The stench in the cave made Rex gag. He looked over to the source of the odor and saw the half-eaten and decaying body of a man. Before inspecting the body, he placed his fingers gently on Ben’s neck to check for a pulse. He felt a weak pulsation and knew he was alive.
He yanked some slack from the cable and walked to the other body, holding his hand over his nose. He noticed a bulge in the rear pocket of the man’s jeans. The jeans had been partially cut off. He reached in and pulled out a wallet, which he needed for identification. He placed the wallet in his front pocket, walked back to the other body and looked around. About ten feet to the left, he saw an area that was set up like a base of operations. There was a knife, flashlight, several empty cans, backpack, cell phone, cigarette lighter, an empty pack of camels, and what appeared to be the remains of a headless snake, which had been blackened by a fire. The remnants of a fire were in front of the area. Rex assumed that this was the source of the smoke he had seen the day before. The snake appeared to have been the only source of food for the last few days. He picked up the cell phone and put it in his pocket. If the man was Ben Harris, the cell phone would give him valuable evidence surrounding the sequence of events.
Having inspected the scene for any other crucial evidence, Rex picked up the man and strapped him to his own body, just as Jockey had instructed him. He knew that Jockey was watching him through the binoculars and waiting for a thumbs-up. As he snapped the final strap, the man opened his eyes. A soft moaning came from his lips. He was trying to talk.
Rex listened intently.
“I’m not leaving without the wolf,” the whispery voice pleaded, “Not without the wolf.”
Almost as if he understood the words, the wolf hobbled to Rex’s side. Rex reached down to pet the wolf’s head, essentially to see if he would try to bite him. However, the wolf merely collapsed. This is crazy as hell, Rex thought as he reached down to pick up the limp body of the wolf. With Ben strapped to him and the wolf in his right arm, he gave Jockey the thumbs-up. The cable tightened and began to lift the peculiar trio to the copter.
Within minutes, Rex arrived at the door of the copter, grabbed the side, and laid the wolf on the floor in front of the passenger seat. He pulled both himself and Ben into the copter, unstrapped Ben, and slid him into the seat. He sat on the side with half his body hanging outside the copter. He’d risk his life for a human, but doing it for a wolf was a little over the top.
Jockey landed the copter expertly on the road. The rescue squad was waiting, thanks to an emergency call from Chief Henry. They immediately removed Ben from the copter placed him on a gurney and strapped an oxygen mask over his nose. Another paramedic hurriedly connected him to an IV. “What about this animal?” the first guy yelled.
“Take him with you,” Rex answered. “Save him if you can.”
The still body of the wolf was carefully laid in the ambulance. The vehicle sped off with sirens blaring.
Jockey ran up to Rex and hugged him. “That was a very brave thing you did,” she said. “You’re a fine man.”
“I can say the same for you, Jockey,” he said. “Now you go see how Phil’s doing.”
She nodded, proceeded to the copter and lifted off. Jockey waved as the copter headed for Tomahawk.
Rex walked to the police car and sat down. He wanted to go to the hospital to see Ben, but first he had to brief Chief Henry on what he had observed in the cave. He called out and Chief Henry joined him in the car. Rex described the dead body and grabbed the wallet he had recovered. He checked the driver’s license and determined that the dead body was the remains of a man named Cherokee Alvarez from Chicago. He handed the wallet to Chief Henry and proposed that he needed to get the FBI involved in the background check of the dead man. Depending upon the outcome of the check, the FBI might send a forensic team to check out the cave for evidence and the cause of death.
After answering all the Chief’s questions, Rex asked to use the police car to go to the hospital to verify the identity of the man he had rescued. He thought it was Ben Harris but needed to be sure. Chief Henry agreed and Rex immediately left the scene.
Chapter 39
The only thought in Bo Lopez’s mind as he drove back to the Residence Inn was that he could surely use some raw sex. Killing invariably made him horny. He chuckled as he recalled how Cherokee had assaulted the young girl on the mountain. Then killing the sexy cop titillated him even more. Maybe he could tempt Strawberry Shortcake from the reception desk to have a fling. A couple of hundred dollars usually was enough of an enticement. If that didn’t work out, he had that sexy bitch tied to the bed in the motel. Even though she was the bait for the Harris guy, he was determined to satisfy his cravings tonight, whatever it took.
Bo pulled into the parking lot, got out of his SUV and went to his room. He put Leah’s cell phone on the coffee table, walked to the kitchen counter, removed the glasses and prepared two bourbons and cokes. He added ice and climbed the stairs to the loft. He set the two drinks on the end table, tore the tape from her mouth and untied her. Leah knew better than to make any loud noise because Bo had warned her that if she did he would punish her severely.
She looked sadly at him and said in a wispy voice, “May I go to the bathroom please?”
Bo took her by the arm and led her to the bathroom. He actually turned his head as she used it.
Leah washed her hands and asked, “May I take a shower?”
Since Bo thought screwing a nice clean woman would be more fun, he agreed.
She turned on the faucet and removed her clothes. She knew Bo was watching her, but she felt filthy and wanted to feel the hot steamy water cleanse her. She unwrapped the motel soap bar, got into the shower and began scrubbing her face and body. She tried to ignore Bo’s eager eyes. She attempted to close the shower curtain, but Bo grabbed her hand and said, “Keep it open.”
Bo stepped out to the bedroom and retrieved his drink. He sipped it as he watched Leah bathe. He felt himself harden, looking at her full breasts as she washed them with soap. The nipples were pink and erect as she rubbed them. She turned her back to him as she washed between her legs.
After about ten minutes Bo said in a husky voice, “That’s enough, get out.”
He handed her a towel, and she dried and wrapped the towel around her. “Please let me wash my clothes, it’ll only take a few minutes,” Leah pleaded. Bo agreed and watched her as she washed them in the sink. When she finished rinsing the clothing, she hung them over the shower curtain bar to dry.
“I made you a drink,” Bo said as they walked back to the bed.
Leah picked up the drink. “Thank you.” She realized that the drink was extremely potent and only took a few sips.
Bo set down his drink. “Listen, let’s get to the point. I can tell by your recent behavior that you want to make things easier for yourself. I need some tonight, and if you accommodate me, I’ll make things much more pleasant for you. If not, things will get worse.”
Leah just looked at him and said nothing.
“What about it baby, will you cooperate? You know I can force you if I want to.”
He reached over and grabbed her left breast and squeezed it.
That was more than Leah could take. “I’ll die before I let you rape me, you bastard!” Leah screamed and threw the drink in his face. The alcohol momentarily blinded him and, as his hands went to his eyes, Leah threw the glass as hard as she could in the direction of his groin. It connected, and Bo let out a loud grunt.
Leah tried to leap out of the bed, but Bo grabbed her arm and threw her back hard. He ripped the towel from her body and attempted to pin her down as she thrashed naked under his powerful grip.
She kicked at his groin but missed and hit his upper hip. Bo punched her in the stomach. She passed out as he punched her again.
Bo tied up her soft naked body and put the tape back over her mouth. His balls ached where she had hit him with the glass. He picked up his drink from the end table and walked bac
k to the living area. He added bourbon to the glass, went to the couch and sat down. That bitch had taken away his desire for sex, for the moment. If he didn’t need her as bait to get Ben Harris, he would just rape her and kill her right now. When he silenced Ben, he planned to do just that.
Bo picked up Leah’s cell phone from the coffee table and turned it on. He checked the most recent calls and found six calls to Ben Harris’s cell phone. The girl had certainly been trying to reach her boyfriend. Bo’s plan was simple: he would force Leah to call Ben again. He planned to let her talk for a minute then take the phone and arrange for a meeting to swap her for $10,000. He wanted Ben to think it was a simple ransom kidnapping. When Harris met him for the swap, he would kill them both. He could then return to Chicago and get the hell out of this God-forsaken place.
It was about 9:45 p.m. and his desire for sex had returned. He didn’t want to mess with that bitch Leah again. Maybe it was time to try his second option. Watch out Strawberry Shortcake, here I come, he thought.
Bo washed his face, combed his hair and put on his favorite black golf shirt. He even splashed on a little cologne and headed to the front desk.
At this hour, the lobby was empty, and there was no one in sight at the front desk. Bo punched the little bell and waited. In just a moment, Strawberry Shortcake emerged from the back. A broad smile was on her lips as she greeted Bo. “How can I help you, sir?” she purred.
Bo pulled out a roll of money to impress her and said, “Honey, I need change for a hundred, so I can get a paper from the machine.” Gina’s eyes lit up when she saw the roll of hundreds.
She said, “Yes sir,” and took the hundred. She returned and gave him a fifty, two twenties, a five, four ones and four quarters. Bo took the money and handed Gina the fifty.
“This is for your trouble, honey,” he said. He saw her eyes light up as she grasped the fifty. “There’s a lot more where that came from,” Bo expressed, “If you’re interested?”
“I really appreciate it, sir,” she said. “To be honest I’m a little strapped for money right now. I’m past due on my rent and the bills are pilling up. This will certainly help me.”
Bo grinned and said, “I think I may be able to help you out.” He peeled off eight of the hundred dollar bills and held them up. “What do you think?”
Bo saw her reluctance, she had probably never taken money for sex, and said in as composed and reassuring a voice as possible, “Okay, I’ll add another two hundred for the rest of the night, if you have a place where we can go.”
Gina nodded. “I get off at ten. My apartment is about two miles from here. You can follow me.”
“I’ll meet you in the parking lot,” Bo said. “I’m driving an SUV. What about you?”
“I’m driving a grey Malibu,” she replied.
Bo handed her five hundred. “This is your advance. I’ll give you the rest when we’re at your apartment.” He smiled at her and left the lobby.
Gina walked to her car precisely at 10:00 p.m.. Slow-moving clouds covered the moon. The feel of rain was in the air as she waved at Bo when she started her vehicle. After only a few minutes, they arrived at her apartment building. It was located in a large complex of about ten separate structures. Gina’s apartment was in the second building on the left. All the structures were painted yellow with a white brick trim. Her place was on the ground floor, apartment 109. She got out of her car, walked to the door of her place, unlocked it and waited for her escort.
Bo was very cautious and looked around to make sure that he wasn’t seen. Satisfied that the parking lot was empty of people, he got out of his SUV and joined his Strawberry Shortcake and they entered the apartment. As they went into the small foyer, Bo looked around. Directly in front of the foyer was the living area, all decorated in pink and white. There was a white leather couch with pink throw pillows. Pink and white upholstered chairs were on each side of the sofa. The end table held white lamps with pink shades. It looked like Disneyland. To the right of the living area was a small kitchen area with pink curtains on the windows and a small white dining table, two chairs, the seats covered with pink cushions.
Strawberry Shortcake walked to the kitchen area. “Do you want anything to drink,” she asked.
“You got any hard stuff?” Bo replied. To his surprise, she opened the cabinet and took out a bottle of vodka. “Straight up with ice,” Bo said. Gina grabbed two tea glasses and filled both of them half full, opened the fridge and filled the glasses with ice. She handed Bo one glass and took a long pull out of hers.
Strawberry Shortcake is going to be fun, Bo thought. “Why don’t we get started?” he said, “Where’s the bedroom?”
Ms. Shortcake led the way through the living area to the bedroom. Bo grunted when he saw the décor. The walls were painted pink. On the left wall was a white dresser with a large mirror above it. Against the wall facing the bed was a white chest with a stuffed pink elephant sitting on top. The king-sized bed was covered with a white comforter decorated with pink stars. Pink lace throw pillows were carefully placed at the head of the bed. White end tables were on each side if the bed. Above the bed hung the only picture in the room. It was stark in contrast to the rest of the room. The painting showed a close-up of Gene Simmons of Kiss in full garb, dressed in black with his pink tongue poking out.
“What in the hell is all this pink crap?” Bo asked.
Strawberry just smiled a big smile, showing her perfect white teeth, “What can I say, I love pink. I think it is sexy, don’t you?”
He chuckled. “I don’t give a shit if the sex is good.”
“Give me the other five hundred,” she said as she took another long pull of her vodka.
Bo retrieved his wallet, counted out the money and handed it to her. She laid the money on the dresser, went to the bed and sat down. Gina placed her drink glass on the end table and leisurely took off her shoes and threw them to the corner of the room. Her dress was next to join the shoes in the corner. Bo ogled the gorgeous red-haired girl sitting on the bed in her pink bra and panties. The freckles around her nose were matched by freckles on the white skin of her chest. She looked up at him and beamed. She picked up her vodka and took another drink. She appeared to be getting high from the straight liquor. As Bo gaped, she reached around her back, unhooked her bra and dropped it to the floor. Freckles extended about halfway to her large pink nipples, which were erect. Bo couldn’t stand it any longer. He removed his jeans, shorts, and shirt, almost tearing them off. Ms. Shortcake watched him and when he was naked, she impetuously removed her panties. She was a true redhead as the hair between her legs verified. She lay back on the bed, opened her legs and laughed.
Bo mounted her with a fury that took her breath away. She moaned as he drove deeper and deeper. When she cried out with both pain and pleasure, Bo slapped her, hard. He always did love the rough stuff while doing it.
She stopped moving and her eyes filled with fear. “Please don’t!” she cried.
Bo punched her again, and she attempted to squirm out from under him. He grasped her arms and held her down as he pumped harder. Just as he was about to explode, he wrapped his powerful right hand around her neck. He squeezed with unrelenting pressure as he finished and his mind went blank with pleasure. Bo took a deep breath and rolled off the limp body, panting. He lay on his back for a moment savoring the feeling of satisfaction. Ms. Strawberry Shortcake, Gina from the hotel, lay dead beside him.
After resting a few minutes Bo retrieved his drink from the end table and drained it. He looked over at Gina and placed his finger on her neck to check for a pulse. Her heart was silent. Bo felt no remorse, he felt nothing. Killing her was no more to him than killing a roach. He took his pleasure from her and her usefulness was finished. He couldn’t take the chance that she would report him or tell anyone about him, so of course he knew from the beginning that she had to die.
Bo got dressed and took his five hundred dollars from the top of the chest and went to the living area. He
found her purse and grabbed the rest of his money. She had thirty dollars of her own in the purse. He seized that and put the money in his pocket. He picked up a dish cloth from the kitchen sink and wiped his prints from the door knob and all the other areas he had touched. To be certain, he put the vodka glass in his pocket, it surely had DNA on it.
After cleaning up, Bo took the bottle of vodka from the counter and left. “Sex and vodka and all free, what a great night,” Bo said aloud to himself. Maybe after he killed Ben Harris, he would do the same thing to Leah Hamilton. Now that would be a good piece.
Chapter 40
The day was cloudless and sunny with only an infrequent gust of wind as Petrov followed Bo Lopez to Lookout Mountain, keeping a safe distance behind him. Petrov didn’t give a shit if it was fair or raining like hell. He was a focused guy. That’s why they sometimes called him “The invisible man,” because of his uncanny talent to follow people without being noticed. When he and Lopez turned on the only road up the mountain, Petrov let some distance get between them. He turned into the first small parking area on the side of the road, which was set up for tourist viewing of the mountain side. He got out of the car, crossed the road to get a better angle and followed Bo’s progress with his binoculars. He saw Bo turn into the next parking area, get out of his car, and began searching for something. He focused the field glasses and watched when Bo picked up what appeared to be a cell phone. He saw the lady cop come out of the woods and say something to Lopez. Petrov started to leave, but then he saw Bo quickly knock the cop down and apparently break her neck. Petrov had used that same maneuver many times and was impressed that the big man was so efficient at it. He made a mental note to be careful if a confrontation with the guy came about.
Petrov realized that soon the mountain would be crawling with cops, so he got into his car and left. He pulled into the convenience store parking lot at the entrance to the mountain to wait for Lopez’ SUV. That damn cell phone must be very important for Lopez to risk going to the mountain to get it.
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