by Debbie Pack
From the corner of his eye, Simon caught a glimpse of Thompson's face. The man seemed to be lost in thought but every once in a while, Simon would see him rechecking the map he held in his lap against the landmarks they were passing.
He had told Simon that the pilot, Mike Ryan, was in actuality, an F.B.I. agent and that he had been working undercover to establish himself as a goods smuggler with the small puddle jumper service he provided. Two weeks ago, Ryan had been contacted about transferring stolen diamonds to a contact in Cascade. The Bureau was certain the theft had been part of a scheme by Xavier Whittaker, the top man at Excelsior Diamonds, to embezzle the company and plunge it into financial ruin. However, the man was considered above reproach and had enough influential friends in strategically placed political jobs to have the FBI discouraged in the pursuit of that line of investigation. Nevertheless, the Agency had continued covertly and had been rewarded when Ryan had contacted Thompson to tell him of the transfer of the gems. The tricky part had been that they had to catch Whittaker with the diamonds or there would be no case.
Simon had questioned why Ryan had offered Jim and Blair the ride in his plane from Spokane if the man was supposed to be undercover. Thompson told him that Ryan often took passengers on the runs he made between Spokane and Cascade and the exchange of the diamonds was to have taken place at a hotel in Cascade away from the airport. Nothing would have been out of place for him to have two passengers this trip.
Simon hoped the undercover operation could continue as planned, but more than anything else, he hoped Jim and Blair were alive.
* * * *
The afternoon became warm despite the earlier cooling breeze Jim had felt. There was another storm coming, but it would be delayed. He frowned at the thought of the two of them being caught out in a fall storm.
The jackets both men wore had been removed as the heat built during the afternoon hours, and Jim deliberately slowed his longer-legged pace to accommodate Blair's shorter stride. Sandburg was holding his own but Jim knew the thinner air in the higher elevation would rapidly take it's toll on both of their strength and they would need to conserve their energy for the rougher terrain ahead.
He had kept his hearing partially tuned to his partner, monitoring his breathing and heart beat, prepared for anything other than the normal exertion. He still wasn't comfortable with the paleness of Blair's face.
* * * *
They had been traveling several hours by the time Jim noticed fresh blood on the side of his partner's head. He immediately called a halt for them to rest and felt a slight twinge of anger when he discovered that Blair had realized the wound was bleeding again and had simply been wiping the blood away instead of bringing it to Jim's attention.
*"It's not that big a deal and I didn't want to worry you,"* he had said in self-defense.
Jim shook his head and stopped himself from making an angry remark about irresponsible college students. He told himself it shouldn't have surprised him. He knew of Blair's habit of downplaying his own injuries or illnesses. It was one of the reasons Jim felt a constant need to keep an ear turned to his partner. If the stubborn kid wouldn't watch out for himself, then Jim felt it was up to him to do it. He owed Blair the protection.
Sometime during the middle of the afternoon, Jim's enhanced hearing picked up the distant sounds of a helicopter. With the amount of cover provided by the trees, it wasn't hard for them to remain hidden as the copter flew overhead.
Jim had been able to determined it was not Search and Rescue from the markings, but had not been able to glimpse any of the individuals within either. If they were Ryan's partners and they found the crash site, Jim knew it wouldn't take long for them to figure out which direction he and Blair had taken, despite the false trails they had left. They would have to remain ahead of the thieves until they could reach the authorities.
* * * *
Several hours later, Jim picked up the sounds of a second helicopter approaching from the west. Still unwilling to show themselves until they knew who was in the aircraft, they sought shelter in the protection of the dense pine trees.
It wasn't until the helicopter had already passed that Jim was able to focus his enhanced sight on the cockpit of the craft. His heart had skipped a beat as he thought he recognized Simon Banks among those on board. He hadn't been certain it was Simon and they couldn't take the chance it hadn't been, so he had kept the information to himself. Blair was already exhausted. He didn't need false hope to burden him.
Silently, they continued on.
* * * *
It was well past dark before they stopped their travel for the evening. Jim had been aware of Blair's increasing difficulty in keeping up for the past hour. Since dark had settled on the area, the younger man had stumbled repeatedly until Jim had instructed him to hold on to his belt for guidance. Blair had been reluctant at first, saying it would slow them down too much. However, he had relented as his partner reminded him of the advantage of his being able to see in the dark and scout the safest route for them while all Blair had to worry about was keeping up with him. It had worked like a charm for them until Blair had begun to falter from fatigue. Jim took note of an increase in his partner's respiration. He had attributed it to their quick travel but now that they had stopped and he realized how tired he was, he knew Sandburg must have been ready to drop from the exertion of keeping up with Jim. For a moment Jim was undecided whether to be angry or proud of the anthropologist. He knew Blair would continue until he dropped from exhaustion and then would still try to get up and continue. His friend just didn't know the meaning of quit.
Jim let his Sentinel eyesight scan the area surrounding them as he took a mental calculation of how far they had come. He nodded to himself after a moment. They had made good time during the afternoon hours and he felt it would now be safe for them to stop for the remainder of the night.
As they rested, Jim felt the sweat cooling on his body and realized for the first time just how much the temperature had dropped. The light jackets they wore were not going to provide much warmth for them once the sun went down. They needed to find shelter for the night.
He listened as Blair leaned heavily against a tree. He could hear the exhaustion in every breath the younger man drew. After the fear of the crash, dealing with the death of Mike Ryan and the knowledge that they could in all likelihood be pursued by killers, it was no wonder he was ready to drop.
Jim continued his visual search of the area. Even though he didn't expect to find something as convenient as a cabin this far up in the mountains, he hoped they would be able to locate a cave for the night. He listened once more to Blair's rapid heartbeat. They could take it slow until they found a suitable place.
"Come on, Buddy," he said reaching down for his partner's arm to help him to his feet once again. "Not much further."
Sandburg looked around at their location as he accepted Jim's offered assistance. "What's wrong with here, Jim?" he asked, gaining his balance.
"Too open," Jim explained, "We can't chance a fire and the temperature up here is already dropping. We'll freeze. Come on," he coaxed, "I think I see something over that way that will do."
* * * *
Simon watched from the window of the helicopter as they made their landing approach a short distance from the crash site. He'd caught a glimpse of the fuselage as the helicopter had made an initial pass over the area and felt his stomach tighten. Once again, he silently prayed for the survival of his friends.
The helicopter had barely settled before he, Thompson and the rest of the federal agents jumped from the aircraft and made their way toward the two men standing at the edge of the clearing.
A man almost as tall at Simon extended his hand in greeting and spoke above the dying roar of the helicopter's engines. "Chief Thompson?" he asked. Thompson nodded as he continued, all business. "Riker. Spokane office," he hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "This is Miller. Search and Rescue."
Thompson shook each hand in acknowledgmen
t then turned to introduce Simon. "Captain Simon Banks Cascade PD. It's his people on board with Ryan."
Riker turned slightly toward Simon, acknowledging him with barely a nod. Simon noted the man displayed the same contemptuous attitude he'd experienced from other FBI agents and wondered if Thompson noticed the slight. He pushed the thought aside as Miller extended his hand in greeting. "Captain."
Simon accepted the gesture and nodded as the group walked toward the crash site. His stomach remained in knots, half fearful of what the men had to tell them.
"What have you got?" Thompson continued.
"So far, one body. Buried in a shallow grave a short distance beyond the site. The medic says it looks like a tree branch penetrated the cockpit window on impact. He probably never saw it coming."
Simon saw Thompson glance his way, "Have you I.D.'d him?"
"Yes," Riker nodded and produced a wallet, opening it up for Thompson to see. "It's Ryan."
Thompson checked the identification before handing it back to Riker with a sad shake of his head, "Where is he?"
"This way."
Riker and Miller lead the rest of the men back toward the crash site and the tarp-wrapped body now lying just within the edge of the clearing. Slowly the cover was pulled back to reveal the grey lifeless face.
Thompson nodded confirmation of the identification then continued to the plane, followed by the rest of the men. "Any sign of the two passengers?" he asked.
Simon was surprised by the cold glance Riker shot him. "No sign yet, other than the tracks out of here."
"What about the diamonds?" Another cold look came his way. "They're missing too."
Simon couldn't help but bristle. He did not like the man's attitude.
They paused as they reached the doorway of the plane, Thompson turning back to Riker. "How well did you search the interior?"
"Preliminary only. I expected you'd want your own men to go over it thoroughly."
Thompson nodded, "Daniels. Take another look. Mike said he was carrying the diamonds in a metal thermos up under the instrument panel." He turned to the rest of the agents, "Walters, the rest of you see if you can assist the search team."
The rest of the agents left as Daniels entered the remains of the aircraft. Thompson turned back to the Spokane agent and the Search and Rescue man. "You said something about tracks?"
Simon saw Riker's eyes on him. "We found tracks leading in all directions." The man once again sent Simon an icy glare. "Looks like someone went to a lot of trouble to deliberately lay down false trails away from the site."
Simon was having a hard time holding down his temper. It was clear by his attitude that Riker believed Ellison and Sandburg had made off with the diamonds.
He was preparing to ask the agent what he was implying when Daniels reappeared in the doorway of the plane.
"Sir?" Thompson ignored the rising antagonism for the moment while he turned back to the young agent, "They're not here."
Simon heard the knowing scoff from Riker and fully expected the federal agent to corner him with a barrage of questions regarding the honesty of his detective team.
Thompson merely shook his head. "Are you sure?"
"Yes sir. I double checked the entire area. It's not here. This is all I found." He held up a single gemstone. Thompson took it from him and placed it in an evidence bag from his pocket as Daniels continued with a hesitant look toward Simon. "I...ah...also found blood stains in the passenger section and Ryan's maps are gone."
Simon's face paled at the news. He had no explanation for the missing men or the missing diamonds but he knew from the circumstantial evidence what the FBI men, especially Riker, must be thinking. He had to admit to himself that if he hadn't known Ellison and Sandburg it would probably have been his suspicion as well. But, he did know the two men and his belief in them remained secure.
"I guess that explains where Ellison and Sandburg are," Riker spoke up from Thompson's side.
Simon turned to the man, his eyes flashing anger, "You're out of line mister and out of your mind," he stated, clinching his teeth to keep from shouting.
"I don't think so, Captain. It's pretty obvious what happened here."
"And what would that be, Agent Riker," Thompson asked, watching the man with barely tolerant eyes.
"Obviously, they found the diamonds after the crash and decided to keep them for themselves. They probably figured it would be weeks or months before the plane was discovered and they would be long gone."
The cold contempt coming from the man made Simon's blood boil. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't I?" he said haughtily. "Ten million dollars is a pretty hard temptation to resist."
"Not to Ellison or Sandburg, it isn't. What you're sugges...."
"That's enough gentlemen." Thompson broke in with a reproachful look to Riker. "Captain Banks. I apologize on behalf of the Bureau for Agent Riker's assumption." The federal chief silenced the agent with a gesture before he could respond. "He has no business making accusations without solid proof."
Despite Thompson's attempts, Riker continued. "I'd think their absence would be pretty good proof."
Thompson sent a glare to the man that could have frozen water. "As I said, without 'solid proof'." He held the outspoke agent's eyes for a moment longer before he burned back to Miller. "How far have your people been able to follow the tracks?"
Miller tried to hide a slight smile but wasn't being very successful. The Spokane agent had been a pain in the ass since he had arrived. The man had attempted to prevent Miller's team from performing their duties in searching for victims from the crash and it had taken a heated radio call from Miller to the Federal Chief before the Riker had allowed the Search and Rescue team access to the site."They've trailed for a quarter mile around the entire area. Whoever laid down those tracks is good and knows what he's doing."
Simon smiled in gratitude at the praise. He knew it had been Ellison's work.
"Can you trail them?"
Miller nodded, "Eventually, but these trails are deliberately misleading. It's going to take a while to sort through and find the correct one."
At that moment one of Thompson's agents reappeared along with another of the Search and Rescue team.
"What have your found Walters?"
"There's another group involved," the man said. Simon and Thompson both stiffened at the news as he continued. "The tracks Search and Rescue have been following have tracks overlaying them. Could be Whittaker and his people."
"Could Whittaker have the diamonds already?" Daniels asked from beside Thompson.
Walters shook his head. "I doubt it. These tracks are too erratic. It looks like whoever it is, is trying to figure it out too." He paused and a slight smile crossed his face. "It's going to be difficult. Who ever left those tracks is good."
Simon felt a strong sense of pride at the seconded compliment. He knew it had to have been Ellison. Sandburg could survive in the wilderness, but Jim was the one with expertise in Covert Ops. "That would be Ellison. He's former Army Ranger."
"Well, the man knows what he's doing." The agent clapped Simon on the back as he returned to join the search team once more.
Despite the confidence he held for his detective, Banks was worried. They had no idea what shape Ellison and Sandburg were in after the crash. What if this Whittaker had already caught up with the two of them. They could both be dead by now.
Thompson stepped to Simon's side. "If Whittaker had the diamonds, he wouldn't have taken the time to track down your people. He's already got his foreign contacts set up. All he'd have to do is get the diamonds to them and disappear. We know he was already planning to do that." Thompson stopped and looked thoughtful for a moment, "Simon. Do you know if Ellison or Sandburg were aware of the diamond theft?"
Banks nodded. "Yes. Ellison was. I gave him the report myself last week."
Thompson spoke to himself aloud, "So if he or Sandburg found the diamonds, he'd figure Ryan was
in on the theft and he'd know someone was bound to come looking for their merchandise."
Simon nodded in agreement. "And Ellison's first instinct would be to protect Sandburg and get them as far away as fast as he could. He wouldn't wait around for Ryan's contacts to show up, even if it meant trekking out of the mountains on their own."
Thompson pulled the map he had carried on the helicopter from his pocket and spread it out before them. The light was rapidly fading now but it wasn't quite dark yet. "You know your people. They have a map, ten million dollars worth of diamonds and a pack of killers on their trail. Any speculation on which direction they'd go?"
Simon studied the map before giving the Federal Agent his answer.
"They're about the same distance any direction from available help. If it was me, I'd head west. At least it's that much closer toward Cascade."
Thompson nodded his agreement. "That's what I thought to," he stood and folded the map before putting it away. "Let's grab some coffee. Search and Rescue is having a hard enough time following those tracks of Ellison's tonight. We'll get started with first light." The man paused before speaking again. "Simon. I just thought I'd let you know. I sent Riker back to Spokane."
Simon was once again amazed by the federal agent. "You didn't have to do that John. I know the evidence looked pretty damaging."
Thompson only shook his head. "No. Regardless of the evidence, Riker's attitude was unacceptable. I don't tolerate that type of mentally from my people and I'm certainly not going to accept it from someone else. Unless he can change, I don't have use for him." Thompson smiled, "Besides, the Bureau has a bad reputation in dealing with local law enforcement anyway. I don't need someone like Riker making it that much harder for me."
