“Son of a bitch! I’ve lost it.”
“Maybe it just turned itself off to save the battery,” Tony said.
It was a good idea, but the display remained lit up. She stood on the sidewalk next to his SUV and spun slowly a couple of times. Felt a little dizzy. Annoyance flooded through her. We’re so damned close.
Leo kicked her. Maybe he was getting dizzy, too, or he didn’t care for the nasty frustration hormones flowing through her bloodstream.
Tony asked, “Anything?”
She looked around. They were surrounded by several old warehouses and some kind of abandoned factory. “Nope. Gone with the fucking wind.”
Athena used her phone to connect with the cellphone provider again. The target phone was pinging a tower. That was a relief. She was afraid someone had turned the target off. But the tower closest to the target had changed.
“Found it. The fucking phone’s on the move again. Seems to be heading west. It just connected to a cell tower west of us near I 25.”
He motioned for her to hop in. “We’ll have to chase it down using the tower signals again.”
“Son of a bitch! We were so close.”
Beau called her. “CBI is sending four agents in two vehicles.”
“I hate to say it, but our prey is on the move. We’re following.”
“Welcome to cop-world,” he said. “The sick bastard won’t stay put for long. I’ll give you the number for Lenny Alvarez, the head of CBI’s sex trafficking task force, so you can communicate with him directly. Remember, he thinks your name is Carol.”
At the Mousetrap, the phone they were tracking left I 25 and moved west onto I 70. Someone was going to the western Denver suburbs or the mountains.
Athena contacted Lenny and updated him on their direction.
He snickered. “We started from Lakewood, driving east. I think I just saw you fly by in one of the westbound lanes. Don’t slow down. We’ll get turned around here in a minute and catch up. Also, we just got a report of another kidnapping.”
“Same MO?” Athena asked.
“Looks like. A woman named Tania Andrews was grabbed off the street in Golden a few minutes ago. Her boyfriend, Lucas Goldberg, got his head whacked from behind, but he still managed to put two bullets into the asshole who’d blackjacked him. It was our guy, Kane Erickson, pronounced dead at the scene. Luke managed to tell the EMTs that the other kidnapper took off in a white Silverado identical to Maude Gacy’s.”
Athena couldn’t get over how brazen they were. At least, one of them had paid a heavy price for his crimes and gone straight to hell. Maude was trying to escape and had to be relatively close still. “Can you stay with us until we know what’s going on with this phone we’re chasing?”
“At least until someone phones in a location for that Chevy,” Lenny said.
-o-o-o-
Maude drove at the speed limit to I 70 and headed toward the high country.
The road quickly tilted upward sharply. Because she felt an almost overwhelming desire to floor the pickup’s gas pedal, she had to pay constant attention to the speedometer. Couldn’t attract attention by driving faster than everybody else.
Then, everyone bunched up behind two slow-moving trucks next to each other. A dozen other cars crammed into the left lane to get around both, which slowed everyone down.
After swearing for minutes, she called Rufus using a new burn phone.
He picked up immediately. “Who’s this?”
“Me. Got another pretty young bitch for you, and I’d like to get rid of her quick. Where can we meet? I’m near the Genesee exit on I 70.”
Someone with a Hispanic accent came on the line and told her how to reach a quiet, abandoned mine just west of Idaho Springs. Then, he said, “We can be there in half an hour.”
“Perfect.” Maude hung up.
She arrived at the old mine much sooner. It was located on a back road not far from the freeway. A large, secluded parking area was surrounded by several old mine buildings. A foot of snow covered the open yard, and her truck’s tracks were the only ones visible in the yard. Even better, the buildings hid her from any passing traffic.
The girl in the bed behind Maude started bouncing around, but who cared? She couldn’t cause any trouble, and Maude would be rid of her soon.
Even better, she was a real looker. She’d fetch a high price, and Maude wouldn’t have to share any of it. Kane’s death was probably a blessing.
Plus, he might’ve stashed money at the cabin. She’d have to look carefully. Then she remembered Skye. Maude would need some help to control her. Might be time to get rid of the kid. She was probably more trouble than she was worth. Maude would have to move on soon because of Kane’s connection to the cabin. Its owner could call the cops at any time.
Chapter 25
A large black SUV pulled into the parking lot at the mine site and stopped next to Maude’s Silverado. A short, burly Hispanic guy popped out from the driver’s side, and a taller Hispanic guy exited the other side of the SUV.
For a moment, Maude wondered whether she’d been set up, but Rufus drove in behind them, driving a late-model burgundy sedan. He waved at her.
She couldn’t stop herself. She was a mom. She ran up and hugged him as he got out.
The Hispanic guys snickered, and the tall one said, “Do that later. Whatcha got for us?”
Rufus pushed her away like he was ashamed of her. That was no way to treat his only mother.
But the Hispanic guy obviously needed to take care of business quickly, which was better for her, too. She motioned them toward the back of the pickup and opened it. The girl had squirmed forward and squeezed herself against the front of the bed.
The Hispanic guy cackled, then crawled after her and grabbed her by the zip tie around her ankles. Slid her out. “Bueno. Fucking nice piece. We can give you thirty-three for her.”
Maude knew that was just an opening offer, but she’d had more than enough excitement for one lifetime and needed to be rid of the bitch immediately. “You have the cash?”
The tall guy nodded.
“Deal,” she said.
The three men grabbed the squirming girl and carried her to the back of the black SUV, an Expedition, and stuffed her in the cargo area. The tall guy reached for a cloth shopping bag stuffed with money. One by one, he pulled out bundles of ten hundred-dollar bills. Maude flipped through each bundle, and the money looked legit.
By the time the guy handed over the thirty-third wad of Benjamin’s, Maude couldn’t wait to be rid of the cartel guys and the girl. She grabbed the stack of money in both hands. “Thanks, gentleman. Rufus, if you want to see Skye, let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Sure,” he said. “Leave the truck. It’s all over the news. Take what you need from it, and put it in my trunk.”
She grabbed her purse from the pickup’s cab and a bag that contained what was left of the snacks Kane had brought. “I’m ready.”
“Joaquin,” Rufus said, “I’ll be back late tonight.”
The tall guy nodded. “Meanwhile, I need to report our successful transaction.”
Rufus handed over a cellphone from his pocket, and the tall guy dialed someone.
Maude got in the sedan’s front passenger seat, and Rufus sat behind the wheel. With a wave at the Hispanic guys, he drove towards the back road that would lead them to the freeway.
-o-o-o-
Interstate 70 at the Central City Parkway
Athena noticed that the phone she was tracking had stopped moving once more. It kept pinging a tower a mile west of town. She passed that news on to Tony and Lenny. The CBI task force leader’s sedan and a second CBI sedan were right behind Tony’s SUV.
Their small caravan blew past Idaho Springs and took the next exit off the freeway. Tony parked alongside the road so Athena could get out with her tracking device. She exited and slowly spun in a circle. The strongest signal came from the sou
thwest, which pointed at a series of old buildings on the opposite side of Clear Creek.
Tony drove to the nearest bridge and crossed. Lenny and the other CBI guy followed. They drove slowly west, and Athena’s device showed more bars. The sun was just going down behind the high mountains to the west.
As they approached a road heading south, a dark red sedan turned left from that road and proceeded west. She couldn’t see the occupants.
At the intersection, Athena hopped out and turned in a circle again. The phone she was tracking was still south of them. Tony drove for a half-mile until he reached an old mine site with several collapsing buildings. The tracking device showed nine bars.
“This is probably the place,” Athena said.
“And look at that, Carol,” Tony said. “Fresh tire tracks lead behind that big old mill building.”
Athena’s stomach churned. “Could be real trouble.”
“No shit. Let’s let the real cops handle this.”
He lowered his window and motioned with his hand for Lenny to come forward. Once he did, Tony passed on the news.
“We’ll take it from here,” Lenny said and motioned for the car behind him to follow as he proceeded. Each CBI vehicle hit their lights and turned into the mine site.
Seconds after they disappeared, gunfire erupted. At least a dozen shots. But as quickly as it started, it stopped.
“Think it’s okay to go in?” Tony asked. “I’m dying to know what happened.”
“Fools rush in, and all that jazz. We should wait a few minutes.” But she was dying of curiosity, too.
Fortunately, Lenny called her. “It’s all clear, but we could use your help. The most recent kidnap victim, Tania Andrews, is here, and she’s pretty shook up.”
Tony gunned his engine, and they tore around the largest mine building. The CBI vehicles had parked behind a white Silverado pickup and a black Expedition. Across the open parking area, one of the CBI agents was standing in the snow over a motionless body. The agent held a pistol in his hand.
Lenny stood beside the black SUV, next to an open rear passenger door. He motioned for Athena to approach.
She took a good look at the Silverado. It had a canopy, all right, and like Beau had said, it was white instead of faded red. Someone must’ve painted it after the FBI had issued the earlier description.
“How many assholes are here?” Athena asked Lenny.
He walked around to the opposite side of the SUV and pointed at a short, stocky, Hispanic guy standing in the snow with his hands cuffed behind him. A CBI agent was with him.
“Only this dirtball,” Lenny said, “alive. The other one fired a couple of shots at us and took off for the forest. We hopped out of our rigs and put him down without too much trouble. This one bailed out of the Expedition with his pants around his ankles. Didn’t get far. Do you mind talking to Tania? The short guy was attacking her when we drove up.”
Athena sighed. “You bet.”
Male cops were notoriously terrible when dealing with female sexual assault victims. Athena did have two X chromosomes, but that didn’t make her Oprah Winfrey. She was as introverted as anybody, but she’d do her best to help Tania deal with whatever had happened.
Had she been raped? Athena hoped not, but even if she hadn’t been touched, the experience would’ve still been horrific.
Athena peeked inside the black SUV. A tall, slim woman was curled up in the cargo area. The rear seats had been lowered. Her long hair was disheveled, and she was wearing a parka, black slacks, and hiking boots. Her face was stained with tears.
“Tania? Hi, I’m Carol Winter. I’ve been helping to look for the people who did this to you. How do you feel?”
Her voice was unsteady. “H-he was going to r-rape me. He was pulling my pants down, but thank God, the cops got here in time.”
“I’m so happy we found you so quickly. Let’s get you out of this nasty vehicle. I hope you and I can chat for a few minutes so I can understand better what happened. We’d thought a woman had kidnapped you.”
Tania nodded as she crawled toward Athena. “I’ll tell you everything. A woman did grab me, and a big guy but I haven’t seen him since. The woman sold me to the two Hispanic guys. Do you know what happened to Luke? The big guy hit him with something and knocked my boyfriend down.”
“Luke should be okay,” Athena said. “The doctors are checking him at the moment in a hospital. Fortunately, your boyfriend revived quickly, before the kidnappers could get away with you. He shot and killed the big guy. Thank God, that asshole won’t bother anyone ever again.”
For the first time, Tania smiled. Athena helped her out of the SUV, but the poor girl could barely stand on her wobbly legs. Her whole body shook.
Athena wrapped her good arm around Tania’s waist to steady her as they trudged through deep snow to the back of Lenny’s sedan. Hagrid was still in the back of Tony’s SUV, and Athena worried that he might be too intimidating for Tania.
While the CBI guys dealt with the criminals, Athena interviewed Tania to get her full story. Most importantly, Maude and Rufus had taken off in a dark red sedan right before Lenny and his team showed up at the mine site. Tania didn’t know the red car’s make or model, but she was pretty sure it had a traditional green and white Colorado license plate. Unfortunately, Tania hadn’t seen Skye or heard anything about her.
As soon as Athena found out all she could, she left Tania with one of the CBI agents and went looking for Lenny. It turned out, he was searching the Silverado. “How’s our victim doing?”
“She seems all right,” Athena said. “We should ask a doctor to check her. And she wants to see her boyfriend. Maybe we could send her to the hospital he’s at?”
“Good idea. I’ve got an ambulance en route. I also updated Beau about what we’ve learned.”
“Terrific,” Athena said. “You should tell him about the red sedan that took off right before we arrived. According to Tania, that vehicle definitely has Maude and Rufus inside. No sign of Skye Dunbar. We need to put out a BOLO on the sedan, but we can’t include much detail. I can try to get a bead on them again, but the phone I was tracing is here somewhere.”
Lenny nodded. “Unless you come up with a better idea, we ought to head up to Winter Park. I’m hoping Skye’s still alive up there.”
“We all do, but I have this sick feeling. I’m having a hard time understanding why Maude would keep her around. The bitch doesn’t seem to be the sentimental type.”
Chapter 26
A couple of sirens approached from the distance, and two vehicles entered the mine’s yard. A Clear Creek County Sheriff’s SUV led an ambulance.
Lenny coordinated with the local cops. The two CBI agents turned over their prisoner to be jailed in Georgetown. Tania thanked Athena for her help, and the EMTs left with Tania to transport her to the hospital in Golden where Luke was.
While Athena, Tony, and Hagrid waited for Lenny, she used her phone to search for electronic clues. She checked for other phones that had communicated with the one she’d followed to the mine site and found several. One had started the morning in North Denver. Athena guessed that was a call from Maude to Rufus. And that phone had traveled up past Idaho Springs, but unfortunately, the phone was turned off shortly after Athena had seen the red sedan. At that time, it was heading west on I 70, which was the highway Maude would have to take to return to Winter Park.
Finally, Lenny came over to where Athena was walking Hagrid around. “We are done here. The Hispanic guy wouldn’t say a word except, ‘Lawyer.’ I think it’s time we joined up with Beau.”
She related her minimal progress in tracking down a phone to chase, then said, “Can you give me a ride? Tony doesn’t have any role in this case, so he might as well go home.”
“Sure,” Lenny said, “but you and the dog will have to wrestle for space in the back seat. Sid sits up front with me. I’ll grab him, and we can go.”
-o-o-o-
As Maude and Rufus had left the mine site, she noticed a couple of cop cars parked on the north side of Clear Creek. She watched them in the rear-view as Rufus headed west. “Cops, but they’re not following us.”
Rufus swore under his breath and kept checking his mirrors. “They must be after somebody else, but just in case make sure your phone is off.”
She turned it off as soon as they reached the freeway. Far behind them, she heard a series of pops. “What’s that?”
Rufus glanced back again. “Damn, sounds like gunfire. We might’ve got out just in time. Do you think they noticed us leaving?”
She thought for a moment. Thankfully, he drove the speed limit.
“Maybe, probably,” she said. “If we could see them, they could see us. But they didn’t chase. How did they know we were there?”
He stayed silent.
But after a few minutes, he said, “Damn, I don’t like this. We better dump this car and grab a different one.”
“How? There aren’t hardly any people between here and Winter Park.”
He thought for a moment. “Georgetown’s not far out of the way. And there’s stores right off the freeway. We’ll wait for somebody to come out and grab their wheels.”
That seemed risky, but so was driving a red car that the cops were probably looking for. Red was too easy to pick out of a crowd. “Okay, but no shooting in town.”
Ten minutes later, they parked on the far side of a dollar store in its mostly empty lot. They watched for twenty minutes as a few families came and went. Then, a solitary old man driving a white Mercedes sedan parked near them. As he got out, he struggled a bit, as though he had bad joints. He was as bald as a pumpkin and wore a yellow Polo shirt and tan slacks.
Rufus snickered. “Perfect.”
She asked, “What’s a rich old shithead doing at a discount store?”
As usual, her son ignored her question.
A few minutes later, the old guy walked out of the store, staggering under the weight of two shopping bags filled with large green bottles. It was Saturday night, so probably something for a party. He set the bottles down behind his car to open the trunk.
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