�I sure wish we had gotten hold of that rifle before it landed in the water,� T. J. lamented as they climbed out of the creek bed using a more gently sloping bank they had found a quarter mile from Warwick�s body.
Street patted T. J. on the shoulder, comfortingly. �I know,� he said. �We all do, but none of us could have foreseen what happened. When I lunged at him, it just flew out of his hands.�
�Sometimes our luck isn�t the best,� Luca agreed, utilizing a low-hanging branch as a handhold to help pull himself onto the higher ground, �but it isn�t anyone�s fault. They seem to have completely split up to search for us. A foolish thing to do, if you think about it. Still, it gives us a bit of an edge.�
�As long as we spot them first,� T. J. reminded him. �Obviously, they figured that they could cover more ground if all four of them separated.�
�We�ll have to keep alert,� Street said. His eyes fell upon the dog, which scrambled up the sloping bank behind her master, and shook the dust from her coat. �She can be helpful in warning us when they�re coming close, but she can also give away our position."
Realizing that he was talking about her, Midge looked up at with solemn brown eyes and gave an apologetic wag of her tail.
�We�d better get going,� Luca suggested. �At least one of those guys will be heading this direction.�
Keeping a wary eye turned to the foliage around them, they moved deeper into the forest in the general direction that they believed Bob�s ranch house to be, but the truth was, none of them knew for certain that they were headed in the right direction. No one spoke this grave concern, but it weighed heavily on their minds.
Midge, who seemed to understand that they were in danger and was no longer interested in seeking out game, walked at her master�s side, occasionally coming to attention to peer into the forest, nose twitching. Each time, her alert posture brought the humans to an abrupt halt, looking and listening for sounds of leaves crunching or of twigs snapping under a heavy boot or small branches and saplings being pushed aside as someone moved through it. After a few moments, satisfied that there was no danger, the dog would relax and they would proceed.
The forest soon became dusky beneath the canopy, and they knew they would soon lose the light. They had moved into curiously rugged terrain, filled with hills, bluffs, small ravines, and rocky precipices.
As they climbed the sloping ground, Street said, �Guys, I have a bad feeling we�ve wandered onto the public land behind Bob�s property. I can�t imagine this being part of his ranch.�
�I was thinking the same thing,� T. J. agreed. �I just didn�t want to say it.�
Luca trudged ahead of the others, having taken the lead through a particularly dense stand of trees and brush, and he listened quietly to the concerns presented by the other two. He was not particularly surprised to discover that they were probably headed in the wrong direction. Without the map and without the ability to see the sun�s progression across the sky due to the thick foliage, it was impossible to determine where they were going.
In the perpetual shade beneath the canopy, there was little grass on which to tread. Moss-covered rocks and cool brown earth was dotted here and there by wild orchids and clumps of wispy ferns which nodded gently as they passed. There was no path to follow, and Luca glanced frequently at the ground in front of him to avoid tripping over unexpected tangles of vines or rocks that jutted up through the soil.
The ground continued to rise subtly, and he knew they were steadily climbing. One more hill among countless other hills in the territory. He was getting tired, and knew that his friends were tired as well. They had been walking nonstop ever since overpowering Warwick. His feet were aching, and his throat was parched. The jugs of drinking water they had brought with them had been destroyed by the gunfire at the camp � all except the one that was still attached to Daisy�s pack-saddle.
I should have spent this vacation in Vegas! he thought, bitterly. But no, I let myself get talked into this wilderness nightmare! He sighed, heavily, feeling a bit guilty by his thoughts. Had he not been there with his friends, they would have been at an even greater disadvantage than they already were. Each man counted, and Street and T. J. would have been at greater risk without his presence.
The surface on which he was walking was rough, and Luca stubbed the toe of his shoe against the edge of a half-buried stone, bringing his attention back to the ground in front of him. Recovering from his trip, he discovered with a start that he was advancing toward the edge of a ravine. He stopped abruptly, observing the deep, rocky abyss that yawned in front of him.
The ravine was a rocky fissure, too wide to jump across. A few trees gripped a tenacious foothold on the very edge, and young growth had sprung up among the rocks and boulders along the steep sides below. It was beautiful and picturesque, but at the moment, it presented an impenetrable obstacle.
�Guess we can�t go this way,� he said.
Street and T. J. came up behind him, and they stopped and looked down at the deep ravine that yawned before them.
�Which way?� T. J. asked.
He pointed to his right. �I guess that way is as good as any.�
No one had any better suggestions, so they moved off to the right, following the edge of the ravine. They had not gone far when Midge suddenly stopped in her tracks and uttered a low growl, her attention directed down the trail behind them. Someone was following, footsteps heard only by her.
Their first instinct was to melt back against the rocks beside them, hoping that he would pass by in the vanishing light and never see them, but they all knew that if he walked in front of them, he would undoubtedly see them. The situation would be greatly in their favor if they took the upper hand and dealt with the man before he saw them.
The area was dense with undergrowth, and T. J.�s eyes fell upon a low clump of shrubs along the path behind them. �I�ll take him down,� he whispered. �When he goes down, you know what to do.� Turning to Midge, he commanded firmly, �Stay. Quiet.�
On his belly, the sharpshooter crawled beneath the shrubs and waited. Within minutes, he heard the crunching of leaves and twigs beneath a booted foot, and then soon after the man came into view.
Like the first one, he was large and muscular, and carried in his hands was the Tommy gun that T. J. wanted so desperately. He stopped a few yards from the clump of shrubs that T. J. was hiding under, and looked around, clearly searching for his prey. Then his eyes dropped to the ground and he examined the rocky soil for evidence that they had passed that way. Finding a paw print in the dust, he knelt down to examine it. It could be a coyote; they were abundant in that area. But more likely, it was the dog belonging to the intruders he was following.
He smiled with satisfaction. �Gotcha!� he muttered. Rising up again, he proceeded up the trail toward the rocky outcropping.
Suddenly, something grabbed him around the ankle and pulled, yanking him off his feet. He landed heavily on the hard, rocky ground with a thud and a grunt, and before he could recover, two men leaped from behind the trunks of large trees while a third, the one who had tripped him, snatched the rifle from his startled hands. An instant later, he was looking up the wrong end of the barrel of his own gun, and he instantly froze.
�Get your hands where I can see �em,� T. J. commanded in a voice that meant business.
Slowly, the man raised his hands in surrender, laying them beside his ears on the ground.
The other two men backed off, breathing heavily and staring down at him, but he was quick to notice that there was no fear on their faces. He was merely something that needed to be dealt with. He glared back, waiting to see what would happen next. The dog rushed up and sniffed at his boots, but he dared not try to kick her away. The comfort with which the man with the rifle was handling his weapon left no doubt in his mind that he was experienced, and that he might just decide to shoot if he moved.
Stepping forward again, Street and Luca roughly flipped him over onto his abdomen and stretched him out full length face down. Street knelt down with his knee pressed forcefully into their captive�s back while he and Luca twisted his wrists together. All the while, T. J, kept the muzzle of the rifle in the man�s face, the only thing that prevented him from struggling against his captors.
He glared up at them, lips parted and teeth clenched, revealing gaps where several teeth had been knocked out at some point in his life. The remaining teeth were stained yellow from tobacco. Obviously, he had seen a number of fights, but had rarely seen a dentist.
Still holding him firmly by one wrist while Luca held the other, Street fumbled through the man�s pockets, searching for something they could use to tie him up. To his surprise, he found a pair of handcuffs in the front pocket, and he held them up for all to see.
�Did these belong to the law officer you and your men murdered back at the pond?� Street asked.
They saw surprise flicker briefly in his eyes, silent confirmation, then was replaced by a harsh expression of rage and hate.
�We saw the body,� Street continued as he continued searching the man�s pockets. The only weapon was a long hunting knife in a sheath on his belt, which he removed and tossed aside. The walkie-talkie was also removed and tossed aside. �Obviously, you murdered him and threw his body in the pond to hide it. What happened? Did he get too close to your marijuana patch?�
Their captive continued to glare at them, but he remained silent.
Luca added, �It was you guys who barricaded the gap to try to keep people out, wasn�t it? I don�t know how long you were up here, but it was only a matter of time before you were discovered. Your little enterprise is on private property. You have no right being there.�
When their queries failed to bring a response, Luca and Street flipped the man over on to his back and dragged him to the nearest tree, positioned near the edge of the ravine, where they snapped the cuff on one wrist then wove the cuff chain around the trunk and snapped the other cuff closed on the other wrist. Satisfied that he was safely secured, they stood back to look at him, noticing the expression of sheer hate that glared back at them.
With the man securely bound, T. J. relaxed the rifle, but remained alert, ready to bring it into firing position again if circumstances warranted such a response.
�Who are you?� Luca asked.
The man spat at him. Luca watched the foamy saliva arch through the air and land with a splatter on the pebbles at his feet.
�Didn�t your mama teach you that spitting is an unacceptable method of expression to use in public?� Luca asked in a taunting fashion.
�Go to hell!� the man snarled.
�You first!� T. J. responded, raising the rifle into firing positing again and looking down the long barrel at him.
For a moment, everyone present thought he would shoot, and they all saw a trace of fear in the harsh gray eyes. Apparently their captive believed he was about to be shot, for he grimaced and looked away, not wanting to see it coming. Finally, he blurted, �All right! Don�t shoot! What do you want to know?�
�For starters, you might tell us your name,� Street suggested.
�Crowe.�
�All right, Crowe. My name is Street; this is Luca and McCabe. Who do you work for?�
�You cops?� Crowe asked.
Street lifted a curious eyebrow. �Why do you ask that?�
�The way you handle yourselves.� He jerked his head toward T. J. �The way he handles my rifle. He�s used one before.�
�Very observant. All right; we�re cops. S.W.A.T., to be exact.�
�What?�
�S.W.A.T. Special Weapons and Tactics. They call us in when they�ve exhausted all other means of apprehending criminals.�
�So you were up here looking for us?�
�No. We were up here on a fishing trip. We never would have ridden over to the other pond and found the body or your marijuana patch if not for the fact that the one near our camp has been emptied of fish. What happened there, anyway? Some kind of pesticide runoff that you�re using on your crops?�
�I don�t know nothin� about that. We never even been to that other pond until this afternoon.�
�So why did you go this afternoon?�
�We seen yer campfire last night and knew that someone was too close. We went to investigate, and decided to leave you a warning.�
�Your own special calling card, eh?� Luca asked.
�You might say that. We wanted to scare you off, but our boss said we was fools, that you might go to the cops and tell about the shootin�, so he sent us back to finish the job.�
There was no doubt in their minds what �finish the job� meant. �You�ve got a camp up there or something?� Luca asked.
�We live in tents on the far side of the meadow during growing season. Our job is to keep people away from the crop until it�s harvested.�
�Was it one of your men who came into our camp last night?�
�I don�t know what you�re talkin� about. We came down this afternoon to investigate the campfire. We didn�t get there before then.�
�So who was in our camp?�
�How should I know?�
�You don�t know of anyone else up here?�
�If I did, he�d be dead. Our employers don�t tolerate trespassers.�
�Have you forgotten that you�re the ones who are trespassing?� T. J. asked.
�This land weren�t bein� used for nothin�!� Crowe protested, as if that justified the illegal use of the land. �It�s good fertile land, just goin� to waste!�
�And it�s in a nice, out of the way location for conducting illegal business, right?�
�Who do you work for?� Street asked, repeating his earlier question that had never been answered.
Crowe looked nervous, and his eyes darted down the curving trail, searching for his co-workers, but no one was in sight. The three S.W.A.T. officers also glanced apprehensively in that direction, wondering if any of the other men were moving in that direction and might appear on the scene. So far, there was no sign of anyone else.
Turning his attention back to their captive, Street asked again, �Who do you work for?�
�They�ll kill me if I talk!� he protested.
T. J. leaned toward the the drug dealer, bringing the barrel of the rifle threateningly close to the stubbled face. �And we�ll kill you if you don�t?� he threatened.
Crowe�s eyes focused on the rifle, its black orifice mere inches from his face, and with surprising speed and accuracy, he lashed out with one foot, kicking the weapon from T. J.�s hands. The rifle catapulted end over end on the rocks and disappeared over the edge of the ravine, clattering and banging all the way to the bottom.
For several moments, the three S.W.A.T. officers stared in shocked disbelief at the edge of the ravine where the rifle had disappeared, listening to the sounds it made during its tumble down the ravine and the silence that followed. Midge crept up to the abyss to look over the edge, her ears lifted curiously as she looked down at the rifle, which now lay at the bottom.
Enraged at the loss of another rifle with which to defend themselves, T. J. snatched the hunting knife from the ground and pressed its sharp blade against its owner�s fleshy neck.
�I should slit your throat!� he threatened. His face was flushed with fury and his typically kind blue eyes were harsh and dangerously narrowed.
Crowe looked directly back at him and chuckled, nervously. �But you won�t,� he said, trying to demonstrate more confidence than he actually felt. �You ain�t got it in ya, boy. You ain�t like me. I�d�ve killed all three of ya without batting an eye, but you won�t commit murder. I seen yer kind before. Honorable men,� he spat as if the word was foul. �Honor won�t let you murder a man while he�s bound and helpless.�
T. J. was breathing hard as he struggled to control his temper, clearly tempted to plunge the knife into the man�s throat, but he knew that Crowe was right; no matter how infuriated he was, he was no murderer. Angrily, he elbowed his captive in the face, splitting his lip, then stood up and backed away, forcing himself to calm down.
Luca gazed at his partner with sympathetic eyes, understanding the immense frustration that the sharpshooter must have been feeling at that moment. �You okay, Teej?� he asked.
T. J. rubbed his hand along the back of his neck, as if nursing a headache, and nodded, still too angry to speak.
Crowe spat bloody froth from his mouth and laughed at him, mockingly. �See? Ain�t got it in ya. You fancy yerself bettern�n me, don�t�cha?�
�I would advise you to shut your mouth,� Street warned, his voice deadly quiet.
Apparently Crowe decided it might be prudent to follow directions, for he became silent, waiting to see what they would do with him. Apparently, that was on the minds of the three officers as they looked down at him.
�So, what are we going to do with him?� Luca finally asked the question.
�We have no choice but to leave him here,� Street answered.
Crowe tensed visibly. �Wait, you can�t leave me here!� He glanced apprehensively at the wilderness around him. �There�s wild animals around here! Even bobcats and cougars!�
�That�s your problem,� Street said, coldly. �You were right about one thing, Crowe. We�re not murderers. We follow the law that we were sworn to uphold. However, we can�t take you with us, so that means you have to stay here and take your chances with the animals. When we get out of here, we�ll send someone back for you. If we can find it again,� he added. He gestured with a nod of his head, and the three men and the dog started up the trail.
�Midge, come,� T. J. commanded.
The dog eagerly rejoined her human companions, trotting at her master�s side as they walked away.
�Wait!� Crowe shouted in a panic. �You can�t leave me tied up like this!�
�We�ll send someone back for you,� Luca called over his shoulder.
�And you�d better hope none of your buddies kills us,� T. J. added. �Because if anything happens to us, you have no chance at all of being found. Remember, we�re the only ones who know where you are.�
That frightened the drug dealer as nothing else could, but there was nothing he could do except watch the retreating figures until they disappeared from view, and he was left completely alone.
In the rear this time, Luca glanced over his shoulder, listening to the drug dealer�s pathetic cries for help. He knew that Crowe would not have thought twice about putting bullets in each other them, yet decency resided in the heart of the young S.W.A.T. officer and his partners. He knew it would be dangerous for the unfortunate man to be tied up overnight, but there was nothing else that could be done with him. It would be risky for them to bring him along, and he would be looking for any opportunity to overpower them or escape. No; there was no choice but to leave him there.
Heaving a deep sigh of regret, Luca turned his back and jogged to catch up with his friends.
For a while, Crowe continued to shout for help, his frantic calls echoing through the hills and ravines, hoping one of his comrades would hear him, but then he realized that he might be leading the wild animals directly to him, and finally he fell silent.
As darkness descended over the landscape, the drug dealer continued to look frantically about, wondering what the coming night would bring. The entire forest seemed quieter than usual, as if nature itself was listening for the sound of the predators that he knew resided in the area.