“That’s not possible,” he murmured again, but from the look on his face, it was clear he wasn’t sure about that anymore.
“We don’t understand how it works, or why,” I explained, “but it does work. That’s the only reason Cody and I are here. That’s why you have to know about the pouch. It’s a factor in how we go after these people. It can help us. I mean, really help us. And you need to take that into account as we talk about how to free my parents and grandfather.”
Chapter 55
After another hour of interrogation, I knew that Clay had finally accepted the reality of the pouch. He was still having trouble believing it, but he had accepted it. And more important, I could tell he was starting to include the pouch in his plans.
Charlie had left, anxious to check on his girls. We promised to call and keep him up to date. Unless Clay decided otherwise, he would not be involved, but would stay and watch his girls. Around-the-clock protection was being furnished for the whole family.
“How sure are you they are at Lake Powell?” Clay asked me abruptly, after typing for several minutes.
“Ninety percent. No. Ninety-five percent.”
He cocked his head.
Rick jumped to my defense. “One of the ways the pouch works is by helping her feel and sense things.”
He nodded, took out his cell phone, and punched a speed-dial number. He began speaking rapidly. My heart soared as he started talking about Google Earth and requiring live satellite data for scanning the entire length of Lake Powell. When he finished, he listened for a couple of moments, then hung up. He turned to me.
“There’ll be a lot of houseboats out, but we’re assuming this guy will choose an isolated spot and stay to himself, so that should help a little.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for believing me.”
“Actually,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “I don’t believe you. Not in my head. But . . .” He blew out his breath in wonder. “You are a remarkable young woman, Danni.”
“A little stubborn at times,” Rick said, “but yes, quite remarkable.”
Clay leaned forward, his face earnest. “I was going to wait before I proposed something to you, Danni. But this changes everything.”
“What?”
“We can’t do this alone—just the four of us. Let me pull in the full resources of the agency. Start putting teams on the ground. Have a chopper standing by. Do a full-court press on identifying who these people are and how they came to target your family.”
I was already shaking my head.
“I know what you’re afraid of, Danni, and rightly so. But with the pouch and your abilities, we’ll let you and Cody stay with us. We can’t wait until we find these guys to call for help. My men have to be in place ahead of time. I know—”
But I guess he decided he had said enough. He looked at me, imploring me to seriously consider his offer. I turned to Rick.
“You already know how I feel. Same for Dad.”
“Me too,” Cody chimed in. “We need to trust him, Danni. We need their help.”
“You have my word,” Clay went on, “that if you’re getting feelings of danger, or warnings from the pouch, or ideas that you think we need to try, we’ll listen.” He paused. “In the agency, we have a phrase that we use with each other: ‘I’ve got your back.’ Let us do that for you. Let us cover your back.”
“All right,” I said. “I agree. Let’s do it.”
A sense of relief filled the room, which Cody broke almost immediately. “Good,” he said. “I’m hungry. Can we get something to eat?”
We all laughed. Cody was always hungry, but it confirmed to me that what we were doing was right. He wasn’t so worried about Mom and Dad and Grandpère that he wasn’t thinking of his stomach.
Clay turned to Rick as he pulled out his phone again. “There’s a pizza place not far from here that delivers.” His fingers moved across the screen. “Order enough for everyone. Breadsticks and drinks too. My treat. I need to make some phone calls. By the time the food gets here, we’ll be done and can hit the road.” He gave Rick the number.
As Rick made the call, Clay motioned me to join him. “All right, Danni, it’s time to talk strategy.”
I jumped up and retrieved my journal from my overnight bag. “I agree. Last night, when I couldn’t sleep, I had some ideas.” I opened the journal. “See what you think.” As he took it, I grabbed my cell phone and waved it at him. “Remember, we don’t have to find out where they are. All we have to do is put in the battery and they will know where I am.”
I could tell he didn’t like that idea, so I went on quickly. “I know that in some ways we’re just naive kids who think they can solve everything by themselves, and I know you’re trying to protect us.”
He started to protest, but I rushed on. “But remember, we know this country. I don’t know how many times my family has camped in and hiked through Cathedral Valley. This is our ground. And if we control where we meet—and when and how—then, with your help, we control the game.”
He was impressed, but still not convinced. “I won’t put you and Cody in harm’s way.”
“My whole family is in harm’s way already.”
“I know, but . . .” He shook his head. “No, you’re right. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
As we finished the last of the pizza an hour later, Clay sat back, dusting off his hands. “Okay? You two ready?”
I took a deep breath, looking first to Cody, then to Rick. Both of them nodded. “Ready,” I said.
Rick inserted the battery into my phone, plugged in the charger, then handed it to me. I saw Clay glance at his watch, so I did the same. It took less than ninety seconds before the phone rang. I put it on speaker then touched the answer button. “Hello.”
“Hola, chiquita. Cómo estás, little one?”
“I want to talk to my parents.”
“But of course,” El Cobra said expansively. “Keep it short. We have much to talk about.”
A moment later Mom’s voice come on. “Carruthers?”
“I’m here, Mom.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes. We’re fine. Everything’s fine.” Except for you being held hostage, and us being on the run, and men with guns after us, and . . .
“Thank the Lord,” she said.
“Are you all right, Mom?”
“Yes. We’re being treated well.” There was a short, mirthless laugh. “Except that I’m cold. You know me, Carruthers. Middle of the summer and my feet are like blocks of ice. I suppose it’s because of the stress.”
I heard someone mutter, and then she gave a low cry as the phone was yanked from her hand.
Another voice came on the line. My dad.
“Hello, Danni. Are you sure you’re all okay?”
“Yes, we are. Really. Rick’s dad has been helping us, but we’re ready to come back now. Put Mom back on. Cody really wants to talk to her.”
I handed the phone to Cody, then saw Clay scribbling a note: Keep him talking. Trying for a trace.
They must not have been concerned about Cody trying something funny because he was allowed to talk for thirty seconds or more. Then he handed the phone back to me.
El Cobra came on the line. “Okay, chiquita. We’re running out of time here. On Saturday, your father and grandfather must be in Moab to meet the Canadians. We’ve got no more time for your little games.”
“I want to talk to my grandfather. I need to know he’s okay.”
“The old man is fine,” someone growled in the background. But a moment later, Grandpère came on the phone.
“I am okay, Danni. But they’re not going to let me talk very long.” Wry chuckle. “Maybe I’ll try texting you sometime.”
Even I laughed at that. “You texting? That will be the day, Grandpère.”
“Just listen to your mother, Danni.”
El Cobra was back on in an instant. “Where are you now, chiquita?”
&nbs
p; “Now who’s playing games? You know where we are because you’re tracking my phone. But as soon as I hang up, the battery comes out again, and we’re moving to another location. So call off your dogs, Cobra. They’re not going to find us. Not until we’re ready.”
“And when is that, chiquita? No more stalling.”
“We’re ready. We’ll make the exchange for Grandpère and Dad on Saturday in Cathedral Valley, following the directions you gave to us before.”
For a moment I thought he would protest us waiting until Saturday, but all he said was “When?”
“When I say.” Even as I snapped that out, another part of my brain was yelling a warning. This guy is a hardened criminal. He holds a gun to your family’s head. And you’re talking to him like he’s a bug on a rock. Don’t make him angry. But it wasn’t just me talking. Once again I was feeling the influence of the pouch. So I went on in that same imperious tone.
“One other thing. We’ll be trading Cody for Dad and Grandpère. Only Cody. I’m not going to be part of the bargain.”
“What?” A string of Spanish followed, almost certainly profanity. “Don’t you dictate terms to me,” he yelled. “You want to see your mother alive again?”
I hit the screen and terminated the call.
Clay about choked. “What are you doing?”
I held up a finger, the phone poised by my ear. It rang almost immediately.
“Hola, señor.”
“Don’t you hang up on me!” he screamed into the phone.
“I didn’t. You don’t hang up a cell phone. You simply hit the end-call button.”
“You little witch,” he started. “I’ll—”
I hit the end-call button again. This time Clay smiled, though it was somewhat strained.
The phone rang again a few seconds later. I spoke before El Cobra could start yelling again. “Are you ready to talk, or do you want to keep screaming at me?” I was amazed at how calm I was and that I was talking to him like this. No question but that the pouch had kicked in.
He didn’t answer.
“Good. Here’s the deal. If I send Cody, you’ll have him and my mother. Since you’re sending two of your men with my father and grandfather, that means that they’re still your hostages too. So if I surrender, you’ll hold all the chips, and I’d have nothing left to bargain with. So count me out.”
He started ranting again. I overrode him. “I’m sure you’re thinking you’re dealing with a stupid kid, but you should know I’ll be bringing my dad’s rifle with me, and I know how to use it.”
“Oh,” he sneered. “There’s something to lose sleep over.”
“And there’s one more thing. You know that old purse I carry with me?”
This time there was only silence. Then, “Yes. What of it?”
“I think you know by now that it’s much more than just a purse. Among other things, it allows me to sense when danger is near. How do you think we knew you were coming to Rick’s house and escaped in time? And we know about fatso going to the phone store in Price. So if you send somebody out looking for us now, it’s over. I’ll call the FBI and tell them everything.”
“I think you’ve already talked to the FBI, little one.” His voice was like the hiss of a snake. “That’s why you went to Salt Lake.”
Clay wrote furiously, then held up the note: He’s fishing. He doesn’t know.
I laughed into the phone. “We came to Salt Lake because you threatened Rick’s aunt and his little sisters. We had to get them to a safe place. And by the way, they got the message. Rick’s out of it now. He’s staying here. So is his dad.”
“It wasn’t a threat,” he shot back. “And what I am about to say is not a threat either, señorita. It’s you with your brother, or nothing. ¡Nada! And you’ll never see your family again.”
“Okay,” I said, “then it’s nada.” And I cut him off a third time.
This time almost two minutes went by, and I was starting to sweat. Had I pushed him too far? Clay didn’t seem too concerned.
“Be patient. You’ve got him hooked. And you’ve wounded his pride. You’re one step ahead of him at every turn.” The respect in his eyes made me feel that maybe I wasn’t being an absolute fool.
When the phone finally rang again, I waited for three rings. “Are you ready to talk about Cathedral Valley now?” I said.
“What guarantees do I have that you’re coming—that this isn’t a setup?”
“Saturday morning, no later than eight o’clock, I’ll put the battery back in my phone, and you can track us from then on. You have my word we will come alone. And by the way, Rick will do the same thing with his phone at that time, so you’ll be able to see that he’s still up in Salt Lake.” Actually, Rick had given his phone to his dad, and Charlie would turn it on when we told him too. A minor detail.
“What about the exchange?”
“It goes down exactly like you said before, only I don’t go with you. I’ll find another way home.”
“Will you have your little pouch with you?”
“Yes. I always have it with me.”
“Muy bien. So nine o’clock?”
“No, eleven o’clock.”
There was a howl of anger. “That’s not enough time for your dad to get to Moab. It’s nine o’clock or nothing.”
“Go whenever you want. Cody and I will be there at eleven.” I hung up on him a fourth time and removed the battery before he could call back.
Chapter 56
For what seemed like a full minute we all sat there, a little dazed by what had happened. Finally, Clay shook his head. “You know, Danni, for a girl who looks like she sings in a church choir, you’re like tangling with a pit bull.”
Cody sang out. “Dad says it’s more like trying to stop a bulldozer under full power.”
I sniffed haughtily. “Thanks. I find both of those comments seriously less than flattering.”
Clay’s smile broadened. “I didn’t say you looked like a pit bull. Just the opposite, in fact. That’s what catches people off their guard.” Then he sobered. “Seriously, Danni, you played that brilliantly. Absolutely brilliantly.”
I extended my hands so he could see how badly they were trembling. “It was kind of like I was on autopilot and just went with it.”
“Why Cathedral Valley?” he asked. “I’m not a native Utahan, and I’ve never been there. Why would he choose that location? And why the Temples of the Sun and Moon specifically?”
“Simple. First, it’s not that far from Hanksville. About thirty miles is all. Probably more important, it’s isolated. Though Capitol Reef is a National Park, you can go there even in the summer tourist season, spend a day in the valley, and never see another person.”
“That would be important for him.”
Rick broke in. “And it’s an easy place to make sure you’re not walking into a trap. It’s open and flat around the two temples. No one’s going to be sneaking up on you.”
“What are these temples?”
“They’re two freestanding rock formations that jut up out of the desert floor. They’re massive, hundreds of feet high. Big enough that you can hide someone behind them where they can’t be seen.”
“Big enough to hide my team?”
“No.” I said it more sharply than I had intended. “You’re going to have to stay back.”
“Draw me a map,” he said, pulling out a notepad from his briefcase. “Show me what you’re thinking.”
Over the next fifteen minutes, we laid it all out—how Cody and I would come in, where Rick would be, where Clay’s team would wait. The fact that he would have a chopper at his disposal was a big relief. When we finished, Clay reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a car key and remote. “We think your Toyota is too recognizable now, Rick. Here’s a trade. We’ll see that yours gets back to you when the time’s right.” He tossed him the key.
“What is it?” Rick asked as he caught it.
“We wanted you to blend in, so w
e got you a 1997 Chevrolet Silverado. It’s pretty beat up and has about a hundred and fifty thousand miles on it.”
The disappointment on Rick’s face was so evident that Clay laughed out loud. “Actually, it’s almost brand-new with less than a thousand miles on it. It’s a rental, so try not to beat it up too badly.”
“I can live with that!” Rick said, trying to suppress a grin.
“Will it hold the four-wheeler?” I asked. The four-wheeler was critical to our plan.
“It will. Ramps are in the back. We’ve already transferred all your stuff into it. More important, there’s a satellite phone in the backseat. You can call me anytime on that, no matter where you are. Also, there are two hand radios in the glove box. They are encrypted and have a range of about twenty miles, so we can stay in contact with each other. If something goes wrong, we’ll be three minutes away by chopper.”
“But only if something goes wrong,” I warned.
“Yes, ma’am.” He flipped me a salute.
I gave him one of my brightest smiles. “I am totally going to have to take back all those mean things I’ve been thinking about you, Mr. Zabriskie,” I teased. Then the smile faded. “Seriously, Clay, thank you for being here with us. It’s a huge load off our shoulders.”
“Yes,” Cody said from the bed. Rick was nodding vigorously.
“Danni, I’ve got to be straight with you. The only reason I am consenting to this whole idea is because I am certain that El Cobra will not hurt either you or Cody. He’s got twenty million reasons not to.”
“I know,” I said quietly. “There are many things you could say about him, but he’s not stupid. If Cody and I get so much as a scratch, my mom and dad will fight him every step of the way.”
“I agree. So I’m going along with this plan because I think it’s the best option we’ve got to stop him. Maybe even the only option. But I’m still worried about sending you out there alone. You know there’s no way El Cobra is going to walk away and leave you behind. He’s got something up his sleeve.”
I reached down for the pouch. “And we’ve got something on my shoulder. We’ll have a surprise or two for him as well.”