Unwitting Alliances - Hunter Blake Series by Peggy Lea Baker

Chapter Twenty-one

  “I really like the pot roast here,” Betty said with satisfaction. “I was so hungry.”

  “We all needed to eat something,” Jim said.

  Hunter stood up to stretch. “I keep thinking about what you said, Jim. About doing something unpredictable, but I’m not coming up with anything.”

  “Like I said before,” Jim replied. “We are creatures of habit and changing the way we do things is unnatural and uncomfortable.”

  “I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Janet said. “We just have to be patient.”

  Hunter looked at her. “Well you’ve sure changed your tune all of a sudden. One minute you’re racing out the door to snoop around because time is of the essence and nobody’s going to figure any of this out unless you dig up some juicy clues, and the next minute you’re fine just sitting back and waiting for something to happen. What gives?”

  “I’ve had some time to think,” she said.

  “Think,” Hunter repeated. “Now there’s an interesting concept.”

  “Very funny,” she said. “I have come to the conclusion that something will come to us sooner or later.”

  His expression showed frustration. “Women. I’ve never understood them and probably never will.” He sat down. “I’m so damned tired of all of this.”

  There was a tap on the door and everyone jumped.

  “Now what!” Hunter said. He stood up but Janet was already on her feet.

  “I’ll get it!” She hurried to take a peek then quickly opened the door. Two men stepped inside. Securing the door, she greeted each one then slowly turned to face her astonished companions.

  Hunter stared in disbelief. “So, this your idea of something coming to us! A couple of...”

  “I can explain,” she interrupted.

  “You sure as hell better!” Hunter stood with his fists clenched.

  Jim stepped in front of Hunter but faced Janet. “You know these two men?” he asked.

  “Yes, and I can explain if you’ll all just give me a minute.”

  “I sure hope so, because they were the ones posing as cops at my door this morning,” he said.

  “These two guys?” Hunter glared at Janet.

  “Yes. It’s them,” Jim said, then directed his next question to them. “Were you following us today?” he asked. “And why come to my house this morning posing as policemen?”

  One of the men stepped forward. “My name is Hector Garcia and this is my partner, John Mendez and yes, we’ve been keeping an eye on most of you for the past few days. We needed to be sure you were all safe.” He looked at his partner who nodded.

  “We do think you were being followed by someone else last night so we kept an eye on your place overnight and decided to knock on your door this morning just to be sure everything was okay. We’re not here to hurt you. We’re here to help.”

  “Help! Well sure you are!” Hunter kept his fists clenched. “You’re gonna help us... right into the hands of whoever wants us dead! Hell! Maybe that’s why you’re here... to kill us and be done with it!” His face was red. “And maybe it was you two following Jim last night... and not someone else!”

  “We were following a car that was following him,” Hector said pointing at Jim. “We are here to help. In fact, we need to get you all out of here as quickly as possible.”

  “Get us out?” Diane asked. “And go where?”

  “Someplace much safer,” John said.

  “Who do you work for!” Hunter demanded.

  Both men looked at each other. Hector gave a nod then John answered. “The FBI.”

  “More FBI!” Hunter was livid. “Well of course!” He threw both hands up in the air. “That’s all we need!”

  “Oh, dear,” Karen said.

  “Wait!” John put up a hand. “Yes. We work for the FBI, undercover, just like your husband Frank.” He looked at Karen. “The difference is...” he glanced at Hector.

  “The difference is,” Hector said, “we’re a little bit... rogue, I guess you might say.”

  “A little bit rogue.” Jim stared. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means... we’re doing a little business on the side,” John said, shifting from one foot to another. “We know it doesn’t give us any more credibility...”

  “Maybe less,” Hunter said.

  John looked at him and nodded. “Okay. The truth is we’ve been doing some snooping of our own. Off the books. Us and a couple of other guys.”

  “Off the books? I don’t understand,” Jim said. “Plus it’s apparent you both seem to know Janet pretty well. How does she fit into all of this?”

  “Yeah!” Hunter looked at Janet. “How do you fit into all of this!”

  “Oh, stop it!” she said to him. “I’m on your side. Always have been. But so are John and Hector, which they can explain if you’ll give them a chance!”

  Hunter gestured dramatically. “Fine! Have a seat. I, for one, would love to hear your explanation.”

  “This is no time for melodrama, Hunter,” Janet said. “Get down off your high horse and listen to them.”

  “Who do you think you are to tell me...”

  “Enough!” Jim said. “Hunter, sit down. Everyone. Sit down. We can afford to take time to listen before we go jumping to conclusions.”

  For the next fifteen minutes, John and Hector shared some of the details of their self-imposed mission, and how they came to hook up with Janet at a southern California function a year ago. They also explained their professional association with Frank Bradley.

  “Frank is the team leader in an investigation of a drug and human trafficking ring which we’ve been trying to infiltrate. He was point and maintained an upstanding position in the community which allowed him access to all sorts of people and places. He is an attorney, but that made his cover even more valuable to the team. While he was out in the open, if you will, the rest of us were finding ways to penetrate the organization. We just needed to get close to whoever was calling the shots,” Hector said.

  “Plus,” John added, “we realized early on that this organization was operating heavily on both sides of the U.S. and Mexican border. With our Latino backgrounds, Hector and I were able to easily move about in Mexico and mingle with locals as well as businessmen. And we had counterparts in the States doing the same thing.”

  Jim nodded. “Okay, but how does Janet fit into all of this? You mentioned how the three of you met at a function of some kind, but is she also FBI?” He looked at her.

  Janet shook her head. “No. But I became a C.I. for them.”

  “C.I.?” Betty asked.

  “Confidential Informant,” Janet said. “I’d discover information and pass it along.”

  “Information from where? From who?” Hunter asked.

  “Gerry mostly,” she said. “Hector and John suspected he was involved, they just didn’t know how deep. So it became my job to do what I could to find out more. As a result, it also became obvious that Carolyn was also involved. Every time they went to Mexico on vacation or a few other places internationally, something else would come down. They were making contacts, setting up new deals, and arranging the movement of people and drugs. The entire organization was working hard to expand their operations across the globe.”

  “Geez,” Hunter said. “I used to go with them on some of those trips.”

  “Right,” Janet said. “So for a while, you were also a suspect, but I figured out they were using you as a cover for their trips, especially the ones to Mexico. With you along, it always looked like the three of you were there on filmmaking business because at the restaurants, at the resorts, everywhere all of you went, you were always talking shop or flirting with the ladies. You didn’t have time to get involved in anything else.”

  “How would you know?” Hunter stared at her. “You didn’t go with us.”

  “No,” John said, “but
she’d let us know when the three of you, and sometimes four, would be going.”

  “Sometimes four?” Diane asked.

  “Oh, yeah,” Janet said smugly. “Hunter and his cutie pie, Tiffany.” She gave him a sugary grin.

  “Oh, Tiffany,” Betty said.

  Hunter made a face then suddenly asked, “Is she involved in any of this?”

  “We think so,” Hector said.

  “Then that would explain...” Hunter paused.

  “Explain what?” John asked.

  “After the CAMEO awards. I made some rounds and eventually ended up at the Allensby’s. Tiffany was there and did her best to get me to spend the night with her.” He looked at his feet. “Anyway, it didn’t feel right. So I snuck out.”

  “Charlie.” Hector said.

  “What about Charlie?”

  “He told us what you had shared with him. It all seemed to fit. Anyway, he let us know when you were safely in the air.”

  “Charlie works with you guys?” Hunter was surprised. “Is he another C.I.?”

  “No. He’s an agent.”

  Hunter stood with his mouth open. “Seriously? FBI?” He shook his head. “And I thought he was just a... well that’s explains more about him too.” He sat down again and stared at the closed window drapes.

  “Truth is, Hunter, we’ve had people looking out for you for quite some time,” Hector said.

  “But why?” Jim asked.

  “We can’t tell you... at least not yet.” John looked at everyone. “Even though what we are doing isn’t official FBI business, we firmly believe it is mission-critical. There’s been a leak in the agency, especially our division.”

  “A mole!” Betty said under her breath.

  John smiled at her. “Yes. That’s exactly right. And we intend to find out who it is. So there’s a very small team of us working this angle off the books. No one else knows... or at least no one else is supposed to know.” He glanced at his companions.

  Hunter sat up. “So... you two, Charlie... and Frank, I suppose, are this rogue off-the-books team,” he said.

  Hector and John didn’t reply.

  Hunter looked at Janet. “Is that why you went storming out of here earlier? To meet up with these two?”

  “Partly,” she said. “But I really did snoop around. That’s one of my responsibilities. To collect information... however I can.” She hesitated. “That’s why I went to Arizona with you. Gerry had instructed me to drop off the attaché and then take the rest of the day off and go home.”

  “But you came with me to...”

  “To see what was going on. To gather more information. Now I’m glad I did. You might have been killed.”

  “Or you,” he said.

  Janet shrugged with a nod. “Well, anyway, I did meet with John and Hector for a while today and I told them what I’d found out while I was gathering information. Then Hector said he and John were working on a plan to us all out of here safely.”

  “Out of here.” Hunter let out a sigh. “So that means these bad guys, whoever they are, know we’re here.”

  “More than likely,” John said.

  Hunter looked at Janet. “I’m sorry I blew up at you.”

  “I understand,” she said. “But you can be very...”

  “What?”

  “Irritating sometimes. But I forgive you.”

  “So when did you start working as a C.I.?” he asked her.

  She laughed. “Gerry would call me into his office and I’d have to sit and listen to him complain about people he was dealing with and how much he distrusted everyone. So I remember saying to him one afternoon, too bad you don’t have someone who could be a fly on the wall for you at some of your meetings and parties.”

  She laughed again. “That’s all it took. He asked if I’d do that. I thought about it and said sure. At first it was just fun. After a while, though, it became more serious. I had to be careful about who I talked to, especially when Carolyn was around. She didn’t like me and I always felt like she was watching me like a hawk, especially at those parties.”

  Hector chuckled. “She thought you and Gerry were having an affair.”

  Janet’s eyes got big. “She what? You never told me that!”

  “Yeah. She once told me that she was just waiting for the opportune moment to catch the two of you in the act.”

  Janet shuddered involuntarily at the thought. “That’s too creepy. He was short and fat and... and baldy.” She shuddered again.

  Betty giggled. John smiled at her and winked. Embarrassed, she looked away.

  “Which is why we suggested that you not go to any more of their parties,” Hector said.

  “Oh.” She frowned. “Why didn’t you just tell me? I would have been more careful.”

  “Exactly. Which means you would have started acting differently around Gerry and that might have raised suspicion about you. We just wanted to keep you safe, that’s all.”

  “Yeah,” John said. “Once you stopped attending the parties, Carolyn was convinced the affair was over. She still didn’t like you, but she stopped obsessing about it.”

  Janet sat down.

  “Carolyn was fiercely jealous,” John said. “Especially of any younger woman Gerry would come in contact with.”

  “Except Tiffany.” Hector grinned at John.

  “Why not Tiffany?” Hunter asked.

  “You might as well tell them,” John said.

  “Tell us what?” Diane asked.

  “Tiffany is Carolyn’s daughter from an affair she had years ago,” Hector said. “Carolyn’s mother raised her so Carolyn could continue with her acting career.”

  “What!” Hunter said. “Did Gerry know that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Wait a minute,” Jim interrupted. “Did you associate with Gerry and his wife?” he asked. “You just said she told you about suspicions she had about her husband and Janet.”

  “Yes,” John admitted. “Hector and I both posed as key figures from the Mexican side of the business. We were able to infiltrate the organization from that side to some degree, at least enough to get invited to the parties. It gave us an opportunity to rub shoulders, ask seemingly innocent questions and get a better idea who we should be looking for.”

  Jim nodded thoughtfully. “I see.”

  “So who killed them?” Diane asked.

  “That’s a very good question,” Hector said. “The rumor circulating within the organization is they killed each other.”

  “What?” Everyone said in unison.

  “Presumably they put a hit out on each other, and coincidentally hired the same guy.”

  “The same guy?” Diane asked. “That seems a little hard to believe.”

  “We agree,” Hector said. “We don’t think that’s what happened. It’s starting to feel like there’s someone else involved. We just haven’t managed to put our finger on that piece yet. But if we’re right, we’re looking at a whole new angle to explore. We speculate that maybe the Allensbys, Carolyn in particular, were getting a little too demanding maybe. Hard to say, though.”

  “Yeah,” John agreed, “Because the word coming from our Mexican contacts is the Allensbys had become a liability. So, we figure a hit was put out, for sure, but by someone else. Our guess is Carolyn was getting too demanding and if they took her out, Gerry would just be unwanted baggage.”

  “Carolyn?” Hunter asked. “Demanding?”

  “There was more to Carolyn than you realize, Hunter. She had a keen business sense. The kind of business savvy needed to operate in that world. She was definitely ruthless.”

  “Ruthless.” Hunter chuckled. “She may have been a little ruthless when it came to organizing one of her parties. I mean she was more interested in all the glitz and glitter of Hollywood. All that social stuff. You know, the notoriety, the wealth, big house, half-dozen cars parked in an oversized garage, ove
r-the-top vacations... all of that. She ate it up.”

  Hector nodded. “Yes, she did, but it all comes with a price and Gerry’s annual income was no match for it. She knew how to play the game and create the perfect cover for their otherwise illegal activities. She was not only ruthless, but calculating, devious, callous, heartless... all of that and more. She used people and was usually able to accomplish whatever she set her mind on.”

  “Yeah,” John agreed. “She would even use her acting skills to take care of certain tasks... like Buster.”

  Hunter stared. “What are you trying to tell me?”

  They both just looked at him.

  “Wait. You mean... she was the woman I got Buster from?”

  Both men nodded.

  “Damn,” Hunter said. “Damn! I had no idea. Not even for a split second.”

  “She was good,” John said. “Real good.”

  Hector nodded. “It’s our guess she pushed someone a little too hard... got a little over confident and demanding... and ended up paying the price. Unfortunately, Gerry became collateral damage, at least that’s our take on it.”

  Hunter was completely taken aback. “Yeah... but Gerry... if he was involved, it was to please Carolyn. He loved her. I’m sure he did. He might get a little ruthless as a producer... but illegal activity like this? I just can’t accept that.”

  “Well it’s all moot at this point. They’re both dead.”

  “Do the police know about any of this?” Hunter asked.

  “They will eventually,” Hector said. “But for now, no.”

  “Why not?” Betty asked. “Shouldn’t they know?”

  “Of course they should,” John replied, “and they will. But right now we still have our own investigation going on. If we leak any of this to the police or the press gets wind of it, these goons will go so deep we’ll never dig them out. The hit man is a key player in our investigation right now.”

  “So you know who did it!” Betty said.

  John grinned at her. “Feisty and smart.”

  She looked away again.

  “We’re pretty sure,” Hector said. “And we’re hoping he will eventually lead us to the person or persons we’re after.”

  “This is getting scary,” Betty said.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Diane agreed.

  “Me too,” Karen said.

  Jim shared their concern. “Is this guy after any or all of us?”

  “Yes and no,” Hector said. “He was targeting Hunter to begin with, using threatening tactics and secret surveillance.”

  Hunter frowned. “Threatening tactics? Secret surveillance?”

  “Your dog, for one thing,” John said. “His collar was rigged to listen to your conversations and with GPS so they’d know where you were most of the time.”

  Janet jumped up. “See? Didn’t I tell you?”

  Hunter merely mumbled something then said, “Okay, but why was I being targeted to begin with? That’s been my concern all along. I don’t get how I fit into any of this! Besides, the collar was lost.”

  “Frank took it,” Hector said. “He recognized the workmanship.”

  “Then I was right about something,” Hunter said, gloating a little. “I guessed it might have been Frank who took it, we just couldn’t figure out why.”

  “He wanted to protect you, Hunter,” John said. “The problem is, they figured out he was the one who removed it and threatened him... and you, Karen.”

  “That must have been why those two men showed up at our home the other night,” she replied. “That’s when I called you the first time, Hunter, and said I wanted to meet with you.”

  Hunter nodded. “I remember hearing voices in the background. I just couldn’t understand what they were saying.”

  “I was terrified,” she said. “It was getting pretty heated downstairs and I feared for Frank’s life.”

  Hector and John were immediately intrigued.

  “Did you see the men?”

  “Yes, briefly but only from behind when they left.” She was wringing her hands. “I was at the top of the stairs but stayed out of sight. I couldn’t hear all that much either because most of the time they were in Frank’s office. It was when they came out to leave that I caught a glimpse but not enough to recognize them.” She started to cry.

  Diane sat with her arm around her friend. “It’s okay, Karen. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  “I don’t think so,” she said and shook her head. “They took Frank with them. That’s the last I’ve seen of him. I’m so worried.”

  “I know this is very upsetting to you, but can you tell us how tall they were? Or how much they weighed? Anything?” Hector asked.

  Karen and rubbed her forehead. “One man was about the same height as Frank but bulkier. His arms seemed more muscular to me. Frank quickly escorted them both into his office as soon as they showed up and shut the door. I remembered the conversation was tense and I could hear the man threaten Frank... and I then heard my name mentioned too. So I stayed put until they left.”

  “How long were they there?”

  “Maybe ten or fifteen minutes but no more than that.”

  “Did they know you were home?” Hector asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  Hector looked at John then back at Karen. “It’s too bad you didn’t get a better look at them,” he said then looked at his watch. “We need to leave.”

  “Wait!” Janet said. “Why wouldn’t they have searched the house... to be sure no one else was there?”

  Hector scratched his head. “My guess is they probably did know Karen was at home and planned on following her.”

  Karen gasped.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Someone did follow me,” she said. “I was on my way to meet Hunter and was pretty sure I was being followed so I went to the grocery store instead. But I managed to call Hunter to explain what had happened.”

  “That was probably the smartest thing you could have done,” Hector said.

  “It was?” she asked in surprise.

  He nodded. “Yes, because they’ve been doing their best to find Hunter.”

  Karen looked at Hunter with wide eyes. “But why Hunter?”

  “That’s a piece we need to keep under wraps for now,” John said.

  “Whoa! Hold on!” Hunter said. “I’d like to know. I think I’m entitled to know. It would more than likely clear up a few things.”

  “Yes it would, but if we tell you, it could also put someone else’s life in grave danger.”

  “Someone else?”

  Both men stood up.

  “Hold on,” Hunter said. “I have one more question. About Buster. You said his collar with rigged with a tracking device. How did anyone know I was thinking about getting a dog, let alone end up with Buster?”

  “It was something you said to Gerry about a man’s best friend,” Hector said. “After that it was a long shot that you’d actually get a dog but they went ahead and prepped Buster with that collar.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Hunter said, remembering the conversation he had with Gerry.

  “They took a chance and it worked.”

  Betty piped up. “How do you guys know so much about Buster and where did he come from in the first place?”

  Everyone looked at her.

  “The pound? A pet store? Where?” she asked.

  John and Hector looked at each other then back at Betty and shrugged.

  “We’re wasting time,” Hector replied. “We need to leave. Everyone, take only essential items with you,” he said. “Whatever you can carry comfortably and preferably in pockets if possible. Oh, and I need everyone’s cell phone.”

  “Wait!” Betty said jumping to her feet. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “We can’t,” John said. “Besides, it doesn’t matter where Buster came from.”

  “Why do you need o
ur cell phones?” Diane asked.

  “We’re going to remove the batteries.”

  “Why?”

  “GPS,” Hunter said. “We can be tracked by our phones because they all have GPS.” He handed his phone to John. “It’s a burner. We stopped using our other phones.”

  “We?” John asked.

  “Mine and Janet’s.”

  “And Brian’s,” Janet said, giving up her phone.

  “Look,” Hector said. “I wish we had more time to explain things better, but we don’t.”

  John walked to the window and parted the drapes slightly. “I think it’s time,” he said.

  “Time for what?” Jim asked.

  “Time to leave,” John said.

  “All of us? Right now?” Betty asked.

  “Right now,” he said.

  “But...”

  “You’ll be fine. I’ll protect you.”

  “Yes, but my purse and things are in my room next door.” Betty looked at John.

  “They can stay there. You won’t need them.”

  “But...”

  “Like I said, I’ll protect you.”

  “I can take care of myself, thank you,” she said. “But I’m not convinced we can trust either of you.”

  He grinned. “I like feisty women.”

  “I am not feisty! And you can keep your distance. Besides, I don’t like this. Not one bit!”

  John grinned and winked then he and Hector stepped away to talk. “What’s the plan?” John whispered to Hector.

  “Working on it.”

  “Working on what?” Betty whispered directly behind them.

  “Whoa!” John said with a start. “Don’t do that!”

  “Don’t do what?” she asked.

  “Sneak up on us like that. Damn!”

  “Well I still don’t trust either of you, especially when you whisper.”

  Jim had been silent but finally asked. “Is there something else we should know about?”

  “Not at the moment,” John replied, eying Betty warily.

  “So how do you plan on getting us out of here?” Jim asked. “Are we just going to walk out?”

  “Something like that,” Hector said. He looked at his watch. “Either we sneak out or we create a diversion.”

  “Diversion?” Diane said. “What kind of diversion?”

  “I vote for sneaking out,” Janet said. “Don’t you think? The quieter the better.”

  Hector nodded. “Maybe so.”

  Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door followed by, “Room Service.”

  No one spoke as they looked at each other in surprise.

  “Did someone call for room service?” Hunter asked.

  Everyone shook their heads.

  Hector walked to the door and peeked through the peep hole. An apparent Resort staff member stood with his back to the door. Hector held a finger to his lips indicating everyone should remain quiet.

  Another tap. “Room service,” the staffer called out again. When no one responded he eventually stepped away with a draped cart and headed toward the elevator.

  Hector kept watching and waited several seconds before opening the door a crack to listen. Then he stepped out far enough to look up and down the hall. It was empty. Back inside, he quietly closed the door. “I vote for Plan B. Diversion. That guy had to push that cart pretty hard. I don’t think a roast beef sandwich weighs all that much.”

  Hunter frowned. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “No it doesn’t,” John agreed. “You get a look at him?”

  “No. He kept his back to the door.”

  “Rio?” John asked.

  Hector nodded. “You want to do it or do you want me to?”

  “I can,” John said.

  “Okay. I’ll get everyone ready.” Hector looked at his assorted companions. “As soon as John creates the distraction, the rest of you fall in behind me at my signal. No talking. No questions. Just follow. Understood?”

  Everyone nodded uncomfortably.

  “Okay,” he said. “I guess it’s show time.”

  John stepped to the door and peeked out. In a moment he was out the door leaving it slightly ajar. Hector indicated everyone should line up. Suddenly the fire alarm sounded. John was back at the room in seconds.

  Hector closed the door but watched the hallway through the peep hole. Soon it filled with concerned patrons, most still clothed, a few already in nightwear and robes. Hunter checked his wristwatch. “Eight-thirty,” he whispered to himself.

  Jim took Diane’s hand and smiled at her with a wink to reassure her. Karen was behind Diane. Janet and Hunter followed them.

  John took Betty’s hand and headed for the end of the line. “Stay with me,” he whispered without smiling. “You’ll be fine.”

  She complied without resistance as they all waited for Hector to give them a signal to move. A moment later, he opened the door and stepped into the hallway moving along with the other patrons to the stairwell. John kept watch behind them as they all began their descent. Anxiety was paramount as everyone continued down from floor to floor.

  Hector began to slow allowing the guests in front of them to move on ahead. At the next level he stopped and listened at a door. Suddenly it opened, nearly knocking him over. Betty let out an involuntary squeal as a handful of guests piled out, oblivious to anyone else in the stairwell. John gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

  Hector quickly looked into the vacated hallway then directed everyone to follow him. John closed the door quietly then with Betty in tow, followed after the others.

  Hector led them across an open area to a wall of windows and an access door leading to a rooftop patio. Scanning the area outside he watched the shadows for anything unusual. Satisfied it was safe, he led them out, staying in the shadows until they made their way to a set of steps that led to an open area one level below.

  Alarms blared their repeated warning as the excited commotion from confused and worried guests escalated two levels below. In the distance, multiple sirens wailed in response to the fire alarm. A blustery breeze picked up coming from the lake.

  “Feels like a storm’s coming in,” Hunter whispered in Janet’s ear. She nodded.

  Hector quickly took a ramp to the marina below. Once there, he led them to a set of covered boat slips on a dock directly across from the marina entrance.

  Using a passcode, he opened the security gate and hurried the length of the dock finally stopping at a fingerfloat and a sport boat bobbing quietly in the water. Jim assisted his wife and Karen onboard moving to the forward section of seats. Hunter, Janet, and Betty sat on the back seat, while Hector settled into the cockpit in the midsection of the boat and fired up the engine.

  John released the bow and aft slip lines then hurried onboard pulling life jackets from a couple of storage bins. He handed them out then sat across from Hector. “Let’s go!”

  Hector eased the boat out of the slip. The dark water bubbled and churned as they backed out. Carefully steering them clear of the berth, he guided the boat forward and navigated to the arched entrance of the marina, powered up and maneuvered further out into the lake.

  Everyone turned to watch the growing excitement behind them. A chaotic mass of people were milling around and migrating away from the buildings as fire trucks and other emergency vehicles pulled up to the Resort, their red, blue, and amber lights flashing erratically.

  There were few other boaters on the lake at this late hour and Hector wasted no time piloting the boat around Tubbs Hill at a good clip. In the dark, the assembled group wondered where they were going as they raced across the open water. Once out of sight of the Resort, everyone’s attention was ahead. It wasn’t long before shoreline lights revealed another smaller marina.

  At a quarter mile away, Hector began to slow then eventually came about and began to chug his way into a row of berths pulling into an e
mpty slip. John and Hunter immediately hopped out to tie down the aft and bow lines as Hector shut down the motor and secured the helm.

  Jim helped the women out of their lifejackets and quickly stowed them before joining everyone on the float leading to a wider dock. They ended up at an empty parking lot. The wind had picked up and now whipped at their clothes and hair. They scurried past the marina’s bait shop, clothed in darkness, and crossed the road to a larger paved parking area lined with trees behind which loomed a mountain. The starry night sky was rapidly becoming less visible by the incoming storm clouds.

  “So far, so good,” John said as they led their group to a large light-colored van parked in a space in the shadow of the trees.

  Everyone climbed in and got settled. John jumped into the driver’s seat as Hector yanked out his phone and sent a quick text message. Soon he received a reply. “We’re all set,” he said to John as they pulled out onto the road. Fifteen minutes later, they were on the highway headed east toward Montana as raindrops began to pelt the windshield.