by Karen Ward
I watch him as he walks away then shake my head in disbelief. I know that Keith believes that he loves me, but he doesn’t know the truth, not yet. He loves the girl I once was but when he finds out everything I have done since James Bixby kidnapped me that day he won’t love me any more. I am disgusted and repulsed by the things James made me do and Keith will be too. I am dirty and unworthy of his love. He deserves someone he can be proud of, not someone as ugly and soiled as I am.
******
James Bixby is livid. He is still walking along the highway in Montana and has had lots of time to think. The more he thinks about those bastards in that helicopter flying away with Jasmine the madder he gets. Jasmine belongs to him! Damn it! When he took time to stop and think about it, he remembered hearing that the guys that killed Calloway and the others from the compound in Idaho used a helicopter. He would bet his last dollar that they are the ones that took Jasmine. All the more reason to take them out, but first he has to get to Wyoming. No one in this godforsaken land wants to pick up a hitchhiker anymore. He’s going to have to steal a car from somewhere.
A little while later Bixby walks into the outskirts of a small town. Spotting a convenience store ahead he grins. He might as well kill two birds with one stone. He will rob the store and then steal the clerk’s vehicle.
Confidently walking into the store, his Glock cocked and ready in his pocket, he is completely surprised to find himself immediately staring down the barrel of a forty-five caliber semi-automatic. He raises his hands asking, “What’s going on?”
The deputy with the gun says, “James Bixby, you’re under arrest for kidnapping and attempted murder. Put your hands on the counter and spread your legs.” He hands his gun to another man standing behind the counter and begins to frisk Bixby. He removes the Glock from Bixby’s pocket then reaches to grasp his hand to put handcuffs on him. Taking a chance Bixby backhands the deputy and bolts back out the door running as fast as he can toward the woods behind the store as the deputy fires at him. Bixby feels the impact of a bullet and then a burning sensation in his shoulder but he doesn’t stop to check it out.
He keeps running through the woods as fast as he can leaving footprints in the snow and a trail of blood a first grader could follow. He feels the warmth of blood seeping down his back and chest. He must be bleeding pretty badly. Damn! He’s going to have to find someplace to rest up for a while. He is getting weaker and more desperate when he spots what looks like an old line shack along the back of a pasture. Carefully making his way toward the shack, he starts feeling dizzy and by the time he makes it to the door he is practically crawling. Pushing open the door he manages to start a fire in the wood stove and then collapses on the narrow bed sliding into unconsciousness.
The next time he wakes up he finds himself shackled to a hospital bed with armed guards posted outside his door.
******
Just as Pinky walks out the door of the hospital in Phoenix to fly back to the ranch his cell phone rings, “Pinky.”
“Mr. Williams, this is Richard Dean of the FBI. I wanted to let you know that James Bixby is currently in custody in Missoula, Montana. He is under guard in a hospital there. It seems he tried to hold up a convenience store in a small town just north of Missoula. He was shot as he was fleeing by a deputy that recognized him. Anyway, he shouldn’t be giving you anymore problems.”
A wave of relief flows over Pinky. “That’s really good news, Mr. Dean. Thank you for letting me know,” responds Pinky.
As Pinky flies back to the ranch in Wyoming he thinks about Jasmine and the things Melanie told him she had endured at the hands of James Bixby. It’s a shame that bullet didn’t hit its mark. He would like nothing better than to get his hands on the man and give him a taste of some of what he put her through. At least he is in custody now, he can be thankful for that and also that Jasmine is safe in the hospital in Phoenix getting the help she needs to recover from his abuse. He can’t wait for the day when she is truly and forever his.
******
I am so happy to be in the hospital in Phoenix. I feel I am finally getting the help I need to get past this nightmare. I really like my doctor. He is very understanding and seems to know exactly the right questions to ask to get me to remember the things I have tried so hard to forget. It doesn’t take me long to realize the mind games that James Bixby has played with me for years.
The second day I am at the hospital, I have a consultation with the plastic surgeon that removed Dylan’s scar. He is very confident he can remove my scar and make me look normal again. The only thing he won’t be able to do is give me back the feeling and movement I have lost in my face. He did explain that once all of the scar tissue is removed some movement and feeling may return. I will just have to be patient and wait for the results of the surgery.
******
A few days after returning to the ranch the Drake Security team is deployed on a search and rescue mission to the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee. A six year old boy was either kidnapped or wandered away from a campground twenty four hours ago. The weather is expected to deteriorate and all available resources are being requested. The Drake Security team is widely acclaimed for their excellent tracking skills and the FBI has requested their assistance.
After being briefed at the search central command post, Bear, Stump and Pinky head out on foot. Having lived in the woods of Montana for nearly thirty years, Bear is an excellent tracker and picks up the boy’s trail almost immediately.
He follows the trail for almost a mile then he turns to Stump and Pinky and says, “Look, another set of prints are following him. It looks like a grown man with small feet or a woman with very large feet wearing rubber soled boots.”
Scoot and Goose are flying overhead in the helicopter listening to the conversation of the men on the ground and monitoring their location using GPS technology.
A few hundred yards down the path Bear says, “The boy must have realized he was being followed because now he’s running.”
Steadily making progress the three men are surprised when the trail suddenly ends at a cliff abruptly dropping straight down and hidden by the undergrowth. Peering over the edge they can see the young boy lying on a narrow ledge a hundred feet below the rim. Bear says, “Damn! Do you think there’s any chance he survived?”
Pinky says, “I don’t know, but we’re going to have to go after him either way.” He ties a rope to a tree and prepares to repel down the cliff. “What do you think happened to the person that was following him?”
Bear says, “It looks like they went over the side too. They may have fallen further down the side. Maybe you’ll be able to see them when you get down to the boy.”
Scoot speaks from the helicopter, “It looks like there might be a body at the bottom amid some trees. I’ll lower Goose down to check it out after we get Pinky and the boy.”
Pinky says, “Goose, get the basket ready to lower down to me. If the boy somehow survived, we will want to move him as little as possible.” Then he lowers himself over the side of the cliff.
Pinky’s heart is pounding with dread. The boy is such a tiny little thing to have fallen so far. It makes his heart ache to think of someone so young dying in such a tragic way. When Pinky reaches the boy he is shocked and thrilled to find him still alive with a strong heartbeat. It looks like he landed on top of a prickly thorn bush that cushioned his fall. He excitedly calls up to Scoot, “The boy’s still alive! He landed on top of a thorny bush. Send down the basket.”
With no room to maneuver on the narrow ledge, Pinky secures himself to the rope allowing him to use both hands to move the boy. Carefully picking him up and placing him in the basket he signals Goose to raise him back to the helicopter. The little boy is as cute as he can be with red hair and freckles and Pinky whispers a quick prayer for his recovery. He looks just like a son he and Jasmine might have someday.
Then he radios Scoot and the other guys, “I’m going on down to the bottom. Be ready to send my stuf
f down.”
Scoot says, “We’ll drop off the boy and be back as soon as we can.”
After the helicopter flies away taking the boy back to the command post and medical help Pinky repels down the rest of the way to the bottom of the cliff. Leaning over the body of the adult that was following the boy he is shocked to once again find them alive. He shakes his head in amazement, this is one lucky lady. Radioing back up to Stump and Bear he says, “This is a female park ranger and she’s still alive, but barely.”
Bear says, “Scoot just radioed to tell us the weather is moving in fast and he’s not going to be able to make it back until it clears. It looks like we’re on our own. Do you want us to come down there or what?”
Looking at the steep terrain surrounding him and the limited area for moving around Pinky says, “No, there’s not enough room. I think I can handle this. I’m going to build a shelter and try to get a fire going for some warmth. You guys head on back to the command post. We’ll be all right until tomorrow. I have spare batteries for the radio so I’ll be able to communicate with you if I need to. Lower down my backpack, the first aid supplies, and a second sleeping bag please.”
The attach Pinky’s backpack and the other requested items to the rope and let them slide down to him then head back to the command post. Pinky examines the park ranger and determines she has a broken leg and a broken arm. He can’t tell about spinal cord or internal injuries so he tries not to move her more than necessary. He applies a cervical collar and inflatable splints to her broken arm and leg. She is unconscious so she probably has head injuries too.
He then sets about preparing a shelter. The weather is predicted to be really nasty for the next several hours so he needs to get them in a safe place. Once he has a shelter prepared under an overhang of rock from the cliff that has a stand of evergreens in front of it to serve as a wind break, he digs a deep fire pit, gathers wood and starts a fire. Then he carefully moves the park ranger underneath the shelter and places her inside the spare sleeping bag with several instant heat packs to provide her additional warmth. Please God, don’t let her have spinal injuries!
When the storm hits it is brutal. The wind whistles through the trees and sleet and freezing rain pelt the area coating the trees and making moving around the steep terrain treacherous. When it finally changes over to snow, Pinky says a prayer of thanks.
Sometime after midnight the park ranger begins to moan. Pinky moves to her side and says, “Don’t try to move. You’ve been in an accident and I don’t have any way of determining the extent of your injuries. Until help can get to us, try to stay as still as possible. My name is Pinky. I work for Drake Security and I am part of the search and rescue team.”
The ranger says, “It hurts.”
Pinky says, “What hurts?”
She says, “Everywhere hurts, especially my leg.”
Pinky says, “Well, you have a broken leg. I would say it’s a very good sign that it is hurting. That means your spinal cord is probably not severed. As soon as the storm passes, my buddies will be back for us. They know where we are.”
She says, “How is the boy? He fell off ... oh God I fell off the cliff too, didn’t I?”
Pinky says, “That’s right, it’s a miracle you’re still alive. The boy was too when they flew him out of here. I haven’t heard anything in several hours. You must have glanced off the tree limbs on your way down and that broke your fall, that’s the only way I can figure out you survived. What’s your name?”
“Sam, Samantha Wells. I don’t know why the boy ran from me. I just wanted to help him. It was obvious he was scared to death. There’s got to be more to this story than what that couple is telling. They didn’t even have a picture of the boy to give us.”
Pinky says, “Yeah, we thought that was a little strange ourselves. Maybe we’ll find out more tomorrow.”
As soon as the sun comes up with clear skies, Pinky hears the helicopter headed their way. He says, “Here that, that’s my buddies coming to get us. It won’t be long now before we get you some help.”
After stabilizing Samantha to the backboard, she is raised in the basket up into the helicopter. Then once Pinky is on board they fly back to the command center where an ambulance is waiting.
As soon as they land at the command center she asks, “How is the boy?”
Scoot replies, “They tell us he is stable but still unconscious.”
After she is loaded in the ambulance Samantha says, “Thank you Pinky.”
Pinky smiles and squeezes her hand, “You’re going to be fine now, Sam. I put one of my cards inside your coat pocket. Call me and let me know how you’re doing.”
As soon as the ambulance leaves with Samantha Wells, the Drake Security team heads to the helicopter to return to the ranch in Wyoming. As they are leaving, Pinky picks up his voice mail and learns he has a message from Richard Dean. Listening carefully he learns that James Bixby escaped from the hospital in Missoula the previous night by taking one of his night nurses hostage. They left the area in the nurse’s car which is thought to be a small red sports car. The nurse is single and has no family in the area. When they checked her apartment, they found signs of a struggle. Her bank account showed a series of large withdrawals from several ATM’s around the area. An APB has been issued for the car and specifically for Bixby.
Disconnecting Pinky says, “Damn! Bixby escaped.”
Scoot immediately calls the ranch to warn Barry and Bud to be alert.
CHAPTER 8
James Bixby is pumped, adrenaline is roaring through his veins. He raped and then strangled the idiotic nurse. Killing her was an enjoyable rush he hadn’t expected. Watching her face turn blue as he pressed his hands against her throat caused a rush of adrenaline to flow through his veins almost as good as when he raped her. He becomes angry when he tries to sink her car in a lake and it doesn’t immediately sink but decides he can’t hang around any longer so he heads out on foot. Staying away from the roads he starts looking for somewhere to steal a car. At least he is stronger now and has some money thanks to that stupid nurse. He still can’t believe she unfastened his handcuffs. After he talked her into that, getting out of the hospital was a breeze. Thanks to the guard he killed he now has a weapon too. Things are definitely looking up.
As darkness begins to creep across the land, Bixby sees a plume of smoke rising against the horizon and realizes it must be coming from a house of some kind so he veers his path in that direction making his way through the woods toward the plume of smoke. When he reaches the edge of the clearing he is pleased to see a practically new pickup parked next to a large log house. He makes his way around the edge of the clearing to as near the truck as he can get without being seen and then silently sneaks up to the truck. He opens the driver’s door and proceeds to hot wire the vehicle. Just as the truck starts he hears a large dog barking from inside the house and the door of the house opens releasing a huge German Shepherd-wolf mix that heads straight for him and the truck. Right behind the dog is an old man carrying a shotgun. He slams the door of the truck and speeds away. With a loud boom the back window of the truck shatters and he once again feels a burning sensation, this time all down his back. Damn!
Determined, he turns the truck south toward Cody Wyoming and his prey at the Rock Springs Ranch.
******
When the Drake Security team stops to refuel on their trip back to Wyoming, Pinky once again finds he has a voice mail from Richard Dean. Listening carefully he learns they found the nurse’s car with her body inside in an area lake. She had been raped and strangled to death. Pinky’s stomach churns with revulsion as he relays the message to the rest of the team.
Then before they take off, Pinky’s cell phone rings again, “Pinky.”
“Mr. Williams, this is Richard Dean of the FBI. I wanted to let you know that we got a report out of southern Montana that I believe may be related to James Bixby. An unknown man stole a pickup late yesterday. The owner blasted the truck with his
shotgun and shattered the back window but he doesn’t know if he hit the driver. The description of the man matches that of James Bixby.”
Pinky asks, “Do you have a description of the truck and a license number?”
Dean answers, “It is reported to be a forest green extended cab Dodge, 2004 model, Montana plates 2P 8505M. I have already put out an APB for the truck to go along with the one on Bixby. He will be in your area by now. Be alert.”
“Thanks, I’ll let everyone know.”
After he hangs up from speaking with Richard Dean, Pinky tells Scoot, “The FBI agent called me just now. They believe Bixby has stolen a truck in Montana and will be in the area of the ranch by now. The truck is a forest green extended cab Dodge, 2004, Montana plates, 2P 8505M. The owner blasted the truck with buckshot but he doesn’t know if he hit the driver.”
“We better let Barry know before we take off,” responds Scoot.
******
James Bixby is irritated. He is so close to his prey but now he feels terrible. His head is pounding, he is dizzy, weak, and he can tell he has a high fever. His back is so sore he can’t even lean back against the truck seat. He has no choice but to return to the compound and recuperate before he’ll be able to take care of the mercenaries. He doesn’t want to take the chance of getting caught again by trying to proceed in his diminished state. Starting the engine he turns the truck back toward the compound on the Montana-Idaho border near Sandpoint.
******
Addressing Barry and Bud Wilkes by phone Scoot says, “Pinky just got a call from the FBI to let us know Bixby stole a pickup in Montana and is probably in the area of the ranch by now. The truck is a forest green extended cab 2004 Dodge, Montana plates, 2P 8505M. The owner shot at the truck blowing out the back window but doesn’t know if he hit Bixby.
