Don't Back Down, page 28
“No comment.”
Then Agent Pickard stepped in.
“When the drop didn’t happen, why did you run?” he asked.
Lindy shrugged. “No comment.”
“Who were you running from?” Pickard asked.
“No comment.”
“Then let me make a few comments that might encourage you to reconsider your silence. We know you are a member of a human trafficking ring. We know you are the lure. The hunter. You lead innocent young women into traps and those women are never seen again. But we also know what happens to people within your organization when the deliveries are made, and what happens to those people when they fail. Who’s your boss, Melinda? You weren’t just running from the law. You were running from your boss because you left evidence behind tying you to Lili Glass’s kidnapping. Your boss doesn’t like loose ends, does he?”
Lindy looked at her lawyer, then back at them. “You don’t have anything but a few texts and the word of some hookers. That won’t stand up in court.”
“Oh, we have plenty. You weren’t your boss’s only loose end. Kevin Vanzant is dead.”
Lindy gasped before she thought, and then tried to cover it up.
“I don’t know anyone by that name,” she said.
“How about Dewey Zane?” Howard asked. “He killed Vanzant under orders, and he’s sitting in prison awaiting trial, given he lives long enough to get there. Your name is on the boss’s hit list, too, isn’t it? That’s why you ran. Emily Payne has been arrested. And now we have you, and don’t assume you’ll be safe in jail, because Danny Biggers was found dead in his cell in a federal prison and we’re still trying to find out who got to him. So you’re not safe. You’ll never be safe as long as your boss is still out there giving orders to tie up his loose ends.”
Lindy’s head was spinning. Oh my God, oh my God. He’s wiping out everyone connected to him, and he’ll walk away without a worry.
She looked at Holder. He nodded.
“I want a deal,” she said.
“You give us everything. Names, contacts. Money drops. The people who bought the women. The parents who knowingly bought stolen children. We want it all, and in return the judge will take your cooperation into consideration when you’re sentenced. It’s either that or a cell in hell.”
“One question,” she muttered.
Howard shrugged. “You can ask.”
“How did you find me?” Lindy asked.
“Your ex-husband.”
Lindy rolled her eyes. “Rance Woodley? I’d almost forgotten he existed.”
“Your ex-husband is an officer of the law. You’re involved in human trafficking right under his nose, and you forgot? You’re two kinds of stupid, lady, and that was your mistake, too,” Howard said. “Now start talking. We need your boss’s name. Where he keeps his records. Where he banks the trafficking money. Who else is a part of the ring.”
“I need to pee,” Lindy said.
“Then talk fast, because you’re not leaving this room until your confession and information is on record.”
“That’s not fair,” she whined.
“That’s probably what all of your victims thought when they got drugged and turned into prostitutes.”
Holder frowned. “You have options. Make a choice,” he reminded her.
Lindy chose to talk.
***
It was nearing 3:00 p.m. when Rusty’s cell phone rang. She’d been cleaning and rearranging the pantry for over an hour, and Cameron had gone outside with Ghost, and then went after him when the dog flushed something out of the bushes and chased it into the barn.
Rusty wiped her hands and then grabbed her phone from the table. “Hello.”
“It’s me,” Howard said. “Lindy Sheets talked. It’s Jack Barton. I’ll fill you in on all the details after we get there, but we’re still more than thirty minutes out, and we have info Barton just bought a plane ticket online to Malaysia. He may already be spooked. The last thing we need is for him to disappear like Lindy Sheets. I need you and Pope at the campsite ASAP. Detain him for questioning, and ask Chief Warren and some of his officers for backup. We’ll land at the campground.”
“Yes, sir,” Rusty said. She dropped the phone in her pocket and ran outside, calling Cameron’s name.
***
Cameron had Ghost by the collar and was already leading him out of the barn. The critter he’d cornered in the barn had been a porcupine, and Ghost had come close to having a mouth full of quills.
He was giving Ghost a talking to when he heard the back door slam and saw Rusty running out. He could tell by the tone of her voice that something was wrong. He turned loose of Ghost’s collar and shouted, “Ghost! Go home!” and started running, with Ghost leading the way.
Ghost met Rusty in the yard, and Cameron was two steps behind.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Howard called. Lindy talked. It’s Barton, and we have to get to Barton’s campground now. They think he may be planning to bolt. Howard and Pickard are coming in by chopper. They want us to detain him for questioning until they get there.”
“Then we’re going in armed. Meet me at the Jeep,” he said.
They both raced into the house, Cameron going one way, Rusty another. She came running with her cell phone, her coat unzipped, leaving her handgun and shoulder holster in full view.
Cameron was loading Ghost into the Jeep when she jumped into the front seat. And while he was speeding down the drive, she was calling Sonny Warren’s cell.
Cameron was already on the blacktop and flying down the mountain when Warren answered.
“Chief Warren speaking.”
“Chief, this is Agent Caldwell. I need backup.”
She began explaining what was happening, and by the time she hung up, Cameron was already in Jubilee and on the street heading out of town.
They were on the two-mile stretch leading out to Barton’s campground when they began hearing sirens behind them. “We need to get there before Barton knows those sirens are for him,” Rusty said.
Cameron tightened his grip on the steering wheel and stomped the accelerator. One mile passed. The wheels were humming. The scenery was a blur, and then the campground came into view and Cameron slowed down enough to take the turn.
Barton was outside, throwing suitcases into his SUV when he saw them, and the moment he saw Rusty’s face, he turned and ran for the office.
“He knows!” Cameron said as they skidded to a halt, but Rusty was already out of the Jeep and running with her weapon drawn.
“Shit!” Cameron muttered, and opened the door. Ghost bolted after Rusty before he could stop him, and the race was on.
***
Jack had his desk drawer open and was reaching for his handgun when Rusty leaped into the doorway, still running, with her gun aimed straight at his chest.
“Hands up!” she shouted. “Now!”
“Like hell!” Jack yelled, and pulled out his weapon.
He didn’t see the dog until it was too late.
Ghost cleared the desk running, hit Jack hard against his shoulder, then clamped his teeth into the side of Jack’s face.
Jack screamed out in pain as the gun went off.
Cameron crossed the threshold just as the gun discharged. He saw Rusty on the floor and for a second thought she’d been hit, until she rolled to her feet and grabbed Jack’s gun.
“I’ve got the gun. Call Ghost off!” she shouted.
Jack was screaming, “Get him off! Get him off!”
“Ghost! Down! Down!” Cameron commanded.
Ghost dropped, blood dripping from his jaws, awaiting orders.
Rusty took a deep breath, pulled out the handcuffs she’d brought with her, and had Jack on his belly and cuffed, facedown on the floor, just as backup arrived.
Chief Warren was the first one in the office, followed by three of his deputies.
“Jesus,” Warren muttered.
“We had a difference of opinion,” Rusty said. “Would you please call for an ambulance?”
“Absolutely,” the chief said, and stepped outside to make the call.
Cameron was still trying to wrap his head around watching the woman he loved chasing a bad guy with a gun. He’d heard the tales, but seeing her in action was startling.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “I ducked.”
Sonny Warren was back in the doorway. “Ambulance is on the way.”
“Thank you,” Rusty said. “There’s a chopper inbound. Make sure your patrol cars are out of the way enough for it to land.”
“Right,” Warren said, and waved a couple of his officers over to move their cars.
Jack was shaking from the pain. “I need to call my lawyer,” he kept mumbling.
“Does he know how to sew up your face?” Rusty asked.
“No, but—”
“Then first things first, hot shot,” Rusty said. “The EMTs will patch up your face. You’ll go for a ride with the good guys for a change, and then you get to call your lawyer.”
Jack groaned. He was getting too light-headed to argue and passed out from the pain.
Rusty felt Barton’s pulse. It was strong and steady. “He’s okay,” she said.
“I hear the ambulance. It’ll be here shortly,” Cameron said.
Rusty leaned against the desk and holstered her weapon, thinking finally this was over. Yet even as she thought it, something felt undone.
As the ambulance came nearer the siren got louder, and Ghost whined and stood up.
“Maybe you should put him in the Jeep,” Rusty said. “The place is going to be a madhouse.”
“Exactly my thought,” Cameron said. “Ghost. With me.”
Ghost looked at Rusty to see if she was coming.
Cameron sighed. “Ghost. With me. Come on, boy.”
The dog turned and followed Cameron out of the office, and then hopped back up into the Jeep. Cameron grabbed a bottle of water, poured some in a bowl he kept in the Jeep, and watched the dog drinking.
“Wash that blood out of your mouth real good, boy. That was a bad man you took down.”
Ghost was still drinking when Cameron locked the Jeep. He was halfway back to the office before he realized he was still carrying his rifle, and then shrugged and kept it with him anyway.
The ambulance was pulling into the driveway. It was the same team who’d come after Lili. Billy, Fagan, and B. J. Kelly. When Billy and Fagan jumped out with their bags and went inside, Kelly followed.
Rusty looked up as the medics entered, and saw the older man behind them looking in horror at Barton, who still lay in a growing puddle of blood.
“Is he dead?” Kelly asked, and then he saw the gun in Rusty’s holster and started toward her.
Three steps forward and he was in her face. “You killed him!” he shouted, then doubled up his fist and hit her on the jaw, knocking her unconscious. He grabbed her weapon and began waving it at everyone in the room. “Back off! All of you, just back off or I’ll kill her!” he shouted.
“Kelly! What the hell?” Warren shouted and pulled his weapon, and when he did, every officer with him did the same.
Now there were six guns all aimed at B. J. Kelly, and it didn’t seem to faze him.
Cameron came in the door, saw the guns trained on Kelly, Rusty unconscious on the floor, and B. J. Kelly with a gun aimed at her back.
“You don’t want to do this!” the chief shouted. “Put the gun down and we can talk.”
“She killed Jack. She didn’t have to kill him,” B. J. kept saying.
Every fiber of Cameron’s being went right back to war. The rifle was in his hands. He swung it up, aimed straight at Kelly’s shoulder, and fired.
Kelly flew backward, hitting a chair and then a file cabinet. The gun was on the floor, and Cameron kicked it out of the way as he scooped Rusty up in his arms.
“Now you can talk to him,” Cameron said, and carried Rusty out of the building.
“Williams. Get the gun,” the chief ordered, and then ran over to where Kelly was lying.
“I’m bleeding. Help me,” Kelly moaned.
The chief frowned. “You didn’t have to do this. Agent Caldwell didn’t even fire her weapon. Barton isn’t dead. He just passed out because Pope’s dog bit him in the face.” Then he looked up at one of his officers. “Call for another ambulance.”
***
Rusty came to as Cameron was carrying her out of the office. She saw a muscle jerking at the side of his jaw.
“What happened?” she asked, and then felt pain in her jaw. “Who hit me?”
“The ambulance driver, but I have no idea why,” Cameron said, then put her down long enough to open the door to his Jeep and sat her down inside.
Ghost poked his head between the seats and began licking her cheek where she’d been hit.
“Thank you, buddy, but I’m okay,” Rusty said, and stroked his head once to reassure him. As she did, she realized her gun wasn’t in her holster.
“My service weapon. It must have fallen out.”
“No. Kelly took it off you after he knocked you out. He thought you killed Barton. He was waving it all over the place, threatening to kill you.”
Rusty’s eyes widened. “Why would he care what happened to Barton?”
“Don’t know,” Cameron said.
Rusty frowned. “What happened to Kelly?”
“I shot him. He’ll live.”
And then she heard the inbound chopper and looked up above his head.
“The cavalry has arrived,” she said.
“They can pick up the pieces of this mess,” Cameron said. “As soon as you clear it with them, I’m taking you home.”
“I won’t argue with that,” Rusty said. “But I need to talk to them first.”
“Fine. But I’m right beside you,” he said.
Rusty slid out of the seat and leaned into his embrace.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said.
***
The chopper was coming in for a landing when Pickard looked down.
“There’s an ambulance on-site.”
Howard frowned. “Maybe it was called in with the backup,” he said, and then they were on the ground and he saw Rusty Caldwell standing near the office with Pope’s arm around her.
“Don’t shut down. We won’t be long,” Howard said.
They got out running, ducking their heads against the flying dust as they headed to the office.
“You missed all the shouting,” Rusty said as they arrived.
Cameron gave her a look. “So did you.”
Rusty shrugged. “He’s right. I was somewhat unconscious for a while. You’ll have to get the lowdown from Cameron and the police chief.”
Howard frowned. “Did you get Barton?”
“Uh, technically, Ghost got Barton.”
Pickard blinked. “A ghost?”
“Not a ghost. My dog, Ghost,” Cameron said. “Barton’s inside getting patched up. Ghost rearranged a little bit of his face.”
“Jesus,” Howard muttered, and walked inside, his eyes popping when he saw Barton flat on his back getting bandages on his cheek and another man bloody and unconscious on the other side of the room.
Barton was moaning and cursing. “You shot Bear. You sonsabitches shot my brother.”
Rusty froze. “Bear? Oh my God! The unknown man is Barton’s twin!”
Jack Barton heard her. “Yes, he’s my twin. We found each other through a DNA test site. He’s why I bought land here. Why I built the campground. So we could be together… And you killed him.”
Chief Warren toed the heel of Barton’s shoe.
“Well, it’s obvious you two are brothers. You both seem to be missing a measure of good sense. Kelly tried to kill a federal agent, thinking you were dead, when you were only dog bit. And you’re threatening and cursing a blue streak about your brother being dead, and he’s just unconscious from a shoulder wound. You need to stop talking while you’re still ahead,” Warren drawled.
Rusty moved into Barton’s line of sight.
“Chief Warren is right,” she said. “We already knew a man named Bear was responsible for getting Emily Payne and Kevin Vanzant sucked into your gang. And God only knows how many other innocent women he dumped in your lap. But we didn’t know who Bear was…until now. He was the last unknown, and you’re the one who gave him up.”
Howard waved an arrest warrant in Barton’s face and read him his rights, and then they pulled him up to his feet as the second ambulance rolled onto the scene.
The second EMT crew came running into the building, unprepared for the scene before them, then saw B.J. Kelly on the floor and raced toward him. They dropped to their knees beside him. One was cutting off his shirt to get to the wound, while the other paused long enough to ask, “What happened?”
“He tried to kill a federal officer is what happened. And when the son of a bitch comes to, he’ll be under arrest for his participation in a human trafficking ring,” the chief said.
Both Billy and Fagan were in shock. B.J. Kelly was their friend. He’d been the ambulance driver in Jubilee for years. To learn he’d been mixed up in something this ugly had them rattled to the core. They gathered up their equipment and stood up without looking at where Kelly was lying.
“Mr. Barton is all yours, officers. Good enough to travel,” Billy Jackson said.
“Plenty well enough to make the ride to a prison hospital,” Fagan Jennings added, and they left the site and headed back into town, leaving the two other EMTs working on stabilizing Kelly enough to transport him back to the hospital.
“I’m taking Rusty to the ER to make sure she doesn’t have another concussion,” Cameron said.
“Yes. Absolutely,” Howard said. “Good job, both of you. We’ve got this covered now. We’ll be in touch,” Howard said.
