The Ninth Day (36 page)

“You looking for a weapon?” Roland said, his voice low. He stayed in his position crouched behind the driver’s-side door.

“You have an extra?”

Roland tossed Banner a keychain. “In the glove box.”

Banner located the proper key and opened the compartment. A gun case nestled inside. It, too, was locked, but the keychain contained the answer and Banner removed a Glock from the case. He checked and found it fully loaded. He tossed the keys back across the car.

“You see anything?” Banner whispered.

“Nothing.” Banner didn’t either. He reached up and turned off the interior light.

“No sense putting a spotlight on us,” he said.

Roland punched off the headlights. The resulting dark interspersed with moonlight made the smashed car recede into shadow. Banner stayed still, straining to hear the sound of a twig snapping or foot crunching on stone. His phone vibrated and lit the car’s foot well area when the screen sprang to life with a text message. It was from Sumner and said, “Heard shots, you OK?” Banner stared at the message. He retrieved the phone from the floor and hit the call button. Sumner picked up on the first ring.

“I’m outside that barn. They just ambushed your backup. An FBI convoy.”

“I heard the shots. Anyone left besides you?”

“About ten, maybe eleven. Any idea how many we’re facing?”

Roland looked over, a question in his eyes.

“It’s my man inside the barn,” Banner explained.

“I saw at least ten when I came in. I killed two in here, but La Valle got away. And Caldridge says the leaves in the barn have leprosy. She says to be sure not to do anything that might ignite it.”

He looked over at Roland, who was whispering into his own phone. When he was done he turned a grim look on Banner.

“Three more squads are hidden on the far side of the barn. We’re going to drive them forward, toward the barn. Get them contained and demand surrender.”

“These guys will never surrender. They’ll hole up inside that barn.”

“Fine. It’ll be their choice. Either they surrender or we take them out.”

“Caldridge says the leaves in the barn are contaminated with a fast-growing form of leprosy. Whatever you do, don’t burn the barn down. The smoke will sicken everyone in the immediate area.”

Roland looked aggravated. “Again, I ask you, do we believe her?”

Banner put his hands out. “They were here and not at the parking lot, weren’t they? So the information given by my people was correct. Can you run this plan without burning the barn down?”

Roland shrugged, irritation clear on his face. “We’ll do our best. Maybe we just blow it sky high. Burn it fast and quick.”

“Give me twenty minutes. Buy me some time to get them out before you do this.”

Roland shook his head. “You see that car?” He pointed to the smashed SUV. “I’ve got two men in there. We’ve got to get them out and to a hospital. That means we do this now.”

“Ten minutes, then.”

Roland hesitated.

“If it was one of yours in there, would you wait ten minutes if it meant saving his life?”

Roland rubbed his face with his hand. “Fine. You’ve got ten. After that we drive them toward that barn and either they surrender or we blow their asses to kingdom come.”

Chapter 43

E
mma finished tying up Carlos and frisked him, looking for spare ammunition. She found one cartridge, which she pocketed, and a switchblade. She grabbed his gun, a serviceable weapon with a filed-off serial number, and shoved it into her waistband after setting the safety. She strode to Vanderlock, flicked open the knife, and cut his bindings.

“That Sumner?” Vanderlock indicated Sumner, who was talking on his phone.

Emma nodded. “Yes.” Vanderlock rubbed at his wrists with his healthy hand while he looked at Raoul’s body. It lay face up, and the eyes remained open. A line of blood ran from the hole in the forehead.

“He’s a hell of a shot.”

Emma picked her way over to Raoul, bent down next to the hand that still clutched the gun. She pried the fingers off the handle.

“You with him?” Vanderlock said. Emma checked the gun’s clip while she thought about how to answer. Vanderlock’s question was understandable in light of the kiss he’d just witnessed, but she had no time to devote to considering why Sumner acted the way he did.

“I’m with myself,” she said. She handed Vanderlock Raoul’s weapon. He took it without further comment. “Wish we had more.”

Vanderlock nodded his agreement. “You hear those shots?”

Emma had. “Sumner says we’re surrounded.” While they talked, she watched Sumner lock the barn’s side door. He cut across the room and did the same to the large double doors at the barn’s middle, sliding a bar into place.

Sumner strode over to them. “Banner’s outside.”

Emma felt her spirits rise. “Thank God,“ she said.

Sumner grimaced. “The cartel ambushed an FBI convoy. Near as I can tell, we’re in the center of two concentric circles. First are the cartel members I saw, second the authorities.”

Sumner’s cell rang. He answered, and listened. Emma and Vanderlock watched him, and though his expression didn’t change, Emma knew him well enough to tell that whatever he was being told was not good news. He hung up.

“FBI’s running a pinch. They’re going to drive the cartel guys in this direction, then order a surrender.”

“La Valle would rather die than surrender,” Vanderlock said.

“They don’t surrender, the FBI is going to take them out.”

“Take them out how?” Vanderlock said.

“I imagine they’ll line up some sharpshooters.”

Emma paced back and forth, wishing she could run instead. She sorted through her mind the possible outcomes of the FBI’s pinch maneuver, and none left her, Sumner, and Vanderlock any room to get out of the barn and past the cartel. A worse possible outcome came to mind.

“These cartel guys get close, they’re going to want to hole up in here.”

Sumner gave her a serious glance. “The thought had occurred to me,” he said. “And the FBI is not quite buying the leprosy story.”

Now Emma was angry beyond her already extreme agitation. “Can I borrow your phone?” she said to Sumner, who handed it to her. She used it to access the Internet and typed in two words on a search engine. The results came back and she showed the screen to Sumner. “You tell Banner to show the FBI this.”

Sumner read from the screen. “Armadillos?”

“They’re natural leprosy carriers. Some carry massive bacterial loads in their system. It doesn’t hurt them and most people in contact with the animal don’t get the disease either, which is why I didn’t put it together right away.” Emma rubbed her forehead, where a headache was forming. “La Valle keeps a barn full of them, feeds them to his crew for strength, grinds their carapace into dust and uses it to line the compound. Said it acted as a magical barrier. He probably sprinkled it in the fields as well. I think the herbicide dumped by the DOD mingled with the ashes and triggered a virulent form of the disease.”

“I already told them not to burn the leaves, because I’ve seen what that does firsthand, but I don’t think telling them about the armadillos will stop the maneuver.”

“How much time do we have?” Vanderlock said.

“Ten minutes.”

“Generous of them.” Vanderlock sounded disgusted. “You got a plane nearby?” he said to Sumner, who nodded.

“About a mile north. On an improvised runway. A runway set up by a guy La Valle controls, actually, who’s currently sitting in jail on a parole violation.”

“We have two vehicles. The ambulance and the motorcycle inside. What if we just drive the thing right through the doors and out?” Emma said.

Sumner walked over to the ambulance, looking at the walls. “Some rounds might pierce this.”

“Let’s line them with the bales. Might add another layer.” Emma strode to one of the bales of marijuana and lifted it. Vanderlock reached her side and helped toss it into the back of the ambulance. With Sumner’s help they tossed in three more, placing them in two stacks and leaving a center section open.

“I’ll drive it,” Sumner said.

Emma shook her head. “No you won’t. I will.”

“Not a chance. Whoever drives is at the most risk. Once they figure out what we’re up to, they’re going to open fire.”

“I’m not as good a shot as you are. And I’m pretty sure Vanderlock is better than I am, too.”

“Thanks for the overwhelming vote of confidence,” Vanderlock said in a dry tone. Sumner looked down while a smile played around his lips.

“You guys will have to be prepared to cover me when they disable the ambulance. I’ll run it on the rims if I have to, but when it stops it’s done,” Emma said. Sumner opened his mouth to argue. “I’ll sit below window height and maneuver it that way. Will give me some measure of protection.”

The last seemed to mollify Sumner a bit. “Okay. But I’ll ride along, shoot from the passenger window. You cover the rear?” Sumner said the last to Vanderlock, who nodded.

“And if they do manage to kill the ambulance, I’m going to drive that motorcycle right out the back.”

“That should be a last resort. At least the walls of the ambulance give you some protection. Once you’re on that cycle you’re completely exposed,” Emma said.

“Agreed. Only as a last resort.”

“Then let’s go.”

Emma ran to the table and grabbed a heavy hammer that she could use as a weapon and headed to the discarded tote. She fished out the bottle of the investigational antibiotic pills and emptied it into her hand. She shoved the handful into her pocket. On her way back to the ambulance she passed Sumner, and overheard him talking to Banner.

“Just tell the FBI not to shoot at the ambulance. I don’t want to get clear of the cartel and then face another round.”

Emma reached the driver’s side and checked for the keys. They weren’t hanging in the ignition as she expected. Vanderlock appeared next to her.

“You know where the keys might be?”

“In Raoul’s or Mono’s pocket? I’ll get them.”

Emma moved the driver’s seat all the way back and crawled into the space between the wheel and the seat, checking to see if she could get below the window line. While wedged in between them, a pair of keys entered her line of vision.

“That is a beautiful sight,” she said to Vanderlock.

“Let’s turn it around to face out.” When they were in position, Vanderlock took a deep breath. “No time to waste.” Sumner walked to the passenger side. “You ready?”

Emma nodded. Then a thought came to her. “What about Carlos?”

“I dragged him to the side door and untied him. Told him that we’re leaving and he’s on his own. He said he’s not interested in us, but getting as far away from La Valle as possible,” Sumner said.

Emma nodded. “Then I’m ready.”

“I’ll open the barn door,” Vanderlock said. “Be sure to drive slow at first, give me time to jump in the back.”

A booming noise at the side door made Emma jump. “What the hell was that?”

The noise came again. Emma stood on the ambulance’s running board and looked over the bales of hay. The side door shivered with each hit.

“Someone’s trying to get in,” she said.

The hits started in a rhythmic pattern.

“They’re battering it down,” Vanderlock said. Sumner moved back around the ambulance, lifted his weapon, and shot directly into the door. The bullet pierced through the wood, and a man’s cry came from the other side. A hail of gunfire followed, punching holes in the door in a crazy pattern. Emma dove to the packed earth. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Sumner had done the same.

More gunfire came from the direction of the double doors in front of the ambulance and Sumner crawled on his belly to the vehicle’s side. The double door shook when some large object hammered into it from the outside. Sumner reached the driver’s-side front wheel, rolled onto his back and fired up and into the door. A boom signaled return fire, but this time the bullet ripped a large hole in the heavy wooden double doors. Sumner returned to his stomach and crawled toward Emma. Vanderlock moved up to crouch on her left.

“That must be a fifty caliber,” Vanderlock said. He hovered at the rear of the ambulance, aimed and fired at the side door, where the banging had stopped briefly. Vanderlock’s shot resulted in another volley. Several bullets pierced the bales of marijuana stacked nearby. Emma saw a small wisp of smoke emanate from one.

“One of the bales is on fire,” Emma said. “We’ve got to get out of here, now.” More bullets peppered the double doors, shooting holes in the wood. Emma waved at it. “Forget about opening the door,” she said to Vanderlock, “I’m going to drive right through it.” She got behind the steering wheel, keeping her head low while she waited for Sumner and Vanderlock to take their positions. “Stay low until I clear the door,” Emma said to Sumner, who had made his way around the back and reappeared on the passenger side. He slid into the seat and bent his frame to keep low. A quick glance at the marijuana bale told Emma that she had no real choice. The small wisp of smoke had turned into a steady, upward column.