CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

 

 

May 15, 2015

7:15 A.M.

High Mountain Valley

Near the Central Idaho Primitive Area

 

Lott wasn’t sure if he could eat even though he was hungry. Not with what was going on outside. The divers were just getting ready to go into the water.

But when a tall guy with dark hair, a light flight jacket, and a golf hat brought in six large boxes of fresh doughnuts, a couple thermos of coffee, what looked to be a form of egg sandwiches on muffins, plus orange juice, Lott changed his mind.

Fleet thanked the guy, said he would set things up, and asked the guy to bring up the rest as soon as he could.

“There’s more?” Julia asked, shaking her head as she dug into sacks and boxes.

“About three times this much,” Fleet said.

Fleet had clearly brought enough food for all the agents working out there in the cold and the three in the living room.

Both Lott and Julia helped set up the kitchen counter and the dining room table with all the food as Fleet made a satellite call back to his people in his office in Boise working on computers to get them searching for who had bought a lot of used cars in this area.

And under what name.

Then he handed the phone to Lott. “Your daughter wants to talk with you. They just arrived at their Boise offices.”

Lott laughed and took the phone.

“Out on a date and you send the FBI,” Lott said to Annie over the phone, winking at Julia, who laughed.

“Dad, stop fooling around,” Annie said. “Are you and Julia all right?”

“We’re fine,” Lott said. “And it is wonderful to hear your voice. I want to thank you and Doc and Fleet here for rushing to the rescue. It was a long and scary night last night, I must admit.”

“Had us scared to death as well,” Annie said. “I know this Williams psycho. Worked two of his cases, remember. He’s capable of anything.”

“We’re fine,” Lott said. “Honest. And Fleet and Agent Munn here are taking good care of us. So what’s this plan I’ve been hearing about?”

“We’ll wait and see if what you think is there in the lake is actually there,” Annie said. “Doc and I are going to meet you at the Cascade airport later today and we can talk then.”

Lott remembered Cascade. It was a nice town about thirty miles to the south of McCall. They had gone through it on the way to McCall.

“Sounds like a plan,” Lott said. “Except I need one more favor of someone very young.”

“What’s that?” Annie asked.

“Actually, it’s two favors. We need a ride out of here through the air and someone to drive our car back out.”

Annie laughed. “Roads that bad going in there?”

“Oh, you have no idea,” Lott said.

Beside him Julia just nodded in agreement.

In the background behind Annie, Lott could hear Doc laughing so hard it sounded like he might bust a gut. Doc knew central Idaho and had spent his summers in here and on the River of No Return rafting since he had been in college.

“Have Doc drive you in here some day,” Lott said, shaking his head at the laughter in the background.

“Not a chance,” Annie said. “I’ve seen those mountains, been down the rivers with Doc. Don’t worry, Fleet can give you a lift to Cascade and we’ll get someone in there to drive the car out.”

“Thank you,” Lott said.

“Yes, thank you,” Julia said loud enough for Annie to hear over the phone.

“And tell Andor we are all right, would you?” Lott said.

“I will, Dad,” she said. “See you soon.” Lott could tell that Annie was barely containing her laughter as well as she hung up.

“Doc and Annie are laughing at us flatlanders,” Lott said, smiling at Julia.

“I’m with you two,” Fleet said. “I’d rather just pay for that car and let it sit than drive it out of here myself.”

“We’ll get an agent to drive it out,” Agent Munn said from the living room, laughing.

“Thank you,” was all Lott could say.