06 Uncovering Hidden Treasure (14 page)

******

When Stump returns to the ranch early the
next morning he is again afraid he is going to run into Samantha,
but when he enters the office she is nowhere to be seen. He
breathes a sigh of relief. As much as he wants to hold her in his
arms, he is dreading their first encounter after the way he treated
her when he left for DC. He wants that first meeting to be in
private if possible. Glancing around he says, "Hey Scoot, that
pickup never showed up at the mine last night. Where did it
go?"

Scoot says, "You're kidding aren't you? It
disappeared off the GPS map just like the bobtail truck before it.
You didn't see it enter the mine?"

Stump says, "No, it never came up to where we
have been watching the men go in and out. By the way, I recognized
several of those guys as working on the hotel construction. I think
the construction company may be deeply involved in this thing. Some
of those guys have worked for them for years,"

Scoot says, "I suspected as much. I am
confused about the truck though. Come look at the route on the
computer."

Stump watches the replay of the truck moving
up the hill toward the mine. It briefly stops at the cabin and then
proceeds toward the mine and then disappears completely. He says,
"I wonder if they didn't take that locator off the truck at the
cabin and take it into the mine by hand. What time did all this
happen? I have a log of all the people entering and leaving the
mine. Let's compare notes."

When they compare their notes, Stump has
logged a man entering the mine at exactly the same time the locator
disappeared off the map. Scoot says, "Damn! That means they knew we
put the locator on the truck and removed it. Do you think this mine
is a decoy?"

Stump says, "I think it's possible. How do
you think they figured out the locator was put on the truck?"

Scoot replies, "They must have someone
monitoring the trucks and picked up the second GPS when it was put
in place. That is the only thing I can think of anyway."

Stump questions, "If they can pick up our
GPS, why aren't we seeing theirs?"

Scoot answers, "It is my understanding that
several systems of this type exist and ours only monitors one
particular frequency. If we expanded our system I am sure we could
pick up their locators. Remind me to tell Pinky to expand our
system. If they already have locators we need to use them to our
advantage."

Pinky walks into the office and says, "Use
what to our advantage? Hey Stump, did you get back in time to say
goodbye to Sam?"

Stunned Stump asks, "Samantha left? Where did
she go?" His heart is pounding with fear and his stomach twists
painfully. Oh God, did he wait too long? Has she gotten over him so
quickly? He should have called her from Washington DC.

Pinky looks at Scoot questioningly and Scoot
answers Stumps query, "Sam is going to Glacier National Park on a
temporary assignment. She left early this morning. I'm sorry man, I
thought she told you."

Stump replies, "Oh, I see." Disappointment
floods his soul. He wonders what in the world is wrong with him.
Shouldn't he be happy, she's gone and he won't be running into her
accidentally? Then he tells himself, admit man, you wanted to see
her. Face it ... you want to do a lot more than see her. Why else
did you make that little purchase before you left DC?

Scoot says, "All right, let's brainstorm this
latest development and see what we can determine. Pinky, I want you
to expand our GPS system to include all of the possible systems
that exist. I believe these people are already using GPS and that
is how they knew we put our locator on their trucks."

Pinky nods and says, "That makes sense. I'll
get right on it."

Scoot walks over to the white board and
starts writing. His cell phone rings and after a few minutes he
says, "That was my contact at the park service. The man that
Jeffrey Whitmore replaced was transferred to Mt. Rushmore National
Memorial. An investigation does not show that he was involved in
the mining activity at all. That would explain why Jeffrey is not
in danger. The bar was closed when Jim Bradley bought it, remodeled
and reopened about six months ago.

All right, here's what we know for sure. One,
a large number of men are apparently involved in this operation as
documented by our surveillance of the supposed mine. Two, they are
obviously going through a very large amount of building supplies
but we have not actually seen them taking those supplies into this
location nor have we heard any noises that would indicate mining
activity at this location. Three, we have documented at least three
different trucks and five different men picking up building
materials from the construction site. Four, the truck last night
did not enter what we thought was the mine, in fact, it didn't even
go as far up the road as the location of the mine so the stolen
building materials must have been delivered to another location.
Five, the locator was carried into the mine last night by a man
carrying it in his hand."

Stump says, "I think we need a full
investigation of the construction company. I think their management
is involved in this. Don't you find it strange that they didn't
fire Jack Dempsey after he was arrested for kidnapping but allowed
him to continue with his job? That is not even taking into
consideration the large number of men that work at the construction
site that I saw going in and out of that mine."

Goose says, "That is strange. Most people
wouldn't want anything to do with Dempsey after he was released
from custody. I have a feeling his background makes him very
valuable to these people. I'll see what I can find out about the
company."

Bear says, "This whole situation makes
absolutely no sense to me. I want to have a look around that area
and see if I can figure out where that truck went. I'll assume my
mountain man persona and see what I can find out. I'm sure I'll be
able to find other hermits in the area."

When Stump found Bear in Montana, he was
living as a mountain man hermit in the woods surrounding Kalispell,
Montana for over thirty years.

Scoot says, "That's fine Bear, but be very
careful. Make sure you carry a locator with you. We don't want to
lose you too. I don't see any point in putting more of our locators
on the trucks if they are just going to remove them. Maybe once
Pinky expands our system we'll be able to follow their locators to
where they are delivering those building supplies."

Stump asks, "Has anyone checked the bar
cameras lately? I want to know if Zeke and Jeb are still hanging
around the area. I still think they are up to no good even if it
doesn't involve this mine."

Goose says, "The last time I checked they
were still hanging around Mel's. I know they made bail and aren't
due for trial for several months. As far as I know they are still
working at the construction site. Maybe they have to stay in the
area since they aren't from around here. They're probably hanging
around Mel's hoping Samantha will show back up at the bar."

Cold chills run down Stump's spine. Please
God, don't let them get their hands on Samantha. The fact that they
were waiting on her at her apartment the night she was kidnapped is
enough to convince Stump they want to assault her or worse.

When Sam arrives at Glacier National Park she
is very excited to be working again. She checks in at the ranger
station and is assigned to the main gate, day shift, so she heads
to her assigned location. In no time at all she settles into a
routine and as time passes is increasingly happy with her life. As
the days pass her deep depression about being rejected by Rance
Kincaid is fading and she is enjoying interacting with the tourists
visiting Glacier National Park. The only time it bothers her is at
night when her body still aches for his touch.

Then at the end of her first month at
Glacier, she is completely surprised when she heads to her car
after work and is grabbed from behind. A rag is placed over her
mouth and nose and she soon succumbs to unconsciousness. When she
wakes, her hands and feet are bound. She is lying in the backseat
of an extended cab pickup that is moving. She can't see the driver
and he appears to be the only other person in the vehicle. Her
heart is pounding with fear and she silently pleads, please God,
help me. Oh Rance, please, please help me. She repeats the mantra
over and over in her head.

******

Stump has just retired to his room for the
night and is indulging in a few short minutes reflecting on his
time in the cave with Samantha. Over the last month he has come to
realize that she is the one woman he has met that thoroughly
satisfies him physically. That is why he can't seem to get enough
of her. He aches with the need to hold her again and his heart
clenches every time he thinks about how cold he was that last day
before he left for Washington DC. He wonders if she will ever
forgive him and what he will do if she doesn't.

From what Scoot told him Samantha is
scheduled to be at Glacier National Park for several more months
and with the mining investigation they are involved in here, he
doesn't have time to seek her out in Montana. He will have to be
patient and hope and pray she will eventually forgive him.

Just as he is drifting into sleep he hears
her calling him as clearly as if she was lying in his arms. She is
pleading for him to help her. Oh God! Sam is in trouble. He knows
it as surely as if he were with her. A cold chill runs down his
spine and he sits straight up in bed.

What is he going to do? How is he going to
find her? He tries her cell phone ... no answer. Her GPS locator
... he has to check her GPS locator. He bounds out of bed and into
the office. When he brings up the GPS map there is nothing.
Damn!

He calls Scoot. "Scoot, Sam is in trouble! I
can feel her calling to me!"

Scoot says sleepily, "Stump? What are you
talking about?"

His heart pounding with fear, he says, "Look,
I know it sounds crazy but I can hear her calling to me, pleading
with me for help. Is there any way we can find out if she is all
right?"

Scoot asks, "Did you try her cell phone?"

Stump says, "Yes, she didn't answer. I also
checked for her GPS locator and it's not on the screen."

Scoot sits up in the bed and says, "Give me a
few minutes. I'll call Jeffrey Whitmore and see if he can contact
her supervisor at Glacier. I'll call you back." Scoot vividly
remembers how his now wife, Skye, appeared to him when he was
captured and lay dying in that prison camp in Central America. She
begged him to fight to live and to come home to her so he has no
doubt that Stump is hearing Sam call to him.

Stump is pacing the floor in the office
pleading with Sam to tell him where she is ... how he can help her.
He is begging her to hang on and pleading with God to protect
her.

He pulls up the cameras at Mel's Bar and is
relieved to see Zeke and Jeb sitting at their usual table. At least
they don't have her.

It is almost two hours before Scoot calls him
back. He says, "It's not good news Stump. They found Sam's purse
lying in the employee parking lot near the front gate at Glacier.
Her SUV is still in the lot. When they checked the security cameras
it showed a man in an extended cab truck throwing her into the back
seat and driving away. The cameras are black and white so they
didn't get the exact color but it is dark in color and has
California plates."

Stump says without hesitation, "Terrence
Wilbanks ... his truck is dark in color and has California plates.
They must be bringing her back here!"

"That is very possible but how did they find
out where she was?' asks Scoot.

"Jeffrey Whitmore?" proposes Stump.

"I guess that's possible too, but why would
he be trying to catch himself?" asks Scoot.

"Well, who else would have known where Sam
went from here?" asks Stump.

Scoot surmises, "Maybe someone in the office
that filed the papers?"

Stump replies, "That makes sense, a secretary
or something. That could also be how they found out about Sam's
degrees in archeology and geology. That means they probably know
Sam and Susie are the same person! It also means they knew we were
both plants from the very beginning!" His heart is pounding with
fear.

"Meet me at the helipad at dawn and we'll fly
that direction and see if we can spot anything," says Scoot. He
calls Bear and asks him to meet them at dawn.

******

Samantha is scared out of her mind. She
doesn't know who has kidnapped her this time or why. The guys must
be right. It has to be her archeology degree. If they are looking
for the lost mine, they might still be hoping she will help them.
What frightens her the most is that they know she is Susie.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have grabbed her while she was working as
a park ranger. If they know that much, what else do they know?

She can't see the man's face and she can't
hear anything he says when he's on his cell phone because he has
the music playing so loud in the truck. From what she can see, he
appears to be a large man with very muscular arms. All she can do
is pray and plead for Rance to hear her. She doesn't know where
they are headed. She thinks it is still dark but she can't tell for
sure because the windows on this truck are tinted so dark she can't
see anything through them.

A little while later Sam thinks she hears a
helicopter flying nearby. It might just be her imagination. She
prays it is the Drake Security team looking for her. Of course, she
has no way to know for sure. Then, the sounds fade and
disappointment flows through her. Of course, she knows it would be
nearly impossible for them to stop the truck traveling down the
highway. They would have to wait until it stops somewhere.