by Kate Morris
“Not necessarily,” Cory states confidently.
Simon agrees, “He’s right. Just because they know our family name doesn’t mean they know where this farm is located. They fought us in town, so they may be asking around about the town before they kill people.”
“Right,” Cory says. “They could be snooping on us. Doesn’t necessarily mean they know about the farm. All they have is the name.”
“It won’t take long to figure out where the farm is,” Sam notes and bites her lower lip nervously.
“And now we’ve lost them,” Cory says with a mixture of defeat and anger.
Simon feels exactly the same way. Only he also is apprehensive about his sister and Sam and the rest of the family. Her concerns earlier in the car about the farm being attacked could come to fruition.
“Does Dave have scouts…?” he starts.
“Yeah,” Cory answers, knowing Simon wants to ascertain whether or not they are in pursuit of the highwaymen’s caravan. “They also…”
He pauses and looks at Sam and Paige again, who nods for him to continue.
“They killed the woman in the laundry, four of them actually who were working down there. Somehow, they figured it out that they were working with us or leaking information to us. I don’t know. We’re not sure yet. We just know that there are four dead women, Gabriella included, who were discovered just a few hours ago in the hotel.”
“Damn,” Paige swears. “Do you think they’ve figured it out that women are missing and that’s why they packed up and split so suddenly?”
Cory shakes his head, “I don’t think so. Lilly told us they aren’t keeping a head count on the people they take in. They leave that up to the kitchen prep workers, and none of them are involved in the work that goes on there. I talked to Gabriella just the other night when we got more of the women and kids out, and she said she was positive they hadn’t noticed anyone missing yet. Just their own men. But she said they sometimes had men go off on their own or escape because they didn’t want to be a part of it anymore. Some have managed to escape in the past. Some were killed for trying.”
Simon nods, remembering the brave women in the laundry who’d been working with them. He feels terrible that this has fallen apart and that they were killed. The other family members join them, and he can read a lot of fear in some of their eyes, especially Sue and Herb, although he is trying hard to hide it.
“What I don’t get is how Dave’s men got flanked,” Cory questions.
“He said it seemed like superior firepower,” Derek tells them. “A lot of rounds were burned through.”
“But why didn’t they call for backup?” Simon asks.
“Maybe they didn’t have time,” Kelly says. “He said some were single round kill shots to the head sniper style. If they had a sniper in the camp along the road that spotted them, he’d also join in that fight after he called the senator’s men for backup. If he took out the radio man, and everyone else was firing off defensive rounds, the others might not have had a chance to call it in.”
“It was only four men,” Derek says. “Not that their loss isn’t terrible, but it wasn’t like they were going into the situation to fight it out with them. They were just supposed to be spying from afar.”
“Did they get too close, ya’ think?” Cory asks.
Derek shrugs, “Not sure. Maybe the used car salesman had the senator’s men coming to rescue them, and it was just a coincidence they ran into Dave’s men.”
“That seems unlikely,” Cory says as if he’s disappointed.
Derek doesn’t respond but nods solemnly. Simon feels like a piece is missing in the puzzle. The whole situation is horrible. They’ve lost all of their well-planned out advantages. None of it seems to add up, either. Then it hits him.
“It sounds like a mole,” Simon suggests, interrupting Kelly.
“What do you mean?” John asks, his hand gripping the leather of his rifle sling making it squeak under the pressure. He’s been relatively quiet throughout the meeting, which is normal for John. He’s a man of few words in these sorts of situations but definitely a man of action. By the fierce expression on his face, he’s ready for revenge.
“If they didn’t figure it out in the last few days since we helped more women escape that they had women missing, then someone must’ve tipped them off, told them what we were doing,” he relays his theory.
Derek says, “Someone on the inside, one of the women.”
Simon shakes his head at this. “I don’t think so. They all seemed genuinely happy to be getting out of there.”
Cory steps in to say, “Yeah, they were scared to death. They wanted out. Most of them had no families left after what those jerks did to them. I didn’t get the impression they’d rat us out.”
“We were offering them something way better,” Paige adds. “I think Gabby or Lilly would’ve known if they had a weak link. They would’ve told us.”
“I agree,” Kelly states.
“Then maybe they found the bodies in the movie theater,” Derek says.
Cory shakes his head, “No way. I hid them well. I didn’t get the impression they went over there very often. I think that night was just a fluke, a meeting between a few of them over some sort of bartering situation. Paige and I were the first ones in that building for a really long time. There was dust everywhere, but no footprints and hand marks on the counters, railings, nothing.”
Simon adds, “And we’ve all worked with those men Dave had tailing them. Heck, they’re all ex-military. They have way more experience than Cory or I. They’re professional soldiers, to say the least. There’s just no way they got flanked, not without being tipped off.”
Everyone is silent. He hates to be the one to point it out, and John, Derek, and Kelly are probably already thinking it, but it needed to be said. They were tipped off. He’s sure of it. Nobody has the ability to flank men like Dave’s.
“We need to talk to Lilly,” Derek says.
“I can go,” Cory offers.
“Me, too,” Simon quickly volunteers.
“Fine, both of you go,” Derek orders. “We need information from her on where she thinks they could’ve gone. Without that, they could have the upper hand on us. If they find out where the farm is located, they’ll have more than the upper hand.”
“Yes, sir,” Simon affirms and follows Cory to the car.
Sam and Paige both jog over and tell them they want to go, as well. He looks over Sam’s head at John, who nods. He opens the single side door and pushes the seat forward for his sister and Sam, who climb into the back seat. Within seconds, Cory has them on the road to Pleasant View where Lilly has been staying with a family in town until a home can be opened for her and the twelve other women they’ve adopted into their village.
The guards at the gate allow them entry, and Cory gives them a heads up about being highly aware. Then they drive to the house where Lilly is staying and are invited in. It’s an older colonial style home with darkly painted woodwork and bare, hardwood floors. The size is large enough to have been a bed and breakfast at one time. They are shown into the dining room where Lilly enters a moment later.
After they have told her what has transpired and after she has wept for her murdered friends, she says, “I don’t know, Cory. I’m sorry, but I just don’t know where the senator’s compound is. None of us did. Jenny was the closest to getting that information, but now she’s gone, too. They took her with them, I’m sure, and I don’t know where to tell you to look.”
“We think Mr. Romano the car dealer has taken the people from the Gaylord so he can merge with the senator on whatever compound he’s living,” Cory states. “Do you think that could be true?”
She nods, “I would think so, but I know that before they tried to keep separate of each other so that they weren’t all clustered together. I heard them talking one time when the senator came to visit and have a meeting.”
“When was that?” Simon asks, not sure he’s ev
er heard this before. He thought their only communication was done over the radio.
“I’m not sure. They met a few times. Maybe three weeks ago, a month? It’s hard to keep track of time in there.”
Simon asks her, “And the senator came to the Gaylord, not the other way around?”
“I guess Mr. Romano could’ve met him at his place, but for sure the senator came to the Gaylord more than once that I know of.”
“Did you ever see him?”
She nods. “Yes, I was in the laundry working with Gabby when he arrived.”
She smirks as if remembering something.
“What is it?” Cory asks.
She shakes her head, “Nothing. It’s stupid, I guess.”
Cory urges her to continue.
“It’s just that he thought he was still a senator. He’d come in his fancy vehicle with an entourage and all these guards. It was so ridiculous. He really thought a lot of himself.”
“Politician,” Cory states.
“I know, right?” she says.
“Did they drive up to the door and let him out?” Simon asks.
“No, that was another funny thing. He had them drive him underground through the parking garage and go through down there near the laundry. That’s how I saw him both times that I did. He must’ve thought a sniper could get him outside. Ridiculous.”
She chuckles as she remembers.
“What kind of cars?” Simon presses.
“Nice ones from Mr. Romano’s collection,” she answers.
Simon nods but feels a heightening frustration. They need to know where these people have fled.
“One time, though, the senator had his men bring over a shipment of guns and supplies they found, and they pulled down into the parking garage to unload all of it,” she explains.
“And?” Cory prompts.
“It was strange because they were driving a small van. Well, really it was a hotel bus or something. You know the kind a hotel would send to the airport to pick you up if you were staying at their hotel. I thought that was odd. I guess they probably needed the room in it for the supplies. It was raining that day, so maybe they drove it instead of pick-up trucks. Not sure. Normally, they came in pick-up trucks.”
Simon looks at Cory before quickly asking, “Do you remember the name of the hotel?”
“Um, let me think,” she says and pauses for such a long amount of time that Simon wants to rip out his hair with impatience. “It wasn’t a hotel like the Holiday Inn or the Hilton. It was some sort of touristy place. Wood-something or other.”
He glances at Cory again, who shakes his head. Neither of them is from Nashville or even Tennessee, so they have no idea to which hotel she could be referring.
“We should ask Mrs. B,” Cory says.
Simon nods because they don’t have any other options. The family Lilly is staying with offers them a cup of hot tea in travel mugs, which he and Cory refuse but Paige and Sam accept. He continues questioning Lilly but doesn’t get anywhere. Sam tries, too. She clearly doesn’t know where they could’ve gone because she was never told or privy to the senator’s whereabouts.
Then they rush to the library where Cory hits up his personal friend, Mrs. Browning, for information. She is dressed in low brown heels, a wool plaid skirt that comes almost to her ankles, pantyhose, and a coordinating white blouse and navy wool blazer. Not a hair on her head is out of place.
“This better be important, Mr. Alexander!” she states. “I was just getting ready to read a story to the children. James and the Giant Peach.”
“Dahl can wait,” Cory says, surprising Simon that he’d know who wrote that. He goes on to explain their situation, and at the urgency in his voice, Mrs. Browning jumps into action.
She brings out an old, yellowing directory of businesses in Nashville and their addresses. After giving directories to both of them to search, as well, they get to work. Twenty minutes later, though, she, of course, is the one to find something.
“Here, this might be what you’re looking for, Mr. Alexander,” she states in her prim and proper librarian voice, which also happens to carry with it a thick, British accent. “The Cheekwood Estate. It’s in Nashville, that’s for sure. I haven’t found anything else with ‘wood’ in it that was a tourist destination. As a matter of fact, I think I toured this place myself many years ago.”
“Cool, Mrs. B,” Cory states and kisses her cheek. “You’re the best. Can I take this with me?”
“Just wait,” she says and leaves for a moment. When she returns, she comes back with a book. “I thought we had something on the estate in our tourist attractions section. This might help. It’s more of a history lesson, but it could help.”
“Awesome!” Cory exclaims and gets a frown from her.
She nods, tries to hide her grin at his mischievous mannerisms, and fails. Paige chuckles.
“Stay inside the wall perimeter, Mrs. B,” he warns. “And keep an eye out for the kids, too. Things have…sort of taken a turn for the worse with these highwaymen.”
Her nod this time is grave and severe. He hugs her, Simon gives a curt nod, and they leave. Simon sometimes wishes he had one-tenth the charm of Cory.
They question Lilly again on the place, and she believes it might be the right one. Then they are in the car and on the way back to the farm with the girls. Simon asks as Cory drives and he goes through the literature on the grand estate, “Think this is the place?”
“Maybe,” he says. “Seems awfully fancy. If this senator thinks so highly of himself like everyone has said, then it seems like the sort of place a real dickhead would think he deserves.”
“Right, the Brentwood area where he used to live was very high-end according to Dave’s men. Quite a few country music stars and the like lived there.”
“Yeah,” Cory grunts. “Maybe the needle-dick toured the estate hotel place once himself and decided he deserved it.”
Simon frowns at Cory’s vulgar terminology but agrees with his friend.
“I wonder if Dad knew this guy,” Paige comments about their father.
“Not sure. If he did, I’m sure he didn’t like the man,” Simon answers.
Now they need to find out more about the Cheekwood Estate and whether or not the highwaymen have moved in and made themselves cozy for the winter. If so, Simon is hoping to ruin their plans.
Chapter Seventeen
Cory
After midnight, Cory goes with Simon and John to spy on this new place called Cheekwood Estate, which is one hell of an odd name for some fancy rich dude’s legacy, in his opinion. Simon had read the past history of the mansion, but Cory had only been interested in learning more about the grounds and the layout. Having an aerial view of the design would be great, but without computers or technology, they have to wing it. The place is clearly marked on their maps, but he’s never been there, even with all of the trips they’ve made to Nashville over the years.
Paul and K-Dog scouted out a neighborhood behind the estate where a housing development and golf course went in years ago. There is also about a hundred acres of woods around the south side. Huge neighborhoods had sprung up on the mansion’s east and north sides, so they have a good chance of being able to sneak around and gather intel there, too.
“Here, Cor,” John orders. “Park in that open garage slot.”
Cory does as John instructs and pulls the hotrod into the garage of the abandoned home.
“Let’s move,” John says.
Cory jerks loose the cord to disable the electronic opener for the garage door and pulls it down manually and quietly to conceal their getaway vehicle. Then he jogs with the others through the neighborhood until they come to a four-lane road.
“Highway 100,” Simon tells them.
“Yep, let’s keep moving,” John says.
They jog side by side until they are across the highway and running behind a single row of homes facing the highway. Then John jogs ahead, veers off to the right and into some woods. T
here they begin picking up the pace. It doesn’t take more than fifty yards before they run into a sign that says, ‘bike trail.’
“This is it,” Simon tells them.
They’d found this on the map of the area, a bike trail that runs through the woods and comes out near the golf course south of the mansion. Once they get close, they’ll ditch the trail and head toward the mansion’s grounds, which are massive and spread out. The pictures of the place in the book showed early construction, gave a detailed account of the family who’d built it, and the architect who’d designed all of it. At some point, expansive gardens had been planted and added to over the years by the local gardening and historical societies. There is even a floor in the mansion where the city moved the extensive art collection and even increased and supplemented it with additional pieces and sculptures. Cory is quite sure most of it was probably looted in the fall, although he has no idea why anyone would steal worthless art. A can of beans would’ve made a better trade back then. Another building is also on the grounds, some sort of arts building for students doing summer study programs, and another hall where they held weddings and receptions. South of the mansion is a botanical garden center where they held tours and housed an indoor garden and even a butterfly room where people could walk through and observe colorful butterflies of many different species and plants and flowers. There are also several outdoor gardens, but if Cory is guessing correctly, they are probably in a severe need of a manicure.
“Darker than shit out here,” Cory states as they jog along the bike path carefully. Without city maintenance keeping the ‘green space’ tended, the path has filled over the years with ruts from rainwater. It’s a real ankle twister.
“Keep your eyes open, boys,” John warns. “These idiots could be out here patrolling just like us. We know some of them wear Kevlar and have night-vision. If you see anything, stop. If you have to, take care of it quietly.”
“Yes, sir,” they answer in unison.
Before too long, they’ve made it to the edge of the woods. They slow to a careful walk and turn slightly north. The elevation is good, somewhat hilly, which will provide a little cover. John leads them to a high spot in a denser part of the woods and takes a knee, which they copy.
