CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

 

 

May 16, 2015

6:30 P.M.

McCall, Idaho

 

Lott and Julia and Annie were just inside the sliding glass doors that led out onto a wide porch over the boathouse and dock. This was as far as they could get outside the house. Lott was convinced the white on everything would give him a headache in short order; they at least had managed to find a warm spot to stand and could face out at the dark night and the trees.

The three of them were studying the various ways to get to the hidden building on the far side of the property when Fleet contacted them again.

“You were right about Ben’s family,” Fleet said in their ears. “His wife and kids are all right, but scared to death. The two men who were holding them are down, shot in a firefight with the Boise police. One is dead, the other isn’t talking.”

Lott looked at Julia and shook his head. Ben would have never done this without that kind of major threat to his family. Thank heavens they were all right, but now they needed to figure out where Ben was.

“Any idea where Ben might be?” Fleet asked as Lott tried to puzzle out that same question.

“He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he loves law enforcement and his family,” Lott said.

“And he would have to just wait this out, hope we took down Williams, before he dared try to rescue his family,” Julia said.

Lott nodded, then suddenly realized what he had said and where Ben would hide. He would hide right in plain sight, close to where he left his car, but where no one who knew him would look for him.

“He’s in the bar at Shore Lodge,” Lott said. “He will not be armed and once he learns his family is free, he’s going to be willing to help. Actually, he’s going to be so angry, he’s going to demand to help.”

“Doc and I are one minute from there,” Fleet said. “We’ll pick him up if you are right.”

At that moment Agent Munn and two other agents in black FBI jackets came into the house and through the living room to them.

“Good job on saving the State Police officer’s family,” Munn said.

“We knew him,” Julia said.

“My partner and I trained him in Vegas,” Lott said. “We knew he wouldn’t have done anything like that without a threat on his family.”

Agent Munn nodded. “So what kind of lead do you have?”

Annie showed the agents the overhead view of Williams’ property. And pointed to the almost hidden roofline on the far side of the ridge near the lakeshore.

“Agent Munn nodded. “I think you are right. Logical.”

She quickly got two of the FBI boats to converge on the other side of the Williams’ property. “Come in dark and quiet,” she ordered them.

She nodded and turned to Lott and Julia and Annie and the other two agents. Then she waved over another agent on duty on the door.

“We might have our suspect trapped in a hidden building on the property,” Agent Munn said.

She showed them Annie’s pad and the image. She pointed to a place on the road that went past the property. Then she turned to two agents. “You two go up on the road and get hidden there in case he comes out of the brush that way.”

They both nodded.

Lott liked how Agent Munn was thinking. And she wasn’t calling for more help, which might tip off Williams if he was listening in.

Agent Munn turned to the agent who had been on the door. “Take one of the agents who is down on the dock and both of you move around the lake shore slowly. Make no sounds and stay out of sight.”

The other agent nodded.

“No contact. We can’t tip Williams off in any way.”

All three agents nodded.

Then she turned to Lott and Julia and Annie. “Detectives, the four of us are going over the ridge by land and going to come in on the building from there.”

Lott nodded, as did Julia and Annie beside him.

Lott again felt his stomach twist at the fear and the excitement of actually being back on the job once again.