Unwitting Alliances - Hunter Blake Series

Chapter Twenty-three

  Hunter glanced at his watch and yawned. “How much longer?” he asked.

  “Just up ahead,” Hector replied.

  “I sure hope so. This winding road seems to go on forever and we’re all tired.”

  “Understood.”

  John soon pulled onto a narrow graveled road and stopped at a slatted metal gate. A weathered hand-painted ‘No Trespassing’ sign was nailed to a fencepost nearby. Hector jumped out and spun the dial on a padlock then shoved the gate open wide enough for John to pull through. He then hurried to close and padlock it again before jumping back into the van.

  The windshield wipers fought against the driving rain as they continued deeper into the hills. Even the headlights seemed to struggle to illuminate the narrow lane that wound between dense woodland on either side.

  Hector turned partway around in his seat. “Once we get to the cabin we need to figure out a way to light up portion of a private airstrip. We’ve got company coming to join us.”

  “Company?” Jim asked. “Who?”

  “You’ll see soon enough,” Hector replied.

  Fifteen minutes later, John pulled up in front of the cabin and kept the headlights shining directly at it. Hector hopped out and ran up a few steps to a covered porch and opened the door. Once inside he lit a lantern. Everyone else hurried inside and out of the wind-whipped rain while John parked the van.

  “This is one hell of a storm,” Hunter said. He shook off the dampness. “So whoever’s coming is flying in?”

  “Yes. In a helicopter.”

  “Helicopter. He must be crazy or a damn good pilot.”

  Hector laughed. “He’s a little of both.”

  What’s his ETA?” Hunter asked.

  “Soon! Maybe thirty minutes or less so we need to move fast,” Hector said.

  Jim noticed the fireplace. “I’ll get a fire going here so we can all warm up. Your guest will appreciate it as well.”

  “Sounds good,” Hector said. He looked at Hunter. “You, John, and I need to find whatever we can to light up part of that runway so he has something to aim for when he gets here.”

  “You didn’t think of this sooner?” Hunter asked.

  “He was supposed to be here by now,” John replied. “And we weren’t expecting a storm to come in.”

  “So how are we going to do that?” Hunter asked.

  “Fires!” John said. “Look for any suitable containers we can use that won’t melt or ignite. If we can find at least four containers or lanterns, that would work, to make a large square. More containers would be better.”

  “I’ll check the kitchen,” Janet said.

  Hector hurried to the back door. “I’ll go check the shed.” He grabbed a flashlight.

  “I can help with that.” Hunter zipped up his jacket and followed.

  Together they made their way to a small shed several feet behind the cabin. The wind had picked up considerably as the rain continued to pummel the ground. Carefully opening the door, Hector shone the light in and the two men quickly examined the contents.

  “How about over there?” Hunter pointed. Looks like old coffee cans.”

  “You’re right,” Hector agreed focusing the light. “Let’s just hope nothing lives in any of them.”

  Carefully picking their way inside, Hector kept shining the light around, hoping to avoid anything unexpected. Holding the beam on some rusty cans, Hunter carefully reached for one and pulled it away. He was about to reach for another when something ran past. He jumped back nearly knocking Hector over.

  “What the...”

  Hector shone the light around again then held it steady. Two small glowing eyes were staring back. “Looks like a mouse or small rat of some kind,” he said.

  “That’s great,” Hunter mumbled. “I wish I had some gloves.”

  “Yeah,” Hector agreed. “Or a stick. See anything we can use?”

  “A hoe up against the wall,” Hunter said. “But it’s nicely draped in cobwebs. I’ll get it, though.” He grimaced as he wiggled his fingers through the webbing. Grabbing it, he tossed it out the door. “Just knocking stuff off of it,” he said.

  Hector grinned. “I’d have probably done the same thing.”

  “Why do I get the feeling you’re just saying that to make me feel better?” Hunter said retrieving the hoe.

  Hector laughed. “Come on. Let’s get our cans and set things up. We don’t have much time.”

  Using the hoe, Hunter began to pull the old cans out of the shed, when a flurry of activity startled them. Both men shoved against each other as they dashed outside and a few feet away in the pouring rain.

  In the beam of the flashlight, both men could see several mice scurrying in various directions. “I guess we disturbed a nest of them.”

  “Evidently,” Hunter said.

  Ten minutes later they had eight cans lined up outside the shed having dumped the miscellaneous contents of each on the ground. They grabbed the cans and hurried back inside the cabin and lined them up with a couple of cast iron pots Janet found. Hector was ripping old rags and towels into wide strips.

  “All we need now is something that will ignite and stay lit,” John said.

  “Will this work?” Hunter held up a container of lighter fluid. “It’s nearly full.”

  Hector shoved rags in each container then soaked them in the lighter fluid. “We can use hot debris from the fireplace to lite them.”

  “I’ll do that,” Hunter said. He hurried to the fireplace. John, Hector, and Jim each grabbed as many cans as they could carry and headed for the airstrip while Hunter used long-handled tongs to fish around for suitable hot coals or burning pieces of wood. He carefully placed each one in a metal bucket sitting nearby.

  “I need a towel or something to wrap around the handle of this thing,” he said.

  “I’ll find something!” Betty hurried to the kitchen and was back with another towel. “Here you go.”

  “Thanks,” Hunter said. He picked up the bucket of hot and flaming wood and raced outside where the men had just finished creating a very large circle with the cans.

  “I sure hope this works!” John yelled over the wind. “The challenge will be keeping them lit!”

  “We’ve got a couple of flashlights if we need them!” Hector shouted.

  Hunter hurried to a can and Jim used the tongs to place a hot piece of wood in each one, igniting the towels. Diane ran out to join them. “I found another can of lighter fluid!” she said. “It may come in handy.”

  “Good girl!” Hunter replied. “Get back to the cabin and out of the rain,” he ordered.

  A sudden flash of lightning lit up the sky with the accompanying roll of thunder. The driving rain intensified.

  “What time is it?” Hunter called out over the sound of the wind.

  “Doesn’t matter,” John yelled back. “We’re out of time! If he’s on schedule, we should be hearing or seeing him soon.”

  Now completely drenched, they all stood, straining to hear the sound of an approaching helicopter. Janet noticed a couple of fires were dying down and ran to them with the extra can of lighter fluid.

  “Hold on!” John ran to her side. “Stand back. If the stream of lighter fluid ignites, it’ll come right back at you! Let me do it.”

  John kept his back to the wind and carefully aimed some fluid in each of the cans with a quick snap of his wrist to stop the flow of the flammable liquid. Satisfied that all the fires were still burning sufficiently, he hurried back to the others.

  “That’s quite a sight!” Hector yelled over the wind. “Let’s just hope they stay lit until he gets here!” They stood watching the flames whip around and continued to listen.

  Janet hurried back to the cabin to wait on the porch with Diane, Karen, and Betty. “I don’t know about this,” she said over the wind. “It seems pretty unlikely anyone’s going to make it here under these conditions.” br />
  “I wonder who’s coming?” Betty asked.

  “Me too,” Karen replied. “I just hope whoever it is gets here safely.”

  Suddenly, Janet held up her hand. “Listen!”

  The men were also alert, listening, and looking in every direction, watching for signs of the approaching aircraft. The clouds were racing overhead but still at a low altitude. Suddenly a glow in the clouds above appeared then the helicopter burst into view its nose light bright against the darkness. It fishtailed against the driving wind and rain as it came in slow.

  All four women stood at the rail, amazed and anxious as they watched the aircraft fight against the wind and approach the lighted area. With each blast of wind, the aircraft swiveled and lurched from side to side, dipping up and down as the pilot struggled to maintain control of the machine in an attempt to set down within the firelight. Each attempt was nearly thwarted by powerful gusts of wind throwing it away from the target, first in one direction, then another. Finally, and with a deliberate thud, it touched down hard and the pilot shut down the engine.

  Elated, John and Hector raced to the pilot’s side of the aircraft, keeping their heads down as the overhead blades continued to slow. Hunter could see the silhouette of the pilot as he was greeted by his companions. He could also see there was another person onboard who remained seated. He and Jim decided to head back to the porch and join the women as they waited to meet the new arrivals.

  Jim hurried inside the cabin to add more wood to the fire. Soon it was roaring and throwing out as much heat as possible against the chill of the storm. Karen and Janet decided to join him. Betty, though, waited with Hunter. Both watched with great interest as the pilot and his passenger finally climbed down and headed for the cabin with John and Hector.

  Suddenly Betty gasped. “I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it!” Without hesitation, she raced out into the storm straight for the passenger, nearly knocking her over. Both women embraced tightly.

  “Oh, my gosh!” Diane said as she, Janet, and Jim ran out of the cabin. “It’s Samantha! It’s Samantha!”

  “What?” Hunter and Jim said together.

  “It’s her! She’s safe!”

  Everyone watched with great excitement as Betty helped Samantha to the cabin and out of the rain. Inside, Betty took her straight to the fireplace. Diane found a blanket and Karen knelt down to remove Samantha’s soaked and muddy footwear.

  “You must be freezing!” Betty said as she rubbed Samantha’s drenched hair, arms, and back with the blanket.

  “I’m not that cold,” Samantha insisted, her teeth chattering. “Mostly exhausted. It’s been quite an ordeal these past few days. I don’t even know what day it is, to tell you the truth.”

  Karen glanced at her watch. It’s after midnight so it’s Saturday. You’ve been gone almost a week. We’ve all been so worried.”

  “You and me both,” Samantha said still shivering.

  “Where have you been?” Betty asked. “Who found you? Who’s the pilot?”

  “His name is Brad,” Samantha said. “That’s all I know. He found me at some really remote place and said I had been drugged and then we went to this beat up trailer in another remote place in the desert and there were snakes and...”

  “Oh, my!” Diane said. “Snakes! I hate snakes.”

  “Yes, well, Brad took care of me. He protected me. He’s... an interesting man.” Samantha looked toward the door. “He needs to come in and warm up too.”

  Hunter was standing apart from the group but finally spoke up. “He’s one hell of a pilot, I will say that.”

  Samantha smiled. “Yes. He is. I owe my life to him.” She got quiet and a few tears ran down her cheeks. “I’m really tired. I think I’d like to sit down.”

  “Of course,” Karen said. “Come sit over here.” She pulled a rustic hand-made chair closer to the fire. “There isn’t much here, I’m afraid.”

  “After this week, anything looks good to me,” Samantha said. “It will do just fine.”

  Hunter looked out a window. “I’d like to meet that pilot,” he said. “I’ll be outside.” Stepping out to the porch, he stared into the darkness. The running lights on the helicopter were out and all but one their fires had gone out as well. He could see John and Hector sitting in the helicopter. A dim light created a glow but not sufficient for him to see anything. Not sure he should join them, he leaned against the outside wall of the cabin to wait.

  Jim came outside and joined him. “Still pretty nasty out here,” he remarked.

  “Yeah. I hope it blows through tonight,” Hunter said, still watching. “I’d sure like to meet that pilot.”

  “Me too, but they obviously have some things to talk about.”

  “I just want to thank him for helping Samantha and let him know how impressed I was with his flying. It’s no easy trick landing one of those machines when the wind has different ideas.”

  “I can imagine,” Jim said. “Well, we might as well go inside and warm up. I’m sure they’ll come in soon.”

  “Yeah. I seriously doubt he’d take off again. Not in this weather.”

  “This isn’t over yet,” Jim said gravely. “We may have Samantha back, but my gut says that’s not going to stop whoever’s behind all of this.” He stared out at the helicopter. “It may have caused even more problems.”

  Hunter looked at him gravely. “You’re probably right.”

  He and Jim went back inside. Every chair the women could find was pulled close to the fire and all five women were sitting and chatting quietly. Hunter and Jim settled on the floor and listened.

  Janet suddenly stood up. “I’ll be back in a while,” she said and quickly went outside.

  Curious, Hunter got up and watched from a window as she ran for the helicopter and climbed onboard. He continued to watch for a few minutes then decided to sit down on the floor again to gaze at the fireplace and enjoy the warmth.

  “Everything okay?” Jim asked.

  “I don’t know. I guess. I just wonder why she suddenly decided to go out there.”

  Twenty minutes later, Janet returned with Hector and John. All were dripping wet and gathered around the fire.

  “Where’s that pilot?” Hunter asked.

  “Out on the porch,” Hector said.

  “Why doesn’t he come in where it’s warm?”

  “Why don’t you go ask him?” John said.

  Hunter gave him a curious look. “What. He needs a personal invitation?” He stood up and walked to the door. Stepping out to the porch he noticed the man standing at the rail looking out in the direction of the helicopter. “It’s a lot warmer inside,” Hunter said.

  The man nodded. “I know.”

  “So come on in.”

  “I’m not sure you’d want me to,” he said and turned to face him.

  Hunter stared. Speechless.

  “I bet you never expected to see me,” Hamilton said.

  “You’re right. I didn’t. Not in a million years.” Hunter continued to stare. “When did you learn how to fly like that?”

  Hamilton didn’t respond immediately then said, “It’s my job.”

  “Your job? You have a job?” Hunter laughed. “Don’t you mean con job? Ripping people off? Sponging off of me? Is that what you mean by having a job?”

  The door opened and John joined them. “So. You two make up yet?”

  Hamilton looked away.

  “You both had better figure out a way to get along in front of everyone else because we can’t afford for Ham to blow his cover,” John said firmly.

  “Ham is it?” Hunter’s laugh was muffled by the wind. “His cover? What the hell?”

  John stood toe-to-toe with Hunter. “You have no idea what he’s been doing for the past few years, do you? Because, if you did, most of what is going on right now would make a hell of a lot more sense to you. But for now, his name is Brad
and you know each other, but that’s it. He’s a damn good pilot and you’re very impressed with his skills. You got that?”

  “Now it’s Brad.” Hunter looked at both men in the faint glow of light from the cabin windows. “Yeah,” he said. “Sure. Damn good pilot. You bet.” With that he went back inside.

  John looked at Hamilton. “Don’t let him get to you.”

  Hamilton shook his head. “We’re not going to be able to keep up this charade for long.” As soon as I can, I’m out of here. I did my job. Samantha is safe. The rest of you can take it from here.”

  “And what are you going to do?” John asked him.

  “My job. I’m going to draw our not-so-good friends away from all of you. Try to take the heat off. That’s what I do.”

  “Don’t do anything foolish, Ham. We need you. You’re still part of the team.”

  “Does Frank know I’m working with you guys?”

  “I don’t think so. We’ve tried to keep that under wraps. Why?”

  “Just wondered.” He looked out at the helicopter holding its own against the wind. “Based on what you and Hector said, someone seems to have an inside track on what we’re doing and when.”

  John nodded. “I know,” he said. “It does feel like we have a leak somewhere. We’ve wondered about Frank, but don’t have anything solid to go on. Besides, why would he work against us? What would he gain from it?”

  “Nothing, I guess, except money.”

  John patted his friend on the back. “You coming in?”

  “I think I’ll sleep in the chopper tonight,” Hamilton said. “I’ve slept in worse conditions, so I’ll see you in the morning. Bright and early.”

  John laughed, “Which will be in about three hours.”

  “Yeah, well you get inside. Tell them whatever you need to about me and I’ll see you in about three hours.” Hamilton pulled his jacket up over his head and ran for the helicopter. John watched until he was safely onboard then joined the others inside.