Текст книги "Jack Taggart Mysteries 7 - Book Bundle"

Автор книги: Don Easton

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Текущая страница: 118 (всего у книги 141 страниц)

chapter forty-three

Jack wrapped an arm around Lily and helped her to the door and peered outside. Big Al’s SUV was parked at the bottom of the steps leading up to the porch. He could also see the other SUV with the snipers parked at the spot from where they had killed the iguana.

With the sun setting in the west, he knew he was facing south. From having been in the yard earlier, he also knew the only road he had seen came from the south, ending at Casa Blanca. Leaving on the road would take them closer to the snipers, who were to the southwest.

He hoped there was another way.

“There are bad guys on that far hill,” said Jack, as he pointed. “I’ve got the keys to the car at the bottom of the steps. We’ll keep low and make a dash down the steps. The SUV has tinted windows, so if they don’t see us, once I start to drive they might think it’s their own guys leaving.”

“Where are the rest of the guys?” she cried, looking around in panic.

“I don’t have time to talk. We gotta go.”

Jack crouched, not letting go of Lily’s waist as they scrambled down the stairs. Once there, the vehicle blocked them from the view of the snipers.

So far, so good, thought Jack. He saw his own sandals near the bottom of the steps where they had fallen off earlier. He put them on before opening the driver’s door and pushing Lily inside. “Sit on the floor and stay below the dash,” he ordered.

Jack started the engine and pulled away. As he drove, he sat low in the seat and leaned toward the middle of the vehicle. He hoped if the snipers tried to take him out that they would aim for the windshield directly in front of the steering wheel. It left him in an awkward position, but he was still able to grip the steering wheel with both hands while eyeing the snipers’ SUV on the far hill.

When no shots came after about half a minute, he handed Big Al’s cellphone to Lily and gave her the number to call Adams. “When he answers, tell him who you are and that you’re with me,” he said tersely. “If they start shooting at us I’m going to need both hands to drive.”

In the tunnel, the loss of lights was only temporary. Berto still had the flashlight he had taken from the kitchen drawer earlier. While he and Sanchez examined Big Al and believed he had died of a broken neck, the two mercenaries were each using their own cellphones to alert the security teams outside. The teams on the American side were also called to cover the border in the event Jack tried to drive cross-country.

As Jack told Lily the numbers to dial, he saw a figure emerge from the SUV on the hill and hustle around to the other side of the vehicle to join the other man who was looking out over the hood of the vehicle. He knew they were likely using the SUV to steady their aim. They know …

“It’s ringing,” said Lily. “Is he near here?”

“How the hell …” Jack stopped, trying to control the panic he felt and said, “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Where should I tell him we are?” she asked, bringing her head above the dash to look around.

“Stay down!” yelled Jack.

Jack didn’t want to tell Lily he didn’t know where they were. Her body was shaking uncontrollably and her voice was shrill with panic. He wanted her to keep it together in the event they ended up ditching the vehicle and making a run for it.

“I’m sorry,” she cried, ducking back down.

“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have yelled. Tell him we’re driving southbound toward a paved highway from Casa Blanca.”

“It’s ringing, but nobody is answering,” cried Lily.

Damn it, John! Where are you? Answer!

Seconds later, Jack drove out of the hollow where Casa Blanca was situated and it gave him a better view as he scanned the area. His first thought was to turn around and drive over the rough terrain to the border. He knew it had to be close as he had been told that the tunnel was two miles long, but also remembered Big Al saying there was as much security on that side.

Jack realized that not only would the men on the American side know the layout of the land, but by the time he tried to drive the distance over rough land, they would have a reception waiting for him, while the men on the Mexican side closed in behind.

He tried to remember when he was blindfolded as to what happened when they turned off the highway. He remembered the vehicle stopping almost immediately as Sanchez spoke to someone who was obviously providing security. Was it the same guys who are on the hill looking down at us? It wasn’t long after when we reached Casa Blanca …

He looked to the east. The land was rugged and he did not see any roads, but a reflection from the sun on a far-off hill told him there was likely a security vehicle there.

Jack clenched his jaw and continued to drive south while keeping a watchful eye on the snipers. They didn’t move and slipped from his vision for a few seconds periodically when the dirt road dipped in and out over a few small knolls.

“It’s rung, like, twenty times … he’s not answering!” said Lily.

Jack grabbed the phone, hung up, and pressed redial. Why haven’t they opened up on us yet? He saw that Lily had dialled the number wrong and quickly punched in the correct digits.

As the phone rang, he came over a small hill and saw another road branching off to the right. It looked less travelled and would take him directly in front of where the snipers were. Is this why they haven’t shot yet? Hoping I’ll turn off and drive by in front of them?

He thought it was an easy decision to stay on the road he was on. It also looked hillier up ahead and offered a few more hidden spots where he would temporarily be out of sight of the snipers … if he could make it that far.

As he approached the intersection, he grabbed the rear-view mirror, twisting it down and using it to see the road ahead while looking up from below the dash. He expected the windshield to explode with bullets any second.

His driving slowed, but he still accidentally hit the ditch, causing his vehicle to slide sideways. He sat up in panic and regained control of the SUV, but decided against trying to use the mirror to drive.

Adams clung to the tower, occasionally wiping the sweat from his eyes as he used his binoculars. “We got some activity,” he reported down to Rubalcava. “The guys at the ambush area beyond the fruit stand are out on the road talking. Looks like the truck that was blocking the road is pulling out. Probably coming back to pick them up.”

“Good. Maybe Jack is finished and on his way out.”

“Yeah, hope so,” replied Adams, refocusing the binoculars to look at the snipers on the far hill. “Fuck! What the hell is going on? The two snipers are out of their vehicle again. One has a sniper rifle laid across the hood and the other is spotting with binos.”

“Aiming where they did before?”

“Yeah … hang on, my cellphone is ringing.” Adams fumbled with the binoculars, not wanting to put them down as he watched the snipers. Eventually he looped one arm through girder and was able to use that hand to hold the binoculars while fishing in his pocket for his phone.

“Am I glad to hear your voice,” said Jack when Adams answered the call.

“Where the hell are you?” Adams’s voice was sharp with relief.

“I was hoping you would know. I’ve been burned. They know who I really am. I’ve got Lily. We stole Big Al’s SUV and we’re southbound from Casa Blanca on some dirt road.”

“There’s a sniper on a hill lining up on you right now!”

“I know. I see them. They’re to the southwest of me. I’m surprised they haven’t shot at me yet. Maybe they don’t think I see them and are waiting for me to get closer. Where are you?”

“Watching from a radio tower south of you.”

“I can’t see any tower.”

“I can’t see you, either,” replied Adams, swinging around to take another look toward the fruit stand. The group of men were setting up the ambush again, only this time in the opposite direction.

“I’m leaving a lot of dust behind,” continued Jack. “You should see something soon. If the sniper doesn’t pop me in another minute or two, I’ll be out of his sight.”

“Don’t come south!” screamed Adams. “A bunch of guys have set up an ambush. There is no way you could survive it.”

“Explains why the assholes on the hill haven’t shot at me yet.”

“You gotta turn off. Don’t come this way!”

“There’s a small hill up ahead. I’ll be out of the sniper’s sight. Guess our only hope is to try and drive overland to the east, but I know there is someone there, as well.”

“There’s a farmhouse to the east where the bad guys were. Also a road leading south from it. They’ll have a lot of guys there waiting for you long before you reach it.”

“Leaves us to try and sneak out on foot,” said Jack, as he glanced at Lily. The ground was splattered with small cactus plants and the ground was extremely hot. Lily was barefoot and he thought of shredding the T-shirt she was wearing and using it to wrap her feet, but he knew in her condition he would still end up carrying her.

“Christ, I’m coming in,” said Adams. “You two will never make it on foot on your own. Maybe I can distract their fire or something.”

“Not yet. You’re my eyes right now …” Jack glanced toward the snipers and saw that a hill was blocking his sight. “I’m out of sight of the snipers,” he reported. “Don’t know for how long.”

“I can see dust!” said Adams excitedly.

“Mine or someone else’s?”

“I hope yours. Coming from the same direction they took you down.”

So close, yet so far, thought Jack.

“Wait! The snipers on the hill are mobile!” yelled Adams.

“Where? Which direction?”

“Give me a minute … okay, I think they are moving east toward another hill where they were earlier. It will give them a view of the ambush.”

“How long will it take them to get there?”

“Five or ten minutes.”

“I’m going back. There was another road that went to the west,” said Jack. “I didn’t take it earlier because it would have passed right in front of the snipers.”

“They’ll see your dust. They’ll know you turned around.”

“It’s not like I have a choice. Here, meet Lily. I’ve got some driving to do,” said Jack as he handed the phone to Lily who was crouched under the dash.

Jack spun the vehicle around and drove back from where he came. The SUV bounced over the potholes as Jack wrestled with the steering wheel to keep it on the road. Twice it became airborne over small dips in the road. The first time it caused Lily to bang her head on the dash and drop the phone, but she didn’t complain, scrambling to pick it up again while wedging her body tighter between the seat and under the dash.

From the conversation Jack heard, he knew Adams was trying to soothe her.

When Jack approached the intersection, he saw another cloud of dust approaching from Casa Blanca. The men were obviously out of the tunnel.

Jack cranked the wheel and headed west, trying to keep his eyes on the road while taking occasional glances at the hilltop where the snipers had been parked moments ago.

“Tell him we’re westbound, but I have no idea where the road will take us,” said Jack, trying to keep his voice even so he would at least sound like he was in control of the situation. He estimated about three minutes passed before the white SUV from Casa Blanca sent up a wave of stone and dust as it turned on to the same road to follow him in hot pursuit.

Lily relayed back and said, “He says he can’t see your dust trail anymore. He is going to come down off the tower and head west on the highway and see if he can join up with us.”

“Good idea. Right now we’ve only got one vehicle chasing us. It would be nice to know what to expect farther up —”

A click sound came from the door panelling behind him and he swore to himself, realizing that the snipers had returned to the hilltop. Most people would presume being in a vehicle struck with a bullet would sound like you were in a tin can being beaten by somebody with a ball-peen hammer. In reality, a high-powered bullet, providing it doesn’t hit a cross-bar, passes through the tin on door panelling like it was made of paper and sounds more like somebody flicking their fingernail against metal.

Jack also knew the same was true for the human body. If hit, the head or body is not flung back like action sequences in a movie. The bullet passes through at such a high velocity, that for a person sitting hunched on the floor like Lily, the first indication she may have been hit could be her silence.

“Are you okay?” asked Jack anxiously.

“No! I’m scared,” she replied, turning to look up at him.

“Good,” uttered Jack, feeling relieved.

“Good? What do ya mean, good?”

“If you weren’t scared it would mean you were a moron,” replied Jack.

Lily screamed as the rear passenger-side window behind Jack exploded and the bullet passed through the front passenger side of the windshield, making a large, spider-webbed hole.

“Well I must be a fuckin’ genius, ’cause I’m really scared now!” Lily cried.

Jack didn’t know if she was intentionally being funny or if it was something she blurted out in panic, but he had no time to respond as he crested another rise in the road and saw it swerve sharply to the north. It gave him some relief as the dust trailing out from behind would act as cover. Some, but not completely. He heard another click in the roof above his head.

Seconds later, the road came to an abrupt end and Jack came to a sliding stop as the dust overtook and billowed around him. They were at what had once been someone’s home, but all that was left was a cement pad and a few concrete blocks from where the floor had been.

Behind the ruins was a gully zigzagging its way down from the hills and Jack had abruptly driven up to it. He estimated the gully to be about twice the depth of the SUV and about as wide as the length of an Olympic swimming pool. There was a dried creek bed in the bottom, but the gully was far too steep for him to drive in and out of. Even if he made it to the bottom of the creek bed, there were too many boulders, rocky outcrops, clumps of brush, and collapsed creek banks for him to attempt to drive along it.

Jack glanced to his left and right. To go overland would make them like slow moving ducks at a carnival … only with trained sharpshooters who could pick off their body parts as they pleased.

The gully itself contained enough hiding spots that it would take four or five men to form a line to clear it. But then what? Once we’re discovered …

The dust was settling around him and he knew the SUV from Casa Blanca would soon be upon them. A bullet took out his side mirror, prompting his next move. “Hang on!” he yelled, while stepping on the gas and driving nose-first into the gully.

The vehicle slid down the bank and came to rest with the undercarriage hung up on a boulder. It hadn’t quit rocking yet when Jack was out and helping Lily climb out.

“I’m okay. I think I can walk,” she said, still gripping the cellphone.

Jack considered telling her that walking was not really an option, but the sound of Adams yelling into the cellphone changed his mind. He grabbed the phone and said, “John, I ditched the wheels and am in a gully. Give me a sec.”

Jack figured he had about three minutes before the men from Casa Blanca arrived. I left these guys a false trail before … will they be tricked again?

“Head that way,” ordered Jack, pointing to the south.

If a person was careful, they could thread their way along the stones in the dried creek bed without leaving much of a trail. He was also hoping their pursuers would think they would want to head north to the border.

As Lily scrambled away, Jack followed her and purposefully dislodged a few fist-sized stones while speaking on the phone with John.

“You still there?” asked Jack.

“Yeah, I’m coming. I’ll find the gully and come and get you. I’ll bring you a piece and we can shoot our way out.”

Jack knew that anything but a small army would lose against the number of professionals they were up against. He glanced up at the sides of the gully. Talk about shooting fish in a rain barrel … but up above would be worse.

Jack grimaced as he stared at the cellphone. He knew John would risk his life for them without question.

“Did you hear me?” asked John.

“What the fuck is it with you Americans and guns?” said Jack, hoping his voice sounded angry and not scared like he really was. “Stay the hell away until I need you. I gotta shut the phone off or the bad guys will hear. I’ll call you when I need you.”

“What the fuck! If you don’t need me now, when the hell will you need me?”

“When I call you back. Until then, wait on the highway someplace to the south of me,” said Jack, before hanging up.

When Jack came to the first bend in the gully, he came upon a waist-high cactus plant. He ripped his back pocket off and was sticking it on the spines of the cactus when he heard the men from Casa Blanca arrive.

Jack saw that it was too far to make it undetected to the next turn in the gully. He grabbed Lily and took cover under a clump of dried brown reeds that hung over the creek embankment. It was only a couple of steps past the cactus plant from which his pants pocket hung, but it was the best spot he could find in the time he had available.

He jammed Lily in a prone position tight to the bank and crouched over her and tried to arrange the reeds to cover them. He knew it would only stand for a cursory glance before he was seen. These men were professionals. His hiding spot might remain undetected from above, but for anyone approaching from below, once they walked alongside them, they would be clearly visible.

If he attacked, he knew he would be shot, but if he succeeded in crushing the skull of even one of them, it would give him some satisfaction. He wrapped his fingers around a rock and waited.

Besides, being shot is better than being taken alive …

chapter forty-four

Adams climbed down from the tower and clamoured over the fence to his car where he updated Rubalcava on the situation as he drove. Moments later, they turned onto the highway and headed west. Several minutes later, Adams spotted a large culvert that ran under the highway. “Ya think this is it?” asked Adams.

“I don’t know,” replied Rubalcava. “Not what I would call a gully. Let’s drive farther.”

A ways down the road, they came to a dip in the highway that crossed a bridge over a more promising gully.

“This has to be it,” muttered Adams as they drove past and scanned the gully below.

“He wants us to wait in the car?”

“The asshole is trying to protect me. I’ll park and go in and find them. You better stay in the car. They don’t know me, but they sure as hell know you and your family.”

Rubalcava sighed and said, “No, wait. I remember a bridge on this highway, but I don’t think this is it. A little farther ahead there is a bigger bridge. Also, there are more gullies after that.”

“Christ.”

Two minutes down the road, Adams discovered that Rubalcava was right.

“What do we do?” asked Rubalcava.

“I don’t know. I guess we wait until we hear from him,” replied Adams bitterly. He found a place to park, opened the windows and shut the car off to listen.

Jack listened to the voices of the men as they looked down over the edge of the gully. He was hoping they would sound excited. Excited people make mistakes, but these men sounded calm. He heard one of the mercenaries give an order. Berto, Eduardo, and the second mercenary scrambled into the gully and he heard them yell back that the vehicle was empty.

Jack did not hear Sanchez and presumed he had been left to guard Casa Blanca. That leaves me with four trained professional killers … and more on the way.

Soon Berto yelled, “This way!” and the three men fanned out and started to move south along the gully toward their hiding place, while the mercenary up above moved along the edge of the gully with them.

Berto was the first man Jack saw come into view, quickly followed by one of the mercenaries. Berto pointed to the piece of cloth on the cactus and the two men approached to look at it. Jack only had a profile view of the mercenary, but Berto faced him directly and he stared into his scowling face.

Jack held his breath and was conscious of Lily doing the same. Berto was close enough that he could see the beads of sweat on his forehead.

The mercenary pulled the piece of cloth off the cactus as Berto took another step closer as his eyes scanned the creek embankment. Jack gripped the rock and tensed his leg muscles, ready to spring forth.

“It’s his back pocket,” said the mercenary. “The turned rocks … this … he has given us a false trail,” he said. He turned and yelled to the other men, “The other way. He has gone north, toward the border!”

Jack waited a full minute after they left before leaving the hiding spot. Any noise, a slip, or stones moving beneath their feet would bring them back. He helped Lily to her feet where she swayed and grabbed a clump of reeds for support.

“I’ll piggy-back you,” he whispered.

“I think I can walk,” she whispered back. “Just give me a minute.”

“In your condition you won’t be able to walk without making noise. Also you’d burn your feet. I’ll piggy-back you. In the meantime, no talking.”

Twenty-five minutes later, Jack lowered Lily to the ground and held his finger to his lips as he gestured to her to be quiet. “I need to rest,” he whispered, while listening intently to see if they were being followed. He did not hear the sound of anyone trailing them, but was rewarded by the sound of a truck passing by somewhere ahead of them.

Adams answered his phone on the first ring.

“We’re close,” said Jack, “and I don’t think we have any company. The problem is we’ve come to a fork in the gully. Tap your horn twice, will you?”

Adams did as requested and asked, “Did you hear it?”

“Yup. Sounds like I need to take the right fork. Shouldn’t be long.”

“I’m parked at the end of a bridge, pretending to change a tire. Hope it’s over the same gully.”

“Guess we’ll find out. I’m hanging up, but give me ten minutes and tap again.”

A few minutes later Jack called again. “Don’t bother to honk, we see you.”

“I’ll be right down,” replied Adams, when he spotted Jack waving at him in the distance.

“Think you should stay there. If we need covering fire you’ll be in a better position. Of course, I’m Canadian, what the hell do I know about gun fights …” Jack knew that humour was a good way to relieve stress and right now he could use a truckload of it.

As soon as he hung up, Lily asked, “Is it okay to talk now?”

“Yeah, I hope so. I think we’ve made it.” Jack knew it was a mistake as soon as he said it. Lily was able to keep her emotions in check when the stress was still on her because she knew she had to. Now she thought she was safe and let her emotions erupt by bursting into tears and sobbing. Jack lowered her and held her in his arms to comfort her.

“Can I phone my mom, now?” she pleaded.

“Sorry, not on this phone. It belongs to a bad guy. I don’t want them knowing your mom’s phone number. Wait until we get to the car and use John’s phone.”

Lily released her embrace and said, “And my boyfriend, Earl. He’s gotta be going out of his mind with worry,” she added, looking closely at Jack’s face.

Jack sighed and said, “Actually, John’s phone isn’t a good idea, either. We’ll need to keep it available. You’ll have to wait until we get you to the hospital.”

Lily stared silently at Jack.

“What is it?” asked Jack.

“He left me, didn’t he?”

“Did who leave you?”

“Please, what I have been through … what we have been through. Tell me the truth. One of the men who raped me said Earl took their dope money and split. He said they killed him a few days later. Is that true?”

Jack sighed and said, “Yes, it’s true.”

“So he was into dealing drugs, just like Marcie warned me,” said Lily, tearfully.

“He was a mule. Running money back to the cartel.”

“Did he even report me missing?”

“No. Your mom did that and Marcie told me about it. I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t be,” replied Lily bitterly, as her sorrow was replaced with anger. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about it. Marcie was sure right about the guy. Wish I had listened.”

Jack looked up and saw two vultures circling overhead. It gave him an uneasy feeling and he said, “We better get going. You can use John’s phone to call your mom,” added Jack, as he turned around and squatted to piggyback her again.

“I want so bad to talk to her,” said Lily, as she climbed on Jack’s back.

“I’m sure,” replied Jack, as he stumbled forward. “I’ve met your mom. She seems like a really nice lady.”

“She’s the best mom there is. I haven’t exactly always been an easy kid to get along with.”

“I don’t know. You seem like a good kid to me. I know you’re a hard worker.”

“Yeah? What makes you say that?”

“I’ve seen how you look after the yard. Looks great. A lot of kids wouldn’t make the effort you put into it.”

“Are you kidding? Mom makes me do yard work as punishment. I’m always out in the yard weeding or doing something.”

Jack chuckled, despite still being worried about their safety.

“I never thanked you for what you did,” said Lily.

“It’s okay.”

“You saved my life and, and … killing that guy who was … thank you.”

Oh yeah … that. “I need to put you down for a moment,” said Jack. Once he faced her he said, “Killed what guy?”

“You know … the guy who was … who was … you know, on me when you came in the room.”

“To shoot an unarmed man like that would be murder.”

“But —”

“Please listen to me. You’re suffering from deep shock. Your brain has blocked out certain things. What happened was I was there in an undercover capacity. They found out who I was and handcuffed me to a pipe in the laundry room.”

“I know. I heard them … and you, once, when you screamed.”

“Yeah, well, after that they left me alone. Then I heard a couple of the bad guys arguing about whose turn it was to rape you. First I saw a guy named El Pero walk past the laundry room and minutes later, another guy I don’t know went by with a revolver. It must have been him who killed El Pero. I picked the lock on my handcuffs when he returned to the kitchen and went into the bedroom to get you.”

Lily stared at him and Jack knew she wasn’t believing a word he’d said.

“But you had the gun in your hand. I saw it,” she said.

“It was empty. No bullets. Guess that is why the guy left it. I didn’t know until after I picked it up.”

“You’re trying to tell me you didn’t shoot him?” she said, incredulous.

“Under the circumstances, not only would I not have been allowed to shoot him, if I actually did shoot him, I might be returned to Mexico to face charges for murder. You would be called as a witness, as well.”

“Oh my God … for real?”

“Yes, a damned good chance of it.”

“But the other men who were there – what will they say?”

“They’re not going to come forward and say anything. It would be admitting their part in the smuggling operation as well as kidnapping and assaulting you. Besides, they’re bad guys. Who could believe anything they say? The basis of truth will rest upon the statements you and I give … providing you never give a different account of anything to anyone else.”

Lily nodded and said, “Now I understand, but, like, for a statement … I want to make sure I say the right thing.”

“I want you to say the right thing, as well.”

“So after some guy shot El Pero and left, you came in the room and told me to wait and went back to where they were?”

“Yeah, well, first I heard the man who did the shooting get in a big fight in the kitchen with a guy named Big Al.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so.”

“Okay, it’s coming back to me now.”

“Good. Then a truck showed up to unload cocaine and I snuck into the kitchen and stole a set of keys off the counter when the men were down the tunnel hauling the dope away.”

“Then you came back and got me and we ran out of the house.”

“Exactly.”

“Okay, I think I’ve got it now.”

“Good.”

“So, to clarify everything, you and I weren’t hiding in the closet when some guy was praying over the body in the room and later was screaming he was going to kill you because you killed his nephew?”

“Nope. I never hid in any closet … let alone kill anyone.”

“Okay. I guess I didn’t hide in a closet, either.”

“Good.” Jack gave her a sideways glance and added, “It must have been two other people who were hiding in the closet.”

“Yeah, it must have been,” smiled Lily. It was the first time she had smiled in twenty-one days and nineteen hours.