Divine Justice

I-'

He shut up as Annabelle shoved her ID in his face. Alex did the same. 'Trimble,' she began, 'you're not going to print one syllable of anything having to do with this matter.'

Trimble said in a defiant tone, 'Don't think you can intimidate me.'

'We're not trying to intimidate you, just give you a fair warning,' said Alex.

'Warning, about what?'

'If you print your story and something happens to our guy, your butt will end up at the Castle.'

'The Castle? What castle?'

' Leavenworth.'

' Leavenworth? That's for military crimes. I'm not in the military.'

'Actually,' said Alex, barely able to conceal a smile, 'it's also for national security crimes. And just for the record, you're anything I want you to be.'

'What about the first amendment?'

Reuben towered over him. 'What about the second amendment?' he said menacingly, the pistol in his belt clip clearly visible.

'I… I mean, uh, nothing, nothing.'

Annabelle hooked him by the arm. 'Trimble?'

'Yes?' he said shakily.

'Go home. Now! Before you get hurt.'

The journalist nearly shot out of the room.

She turned to Tyree. 'I think it's time we go to see where a bottom turns into an ass.'

CHAPTER 71

TYREE LED THE WAY in his patrol car with the van behind. About a quarter mile from the farm he pulled off and the van slid in behind him.

Getting out of the car, he said, 'We'll make the rest of the way on foot. Don't want to spook anybody. We got time before the miners come.'

They threaded their way through the woods until they came to the outskirts of the farm and set up an observation post near the house, which was dark. Abby's pickup truck and the Mini Cooper were parked out front.

Tyree said in a near whisper, 'There's another back road into the farm that leads to an old barn. We should probably post some folks there too just in case.'

Reuben, Harry and Caleb headed that way following directions Tyree gave them.

Both groups hunkered down and waited. And waited some more.

Finally, Alex checked his watch. 'Four in the morning. I don't think it's happening. Maybe they don't transport every night.'

Tyree stretched his limbs. 'They killed Shirley so maybe they postponed the shipment.'

At that moment Harry came hurrying up to them.

'Did you see anything?' Alex asked excitedly.

'Not a person, but we did see something. Come on.'

They hurried after him. When they reached the spot where Caleb and Reuben were waiting, Harry pointed to the woods at a spot right across from the entrance to the barn. 'You can see somebody's gone crashing through there. Brush and low tree limbs all busted up.'

'Let's follow it,' said Tyree, taking the lead. He pulled out a flashlight and slipped another off his belt and handed it to Alex.

'Never worked with a fed before.'

'It's sort of a first time for me too, Sheriff,' Alex said wryly.

They came to a dirt road in the woods.

'Look,' said Annabelle.

It was Joe Knox's truck.

They ran to it and looked inside.

'No rental docs,' said Tyree. 'Any idea who it belongs to?'

Annabelle glanced at the others, her thoughts moving rapidly. Does this have nothing to do with the drug dealers? Has Knox gotten to Oliver, killed him already? But why would Knox's truck be here then? Has Oliver killed Knox?

'No,' she said.

Tyree saw the bloodstains in the woods a bit later. 'There, and there, and over there,' he said, making stabbing motions with his light.

'That's not good,' Caleb said quite unnecessarily.

Annabelle's spirits sank further. It seemed like one of the men had been hurt or killed. But which one?

They followed the trail across the road and up the slope. There were more bloodstains here. They moved across some more ground and then stopped. There were lots of footprints in the soft mud and more dark stains. Annabelle's gloomy expression changed now and she became more alert. As they followed the marks they came to a spot where it appeared as though the people had marched in lockstep.

'Or carrying something. Or somebody,' Alex deduced.

They followed the trail back down to the road but at another spot. There were more dark stains here, and also what looked to be a slick of oil.

'It looks like someone was put in a car or truck,' said Harry.

'A truck,' noted Tyree. He flashed his light on the asphalt. 'Tire ran over some of that oil and left a mark. That's a tire tread from a truck. Maybe we can track it that way.'

As the edges of the night began to lift around them they hustled down the road, desperately looking for more clues.

Reuben was the first to see it. 'The truck cut across here.' He pointed to the smear of oil on the road. 'And went into that field.'

They rushed into the open space. It was quite easy to see the ruts the truck had made in the soft earth here. As they got to the middle of the field, Alex swept his light in a wide swath.

Harry said, 'Stop. Hold it right there.' Alex did so and Harry knelt down and grazed his hand along the top of a long depression in the dirt.

He looked up. 'That's a mark from a chopper's skids.' He eyed Tyree. 'Who has a chopper around here?'

Tyree's light was square on this mark, his features were very grim.

'Tyree, does anybody you know up here have a chopper?' Alex said, tugging at the lawman's arm.

'Yeah,' he said slowly. 'My damn brother.'

There was a buzzing sound. Tyree reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone.

'Tyree?'

The tall lawman's legs buckled. 'What? When?'

Annabelle said, 'What is it?'

'I'll be right there.'

He clicked off and looked at the others.

'What is it?' Annabelle demanded again.

'That was a fellow I deputized to look after Abby Riker. He just came to.'

'Just came to?' Alex said uneasily.

Tyree was already rushing back to the road. 'They've got Abby,' he yelled.

CHAPTER 72