Becky was startled, then startled again when something answered Ali’s call. She rode Ali down a slight incline to another hill a bit higher than the one they had stopped on. When they reached the top, around the edge of another slight hill she thought she could see part of the roof of a house. Could it be the mobile home? She crossed her fingers and toes but stopped long enough to radio it in to the other searchers. She stayed at the top of the hill so others could see her, including Brody with his drone. The drone flew above her very quickly.
As soon as she heard from Chet and Brody, she walked down the other side of the hill into a tight little arroyo, surrounded on three sides by hills. In the bottom center of that arroyo sat an older mobile home that looked abandoned. She saw no cars or trucks around, but there was some trash blowing in the wind that appeared newer and a few shiny cans in the late afternoon light. She crossed her fingers again and walked around the end of the mobile home. She walked past a window standing open. The breeze blew an old curtain outside the mobile home. If someone left that window open decades ago, the wind would have long since shredded the curtain, but it wasn’t. It was wet from the rain. Could this be the place? She remembered Maryann’s explanation of how John and Rhonda got away and her heart was tripping in her chest. When Becky and Ali reached the other side of the mobile home, she saw the makeshift corral with a miserable looking horse standing in the middle of a lake inside it. He was a palomino.
Prince Ali nickered to the horse. He nickered back and dropped his head again. Becky noticed he didn’t look well, he was sunken in at the flanks and looked about ready to drop. She got on her radio. “We found him!” She jumped off Ali and pulled the three water bottles she had stashed in her saddlebag out, rushed to Cutter’s corral and dumped them into his water bucket.
Those three 16 ounce bottles didn’t do much to slake Cutter’s thirst, but they helped him revive a little. He suddenly recognized the fact that another stallion was standing outside his stall. He screamed his stallion challenge at Prince Ali.
Ali shook his head. “Hey, Cutter. I’m not here to take you on. I’m here to find your raggedy butt and get you back to civilization. Don’t threaten me, please.”
Cutter stared at Ali, taken aback by his comments. “I’m sorry. I apologize. That was a first instinct. It won’t happen again. I am sure glad to see you two. Can you get me back home?”
“That’s what we’re here for buddy,” Ali said to him. “Just hang in there. The people are going to try and find the road in here with the trailer so we can get you out.”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you for coming for me. I thought I would die alone out here until you showed up,” Cutter muttered softly.
Becky was on the radio to Brody and Mike. “We need to get him some water. I only had three bottles with me and they’re already gone. I don’t think he got much out of that storm. There’s a trace in the bottom of his bucket, but it was mostly mud. He’s pretty sucked up in the flank. I’m going to wait here with him.”
CHAPTER | THIRTY-ONE
Chet and Melissa came over the rise a few minutes later. They dumped the water bottles they carried with them into Cutter’s bucket as well. It was all gone in a minute or two. The three of them looked Cutter over. He had no cuts or scratches on his body they could see. He appeared to have lost weight during his ordeal, and he was desperately thirsty. They talked among themselves as they waited for the others to join them.
Brody confirmed with Maryann the drone had shown her good GPS coordinates for the mobile home. He couldn’t see the pictures from his location, but Maryann could. Stevie sat beside her in Grandpa’s Jeep watching the laptop monitor and he was bouncing up and down. She was shaking with excitement when she saw Cutter standing in the corral beside the mobile home. Brody and John sprinted back to the base camp.
Mike’s cell phone rang. It was the San Bernardino County detective calling him. “We did get a location on that cell phone the guys used for their ransom demand. It’s way out in the desert. We pinged it and got a GPS location for it. I’ve got deputies on their way to that location now. They’re going to meet with the Kern County Deputies.”
“We think we found the location ourselves,” Mike told him. “We’ve been out here since daybreak and found the horse a couple of minutes ago. He’s alive but not in great shape. We are going to get our vehicles back on the highway so we can find the road in.”
“Why don’t I have my deputies meet you at the highway. The Kern County deputies think they know which turnoff to use. You can drive in with them. That way you can get the horse out of there without disturbing the scene. We’ve sent in our people so they can photograph and fingerprint the trailer and gather any evidence left there.”
“Great! We’ll wait at the highway for your deputies. You can let them know we have a truck and ten-horse trailer plus a couple of other 4-wheel drive vehicles. We’ll be waiting beside the highway for them. You got an E.T.A. for them by chance? We’re sort of in a hurry. The horse needs water badly. We have it with us. We have a couple of riders at the corral with the horse right now, but their 16-ounce water bottles are not going very far. Just in case, if your guys get up the highway, tell them to look for the red and green ribbons on the south post of the dirt road going back into the desert bike area. We’re on our way now.” Mike disconnected his phone.
“Charles, Rose, Ginny and Ryan, we need to get moving! Deputies from San Bernardino County and Kern County will meet us alongside the highway. The Kern County guys think they know the turnoff we need. Chet and Melissa are there already with Becky. We’re loading the rest of the horses now.”
Rose and Ginny quickly finished washing out the scrapes on Heidi’s leg. “We can put band-aids on this when we get there if you’re okay now,” Ginny told her. Rose gently smoothed in an antibiotic cream on the wound.
“I’ll be fine,” Heidi said. “I wish I was with them when they found Cutter. That must have been exciting to see.”
Esteban was nearly in tears again. “Do you think he’s going to be okay?” he asked Mike.
“Yeah, I’m sure of it. Chet and Becky say he’s still standing. That’s a good sign. Chet thinks he’ll be fine with some feed and water. They have a little water with them. That should help until we get there. Hang in there, my friend. We’re going to get your horse out of there safe and alive.”
Mike, Rose, Ginny, Ryan, and Charles all arrived at the exit point and parked alongside the highway. They didn’t have to wait long. The first to arrive were two cars from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. They turned around on the highway and pulled in line in front of Mike’s truck. Two SUV’s from San Bernardino County got in line a few minutes later. The deputies and Mike spoke for a minute beside the road. “We’re only about six miles from the turnoff that will get us to that mobile home. If you didn’t know where the turnoff was, you’d miss it. You can’t see the mobile home from the road. We know right where it is. Follow us. We’ll get you there. It’s going to be a very sharp turn to the right, more than 90 degrees. Watch that turn with your trailer,” one of the deputies told him.
Everyone got back in their vehicles and pulled out onto the highway following the Kern County deputy. Six miles later when Mike pulled off the road following the deputy, he saw what the man meant. He would never have seen that turnoff. It curved downward and then to the south before following the contours of the land into a small canyon surrounded on three sides by baren rocky hills.
Mike pulled up to the mobile home behind the squad cars and stopped. Esteban hopped out of the truck immediately and dashed around the mobile home looking for the corral and his horse. He stumbled and whirled his arms around to regain his footing and kept running. He ignored everything else until he finally saw Cutter in the makeshift corral. He rushed toward his horse like a man possessed. He climbed over the corral and jumped down into it, talking in a soothing voice to his horse. He threw his arms around his neck and hugged him like a long-lost friend. He sobbed with joy and relief.
“Oh, my boy. I’m so glad to see you. What have they done to you? We’ll get you better. You’ll see!” Then he lapsed into his melodic first language, Spanish. Neither of them seemed to mind the mud.
Mike grinned. “What do you know, we have us a bi-lingual horse here.” Cutter had his head across Esteban’s shoulder with his eyes half closed, enjoying the attention of his best friend.
The people with the search party grabbed buckets and began filling them from the tank in the trailer. They hauled buckets to the corral and dumped them into the half barrel that had been used for Cutter’s water supply by the men who stole him. Esteban walked Cutter to the barrel to let him drink. He drank and drank and drank as the water buckets kept coming. He finally slaked his thirst enough to push his soggy muzzle into Esteban’s chest.
Mike walked around the corral, looking it over. It was a patchwork of pieces of old lumber nailed together with no gate at all. “We’re going to have to dismantle part of this to get Cutter out of there,” he finally told the group. “Those clowns never intended him to get out of this. I didn’t bring any tools with us except for my small toolbox in the trailer. I think I only have one hammer. The screwdrivers and pliers won’t help us much with this project. And they used lots of nails. It’s a wonder Cutter didn’t cut himself up with the way they put those in. Oh, and we’re going to get muddy.”
One of the deputies came outside of the mobile home shaking his head, “We found the phone and the handcuffs in there. This place must have been rustic living at its finest. How is the horse? Is he going to be okay?”
Ginny was walking back from the corral when the deputy stepped out. She looked at him and smiled, “Yes, he’s going to be fine in a few days. He’s gone without proper food for a while, and he was out of water for a day or so, but he’ll recover. He’s going to be okay,” she nodded her head. She went to the trailer and picked up Cutter’s halter and lead rope. She walked it back to the corral and handed it over the fence to Esteban.
“Esteban, can you put this on him and hold him to one side of the corral. Mike and the guys are going to have to break the corral down,” she told him. “I’ll have Brody bring him some hay to keep him busy. Keep him as calm as you can. The guys are going to have to haul the wood away so he doesn’t step on any nails getting out of there.”
One of the girls came over with apples in her hand and gave them to Esteban for Cutter. Brody brought a small flake of hay and handed it to Esteban. Because the ground was soggy inside the corral, Estaban splayed his hands out like a plate to serve Cutter. Cutter was most interested in the apples and polished them off with Esteban’s help then ripped into the hay with relish. Ginny laughed, “Looks like Cutter is going to get a lot of babying for a while!”
Mike, John, Chet, and Skip climbed over the rail and jumped in the corral. It was small so it became fairly crowded. The corral was cobbled together of old lumber. Some of it was nearly rotten. The men began kicking at it with their boots. It took some effort, but they were finally able to kick out one side of the corral. The kids pulled pieces of wood off as they split and tossed them in a pile to one side. When the last piece finally came down, Brody and Stevie pulled the section away. It left a large space so Esteban could walk Cutter through without worrying about scratching his sides or stepping on nails. Cutter was finally free!
When Esteban Garcia walked his beloved Cutter out of the corral, the entire group clapped and cheered! Everyone was smiling. Everyone was happy they were there to see that. Those who spent the day in the desert searching for the horse was relieved he was alive and able to walk out on his own. They celebrated by eating and drinking most of the food and drinks they’d brought along, chatting among themselves, remembering high points during the search and things they’d seen along the way. They talked a lot about the storm that blew in and the havoc it caused. Heidi had help to put the band-aids on her scrapes. She told the others they caught their two missing horses and decided to ride them back. One big thunder boomer went off directly over their heads and Cricket zigged while Heidi zagged. She fell off. It wasn’t something Cricket caused. She slipped because her saddle was wet. The group celebrated Brody for his ability to keep his drone up and show them the way. They celebrated Prince Ali for being the first to hear Cutter. Maryann was celebrated for the idea to search in the first place. Esteban Garcia was on top of the world because his horse was found alive!
When they polished off the last sandwich, and the last of the cookies, fruit and crackers were a memory, the saddles and bridles were pulled off the horses and stowed. They organized the disarray of equipment and put it all away in the vehicles. They loaded the horses in the horse trailer and made sure the hay nets were full. The group piled in for the long drive back to Hartley Ranch.
CHAPTER | THIRTY-TWO
Becky’s mom, Caroline Howard, decided to stay in the High Desert with Maryann’s Aunt Adele and Uncle Roy rather than driving an empty horse trailer home and returning to pick it up again the next day. Becky called her when they found Cutter. Caroline let Adele and Roy know. Celeste Carnegie also got a call from Charles with the good news. He told Celeste about the logistics of getting everyone back to the ranch so she figured out how much time they had and called Adele. The women took Roy and went shopping. When they arrived at Hartley Ranch with their bundles of groceries, Caroline found the back door key in its hiding place, and the women invaded Ginny’s kitchen once more.
Kathy, Heidi, and Melissa called their parents about finding the horse. Ryan, Suzy’s dad, called his wife. Word began to circulate. Families of the young people involved came to the ranch to meet the famous stallion and his owner. They were pressed into service setting the patio up for a celebration or helping in the kitchen. Someone called the local newspaper to let them know the famous Prince Ali was involved. Ali was the first to hear the missing horse and lead his owner, Becky Howard, right to him. The reporter, looking to boost his career, searched the internet and found articles about Cut It Out. He realized that Cutter was a valuable horse in his own right. He called several buddies. The press began swooping down on the incident. Print reporters showed up at the ranch while the TV news crews drove up from the Los Angeles basin.
Roy tended the grill and put on tri-tip roasts while he set up the cold drink station with buckets of ice filled with bottled water, soft drinks and iced tea.
Mike pulled into his driveway leading the caravan of 4-wheel drive vehicles and saw the ranch filling with family members. Then he noticed the news people. He slumped his shoulders and let out a great sigh as he drove the trailer to the front of the main barn for unloading. The news people quickly made their way to the barn to get their story. Mike thought he might as well put up a news office next to the barn for them. They’d already been there twice this year. The first time was when they identified Prince Ali as the stray horse that wandered onto their ranch. The second time was when the kids returned from Colorado after being caught in front of the second largest wildfire in Colorado history. And here they were again!
Mike parked the truck, shut off the engine and set the brake before stepping out. The young people and his assistant trainers opened the rear door of the horse trailer and began pulling horses out. Reporters shouted questions at the young people. Mike stepped up and said, “Can you please wait until we get all the horses off the trailer. I don’t want to see any of the horses or these young people hurt. Let them do what they need to do; then you are free to ask questions if you don’t mind.”
Esteban Garcia handled Cutter himself, walking the horse to a freshly bedded stall with hay in the feeder. Cutter immediately dropped down and rolled in the bedding. It felt good for him to be back inside a normal stall with a roof, fresh water, food, and a soft place to lay down.
The youngsters pulled their horses out and put them in stalls while they unpacked the balance of the gear and the tack taken for the search. As soon as they finished unloading the trailer, Mike drove it back to the trailer parking area and dropped it off th
e truck and parked his truck. He walked down to the barn. Reporters were trying to ask questions of the girls while they rinsed their horses off. Kathy squirted Melissa, and the water fight behind the barn was on. Everyone who’d been in the desert searching for Cutter was sweaty and dirty and covered in desert dust and mud. The water from the hoses was so refreshing; they shared it with each other as they rinsed their horses off, including Chet and Skip. The whole bunch of them were dripping wet in minutes once again. They finished rinsing the horses, sweat scraped them off and put them on the hot walkers to dry while they laughed and joked with each other.
The reporters took some great photos of the water fight and kept themselves far enough away from the action to stay reasonably dry. While the horses walked on the hot walkers, the girls took to the benches that lined the inside of the barn aisle. The reporters asked them questions about their participation in the search for Cut It Out.
Esteban Garcia stood at the door to Cutter’s stall watching his horse while the girls pulled theirs out to rinse them off. Cutter didn’t seem to want to get up once he sprawled in the bedding. Esteban walked back into the stall and scrunched himself down in the bedding and picked Cutter’s head up and laid it across his lap. He sat there talking softly to his horse, stroking his cheek and neck. Cutter exhaled something like a snort and closed his eyes, enjoying the attention from his “heart human.”
A photographer opened the stall door wide enough to get his lens inside the stall and snapped a photo of the man with his horse. The flash startled Cutter. His eyes opened. He lifted his head off Esteban lap. Esteban reassured him and continued stroking his neck. He looked at the photographer and asked “Can you please give me a few minutes with my boy? I’ll come out and talk to you in a little while. He’s tired. He’s been through an ordeal. I’d like him to rest.”
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