by H. L. Wegley
“If you think I’m taking too long or if you see lights behind you, get the girls off the road on the campground side and hide them.”
“I will, but you’d better not take any chances, Lee, or I’ll kill you.”
“With your .38?”
“No. With my bare hands.”
When they crossed the bridge, Lee pointed to the left side of the road. “There’s the parking area. Let’s hurry.”
He trotted off the bridge and into the entrance to the parking area.
What was this?
“Jenn, three vehicles.” Lee heard something in the bushes to his right.
The lights of the third vehicle came on, blasting their eyes with intense light.
A raspy voice came from near the lights. “Put down your weapon, or I’ll take you all out, starting with you, Mr. Gunman.” A dark figure moved ahead of the vehicle, off to one side.
The bluish lights now revealed a gunman with his weapon trained on them.
There wasn’t supposed to be another goon. Who was this man? Since he hadn’t gunned them down, he probably had the same question about them.
Lee needed a good answer. He slowly bent down and placed his rifle on the ground. As plans to use the weapon came to mind, each was discarded because of the danger to Jennifer and the girls.
“Your light, too.”
Lee set the flashlight down, pointing it towards the gunman. It was a very small advantage, but he would take anything he could get.
“Hands in the air, all of you. Spread out and take two steps forward. Now!”
Jennifer stood on his left. On his right were Kirsten and Mel.
Katie was gone.
“Who are you, and where were you going with my three girls?”
Three girls? His girls? This must be Boatman.
If Lee couldn’t make something happen, he was dead, and soon the girls would wish they were.
Except Katie. She was smart and to Boatman, invisible.
Hopefully he wouldn’t notice that there was no blonde in the group.
“I’m going to ask you one more time. Who are you?” The raspy voice became more abrasive.
Lee was running out of options, so he decided to roll the dice. “Boatman, I thought it was time for me to take over Trader’s business.”
“So you know I am, and you told me who you want to be. But who are you?”
“I’m Weatherman. I can run this business more efficiently and more securely than Trader. And I don’t use sexually incontinent goons like Ivan.”
The silhouetted head cocked to one side.
Jennifer had slipped over a few inches, so her right arm was partially hidden from Boatman’s view by Lee’s shadow.
He gently rocked while he waited with his hands in the air, inching to his left, shading more of Jennifer’s right arm.
After a long pause, Boatman replied, “Trader was useful because there was trust between us…most of the time. With you, I have no trust. How do—”
Something crashed into the white SUV. The vehicle alarm wailed.
Boatman whirled, pointing his gun at Trader’s SUV.
Lee dove, taking the two girls to the ground. He covered them with his body, and then looked up knowing what he would see.
Jennifer had already drawn her .38.
Boatman swung his rifle back.
Three shots cracked above the alarm and the wind. Three familiar sounding shots.
The element of surprise, a two hundred IQ, a marksman, and a heart that wouldn’t quit—Boatman had no chance.
“Jenn, hold your gun on him.” He spoke over the wailing alarm. “I’ll check him.”
He spun towards a rustling sound in the bushes.
Jennifer swung the .38 in that direction.
“It’s Katie.” Her voice was barely audible over the car alarm. “Please don’t shoot.”
“Wait right there, Katie.” Jennifer’s alto voice carried the authority of a battlefield commander.
Katie stood motionless.
The wailing alarm stopped.
Boatman’s neck was warm to his touch. But it wouldn’t be warm much longer. “He won’t be making any more exchanges.” Lee pulled the clip from Boatman’s gun, stuffed it in his pocket, and then slung the weapon far into the thick bushes.
“OK, girls. Come to me now,” Jennifer ordered, but her voice had softened.
“Jenn, take the girls and run. I’ll catch up when I’m done.”
Jennifer wrapped her free arm around Katie. “Thanks, Katie. You saved all our lives.”
Katie returned the hug, and then they all disappeared into the darkness.
Lee’s fingers fished through his pocket, and then closed around his knife. He had twelve tires to slash. With adrenaline still coursing through his body, Lee dealt ten devastating blows to ten tires before a light beam appeared, bouncing wildly through the trees on the far side of the river.
Trader and Jacko.
His feet pounded the pavement as he sprinted towards Mora Campground, the girls, and Jennifer.
The battle with Trader would come later. How much later?
He wished he knew.
22
Mel wasn’t a runner.
Trying to compensate, Jennifer shortened the distance by running the inside of each turn on Mora Road as it snaked through the forest.
Rapid footsteps sounded behind them.
“Keep running, it’s me.” Lee pulled alongside of her. “How are the girls holding up?”
“At this pace, they’re doing fine. Did you see Trader?”
“Yeah. He showed up before I slashed the last two tires. Don’t think he saw me.”
“Doesn’t really matter though, does it?”
“About the tires? He’ll know who it was. Second time today. Should make him really mad, maybe a little crazy.”
“Crazy sounds good.”
“Yeah. But he and Jacko…are probably running up the road behind us.”
“Any sign of them and we go into the trees, right?”
“That’s the plan.”
They rounded the final turn before reaching the long, straight stretch. It continued more than a half mile beyond the campground.
“Jenn, I think we need to get off the road now.” He motioned to their right. “Behind the big tree on the right.”
“Girls, here’s where we’re going.” Jennifer illuminated the tree with her flashlight.
“Good.” Mel spoke between gasps.
Jennifer kept the flashlight beam low to the ground, lighting their path only enough to get the girls safely off the road.
When they reached a secluded spot thirty yards into the trees, Lee stretched out his arms, inviting the girls to step close to him. He waited until the five formed a tight circle. “Turn out the light, please. Trader and Jacko will soon come into sight on the road. Here’s our situation. They don’t know where we are. Jenn’s car is nearby, but they don’t know where it is. Probably think we’re trying to reach one of the houses up the road to call the police. Now, we can’t use the car to make a run for Forks unless we’re certain Trader and Jacko aren’t waiting to ambush us.”
“So what are you proposing, Lee?” She had disagreed with Lee’s risk taking before and stood ready to do it again.
“Let’s move further into the trees, and we can talk about it. The wind is still strong enough to cover our voices. We’ll go slow and move without the light.”
“I’ll lead.” Jennifer extended a hand to Mel. “Katie, please keep your eye out for Trader’s light along the road.”
“No need to do that,” Katie pointed behind them. “I see it now.”
“You’ve got good night vision. Let’s hide behind the bushes. And Katie, please track Trader’s light as best you can. Let us know if it stops or changes direction.”
“I will, Jenn.”
Katie needed to be needed. But Jennifer sensed her motivation went much deeper. She was selfless to the point of risking her life to save the
rest of the group.
As they worked their way behind a large group of bushes, Jennifer decided she would coax Katie’s story from her at an appropriate time. There seemed to be something about this girl, something Jennifer was supposed to respond to.
Lee spoke softly, “We need a plan to get out of here. Keep in mind there may be disagreements, and that’s OK. Let’s speak openly and come up with our plan. Now, an FBI team led by a man Jenn and I know personally, Agent Peterson, is trying to get here. But they won’t know exactly where we are unless we can call either them, or the Forks police. Jennifer’s car is parked about two hundred and fifty yards to the east of where we’re standing.” He pointed. “I’m sure we can get to it without being detected by Trader and Jacko, but we don’t want them shooting at us along the road if we try to drive back to Forks. It’s a little after 2:00. In about four and a half hours, it will start getting light. Once it’s light, Trader might find Jennifer’s SUV…and us.”
Where was he going with this? She wouldn’t let him separate them, not like he did in March. “We should hide and wait for the FBI to show up,” Jennifer said. “They can take on Trader and Jacko much better than we can.”
“What if it starts getting light and they still haven’t shown up?” Lee asked.
“We need a fortress to hide in. A place that gives us visibility of the area around us, some protection against bullets, and it should keep us hidden from view. We can wait indefinitely in a place like that. If Trader shows up, we gun him down and leave. Right now, I wouldn’t mind giving him what I gave Boatman.”
“OK. Plan number one is to hide in the campground. It keeps us safe for several hours and only gets dicey if Trader walks in on us or if we accidentally give away our position. It does mean we have to find a fort. Jenn, you know this area better than any of us. Do you have a place in mind?”
“The restroom in the campground near my car. It’s heated enough to keep the water pipes from freezing in the winter. We’d be warmer there than out here in the woods. But we’ll have to check it out to see if we have enough visibility to spot Trader if he approaches.”
“Sounds good, provided we can be hidden and still see around us.” Lee broke the huddle. “Let’s check out the restroom.”
“Have you got any other ideas, Lee?”
“I like what you suggested. But I would add one more thing to it.”
“I’m listening.”
Here it comes. The part where Lee splits off from the group and tries to—
“Jenn, no sacrificing anybody to the likes of Trader. I promise.”
“Like I said, I’m listening.” Her tone didn’t change. She couldn’t let it.
“You know the ranger’s house at the east end of the camp? You mentioned it to me a few days ago. You said it was occupied during the summer and early fall, but not now.”
“Are you thinking there might be a working phone in the house?”
“More like hoping. It’s worth sneaking over there to check it out. But not until you’re all settled into Fort John.”
Mel giggled at Lee’s description and then slapped her hand over her mouth.
Jennifer mussed Mel’s hair. “As much as I want us all to stay together, you’re right. One phone call could end this ordeal. Are you going over to the house alone?”
“He should take me along to watch for Trader while he goes in.” Even with the darkness hiding her body language, Katie’s determination was unmistakable.
Brave, smart, athletic, a team player. Jennifer was rapidly accumulating a list of Katie’s admirable qualities.
“Good idea,” Lee said. “Katie and I need to check the house out soon, before Trader starts snooping around. Let’s move to the restroom, get settled in, and then Katie and I will go to the ranger’s place.”
She took a deep breath and blew it back out. “I know Trader probably went beyond the campground to the first house on the road to head us off. But what happens if he comes back and cuts you two off so you can’t get back to us?”
“Then we have Trader right where we want him, in a crossfire.”
“Oh, yes. I remember now. You’re Lee Brandt, the optimist.” She couldn’t hide the sarcasm.
“You’re the one who said ‘to the beach’ if I remember correctly.” Lee cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. There’s so much we stand to lose if something goes wrong. I know it scares you. It scares me, too. But I love you, Jenn. That’s part of the reason Katie and I need to go. We’ll be careful, very careful.” As Lee spoke, he drew her close.
When Lee kissed her on the forehead, she smiled.
It was good for these girls to see how love worked. It was even better to feel it. But the thought of Trader and Jacko ambushing Lee and Katie scared her.
“About your concern.” Lee paused. “If we were to get into a firefight with Trader and Jacko, which gun would you want?”
“My .38.”
“Are you sure? The automatic shoots eight rounds a second.”
“I know more about the .38, and it hits what I aim at. Plus, it doesn’t jam.”
“OK. Katie and I will take the automatic. Now let’s move out to Fort John.”
23
The brief shafts of moonlight squeezing between the racing clouds gave Lee moments of visibility. But the intermittent light also prevented his eyes from adjusting to the intervening darkness.
“Your night vision is better than mine, Jenn. Will you lead us from here to the camp?”
She stepped in front of him. “Sure, I’ll lead.”
In a few moments, Jennifer brought the group to a stop. “This has to be loop C, and I think I see the trail.”
The restroom building loomed in front of them.
“It’s the off season, like the lights…off.”
“That’s probably best for us, Jenn. Our eyes will be adjusted to the dark and we won’t be lit up like a lantern for Trader to see. Let’s go inside and check out the visibility.”
“We can go inside and check it out, but we’re going into the women’s side.”
He shrugged and stepped towards the men’s door. “Does it really matter?”
“Yes it matters. Men’s restrooms are gross.”
“Is that based upon statistical analysis? What’s your sample size?”
“It’s what all the ladies say.”
“Yeah,” three voices replied in unison.
Jennifer was using her battlefield commander’s voice again.
He needed to give on this issue. “OK, we’ll use the women’s side.”
“He’s going to be in our restroom?” Mel’s tenor voice leaped up to soprano.
“Look, everybody,” he scanned their faces. “This is first and foremost a fort, not a restroom.”
“But what if one of us needs to, you know…” Mel stopped.
“OK.” He gave a concessionary sigh. “When one of you needs to, you know, I’ll leave, banished to the men’s room until you knock on the wall.”
“Lee, would you please go to the men’s room until we knock?” Mel pointed towards the door.
“I’m outta here,” He slipped out the door and entered the men’s side.
When three knocks on the wall sounded, he walked back to the women’s door. “You knocked three times, so I’m coming in. At least it wasn’t on the pipes.”
Jennifer giggled as he stepped in.
Mel cocked her head. “Knocking on pipes? What does that mean?”
“Means you aren’t gonna show.” Lee and Jennifer answered in unison.
He turned towards Mel. “We’ll explain later. Right now, we need to check the visibility. We can only see to the west from the men’s restroom, but let’s see what we’ve got in here for the other three directions.”
After breaking a small pane in the frosted-glass window and prying some wooden slats loose from a vent on the wall, he was satisfied with the visibility on three sides. “We need to decide on some ground rules for—”
Jennifer stepped clos
e and put her arms around his waist. “I think we all understand the advantages and shortcomings of the fort. But, Lee, I keep getting urges to take us all to the car and make a run for it. It’s only about seventy-five yards away.”
“Trader is watching Mora Road. He’d do anything to stop us. We need to stay here until Peterson arrives. It’s nearly 3 AM. He could be here any minute. But since we can’t count on that, Katie and I should go to the ranger’s house now.”
“You’re right. We’re safe and warm for now. Maybe I’ll even dry out.”
“Katie, before we go, you need to learn to shoot an AK-47.” In the dim light of the cell phone, he watched her eyes widen.
Katie watched him as he set the assault rifle on the floor and positioned his cell to illuminate the gun.
“You need to know a few things about this gun.”
“OK. But you’re going to do the shooting if it comes to that, right?”
“I’m showing you this in case I get hurt or, you know…”
“But, Lee, that’s not going to happen, because we’ll be careful and, well, Jennifer said God will rescue us from our enemies.”
“Sometimes He surprises in the way He helps us. I’m showing you this just in case the worst happens. So watch closely, because this could save our lives. Here’s the safety lever. Pull it up and the gun won’t fire. Push it down and it will be in automatic mode. I finally figured out that part.”
“What?” Jennifer blurted. “You’re giving Katie on-the-job training for a weapon you’re clueless about?”
“If you’ve fired one of these things, Jenn, you show her how it’s done.”
“I haven’t fired one.” Jennifer lowered her voice. “But I’ve had several fired at me.”
He shook his head. “That’s not what we want Katie to learn. I’ve got this thing figured out, so let me finish.” He paused. “OK, Katie, put it in automatic mode.”
Katie moved the safety down, and then quickly back up.
“If you fire in automatic mode, the barrel will try to rise. You have to pull it down with the barrel handle.”
After he showed her how to load and clear a jam, Katie grabbed his arm.
“I get it, Lee. I’m good to go if you really need me to shoot. But I hope we don’t need to do any shooting…only make a phone call.”
