batteries. Using my fingernails, I removed the card and let the camera drop to the floor.
“You got an Android phone, right?” I asked.
“Yeah. Why?”
“Because I’ve got an iPhone and it can’t take a memory card.”
Tanya immediately leaned to the side, tugged her phone out of a hip pocket and handed it to me. She told me the lock code and a minute later I was scrolling through surprisingly crisp images. FBI agents. Perhaps a hundred of them, walking all over Tanya’s property. These were just still photos, but I could tell they were sweeping the ground, looking for any little piece of evidence. And I saw what all the little red flags were for.
When I found nothing else, I removed the card and set it aside. Opening the second camera, I repeated the process. There were three photos that showed men wearing FBI windbreakers checking half a dozen bodies sprawled on the ground. Holding my breath, I zoomed, praying I wouldn’t recognize any of the dead. I let it out slowly when I didn’t.
“Well?” Tanya asked.
“Nothing yet and that’s two of them,” I said, pulling the card and reaching for the third camera.
This card was double the capacity of the first two and my
hopes rose slightly when I realized this meant it would hold a lot more pics. I had learned my lesson with the first two, so instead of starting with the most recent images and working my way backward, I began with the oldest. Two pics in, I froze with my finger hovering above the screen.
“What?” Tanya asked, but I was unable to respond. “Joe! What?”
“Stop,” I said in a quiet voice.
“What?”
“Stop!” I shouted, startling her.
She jammed on the brakes and we slid to a stop in a huge swirl of dust. Yanking the transmission into park, she turned to face me. I was already holding the phone up, turned sideways to enlarge the image.
Tanya stared at it for a long time, then slowly reached out and swiped across the screen to scroll. She did this a couple of times, then her hand dropped as tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks.
“The bastards killed them,” she whispered, sniffing. “They didn’t have any guns.”
I slowly turned the phone back so I could see, unable to speak when I saw a vivid color image of my father lying in the dirt, his shirt soaked in blood.
“They fucking murdered them!” Tanya suddenly screamed and began beating on the steering wheel.
I didn’t have the presence of mind to stop her. A big part of me wanted to join her. I nearly suggested she turn around so we could go kill the two men we’d left behind.
She eventually burned through the worst of her rage and dropped her arms into her lap. A moment later, sobs racked her body and she leaned forward until her head rested on the steering wheel. Pain coursed through me. Threatened to consume me. But the rage I’d felt earlier was still down there and it quickly pushed the desperate feeling of loss to the side.
Turning to Tanya, I set the phone down and gathered her into my arms. Held her as she wailed. How I didn’t break down, I’ll never know. Maybe that’s another big part of my dad that’s in me. He wasn’t one to show pain or grief and maybe I wasn’t either.
“We have to take this to someone,” Tanya said, wiping her eyes once the worst had passed. “The police.”