“It’ll take a few months, but yes, they can repair it. You shoulda seen the mess you were in when you first arrived in Hell.”
“Yeah, I suppose fixing me was like reconstituting a pig from a burnt piece of bacon.”
Giselle grimaced, “ew… gross.”
“We should tell Pernass about this,” Dore said. “We don’t know how deeply McInnes is involved. If Rostock can be repaired, McInnes might send him to New York City to find us.”
“You’re kidding. He’s a drunk.”
Giselle wagged a finger. “There’s no such thing as alcoholism in Hell. All Rostock has to do is stop drinking. He could be very dangerous.”
“I can’t be worrying about Rostock,” Kat said. “Anyway, we’ll have cracked this long before he’s out of hospital. If we haven’t, I’ll go and see Haddy.”
That night, Kat slept in Dore’s room. Over dinner, relieved that the fight with Rostock was over, and they would soon be heading back to New York City, Dore allowed himself to drink too much. He wasn’t out of hand, but he was displaying the kind of cocky behavior that had almost undone him in Cairo when he met David Stirling of the SAS. Kat was worried that he might have terrifying nightmares. If she was with him, she could calm him down.
Now, nine hours later, Dore was still asleep, and Kat was pacing the bedroom. As it turned out, Dore had slept like a log, but Kat was itching to get out of West Fork, but even that wasn’t going to be easy. Dore was right. If another flight came in with rich, city people, they should corral one, and question him... There was so much they didn’t know. Did these people escape in groups, or individually? If they escaped separately, it meant that they would each have an artifact. At what point would they be given that artifact? Would they already be carrying it, or was it yet to be given to them? Likely, it would be the latter, which meant that either McInnes or a third party would become involved.
“What time is it?”
She turned to find Dore squinting at her with sleepy eyes. “9:30. You need to get up, Jock. We don’t want to miss any incoming flights.”
He threw back the covers. “God Almighty! I’d forgotten about that. Can you order me some breakfast? I’ll be right down.”
Leaving him to get dressed, she went downstairs and was intrigued to see that the dining room was still closed off. Maybe they kept it permanently closed. Perhaps the hotel had been explicitly made for escapees and served drinks and food to the locals to keep up appearances. She was about to order breakfast when Giselle walked in off the street.
“Hi, Ellie. Been for a walk?”
“I’ve been for a drive. I went to the airfield to check on incoming flights.”
Kat blinked in surprise. “Wow! That’s very… brave of you, with all those bodies in the street.”
“Oh, the bodies are all gone. McInnes’s boys cleaned up the mess last night. Anyway, there’s a flight due in about an hour.”
“From where?”
“I don’t know. The security guards at the airport wouldn’t tell me. You know what demons are like.”
Kat frowned. “Then we should be there. I want to board that plane before anyone gets off.”
“You think security will let you?”
Kat laughed. “What security? All prisoners come in by train. Anyway, if we board our plane first, we’ll be on the tarmac.”
At that moment, McInnes walked into the saloon. He was wearing what might pass for a military uniform, and he looked cross. “What the hell happened last night?” he demanded. “I lend you my helicopter to calm things down, but you still got into a fight.”
Kat shrugged. “They picked a fight with us, and it was you who suggested we fill Rostock full of holes.”
“I didn’t mean literally. It took my men two hours to clean up the mess. Now I’ve got to replace him.”
“You’re full-on contradictions, Major. When we last spoke, you were fed up with Rostock and his slimy bug-eyed ilk. Don’t need them, don’t want them, were your exact words. We were doing you a favor.”
McInnes’s demeanor instantly changed. “You’re right, of course. Maybe the Feds will send the town someone more agreeable to replace him…. Did you find all your locations?”
“We did indeed. There’s a wonderful old gold mine to the west of here, and a fabulous modern ranch about ten miles away,” she added mischievously. “Any idea who owns it?”
“It’s a… Corporate House,” he spluttered. “It’s not available.”
“Oh, what a shame. Quiggly’s Gulch would be perfect for a gun battle we’ve got planned. Never mind, I’m sure we’ll find somewhere else.”
McInnes looked relieved. “So, are you done here?”
“We are indeed. We’re flying out of here this morning.”
“This morning?” McInnes exclaimed, looking worried again. “What time this morning?”
“As soon as my bodyguard has breakfast. We had a late-night last night.” She smiled. “As you are aware.”
McInnes looked at his watch. “Well, I’d better get back. If you need anything else, I’ll be in my office.” Giving Kat a thin smile, he strode out of the saloon.
“Wow! You certainly believe in pushing your luck,” Giselle remarked when McInnes was out of sight. “Did you have to mention the ranch?”
“He knows we went there. I didn’t want him to be suspicious. If we manage to find out who’s selling the artifacts, Pernass might send us back here… you know, for evidence.”
“Do you realize how much danger we were in last night? If Rostock had won, we would have simply disappeared. They’d have tied us up and thrown us into a pit for all eternity. We’d simply never have returned from the mines. McInnes could have claimed we got scared and ran away. He wouldn’t know where to.”
“Let’s try not to let that happen…”
Giselle said, “I’ll second that.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A cantankerous wind was blowing in from the south when they reached the airfield, bringing with it spiraling eddies of dust from the mines. The same security demons they’d encountered on the way in checked their papers, but nothing was said. The demon knew who they were. Word of the gunfight had reached all corners of the mining complex. Was West Fork happy to see them leave? It was hard to say, but it was interesting to note that their pilot was already doing last-minute checks.
Kat breathed a sigh of relief. Not only was she glad to be leaving the mining town, but they had also reached the airfield just in time. A newly landed passenger plane was taxiing towards the terminal. It was a DC-3 with Harris Tours painted on the tail fin. Making their way to their waiting plane, Kat talked to their pilot.
“You can start your engines if you like, but we’re not quite ready to leave. We’re meeting some passengers on that plane that’s coming in.”
“How long will you be?”
“Shouldn’t be more than twenty minutes.”
“Fine, I’ll start the engines. They need to warm up.”
Kat watched the DC-3 as it taxied to a stop, and the steps were driven into position. In other circumstances, she would have changed into her Elite uniform, but McInnes still thought they were film producers, and it would be better if he continued to believe that. As it was, it was strange that word hadn’t got out about the clothes she’d worn for the gunfight.
“Jock, I’m going to board that plane, and I need you to come with me.”
“You’re going to question the passengers?”
“I’m going to question one passenger.”
“What are you going to say?”
“I’m going to tell him… or her who we really are. I’m going to tell them that we know why they’re really here. I’m going to threaten them. If they don’t tell me what I want to know, I’ll turn them over to the Elite Police who might send them to work in the mines for the next two hundred years, or they’ll simply erase them from existence.”
“That’s quite a threat.”
“You think that’s too seve
re?”
Dore thought about it. “Well, if I were in their shoes, I’d want a choice. Refuse to speak to me, and I’ll turn you in. Tell me what I need to know, and I’ll let you go.”
“You think I should allow him to escape? But that’s against the law.”
Dore shook his head. “So? If you want to find out how to stop these escapes, you’ll need to box clever. Ten escapees disappeared only this morning. Now there’s another bunch of them. Even if there are only four flights a week, that’s 160 escapes a month. We need to find the source, Kat.”
Kat beamed at him. “That’s why you’re here, Jock. The voice of reason. Shall we go?”
Leaving Giselle to board their waiting plane, Dore and Kat made their way across the apron. The door of the DC-3 had just opened as they climbed the boarding steps. Giving the stewardess a friendly smile, they stepped inside the plane. The passengers were busy lifting their luggage down from the overhead racks, so they didn’t notice Kat at first. It was only when they moved towards the exit and found her blocking their path, that fear showed in their eyes.
Kat studied them. There were eight men and two women, and they certainly looked out of place to be visiting a town like West Fork. The two women were even wearing jewelry and make-up. Stepping to one side, she let them through, but as the last passenger passed her, a woman in her late thirties, she reached out and gripped her arm.
“Not you. We need to talk.”
“About what?” the woman asked, in alarm.
“I’d sit down if I were you.”
“What have I done?” the woman cried, easing into an adjacent seat.
“Absolutely nothing, except pay someone an obscene amount of money to break the law.”
“What?” the woman gasped. “What are you talking about?”
Kat stared at her. It wasn’t hard to put herself in the woman’s shoes. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re carrying a highly illegal artifact that probably cost you a fortune. I know why you’re here.”
The woman glanced nervously at the last passenger as he disappeared from view. “I’m not carrying… anything. What artifact?”
Kat shook her head. “There’s no point bullshitting me. I’ve been watching you for months. You know who I am?”
“No,” the woman quivered.
“I’m from the Elite Police, and I’m not fucking around. So here’s the deal, you either tell me what I need to know, or you’re in deep shit. Next time you come here, it will be to work in the mines, for about two hundred years… if they don’t decide to kill you instead.”
The woman’s face went sheet-white, but she didn’t speak.
“On the other hand, if you tell me what I need to know… well, you’ll be free to go on your way.”
“But… but I don’t know anything,”
“How can you possibly not know anything? Who did you pay?”
“I don’t know his name. The whole thing was done by phone.”
“How much did you pay?”
The woman took a deep breath. “Three million dollars.”
“In cash?”
“No. It was transferred to a numbered bank account.”
She stared at the woman. “When did you receive the artifact?”
“It was under my seat when I got on the plane.”
“How d’you know how to use it? It can’t be straightforward.”
“I was met by a man in a car. I have no idea what he looked like. He was wearing a mask. He showed me how to use it and then disappeared.”
She glanced at Dore, but he said nothing. “So, how did you get your plane ticket?”
“It was posted to me, along with the money I’ll need.”
“And where are you going? I mean, are you simply escaping, or going back in time?”
The woman winced. “I’m… going back about a hundred years. How do you know about it? How did you find out?”
Dozens of questions crowded Kat’s mind, questions the woman wouldn’t have answers to. How was the perpetrator never uncovered? How did they withdraw the money, and what did they do with it; there weren’t any multi-billionaires in Hell. Was the money converted into something like gold and then shipped somewhere else. If it was, where was it sent to? And then it dawned on her. The perpetrator was an expert on escaping from Hell. He wasn’t stockpiling his wealth in Hell; he was stockpiling it on Earth, buying the gold, and then escaping with it. Somewhere back on Earth, the head Honcho was building a massive hoard of gold, gold that was mined in Hell, but used on Earth.
“Never mind how I found out. You’re free to go.”
“I can go?” The woman gasped. “You’re letting me escape?”
“Yes, I am, but a word of warning, if you tell anyone about our conversation, anyone at all, I’ll catch up with you and erase your sorry ass from existence.”
The frightened woman grabbed her bag and stood. “I won’t say a thing. Thank you.” Then she scuttled down the aisle and was gone.
Thanking the stewardess for her time, they made their way back to their waiting plane to discuss what had happened. Giselle was appalled.
“You let them all go? Haddy will be furious.”
“Why? Now we know how it works; all we have to do is find the source. Also, I had an idea. If our perpetrator is using gold as a reliable currency, and McInnes is involved, bearing in mind that Quiggly’s Gulch is probably a portal, shouldn’t we be checking out McInnes’s goldmine?”
Giselle’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Yes, we should, and I know exactly where to start.”
“You do?”
“Yep, the goldmine where we did target practice. It’s not very far from Quiggly’s Gulch. I know it seems too good to be true, but if you were preparing to ship gold back to Earth, what other hiding place would you use as a stopping off point? It’s away from prying eyes, and it’s near the ranch.”
“But McInnes would find out,” Dore objected.
“McInnes already knows. They probably built the hotel specifically for escapees. McInnes is wealthy. He even owns a helicopter. How else could he afford all that? McInnes is part of the conspiracy.”
Kat let out a snort. “Then we’re home and dry. All we have to do is threaten McInnes with non-existence, and we’ll know who the Head Honcho is.”
Dore looked at Kat inquisitively, “the who?”
“You know, the Big Cheese, The Top Dog, The Grand Poobah… for goodness’ sake… the guy in charge.”
Giselle shook her head. “I very much doubt if McInnes knows the person we’re looking for… The Honcho, or whatever you want to call him. All transactions will be done through anonymous third parties. I’d bet that the Honcho is actually living on Earth, probably in the mid-1800s.”
“You think he’s living in the past?”
“I would if I were him. Don’t forget, until he’s reincarnated, which is impossible if he can’t be found… he’s immortal.”
“Bloody hell!” Kat exclaimed. “No wonder Hades is worried.” Getting up, she peered through a window. There was no sign of the escapees. They had already gone through security and were probably heading for the hotel. “So shall we tell the pilot we’re ready? I’d quite like to get out of here.”
“What, now?” Dore asked. “Don’t you want to strike while the iron’s hot?”
“What do you mean?”
“The gold mine. Don’t you want to check it out while we’re here? If our mysterious Honcho really is using it as a storage facility, there’ll be signs. Then we’ll know we’re right.”
“You want to drive to the gold mine? But the pilot’s ready to leave.”
“Kat, this is a DC-3, not a jet airliner. The pilot can wait.”
Ten minutes later, having bought flashlights at the local hardware store, they were heading west in the borrowed Jeep. But Kat had misgivings about visiting the mine. Apart from the apparent dangers of exploring an abandoned mine, it might be booby-trapped. They had no idea how old it was, or how many tunnels th
ey’d have to explore. If she were the Honcho and was using third parties to transport the gold, she’d want to know she was safe. She would arrange for deterrents to be placed in the tunnels.
But when they arrived at the mine, nothing had changed. There was no indication anyone had been there. The ore cart was still blocking the entrance, and the sign the three had used for target practice was exactly as they left it. The ceiling supports looked precarious, so Dore, Giselle, and Kat made their way cautiously into the mine. They noticed that the rails used to transport the ore carts weren’t quite as rusty as they should have been. The rails had been used, and quite recently.
Moving slowly and watching for booby-traps, they made their way deeper into the mine. They could hear their footsteps echoing in the tunnels, and every so often, they would hear creaking sounds, as if the ceiling supports were giving way. But there were no booby-traps, and they finally found themselves in a U-shaped dead-end. Unorganized ancient tools lay against the rock face, there was another old ore cart, and someone had erected a workbench. There was no gold, but there were signs that someone had been here. A recently used oil lamp was hanging from the ceiling, there were fresh footprints on the dusty floor, and when they searched around, they found a pile of canvas holdalls. They had no idea what amounts of gold were being transported at any one time, but if the Honcho was transporting gold into the past, the gold would have to be a practical weight. So why had the rails, and the ore cart been used?
It was a mystery they weren’t about to solve, so they made their way out of the mine again. One thing was for sure, the mine was being used, and unless they’d miscalculated, they were only a few miles from Quiggly’s Gulch.
“So, are we satisfied?” Dore asked, tossing his flashlight into the Jeep.
“At least it bears our theory out,” Kat said.
“And it’s a pretty good theory,” Giselle added. “The reason no one can find the Honcho is that he’s not here. He’s probably living in a mansion in upstate New York in the mid-1800s.”
“You think he’s in New York?”
Giselle shrugged. “Where else would he be? You can designate your destination with the more advanced artifacts. Just because you use the ranch at Quiggly’s Gulch doesn’t mean you must end up at Quiggly’s Gulch. You can program the artifact to take you anywhere you want. New York is just one pressed button away.”
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