In for the Kill [Hawkman Series Book 9] (21 page)

"At least it's a bright ending for him.” Hawkman took a deep breath. “Now to catch the guy who took it."

"We should be able to get some fingerprints off the steering wheel and body, verifying Jack Hargrove is the culprit.” Ken pointed out toward the field. “The trail out there indicates they haven't been gone long. Wonder if we should send out a scouting party?"

"Probably won't be necessary. They'll be back. They haven't completed their mission. So there's no sense in trying to track them in the wilderness. I say we just regroup and wait for their return."

"Peggy thinks the shot fired earlier might have been a stray."

"My gut tells me it was Ray or Jack. They figured they'd made a mistake and the police would come down on them in droves.” Hawkman pointed at the jeep. “They didn't want to risk driving that little bugger any longer as it stands out like a sore thumb, so they decided to abandon it and take off for the hills. Both men know how to survive in the wilds. Their downfall will be not knowing the territory, but they'll camp near the stream for a few days and do nicely with the food they stole from Sue. Then they'll be back, and more than likely steal another vehicle and raid someone else's kitchen. It might be good to warn the community to contact you immediately, if anything's stolen."

"Good idea. Peggy and I'll make a few house calls."

The four strolled around searching for clues while waiting for the tow truck. They found an empty potato chip bag and wiener wrapper that indicated their villains had definitely been there recently. Ken stayed in contact with dispatch, and after a couple of hours, the big tow truck rumbled into the area. “Did you get instructions?” Ken asked, as they loaded the jeep onto the bed.

"Yeah, the chief told me to take it to the Medford Police Station. Detective Williams wants to examine the Willys before releasing it to the owner."

"That'll save time.” Ken backed away, and waved to the driver as the truck pulled onto the road. He then turned and motioned. “Hop aboard, ladies, and I'll take you to Peggy's Chevy."

After he dropped them off, Peggy made a U-turn and followed him back to the lake. Once they pulled into Hawkman's driveway, Jennifer turned to Peggy. “There's no sense in your keeping the place under surveillance. Jack and Ray will probably stay low for a couple of days. Take a break. We'll know when they're back."

"Okay, but if you feel uneasy at all, you let me know."

"I will."

After deactivating the alarm, Hawkman and Jennifer entered their house, where they found Miss Marple curled up in Hawkman's chair. She raised her head and gave them a big yawn.

He laughed. “See where she is? I told you the little stinker likes me better."

"It's because your butt is bigger and the cushion has a nice hollowed place. It fits her rather nicely, especially since she's grown so much."

Hawkman eyed the cat as she stood and stretched. “You're right. She looks almost full grown. Good grief, how large will she get?"

Jennifer shrugged. “I have no idea.” She placed her fanny pack on the counter. “Want something to eat? I'm starved."

"Me, too. What've we got?"

The next morning, Hawkman carried the portable phone to his chair by the window and dialed Bill Broadwell at the Agency. He punched on the speaker phone and as he talked, Miss Marple climbed into his lap. Giving her a couple of rubs, he moved her to the floor with his free hand and tossed a soft fuzzy ball toward the middle of the floor. She pounced on the toy, then knocked it close to his boot. When Jennifer entered the room, he made motions for her to get the cat out from underneath his legs.

"Yep, it's not a pretty picture, Bill. But right now, I'm interested in learning more about Ray Skokie."

"After talking with him about his dad, I'm shocked at this turn of events,” Bill said.

"Yeah, me too. What's his work record been like?"

"Good. Of course, he's not allowed in the field, but he's a damn good organizer. However, one of the managers told me the other day when I was questioning him about Jack, they were keeping a close watch on Ray. I didn't pay too much attention as I was more interested in his dad."

"Oh, yeah, why are they watching him?"

"I didn't get the whole picture, but got the feeling Ray's had a couple of assignments go bad in the past year. I'm going to talk with his manager again and find out more of the story. It might give us a clue on Ray's change of character."

"Also find out how long he's on vacation. I have a strange feeling he's not coming back."

"Sure you don't want me to send some men out there? Sounds like you're the center of attention."

"No, I don't think it's necessary. I have a couple of pretty sharp police officers working with me, and they know the region."

"Okay, I'll get back to you on this thing with Ray. Sounds like we'll be hunting for a new organizer."

"Yep, cause I have a feeling this guy's through with the Agency."

He hung up and when Jennifer entered the room carrying Miss Marple, he pointed at the cat. “That little animal can be a real pest."

She waved him off. “Don't forget, even though she's big, she's still just a kitten."

"You've got to teach her some manners. When I'm on the phone with business, I don't want to be distracted."

She raised her brows. “I see. How do I do that? I don't think she understands the word, ‘business'."

He picked up the newspaper and hid his grin behind the pages.

Several uneventful days passed, then one evening Hawkman came in from outside and closed the drapes. Jennifer glanced up from her computer, fear in her eyes. “What's happened?"

"Ken dropped by to tell me a report had come in from Lawbacker's ranch hand. One of their pickups is missing. Appears Jack and Ray have returned."

Her shoulders slumped. “I prayed they'd just keep on hiking and disappear. Or maybe a mountain lion would eat them."

"I don't know how they'd expect us to drop our guard when they come back into this territory and steal a truck."

"They probably figured if they hiked far enough, they'd find a vehicle no one would miss for awhile."

"Appears they discovered it's pretty desolate out there, with just a few homes scattered among the hills. I imagine they scouted out a vehicle before they left, just in case nothing showed up on their trek. They're planners. And what worries me now, is wondering what they've got in store for me."

"Did Ken give you a description?"

"Yeah. A green pickup with a small camper shell."

Jennifer stood and put a hand on her hip. “How in the heck do they figure to hide it?"

He plopped down on one of the bar stools. “I have an idea they won't be driving it much, only out of necessity. They'll park it in a secluded place and use it as their base camp."

She walked around the bar and sat down facing him. “Okay, so what are they going to do about food? You know they're bound to have used up what they stole from Sue."

Hawkman chuckled. “I forgot to tell you. Apparently, they did their job during the day while Karen was at work and Hank out in the field with the dog. They picked the lock on the back door, stole most of the food out of the pantry and stripped the refrigerator of its contents. Even though Ray and Jack are both crack shots, and there are plenty of deer, rabbit, squirrel and birds in the fields, I guess they wanted the easy way out.” He raised a finger in the air. “Oh, yes, and Ken said they also stole a camp stove off the back porch. Jack and Ray now have all the accommodations of home. At least they won't set off a forest fire with abandoned embers."

Jennifer raised her hands in the air. “I can't believe these men are so bound and determined to make our life miserable."

Jack drove up the steep hill and chugged over the crest. “Damn, I think we picked the wrong vehicle. This thing has about as much get-up-and-go as a ninety year old grandma."

Ray leaned his elbow out the window and hung on as they bounced across the barren terrain. “I agree, but at least we'll have a place to sleep other than the hard ground. Let's hope the stove works."

"There's a nice grove of trees,” Jack said pointing. “It would hide the truck from anyone in the air and the creek is only a few yards away."

"Go for it."

Jack guided the truck around an upsurge of rock and avoided a good size drop-off as he wound his way down the hill. “I want to look it over first and make sure we don't end up camping under a hornets’ nest or over some varmint's home.” He threw the truck into park and jumped out. After surveying the inner parts of the trees, moving some fallen limbs, and kicking away some large rocks, he backed the pickup into the shadowed area. Making sure the vehicle was completely out of view, he killed the engine and removed the key. Chuckling he tossed up the ring and caught it. “Funny how people around here feel so secure, that they leave the key in the ignition."

Ray pushed open the door. “Nobody would want this pile of junk anyway. You could leave it on the streets of a busy city with the motor running and no one would take it."

They both laughed as they hopped out of the cab.

Jack walked to the rear of the truck, dropped the tail gate and opened the back door of the camper shell, then climbed inside. He slid open the small windows and closed the screen part. “This will keep out the mosquitoes, but let in some air.” He groped through the sacks of food they'd stolen. “Got a few items in here that should be kept cool. What made you take a jar of mayonnaise?"

Ray peered at him through the opening. “Got tired of dry sandwiches."

"Okay, before I implement my idea for keeping this stuff cold, let's fix us a bite out of this partial package of baloney."

The men sat on a big boulder near the stream and ate.

"Now, that was a feast,” Ray said, rubbing his stomach.

Jack stood and stretched his arms above his head. “I think I've got an idea that will keep this stuff from spoiling. And also keep the bears from tearing up our sleeping quarters."

"Yeah?"

Ray followed his dad back to the camper and watched him pull the sheet off the small mattress. “We don't need this with our sleeping bags.” He tore it in half, tied it into a satchel shaped holder, then dropped in the jars and a couple of wiener packages. He grabbed a small piece of rope lying on the floor, slung it over his shoulder, and headed toward the creek with Ray at his heels. “The water in the stream is down right cold. If I can find a good place to anchor this, it will keep everything nice and cool."

"Great idea."

They soon had the bundle submerged, tied to a big log and the top weighted down with a large rock. Jack stood, and dried his hands on his jeans. “Should do the trick. Now, let's see if that little stove works; otherwise, we'll have to gather some kindling."

Ray eyed his dad. “You act like you're enjoying all this camping. When are we going to talk about getting rid of Tom Casey?"

Jack strolled toward the pickup. “As soon as we have everything set up. We're only a couple of miles, as the crow flies, from his house. We've postponed it this long; a few more days isn't going to matter."

He removed the small stove and set it on the fender of the truck. “This is one neat little unit. It's for backpacking and can even be run on unleaded gas. Sure glad I nabbed a pan out of the woman's cabinet. If this works it will insure us a nice cup of coffee for breakfast.” He fiddled with the controls for a moment, struck a match and had the flare of a nice flame. Smiling, he turned it off, let it cool a few minutes, then returned it to the protection of the truck.

"Okay, Dad, you've got the campsite under control. So what's our next move?"

Jack sat down on a boulder opposite his son and gazed into his face. “You know you've probably lost your job by pairing up with me."

Ray nodded. “I'm sure Casey has already alerted my superiors."

"So do you plan on running the rest of your life?"

"This is the most excitement I've had in ten years. If we get out of here alive, I've got plans to leave the country. You're welcome to come along."

Jack sighed. “Why don't you take the truck and escape now. You're still young and have plenty of years ahead. You've done nothing to cause any problems yet, so you might even be able to get your job back. But if you kill or try to eliminate Casey, you'll be put into prison. Then your life's over."

"What about you?"

"I'm already in deep trouble. It's not going to matter what I do now. If I'm caught, I'll be put behind bars and left to rot, regardless."

"Well, I'm not leaving. You're not able to fight this guy alone. It'll take both of us to get him. And nothing will give me more pleasure than to see him squirming on the ground with my bullets in his gut. In fact, it would give me even more joy to hurt him just enough, so he'd suffer for the rest of his life."

In the shrinking light, Jack studied his son's expression. “You really mean it, don't you?"

"I've dreamed about it for years."

"It's strange, I never saw the sign of revenge in you, until now."

"I never wanted you to, but I dropped little hints for several years, because I knew I'd need your help."

"Then we better decide how we're going to do this deed, cause it ain't gonna be easy. And you're the organizer, so I'm going to leave the rest up to you."

Jack pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket. “This is of no use anymore. The battery's dead and I don't have a way of charging it. Too risky to use Casey's place, or for that matter, any home. I'm sure the people of the community have been warned about us by now. So harassment by phone is out. In fact, we're going to have to be careful, as people will be on the lookout for two shaggy looking mountain men. We'll have to keep to the back country."

Ray ran a hand over his chin. “Yeah, we must be pretty pathetic. You really look bad, like a weird monster with those green eyes of yours. They stand out like they're perched on a stick."

"I've got a couple of weeks’ growth on you,” Jack said, chuckling.

"A plan has been forming in my mind while we were camping in the hills. Let me lay it out and see what you think."