by AJ Newman
Tom looked around the room while he figured out what to say. “Well, the honeymoon is over for us newly-married people. I have a mission to complete and will be gone a couple of days. Rick will be in charge in my absence. I also am ordering everyone to stay close to the bunker until I get back. That means the bunker, barn, and corral are okay. Everywhere else is off limits until I get back.”
Kate looked up in surprise. She’d known Jackie and Rick had been in Tom’s original plan. Tom nodded when she stared at him. Jackie and Rick looked surprised, but didn’t make a fuss.
Bill asked, “Where are you going? I’d like to tag along.”
Tom had thought he’d be questioned more than usual by a couple of people. “Sorry, but you’ll go on the next trip. I’ll fill you in later.”
Lucy asked, “If you’re going into Ashland, I need some more chicken wire to make larger pens for the rabbits and goats.”
Tom only replied, “Not this trip. I can’t go into detail, but this trip is critical to our success. I’ll fill you in on it later when the time is right. After this trip is made, we’ll try to allow all of the adults to go on scavenging trips.”
Lucy huffed, “It’s an apocalypse. In the old west, I’d already be considered a woman.”
Granny B quickly replied. “Nope. Maybe in a couple of years, but not at thirteen.”
Granny B took a second look at Lucy and thought the girl’s figure looked more like twenty-years-old.
Tom gathered his wife and close friends. “Sorry, I called an audible that should keep us all safe. Your mission is to watch everyone and see who tries to escape to make outside contact. I think we’ll catch them without exposing anyone.”
Kate was worried about her husband’s safety. “Where will you go so we can spring the trap?”
“I plan to hide up at the old cabin. James and Alice haven’t moved yet, so it will be empty. Our camera system should make it easy to find our spy. Man it around the clock for the next two days.”
Granny B nodded. “I like this plan better. If it doesn’t work, we can always set up the original plan. Good job, son.”
Tom said, “Now the hard part. I have to allow our two suspects to overhear where I plan to go. Then you catch the traitor. Oh, make sure you have enough help to catch the spy without getting hurt. Use the walkie-talkies on an obscure channel, so no one here could possibly intercept your communication.”
They broke up, and Tom walked with Kate up to the barn, hoping Lucy would be tending to the rabbits. Tom walked into the barn and started talking after he saw Lucy duck down behind a stall. “This trip down to Ashland to meet the opposition leader is crucial to defeating Carlos and his gang. I’ll meet him about midnight tomorrow night at the Ashland Airport terminal.”
Kate played her role. “Please be safe. Rick and I could go and help give you some protection.”
“No, dear. I want to go alone so I can sneak in without being seen and have the meeting. I’ll be okay and back in your arms the next day. I won’t travel during daylight hours.”
They left the barn, and Tom whispered. “Now to let our secret slip to Bill.”
Later that day, Granny B saw Bill go outside to the barn. Lucy and Greta were in the kitchen, so only Bill was in the barn. Granny B called for Tom and told him Bill was alone in the barn. Tom found Rick, and they sped up the steps to the barn. Tom had an earpiece so Granny B could talk to him over the walkie-talkie without alerting anyone.
“Tom, Bill is on the far side of the barn checking on some carpenter tools I asked him to fetch. If you hurry, you can set up your conversation on the other side of the truck.”
Tom and Rick walked into the barn. “Rick, I’m going down to Ashland alone. I’ll take you and Bill later. The opposition leader wants to talk to me alone. I’ll meet him at the Ashland Airport terminal around midnight. Keep this to yourself.”
They discussed a couple other topics and left the barn.
Tom was pleased that they would finally find the spy. He liked both of the suspects but felt terrible that he’d have to kill one of them. “Well, it looks like the trap is set. I’ll leave after sundown. I’ll keep my radio on.”
*
Chapter 10
The Clark Ranch – The Old cabin
Tom left, heading south in the old truck but doubled back and traveled north about a mile from the ranch. The going was slow due to clouds blocking the moonlight. He parked the truck in the woods behind the cabin and covered it with brush. Tom was cautious as he snuck up to the house but didn’t see anything. He opened the door and was surprised at how much better the cabin looked, thanks to Alice and James preparing it to be their new home. He didn’t start a fire because he wanted to stay hidden. The spy could just as easily meet someone here as anywhere around the ranch.
Tom checked the surveillance system he’d help Jack and James install around the cabin. They hadn’t finished and only had cameras around the house, but did have sensors circling the cabin's perimeter out about one-hundred yards. No one could slip up on him or get past the sensors without sending an alarm into the cabin’s monitoring computer. The computer would cause a red light to glow, plus start a beeper beeping from barely audible to an ear-piercing shrill.
Tom laid his AR on the kitchen table and checked to make sure the blackout drapes were in place. He didn’t want to broadcast his stay at the cabin. He made himself at home but kept checking the monitor, even though nothing showed on the screen. He’d fallen asleep, and around midnight the beeping started. He awoke, ready to fight with his pistol in hand. Wiping his eyes, he gazed at the monitor as he silenced the beeper. His breath was rapid, and his heart pounded in his throat, but then Tom saw a shadow. Suddenly, two does with a buck chasing them flashed across the back door camera. He exhaled a deep breath and fetched a glass of water.
Tom was surprised at the number of deer and cattle that roamed around the cabin. Nothing happened of any consequence that night or the next day, so Tom found a deck of cards and played solitaire until he couldn’t stand the game. He decided to take a nap and bundled up in his sleeping bag.
Tom dreamed about all of the men he’d killed. It was more of a nightmare than a dream. He could vividly see their faces when they’d died. He was restless and woke a dozen times, but his mind always snapped back to his nightmare. Tom had turned side to side over and over until the beeper started raising cane. He dreamed a big buzzer went off every time he killed someone. Then his eyes popped open and reality set in on him. He glanced at the monitor and was surprised. He thought, This doesn’t make any sense.
“Rick, look at the monitor! See the figure skulking out of the barn’s back door? I couldn’t see who it was, but it’s a man. Let’s go!” Jack hollered.
Rick woke Jackie and Kate and then followed behind Jack. They ran up the steps and through door after door. They were only a couple of seconds behind their spy. The night was cold, and a frost had settled down in the clear patches of ground. They separated about fifty feet to cover more area. They ran as fast as possible with their rifles ready for action.
Rick flashed his light on Jack to get his attention. Jack veered to his left to join Rick as they continued to follow the spy. Rick slowed and said, “That’s him up ahead. I’ll tackle him, and you be ready to shoot the bastard.”
The man didn’t hear the sound of footsteps until a second before Rick hit him from the side. The man had turned ready to fight, but Rick's tackle had knocked his rifle from his hand. There was a fierce fight, but Rick got a chokehold on the muscular man, and the fight was over. Rock rolled the man over. “Well, just as we thought.”
The man started to speak, but Jack jabbed his rifle into the man’s stomach. “Shut up! You’ll get a chance to talk before we lynch your sorry ass.
Rick bound the man’s hands behind his back and pushed him along. The man waited a few minutes and pleaded his case. “Rick, I would never harm the Clarks or anyone living here. They took me in and saved my life. I went up to the barn to
check on my pup and to find Betty. We’ve been meeting in the barn, and well, you know.”
Rick said, “Save your BS for someone who gives a crap. I don’t.”
They interrogated Bill for twenty minutes, and he stuck to his story. Rick tried to reach Tom to no avail. After trying for over a half-hour, they took him to the door of the bunker. Jack and Rick manhandled the guy through the multiple entries and stairs until they were down in the bunker. They pushed him into the kitchen and zip-tied him to a chair. Granny B looked at Bill. “Bill, I can’t believe it’s you. You were one of our suspects, but you were a cop.”
Bill looked up to Granny B. “I’m not a policeman or from Medford. I’m a DEA agent. I was surveilling Carlos and his family, along with a group of agents. They followed Carlos to the chartered planes while I watched Samantha. I’m not the spy. I think your spy is her daughter Lucy.”
Granny B glared at Bill, wondering how much more BS they had to listen to out of Bill. “Has anyone called for Tom?”
Kate smiled. “Yes, he’s on his way down and has a surprise for us.”
“Does he know we captured the spy?”
“Yes, he does. He’ll be here in a few minutes. I just saw him entering the barn,” Kate said.
Betty lunged into the room with Tom closely behind her. No one noticed her hands were bound at first. Jackie saw the zip-ties. “What the heck is going on?”
Kate saw the blood on her husband’s arm and side. “Tom, are you okay? You’re bleeding.”
Tom hugged his wife. “I’m fine, but her partner in crime has a slight nick in his throat. He didn’t survive the nick, and Betty is our spy. Please untie Bill. Apparently, Carlos knew Bill was with the DEA and left Samantha and Lucy to save his butt from being arrested. Carlos had hired Betty to watch Samantha during the trip to make sure she didn’t bolt.”
Granny B asked, “How did you get her to talk? She doesn’t look beaten and abused?”
“Her contact squealed like a pig when I started cutting fingers off before I nicked his jugular vein. Then she sang like a canary. She’s been the spy all along. Carlos had her followed because Carlos doesn’t trust anyone. The man was injured during the crash and had a hard time keeping up with us. The dumbass followed Bill and her when they split from us at Emigrant Lake,” Tom told his team.
Kate listened and scratched her head. “Wait a cotton picking minute. How did Carlos’s men know where to meet Betty?”
Tom grinned and then waved his hands. “Ah-ha! That was a question that bugged the crap out of me ever since we knew there was a spy. I started guessing when I caught Betty and her contact walking toward the ranch. Betty contacted Carlos while she was at her home. The message only contained the place I told Bill and her to go to if they decided to join us in the future. Betty snuck out and brought the man here. No one else knows where we are. Well, her contact did, and he’s well, deader than a mackerel.”
Jackie said, “Hold the phone. If Betty was walking back with the scumbag, Bill couldn’t have been following Betty out of the barn.”
Tom asked, “Bill, did you see Betty’s face?”
“No! I assumed it was her since we’d been meeting in the barn. Hell, it could have been anyone. Since we kinda know the spy isn’t me … could we cut these zip-ties?”
Rick cut Bill’s bindings while apologizing for restraining him.
Jackie asked, “How did you get Betty to fess up?”
“I simply told Betty that I’d take her to Granny, and Granny would get her to talk. I might have mentioned the rats in the bucket over her head.”
Granny B laughed until a frown came over her face. “Crap, they know where we’re located.”
“Only partially true. Remember, when Betty dropped the note, she didn’t know where we were located. She walked the three miles to where I told her we’d look for her and Bill once a week, then brought the asshat here. They know we’re up in the hills but have a lot of land to search before finding us.” Tom looked at Betty. “Isn’t that what you told me?”
Betty was silent. Tom pushed Betty to Granny B. Granny B said, “Rick be a dear and fetch the rats and a bucket. Kate, please spread an old sheet on the floor to make cleaning up the mess a bunch easier.”
Betty screamed, “Yes! Manuel told you the same thing, didn’t he?”
Tom smirked. “Why, yes, he did. Your stories matched, but who knew if that meant they were true. Jack, please help Rick tie her up and place her in the spare room.”
They took Betty to the room and returned. Kate made the timeout sign just as Greta walked into the room. Kate said, “We still don’t know who Bill followed out of the barn or how Betty snuck out without being caught on our cameras or sensors.”
Greta stood away from the others and backed up when Tom joined her. “Hmmm, Greta, you smell like cigarette smoke. Spill the beans, or Granny gets the rats after you?”
Greta grimaced, “What rats? Okay, I snuck out to take a smoke. I’ve been doing it since I got here. When you set up the cameras, it was easy to watch the cameras and find a blind spot. Only one of the blind spots was also blind to the sensors.”
Granny B spun around to Greta. “Girl, did it ever dawn on you that if you could get out, someone could get in the bunker. When did you tell Betty?”
Tears flowed down Greta’s face as she spoke. “Betty caught me leaving the barn one day and followed me. She borrowed a cigarette and smoked with me. It never dawned on me that this could lead to something bad.”
Lucy spoke up. “Please don’t shoot Greta or place rats on her head.”
Greta’s eyes bulged out, and she collapsed. Granny B said, “The girl won’t do something so stupid again.”
“We can’t kill her in cold blood,” pleaded June.
“What do you think Carlos and his thugs would do to you and the other women after killing us men?” Rick asked.
Kate jumped into the debate. “The woman sold us out and would have gotten us killed or kidnapped. I’ll use her for target practice. I could put a bolt in each of her legs and arms before one to the heart.”
Jackie raised her hand. “I say we try, convict, and shoot her. We can’t turn her loose, and we can’t put her in prison. Traitors and spies get the death penalty.”
Granny B looked at her grandson. “Son, you’re the judge and jury. What do you say?”
Tom reflected upon the words just spoken, and his head raised. “We’re going to take her to Ashland and return her to Carlos. She was his spy, and I think he’d like to see her again.”
Kate was confused. “Alive?”
“No!”
Tom calmed down the next day, shot Betty in the back of her head, and buried her in the same hole as the thug who was her contact. Kate had convinced Tom that pouring gas on the situation might make Carlos look for them that much harder. Tom thanked Kate for being the guardian of reason when he lost his temper. He told her, “Stay strong, and don’t be afraid to speak up for the right thing to do. I’m worried we have many bad days to go, and I might lose my temper a few times.”
*
Chapter 11
The Clark Ranch – The Old Cabin
Tom woke up the next morning with Kate’s head on his chest. He could feel the heat of her breath on his skin and thought, How the hell did I get such a beautiful, witty, and smart-assed woman? He kissed the top of her head. “Waking up with you next to me is like Christmas every day.”
“I know the feeling. My love for you grows every day. My fear that something bad will happen also grows stronger. That'll probably be a touchy subject, but have you ever thought about moving to a safer location?”
Tom rolled over and drew her naked body to him. “Now might not be a good time to discuss danger and moving.”
He gave her a passionate kiss and lost his train of thought. His eyes opened, and he knew his wife well enough to know that he might distract her for a short time. Still, like a dog with a bone, she wouldn’t stop worrying about the topic up until she was throu
gh with her bone, which this time was moving. He gave it about a half-second thought and began kissing her neck.
The distraction worked until they both were taking a shower together. “Hon, about finding a safer place …”
Tom chuckled. “I must not be much of a lover. I have a naked woman in my shower with me, and she’s talking about moving.”
Kate reached up and patted Tom’s head. “Good boy! You’re the best lover in the world, but if you want to keep loving this girl, you’ll give the subject some serious thought.”
Tom kissed the top of her head and popped her on the butt. “Darling, I promise that after lunch, I’ll conduct a meeting with Granny B, Jackie, and Rick on the topic. I share your concerns … but leaving an underground bunker for an unknown location is a scary proposition.”
Kate hugged him, and they lost another fifteen minutes.
Tom started the meeting. “I think you all know we have a huge security issue. We have to assume Carlos knows we’re somewhere close to the Oak Hurst Inn on 66. That’s only four miles as the crow flies from here.”
Rick listened as Jackie expressed her concern for the gang finding them. Then like a light switch turning on a light, it came to him. “Hey, the Inn is four miles down the mountain in a straight line. How did Brenda travel four miles downhill and, more importantly, four miles up the hillside with what time she had?”
Kate wiggled in her seat with her hand raised like a first grader begging the teacher to go to the restroom. “We didn’t search the area around where Bill and Betty were found. I’ll bet the contact drove an ATV back up the hillside.”
Granny B replied. “It had to be some kind of vehicle. We’ll look for it after the meeting.”
Tom agreed and went on with the meeting. “What happens if the gang shows up and figures out we’re hidden under the ranch house in a bunker? Grandpa never mentioned a backup plan or a place to bugout to if the shit hit the fan at the ranch.”
