Loyal Be Jack

by Robert Tarrant

  Gunny must have come to the same conclusion that I did. He asked Terry and Hound Dog if they had gone inside any farther than the positions they occupied against the front wall on either side of the door. They replied that they hadn’t. He told Hound Dog to turn off his light and had Terry crouch and shine his light across the room at floor level. We all crouched. The thick layer of dust was obviously disturbed in the center of the room completely around the table. It was obvious that someone had stood in front of the counter in one location but otherwise the dust was undisturbed the entire length of the counter. Terry rose slowly and panned the light across the tabletop and the counter. The dust was disturbed on the far side of the table and in one location on the counter but otherwise both were still well insulated in a thick blanket of dust. Gunny said, “Someone was here recently but not for long.”

  I said, “Let’s back out the door and talk. This is probably a crime scene. Let’s not disturb it any more than we already have.”

  The four of us stepped out the door into the clearing in front of the cabin as Buzz and Ironhead were walking up from a footpath that led from the clearing in the opposite direction from which we’d originally approached. Buzz said, “Someone was here recently. Tracks down that path to a clearing where a truck was parked. There are tracks of three people — two large and one small. Truck must have been a four-wheeler. Looks like it got hung up turning around and dug some pretty good ruts getting out.”

  Terry quipped, “Four-wheeler. That narrows it down.” Buzz frowned but didn’t reply.

  Gunny asked, “See anything else interesting outside here?”

  Buzz shook his head and replied, “Not really. Just looks like they drove in, parked, walked up the path to the cabin, walked back, turned around, and drove out. The foot tracks look very similar, you know, like they walked in, looked around, and walked right back out. If they were here — even overnight — I would think the rain would have impacted one set of the tracks more than the other.”

  Gunny said, “Jack, you got your phone? Got the picture they sent you?”

  I dug around in my layers of clothing until I found my phone. I found the picture of Katharine I had been sent and handed it to Gunny. He took a couple of steps closer to the open door of the cabin and held the phone out at arm’s length. Terry shined his light into the cabin. Comparing the picture to the cabin, there was no doubt we were in the right place. This was where Katharine had been taken. I said out loud what I was thinking, “Why didn’t they stay?”

  Hound Dog said, “If you kidnapped a beautiful woman like her, would you keep her in a shit-hole like this?” Terry elbowed him in the ribs, and Hound Dog added, “Sorry, Jack. I’m just saying . . .”

  We all stood in silence for a minute, each processing what we had learned. Finally, Gunny broke the silence, saying, “Well, there’s probably no reason to hang around out here. Let’s head back for the trucks.”

  Ironhead scoffed. “Too bad ol’ Eddie didn’t mention that we could drive to within twenty yards of the place. He’s probably home in his warm bed laughing his ass off right now.”

  Buzz said, “Cut Eddie some slack, Ironhead, you saw the same thing I did. Looks like someone has been doing some surveying out that way.” He waved in the direction of CR 820. “They probably improved the trail road to get deeper in.”

  Gunny said, “Yeah, Eddie said they drove four-wheelers back here. Probably didn’t take too much work to make it passable for four-wheel-drive pickups. In Eddie’s defense, he did nail the identification of the cabin.”

  Terry said, “This analysis of the information provided by that old tunnel rat, is fascinating but I’ve got to be at work in a few short hours. I’m heading back. Anyone who wants to ride with me better get going.”

  We all turned and started the trudge back to the trucks. Going downhill was easier but more treacherous. I found myself on my butt more times than I could count. Of course, my personal travails were the least of my worries at the moment.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The first man spoke in a guttural growl. “I knew that this thing was going to get screwed up. The whole idea about using the broad for leverage was stupid. Now look at the mess we’re in.”

  The second man shook his head. “Just shut up and drive. I don’t really want to hear your bitching all night, and the client doesn’t give a damn about your opinion. The client pays the bills, and this is the strategy the client has defined. At least for now. So just shut up and do as you’ve been told.”

  The first man’s frown darkened. “Maybe we should have a little fun with her while we have her? She’s better looking in person than in the photo.”

  “Shut the hell up. Don’t even think like that. You’ll get us both killed,” shot back the second man.

  The first man took his hand from the steering wheel and waved wildly. “This is turning into a real shit show, and you know it. You’re just afraid to admit it. Next thing we know we’re going to be talking to some fed about a harebrained kidnapping. That’s not how I want to spend this coming holiday season, in federal lockup.”

  The second man’s tone became calmer. “Just relax. There’s not going to be any chat with any fed. No one’s going to report any crime. A few more hours and this whole mess will be over, and we’ll be back downstate.”

  The first man glared out the windshield. “You sure as hell better be right.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Once Gunny and I were back in his truck headed toward town, I began to spew the thoughts that had been spinning around in my head. “How the hell did they know we were coming? Where have they taken her? What the hell do we do now?”

  “Whoa, partner. Slow down for a second. First, we’re no further behind then we were before we took our little hike. In fact, we do have information we didn’t have earlier.”

  “Yeah, we know she’s not there. What the hell good does that do us? We don’t need to know where she isn’t, we need to know where she is.” Stress and agitation coursed through my words.

  Gunny turned and watched me for a second before returning his focus to the road. “I think we know more than that. We know she was there when they took the picture. That was yesterday afternoon sometime before they texted you. That means whoever snatched her didn’t immediately whisk her out of the area. We also know that they weren’t at that cabin very long. My guess is that they were only there to take the picture that they sent you.” He paused a few seconds before continuing. “That could mean that they wanted you to know she is still in the area. Or they wanted you to believe she’s still in the area, when in fact she isn’t. They didn’t just stumble across that old cabin after they kidnapped your wife.” I wanted to correct him regarding our marital status but didn’t want to interrupt his train of thought. “No, they knew it was there, which means they’re locals, or they scouted and found it before the kidnapping. Planned to use it as the place to take the picture.”

  I asked, “What would be the purpose of going to all of that trouble?”

  Gunny shook his head. “Don’t know. Got to think about that some more.” We drove in silence for a couple of minutes and then Gunny said, “Maybe they were setting the whole thing up to look like they were in that cabin in case you went to the cops. Based on that picture, the cops would be looking in this area. That would give the kidnappers more opportunity to take her farther away.”

  My stomach flipped. “Damn, she could be anywhere.” In the dim light of the truck’s interior, I could see Gunny nodding in agreement. My stomach rolled several more times.

  Gunny said, “So, we do know more than we did. The only thing we can do now is wait for them to call this morning and react from that.”

  Another period with the only sound the rumble of the truck. Finally, I said, “Pretty shrewd of you to have Terry shine his light across the table top and the floor to determine that there hadn’t been much activity in that cabin. Where’d you learn that?”

  Gunny chuckled. “Who knows. Probably
some cop show on TV. I don’t know that it was that shrewd, though. Just came to me.”

  “Well, it seemed shrewd to me. That coupled with what Buzz said about the tracks on the path and the trail road really supports your theory. Knowing where she isn’t doesn’t seem like much now, but maybe after the next call it’ll mean more to us.”

  “Yeah, there must be some reason they want you to believe she’s in an old cabin in the woods.”

  I said, “It is obvious that this isn’t just some crime of opportunity. They didn’t just see a woman sitting alone in a car and snatch her on impulse. Some planning went into this. Katharine must have been targeted by someone who knew that she was up here.” Those comments ignited considerable additional analysis but without us arriving at any sound theories.

  When we got back to the Buck Pole, Gunny suggested I go to the lodge and try to get some sleep before coming back. We’d agreed that I would come to his apartment in the back of the Buck Pole to receive the call. I had to come to town, I couldn’t take a chance on the reception at the lodge, and I welcomed his offer.

  It was 6:30 a.m. when I walked back into the lodge. I was chilled to the bone. The heater in Gunny’s truck had just started to blow warm air when I left it and got in my cold car, and the car had just started to warm when I got to the lodge. I could also feel a number of emerging aches and pains from the exertion of the hike and my numerous falls. I stripped off my multiple layers of clothing and took a hot shower. The shower somewhat soothed my aching body but did nothing to diminish my mental anguish. In spite of Gunny’s positive analysis of our trek, I couldn’t help but worry that somehow we had made the situation worse. What if they had planned to keep Katharine in that shack? Maybe they weren’t there long but the reason was because they learned about us coming long before we actually made our attempted rescue. Eddie was the one who identified the location for us. Who knows who he might have told about our efforts? After he had a few more drinks, who knows what he might have said? I also didn’t know when Gunny told the guys where we were going. Who knows what one of them may have said to someone? Vanderbilt is a damn small town, and if the kidnappers are local, they could easily have heard someone talking. Damn. Damn. Damn. I should have never agreed to attempt a rescue. I should have called the police. Damn it, Jack, you’ve screwed up again, and this one might cost Katharine her life.

  My body craved sleep, but my mind was having no part of it. I tossed and turned for a couple of hours and then got wearily out of bed. While the coffee brewed, I aimlessly wandered the lodge. Everywhere were signs of Katharine. It was as if she was there, but of course she wasn’t. A wave of helpless despair swept over me as I continued to replay the events of the preceding hours in my head. A few minutes later, I found myself upstairs in Benjamin’s study with a cup of coffee. As I looked around the room, it wasn’t the project that I had been so immersed in that caught my eye. It was the framed excerpt from a speech Teddy Roosevelt gave in 1910 that drew my attention. Titled, The Man in the Arena, it talks of the worth of those who strive for a worthy cause even though they sometimes fail. It carries the message that the worth of a person is in attempting, not shirking from the fear of failure.

  Seeing the Roosevelt quote brought back memories of long talks Benjamin and I had during the early years of our friendship. They could probably more appropriately be categorized as coaching sessions. I would come to Benjamin with a problem, and he would spend as much time as was necessary to help me work my way to a course of action, always with an underlying tone of not being afraid to fail. Somewhere in the intervening years I’ve lost that mantra as a guiding principle.

  Just as if we were having one of those long ago talks, I heard myself say out loud, “But, Benjamin, if I fail in this, it could cost Katharine her life.”

  Benjamin’s voice echoed in my mind. “Jack, the shame is in not trying. The shame is in sitting in the stands watching events unfold without entering the arena to engage life. Sometimes you’ll stumble, sometimes you’ll fail, but you never quit.” With a renewed focus, I grabbed a second cup of coffee to drink as I drove into town.

  I found Gunny in his apartment looking clear-eyed and refreshed. Dressed in a crisp long-sleeved work shirt and creased jeans with his hair combed and a fresh shave, I began to see the image of a career Marine. Gesturing toward the eggs and bacon sitting on the kitchen counter, he asked me to join him for breakfast. I sat at the table and watched in amazement as he deftly cooked. With one hand and a prosthetic, he was more adept in kitchen skills than I was with two hands.

  While we ate, I casually mentioned my thoughts about the possibility that the kidnappers were only at the cabin for a short while because they had somehow found out that we were coming. I attempted to be diplomatic, starting with the observation that Vanderbilt was such a small town that it’s probably difficult to keep a secret very long. I didn’t want to directly accuse Eddie or one of the guys, but I really wanted Gunny to consider that possibility. Otherwise, it might never occur to him. After all, these people were his friends. When I finished talking, the expression on Gunny’s face wasn’t one of anger or insult but of thoughtful consideration. It was almost as if I could see him going through the five of them one by one. Finally, he said, “I won’t lie, Jack. It’s always a possibility that one of the guys said something he shouldn’t have. Hell, I’m old enough to know that anything’s possible. Still, I have to tell you that I don’t think any of them would have. I made it clear to everyone that it was imperative that we not tell a soul, and I honestly believe each of them would honor that.”

  We were both quiet for a minute and then Gunny said, “I really don’t think the physical scene supports a theory that they intended to be at that cabin for any length of time. Think about it. To stay in that place, even overnight, you would need considerable equipment. You’d need heat, for one thing. You may have noticed, there was no source of heat there, no stove, no fireplace. You’d also need lanterns for light. Water and presumably food. All of those things could certainly be carried in from the location where the truck had been parked, but not by two people in one trip while they herded a kidnap victim. Remember what Buzz said about the track indicating that three people made one trip in and one trip out.” He shook his head. “No, I don’t think it had anything to do with us coming. I think they went there for the single purpose of taking the picture they sent you.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I hear you. I guess you’re right. It just seems like a pretty elaborate ruse.”

  “Unless there is some reason for the misdirection. Some important reason we’re not seeing.” Gunny paused and then said, “Let’s talk about Katharine. Who might kidnap her? That’s where the cops would start.”

  I said, “Yeah, the cops would start at the center of her life and work their way out. You know — family, friends, business associates, enemies.”

  A grin spreading across his face, Gunny said, “Ex-husbands?”

  I knew that Gunny intended his comment as a joke, but it unleashed a torrent of thoughts that hadn’t previously occurred to me. In a traditional investigation, I’d be a prime suspect. Ex-husband reappears on the scene after years and suddenly Katharine disappears. Damn. The fact that I haven’t reported her kidnapping for all of this time just makes it look worse. Gunny must have seen the concern on my face because he said, “Jack, I’m only kidding. Let’s not spend any time worrying about what the cops might think. Let’s just focus on what we know and what we can learn from them when the kidnappers contact you.”

  “I hope to learn what it’ll take to get Katharine back.”

  Gunny refilled each of our coffee mugs and then said, “This whole thing seems strange to me.”

  I was confused by that statement. “How so?”

  “We really don’t think this was some crime of opportunity, and we even think that some preplanning was involved to locate the cabin they used to take the photo. So, the whole thing must have been planned in advance. Who plans a kidnapping in advance and
doesn’t know how much they are going to ask in ransom?”

  We sat staring at each other. I broke the silence. “Yeah, that’s right. You’d have thought the first thing they said after telling me not to contact the authorities would have been how much they wanted for her safe return. You’re right, it’s as if they hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

  Gunny cocked his head and said, “You plan a kidnapping detailed enough to throw the authorities off about your location but don’t think about how much ransom you want? Makes no sense.”

  “I agree . . .” I was interrupted by the rattle of my phone vibrating on the table top. It was Katharine’s phone calling. In our discussions, I’d lost track of the time. It was 10:00 a.m. I answered.

  A muffled voice, which sounded like it was coming through a handkerchief, said, “Listen carefully. I will not repeat myself. If you ever want to see the lady alive again, do exactly as you are told. Place fifty-thousand dollars in cash in a McDonald’s bag. The money is to be in twenty-dollar bills. You will receive further instructions at 2:00 p.m.” With that, the call ended. I didn’t have a chance to ask even one question.

  Gunny asked, “What did they say?” I repeated the instructions I’d been given. He asked, “That’s all they said?” Lost in thought, all I could do was nod. He asked forcefully, “Can you come up with that kind of money?”

  “Yeah, yeah, well, I think I can. I’m sure I can work something out. Maybe borrow against our business line of credit and have the money wired here. Something like that. Still, never in only four hours. These guys must know that it will take time to come up with that kind of cash.”