Splitting Aces

by Carolina Mac

  “I’m not making anything up. Just thinking out loud.” He checked his phone for the time. “Where the hell is Travis with the dogs?”

  “Go get the first aid kit out of the truck, bro. My leg hurts like fuckin hell.”

  “Yep, sorry, Farrell. I should have done that by now.” Blaine took off running back to the truck. He returned moments later with the white metal box.

  “How we gonna get this big, fat asshole out of here?” Farrell pointed the barrel of his Remington at Kingsley’s corpse. “Nobody in their right mind will know where the hell we are.”

  “They’ll have to find out, then, won’t they?” Blaine jerked off Farrell’s cowboy boot and tried to shove his snug jeans up higher on his leg to look at the wound. “Can’t get at it from this end. Drop your pants.”

  Farrell grinned. “I was waiting for a hot chic to say that.”

  “Well, I said it first. Do it.”

  “Easy for you to say.” Farrell struggled to sit up, undid his fly and shrugged his Levi’s down over his hips.

  “Fuck, man, this looks nasty,” said Blaine. “Think you caught a few pellets too. Don’t know if we’ve got a big enough bandage to cover the hole.”

  “Improvise,” said Farrell, “and while you’re at it, make it stop hurting.”

  Blaine did his best to fix Farrell’s leg, but the rip in the skin was ragged and needed stitches. He shook two Advil out of the vial for the pain, and held them out to Farrell.

  “Got any water?”

  “Do I look like I’m holding a glass of water?”

  Farrell shoved the pills into his mouth and swallowed them dry. He made a face and then he was over it. “Shit, Blacky, I want to work the dogs and find Misty.”

  “Well, you can’t. Be happy you’re alive and miserable enough to sit there and bitch about not doing it.”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  Blaine’s phone rang.

  MISTY HEARD SHOTS. “Somebody is shooting back the way we came, Hoo. Do you think Blaine came looking for us?”

  Hoodoo wagged his tail. His eyes were cloudy, and he needed food desperately. How much further could he walk?

  “Let’s go back towards the shots and see if the police came to find us. Can you do it?” She knelt beside her dog and hugged him. She tried not to cry, but her tears had a mind of their own. She gripped her necklace and buried her face in Hoodoo’s fur.

  BLAINE CALLED LOPEZ in Austin and filled him in on what had happened.

  “You’re telling me Kingsley is dead?”

  “Had to kill him. He was shooting at us with a shotgun and Farrell got hurt.”

  “He shot Farrell?”

  “Yep. Kingsley shot Farrell. A piece of the door went into Farrell’s leg and I can’t see if there are shotgun pellets in his leg or not. For sure he can’t walk.”

  “Shit. Tell me where y’all are.”

  “Can’t. Don’t know where we are.”

  “How the hell can I send help if you don’t know where you are?”

  “I’ll tell you the co-ordinates from the tracker map,” said Blaine. “Best I can do.”

  “I’ll forget you said that. Give them to me.”

  Blaine finished his call to Lopez and was hooking his cell back on his belt when he felt the sensation again. The warm shiver followed by the vibration in his chest.

  What in seven hells is that?

  He sat down beside Farrell and lit up smokes for both of them. “Have a smoke. Help is coming, and Travis will be here with the dogs any minute.”

  “What was that funny look on your face a minute ago?” Farrell zeroed the ice-blue eyes in on his foster brother.

  Blaine pulled a face and said, “Happened a couple of times since Misty has been missing. Three, if I’m counting, and I guess I am. Thought at first I was having a fuckin infarction, but I’m still kicking.”

  “Did it like… hurt?”

  Blaine shook his long mop of black hair. “Nope. Didn’t hurt. More like a warm laser with a vibration to it. Can’t describe it really.”

  Farrell’s lip curled up. “Do you know how fuckin weird you sound?”

  “Yeah, that’s why I didn’t tell an asshole like you.”

  Farrell chuckled. “Give me another smoke. I think the Advil might be working.”

  TRAVIS CAUGHT UP to the boys after four calls for directions. He parked the big F-450, jumped out and opened the back door to release the dogs. “Could you be any farther from civilization?” he hollered.

  “Wasn’t our choice,” said Blaine. He pointed at Kingsley’s dead body. “He wanted to die at his hunting shack. We just followed him.”

  “Who got him?” asked Travis. “Wish it was me.”

  Blaine hooked a thumb over his shoulder at Farrell, propped up against a tree. “Dead-eye got him. He don’t miss.”

  Travis strode over, leaned down and shook Farrell’s hand. “Nice work, partner. Before we work the dogs, I’m gonna take you to the nearest hospital.”

  Farrell shook his straw-colored mop. His hair had dirt, leaves and twigs in it from his roll around on the ground. “Ain’t going anywhere but to the truck. Y’all have to get on finding Misty before she fuckin starves to death. I’ll wait for Lopez and give him the lowdown.”

  “You sure?” asked Blaine.

  Farrell struggled to stand up and Travis gave him a hand. “Is that your snake-bit leg?”

  “Fuckin right it is. Already had a dose of trouble with it being stiffer than a cock at the peelers. Now, I’m in for it.”

  Travis laughed as he threw Farrell over his shoulder and carried him to Blaine’s truck. When he came back, Blaine was inside the shack with both dogs giving them Misty’s scent.

  “Farrell said we better take Maglites,” said Travis. “Be dark in a couple hours. How do we know if she was ever in here?” Travis scoped out the cramped interior.

  “Farrell asked me the same thing, and we don’t. But if he wasn’t holding her here, where was she all this time?”

  “Don’t know,” said Travis, “but if she was here, then her dog was here too. At the least of it, Red and Bluebelle will smell the dog.”

  “That’s a good thought.”

  Blaine left the dogs with Travis to sniff all over the shack while he went back to his truck for a few things. “You gonna be okay for an hour, bro? How’s the pain in your leg?”

  “I’ll be fine. Take your rifle. This is wild bush country.”

  “Yeah, I’ll grab it, and I better take water and power bars in my backpack. Wish I had real food to give Misty when we find her, but I don’t.”

  “Take this big bag of dog biscuits,” said Farrell. “Her dog will be just as hungry as she is.”

  “Yep.” Blaine shoved the bag of biscuits into his pack and slung it over his shoulders. “Lopez should be here soon.”

  “Stop worrying,” said Farrell, “The sidewinder bite was a hundred times worse than this pussy wound.”

  Blaine smiled as he walked back to the shack. “Ready?”

  “Yeah,” said Travis. “I think that’s long enough.” He came out the door with Bluebelle. He always handled her, and Farrell always handled Red. He handed Red’s leash to Blaine. “Let’s see what the beauties can do.”

  Outside, they slowly circled around the small building, letting the dogs take their time. On the second time around, Bluebelle raised her head and alerted.

  “She’s got something,” said Travis, “let’s see where she goes.”

  “Red wants to go in the same direction,” said Blaine, “They both can’t be wrong.”

  JESSE WAS AT THE BARN for evening chores when Sheriff Cumberland called. “Hey, Sheriff, got good news?”

  “Don’t know how good it is, but it’s news. Highway patrol saw the bike leaving Lexington. Didn’t have time to do much but wave goodbye.”

  “He didn’t give chase?”

  “Couldn’t, and he felt bad about it too. The trooper had a DUI in his vehicle, bringing him into the station.�
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  “At least we know Ogilvie is still in the area. Wonder why that is? Why wouldn’t he beat it for the border when he had the chance? Annie said he’s got friends in Mexico.”

  “Can’t say,” said the Sheriff. “The criminal mind is too deep for me.”

  Jesse smiled and ended the call.

  Why is Race hanging around? Is he waiting for Annie to take him back again? That can’t be it. He’d be arrested for the biker murders and he knows it.

  MISTY HAD TURNED towards the sound of the gunshots, and stumbled through the woods for an hour at least. Now the world had gone quiet and the bush was so thick she didn’t know which way to go. She sat down on a log and hugged Hoodoo. He laid at her feet and put his head down on his big paws. He was as hungry, tired and exhausted as she was. They couldn’t move another step. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

  I’ll just wait here until Blaine comes.

  BLUEBELLE TOOK THE LEAD. She had the scent and was keen to follow it, but neither Blaine nor Travis knew if it was Misty’s scent, Hoodoo’s scent or someone errant squatter who had spent the night in Kingsley’s shack.

  The boys tramped through trees, bushes and brambles, following the dogs where no human had gone before, or so they thought. How long had Misty been missing? Blaine had lost track. But if she escaped even on her second day in the shack, she could have covered a lot of ground since then and be miles away.

  FARRELL SAT in the back seat of Blacky’s truck with his bandaged leg stretched out and his eyes shut. He tried to sleep, hoping the pain would go away, but no such luck. The throbbing kept him wide awake. He kept checking his phone to see how long the boys had been gone. Almost two hours. An hour and forty-five minutes. “What time did Blacky call Lopez? It was about a half hour before they left. Over two and a half hours ago. How long did it take us to drive way out here? Can’t remember.”

  The next thing he knew, somebody tapped on the truck window. Lopez. Farrell tried to right himself and pain shot through his brain. He pushed down on the door handle and fell half out.

  “Blacky said you were hurt,” said Lopez. “What happened?”

  “Wood went into my leg when Kingsley blasted out of the shack. I think I might have caught a few pellets too. They need to be dug out.” He made a face. “Need stitches.”

  “Where’s Blacky and Travis?”

  “In the bush searching for Misty. They took the dogs.”

  “Shit,” said Lopez, “the woods are dense out this way. Unfamiliar territory for me.”

  “No kidding.” Farrell eased his left foot down on the sidestep and supported himself with a hand on top of the door as he tried to get out of the truck.

  “Stay there, kid,” said Lopez. “You don’t have to come with. One thing I’m good at is finding corpses on my own.”

  “Reckon y’all will want my Remington,” said Farrell. “That’s my baby. A gift from Annie the day I put ten out of ten in the bullseye. Make sure you take good care of her.”

  Lopez raised a black eyebrow. “You do the deed, Farrell?”

  “I was already down after the fucker shot my leg out from under me. Blacky did the work. Flushed him out towards me. I had the easy job.”

  “Some people, I’m talking law enforcement people like you, have a hard time dealing with their conscience after they’ve been forced to kill a suspect. Most have to go to counselling and what have you.”

  Farrell shrugged. “Kill or be killed, Detective. Maybe they ain’t had enough practice stay’n alive the hard way.”

  All my years on the streets keeping me and Neil alive must count for something.

  “Yeah, maybe.” Lopez motioned to his partner and they rounded the corner of the shack looking for Kingsley.

  Ten minutes behind Lopez, the troops arrived in a caravan of vehicles: Medical Examiner, Crime Scene van and an ambulance.

  The two paramedics, young guys in uniform, both with brown hair and blue eyes, examined Farrell’s leg. “Think there might be shot in there. You need to go to the hospital and see a surgeon.”

  “Can you just fix it up the best you can for now? There’s a girl and her dog been lost in the bush for days and she’s gonna be starved and in terrible shape. I want y’all to wait for her.”

  “When will she be here?” asked the one named Steve. He glanced at his watch.

  The corner of Farrell’s mouth curled slightly. “Can’t give you an estimate, Steve. She’s lost, and my dogs are trying to find her. See… she don’t know you guys are here waiting to save her life, but that’s what y’all are gonna do. Right?”

  “What if the dogs don’t find her?” asked the other guy—name tag—Mark.

  “Then she’s dead, ain’t she?” asked Farrell. “Got any water? I had to take my last pills dry.”

  “Sure, let’s get you into the ambulance and we’ll clean up your leg best we can. At least you can lie down with a blanket and be comfortable while we wait for the girl.”

  “Thanks, Mark,” said Farrell, “mighty nice of y’all.”

  THE SUN HAD SET in the west and twilight was rapidly giving way to darkness. “Don’t get dark on us,” said Blaine.

  “Bound to happen,” said Travis. “Happens every night.”

  “Fuck your humor,” said Blaine. “How far away from the shack are we?”

  “Feels like ten miles the way we’ve been struggling against the undergrowth and the uneven ground, but I bet it’s only three or four. If we were on a path, we would have covered a lot more distance by now.”

  “But it’s the same for Misty,” said Blaine. “How far could a weak, hungry girl walk?”

  “Don’t know, bro,” said Travis, “but I hope she didn’t get much farther.” He stopped and turned his head. “I hear water running. Let’s find it and give the dogs a drink.”

  “Time to turn on the Maglites. Good thing Farrell reminded me.” Blaine switched on the light and followed the gurgling sound. “Here it is. Tiny stream, but its moving fast. The water will be good and cold.” He stood beside Red and spoke to Farrell through the earwig while the big bloodhound lapped up a drink.

  “Found a stream and giving the dogs a drink. You okay?”

  “Yep, lying in the ambulance. I made them wait until y’all bring Misty to us.”

  “Good thinking. Have the rest of the crew gone?”

  “Techs are finished and gone. The ME bagged up Kingsley and took him away, but Lopez is hanging in. Misty is a kidnap victim and it’s his case. He wants to be here when you find her.”

  “Hope we find her soon,” said Blaine, “We’ve lost most of our daylight.”

  “Call out to her. Maybe her dog will hear y’all. Dogs can hear four times the distance humans can.”

  “I’ll try it. Thanks, bro.”

  HOODOO JUMPED UP and gave out a quick bark. Misty opened her eyes. “Did you hear something, sweetie?”

  Hoodoo whined, and Misty pulled him closer. “I’m so cold and I’m too weak to walk. Do you think they’ll ever find us?”

  Hoodoo growled low in his throat.

  “What is it?” Misty listened, and she heard it too. Whatever it was it sounded heavy. Clumping through the underbrush, breaking twigs and disturbing leaves, it was coming closer. Then it grunted.

  “Sounds like a big pig, Hoo.” She tightened her grip around the dog’s collar. “It might be mean. Don’t run after it.”

  Hoodoo growled louder and tried to wiggle out of Misty’s grasp. “No. I’m not letting you go.” Tears came, and she began sobbing. “If you leave me, I’ll die here alone.”

  With her left hand she clutched the pendant, closed her eyes and sent a mental message to Blaine.

  BLAINE STOPPED DEAD in his tracks. “Hold, up, Travis.” He rubbed his chest on the spot where the sensation was radiating from, and took in a couple of good breaths. “She’s not far away,” he said in a whisper. “I can feel her.”

  “You lost it, boss?” asked Travis.

  “Yeah, I think so,” said Blaine. H
e turned off the Maglite, shoved it into his pocket and switched it out for the rifle. Through the night scope, he searched through the branches, leaves and tall pines looking for movement. Any movement.

  The temperature had dropped so low, not even the owls were hunting or hooting. They never failed to scare the crap out of him when they hoohooed right above him.

  Bluebelle growled and lunged forward, jerking Travis into a tangled, prickly bush. Travis winced as a thorn pierced the sleeve of his jacket. “Shit, Blue. What is it?” He tightened his grip on her leash and he heard it. Snorting and grunting, the wild pig broke branches and trampled twigs as it rooted and foraged for food. “Wild boar, boss. Be ready. Mean spirited, they are. Might charge the dogs.”

  “Yep. I’m ready.”

  Travis shone the light ahead and Blaine chambered a round. The grunting grew louder as they got closer.

  “To your left,” said Travis. “I hear it but still don’t see it.”

  MISTY SCREAMED as she heard the boar charge out of the bushes, coming straight for her and Hoodoo. She couldn’t see it through the darkness, but she could hear it sputtering and snorting as it picked up speed. And she could smell it—the same way it could probably smell her.

  The dog jerked out of her grasp and ran at the boar, snarling and snapping.

  “Hoo, no. Don’t do it.” She couldn’t get up and she had nowhere to go to get out of the beast’s way. Her back was against a rock.

  She heard men hollering. “We’re on top of it.” She saw a bright light flash on the pig. “Take it out, Blacky.”

  Bang. Thump.

  “Hoodoo,” Misty screamed and that was all she remembered.

  “OVER HERE,” yelled Blaine.

  “Yep, I see her. Take the dogs, I’ve got her.” He handed off the leashes to Blaine.

  “Should we give her water and a power bar?”

  Travis shone the light on her face. “Can’t boss, she’s unconscious.” Travis picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. “Give the dog some biscuits. He’s got to walk all the way back to the shack.”