CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

 

 

August 15th, 2015

5:15 A.M.

Las Vegas

 

ANDOR HEADED TO the police headquarters while Julia, Annie, Doc, and Fleet came with Lott in his SUV to the last mine, the mine only half-full of bodies. The sun wasn’t up over the east hills yet and the air still felt warm, meaning the day would be another hot one.

Julia sat in the front seat beside him as he took the SUV up the narrow dirt road to the east of the city, working carefully along rocks. He loved having her beside him. It just felt right.

Annie, Doc, and Fleet were in the back seat, with Annie in the middle.

“Snakes will be out this time of the day,” Doc said.

Annie punched him with her elbow in the ribs.

“I do not plan on leaving the road,” Fleet said.

Julia glanced back. “Some snake issues?”

“No issue,” Fleet said, his voice very serious. “I hate them, fear them, and will not go near them, so there is no issue.”

Lott laughed, as did Doc.

Julia just shook her head, smiling.

Lott stopped the SUV in the middle of the narrow dirt road beside a mine entrance about a hundred paces to the right just slightly up a slight gully. The mine opening in the dark morning shadows looked old and abandoned and had a large sign on it warning no trespassing and danger.

If they had to move up that gulley to that mine, there was no doubt there would be snakes this time of the morning.

They all sat there staring at the boarded up mine, knowing there were women in there who had met a very sudden and horrid death. Lott didn’t want to think about it. All he could think about was stopping these two crazy killers and saving that last woman from Montana.

“Stay put for a moment, everyone,” Lott said.

He climbed out into the shadows and warm air of the early morning and held his badge up in the air for the cop watching the mine to see. He had no idea where the cop watching this mine was stationed, but he didn’t want to take a chance.

“Up here, Detective Lott,” a voice said. “I got the heads-up you were coming.”

Lott turned to look up through some rocks as a man in a light jacket stood and waved. He had to be a good hundred paces up through the rocks. No chance the guy could have been seen up there if West and her partner had come here.

Lott could only imagine how hot it got up there during the prime of the day.

“We’re here to see if this thing was bugged,” Lott said.

“Anything I can do, just shout,” the cop said.

“Thanks!” Lott said. “The way things are moving, I doubt you’ll be here much longer.”

“Good to hear,” the cop said.

Lott turned and nodded that the rest could get out.

Annie and Julia got out and waved to the cop on the hill.

Doc moved around and opened up the back of the SUV.

Fleet climbed out slowly, looking around before moving to the back of the SUV with Doc and opening up some equipment.

It didn’t take him long studying a hand-held device that looked more like an early version of a heavy cell phone before he nodded.

He turned slowly, nodding.

Then he handed another device just like it to Doc. “Go up the road about twenty paces and aim that at the hill above the mine. I’ll triangulate the location.”

“Is there something here?” Julia asked.

Fleet nodded as Doc headed back up the dirt road twenty paces, then turned and aimed the device at the rocks and dried brush above the mine.

“Twenty paces above the mine and to the right in those rocks,” Fleet said, pointing. “There’s a camera broadcasting a signal on two minute intervals.”

Lott could see exactly where he was pointing. From that spot, the camera could see both the road and the opening of the mine. Lynch and West had watched everything yesterday.

“Can the signal be traced?” Annie asked.

Fleet shook his head.

“So the two women know they have been found,” Annie said, her voice low and angry as Fleet motioned for Doc to come back down the road to join them.

“They know,” Lott said. “And more than likely they have a very good plan on what to do next.”

He was angry, more angry than he wanted to admit even to himself. And now he had no idea how they could ever save that woman from Montana, let alone even find the two women who had killed so many. The two killers had money, they were smart, and they had a head start.

Even with every federal, state, and local law enforcement officer in the western part of the United States looking for them, Lott had no doubt they wouldn’t be spotted.

Fleet put the two devices back in a silver case and shut it.

Silently, they all got back into the SUV.

Lott headed the big Cadillac back toward Las Vegas.

“Now what?” Annie said as Fleet dialed the chief of police’s number to tell him the bad news.

Not a one of them had an answer.