The Road to Round Mountain II - The Alliance: By C.G Roberts

by C. G. Roberts

  As we got in the back seat of the taxi Vargas responded, “I’ll let you know when we’re close and then you can drop us off”. “Going to surprise someone”, the driver inquired. “Something like that”, as Vargas turned to me and smiled. The driver gave us the once over through the rearview mirror. I don’t blame him,

  our clothes were torn, we had dried blood scattered about our faces and hands.

  Not to mention that we probably don’t smell too fresh at this juncture.

  “Say

  , were you two of the survivors they found outside Crater Lake”? I

  looked at the driver gave a quick nod, “Yeah but we’re pretty beat up and don’t

  want to talk about it if you don’t mind”. “That’s cool, sorry for the questions”, as

  the driver became mute drove us toward our destination.

  We cane up highway 39 and the driver turned right on Patterson. We made two more right hand turns with the final one being Kimberly Drive. After a couple of blocks Vargas said, “You can let us out here, and keep the change”. The driver gave a wave and off to find his next fare as I followed Vargas to a path in between two split level houses. There weren’t many houses as we took the path off Kimberly drive. I could see what Vargas was saying about acres of land as the houses on the east side of Kimberly Drive had and endless view of rolling hills and some small mountain s a little farther east.

  The path went downhill and ended at a drainage culvert. We came upon a huge drain pipe and Vargas wasted no time climbing in. “We’re going in there”, I objected slightly? “It’s not too far from here”, He replied. The drain pipe must have been about five foot in height as the both of us only had to duck down only

  a bit. The lighted entrance quickly gave way to a dark journey ahead. I put my hand on the side of the drain pipe as a guide. I could hear Vargas a few feet ahea d of me shuffling his feet. “Okay, turn left in about four feet”, Vargas

  offered. My solid drain pipe turned into air as I figured out that there must be an

  intersecting pipe cutting through. I felt around until I found solid wall again.

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  The Darkness was as annoying as scuffling my way through a drain pipe. The shuffling of Vargas’s feet stopped as I did as well. A small click followed by a faint light gave way to Vargas’s location. He was ten feet ahead of me, looked back and pointed up. I’m not sure why the silence as I doubt that any of the rats down hear understand English. The light showed another pipe only smaller in diameter but with ladder rungs heading straight up. I looked up just in time to hear a creaking noise coming from above followed by, “We’re safe; none of my alarms have gone off”. I came to the top and pulled myself up and over the hole, “Close the hatch would you”? I closed the wooden hatch and more light appeared as

  this basement looked similar to the one at the cabin, only smaller.

  There were a few computers, a few towers, and some other equipment that

  I didn’t have a clue as to what it was. It was a concrete basement with a set of

  stairs to our left. Vargas bypassed all of the equipment and headed upstai rs. The stairs led to the kitchen and Vargas turned on the light and headed down the hall shouting, “Help yourself to what’s in the fridge”. I did but the first thing I saw was two cans of Dr. Pepper. The soda God’s are shining their light on me today as I

  was in heaven. Vargas came back from where ever he was holding some bottle of

  medicine. I’m sure it was his heart medicine as he saw me chugging my drink of

  choice and said, “Toss me one of those”, which I did.

  He opened the bottle and poured out two pills, opened the can of Dr. Pepper and chugged his Dr. Pepper and his pills. It wasn’t a pretty sight as the drinks disappeared from view in short order. The belches that followed were impressive to say the least.

  We decided to clean up our act a bit as we didn’t want to attract attention as we currently appear, so Vargas to the upstairs shower and I was left with the one

  in the basement. The hot water felt great and hurt at the same time. The

  stinging of the water on my open cuts subsided and I was able to relax and enjoy the overdue cleansing. Upstairs Vargas looked much better. His medicine seemed to help not to mention fresh clothes that weren’t ripped to shreds added to his improved look. The knot on the back of his head was still there, but his Oregon

  Ducks baseball hat covered most of that.

  I still had a few change of clothes in my backpack after my current choice of a blue tee shirt jeans and of course my jean jacket. Vargas handed me a damp dish rag to knock off some of the dirt that had hitched a ride from Bend. “Almost ready to rock, just have to get something from my room and we can get out of here”. “Are you sure that we weren’t seen and that no one has messed with the house”, I asked in a paranoid manner? “We’re good, all of my detection systems are showing no activity and I doubt that anyone was interested in a couple of guys walking towards the hills”.

  I was satisfied that he was satisfied while I waited for him to retrieve

  whatever from his room. Vargas came out of his room with a small black velvet pouch that he was putting in the front pocket of his jeans. “What’s that for”, I asked referring to the bag? He just smiled and replied, “Good luck charm, let’s go”!

  We reversed field and left the way we came in. Once back out on Kimberly Drive we made a few turns and came back out on highway 39. Feeling refreshed I pulled out a smoke for myself and Vargas. By the time we finished we came to a used car lot na med Tim’s Auto Wholesale. A small car lot, similar to those you would find in Astoria, with maybe twenty cars to choose from. Vargas made a bee line for the red Jeep Wrangler. I could have come up with five other choices before I would have given that jeep a second look.

  Perhaps I was being unfair and feeling a bit biased as I knew that last night wreck was not the fault of the Jeep. Still I would have settled for the old Chrysler New Yorker in the back row; it was big and could absorb a lot of damage. Vargas was talking to some guy with a crew cut not much older than me. I guess I was just here for garnish as I walked over to side of lots building and lit up. Vargas seemed to out talk the talker as he gave me a thumb up sign as he went inside

  with the salesman.

  I didn’t realize how tired I was, after all the exploits from last night and today’s huge regurgitation from Mother Nature. My stomach gave me a reminder as well by grumbling angrily at me for ignoring its needs.

  I heard some chatter out front and saw Vargas tossing keys in the air and catching them. He spotted me around the corner and smiled. I rambled over to him as he said, “Five grand for the Jeep. Not bad considering the sticker was almost seven grand. It’s amazing how quickly cash can speak at times”.

  The Red Jeep Wrangler was nine years old but looked in great shape. We hopped in and started to leave the Tim’s Auto wholesale when Vargas offered, “Ready to rock”? I almost said yes, but I forgot that I was supposed to get a phone. “Crap, I forgot that I need to get a phone”, I replied timidly. We made a quick right on highway 39 wen t about two hundred feet and turned left into the Albertson’s Grocery parking lot. I looked at Vargas puzzled, “They got phones in there by customer service”, he advised.

  Less than ten minutes later I came out with my Touch screen Trac phone. I had to have the lady at customer service help me set up the phone and I had to purchase a phone card so I would have minutes to talk. This will take a bit to get used to, but at least I have a working phone again.

  “How about we grab some Tacos for the road”, Vargas asked? I nodded while

  trying to figure out my new phone. Back on highway 39 heading south we turned

  into Jalapenos’ Taco shop maybe five blocks after we got back on the road.

  With a bag f
illed with a dozen Tacos and two large Dr. Peppers and back on

  the road again Vargas declared, “Let’s cruise for a while then find us a hotel. I

  don’t know about you but I’m beat. I didn’t seem to get much sleep last night”, as

  he smiled. I didn’t get much myself although I do recall napping as we got pushed

  off the road last night. I believe I shall remain awake for a while.

  32

  “That didn’t take very long did it Mr. Rollins”, as Mr. Baily was pleased with the prompt return call. “Yes sir, we just landed at Klamath Falls airport when I got a call from my surveillance team showing activity from the secondary home that

  we had sensors placed at. Looks like they just left the house maybe twenty minutes ago and I’m having my team review footage from all streets leading in and out”, Mr. Rollins offered.

  “Wonderful news Mr. Rollins, and I think we both knew that they would survive today’s unusual activities. How long before you expect to hear back from your people”? It shouldn’t be long sir, they have to pass us at some point and then we will monitor their direction put some spotters in place and with any luck we just m ight have them to you by tomorrow night”.

  “Sounds encouraging my boy, but remember when the tranquilizer darts are used, make sure that your people know to wait at least three minutes before moving in; I don’t want a repeat of last night’s events to deal with. I have enough dead bodies to contend with already. If you are successful in delivering in the time frame that you stated, I will add an additional one million dollars as a bonus. When I get word from security that you are coming in with a party of two, please check your phone as I will send you confirmation of the six million transferred to your account”. He started to say something else but another coughing attack cut

  him off.

  “Then by all means sir, I will have them to you by tomorrow night and we both will be more than satisfied”, as Mr. Rollins ended the phone call this time as he didn’t think Mr. Baily would mind him doing so pending his delivery.

  “Now is the time that you should fear me, Billy Speer”, Mr. Rollins uttered

  under his breath as he drove his rental car from the airport Black Bear Diner to

  meet up with his team.

  33

  Our bellies were full of tacos and our residual smoke lingered briefly before

  exiting the Jeeps’ windows. The one nice thing about this Jeep was that it’s a hard top, and if we were to be the recipient of another pit maneuver, we would not go flying out of it like other Jeep which of course was a convertible.

  After many attempts to try and text Jenny it seems that too many towers were down for us to get service right now. The clock on my phone read seven thirty p.m. and we had plenty of shade to keep us cool as the sun had started to disappear over the horizon. I have noticed that the increase in elevation makes things warm up quickly and as the sun is starting to go down, it is already cooling off quickly.

  I was bummed about not being able to at least text with Jenny. You can’t believe how much I miss her and want to hear her voice, if for no other reason than to tell her that I’m okay and we’ll be together soon. That thought alone

  made me feel much better.

  Vargas was cruising along at close to the posted speed limit of sixty five. We

  didn’t want to bring any attention to ourselves by flying down the road and I was

  too tired for any more encounters as I’m sure he was.

  We hit the California border at eight thirty p.m. and Vargas was wiping at his

  eyes. I could tell he was having i ssues by the way he kept squinting to try and see. It wasn’t completely dark yet, but dark enough to make it difficult to see the road clearly. Heading south on highway 39 through the hills and the dense tree population might have been easier but there weren’t many lights on this stretch of road. We also came upon a sign saying that we were also on highway 139 which confused me; though not a difficult task to accomplish these days.

  We were both exhausted and Vargas continued to labor through a poorly

  lit highway. I was starting to light up when Vargas saw a sign to our right; Tule

  lake Hotel 2 miles. “Looks like we have our lodging for the night, and just so you

  know, we are not sharing a room”, Vargas declared with a smile.

  We pulled in the parking lot at the Tule lake Hotel and it appeared extremely old, in fact it was just a couple of notches above the “Bates Hotel”. Suddenly a shower didn’t seem like a good idea. It should be fine as long as the person checking us in isn ’t named Norman.

  Vargas looked about for a minute and pulled the Jeep around the side of the

  Hotel. There didn’t seem to be any parking there, but I knew what Vargas was thinking and the Jeep couldn’t be seen from Highway 39 if someone happened to be following us. We got checked in and as planned we each had our own room.

  The room itself seemed okay, just that everything was dated. The Curtains on the window were similar to the ones my Mother had in her kitchen for years before she repla ced them a couple of years ago. The nice surprise was a phone, not a cell phone, but an actual land line and this one required a technique using one finger and spinning the dial; cool.

  The TV was an old thick Zenith, but it worked and not only that, but Criminal

  Minds was on channel twenty two. I now get to call my girlfriend and watch

  Criminal Minds. At least the day is ending a whole lot better that it started . I started dialing……………

  34

  It was almost eleven thirty p.m. when The Sheriff and the Captain made it to the Klamath Falls Airport. They found a shuttle to take them to the nearest hotel

  which was the Microtel Inn and Suites on Dakota street.

  Every one made it out safely from the disastrous earthquake as Walt and Bill were the final two out. They packed everything they could from the patrol car as

  it as well as the RV was being held prisoners by the buckled roads of highway 97.

  They decided to share a room but the Sheriff made it clear that he had some

  calls to make in addition to calling his wife so he could put her at ease. Bill

  obliged the request but reminded him that he wasn’t the only law enforcement in

  the room in addition to being married as well.

  “Have you heard anything from Billy”, Bill asked? “No, not yet, maybe he forgot to buy a phone or something. Go ahead and get your shower while I make my calls and then my turn for the shower, so don’t take all the hot water you old goat”, as the Sheriff smiled. Bill returned the smile along with a horrible impersonation of a goat.

  The Sheriff sat down by the land line phone and called his office in Astoria. It rang just once as Deputy Dave answered, “Thank god you’re okay Sheriff, the phones ben ringing off the hook and I had no information to give anyone”. “Settle down Dave and tell me by order of importance who called, and don’t say my wife, I’ll get to her later”, The Sheriff barked.

  “Most everyone has called since hearing of the earthquake but you did have

  one call from your secure line in your office”, Dave offered. “Okay Dave, I don’t read minds so how about telling me who called that line”, The Sheriff replied impatiently. “Oh yeah, he didn’t give me his name but he said that you would

  know since he was the one se nding you information about Round Mountain.

  That’s all he would give me. Your wife has called about a dozen times and desperately wants to hear from you.

  The guy who called your secure line said as soon as you get this message to call him ASAP, and he said you would have his number”, Dave concluded. “Damn, yeah I have it, but do me a favor and call my wife and tell her I’m okay and have

  her call Bi ll’s wife to relay the same message and that I will call her when I’m done with this guy”. “Will do Sheriff, but everyone is okay though”? “Thanks to Billy they are, but that’s a long story
for another day, so call my wife and I’ll get back with this guy”, The Sheriff added.

  Deputy Dave hung up immediately and called the sheriff’s wife as Walt was busy fishing out Adrian Montrose’s card from his wallet. Successful in his search

  he dialed Adrian’s number.

  “Sheriff Pasco here”, The Sheriff identified. “Glad you’re alright Sheriff; sounds like you’ve had an eventful day”, Adrian said. “Don’t need many more days like this one. What’s the information you were trying to get to me”, The Sheriff inquired?

  “We were right to suspect Daniel Marrick as a possible added party to the bounty hunt. We’ve intercepted calls from him going to his partner. He has been feeding him information along the way such as location, their current locations and when and where they are headed”. The Sheriff scratched his head, “I’m confused, because evidently a group surrounded their cabin last night and the boys escaped but then got pushed off the road by another group. How damn many groups are going after Billy”, The Sheriff asked?

  “More that we can count I’m afraid, but the most important part of the equation is that we cannot allow Daniel, or Vargas as he seems to prefers to be called, to take Billy to Round Mountain. We now know that’s it’s a setup for Vargas to collect the bounty from his Dad. We haven’t yet figured out how Daniel knew that his father faked his own death, but that point is now moot”,

  Adrian countered.

  The Sheriff was too exhausted to hear much more, “Do you have anything in

  mind”? “Actually Sheriff I do, and I see by your phone call that you’re in Klamath Falls and do you remember those four men I sent out your way a few weeks back”, Adrian asked? “Sure but”……………….. “They are in route to your location as

  we speak. They should be there by morning and I’ll be in touch wit h details as where to meet them. They have been supplied with the necessary weaponry and action plans to foil Daniel’s little plan and they will need you two for extra eyes, since these folks seem to have an endless supply of them”, Adrian offered.