Charles Carnegie was the first to volunteer. “I’ll go. I’ll stay with the kids. I think I can walk out of there.”
Chief Odom looked at Grandpa Carnegie. “I think it would be better if one of the younger fathers went. I appreciate your offer, but we don’t need another rescue on top of this rescue. According to my men, the walk out of there will not be a walk in the park. No offense meant but it might be a better job for a younger man. The kids are sleeping on rocky ground in sleeping bags inside small tents. The temperature drops pretty low at night. Todd told the fireman something about a mountain lion creeping around that got within 20 feet or so of the kids so I’d prefer one of the fathers that can take a rifle with him in just in case.”
The mention of a mountain lion scared everyone. Charlie Reeves’ dad stepped up. “Chief Odom I can handle a gun. I’ve been on elk hunts every year since I could remember. I’ve slept outdoors. I know all about cold nights and rocky ground. I’d like to volunteer to stay with the kids tonight.”
Chief Odom looked at George Reeves and made a decision. George was in his late 30’s and fit. He had a no-nonsense look about him. Don Odom decided he would be the perfect candidate. He was a local in the area. He was physically in good shape. He knew his way around a hunting rifle. He looked like he could make the five-mile walk if need be.
Chief Odom set up two four-wheel drive vehicles to haul hay for the horses and supplies for the kids. George Reeves dashed home for his hunting rifle and ammunition and made it back to Cold Water Creek Ranch to meet the fire vehicles for the drive in.
The drive to the canyon took nearly two hours covering a little over five miles. The vehicles bounced and jounced over rocks, roots and through holes and dips. They stopped at the rock wall before they lost the light for the day. George Reeves packed his rifle over his shoulder and picked up his ammo can in one hand and a package of meals-ready-to-eat in the other. He and the two drivers walked into the canyon together. They met a somber-looking group of kids. They had high hopes of riding their horses out that afternoon and were very disappointed when the Fire Chief decided they needed to stay one more night where they were. Charlie was overjoyed to see his dad! Todd, Brody, Charlie, George and the firemen hauled hay from the trucks inside to feed the horses and they brought extra supplies for the kids who were starving by that time.
It was fully dark before the firemen got on their way back to the highway with Hilda Jorgensen in the lead truck. They lit their overhead lights on the vehicles so they could see and follow their own vehicle tracks to avoid the other hazards on the make-shift road.
George helped the kids gather firewood in the waning light so they could build a fire inside the canyon for a bit of warmth. The horses were fed before the kids opened their own meals and settled down for what they hoped would be their last night in the canyon.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
With George Reeves in the canyon with the kids, the parents felt more in control. One of them was with their kids. They all felt a little relieved. Hilda Jorgensen was delivered to Cold Water Creek Ranch by the firemen that night. The parents had a million questions for her about their kids. They wanted to hear about the mountain lion. Hilda assured them the kids were great. They were a nice bunch of young people and they were doing their best under difficult circumstances. Hilda told them how the horses chased the mountain lion from the canyon. Everyone was shocked. No one ever heard of a horse taking on a large predator like that. Horses were fight or flight animals. Horses would naturally choose flight when it came to a large carnivore attack.
Ginny Hartley spoke up, “I’ve worked with most of these youngsters. You have no idea how strong the bond really is between those horses and those kids. I could almost see that happening.”
They were all thankful for George Reeves and his rifle when Hilda told them how close the cat got to where they were sleeping. She showed them with her two hands how large the paw prints of that cat were.
Hilda was glad to get out of the canyon but felt guilty leaving the youngsters there for another night. She’d had time to talk with all of them and she liked each of them personally. They were growing up and becoming wonderful young adults in her opinion. She had time to spend with each youngster and their horse while they were trapped together. There wasn’t a horse in the group she wouldn’t have welcomed into her own barn. Each horse had a personality that showed during the time in the canyon.
Desperado and Prince Ali exchanged leadership of the herd depending on the situation. Desperado was the one who led the group into the canyon in the first place and he was the one who led the charge on the mountain lion. He was more than Jan and Hilda expected when they bred his mother. He was a correct Arabian horse in every aspect, but he had even more attributes. He was smart. He was a good leader. He was dependable and looked after the others in the herd and the kids. He’d always had a sense of humor. Between Desperado and Prince Ali, Hilda felt safe in the canyon like her two big brothers were there to protect her.
Melissa’s Mighty Max was a clown. He was always doing things that made Melissa and the others laugh. Maryann’s La Duquesa was a queen. Everything she did, she did with elegance and dignity although she was a force to be reckoned with when she joined the herd chasing that mountain lion from the canyon. Heidi’s Schultzy was like the bratty little kid who did things to annoy others but became contrite when called out on his shenanigans. He had a good heart and loved his Heidi like no other. Charlie’s Aces High was a good ol’ boy who wanted to please. Suzie’s horse Chips was a lot like Aces High and very attached to Suzie. Kathy’s Desi was somewhere between La Duquesa and Schultzy. He helped Schultzy pester the others but moved away with a certain dignity when called out for it. He obviously loved Kathy and hated to be on her bad side.
While Hilda was in the canyon her major problem had to do with sleeping on the rocky ground and cold temperatures at night. That was most uncomfortable for her old bones. She arrived at Cold Water Creek Ranch tired and achy all over and glad to be back in civilization. Chief Odom came to check in on her. She hesitated but finally asked him about her own home.
Chief Odom took her hand in his and looked right into her eyes. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news but according to my people, your home did not survive. They tried but could not save it.”
With tears forming in her own eyes she looked at Chief Odom and said, “I know they did their best. If my home is gone, it is only wood and brick. The important parts of my life are in here,” she tapped her finger over her heart. “Nothing can take that away from me as long as I am breathing.”
Chief Odom gave her a hug before excusing himself. He had work to do and had to get back to it. When he stepped into the Command and Control vehicle, Buck Martin was on the phone for him.
“Buck, did you get him?” the Fire Chief asked.
“No. We didn’t. We talked to one of his neighbors. He took his girlfriend to Boulder for the weekend and they came back to Denver early. The neighbor said he packed bags and said something about leaving for the Bahamas. Denver PD is working on it now. I’ve checked with the airlines and found he and a companion took a flight out the night the fire started. They had a flight to Miami connecting to the Bahamas. The Denver District Attorney is working with the Feds right now on extradition. We’ll get him,” Buck said. He grimaced over the last three words.
“This fire isn’t out yet so I can’t give an accurate cost of the damages yet but it will be substantial. We’ve not completed our survey of property damage yet. I know we’ve lost at least seven homes, many outbuildings, ten other homes were damaged, and there is dead livestock besides the damage to the forest itself. So far we’ve found the three people killed but there could be more. That guy has to pay for this.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Buck said. “I’m very sure we can nail him with this fire. Our lab found partial fingerprints on the incendiary device I scooped out of the brook. They were a match to the set the Denver Police Department has on fil
e for him. He’s been picked up on suspicion for arson before but never convicted. When we get this creep, we will squeeze him until he tells us who hired him. I have a strong suspicion we already know but his testimony will seal the deal. I think the property owner set this all up. All because his wife wanted a bridge over the brook that required four old cottonwood trees cut down. The county wouldn’t approve that. Those trees are protected. They are over 200 years old for heaven’s sake. They are burned but most of them will survive this. Too bad so many other things didn’t including people.”
“Have the Denver P.D. Detectives considered the owner’s background yet? Would he be the kind of person that would do such a thing?” Chief Odom wanted to know.
“I’m not part of that investigation, Sir, but I will check with Officer Padilla and see. I did talk to the general contractor on the job. They were just finishing the framing stages and he was the third general contractor hired for the job. The county planning group was giving him a bad time about some of the things he wanted for the structure. Every time he wanted a change made, it had to go through the approval process again and there were changes that had to be made in other areas. It was dragging the job out and he was impatient as the devil. He also went through three other plumbers because he didn’t like something they said or tried to explain to him. The General Contractor I talked to told me the guy has a very short fuse. He wants what he wants and he doesn’t take ‘No’ for an answer well. The only thing he doesn’t seem to care about is the money. If a change is going to cost him another couple of thousand dollars to move a door seven inches, he doesn’t care; he just wants that door moved.”
“I think you could be right about this. If the planners refused permission to chop down four trees he wanted to chop down, maybe he was nuts enough to try and have them burned down. Let’s hope we can prove that. We have many homes lost and three people dead over four trees and his attitude of entitlement,” Chief Odom said.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
When the kids tacked up the horses in the canyon Desperado was relieved. He thought they would all be home that night. Unfortunately, the fireman came back into the canyon and told the group they wouldn’t be leaving until morning. All the tack was removed and the horses left to graze on the little grass around the pond. Desperado had time to think about things.
Desperado loved Hilda and would do anything he could to protect her. He had loved Jan dearly too and still missed teasing him. He had some understanding about death and how final it was but couldn’t conceive of that for himself.
Desperado and Todd made a perfect set. Todd could read Desperado like a book the same way Desperado could read Todd. He knew when Desperado was up to something. He knew when Desperado was off and when he was on. As a team, they won championships together. Todd could feel Desperado through the saddle and could turn him with the slightest touch on the reins or with a heel. Desperado loved the limelight of the winner’s circle as much as Prince Ali did and he loved sharing that with Todd. He knew Hilda was officially his owner, but Todd was his ‘heart-person’ and always would be. He hoped one day it could become official. He’d seen other horses bought and sold. He didn’t want to be one of those that just disappeared. He heard through the barn grapevine when one left to go to another state and the horses at Cold Water Creek Ranch never saw him again. He didn’t want to think about being sold to Mr. Babcock. That scared him. Not seeing Todd would break his heart. But, this was now and that was in the future. He decided not to worry about it just yet. They still had to get back home.
Charlie was so happy to see his dad that night. When he came strolling through the entrance to the canyon with his rifle over his shoulder Charlie ran for him and almost threw himself into his arms and hugged him. He refused to cry even though he felt like it. George didn’t mind one bit. He was glad to see his son and the other kids. George and Todd walked Hilda out of the canyon with the firemen so she could return to Cold Water Creek Ranch. Todd worried about her and was happy to see if only one of them got out that night, it was her. She was the closest thing he had to a grandmother. Through this ordeal, Todd was growing very fond of her. The rest of them could ride out when the sun came up in the morning.
In the waning light, Charlie, Todd, Brody, and George searched the area outside the mouth of the canyon for firewood and stacked what they found beside the tents. The girls broke open the bale of hay for the horses and scattered the flakes around near the pond. The boys built a circle of rocks to contain the fire pit and George lit the fire. For the first time since they became trapped, the kids had a warm fire that night. They had meals-ready-to-eat for dinner and talked with George about the past few days before turning in for the night. They had a busy day in the morning. They were going to leave the canyon at last.
Hilda faded fast. She was exhausted by the experience of racing ahead of the fire and nights in the canyon. Sharon O’Neal reached her doctor as Chief Odom suggested and renewed her prescriptions. She made sure Hilda had a decent meal and then walked her down the hallway to the entrance of the in-laws private quarters. She and Chris built that on their house years ago for Chris’s parents. The in-law’s area had a nice sized bedroom with private attached bathroom, a sitting room for reading or watching TV and a small kitchen with a table for four. There was a private outside entrance as well.
“Hilda, we’re going to put you up in here for right now. You need a shower and a bed. I’ve put out fresh towels and clean nightclothes for you. Your medications are on the counter in the bathroom. If you need anything, please let me know. Thank you so much for watching over Todd and the others,” Sharon said, hugging Hilda.
“I can just go to a hotel,” Hilda protested. “I don’t want to put anyone out.”
“Not on your life!” Sharon scolded. “You can stay right here. You are almost part of the family, you know.”
Hilda had a long, hot shower and tumbled into bed, asleep the minute her head hit the pillow. She dreamed about the mountain lion and watched as her pride and joy, Desperado, chased that thing out of the canyon snarling and spitting. Desperado’s shoes struck sparks off rocks along the way and the canyon echoed his screams at the cat.
Officer Padilla put in extra time at his desk in Denver. He had another conversation with Buck Martin about the arsonist and the fire outside of Boulder. He was curious. He had several other cases on his caseload that he worked on during the day. This evening he wanted to see what he could find on the construction site owner after what Buck had told him. He started digging on his computer.
Henry Babcock started life as Vladimir Babachek in a New York City slum. He was smart and got good grades and worked part-time jobs to support his mother. His father was a drinker and died when his son was young. The report said he stepped off a curb into the path of a cab while intoxicated. Vladimir got his first real job at a brokerage on Wall Street. He supported his aging mother until her death when he was 25. That’s when he changed his name to Henry Babcock. He was like a Donald Trump figure. He made money through the brokerage and started buying real estate. By the time he bought the property outside of Boulder, he was among the top five richest men in America. And he’d done that quietly. He didn’t have the splashy personality of a Trump or Gates or any of the other very rich men. He didn’t offer investment advice. He simply made money by the boatload. He didn’t begin spending money until he married Savannah, his young and beautiful wife. He never socialized before meeting her either. What few photos Padilla could find showed a slightly older than middle-aged man with a balding pate and paunchy mid-section. He was so nondescript he would never be recognized in a crowd. Even the fact his suits probably cost close to $10K each would miss attention because they didn’t look like anything special at all. He apparently had no flair for dressing or he did it intentionally.
There wasn’t much written about him as a businessman either. There were a few innuendos about him not taking ‘No’ for an answer if he wanted something and a few people who refused to do bus
iness with him but wouldn’t say why. The guy was almost like a ghost. Padilla was getting frustrated. The only legal issues he could find on the man were a slew of lawsuits against him or his companies over the years that were all suddenly dropped by the suing party. Nothing ever came to court. That raised a bunch of red flags for Padilla. Business suits were commonly settled but even that went through a judge. What was this guy’s game anyway? He is almost never mentioned in the press, he makes money hand over fist, he buys whatever he wants, and he has few enemies that will talk about him. But he threw an old-fashioned hissy-fit on the construction site three times and fired contractors. What in the devil were they dealing with?
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Henry Babcock was mad as the devil. His brand new three-story ski chalet was destroyed. Everything that had been done would have to be done again right down to the foundation. Those four trees were still standing. His arsonist screwed up the job on an unbelievable scale. He’d started a darned forest fire trying to burn down four trees. There were reports of fatalities from the fire and many homes burned or destroyed as well. Nine kids and one old woman were missing. And his arsonist was missing too. He wasn’t picking up the phone. He wasn’t answering messages. He called his best man for this job, his “Special Projects Manager.” The arsonist had to be found and Babcock wanted assurance he would never be able to tell anyone ever about his arrangements with him. The only bright spot in all of this was that horse, Desperado, was among the missing and feared dead in the fire.
When the tall in-descript man showed up in Babcock’s office, Henry told him what he needed and handed him a large manila envelope. It contained a physical description of the arsonist with a photo and address with three large stacks of bills banded together. “I’ll give you the balance when the job is done,” was all Henry had to say before escorting the man to his private elevator. The tall man left Babcock’s headquarters building in San Francisco and went directly to the airport.
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