by C. M. Sutter
“What are those buildings?” I asked.
She pointed at the first one. “House.”
“Good, and that one?” I tapped the drawing.
“Shed.”
“Okay, you’re doing great. Are there more?”
She continued, and she drew four more buildings several inches to the right, all of them large. She drew lines to the right of those buildings that went on forever, standing side by side.
“What are those buildings and the lines, Cassie?”
“Help barn, kid barn, cow barn, machine barn.”
“And those sticks?”
“Fences.”
“Ah, now I understand. Are there more buildings?’
She shook her head.
“That’s how they were positioned when you saw them from the mountain?”
She nodded.
“You did a great job, Cassie.” I took a picture of her drawing and quickly texted it to Renz with a note. This is how Cassie saw the ranch from the mountain. After putting my phone in my pocket, I looked at Tara. “How are you two getting along?” My question was directed at her since I was sure she’d initiated the conversations.
“We’re getting along just fine, and I’m sure over time, I’ll get to know Cassie much better.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but I needed to get to the sheriff’s office, so I didn’t ask. I promised to come back the next day, thanked Cassie again, and left.
An idea popped into my head as I drove. We had about an hour and a half of daylight left, and we needed to hurry.
I rushed into the building and found Renz, Sheriff Burke, and Deputies Smythe and Knight in their cafeteria. It was the largest room in the sheriff’s office and was used as a multipurpose room, mainly for meetings and eating.
“What did you find in the plat book?” I asked.
Renz shrugged. “The property is owned by a trust, and that trust is owned by a subsidiary of—”
“Let me guess—Full Circle Enterprises.”
“Exactly. Another dead end as to the name of the actual person behind the cloak of anonymity.”
I sighed then made my suggestion after noticing a copy of Cassie’s drawing on the table. Renz said they’d been reviewing it closely, and from our perspective from the road, we didn’t have the right angle to see all of the buildings she had drawn.
“Sheriff Burke, how about using that drone again to hover over the foothills at the edge of the mountains and have it face the ranch? That would be about the same bird’s-eye view Cassie had when she escaped.”
“That’s the best chance we’ll have of seeing if that’s the place Cassie drew. Luckily, I haven’t returned the drone to my friend yet. I was just telling Lorenzo that I spoke to the county judge, and without proof that the red van was the one driven when Mr. and Mrs. Philips were ambushed, such as the plate number, he can’t issue the warrant.”
“Damn it. Then we have to use the drone. If the layout of the ranch matches the drawing Cassie made, well, that gives us probable cause to move in.”
Burke nodded. “It sure as hell does.”
Chapter 58
By reviewing the topography map, we were pretty certain we could get close enough for a view of the ranch by using the forest’s fire lanes that weaved around the foothills and into the mountains. Only Renz, the sheriff, one deputy, and I had made the drive. If the layout was confirmed to match, we would enlist other law enforcement agencies to assist us in the takedown. We didn’t know how many individuals lived at the ranch, but we did know they were armed and dangerous and that innocent victims were held there. We had to consider them.
After much back-and-forth discussion, we decided to go in using a personal car. Since the road had only one way in and one way out, our cover would be completely blown if we were seen in law enforcement vehicles.
We needed to be there and in place before dark so we wouldn’t have to use our lights. It was time to go.
With all of us in Burke’s SUV to keep our footprint small, we sped east on Highway 12 to the road that cut north just east of Lake Sutherlin. Narrow one-vehicle-wide fire lanes branched off that road. After several turns, the sheriff found the perfect spot. He pulled as far to the side as he could, and we climbed out.
“If I’m not mistaken, according to that map, the ranch should be over that far rise and down in the valley. The view should be pretty close to the one Cassie saw when she looked back at the ranch from the mountain.”
Renz tipped his head. “Then let’s get the drone up and take a peek.”
After setting it up, Burke directed it over the ridge.
“Do you think they’ll be able to spot it if they’re outside?”
“Nah, it’ll be pretty high, and the distance is far enough away to make it impossible to hear. Let’s get it in the right spot, and then I can zoom in.” Burke toggled the joysticks back and forth until the ranch appeared on screen. “There it is. Now let’s pull the image in closer.”
We huddled at Burke’s back and watched the screen as he zoomed in.
I elbowed Renz. “Look, there’s the outbuildings, and from this point of view, you can see all of them. They’re situated exactly as Cassie drew them too.”
Sheriff Burke pointed at the building nearest the house. “I don’t know about you three, but to me, that looks like a dark pickup parked there, and those outbuildings? Any one of them is large enough to hold a semitrailer.”
“Sure as shit,” Renz said. “I’d say we have enough probable cause to pay the owner a visit later tonight.”
Burke brought the drone back in, and we returned to the SUV. Once back at the sheriff’s office, we would organize our plans for the raid on the ranch to take place at three a.m. By that time, people were usually asleep, and nobody was ready to rise for the day. Four o’clock was normally closer to ‘go time’ in most raids, but given that it was a working ranch, there was the possibility that people rose earlier. Three a.m. was a better choice.
Burke said he would make another attempt at getting a warrant issued, but he would have to call the district attorney during his off hours, and the district attorney would have to make the request of a judge after hours as well. If we couldn’t get the warrant, we would still raid the ranch by citing probable cause. We had plenty to do in the meantime. Burke backed up and drove forward a half dozen times until he got the SUV turned around and pointed back the way we’d come. The sun had just fallen beneath the western range, and Burke turned on his headlights. We were met at the next curve by a glaring set of lights shining right in our faces.
I squeezed Renz’s good arm. “Son of a bitch, it’s the red van, and there’s two men inside. What the hell are we going to do?”
“Can you tell if the driver is the same man as before?”
“No, it’s almost dark outside.”
“Well, we have two men dressed in tan sheriff’s office garb,” Renz said as he stared at me. “And then there’s you and me looking just like FBI agents. My suggestion is that everyone have their weapons at the ready.”
My eyes bulged. “That’s just great. In case you forgot, you have a bum wing.”
“Yep, and I sure as hell hope I’m not going to have to shoot left-handed.”
We were only twenty feet from the nose of the van, and I was sure the occupants were weighing their options. They couldn’t be dumb enough to think we were out for a joyride when, other than the fire lanes, the only road that went back that far led directly to the ranch.
Burke looked at Knight. “Shit. I guess we better get out and have a talk with those fellas.”
I shook my head. “You think that’s a wise idea? None of us are vested up. Better to let them make the first move. At least if they get out and come to us, we’ll see if they’re armed, and they’ll be the ones in a vulnerable position.”
“I agree,” Renz said. “They want to get through bad enough, they have to make the first move.”
“So just sit here?” Knight aske
d.
Renz nodded. “Yep, just sit here and watch. First to move loses.”
We waited for over five minutes, and through the windshield, we could see the passenger talking on his phone.
It didn’t take long before Burke groaned. “I think we’re in trouble.” He looked through the rearview mirror and pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “There’s another vehicle coming up behind us. Knight, get on the horn before you don’t have the chance to. Call in saying we need immediate assistance and give our location. You, me, and two FBI agents are boxed in and in a bad position. We need every deputy out here now.”
Knight had no sooner gotten off the phone than the pickup rammed the back of Burke’s SUV and pushed us closer to the van.
“Here we go,” Burke said. “Agents, what do you want to do?”
I spun in my seat. “Can anyone see how many people are in that truck or the back of it?”
“Nope, can’t see much at all. But they’ve at least got three people to our four,” Knight said.
Renz cursed. “And likely one or more rifles too. Doubt if these are the kind of people you can order to surrender. Let’s get out.”
“And do what?” I asked. “Reason with them?”
Burke agreed with Renz. “If we run, they’ll shoot us, and if we shoot, they’ll shoot us. They don’t know we’ve already called for backup. Maybe giving up for the moment will buy us some time.”
“But they’ll take our guns, and then we won’t have anything to defend ourselves with even if help does come. We’ll be hostages,” I said.
Renz shook his head. “And alive while we come up with something else. Holster your weapons, or they’ll shoot us the second we exit the vehicle. Jade, we’ve been in these types of predicaments before, so keep a level head. Burke, roll down your window and yell that we’re coming out unarmed.”
Burke did as Renz said, but before we stepped out, I called 911 again, set my phone’s volume to its highest level, and quickly stated who I was and where we were. I told the 911 operator not to speak but only to listen. My phone would be on for as long as I wasn’t compromised. After that, I tucked the phone into my underwear. I would likely pay once it was discovered, but since I was the only woman among them, they would probably view me as the least likely threat. I knew the cell phones would be taken from us immediately after we got out. The four of us exited the SUV, completely exposed and with our hands raised to Montana’s night sky. Those men could do whatever they wanted to us.
The pickup doors squeaked open and closed at our backs. Then the hard steel of a gun barrel, which I was more than familiar with, was pressed into my back. I checked my left and right sides, and each of us had a gun pressed against us. That meant four men were in the truck and two in the van, and we were outnumbered and without any guns. We were in trouble and needed an army of police, deputies, and agents to get us out of the mess we’d stepped into—and we needed them fast.
We were patted down for weapons, then every cell phone was collected. My heart pounded double time when it was my turn to hand over a phone.
The passenger from the van got out and walked toward Renz and me. “You must be the nosy FBI agents.”
I nodded. “Damn right, and you must be Bart, the big guy.”
He laughed with his men. “The bitch has more balls than the rest of them.” He turned back to me and glared with evil in his eyes. “Give me your phone.”
I jerked my chin toward the SUV. “It fell under the seat when your monkeys rammed us. Feel free to go look for it if you like.”
“You’ve got quite the mouth on you.”
“And I bet you’ve got quite the brand on your hip. Seems like a fad with your type. Why not drop your drawers and show us?” His slap stung my face, but I wasn’t about to let on that it fazed me. I returned his glare.
Renz shouted to leave me alone, and Bart turned to him. A hard punch to Renz’s shoulder wound sent him reeling.
“Looks like Donny got a piece of you after all.” Bart leaned in nose to nose with Renz. “Where is Donny anyway? We haven’t found his bike anywhere.”
Renz grimaced. “I’m not telling you a damn thing.”
Bart laughed again. “We’ll see about that.” He turned to Burke. “You’re a pathetic excuse of a sheriff. I’ve been on this property my entire life, and nobody in Meagher County even knew I existed.” He jerked his head at his men. “Put them in the back of the truck, take them to the cattle barn, and tie them up for now. The kids have a lot of graves to dig in the morning.” He turned to his driver. “Park their SUV in the shed, and I’ll drive the van back to the house.” He slapped his hands together. “Let’s go.”
The van’s driver spoke up. “But what about Donny? What the hell happened to him?”
“I don’t know, and at this point, I don’t care. If he’s okay, he’ll find his way home. If he isn’t, then tough shit. I can hire more ranch hands in a heartbeat.” Bart returned to the van, climbed in behind the wheel, and waited for the rest of his men to take up their spots.
We were pushed to the rear of the truck and ordered inside. After we were seated, three of the four men climbed into the extended cab, and one stepped up on the truck’s rear bumper, lifted his legs over, and took his position. A pistol was holstered on his hip, and the rifle was at his side. The truck lurched as it shifted into Reverse and began its backward drive to the ranch, knocking the man who was guarding us off-balance and sending him to the floor. It was my one and only chance, and if Renz were capable, he would have taken it himself. Renz nodded. I grabbed the rifle, leapt from the truck, and slid down the hill until I reached a stand of woods, where I took cover. I prayed that they wouldn’t retaliate against Renz, the sheriff, and Deputy Knight, but it was our only hope for a successful rescue, and I was the only one with a phone. I bolted into the darkness as Bart yelled at his men to find me. I knew he couldn’t send everyone after me when they had three hostages to watch. It would buy me time if they took the guys to the ranch, tied them up, then came looking for me with their flashlights. By then, I hoped, law enforcement would be able to ping my phone, get a good read on my location, and send the cavalry out to take down Bart and his men. Until then, I needed to hide in a spot where I wouldn’t be found. I didn’t know those mountains or woods, but I was damn certain that Bart and his men knew every square inch of land around the ranch.
As I laid flat under dense pine trees, I held my breath and listened. I didn’t hear anyone closing in on me, but I did hear vehicles driving in the distance. Bart might have left several men to search for me while the others took the guys away. I recalled Cassie’s reaction to the mention of snowmobiles and four-wheelers and what Dr. Barnes had said about them—everyone had them. I needed to get to higher ground, where the ATVs couldn’t go. If the men were going to search for me, they would have to do it on foot. They probably had plenty of weapons, but with that rifle and a higher position, I would likely see them coming. I took off again, running uphill until my legs burned. After finding what seemed like a good spot where I could see the ranch lights in the distance, I pulled my phone from my underwear and saw that the call had been disconnected. I didn’t know how or when but figured that it happened when I jumped from the truck. The reason didn’t matter. I needed to call 911 again. I prayed I would get a signal and did. Without mountains on both sides of me, reception was still fine. I pressed the numbers and waited as I took in deep breaths.
“This is 911. What is your emergency?”
“Listen carefully. I was on the line with a 911 operator and got disconnected. I’m FBI Agent Jade Monroe, and I’m east of White Sulphur Springs, Montana, in the foothills of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, a mile or so east and north of Lake Sutherlin. My partner, Lorenzo DeLeon, the sheriff, Clay Burke, and a deputy, Ryan Knight, are being held hostage at gunpoint at the only ranch in that valley. I need you to track my phone and my partner’s phone and find our exact locations. Here’s his number.” I rattled off Renz’s cel
l number to the operator. “They’re being held at the ranch by at least four armed criminals. I heard them say the men would be tied up in the cattle barn, but who knows if that’s changed. There’s also a number of children on the ranch who are there against their will. The property is owned by somebody named Bart, but I don’t have a last name, and right now, I guess that doesn’t matter. I escaped, and they’re tracking me, I’m sure. My colleagues need immediate assistance. There’s only one road that goes into the ranch, so they’ll see help coming unless they enter with their lights off and then turn onto the fire lanes, park, and walk in on foot. Like I said, we need immediate help. You have to contact the local FBI and get the ball rolling. They have unlimited resources and can probably get a chopper somewhat close to my location. There’s no time to waste!”
The operator had my number, so I needed to hang up. If I stayed on the phone any longer, my battery would die. I told her to send a text as soon as she knew something, then I ended the call. I didn’t know what my next move would be, but something was pulling me to the ranch, and it was either my guilt over fleeing or a sense of urgency about helping my friends before it was too late. I continued along the ridge in a route parallel to the ranch. I intended to go in from behind, where nobody would be watching. I hoped as many people as possible had gone out to search for me on the mountainside where I leapt from the truck and slid down into the wooded area below. Far from that point now, I didn’t think they would head in my direction, but if I saw any of Bart’s chore boys coming my way, I planned to shoot them without hesitation.
Twenty minutes later, as I began my descent a half mile beyond the ranch, my phone vibrated in my pants pocket. Anxiously, I pulled it out and read the message. Both fear and relief stirred in me at the same time. Relief that the troops were on their way and fear that Renz and the others would be shot because of it.
