The next stage of the procedure was precisely the same each time. The sack of pellets was opened to reveal bags of whatresembled rainbow-colored pills. These bags of pills were placed in the plastic containers, the lids sealed and handed to other men dressed in protective gear. Using his zoom-lens camera, Raven had taken many shots of the procedure. After speaking to Special Agent Beth Katz at the Rattlesnake Creek field office, he’d discovered the pills were most likely to be street fentanyl or a concoction of oxycodone, fentanyl, and other opioids mixed with talcum powder or powdered sugar. The number of pills in each bag could potentially kill thousands of people. He didn’t need to be reminded that an amount of fentanyl the size of two grains of salt could kill a man.
He’d obtained more shots of the delivery, mainly to prove they were frequent and happened on different days. All his photographs were date-stamped and would be conclusive evidence of the unusual delivery. The records that he, Rio, and Rowley had collected over the last three months would show just cause for a warrant to be issued to search the property. He’d spoken to Kane about the difficulty of approaching a drug syndicate with only a few men when all of guards were carrying AK-47s. It would be a bloodbath. When he’d spoken to Agent Katz, she’d mentioned her partner Agent Styles’ experience in busting drug distributors. Due to the isolation of Black Rock Falls, the weather alone would pose a problem for the DEA to become involved, especially when FBI agents were within a chopper ride. Kane’s advice was to bring in FBI agents to assist in the takedown.
Raven parked alongside the fire road. He climbed out and the rush of cold air chilled his face. Snowflakes landed on his eyelashes and he brushed them away and pulled on his sunglasses. Once he walked away from the fire road, the brightness from the forest floor would be blinding. As a precaution, he’d been wearing his Kevlar vest since he left home and now he pulled on his backpack. Inside he had a few supplies and hiszoom camera. He checked his watch. The delivery would come by in the next ten minutes or so unless it had been delayed by the blizzard. He let Ben down from the back seat and rubbed the dog’s ears. Ben had a thick winter coat, but Raven had added his K-9 coat with the police logo written in yellow along each side. Being alone in the forest, anything might happen and sometimes having a trained dog by his side gave anyone planning to attack him pause for thought.
He headed through the trees to the location where he’d taken all the previous images, but this time, this new camera would give him close-up shots of the men’s faces and a better look at what was hidden in the sacks of horse pellets. These images would clinch the deal with the judge when they went for a search warrant. After walking for approximately ten minutes, he found the tree beside a huge boulder. He removed his backpack, took out his camera, and slung it around his neck. “Stay, Ben.”
The tree was easy to climb. It was an older pine with thick lower branches, which made great footholds. He climbed easily and made himself comfortable in the Y-shaped trunk. After attaching the zoom lens to the camera, he waited for the flatbed truck to roll along the driveway of the BW Ranch. The flatbed turned around and backed into the opening of a large barn. Men surrounded it in seconds, with their AK-47s slung over their shoulders. They stood around scanning the area in different directions as if expecting a raid. Uneasy, Raven frowned at the sight of them. The money involved in drug distribution was extremely high and these men would be paid a fortune to keep the delivery safe. They would stop at nothing to protect the man who employed them. Being up a tree, he had no cover or backup, and if he got into trouble, those men looked the type to shoot first and ask questions later.
He sucked in a deep breath. He had a job to do. Taking histime, Raven zoomed in on each of the faces of the men as they moved around, taking as many shots per man as possible. Next, he moved his attention to the truck. The driver had gotten out and was away talking to the man he knew as Bryce Withers. Usually, the driver went into the office and then came out a few moments later and climbed back in his truck. This time, Withers handed him a manila envelope, slapped him on the back, and followed him back to his truck.
Snow piled up on Raven and covered his beard, but intrigued by the new development, he took as many photographs as possible. He zoomed in on everyone’s face and detailed the complete process of the counting of sacks and removing the bags of rainbow pills. He’d also captured the license plate of the truck, which was a bonus as the last photographs he’d taken hadn’t been clear enough, but this time when he scanned through the digital photographs on the camera, he could make out the license plate as clear as day. After removing the lens from the camera and placing it carefully inside his pocket, the branch beside his head exploded and he lost his balance and slid down the tree. He grabbed at branches as shots rang out all around him. Bark and twigs pelted him as he descended the tree. Sliding down the last few feet, he fell flat into the snow.
He needed to get out of here now and find cover. The thick underbrush all around the clearing would hide his camouflage gear. Legs stiff from the freezing cold, he grabbed his backpack and belly-crawled into the musty darkness. Shots cracked in the silence above him. How had they seen him? Maybe the tree had moved and given away his position, but he could have easily been a bear. Even this late in the year, some still foraged for food. He grimaced. Some fools would shoot at anything. He waited, considering his options. Remain here, and if they sent anyone to check, they’d find him. He needed to move. Hewhistled for Ben, who was close by, sniffing under bushes and doing doggy things.
The dog returned with cobwebs and burrs stuck in his fur. He crawled on his belly beside him, tail wagging. Keeping the dog calm and not allowing him to alert to danger was a priority, so Raven rubbed Ben’s ears and stood slowly, keeping his back to a large pine tree. “What on earth have you been doing?”
Been sneezed and shook his head, blinking up at him with big brown eyes and a doggy smile that no one could resist. Raven bent to pluck out the burrs and brushed the snow from the dog’s thick fur. The shooting had stopped and he peeked around the tree, seeing nothing through the dense forest. Cold had crept into Raven’s bones. In this weather it would be easy to be overcome by exposure. He sipped from his water bottle. Under his jacket it had taken the heat from his body and water went down his throat in a tepid slide. “I figure we should jog back to the fire road.”
From high in the tree, he’d noticed an animal track that led in a more direct route than the one he’d taken this afternoon. He headed in that direction with Ben close on his heels. They weaved in and out of the trees, trying to avoid the large clumps of snow dropping down all around them. Raven’s heart raced as loud cracks pierced the silence like gunshot. Close by, frozen branches broke and tumbled down through the trees leaving great puffs of snow in their wake. When the temperature dropped this low, the forest became dangerous, not only for the risk of being caught in a snowstorm but also for falling branches that could break a person’s neck. The next second, a tree branch exploded not far from him, the damage from a high-powered weapon evident. “Go, Ben. Go.”
Having a few spare minutes to get back to his truck, Raven picked up his pace. Needing to get across a clearing to access the trail back to the fire road, he dashed from the safety of the trees and into the clearing with Ben close on his heels. A treebranch snagged his backpack, wrenching him off balance, and he staggered into the open. Without warning, the ground gave out beneath him and he fell into darkness.A bear trap.Time seemed to slow as he dropped. He tensed to greet the sharpened stakes set into the bottom. Above him, Ben whined and tore at the edge of the hole. The ground was coming up fast.I’m going to die.
NINE
At five after two, Kane’s phone rang. It was the snowplow driver who lived next door. “Afternoon. Is there a problem?”
“I’m not sure.”In the background Kane could hear a dog barking.“There’s a dog outside your office barking and turning round in circles. I figure it’s the K-9 that works with Deputy Raven but he’s nowhere in sight. A few people have gone to try and calm him down, but he ain’t letting no one near him.”
Kane’s stomach clenched. “Okay, I’ll be right there. Tell people to leave the dog alone and we’re on our way. Thanks for letting me know.” He disconnected and turned to Jenna, who’d been listening. “Something’s happened to Raven.”
“Let’s go.” She ran to grab their gear.
Kane knocked on Raya’s door and when she came to the door he explained and she gathered up the children and took them into her side of the house. He ruffled the boys’ hair. “You be good now. We’ll be back soon.”
“Let’s bake some cookies.” Raya waved him away with a smile.
Uncertain what they might be facing after Rio’s call about Raven investigating armed men receiving a delivery of horsepellets, Kane handed Jenna her Kevlar vest. “We’d better not take any chances as Raven was trying to get evidence on that delivery.” He dressed quickly and pulled on his snow boots and then dressed Duke in his waterproof snow coat.
“Ben wouldn’t leave his side if he’d been shot.” Jenna pulled the vest over her head and tightened up the straps. “He’s been trained to stay and give comfort and warmth, especially in weather like this. What is he doing in town? The BW Ranch is miles away.”
Kane collected their weapons from the gun safe and secured his holster. “Raven would have given him an order. That means he’s in trouble. Lock up and I’ll get the Beast.”
“Dave.” Jenna touched his arm. “He was climbing a tree, wasn’t he? Maybe we’ll need some ropes or gear. What if he got stuck somewhere?”
Considering Raven’s expertise in the forest, Kane shook his head. “I doubt it, but I’ll take a climbing harness with us just in case. There’s one in the truck.” He thought for a beat. It was so cold, being stuck in the snow could be deadly. “It wouldn’t hurt to take a couple of Thermoses of coffee. If he’s suffering from hypothermia, he’ll need something hot to drink.” He headed out into the freezing snowfall.
After wading through snowdrifts, he opened the garage door, stamped the snow from his boots, and climbed into the truck. He allowed the engine to idle for a few minutes before backing out and heading toward the house. White steam billowed out from the exhaust, creating great clouds around him in the snowstorm. It would take more time than he liked to get along the driveway in the thick snow. Moments later, Jenna came out and handed him two Thermoses. She pushed Duke into the back seat and then climbed inside. Kane headed along the snow-covered driveway, using the snowplow attachment to clear the way.
The highway outside their property had been recentlyscraped clean and a good coating of ice retardant had been spread, turning the white blacktop to rusty pink. He lifted the snowplow attachment and accelerated. A blinding-white landscape greeted them and they both reached for their sunglasses. Across the lowlands, snowdrifts had covered the fences, making it resemble a moonscape. In the distance he made out a herd of bison, with large clumps of ice hanging from their thick coats, making their way to higher ground. “I wonder if the bison keep moving to stay warm.”
“They seem to survive okay.” Jenna frowned. “They have very thick coats but it must be hard on the younger ones. The snow is so deep.”
As they turned into Main, Christmas lights flashed red and green along the façades of the stores and reflected in the snowfall. Mechanical Santas rang bells or waved and as they passed the park, townsfolk bundled up in bright colors worked on a Nativity scene alongside a red-nosed Father Derry. Everything looked so peaceful and happy, but Kane had come to realize over the years that peaceful and happy never lasted very long. When they arrived at the office, Kane buzzed his siren to clear the people crowded outside. He pulled into a parking slot and jumped out with Jenna close on his heels. “Stand back. Ben is one of our team.”
To his surprise the dog came right to him, grabbed his sleeve, and tried to lead him away toward the forest. “Where’s Raven, boy?”
Ben dropped his arm, barked, ran in the direction of Stanton Forest, and then ran back and barked again. Kane turned to Jenna. “He wants us to follow him. It will take forever and by the look of him, he’s been walking miles already.” He opened the back door to the Beast, took out a bowl and filled it with water for the dog. When it had been licked dry, he snapped his fingers. “Ben, get into the truck. Seek Raven.”
