by Elaine Meece
Remembering the GPS, Brice wondered if it were working. He opened up the app and typed in his password.
A map popped up.
A small image. Blinked.
He had to squint and take a closer look. It almost looked like it was moving.
While he showered, he left it on. Afterwards, he returned to the computer. Clearly, the image representing the GPS chip had moved. It hadn’t been his imagination. Damn, it was heading for the airstrip. He checked the coordinates and matched them to those of the commune and pick-up point.
How had Annie escaped so quickly? Were Megan and Libby with her?
Rather than shave, he grabbed his wallet and phone and headed for the small airport.
As he approached the airport, he didn’t see any planes taking off or landing. A sense of eeriness washed over him. He expected he’d have to wait for planes landing or departing before taking off. Had there been some kind of terrorist attack? Why were all the planes grounded?”
He entered the small office. “What’s going on?”
The older man in the office. “Grounded. FAA put a halt to all flying. Too hot. The temperature is right at one-hundred-twenty degrees. It was one-eighteen this morning. Fifty flights were canceled at PHX.”
“I’m flying a Citation. I shouldn’t have an issue taking off.”
Brice was counting on the Citation to perform as it had been designed to, because Annie would be at the pickup point soon.
“The runway is all yours. Radio the tower when you’re ready to taxi out. Doesn’t look like you’ll have to share the sky with anyone.” He grinned. ”Unless Ben goes up.”
Brice walked to where the jet was parked, pulled the stairs down, opening the door, and entered.
Vega I came on, humming softly and blinking. “Grounded. Grounded. The FAA has issued a warning. All flights are grounded within in a hundred-mile radius of 33.4484 degrees north, 112.0740 degrees west.”
“Not us, sweetheart. We’re going up.”
He switched off Vega I. He didn’t need a copilot for this flight.
The robot started up on its own. “Grounded. Grounded. FAA has issued a warning for Phoenix and surrounding areas. All flights are grounded.”
Using its keypad, he tried to reprogram Vega I.
The keypad read Error.
“Shit. Come on.” Brice tried it again. Again, it read Error.
“Abort,” Brice ordered, trying to cancel any orders from the previous day.
But Vega I continued to give the warning.
The damn thing reminded him of Mallory’s doll when it wouldn’t disconnect. “Let’s see how bossy you are when I pull your power pack.”
Brice tried to remove the power pack. It wouldn’t budge. “What the hell?”
He tried to reset the jet, but it remained cold and dark. No power. Until FAA pulled the warning, the jet was grounded. Brice wouldn’t be going anywhere.
The damn robot had hijacked the plane’s operating systems.
He finally surrendered and returned to the office where he explained his situation to the old man. “I have three women waiting to be picked up in the desert. You mentioned a guy named Ben that might be airborne.”
“Ben Weaver. He rebuilt his Piper and installed an air-cooled diesel engine to deal with this ungodly heat.”
“Can you call him and let me speak with him?”
The man picked up his telephone log and looked up the number. He called Ben’s home.” Margaret, is Ben there? I see.” He hung up the receiver before looking at Brice. “He’s coming back tonight.”
Brice returned to the motel. He could only wait and hope that the ban on flying would be lifted tomorrow. Maybe then, Vega I would restore the jet’s power.
♦♦♦
Annie studied the surrounding mountains, hoping they’d find the camp soon. They had been walking for hours. The blazing sun beamed on them like an angry fire god scorching their skin. The heat brought out the rattle snakes, and they had seen several others. Very little water was left, and she made sure Megan drank it.
Aiden cried out demanding another meal, so they rested in the shade of a tall saguaro cactus. Her sweat evaporated faster than her body produced it. “I’ve never been this hot in my life.”
“You’re in a desert. What’d you expect?” Libby asked, a half smirk on her face.
“Well, little Miss Smart-mouth, I would’ve never figured that out without you.”
Libby giggled.
Once Aiden had finished and burped, Megan handed him back to her, and they continued.
Annie shielded the baby from the dangerous sunrays. It troubled her that Megan remained pale and bled a lot. They had no choice but to continue.
The one thing the intense heat had prevented was hunger. The thought of eating made Annie sick. All she craved was water. She wondered how much more desert they had to cross before reaching the camp. If they ran out of water and didn’t find the camp soon, they’d die in this godforsaken place.
Chapter Twenty-one
Annie stared across the desolate landscape. She squinted her eyes and was close to giving up when she spotted something. At first, she thought she was seeing a mirage, but then realized it was the top of the blue tent. The sight gave her a shot of adrenaline. “Thank God. I see the camp. Just a little more.”
Megan sighed. “I can’t.”
“We’ll rest a second,” Annie said.
Libby’s expression showed her fear that her mom could die.
“She’ll be fine.”
At last they made it to the pickup point. Megan and Libby collapsed in the chairs set up in front of the tent, but the first thing Annie did was to make sure she had the GPS with them. “Hopefully, it’s working, and Brice is on his way.”
Libby grinned. “If it’s working, don’t be surprised if the mothership doesn’t find us. Arizona has a lot of UFO sightings.”
Being too tired to laugh, Annie smiled. “If they have a spa aboard, I’d probably go with them.”
The camp sat at the far end of the airstrip behind tall saguaros and small boulders. Megan sat in the shadow of the rock, holding Aiden while nursing him.
Brice had purchased everything they needed. It showed that he’d camped a lot. No doubt, he’d taken Gabe and Shawn. She wondered if Shea had camped. His ex-wife didn’t seem the type.
Annie used the knife to cut up the sheets and blanket. Once she was done, she had diapers and something to wrap Aiden in.
“What’s that?” Libby asked.
“I was trying to make a gown. It’s more like an oversized baby poncho.”
Libby laughed. “Those sheets are too thin. He’ll pee right through them.”
Megan nodded. “She’s right.”
Once Annie heated water on the stove, she brought Aiden out and placed him in a chair, then unwrapped him. She carefully, cleaned him with warm water. His little face made some unhappy expressions, but he didn’t cry.
Megan joined them. “I can’t sleep in this heat.”
“I figured you’d be used to it.”
“You’ve got us mixed up with the Amish. We like our AC.”
Annie laughed softly.
Libby moved a chair over for Megan to sit in. Annie placed Aiden in her sister’s lap.
“When do you think he’ll pick us up?” Megan asked. “I’d like to visit a hospital and have Aiden checked out as soon as possible. I wasn’t expecting him for a few more weeks.”
“I’m not sure. Apparently, the GPS isn’t working.” She removed it from her pocket. “It fits in his son’s watch.”
“Clever idea,” Megan said.
If it were working, he’d already be here. She prayed he would come soon. Giving up on Brice arriving that day, Annie decided to cook two cans of beef stew. Thank God, Brice had been smart enough to leave food and water.
Once the sun started dropping, the temperature cooled. A chill sliced through Annie.
Coyotes howled in the distance.
Aft
er cooking, she let the flames on the stove burn to give them enough light to see by.
Megan wrapped Aiden in the blanket and placed him in the tent, then zipped it up to prevent snakes from slithering inside. She returned outside and sat in the chair, picked up her bowl of stew, and waited for it to cool. “Tell me about Brice.”
“There’s not much to tell. He’s a good man. Almost perfect.” She explained about his wife and kids. For a moment, she worried he’d received a call about Shea and returned to Atlanta, leaving them stranded. She assured herself Brice would never do that. So, why hadn’t he picked them up?
♦♦♦
Megan sensed Annie’s discomfort and sadness whenever she spoke of Brice. She recalled what Cameron had put her sister through. But why would Brice take on this project if he didn’t care about Annie.
“I’ll be glad when he gets here.” Megan took several bites of the stew. “I’m not sure how long we’ll last here. How’d you find this place?”
Annie shared her experience of driving up the mountain road and spotting the red bull on the barn roof. “From there, I could see everything.”
“It must be great having a boss that’s a pilot,” Megan commented trying to bring him up again. “He must really care about you if he was willing to do this.”
“He’s returning to his wife and kids. Let’s leave it at that.”
The pain in Annie’s voice was obvious.
Megan set the paper bowl aside. “The only part of this experience I wouldn’t change is Aiden. It’s hard to take him away from his father.”
Libby stopped eating. “He murdered Connie.”
“I know. It troubles me he did something so heinous.”
“He doesn’t care about Aiden,” Libby reminded.
Megan couldn’t explain that despite all Dan had done wrong, he was still Aiden’s father. She didn’t love him, could never love a coldblooded killer, but there were times when he was kind to her. Perhaps, she was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.
Lying across the mattress with their feet dangling off, they tried to sleep. Despite being exhausted, Megan couldn’t sleep. She had no money, no home, and no job. How would she manage with a newborn and Libby to provide for? She closed her eyes and prayed, thanking God for getting them out of the commune and asking him to provide for them. She thanked him for a sister like Annie.
♦♦♦
The July temperature rose to one hundred and twenty, and the grounded warning remained in effect.
Ben Weaver met Brice at the airport. At first, he didn’t want to loan or rent his plane. Finally, Brice explained the nature of his mission.
“Well, that’s a different matter.” He scratched his head. “I’d be willing to fly you.”
“How many people will your plane hold?”
“Two comfortably, three packed in like sardines.”
“I need to bring back two women and a girl.”
“That’ll be a might tight. Depends on how big they are.”
“Small. We just need to make it back here. It’s not over fifty miles. I’ll give you three thousand to use it for one hour. If I’m late, I’ll double it.”
Ben rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll give you till noon.”
Brice showed his pilot’s certificate and other IDs. “Will you by chance take a credit card?”
“Sure. My wife has one of those chip readers she uses at the craft fairs. I’ll have her join us. Should be enough light by then to take off.”
While waiting, Brice’s phone rang. It was Detective Tabor in Atlanta.
“Detective, what can I do for you?”
“I’ve been trying to reach Mrs. Conners.”
“She’s on a cruise. Can I help you?”
“We discovered the nurse who killed Garner has terminal cancer. She also has a daughter with MS who is in a home. A private endowment fund was set up at the school that covers her tuition for the rest of her life.”
“Who set it up?”
“That’s what I intend to find out.”
“Cynthia thinks you’ll find Kayla Miller behind it. Which means she had someone hack Garner’s life support. Not only that, but the Jacksonville facility and Komar Industries in Utah were both compromised.” He told the detective of the issues they’d had.
“Has Cynthia Conners reported this to the Jacksonville authorities?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Mind if I touch bases with them?”
“Cynthia doesn’t want anyone knowing. If it hit the news, it’d go viral. It won’t be good for business.”
“I’ll do my best to keep it out of the news.”
“Thanks.” Brice disconnected the call.
A line of sunlight rose on the horizon, giving Brice the needed light to land at the old airstrip. Now if Weaver’s wife would show up with the damn card reader.
♦♦♦
Annie’s feet hung off the mattress. She prayed no scorpions or snakes had gotten inside. Soon the faint dust of morning allowed her to see the shapes of things around her. Since Brice hadn’t shown up, she figured the GPS wasn’t working. She wished he’d hurry. Megan and Aiden needed medical care.
Lights flashed on the far end of the airstrip. There was no way it could be the plane. Not this early. That meant someone had arrived in a car.
Had they been discovered?
“Wake up. Someone just drove up.” Annie shook Megan and Libby.
Their camp nestled behind the tall saguaros and several car size boulders. She hoped they wouldn’t be seen. Thank goodness Aiden was asleep instead of exercising his lungs.
“Stay inside,” Annie ordered. Outside the tent, she climbed upon the smaller reddish boulder that blocked them from view of anyone on the abandoned airstrip.
The sheriff’s police car drove toward them and stopped at the end of the runway. Sheriff Robertson and Hawkins climbed from the front seat. One of the backseat passenger doors opened, and Dan rose out of the car.
Brice had left everything they needed but a gun.
Annie frowned. A taser and a pocket knife were no match against their guns.
“Heard a fancy jet landed here yesterday,” the sheriff said. “Old man Johnson on the mountain saw it. It got me to thinking about Megan’s sister being a flight attendant. Figured they might be heading here for someone to pick them up. I’m assuming your new convert was a Trojan horse.”
“Think they’ve been picked up already?” Dan asked.
Hawkins glanced her way, scanning the area. “They left yesterday morning. More than likely, they have.”
Annie ducked behind the rock, afraid he’d see her.
The droning sound of an airplane could be heard overhead. Was it Brice? It didn’t sound like the jet. As it came closer, she realized it was a small single engine plane.
“He’s flying awfully low,” Dan said. “Sounds like he’s landing. This is the only airstrip for miles.”
“All planes have been grounded,” the sheriff said. “I don’t think the ban’s been lifted. So, I wonder where he took off from.”
“Seems to be looking for something,” Hawkins added.
“That means the women are still in the area,” the sheriff said. “No one in town has seen them.”
Hawkins stared toward the wilderness behind the airstrip. “They would have gone through the back of the commune and crossed the desert. Megan’s pregnant. That could have slowed them down.”
“Son of a bitch. We wasted all that time looking in cornfields and driving back roads,” Dan said.
“If we get our hands on them, Megan and her sister are dead. Keep the younger one alive, “Hawkins said. “I have plans for her.”
“Whatever you do, bury them. I don’t want anyone tripping over their bones in a few years.” The sheriff pushed his hat back. “I’m heading back to town. I’ll check with some local airports, see if he left from one of them. They might know who he is.”
“Stop by the commune and tell Schmidt to hav
e two men start trailing them with the hounds. Start at the barn. I need the rest of them over here,” Hawkins ordered. “We’ll wait here and prepare a welcoming party for our brave pilot.”
“Not a problem. Remember, what I said. Don’t leave a mess for me to clean up.” The sheriff walked to his car and left.
“Walk down there and see if they’re hiding out in that old hangar,” Hawkins ordered Dan.
Annie eased back to the tent. She informed Megan and Libby of everything going on. “We have to take care of Hawkins while Dan is at the hangar. We need to eliminate both of them before the others arrive.”
“Let me deliver the justice Hawkins deserves,” Megan said, her eyes gleaming with hate.
“Are you sure? We’ll only have one shot at this.”
Megan nodded. “I’m very sure.”
They discussed their plan.
“Okay. Let’s make it happen,” Annie said. “You still have the taser?”
“Yes, in my pocket.”
♦♦♦
Megan had never killed anyone, but no one deserved it more than Joseph Hawkins. She slipped from the tent and crouched behind some cacti and large rocks and waited. Her heartbeat surged in anticipation of what she had to do.
Aiden cried out. Rather than keep him quiet, the plan was to let him exercise his little lungs.
She peeked out from her hiding place.
Hawkins hurried their way, his face contorted with rage. He walked past her, not seeing her behind the boulder. At the tent, he unzipped it. “Lady, you’re dead. Where the hell is Megan?”
“Snake got her. She didn’t make it,” Annie said.
“That true?” he asked Libby.
She nodded. “We had to leave her.”
“Libby take the baby, so I can show your aunt how we deal with lying whores.”
“Like Connie,” Libby spurted out. “Are you going to bury them behind the mill with the others.”
Megan didn’t like her daughter antagonizing him. She eased up behind Hawkins, activated the taser, and shoved it against him, sending the electric current through him. He dropped to the ground, his eyes still alert and on her.
