“I’m not sure how to answer that. Why?”
“There was a complaint filed against you and Rudy by a Mr. Dawson. He said you’ve been harassing him. Is that right?”
“I think harassment is a little strong. We just asked him some questions.”
“What about?”
“He’s been hanging around with a couple of strangers in town.”
“So? Why would that be any of your business?”
“Those two men fit the description of the ones that shot Emitt last month.”
“They’re the poachers who accidentally shot Emitt?”
“My source says it was no accident.”
“What are you talking about? I filed the report myself. The shooting was an accident. Even Emitt said so. Who told you it wasn’t?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Jack, if there is an eyewitness to the shooting, you need to tell me. Trust me, I’ll look into it. It’s my job.”
“You wouldn’t believe me.”
“I did,” said Rudy. “Go ahead, tell him.”
I was reluctant since I had promised Sarah I wouldn’t until absolutely necessary, but maybe we did need help on this. Besides, we would have to get Joe involved at some point.
“You have time to come inside?” I asked Joe.
“Sure.”
I explained about my encounter with Sarah, but I left out the part about the Anasazi or the part about her being an alleged ghost. I needed to maintain some degree of credibility. Even though I trusted Joe, the fewer people who knew about them the better. Getting something on Jones and Smith shouldn’t have anything to do with them. I also told him about our visit to Dawson’s office and about their talk with Smith.
“So, there’s a chance you’ll have another complaint filed against you?”
“I don’t really think so. I don’t believe those two are the kind to go to the authorities for anything.”
“Do me a favor and leave these folks alone. From what I’m hearing you’re following the word of a girl that showed up all of a sudden in the middle of nowhere. How do we know she’s telling the truth? Do you have any proof?”
“No, I don’t have any proof, but why would she lie about seeing the shooting?”
“Maybe for the attention.”
“You haven’t met her Joe. I have and I believe her, and attention is the last thing she wants.”
“If she really is an eyewitness, you know I’m going to have to talk to her. In the meantime, leave Dawson and those other two fellas alone. You hear me?”
“Sure, Joe.”
“You’re not going to though, are you?” asked Joe.
“I can’t. Even if there hadn’t been a witness, if you’d been around Smith and Jones, you’d know they were up to no good.”
“I have a request then. If you find out anything that confirms what you’re saying, give me a call. Can you at least do that?”
“That I can do.”
“Just so I know what you’re up to, what are you going to do next?”
“Smith and Jones, according to the clerk at the motel, are checking out tomorrow. So, I figure if they’re going back out to the park, it has to be tonight. We’re going out there and set up near where Emitt was shot to see if they show up.”
“Sounds like a long shot, but you go ahead, but don’t play hero. If they do show up and if they are the ones that shot Emitt, you could find yourself in over your head pretty quickly. Do you want me to send a couple of my guys along, unofficially?”
“No thanks. I’ll have Rudy with me.”
“Oh, yeah. That makes me feel a whole lot better. He’s worse than you.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” asked Rudy, pretending to be offended.
“Let’s just say I’ve never known either one of you to back down from a fight.”
“I suppose that’s pretty much true.” Rudy and I exchanged smiles. “But we rarely start them.”
“Are you going to let Samantha know what you’re doing? You really should since you’ll be on park property.”
“Yeah, I’ll give her a call, right before we go out there.”
“If you’d like, I can give her a call for you,” said Joe.
“No, thanks. I should be the one to let her know.”
“Now, I’m going to give you some friendly advice. If you don’t tell her what you’re going to do and she finds out on her own, you will never hear the end of it. I guarantee it.”
As Joe was pulling back out of the driveway, I reached for the phone.
“You calling Sam?” asked Rudy.
“Joe’s right. If I don’t involve her, she’ll never let it go. Just like the time we …, never mind. Just take my word for it, I know from past experience that she never forgets anything, which means she never lets me forget either.”
“Sounds like a match made in heaven.”
“I thought so once.”
I dialed the park office.
“Hello, Mesa Verde Park, how may I help you?”
“Hello, Julie, is Baker around?”
“Jack? Hold on a second. I’ll get her.”
“Yeah, Jack, what do you want? Did you find out anything about those two guys?”
“That’s why I called. We found them and we have a hunch they’re coming back out to the park tonight. Rudy and I are going to set up near where Emitt was shot and wait to see if they show up. I just thought you might like to know.”
“You’d better believe I’d like to know, and I’m going to be there with you too. Thanks for waiting ‘til the last minute to let me know. Should I see if I can get Emitt out there?”
“I’m sure he’s not up to it yet and besides, he didn’t see anything anyway. For that matter, you don’t need to be there either. We don’t even know if they’ll show up.”
“This park is still my responsibility, so of course I want to be there. When are you coming out?”
“We thought around 9:00. If you want to go with us, we could swing by and pick you up. Maybe we could bring the s’mores?”
“Funny. Really funny. I hope you leave your wit at home tonight. See you at 9:00, and you better not forget about me!”
I set the phone back in the cradle and sighed loudly.
“What did she say?” asked Rudy.
“She can’t wait to see us.”
Chapter Eleven
We left the cabin around 8:00 p.m. As I was getting in my jeep, Rudy stopped at his car.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I need to get something.”
He reached into the back seat of his 1950 Chevrolet convertible and pulled something out. When he came closer I could see that it was a rifle case. I nodded as he set it in my back seat.
“Just in case,” said Rudy. “If those guys decide to start taking pot shots at us, I want to be prepared.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” I said.
* * *
The sun had already begun to set behind the horizon, still light enough to see clearly, but dark enough to remove my sunglasses. Sam was waiting at the office when we arrived. The closed sign had been placed in the window, but when I checked, the door was still unlocked.
“We’ll take mine since we’re on official business,” said Sam.
“Whatever you say. We brought some sandwiches and coffee. It could be a long night,” I said, winking. She ignored my attempt at teasing her.
We left the office, and Sam locked the door behind her. I reached into the back of my jeep and grabbed the knapsack with our supplies. On the other side, Rudy pulled out the rifle case.
“What’s that for?” asked Sam.
“A little insurance,” said Rudy.
“Leave it in the case unless I give the okay to take it out. Understand?”
“If someone starts shooting at us it’s coming out, whether you give me your blessing or not.”
Sam obviously didn’t want to argue with Rudy, dropping the subject as she scooted in behind the whe
el of her Willys. She knew he was right.
“Hop in,” said Sam. “Let’s get out there and find a good spot before it’s too dark, since we don’t know when they’re coming, if they are coming.”
“I already told you there’s no guarantee they’ll show up. I just have a hunch,” I said. “But just because they’re checking out of the motel doesn’t necessarily mean they’re leaving the area.”
“There are a lot of ‘ifs’, but if they are checking out tomorrow, your hunch is probably a pretty good one,” said Sam.
“You mean you agree with me? That’s almost a compliment.”
“Don’t push it,” said Sam.
I rode shotgun while Rudy rode in back. It wasn’t very long before Sam had to turn on the headlights. The drive on the winding dirt road would take about twenty minutes to get to the site. For some reason Sam was giving us the silent treatment. When I tried to start a conversation, it ended with a one word reply. I had known Sam a long time. Something was on her mind.
“Is there something wrong?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“This is the quietest I’ve ever seen you. Lately anyways. I know something is bothering you.”
“I have my mind on other things.”
“Have anything to do with me?”
She looked surprised. “You have a pretty high opinion of yourself. Why would I be thinking about you?”
“I don’t know. Just another hunch.”
She didn’t say anything else, and I decided to keep quiet for awhile. If she wanted to talk, she would.
I couldn’t help myself. “You sure there isn’t something you want to talk about?”
“No,” she said as she looked in the rearview mirror at Rudy.
I got her message. “Hey, Rudy. Can you hear us up here?”
There was no response. “See, he can’t hear us. Go ahead.”
I looked back at Rudy. He smiled and looked out the window.
“I said I don’t have anything to talk about. I think we’ve already said everything that needed to be said.”
There was a noticeable increase in speed.
“Easy does it. I won’t ask again.”
She wasn’t going to open up tonight. I looked back at Rudy. He just shook his head slowly back and forth. He knew our history. Sam had wanted to make our relationship permanent, but I hadn’t been ready for that kind of commitment. She had called it quits with extreme prejudice. Everything changed after that.
We were getting close to where Emitt was shot. Sam began to slow down.
“Look. Headlights.”
I looked closely. From the back seat, “Those aren’t headlights. Just keep watching.”
As we got closer the lights disappeared, and we could make out the outline of a coyote in the distance, crossing the road.
“See, it was just the reflection of the headlights in the coyote’s eyes. Honest mistake.”
I could see Sam felt just a little foolish for jumping to the conclusion, so I changed the subject.
“Where do you think we should set up?” I asked.
“That small grove of trees is fairly close to where Emitt was shot,” said Sam. “That’ll probably be a good spot.”
“If you don’t mind a suggestion,” I said, “why don’t we head north and follow the fence along the Restricted Area for a ways. If they are looking for something, there’s no reason for them to come back to this spot.”
“Makes sense,” said Sam. “Let’s do it.”
Sam drove east towards the fence. When we came to it we turned north and followed the trail running along its west side. The trail had been established long ago to maintain the fence and to patrol the perimeter to keep people out.
“It’s a big area. Of course you know we’re just making an assumption that this is where they’ll show up. There are trails all over this mesa,” said Sam.
“I know, but it’s all we have to go on,” I said, “and we know they’ve been in this general area.”
“I just want to remind you that this was your idea,” said Sam.
“And I’d like to remind you that it was your idea to come along.”
“The way I saw it, I didn’t have a choice,” replied Sam. “Officially, I couldn’t let you come out here without me.”
“So, Ranger Baker, are you going to be on my case all night? You know coming out here might turn out to be worth the effort.”
“Well, first of all, it depends on what you mean by all night and in the second place, I agree with you that it’s worth the gamble, or I wouldn’t be here and neither would you,” said Sam.
“C’mon, guys. Can’t you give it a rest for one night?” asked Rudy.
Neither Sam nor I bothered to respond. I took a deep breath. I hated that we fought constantly, about everything. It seemed that we couldn’t agree on anything anymore.
“Are we going into the Restricted Area tonight?” asked Rudy.
“We can’t. That’s why it’s called the Restricted Area.” She paused, rethinking her stand. “But I guess we’ll have to follow them wherever they lead us.”
“Aren’t we close to that last site you were working on, Jack?” asked Rudy. “Near where you saw Sarah?”
Sam turned her head to me with a surprised expression.
“You told Rudy about Sarah?”
“Of course,” I said. “Since he was going to help, I felt he deserved to know.”
“What about the other thing?”
Rudy leaned forward, “Yeah, he told me. It’s fantastic isn’t it? People living right under our noses that are believed to have been gone for centuries.”
“Have you taken him to see them?”
“No, he hasn’t taken me to see them. You know, I’m right here. Has he taken you?”
“No. He hasn’t,” she blurted.
“Hey, I just found out about them myself. I would …Stop!”
“What?” asked Sam.
“Just stop. I think I saw something,” I said.
“Probably more coyote,” said Sam.
“Turn off your engine and headlights,” I said.
As she did, I quickly hopped out of the jeep and ran up to the top of a small ridge with Rudy right behind me. Sam stayed behind the wheel of the park jeep.
“Do you see anything?” asked Rudy, in a whisper.
“No. Not yet.”
“Maybe Sam was right. Just another coyote.”
“No. I don’t think so. It was too far away for that.”
Sam came up and laid next to us on top of the ridge.
“So, where are they?” she asked softly.
“Give it a little time,” I said. “We don’t know when they’re coming.”
Sam stood up to go back to the jeep. “There!”
Rudy and I jumped up. Sam pointed. Sure enough, there was the steady red glow of taillights ahead. They were steady, not bouncing around, so they must be stopped. They had beaten us here.
“I don’t hear anything,” I whispered. “They must have turned their engine off.”
“I don’t want to be a wet blanket, but that might not even be the people we’re after,” said Rudy.
“Out here? This time of night? Who else could it be? There isn’t supposed to be anyone out here,” said Sam. “I need to find out who it is, regardless.”
“Let’s leave the jeep where it is and move up to them on foot,” I suggested.
“Hold on. I’m the head of this party. You’ll follow my lead,” Sam said.
“Okay, Ranger Baker. What do you propose we do?” I asked.
“We’ll do what you said, but don’t forget who’s in charge here. I’m the only one here in an official capacity.”
“Sure. Whatever you say.” I winked at Rudy. “If it’s okay with you, can we go now?”
“I’ll lead,” said Rudy. “But first I’m going to get the rifle.”
Sam started to say something but stopped herself. She hoped they didn’t have to use deadly
force, but Smith and Jones had allegedly shot Emitt, so it may be unavoidable. I followed Rudy to the jeep. He removed the rifle from the case and loaded it, placing a handful of extra cartridges in his pockets. I grabbed the knapsack.
Before heading back to Sam I asked Rudy, “Help me keep an eye out for Sam? I don’t want anything to happen to her out here.”
“Of course.” He smiled.
“What are you smiling at?”
“Nothing at all.”
Back on the ridge I removed flashlights from the knapsack and handed them to Sam and Rudy.
“Do you really think we should use these?” asked Rudy. “They may give us away. Besides the sky is clear and the moon is bright. We should leave them off until they’re absolutely necessary.”
“I agree. What do you think, Ranger Baker? Does that sound all right to you?” I asked, attempting to push her buttons just a little. I wasn’t helping, but sometimes I just couldn’t help myself. When we had been together it was all in jest, now I’m not sure.
“I’m really getting tired of your tone,” said Sam.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.
“No!”
“Can you guys knock it off? Let’s go,” said Rudy as he took off toward the lights.
“You heard the man,” I said, as I motioned for her to go next.
Chapter Twelve
We stayed low, weaving in and out of the scattered mesquite behind the low rising sand hills, working our way to the pickup. Rudy led the way, stopping every few minutes to listen. We were surrounded by the normal outdoor middle-of-nowhere sounds, such as crickets chirping, coyote calling and the light rustling of branches from the gentle breeze. It was actually quite peaceful, perfect for camping, or it would have been if we weren’t anticipating a bullet to whistle by at any moment. We stopped approximately one hundred feet from the pickup. There didn’t appear to be anyone around. We waited, watched and listened before moving closer.
“That’s definitely their pickup, so at least we know they’re here,” I said.
“Stay here,” whispered Rudy.
Before Sam or I could object, he was off. We watched as he searched all around and inside the pickup. Then the headlights went out. Seconds later Rudy was back by our sides.
“Why did you turn off the headlights?” asked Sam.
Treasure of the Anasazi Page 9