Point of Control

by L. J. Sellers

  The masked man spoke softly, his voice cold. “I told you I would bring him here. Next, I’ll hurt him and make you watch. Are you going to give me the final data?”

  The bastard! Would he really torture her son? She hadn’t considered that possibility, and she couldn’t let it happen. His pain was her pain. Only more so, because her son was an innocent, and she was responsible for him. “You win. I’ll finish the final process. But you have to let Garrett go.”

  “Not until my engineer has the material and says we’re ready to manufacture.”

  “But that could take days or a week.”

  “Then you’d better get busy.” The bastard turned and shoved Garrett out into the hall, then spun toward her. “I’ll be back to take you to the lab.”

  Dana fought her tears. She had to finish the process and hope like hell the synthetic metal worked in devices the way it did in the lab. The kidnapper’s engineer might not even have the skills to handle the material. But at least the testing process might buy her and Garrett time. The FBI had to be looking for them. Her ex-husband might not care about finding her, but he would search for Garrett until he took his last breath. Her son had pushed his father away out of loyalty to her—and she’d let it happen. But his father loved Garrett and had never given up hope of rebuilding their relationship. But would he get here in time?

  Dana knew she couldn’t count on it. She’d almost escaped once, and she would try again.

  CHAPTER 39

  Monday, March 23, 5:35 p.m., Wanapum, Washington

  Bailey drove north on I-90 toward Wanapum, mentally wired from the coffee, yet physically exhausted from constant traveling. The Palisades Mine was listed at 1050 Meadow View Road, and according to Google Maps, the tiny town of Wanapum was the nearest junction of civilization. What little daylight the day had held was fading fast, and she was skeptical about looking for the mine in the dark. The listing didn’t show up when she keyed the name into her GPS, and with her topographical dysfunction, she might not find it without help. She would check into a motel, take a brief nap, then discreetly ask around about the mine.

  Soon after passing the town’s welcome sign, Bailey spotted the Sagebrush Inn blinking in the dark with green and red neon lettering. It would do. She just needed a place to sleep and brush her teeth. She parked and headed into the office, glad to stretch her legs. The middle-aged woman at the counter seemed happy to see her and asked if she wanted a room with a view of the town or the countryside. Bailey almost laughed. “Whichever is the most private.”

  “I’ll put you on the end, facing the mountain.”

  “Sounds good.” Bailey dug out a credit card and started to ask about Palisades, then changed her mind. A hotel clerk was in a position to gossip. She put her credit card away, took out cash, and gave the clerk a phony name. The kidnappers had tried to kill her once, and if this was their territory, they might try again.

  “If you’re hungry, the Woodsman next door gives a nice discount to our guests. Just tell them Kay sent you.”

  Bailey found her room and tossed her suitcase on a dusty chair. The tacky landscape paintings made the small room even more unpleasant, but it didn’t matter. The hot water in the shower was plentiful, and it revived her enough that she decided to skip the nap. The diner next door might be a good place to ask about the location of the mine.

  As she dressed, her phone rang. She snatched it up, but it wasn’t Garrett. His father instead. “Agent Thorpe, what have you got?”

  “Nothing. We processed the house as though it were a crime scene and didn’t find any trace evidence. Except a few drops of blood. Garrett might be hurt.”

  “That’s why I’m pushing forward without much bureau support,” Bailey admitted. “But I’ve made another connection that might justify a search warrant. Hang on.” She put down the phone, pulled on a sweater, and located her earpiece. “The Palisades Mine was purchased six months ago by a holding company whose owner is Jia Crusher, the wife of Shawn Crusher, CEO of ZoGo, a startup phone manufacturer. He’s been at the top of my suspect list all along.”

  Thorpe cleared his throat. “You’re saying he bought the mine before the shortage and crisis, then after it got bad, kidnapped a metallurgy specialist to—” Thorpe stopped midsentence. “It’s a long shot, and even if you’re right, you have no evidence linking Crusher or his mine to the kidnappings.”

  “But we have an eyewitness ID of Jerry Rockwell as one of the kidnappers. There has to be a way to link Rockwell to Crusher.” Bailey paced the room, worried that Thorpe would want to wait for a search warrant.

  “I’ll get an analyst to do a search of Crusher’s employees and recent transactions.” Thorpe made scratching noises in the background. “I’ll get a subpoena going too, in case we find some evidence to substantiate it. Where are you now?”

  “Wanapum. The mine is around here somewhere, and I’m going to find it.”

  “Wait for me. I’ll drive over tomorrow morning, and we’ll do this together. As a federal agent, my hands may be tied by legalities, but as a father, I’ll do whatever it takes to find my son.”

  “Get here early. We’re running out of time on North Korea’s execution threat, and I believe Lee Nam is up there too.” She hung up so she wouldn’t have to explain her thinking. Thorpe was skeptical enough.

  Bailey walked next door to the diner. The sky had cleared, revealing a blanket of stars, and the cold evening air smelled like Christmas. Feeling more upbeat than she had all day, she treated herself to a steak dinner and began to feel human again. She still needed a good night’s sleep, but she thought she’d drive out to Meadow View Road first, just to see if she could find the property. As she paid her bill, she asked her waiter if he knew anything about the Palisades Mine.

  “Oh sure. My cousin just got hired. When it reopened, it was a great thing for this town.” The guy was in his late twenties but still had a youthful enthusiasm.

  “Do you know the owner?”

  He furrowed his forehead. “Nobody does. The employees have to sign an agreement not to talk about their work.”

  Crusher sure was a secretive bastard. “Where is it located?”

  “At the end of Meadow View Road. But the property is fenced off, and they don’t let anyone but employees in.”

  “Why the security?”

  “I heard that the stuff they’re bringing out of the ground is very valuable. Are you going up there?”

  “Probably.”

  “The road splits a few times, and you have to remember the pattern.” He scrunched his face while he worked through it. “I think it’s left, left, right, left.”

  Bailey committed it to memory, left him a ten-dollar tip, and hurried back to the motel. She had planned to check her email, then go out again, but exhaustion overwhelmed her. As worried as she was about Garrett, she knew it wasn’t logical to drive around in the dark to find a property with a security fence that she didn’t plan to scale. She took off her clothes and crawled into bed, leaving her phone and her weapon on the nightstand.

  She woke to a beeping sound and sat up. What time was it? How long had she slept? The sun wasn’t peeking through the curtains, so it couldn’t be that late. She grabbed her phone and looked at the screen. It was six thirty a.m., and Havi was calling. “Bailey here.”

  “I woke you, didn’t I? I forgot about the time difference.”

  “It’s fine. What have you got for me?” She struggled out of bed and looked for her pants.

  “Jia Crusher bought a piece of property in Douglas County, Washington, about six months ago. A house with two acres on Quincy Road. It’s about five miles from the Palisades Mine. I’ll text you the address.”

  “Excellent. It’s probably where I’ll find Crusher and his thugs.”

  “You’re not going there alone, are you?”

  His concern was sweet but misguided. “Don’t worry
. An agent from the Seattle field office will be with me. Did you find anything on Crusher? Or Rockwell?”

  “Neither purchased airline tickets, but Rockwell is a pilot, so they probably don’t fly commercial. One interesting thing. Rockwell rented a vehicle in Seattle the day before Dana Thorpe’s disappearance.”

  Yes! “That’s the break I need for a search warrant.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up. It was a bronze-colored Honda Element, which doesn’t match the description the witness gave.”

  She wasn’t surprised. “We knew they’d stolen a vehicle for the kidnapping. That one ended up in the lake. But the rental proves he was in the area, which is not coincidental.”

  “But that’s Seattle, which is not connected to either property in central Washington. And you still haven’t linked Rockwell to Crusher. You need more for a judge to sign.”

  Fucking rules! A flash of rage possessed her. “To hell with it! I don’t need the damn paperwork. I know those people are up there!”

  “Give me a little more time,” Havi soothed. “I’ll come up with something.”

  Her plans wouldn’t change. “Thanks, Havi.”

  She texted Thorpe the information, then went out for a quick morning walk. Still half-dark, the town’s streets were deserted, except for an occasional truck or beat-up car heading out of town. Were they going up to the mine? Bailey averted her face when the vehicles passed, just as a precaution. She grabbed a quick breakfast at the diner, then checked her email. Nothing from Thorpe yet. What if he didn’t show up? His supervisor might have other directives for him.

  Too restless to sit around, Bailey got into her rental and drove it across the street to buy gas. Inside the little store, she looked around for supplies she might need and picked up a pair of binoculars and a couple bottles of water. After paying for everything, she headed in the direction of the mine. The highway was nearly empty, and she passed a field of sheep, an abandoned lumber mill, and a couple of mobile homes. She slowed as she approached a junction. Sheep Canyon Road. That was the turn. From here, she had to drive about twenty miles, find Meadow View Road, then follow the directions the waiter had given her.

  It proved more difficult than that, and she had to backtrack at least twice. But an hour later, she spotted a wide clearing in the distance—with a few buildings perched at the edge of what appeared to be an asteroid-sized crater. A six-foot iron fence ran along the road, blocking access to the property. Bailey pulled over, shut off the car, and grabbed the binoculars. She spotted the gravel entrance but didn’t see any guards. Just a gate with coded security. That was worse. Without the code, they would have to scale the fence to get in. Unless someone was monitoring the gate and decided to let them in. Not damn likely.

  She itched to charge through the trees, scale the fence, and search for the victims. But once she was on the mine’s property, there was no cover, just wide-open space. She’d be an easy target if a guard in one of the buildings decided to take a shot at her. That had been the point of her recon, though—to see what she and Thorpe would be up against. She forced herself to turn the car around and head back into town. She’d spent her whole adult life trying to override impulses, but it never got any easier.

  CHAPTER 40

  Back in her hotel room, Bailey studied the Google Earth view of the mine’s property. The iron fence ran for about two hundred yards on either side of the gate, stopping at a rock outcropping to the north and a ravine to the south. The ravine likely had water this time of year, but it probably wouldn’t be deep. Maybe they could enter the property that way. If they didn’t have a warrant or permission from the owner to enter. She still hoped they would be able to search without breaking the law or using violence, but she was prepared to do both. More than prepared. Her primal nature wanted to go all Rambo on the scene. She craved risk, adrenaline, and dominance. Sometimes, she needed to feel her fists strike a pliable object—which was why she pummeled the punching bags at the gym whenever she could. But her job and her quest for social acceptance usually kept her from acting on those desires.

  Restless again, she called her backup, but Agent Thorpe didn’t answer. Was he on his way, driving and out of cell phone range? Or was he not coming? Damn! This wasn’t just about saving a few lives. If Lee Nam was up at the mine, they could prevent a potentially horrific incident with North Korea. Kim Jong-un was a freaking lunatic. Bailey tucked her weapon back into her body holster and stepped outside. The covered walkway shielded her from the morning sun, but not the wind. The click of a latch caught her attention. She glanced left and saw a man step out of a room two doors away. She didn’t recognize him, but she averted her face anyway. Crusher and his thugs were likely staying at the house near the mine, or maybe at Palisades itself, but she still had to be careful. She started to get into the rental car, then her phone rang. Agent Thorpe. Finally!

  “Where are you?” She didn’t mask her irritation.

  “At the gas station across from the Sagebrush Inn.”

  The tension left her shoulders. “Great. I’m at the motel, around back. You can leave your car here, and we’ll take mine.”

  “I’d rather drive.”

  She wouldn’t waste time arguing. “Either way.” She hung up and waited for him to cross the highway.

  Thorpe pulled up a few minutes later and she climbed in. “Any luck with a search warrant?”

  “I left it with another agent to take to a judge. Hopefully, the motel can receive and print faxes.” He sipped a container of coffee and gave her a look. “If we get a signature. I’m not counting on it.” Thorpe shifted to face her. “Have you located the mine?”

  “It’s about twenty miles from here.” He wasn’t going to like the next part. “The property has a security gate and a long iron fence that blocks easy access. We can’t even get close unless someone opens the gate or we cross a ravine that likely has some water in it, and then hike a short ways.”

  “Well, shit.” Thorpe slammed his palm against the wheel.

  “I want to go in anyway.”

  He was silent for a long moment. “What about Crusher’s home? We’ve got the address. Let’s stop there first.”

  “No! I don’t want to warn him that we’re here.”

  “He probably won’t be at the house. So we can search it, maybe find a key to the gate. Or some evidence that will support a search warrant.” Thorpe shifted in his seat. “We might even find my ex-wife and son.”

  Now that she thought about it, Bailey liked the idea of breaking into the megalomaniac’s hideaway. “What if Crusher is there?”

  “We’ll strong-arm him into taking us to the mine.”

  Thorpe was ballsier than she’d thought. “It’s a plan.”

  She keyed the residence address into her phone app again and directed Thorpe to drive north on the main highway. They took a turn onto Sheep Canyon Road, the same exit she’d taken earlier on her way to the mine. After that, the routes were different, and fifteen minutes later, they pulled down a private dirt driveway that crossed a field before disappearing into a small grove of aspens. Inside the cover of the trees, Thorpe stopped and shut off the car. Bailey pulled out her binoculars and trained them on the rural home. No vehicle was in the driveway, but the small attached garage was closed, so she couldn’t be sure the house was empty.

  Movement inside caught her attention. She focused on the gap in the front curtains.

  “See anyone?” Thorpe asked.

  “Yes, but I’m not sure who yet.”

  A minute later, a woman passed through the living room. The quick glance revealed that she was young, dark-haired, and maybe Asian. “I think Crusher’s wife is in there.”

  “What do we know about her?”

  “She’s a techie too. She creates apps for mobile devices. No criminal record.”

  “But is she involved in the kidnappings?” Thorpe was musing out loud,
rather than asking her directly.

  “Maybe we should go find out.” Eager to get moving, Bailey opened her car door. “I’ll do recon first, if you’d like.”

  “We’re in this together.” Thorpe reached for his weapon under the seat, climbed out, and holstered it under his jacket.

  They jogged to the edge of the grove and looked around. Nothing but an open space between them and the house. A building off to the side looked like an oversized shed with a smaller structure nearby that could be a well house.

  Bailey said, “The woman passed through the living room both times I saw her, so she’s not hanging out there. And it’s the only room with a direct view of us.” She turned and grinned at Thorpe. “Let’s just go for it.”

  He didn’t argue, so she took off running across the field, a flat area of short wild grass that was starting to turn green. Thorpe sprinted after her. They stopped at the porch and stepped gently onto the wood platform. Training kicked in, and they both flattened themselves against either side of the front door. The house and its occupant remained still. The woman hadn’t heard them. Bailey gestured that she would move around to the side of the house. Thorpe nodded.

  A wide dirt path surrounded the exterior wall, so no landscaping got in her way. The house and yard looked like they had been neglected for a long time. Bailey rounded the corner and spotted a bay window that jutted out from the main wall. She eased up next to it and listened. The faint sound of keyboard clicking seeped through. After a moment, the woman muttered something foul. Bailey listened for a full three minutes and heard no indication that anyone else was in the house. She took a quick peek through the window and didn’t spot any weapons or danger signs, so she moved back to the front door and signaled that they should knock.

  Thorpe rapped on the door, then jumped back again. Muffled footsteps came toward them across the living room.

  “Who is it?” a young female voice called out, sounding wary.