by Bobby Akart
Sook readied her weapon and crouched behind a pine tree. Her hands shook as she raised the pistol, not out of nervousness, but pain from being beaten against the rocky surface.
“Sook? Are you okay?” said Palmer as she entered the clearing with both horses.
“Yes!” she shouted her reply and ran towards her future sister-in-law. “Are you?”
Palmer smiled and nodded before dismounting. They tied off the horses and stood on the bank, staring at the two men.
“Are they dead?” asked Palmer.
Sook pointed to the right. “Him, no. Unconscious. Broken ribs.”
“I’m pretty sure I know what the answer is on this one,” said Palmer as she took a step closer to the dead man, who lay facedown in the lake. “Did you shoot him?”
Before Sook could answer, she broke down crying. In between sobs, she shook her head back and forth.
“Sook, don’t worry,” said Palmer. “I had to shoot my guy. I tried to warn him to stop, but he kept riding, and I was worried for you. So I just shot him to get the chase over with. Listen, it won’t be the last time we have to kill people. It’s the way it is now.”
Sook took a deep breath and calmed herself down. “It is not his death that bothers me, Palmer. I didn’t shoot him. That would have been easier for me. I violated my oath from taekwondo. I misused my skills out of anger. I lost my self-control because he wanted to take my ring. I dishonored myself by doing so.”
Palmer hugged Sook and whispered in her ear, “It was self-defense. You had to protect yourself.”
Sook pulled back, still adamant that she’d failed the tenets of the ancient martial art. “The battle was won. I didn’t need to finish the fight. I needed to finish him.” She pointed at the dead man.
“Come here,” said Palmer as she led Sook to the fallen pine near the horses. They sat down and stared across the lake. From this vantage point, the bodies were below the edge of the bank and unseen. Palmer continued. “You are part of our family now, so I have to explain the code I have with Cooper and Riley.”
“A code?” asked Sook.
“Yes. We traveled on the road a lot to attend rodeos all over the country. Sometimes, we’d get hurt while performing, and sometimes, especially with Riley, we’d get into fights.”
Sook chuckled. “Riley is a fighter.”
Palmer laughed with her. “Momma says that Riley began fighting in her belly months before he was born. She said he came out punchin’, kickin’ and screamin’, which scared the nurses at the hospital.”
“I believe this,” said Sook with a chuckle.
“Here’s the thing, Sook. We vowed to shield our parents from the trouble we got into because we didn’t want to worry them. If something terrible happened, of course we’d tell ’em. But otherwise, we said what happened on the road stayed on the road. Understand?”
“Yes, the secrets stay between us,” replied Sook as she looked down at the holes in her jeans and her bloodied hands. She wiped the blood off on her jeans and tried to pull the frayed edges of the pants together. “I had a nasty fall off my horse, but I’m okay.”
Palmer began to laugh. “Yeah, exactly. A hog came out of the woods and startled our horses, which threw us both to the ground.”
“Stupid hogs,” said Sook, who had replaced her tears of humiliation with tears of laughter.
“Stupid hogs,” repeated Palmer as she gave her sister a hug.
Chapter 22
January 18
The Armstrong Ranch
Borden County, Texas
It had been an eventful day for the Armstrongs, but the dinnertime conversation had been dominated by Major as he recounted his trip into Austin. Duncan had returned for the evening from Camp Lubbock with Espy in tow. After dinner, Major suggested Palmer show Espy around the ranch after they unloaded the weapons and ammunition procured by Duncan the day before. Espy had earned a level of trust within the Armstrong family and was now considered within their inner circle except for the conversation Major was about to have with Lucy and the kids.
With the table cleared and the dishes washed, Lucy fixed up a platter of oatmeal cookies and led everyone into the living room.
“I get the feeling we’re about to have a family discussion,” quipped Riley as he grabbed a handful of cookies from the platter. The fistful was quickly dropped when his mother smacked the top of his hand.
“Son, there’s five more of us who’d like to have some of those,” she admonished the man-child.
“Riley can have mine, Miss Lucy,” volunteered Sook. With Palmer’s help, Sook had covered some of the scratches on her chin with makeup, and she was sure to wear an oversized sweatshirt to help hide her battered arms. Lucy studied Sook once again. Palmer had warned Sook on the way back to the ranch that afternoon that it wasn’t likely her mother would believe their story. Just stick to it, Palmer had instructed.
“Duncan, let me say again how glad I am that you could make it back to the ranch tonight,” started Major. “We understand fully that your presence will be required in Lubbock, but I have something to discuss with all of you, and it requires a group consensus.”
“What is it, Dad?” asked Duncan.
“Marion has asked me to investigate the murder of Vice President Gregg,” replied Major.
Duncan continued. “Isn’t this a matter for the Rangers, Dad, or the Texas military? I mean, they have an investigative arm too.”
“You’re right on both counts, son. It’s highly unusual for any government to seek an outsider to investigate something of this nature, but these are unusual times. And, frankly, Marion is rightfully concerned that this might be an inside job.”
“One of our own?” asked Lucy.
“It’s possible,” replied Major. “The fact is, many Texans were not one hundred percent on board with the decision to secede. Some may have chosen to disrupt Marion’s administration by taking out her right arm, especially one with close ties to the military.”
“The shooter was a pro, Dad,” interjected Duncan. “Could’ve been military. There are guys at Bliss or Hood who could’ve pulled off that shot. That said, there are a whole lot more at Langley or at the DTRA in Fort Belvoir who could’ve done it too.”
“Marion has asked me on a personal level to take an interest and help her,” continued Major.
“Dad, honestly, you’re not gonna find the shooter,” said Duncan. “He’s long gone.”
“I know, son. But I might be able to determine who ordered Gregg’s assassination.”
Lucy leaned forward and spoke up. “What would all of this entail?”
“More than I’m willing to do,” replied Major. “Without the use of the internet and access to databases, and slowed by limited communications, we’re talking about hours upon hours of investigative legwork that I’m not willing to provide.”
“Old school,” said Cooper. “Daddy, what would you get out of it? I mean, we don’t really need the money, do we?”
“Nah, not really, son. I could probably write my own meal ticket. Marion has offered security for the ranch while I’m away, but you know how that goes. If something more important comes along, they’ll pull the detail.”
“Dad’s right,” said Duncan. “Promises made and promises kept are two different things.”
Major nodded and continued. “Then there’s the whole civic duty thing. When your president asks for something, especially a heartfelt favor out of fear for her own life, it’s hard to say no.”
The room grew silent as Major’s words were processed. This was the best argument yet for his agreeing to the task.
Lucy broke the silence. “What is the next step, and when does she need an answer?”
Major squeezed her hand as he detected the concerned tone in her voice. “I made no commitments on time frame. I did agree to attend Gregg’s burial at his ranch tomorrow outside San Angelo. I’ll meet with his widow, talk to his security detail, and get a feel for how the shooting went down.”
“Yes. We’ll sit down and make a decision then.”
Chapter 23
January 19
The Armstrong Ranch
Borden County, Texas
“Where are my muscular, strong, well-built handsome young men?” asked Lucy in a raised voice as she walked through the bottom floor of the ranch house. She knew Cooper and Riley were downstairs hiding from her. She was walking down the hallway toward the bedroom when she caught a glimpse of two shadows moving quickly behind her toward the kitchen. They were trying to escape through the back door.
The sprawling home, as was typical of West Texas ranch houses, had grown through one addition after another. As families expanded with more children or the elderly returned to be cared for, living spaces with outside entrances were added on to a home’s footprint.
Lucy suspected they were making a dash for the rear exit of the kitchen, so she picked up the pace. She reached the hallway exit at the side of the house and was waiting for Cooper and Riley as they backed slowly out of the house.
Cooper pulled the door shut and gently released the doorknob. Lucy could see a false sense of relief come over them as they exhaled. Just as they turned and gave each other a high five, she stood in front of them with a shovel in each hand.
“Perfect, gentlemen. How did you know this was where we were gonna start from?”
“What?” they said in unison.
Riley took the lead, as he wasn’t as smart as Cooper when it came to holding his tongue. “C’mon, Momma. Diggin’? What in the world do we have to dig for?”
She walked forward and presented the boys with their shovels. “We’ve got a busy day, so you best stop your whinin’. We’re gonna head down toward the shootin’ range, near Wildcat Creek, and dig some more survival caches. Duncan is concerned that these herds of refugees might potentially overrun the ranch, and he doesn’t like us keeping all of our eggs in one basket. I agree, so today, we dig.”
“Momma,” started Riley, risking a playful beating, “if this was Duncan’s idea, why ain’t he out here diggin’ with us?”
“Because he needs to spend some time with his fiancée before he returns to Lubbock this morning. When you have a fiancée someday, we’ll cut you some slack once in a while.”
“Great,” said Riley in a huff. “Just where am I supposed to find a girlfriend? I knew I should have thrown one of those buckle bunnies on the back of my horse when we left Calgary.”
Cooper started laughing. “Well, you could always marry Red Rover. The way you dote over that truck, you’d think you two were madly in love!”
Riley playfully raised his shovel like it was a baseball bat and threatened to swat his brother with it.
“Enough of that, boys. Time’s a-wastin’. Grab one of the feed trucks and meet me back here at the storehouse. I’ll show you what I have planned for the day.”
“Can I bring Red Rover instead?” asked Riley hopefully.
“Sure, that’ll work,” replied Lucy.
Cooper hugged his brother around the neck. “Are you sure? She’ll get dirty.”
“Red Rover is not a she, Coop!”
“Could’ve fooled me, little brother. I mean, y’all are sweet on each other and all.”
“Dang it, Coop!” yelled Riley as he chased his brother around the front of the house with his shovel.
Lucy chuckled, shook her head, and walked toward the storehouse, which had been built years ago to keep excess food and supplies.
She reached the solid wooden door and unlocked the old cast-iron padlock. A rush of cool, dusty air hit her in the face as she stepped inside. She immediately walked down three creaky wooden steps until she was a few feet below the grade of the backyard. The temperature difference could be felt immediately.
Lucy fumbled for the light switch and flipped it on. Several lightbulbs suspended from the ceiling by electrical cords illuminated the space. After speaking with Duncan, she took the additional handguns they’d kept locked in their safe and brought them to the storehouse. She also added backup magazines and ammo to the pile.
As the diesel motor of Red Rover approached, Lucy walked to the corner of the building and slid out a stack of dirt-brown-colored five-gallon buckets. Then she found a cardboard box full of gamma-seal lids. Once affixed atop the five-gallon buckets, the gamma lids provided an airtight, leakproof seal to protect the contents. Unlike a regular lid, which must be pried off, the gamma seal lid had a spoked, removable lid in the middle, which could easily be removed by spinning it open. When in a hurry, they could easily grab the bucket by the handle, open it quickly by spinning open the watertight top, and expose the contents needed for survival.
“Okay, Momma, where do we start?” asked Cooper as his shadow filled the doorway. Riley was behind him, peering over Cooper’s shoulder.
“C’mon down, boys, and we’ll get started,” said Lucy.
As she shuffled around the storehouse, gathering the items for the cache buckets, she told the boys about the history of the concept.
“When I point something out to you, place one in each of the buckets,” she started. “We’re gonna make a total of eight, for now, and hide them on the east side of the ranch, just in case.”
“Just in case of what, Momma?” asked Riley.
“In case we’re overrun,” she replied. “It’s just one more protective measure to take, which I learned about as I studied prepping. Back during World War Two, the French freedom fighters and resistance used them to battle the Nazi forces. America and the British supplied them with food, medical supplies, and weapons because France was antigun even back then. Only the farmers had shotguns for hunting, but the rest of the civilian population did not.”
Lucy handed them the sidearms, the corresponding ammunition, and magazines. Their assembly line was started. She moved to the premade medical kits, which contained basic first aid and trauma kits.
Lucy explained further. “The North Vietnamese incorporated the concept of caches into their warfare tactics with American forces. They’d hide in the jungles, fire upon our patrols, and then hide their weapons in caches as they ran away. When our troops caught up to them, they’d shrug their shoulders and show they were unarmed. Duncan told me the Taliban and ISIS fighters did the same thing. The Americans could never determine who was a friend or a foe.”
“This is different though,” said Cooper. “We’re adding food, these LifeStraws, batteries, and first aid kits.”
“Yeah, even matches, lighters, and candles,” added Riley. “Will it all fit?”
“I hope so,” replied Lucy. “I’m trying to think of everything we’d need in an emergency to last us at least three to five days.”
“Are you saying I’d have to eat these things for three or four days?” asked Riley, who held up an aluminum-foil package of emergency food bars. “What is this anyway?”
“There are nine high-calorie nutrition bars in there, Riley,” Lucy answered. “Thirty-six hundred calories a day for three days. There’ll be enough for one person for six days in each bucket.”
“Ugh,” groaned Riley. “I like that option better.” He was pointing toward jars of peanut butter and Ritz crackers. There were also honey bears stacked like the Chinese terracotta army next to the crackers.
“Yes, one each of those, too, please,” Lucy instructed. “All of those have pretty long shelf lives and can be stored in the airtight container. We’ll add these to each bucket to help eliminate moisture and humidity.” She picked up a ziplock baggy full of desiccant packs and showed it to the boys.
“Finally, we need to add some basic tools. Each cache will contain a flashlight, a knife, a Leatherman tool, a folding handsaw, and a hatchet. Throw in a bundle of 550 paracord and a small tarp and it should be pretty full.”
“What about this?” asked Riley, holding up a roll of toilet paper.
Lucy giggled. “Absolute necessity.”
&nbs
p; “Yeah, Riley, no bug sprayer or cactus for me,” added Cooper.
They finished assembling the caches by adding several more items—which focused on shelter, water, food, and defense—and loaded up Red Rover for the trek down into the canyon.
Riley enjoyed this part of the day the most because he got to take his new toy off-roading. Growing up in Texas, the boys had been buddies with guys who loved their trucks and would spend their free time looking for challenging terrain to drive them on. They’d never caught the off-roading bug, opting instead to put their horses to the test. Now that Riley had Red Rover, he was enjoying the trail from a different perspective.
“It’s a little rough, but your truck does a great job on this terrain, Riley,” said Lucy as she bounced back and forth on the bench seat between two of her sons. “I’m guessin’ the ride back from Montana wasn’t this rough, was it?”
“No, Momma,” replied Cooper. “It was a different kind of rough.”
They rode silently until they reached a stand of scrub oaks. Lucy pointed the native trees out. “Let’s put the first one here.”
They exited the truck, and Riley pulled open the tailgate. Lucy held up one finger, so the first bucket was pulled out. She had a spiral notebook and pencil, plus a tape measure she handed to Cooper.
Lucy explained her thought process. “We don’t necessarily need to bury the buckets, but it will help to conceal them with rocks and dirt. We just need to hide it from anyone else who might use this path, whether to or from the house.”
“We need to pick a spot we can remember and memorize, right?” asked Cooper.
“Exactly, which is why I picked this location,” replied Lucy. She began to point out the landmarks that caught her eye. “There’s the corner of our fence as it heads toward the river. And you see this oak?”
“Yeah, it looks like Preacher standing with his legs together, spreading his arms to the sky and talking to God,” said Riley laughingly.
“It stands out, doesn’t it?” asked Lucy.
“It sure does,” replied Cooper. “Plus, there are all kinds of rock outcroppings and mounds of dirt to work with. So what’s next?”
