The CIA Doublecross Pt. 04

The Mob Invasion Fails

After our visit to Sandpoint to recruit assistance from the Nez Perce, Marsha and the Youngblood women made their way to the Cooper Ranch in good time two days later. When they arrived, I was behind the barn, learning about packing from Joel. I had my used trail clothes on and looked the part.

Meg gazed at me from twenty feet. "Look, Mom, they've hired a wrangler to go with us."

I sauntered over and stuck out my hand. "Mighty pleased to meet you, Ma'am. You look ready for the trail yourself."

She grabbed me in a tight hug. "Scott Thurston, you big faker!"

Marsha, Kate and Ellie were standing together, laughing. "You tell 'em, girl."

The new arrivals were instructed to sit on the porch while refreshments were delivered. After gossip was exchanged, Joel said, "Scott and I think a visible trip to town in the morning is needed. Introductions at the store will get around quickly. Folks here are pretty enlightened about the Nez Perce, but it certainly didn't used to be that way. There is a community dance tomorrow night, and we should all go. Dancing and introductions and maybe meeting the Harrisons."

Payette Hardware was a lot more than hardware, being a gathering spot for the whole town, especially since the owner's daughter, Penny, had installed a fancy espresso machine in a spare corner, and satisfied most varieties of caffeine addiction. Joel took us down a line of folks on stools, introducing everyone and announcing our group was headed into the back country for a few day's relaxation. There were pleasant hellos and curious looks. The duds from the store across the street seemed to help. The eyes said we didn't look like total greenhorns, especially with two attractive and professional looking Indian women with us.

After an easy forty-five minutes, Joel led the way out, saying he thought the Sheriff could rest easy with Ellie in charge of the trip.

She told Meg and Marsha to sit in front while she had words about the trip with me in the back. Words turned out to be Ellie's firm behind in my lap and her hands wagging my head around by the ears.

"Now, you listen to me, engineer. Once we are on the horses, there is only one person in charge. Do you know who that is?"

I tried to answer, but her tongue was licking here and there, and the bulge underneath her was growing. I finally gasped out, "Ellie, there is no doubt in my mind that you are in charge of the trip!"

Joel was keeping his eyes straight ahead, but the other two heads were pressed together and giggling over the seat back. "He needs more instruction, Mom."

This time the lips fell quickly to mine and the whispery voice said, "You and I are NOT getting it on. This is all there is. Do you understand? No fooling around in the meadows."

I tightened my hold across her chest, licking the curve of her shoulder where it met her neck. She shook in my arms. "No fooling around and no bullet holes in anybody."

Joel heard that and turned, "No bullet holes. Maybe we should have a little rifle and small arms practice before you go. Folks aren't keen on hearing guns go off on the trail out of hunting season. We can line up some bales in the barn."

When we got back, the three women went to the barn for an animal check while Joel and I relaxed on the porch. "Let's talk about communications. A pack trip wouldn't be expected to use their phones much, so we should work out a few code words and think about special situations. Do you want me to stick around until the new gear arrives?"

"Actually, Scott, I think it's better if Mark's helper and I do most of the setup while you are away. If they have any surveillance on this place, you won't be connected to whatever they suspect."

"Heading out to the west is away from the Harrison's place. Are we doing this in two installments, one west and one east?"

"Why don't you take grub for three nights? That should get you saddlesore and trailwise. See if you can move around at night without making noise. Give your girl some loving. We'll get security tightened up here and keep an eye on the Harrisons. Come back in a few days and we will regroup."

"Sounds like a plan, Joel. I like the way you think."

Two mornings later, we were on the trail early. The animals weren't used to riders and loads, and we weren't used to trail riding. There were low voiced grumps until Ellie spoke up, "We are on the trail on a perfect day. We're taking it easy to get the kinks worked out. I don't want to hear any complaining."

I thought about Joel's suggestion to give my girl some loving. Marsha was sitting her horse very well, right ahead of me. Meg was just behind, providing commentary on my poor horse posture. I mumbled, "I'm going to get you..."

"I hope so," she shot back. The smirky smile invited trouble. How was I supposed to protect the virtue of a tramp? A lithe woman who sat her horse like she was born to it? A little voice reminded me why I had a pistol in my lunchpack. The Harrison crowd would shoot an Indian as quick as an Anglo.

The farther west we traveled, the better I felt. There was an easy, dusty rhythm to the trail. Two hundred years ago, Nez Perce guides navigated the bluffs of the Snake to the west of us with white fur traders. Ellie had a practiced eye for vantage points from which to keep an eye on our rear. We stopped to water the horses and ourselves. She came up to me and asked what kind of pursuit we expected.

"I don't suppose we do, actually. But working for Mark, you are expected to expect the unexpected."

She smiled and slapped my cheek. "Scott, you are sounding more like a CIA agent every day."

Meg and Marsha squeezed me. "Cowboy, are you protecting us?" Their bodies felt good in my arms.

"Well, what I was thinking isn't exactly protection..."

"Oh, you!" My head took more blows as the horses nickered, wanting to know what was going on.

A little after noon, Ellie found a creek bottom under trees with a trickle of water left. Enough for the animals. Good enough for us after going through a filter.

Sitting quietly with our sandwiches, we looked up as hooves approached rapidly. It was Joel.

"Hello, folks, sorry to intrude, but you need to return with me. We've got developments to deal with."

We mounted as he said, "Can't explain while we are riding on the trail. Mark said he would be at the ranch by nightfall, and fill us in."

Meg's voice behind me said, "Sorry for the teasing, Scott. I'm glad you are with us." I dropped back for a moment and squeezed her shoulder, "And I'm glad you are with us. You proved that at Sandpoint."

Her dark eyes flashed in appreciation and an arrow went right through me. Damn.

Downhill, without stops, we reined in at the barn a little before four. Everyone was all business, watering and currying the animals and hanging tack. Joel and I sent the women to the shower to wash trail dust away while we finished.

"I think Mark has news that means stepping up the action. How well defended are we here?"

"There is a locker in the house with maybe a dozen shotguns and rifles. I'm the keeper for family guns. Behind the barn is an old vegetable cellar where I keep dynamite for dealing with trees and rocks."

"What about the new surveillance gear?"

"Coming, maybe by tonight, with Mark's tech guy."

"Why don't you and I stake out a place to sleep up the hill yonder? The farmhouse is hard to defend and they might decide to torch it from a distance."

Joel responded, "Good thought. Just in case they have high powered scopes on us, we probably better not wander that way until dark."

Kate was on the back porch as we approached. Unsmiling, she asked, "What can the women do while we wait for Mark?"

I kissed her cheek and sat down. "I learned from Mark that sometimes you have to have the patience to wait."

She got a better kiss from Joel, on the lips. "Mom, unless Mark's got a better idea, we are going to have a sleepout under those trees on the hill. This house is a pretty good target."

Ellie, Marsha and Meg had come out on the porch, looking fresh and pretty. Hearing the last of Joel's comment, Ellie laughed and said, "My goodness, another chance to get in the dirt!"

Parched from the trail, I loaded a tray with beers and took them out to the group. "Let's cool down and take it easy. Mark and his higher ups are not leaving amateurs like us unprotected."

I forced myself into an outward calm I did not feel. Protecting four women was a challenge, even if each of them knew how to handle a gun. Close to six o'clock, with the sun going behind the hill, a very unmilitary single engine plane passed overhead and landed on the grass runway to the north. Joel took the pickup to fetch its passengers.

Kate said the women would attend to dinner and they left the porch. I fetched more beer and waited. There were three of them. Mark and two muscular men whose eyes were busy checking out the house and me.

"Hey there." His hand was out and we shook hard. "Sorry to interrupt your trip. These are Jeff and Doug."

I asked, "Story now, or after dinner?"

"Turns out the Harrisons have something big going down tonight or tomorrow night. Our sources aren't terribly reliable, but the joint task force decided to deploy. That's why I'm here with helpers. I would move you folks somewhere else, except we can't afford any leaks and if they are keeping an eye on you, that might give us away."

Joel said, "Scott and I were thinking our women should not be in the house tonight if there is trouble coming. That grove of trees on the hill over there has good cover and good lines of sight. There are weapons for all of us in my gun locker."

The two helpers were looking impressed. Mark said, "Knew you would be thinking ahead. Hold onto that while we set up secure communications."

"Ok to brief the women with this much?" Mark nodded and Joel went in the kitchen. I stayed to watch the comm work.

It was typical agency gear. Black boxes with plugs and sockets. In ten minutes, it was powered up on the corner of the deck, lights flashing from red to yellow to green. Jeff had a headset on, speaking quietly. Mark walked over and they conversed briefly.

"Don't want to generate much signal out here. Never know how sophisticated they might be. Drug money buys a lot of fancy technology these days. We learned that in Central America."

He went on, "We haven't alerted local law enforcement yet. Need better info and need to worry about leaks."

I said, "Ace and his Sheriff are available. Joel and I could fly up and get them in a couple of hours."

"Yes, that is on my contingency list. We've had a very light touch on surveillance. Mostly satellite. So, we're not sure how many men are on the property. Need to think about their contingency plan too. Maybe when Joel is free, we can noodle about that?

"Ellie too. She has a Nez Perce instinct for this sort of thing."

Dinner was quiet. Mark tried to lighten the atmosphere by asking about the trip. Ellie broke up the room by saying everything went fine except for one tenderfoot and his mistakes. I muttered, "There's no peace for a man with three uppity females around."

The men were excused to the back porch for more conversation as the twilight deepened. I took Ellie's hand and brought her along to sit beside me. I noticed Meg in the doorway behind.

Mark began, "Folks, we are basically on a stakeout of the Harrison ranch. The interagency task force is trying to decide whether to take them down if they do another of those horse trailer runs tonight. Until today, the signals I was getting suggested a week or two to gather evidence. After this morning's briefing at headquarters, I got a classified message saying to prepare for action at any moment. There is staging going on as we sit here. Jeff and Doug and I are responsible for maintaining the comm link there in the corner, and for assisting any airborne vehicles needing to use your runway. As soon as we finish this conversation, my helpers are heading out to string lights on the grass. Joel, maybe you can lend a hand.

"Before that, tell me what their escape chances to the east are?"

Joel answered. "Those hills are covered with old logging roads in bad condition. If they know their way, it is several hours over to the Salmon highway."

Ellie added, "In the old days, there were Indian hideouts, but it's really dry this time of year. You'd need someone like Ace's dad, who knows the trails and the seeps, and he's been dead for ten years now."

Mark chuckled, "I'd like to see a New Jersey mobster after a week up there. Cooked through and dried out."

On a hunch, I said, "Mark, you need to call this off. It's a feint to see if there is any serious law enforcement presence around. It's too early for them to try a big cross border move. If agency people surface here, you can bet the whole operation is folded in a week or less. Anybody other than a highway patrolman stops one of the horse trailers, and it's a dead giveaway. If there is nothing criminal in the trailer, you are up a creek."

Jeff and Doug looked unhappy. Mark said nothing for several minutes, then "Scott, you keep putting my ass on the line. One of these times, it'll get shot off."

I spoke softly. "Joel and Kate and their friends from California are going to the dance tomorrow night. The men will lift a few and the ladies will circulate. Might even dance a bit. With the Sheriff and deputies around, no one will try anything. Get Jeff to teach Meg the basics of that rig and leave it here. We'll guard it well."

Marsha poked me, "Tell him the rest of it."

I laughed. "Mark, she is the one who has your rear end hanging out. She wants you to fly east and tell the bosses their south of the border source is likely turned."

He stood and spoke to the helpers. "These amateurs have good instincts. I haven't liked the smell of this all day. We are leaving at first light. Get on the encrypted channel and tell our minder there are problems here and we are returning first thing tomorrow."

He added, "Young lady, you've probably heard the stories about Indian Guides in the war. Get over there and listen carefully. We'll need you before this is done."

Mark and Joel bought into my logic, saying they saw no need to sleep out. Joel and I walked down the gravel road to his gate and installed the two wireless motion detectors we already had. It was a gorgeous clear night with lots of stars. Seemed a bit silly to be worrying about the Mob.

When we got back, Mark had Kate and Ellie distributing loaded rifles and shotguns in several rooms. Mark said, "Just for insurance, the three of us are taking our stuff and sleeping at the plane. Ring my cell if you need us."

It was warm in the upstairs bedroom, where Marsha and I were lying very awake in our underwear. Ellie and Meg appeared like ghosts and sat on the end of the bed. "Enough excitement for you, Meg?"

"Damn, Scott, this is heavy stuff!"

"Mark doesn't mess around. Marsha and I found that out last month. Scared the you know what out of us."

Ellie said softly, "I checked in with Ace. Told him we had a very nice ride, and you might make a horseman someday. Decided not to say anything about the situation here on an open line."

Meg asked, "Marsha, can we curl up here? Feels safer."

"Yes. Just poke us if you need the sheet when it cools off. "

A few minutes later, Joel was at the door, with Kate behind his shoulder. "Everybody comfy in there?"

I answered. "Don't know how much sleeping is happening, but the bed is sure nice."

Kate's arm was around Joel's chest. "How come your guest has Indians to protect him and his woman?"

Walking away, there was a slap and a squeal. The next thing I knew, Ellie was shaking my shoulder and applying a warm kiss. "They just started the plane engine."

From the upstairs balcony, we watched a quick taxi to the far end of the strip, a one-eighty turn and a throttle check. A slight hesitation and the roar of the engine as it came straight at us, powering the plane overhead and off to the south toward Boise.

Joel and I jogged down to retrieve the truck while the women worked on breakfast. I asked, "You happy with the change of direction?"

"It's a crapshoot, isn't it, Scott? There could be a load of dope halfway here if we are wrong."

"Absolutely. Problem is, putting away the truck driver doesn't accomplish much. You need to arrange a net that gets a fistful of higher ups with their hands in the stuff."

Over breakfast, I asked about a horse trip to the east. "If you are right about water, the Harrisons will wonder why we are taking a trip in that direction. And why horses, if four by fours could use the roads."

Ellie's face was lit up by a smile. She sat there, wheels turning. Meg poked, "Mom?"

Looking at Joel and me, she said, "You are going to like this. Remember what I said last night about Ace's Dad? Would you believe that the granddaughter is a member of the Nez Perce Historical Society and is going to explore, with her clients, the secret trails and hideouts of her ancestors?"

We sat there, our own wheels turning. Marsha climbed into my lap for a hot kiss. Meg looked unhappy until Ellie grabbed her and spread the tight body over her knees for a soft paddle. Kate stood next to her son, fingers working in his sun bleached hair.

"The granddaughter is going with animals into the draws where there still is water?"

The women all said at once, "Who gets to go?"

Marsha whispered in my ear, "I insist! You still owe me some loving."

Meg whined, "Let me up, horrible mom, Joel is going to set up some rifle practice in the barn after we put the horses into the corral." Ellie's hands beat harder, "You are such a disobedient girl!" In a moment, they were hugging and dancing out the door with Joel.

Kate brought more coffee and sat next to me. I dropped an arm around her shoulder, "You've made us feel like instant family, Kate." Marsha leaned forward for a quick kiss, "Yes, instant family."

"You know, I would be scared to death thinking about those people across the road if it was just Joel and me. Having you and the Nez Perce and that fancy equipment makes me feel so much better!"

There was a beep and a flashing red light. I went to fetch Meg. She dashed across to the porch and huddled with a headset on. More lights and one word answers from Meg. The transmission ended quickly and she turned with a big smile. "That was Mark. The task force steering committee has already turned off the takedown. He said I was a beautiful young woman and should have fun at the dance tonight. Said it was terrible he couldn't dance with me!"

We took two vehicles to the dance. The women didn't want to crush their dresses, and I was happy to have Marsha with me in a backup truck if there was trouble.

Ellie had a knife hidden in her elaborate leggings, and I had a .22 Special in the middle of my back. Marsha poked me and we practised our smiles, following Joel and the others inside the big barn that the community owned for events like this. There was a long table laden with drinks, but no hard liquor, and lots of munchies. Joel and Kate worked the circles of friends, introducing their four guests. Meg and Marsha got admiring looks from men, young and old, who had their best jeans and cowboy shirts on.

Dancing had begun by the time we worked our way to the far end of the building, and the noise made it hard to hear. I said into her ear, "Want to dance, cowgirl?"

"I sure do, but take Meg out there first, she doesn't have a date."

Just about the most beautiful young woman on the floor folded into my arms. "Scott, you should be dancing with Marsha."

Kissing her ear, I said, "I'm responsible for protecting your virtue from these horny young guys."

She swung out and back, laughing at me. "Yes, I certainly need protection."