The Advocate's Felony

by Teresa Burrell

  Tuper went inside the first stall and stroked a paint gelding quarter horse on the back. “This is Pepper. I’ll be riding him. You can decide between Cody and Flipper over there.” He pointed toward the two sorrel geldings that stood in the stalls. “Have you ridden much?”

  “I grew up with horses on my grandpa’s farm,” JP said. “Even rodeoed some back in the day.”

  “Then I would suggest Cody. He can get a little wild sometimes if you don’t show him who’s boss, but if you’re used to riding he’ll be good.”

  They saddled up Pepper and Cody and led them out of the barn.

  “See you back at the colony,” JP said. “Wait. Tuper, can Ron use your phone? If they try to call back or trace the number, they’ll find us, not Ron.”

  “Certainly.” Tuper handed his phone to Ron, and he and JP began their ride through the snow.

  Benjamin and Ron drove back toward the Hutterite colony. A few minutes later, Benjamin stopped the pickup. “This is the last place you can get a good, clear signal.”

  Ron rubbed the back of his neck and took a deep breath and blew it out. “Do I sound too nervous?”

  “No,” Benjamin said. “You sound fine.”

  Ron cleared his throat and then made the call. It rang twice before a woman answered. “I’m looking for Kirk Gillich,” Ron said.

  “Who is this?” the woman said.

  “I’m Ron Brown, the man who testified against your boyfriend and sent him to prison. I’m tired of playing cat and mouse. I want to meet with him.”

  “He’s not here.”

  “I know. He’s in Montana very close to where I am right now, but he’s not going to find me unless he’s willing to do this on my terms.”

  “How do I know you are who you say you are?” the woman asked.

  “You tell him that I remember very clearly what he whispered to me in the hall outside the courtroom during the trial. He said, ‘You’ll die as someone’s bitch when I’m done with you.’ He’ll know it’s me unless he says that to everyone he meets.”

  “Can he call you?”

  “No. I won’t have service. He can meet me tonight at 6:00.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m near Great Falls, but I can’t go into town. I won’t risk it. The law is after me, but Gillich already knows that.”

  “So if I talk to him, where do I tell him you are?”

  Ron had written down the directions as Tuper had told him so he wouldn’t make any mistakes. “You may want to write these down. Do you have a pen and paper?”

  “Just a second.” A few moments later she said. “Okay, go ahead.”

  Ron glanced at his paper. “Tell him to go east on Highway 220, take the first turnoff past the Manchester Road, and turn right. Follow it to the end of the pavement. He’ll pass a couple of mobile homes. He must go due north from there until he reaches the ridge. Then he needs to stay along the edge of the ridge between the rows of trees until the opening ends. It’s about three-quarters of a mile. A vehicle will not fit through there so he must have a horse, a snowmobile, or be on foot. At the end of the row of trees off to the left, there’s a small opening in the side of the hill. That’s where I’m staying. And if he doesn’t show up tonight I’ll be gone.”

  She asked Ron to clarify a few things and then said, “What if I can’t reach him?”

  “Then I’ll find him, just like I found the others.” Ron hung up. His hands were shaking, but he had done exactly what JP had told him to do.

  They drove back to the colony. Tuper and JP were already there and had the horses nearly loaded. Jacob’s wife, Mary, brought them a satchel with enough food to last for several days, and Tuper put the satchel in the saddlebag. Ringo dashed in and around Tuper begging to go with them.

  JP and Sabre walked around the corner of the barn to say their goodbyes. He pulled her closer and leaned down to kiss her. She stood on her tiptoes and leaned in. The kiss was passionate, but short. Then he held her against him for a few seconds before he said, “I really think this will work, and then it’s all going to be over soon.”

  “If we’re not arrested,” Sabre said. “I wonder how many felonies we’ve already committed.”

  “We’ll deal with that once we know we’re all safe.”

  “Do you still think Ron may have killed those other men?”

  “I’m pretty certain he didn’t, but I haven’t ruled him out completely. I am sure he won’t hurt you.” He released her from his arms. “I’d better go. We need to get there before Gillich does.”

  They walked back to the horses where Tuper was waiting for him. Tuper patted Ringo on the head and mounted his horse. “Stay,” he said to Ringo. The dog stepped back and sat down. JP stepped into the stirrup and swung his leg over the saddle, seating himself. They rode away, neither of them looking back. Sabre watched until they became dots against the white background. Then she and Ron went back to helping with the chores and waiting.

  Chapter 36

  JP couldn’t remember when he had ever seen such a white landscape, but at least it wasn’t snowing at the moment. The cold air cut into his face as they rode into the wind, which was blowing about five miles per hour out of the west. With no trees or structures of any kind on either side of them, there was nothing to offer shelter from the forceful wind.

  “Just have to get across these fields. Shortly after that we’ll change directions and it won’t be so bad,” Tuper said, his soft voice barely audible.

  JP nodded and rode on, keeping his face tilted downward. It had been a while since he had ridden a horse, but it felt natural to him. There was a certain kind of freedom and independence that came with this mode of transportation. The further he rode in the open air, the more his anxiety about meeting up with Gillich changed to exhilaration.

  Tuper was right. Once they turned north they could barely feel the wind. They climbed for a while and then the ground leveled out again. They rode until they reached a ridge that dropped off into a ravine on their left, almost forming a kind of crater. Along the east side of the ridge JP saw the first trees since he had left the colony. A couple of rows of trees lined the edge of the cliff. As they rode closer, JP could see the natural opening that formed a sort of tunnel through the trees about four feet wide for a length of about a hundred yards.

  “Straight through there,” Tuper said.

  The sky was starting to darken as they reached the tunnel. It was even darker inside the row of trees. The path narrowed in places, leaving just enough room for the horses to pass through. JP checked his watch. They still had a couple of hours if Gillich showed up at the appointed time. He doubted that would happen.

  “You don’t expect him to show at six, do you?” Tuper asked.

  “No. We need to make sure he isn’t already here, though.”

  “There’s no way. With the directions we gave him he’ll take a lot longer than we did to get here. He would have to be very familiar with this area to find this place that quickly. We have him beat by a good hour.”

  “Then he likely won’t come until late into the night—if he shows at all.”

  They rode through the tree tunnel. Both were watching carefully for signs that someone had been there before them as they made their way to the end. “Follow me,” Tuper said, and rode into the trees a little further. Then he steered Pepper through some brush and down a slope where he dismounted and led the gelding another ten yards. JP followed.

  Tuper removed a flashlight from his saddlebag and guided JP and the horses into a cave on the side of the plateau. The cavity was about twenty feet long and ten feet deep with plenty of headroom. They unsaddled the horses and fed them.

  “You should try to get some sleep. I’ll go up the hill and keep watch. Then we can switch,” Tuper said, as he took a pouch out of the saddlebag.

  “What’s that?” JP asked.

  “Night goggles. I’ll be able to see if anyone comes.”

  JP was impressed that he had such an instrumen
t. Feeling confident that his partner would hold a vigil watch, he laid out his bedroll, and since he’d only had a few hours of sleep in the last twenty-four hours, he didn’t argue with Tuper taking the first watch.

  ***

  Ron was hungry so he ate early with the men. Sabre waited for the women before she went to the dining hall. They both tried to respect the Hutterite customs as much as they knew to do. Sabre had even started wearing the standard polka dot scarf that they favored. Recently she had borrowed a skirt and blouse from Frieda. She blended in quite nicely. Both she and Ron asked when something didn’t seem right so they wouldn’t offend anyone in the colony. Every once in a while one of the older women would say, “We understand you are not unser Leut.”

  Sabre had come to understand two German phrases since her arrival, unser Leut and Welt Leut, meaning “our people” and “worldly people.” She was fascinated by the beliefs of the Hutterites and although she didn’t believe in many of their concepts, she totally respected that they lived what they believed. They weren’t perfect in following their own rules. Many of them made mistakes just like the Welt Leut, but to commit one’s whole life to something one believed in commanded respect in her eyes.

  After dinner, Sabre helped clean up the dishes and the dining area. While the community attended a prayer meeting, she walked to the barn to meet with Ron. The room was empty. Sabre took a seat on the bench and waited. Within a few minutes she heard the barn door creak and then footsteps walking toward the back. A little blonde head peeked through the doorway.

  “Katie P., what are you doing here?”

  She seemed so fascinated with the Welt Leut that Sabre didn’t have the heart to chase her away whenever she showed up, and she showed up a lot. Sabre had spent time earlier in the day with her, partly to help Katie satisfy her curiosity, but mostly because Sabre missed being around all the children she worked with. She thought about how much better this little girl’s life was compared to those children. Every day Sabre saw children subjected to abuse, neglect, abandonment, and other unspeakable crimes. They often had no one who loved them unconditionally. Katie P. had good parents and a whole community who loved her and sheltered her.

  “How’s it going, sunshine?” Ron said when he walked in the room followed by Ringo, who seemed to have attached himself to Ron since Tuper was gone. He passed Katie P., who was still standing near the door. “Hi, Katie P.”

  A warm feeling swept over Sabre. That was the first time her brother had called her “sunshine” since she arrived. There was optimism in his voice. He must believe that Tuper’s and JP’s plan would work. It gave Sabre hope.

  Ron kissed Sabre on the cheek. Suddenly Ringo started wagging his tail and pushing up against Ron. “What is it, buddy?” Ron asked. The dog whipped around in a circle and smacked Ron with his tail.

  Ron reached down and tried to pat him on the head, but he kept swirling around.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Sabre said.

  “I’ve been playing with him. He probably just wants me to throw something for him.”

  “Well, isn’t this cozy?” The male voice startled Sabre. She looked toward the doorway where a man about thirty-five years old with dark hair and brown eyes stood with his hand clasped onto Katie’s. Sabre lunged forward and reached for Katie P. Ron grabbed Sabre and held her back.

  “I see you found yourself a little Hutterite woman and created a family?”

  “Let her go, Gillich,” Ron said, shifting his head toward Katie P.

  “So this is what you’ve been doing while I was rotting in prison.” When Ron didn’t respond immediately, Gillich said, “It doesn’t matter. Your peaceful, little life as you know it is over, Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes. You should’ve minded your own business seven years ago.”

  Ron took a step forward and Gillich pulled a gun from behind his back with his left hand and pointed it at Ron. Sabre instinctively reached for Ron’s arm to pull him back. “No,” Sabre said.

  “Listen to your little lady.”

  “She’s not….” Sabre tugged at his arm. Ron must have realized that it would do no good to tell him she was his sister. “She’s not my wife and this isn’t my daughter. Just leave them alone. It’s me you want.”

  “Nice try,” Gillich said, “but I know a little bit about the Hutterites. Enough to know you wouldn’t be back here in the barn with someone else’s wife. You’re all coming with me.” He pointed the gun at Katie’s head. “Let’s go.”

  They all filed out of the room with Sabre and Ron in front. Gillich was behind them, pulling Katie alongside him with the gun still pointing at her head. “We’re leaving here by that door on the other side of the barn.” They walked across the room and out the door. The air was nippy but they were all wearing coats. Gillich directed them up the slight incline to the road where he had left his car.

  Ron tried again to plead with him to let the girls go, but failed to change his mind.

  He handed the keys to Ron. “You’re driving.” He opened the back door and shoved Katie P. into the car. Then he turned to Sabre, keeping the gun pointing toward the backseat. “You, little lady, you get in the front seat. The kid and I will sit in the back.”

  “Just let her go,” Sabre begged. “You have us. You don’t need her.”

  “She’s going. Now get in.”

  “Please, then let her sit in the front. I’ll get in the back.” Sabre kept thinking of her client, Sophie Barrington, and what she must have gone through. She was determined to protect Katie P. no matter what.

  “Are you hard of hearing? I said, get your ass in that car or I’ll shoot the kid right here.”

  Sabre got in the car. The look on Katie’s face told her just how frightened she was, but she didn’t cry or even mutter a word.

  Sabre wondered how long before the prayer meeting would be over and when they would notice they were gone. They’d surely see that Katie P. was missing right away. Sabre saw no activity anywhere as they drove past the colony. She wondered if their prayers would be heard, and if they would soon be praying for Katie P., Ron, and her.

  Chapter 37

  JP woke up and checked his watch. It was 8:25 p.m. He patted the horses, checked their water, and then climbed the slope to relieve Tuper. Since the trees blocked the moonlight, he used his flashlight to light the way.

  “Mornin’,” Tuper said, looking down from a tree branch about five feet above the ground.

  “I guess it is since that’s all the sleep I’m going to get,” JP responded. “I take it you haven’t had any action. Or did I sleep right through it?”

  “Not so much as a night rabbit. I heard a few hoot owls, but nothing else.” Tuper hopped down, landing lightly on his feet, his boots disappearing into the snow. JP marveled at the agility of this old man. “You get a real good view from that perch. There’s a rock and a couple of branches on the back side you can crawl up on.” He handed him the night goggles. “These work pretty good.”

  “Thanks, get some rest.”

  “You’re packin’, right?”

  “Always. I’ll whistle if I need you.”

  Tuper headed down the slope to the cave. JP walked around the area for a few minutes getting to know his surroundings, and then he climbed up the tree. The tree had a large branch coming out to the side that offered a nice chair-like spot to sit. JP looked around first with the flashlight and then the night goggles before he settled in and waited.

  The sound of silence mesmerized JP. It was calming and wearisome at the same time. JP wanted to hear the sound of Gillich approaching so he could end this whole thing and clear Ron’s name as well as Sabre’s and his own. His plan was to capture him, turn him in, and then they could stop running. He was not totally clear on Tuper’s plan, however.

  The sound was faint in the distance, but there was no question in JP’s mind that it was horse hooves in the snow, and the horse was moving at a rapid pace. He looked through the goggles and couldn’t see anyone, but he wouldn’t unless they w
ere part way into the tunnel of trees. He whistled. Tuper was there with his rifle ready within seconds.

  “What is it?” Tuper asked.

  “Listen,” he paused. “Do you hear that?”

  “Sure do. Someone’s riding this way—and in a big hurry.”

  JP stayed in the tree until he could see the figure riding toward them. Then he hopped down. “It’s a single rider.”

  “No one’s behind him?” Tuper asked.

  “There doesn’t appear to be.”

  They positioned themselves on either side of the tunnel so they were well hidden from the approaching rider. JP was behind a large rock with his pistol ready to fire if needed. The barrel of Tuper’s rifle jutted out from behind some trees about four feet away from JP.

  The horse slowed down as it approached. “That looks like Flipper,” Tuper said aloud. “That’s my horse. What the hell?”

  “Tuper! JP!” the rider yelled. “It’s me, Benjamin.”

  “Benjamin?” Tuper said, as he stepped out into the opening. “What are you doing here?”

  Benjamin jumped down from his horse. JP remained hidden with his gun ready until he was sure it was Benjamin and that he was alone. JP shined the flashlight on him and when the young man spoke again JP came forward.

  “Ron and Sabre are gone.” Benjamin’s voice was still loud and it cracked when he spoke.

  “What do you mean, ‘gone’?” JP asked.

  “Someone took them.”

  “Who took them?”

  “We don’t know, but Katie P. is gone too.”

  “Damn it!” JP said. He swung around and headed down the slope with Benjamin and Tuper close behind. “Did anyone see anything?”

  “Not much. We were at service. Peter sent his older daughter, Mary P., to go look for her sister. She saw Sabre—at least she thinks it was Sabre—get in the front seat of a black car. Mary P. said a Welt Leut man appeared to be pointing a gun toward the backseat of the car. Then he slammed the front door shut and got in the backseat. They drove toward town.”