by Tanya Stowe
Demoralized, he climbed out of his cab and stomped through the almost knee-high snow. All of his efforts were for nothing. They’d blown away the lock of the door like it was paper. The lights were still on. The fire had burned to embers and Dulcie was gone. Her computer and files were missing too.
All of his fears settled over him like a frigid blanket. He had no idea where to go...where to look. She would disappear into the network they had been operating right under his nose. He’d failed...again.
He slumped to the stone hearth and hung his head. He should have known he would fail. All he’d ever wanted was to help people, to make a difference. And yet, he could not even save the most important women in his life. He was no hero. Never had been. The hope that had sprung to life inside him, the wish that maybe this time, he could make a difference, sputtered out and died. All of Dulcie’s words about God’s grace and the riches waiting for them were just words. If God existed, He was the same uncaring, unresponsive Creator Austin had come to know. He gripped his head as tears filled his eyes.
Dulcie didn’t deserve this. She shouldn’t have put her trust in him. But she had.
The words spilled out of him before he could stop them. “Lord, if You’re out there. Help me help her. Don’t let her be another victim.”
No answering words came to him. No voice in the wilderness gave him courage. Shaking his head in disgust, he jerked off his hat and tossed it onto the sofa where it landed with a whoosh.
The edge of the cushion where his hat rested was tilted up, caught on its neighbor. He bent lower. Tucked beneath was a piece of paper, which he jerked free. It was a page from Dulcie’s notepad with the words Pierce’s properties at the top and two addresses below. Was this the connection Dulcie had been searching for, the places where the ring hid the kidnapped women? Inspiration struck and he pulled out his phone. He still had no reception but that last call he’d received had been from Dulcie. He was certain she’d called to tell him of her discovery but she was cut off. Still...she’d had enough presence of mind to hide this note from her captors. Hope and pride surged to life inside Austin.
If Pierce was the leader of the gang, then Benally and Carson were most certainly headed his way for help. If they all wanted to escape, their only option was to go through Silverton where they could wait out the storm and then go over the pass to Ouray. That had to be the direction they had taken...the place where he’d find Dulcie!
Austin strode to his broken door. After dragging a kitchen chair behind him, he secured the portal against the wind. Then ran through the stinging snow to his Jeep. The engine turned over. Austin said another silent Thank You. He wasn’t sure if he was praying or if God would even answer. He only knew he was thankful. He spun the vehicle around and headed for the road.
Travel was slow going. Every mile was a struggle and with each one he gave thanks for getting another step closer to Dulcie. After what seemed like an hour, he saw the flashing lights of the police department’s blockade on the other side of the road. They were stopping anyone from traveling down the mountain. But there was no blockade on his side. He was free to move forward. He hesitated for one moment, wondering if he should alert them. But his uncle’s words about Pierce’s connection to the local police department floated through his mind. Pierce had a strong influence in this small community. Austin didn’t know how strong or how deep that influence went with the police. He couldn’t trust them. He drove on, determined to reach the location of the closest cabin. If he didn’t find her there, he’d go to the next and search until he did.
He drove through the almost empty streets of Silverton. Only a few cars were out and about. Just beyond the outskirts of the small mining town turned tourist-and-artist haven, Austin slowed. The road to the first cabin was close but it was difficult to find it when it was covered with at least three feet of snow. He had no cell phone reception to check his GPS but he had a map in his glove compartment. He could find it on the map, backtrack and estimate his mileage if necessary. He traveled a few more miles down the road until finally, afraid he’d missed the turnoff, he pulled to the side.
The storm had created a whiteout. Few people were driving but if he stopped, he could not be seen and might be hit. He needed to pull far off the road to check his map. He eased close to a pine, its branches laden with snow, and reached for the map.
Deep in the forest in front of him, headlights flashed. He paused and squinted through the trees. A white truck twisted and turned down a side road right before his eyes. He punched the switch on his lights off and watched in amazement as the vehicle crossed in front of him. He leaned forward, squinting through the blinding snow. Sure enough, the front fender of the truck was crushed on the right side...the side that had been used to push him off the road. He couldn’t see the face of the driver but there was only one man in the cab.
Stunned, Austin leaned against the seat as amazement filtered through him. His descent down the hill...halting abruptly in a ditch before he went over the cliff, his Jeep’s engine starting again, backing out and climbing onto the road. The paper beneath the cushion and now...one of Dulcie’s kidnappers showing him the road to her location. Too many accidents. Too many perfectly shaped events to be coincidences. Was it possible God’s hand had been with him all along?
The vehicle’s driver paused at the road and turned onto the highway, driving right past Austin without even slowing. He never saw Austin parked to the side.
No way were these coincidences. God was guiding him...had been guiding him every step of the way. Emotions he couldn’t describe swept through him. All he could do was raise his gaze to the heavens.
“I’m sorry. I was wrong. I don’t deserve Your forgiving grace but thank You for leading me to her.”
He jammed the gear into Reverse, backed out and turned down the road. Keeping to the tracks left by the SUV gave him traction on the winding path. Always conscious of the minutes ticking by, Austin leaned into the steering wheel as if he could push the vehicle to go faster.
At long last, he glimpsed light through the trees. Hopefully, the howling storm wind would mask the sound of his Jeep. Still, he stopped far away and killed the engine. He could barely make out the frame of a window in a decrepit old cabin. Smoke curled up from the chimney and swirled in the windy gusts. He popped the Jeep’s door open and the smell of wood smoke drifted toward him. The wind caught the door and pulled it wide with such force, it slammed back against his shoulder. He turned away from the biting, icy pellets trying to shred his face. After easing the car door closed, he turned and trudged through the woods toward the cabin. He stopped behind a tree for a long moment, trying to decide what to do next.
The cabin appeared to have only one way in. He had no idea how many men might be inside. He prayed Carson and Benally hadn’t been joined by others from Pierce’s group. Thankfully, one man had driven away in the truck. A thought struck him. The missing man might be his way to get in. He pulled out his gun, checked his ammunition and moved forward.
He skirted the clearing in front so he could cross to the side of the building. Once there, he ducked around the corner and leaned into the cover of the building to escape the stinging snow.
Hopefully, the wind would be his friend. He took a deep breath and shouted into the gusts. “I need help out here.”
His ploy worked. The wind picked up the sound of his voice and muffled it until it was barely audible. He held his breath and waited. Had they heard his cry for help inside? Did he need to say it again?
Just as he took another breath to shout again, the door swung open. A square of golden light spilled out onto the snow but no shadow covered it. Whoever opened the door was being cautious and stood to the side. Austin groaned loud enough to carry over the wind and waited. After a long while, the shadow of a man edged out from behind the wall...a dark gun was in his hand, clearly etched in the snow.
What should I do? Rush him? Or
wait for him to step out? Austin’s whole body tensed and his pulse pounded in his temples. If he waited much longer, the man would grow suspicious and close the door again.
The shadow leaned farther out. Austin could tell by the movement of his dusky head that he was searching the line of trees in front of the cabin. Suddenly, a black object hit the man in the back of the head. He jerked and moaned then collapsed on the threshold. The object landed in the snow outside the door. It was an old-fashioned transistor radio.
Austin studied the lumpy shadow. No one ran to the man’s aid so Austin cautiously stepped out from behind the corner of the building. Bob Carson lay unconscious on the ground, half in the door and half out. His gun had fallen free from his lifeless fingers. Austin ran to the door, kicked the small pistol into the snow behind him and lunged into the cabin, his revolver poised in front of him.
Five frightened women, clinging to each other, stared at him from across the room. Dulcie stood beside a table a few feet away from them, her face drained of color.
“Austin! You’re alive!”
TEN
Austin stood before her. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t say another word. Then he shoved his gun back into his shoulder holster. In two steps he was in front of her, his arms around her, binding her close to him. He felt very much alive. She couldn’t quite believe it.
Reaching up, she touched his cold cheeks. “They told me you were dead.”
“Not yet. Thanks be to God.” He pulled her head down and buried his face in her hair. “And thanks to you. I found your note under the cushion.”
She smiled. “I should have known you were alive. God would not have given you to me only to snatch you away.”
He stared at her. His blue eyes dragged over her features as if he were memorizing them. At long last his gaze met hers. “I don’t understand the strength of your faith. But I want to. There’s so much I want to understand, but there’s no time. Benally could return any moment. We have to get these women...” He paused and studied the group still huddled on the floor. “All of these women into my Jeep and get out of here before he returns.” He paused. “Is that Susan Yazzie?”
“Yes, they’ve been holding her since Judy was murdered, holding all of them, moving them between the cabins here in Silverton. They knew we were looking for them.” She grasped his upper arms. “Pierce is their leader, Austin. I heard Benally and Carson talking. Benally is on his way to Pierce now to get a vehicle large enough to transport all of us once the storm clears. They know we exposed their operation and they’re running!” She hugged him tight. “We did it, Austin! We broke the ring.”
He didn’t seem to share her enthusiasm. He gave a quick shake of his head. “All that means right now is that Pierce and his men are more desperate than ever. We have to get away from here...someplace where we will all be safe until McGuire can get up here with reinforcements.”
“Can’t we go to the local police?”
“Not yet. Not until I can get word to McGuire about Pierce’s connection. I don’t know who he might be controlling in the local force.”
Fear that had spilled out of her at the sight of Austin crept back in. “Where can we hide until then? Susan is hurt and all of them are weak. They need food and water and most of all a warm place.”
“I think I have an idea. We just have to reach my uncle’s house. Come on. Help me move Carson inside.”
They hurried to where the man lay and dragged him inside. “Let’s lift him into the chair. I want to secure him so he can’t interfere while we load into my Jeep.”
Dulcie helped lift the man’s dead weight into the wobbly chair. For a moment Dulcie thought it would collapse beneath him. Austin had to reach out and prop him up. He looked around for some way to tie him up.
One woman stepped forward, holding the chain and the padlock. “Here, use these. Chain him to the wall like he did to us.”
Austin studied the chain then looked up into the face of the young woman.
Dulcie said, “Her name is Katharine. She lives in Cortez and she was taken two weeks before Kutchner killed Judy.”
With a grim expression and a nod, he took the chain from Katharine’s hands. “It’s good to meet you, Katharine.”
“Trust me, I’m thrilled to meet you, Deputy Turner.”
He turned back to his task and dragged Carson toward the hook in the wall. “It sounds like you all did a lot of talking before I got here.” He wound the chain around Carson, looped it through the hook and locked it in place. “That’s a good thing because there’s no time now for talk.” Finished, he looked around. “All of you wait here while I get my Jeep. None of you are dressed warm enough to walk down there.”
He started for the door and trepidation filled Dulcie. She grasped his arm. “Don’t leave us unprotected.”
Austin shook his head. “I kicked his gun in the snow. I don’t know where it is.”
He covered her hand with his own. “I’ll be back in moments. I promise, Dulcie. I’ll be right back.”
A slight smile wavered over her lips. “There you go again, instilling confidence, being the hero.”
Shaking his head, he said, “We definitely have to have a talk. The only hero around here is you.” Then he spun and hurried out the door. Dulcie pushed it closed against the wind but left it open a crack. She couldn’t bear to let him out of her sight. She braved the icy cold and stood in the opening, watching as he disappeared into the woods. She thought she heard an engine start, but it was difficult to hear over the roaring wind. Then lights flashed in the trees. Her heart leaped and she turned to the women. “Come on. He’ll be here soon. Bring the blanket.”
They hurried to her side. One of them wrapped the thin blanket around Susan’s shoulders. Another supported her good arm. Their kindness in the face of such misery and torture warmed Dulcie’s heart. One way or another, they had to get these poor souls to safety.
Austin pulled his Jeep as close to the door as possible and jumped out. Dulcie pushed the portal wide and the women piled out. Austin held the Jeep’s door open and pulled the chair forward. They climbed into the narrow backseat. Two of the smallest girls had to sit on the lap of the others. Once they were situated, he helped Susan into the front seat and slammed the door. As soon as Austin was situated, he turned up the heat. Warm air flowed into the vehicle. “Hold on. It’s going to be a rough ride.”
The first curve they took pushed Susan to her side. She banged her injured arm against the door and a small groan escaped her.
“Here, let me help.” Katharine loosened the blanket, folded it into a pad and placed it between Susan’s shoulder and the door. When they took the next curve, she grimaced but the pain did not seem as bad.
The road was barely visible through the sleeting snow. Several times the Jeep slid over patches of ice. Austin shook his head. “The pavement won’t be much better. Maybe we can follow the tracks Benally made on his way down. Let’s just hope we don’t see him coming back up.”
They made it into town, slipping and sliding all the way. The streets of Silverton were empty. All sensible people were safely ensconced in their homes. Austin eased to a halt at a cross-street stop sign, mainly to check the depth of the snow on the street ahead of them. No tracks crossed the path and the snow was deep. “I don’t want to risk getting caught in that. I’m going to back out and try another street.”
He’d just reversed the car and turned in his seat when down the road, a large black SUV passed where they had been moments ago. “Austin, look. Someone else is out driving and it’s a black SUV. Do you think it’s Benally returning with Pierce?”
Austin eased the vehicle back out of view. “There’s one way to find out.”
Leaving the vehicle running, he opened the door and hurried to the sidewalk and around the corner of the building where he peeked out. Soon he came running back. “I can’t be sure, but I think
Benally is driving. I don’t know who the other man is and...the SUV is definitely headed to the road we just came down.”
Dulcie was silent for one long minute. “Do you think they saw us?”
“No. If they saw us, Benally would have recognized my Jeep and headed our way.”
“How long before they find Carson and come back down?”
“I’m not sure. I just know we have to hurry.” He turned the car around and took another route to his uncle’s house.
* * *
Austin’s mind raced as he negotiated the dangerous Silverton roads. Black ice was everywhere, and keeping the heavily loaded Jeep clear of the drifts and patches took all of his concentration. He searched his memories, trying to remember the day Benally was arrested. Everyone at the station knew his uncle worked on the railroad. Austin frequently talked about his uncle’s adventures as an engineer on the steam locomotive line. Built in the 1800s, the narrow-gauge line ran from Silverton to Durango and was one of the biggest tourist attractions of the area. Austin tried to remember his conversations from that day. Had Austin talked about his uncle and his work? Would the criminal remember and draw the connection between them?
He didn’t recall his conversations for sure, but he knew he couldn’t risk hiding at his uncle’s home. They had to find another place, one that was warm and would shelter the women. He knew a place and hoped his uncle would agree.
At long last, he turned onto his uncle’s street. The small house sat on a slight incline above the road. Austin pulled to a stop and left the engine and the heater running. Then he dashed up the hill, slipping and sliding all the way, to pound on the door. Fortunately, lights were still blazing inside. His uncle was awake and he opened it very quickly.
“Austin...what are you doing here?” Uncle Butch stood in the doorway, his gray hair mussed, his flannel shirt untucked and fuzzy wool socks poking out from beneath his jeans.
