Tip of the Spear Pt. 04

"I understand there's an arraignment for Monday," Thomas said. "Have you gotten the toxicology report back?"

"No," Ryan said. "But the DA says he has enough evidence to proceed without it. Including proof this was premeditated."

"Really? Interesting. I understand Ron recovered Mrs. Higgins' hard drive," Thomas said.

"Yep. And that's why you're here," Ryan said. They walked into the lab and saw Ron and Ray. They all shook hands and Thomas turned to Ron.

"You have a copy of that drive for me?" he asked. Ron handed him a flash drive.

"There's an image of her drive on that," Ron said. "Along with a file showing all her passwords."

"Learn anything?" Thomas said.

"Quite a bit, actually," Ron said. "We know Mrs. Higgins was in contact with Nancy Garrison and this 'AG' person. We haven't been able to nail down AG's location, but I think this person, whoever he or she might be, could be somewhere in England."

"England?" Thomas asked. "Interesting."

"So, have your tech people been able to learn anything about those capsules we dug out of Mrs. Higgins and Ms. Rodgers?" Ray asked.

"Yes," Thomas said. "The chemical analysis was the same as the capsule you tested. As for the chip, it turns out that it's a wireless transmitter. According to our lab, it sends out a small group of packets to a set of predetermined IP addresses when the capsule is broken. Strange thing though. When we tried to connect to those IP addresses, they weren't active."

"That seems rather odd," Ron said.

"We agree," Thomas said. "We're still investigating it, though."

"Anything else?" Ray asked.

"Not at this time," Thomas said. "I need to get back to El Paso, but I plan to be here for the arraignment. If that's alright with you."

"I'm okay with that," Ray said.

"Alright. I'll get going. See you on Monday."

"I gotta get back to my office," Ray told Ryan after Thomas left. "I'll be working late tonight, by the way."

...

8:15 am, Monday, October 4, 2021

Ryan stood at the bottom of the stairs leading into the County Courthouse, smoking a cigarette as he waited for the arraignment hearing to begin in 45 minutes. He knew his deputies could handle the three defendants without his presence, and he knew Ray would be along any time.

As he took a drag off his cigarette, something in his peripheral vision caught his eye. He turned and looked south, toward Asher Hill. He scanned the top of the hill with his one good eye and saw it -- a slight reflection off something. He couldn't make out what it was, but he knew someone was up there. And he also knew there was no reason for anyone to be there.

Asher Hill sat about a half mile or so south of downtown Hard Rock. At its peak, it was maybe 75 feet higher in elevation than the rest of the town. The top of the hill was where the town's original cemetery was located, so no one lived there. A park sat at the base of the hill, and no one lived there, either. He keyed the microphone attached to the tab on his shoulder.

"SD1 to Air 1, come in," he said.

"Air 1 here, SD1," he heard the pilot say in response.

"What's your 20, Hal?" Ryan asked.

"Over on the west side, monitoring traffic on the bypass," Hal said.

"I need you to humor me and check out Asher Hill," Ryan said.

"Copy that. Give me about two or three minutes, SD1," Hal said.

"10-4," Ryan said. What the hell is going on up there, he wondered.

...

Mercedes Garcia looked through the scope on her camera as she crouched behind the stone wall that surrounded the old Hard Rock cemetery on Asher Hill. She took a number of pictures and saw a familiar form. She zoomed in and saw him -- Ryan Caldwell. She snapped some photos as she watched him smoke his cigarette. Then he suddenly turned and looked right at her.

"Shit," she exclaimed. She saw him scan the hill, then speak to someone on his radio. She knew he would be calling for someone to investigate the hill. She gathered her things and then she heard the tell-tale sound of a helicopter in the distance.

She only had a couple minutes to evacuate before she was spotted, so she crouched down and made her way back to her rented Jeep. She threw her things in the back seat and took off, hoping she wouldn't be spotted.

...

Ryan heard the helicopter in the distance and waited for Hal to call. A couple minutes later, his radio crackled to life.

"Air 1 to SD1," he heard Hal call over the radio.

"SD1 here. Go ahead," Ryan said.

"Looks like someone was here a minute or so ago, but they're gone now," Hal said. "I can see fresh tire tracks in the road, but that's it. I'll take a look around, see if I can spot anything."

"Roger that, Air 1," Ryan said, ending the call. Just then, Ray came alongside him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Someone was up there on Asher Hill," Ryan said.

"The old cemetery?" Ray asked.

"Yeah," Ryan said. "Air patrol spotted fresh tire tracks. I'm going to check it out. You got this under control?"

"Yeah, no problem, Sheriff," Ray said. "I got it."

"Thanks," Ryan said. He jumped in his official truck and headed for Asher Hill. On the way, he heard from Hal, who told him he didn't spot anything. When he got there, he parked his truck and looked around.

He saw the tire tracks in the dusty, dirty road and knelt down to get a better look. From the tracks, the tires appeared to be fairly wide off-road truck tires. He thought maybe whoever was here might have been driving a Jeep or something similar.

He also saw footprints in the dirt and followed them all the way to the wall. It was clear to him that someone had recently been here. He looked down the hill and realized that from this vantage point, a person could view the entire downtown area. Specifically, the courthouse, where Trudy, Ginger and Jeremy were set to be arraigned.

"Damn!" he exclaimed. He got in his truck and headed for town. On the way, he contacted Elaine and told her to beef up security around the courthouse.

"On it, Sheriff," she said. He drove around the downtown area for about a half hour, looking for anything that might show signs of having been on the dusty road of Asher Hill. He saw nothing, and had an idea.

He made two right-hand turns and went down the alleyway behind the shops along the boardwalk. He drove slowly, carefully looking at the vehicles parked behind the shops. Then he saw it -- a brown Jeep. He saw what looked to him like the same kind of dirt on Asher Hill and stopped his truck, blocking the Jeep.

He looked at the tires and the dirt along the side of the vehicle. Realizing that he was parked behind the Boardwalk Coffee Shop and Diner, he walked in through the back door and saw Sally Richards, the owner.

"Sheriff, is everything alright?" she asked. He put a finger to his lips, indicating that she should remain as quiet as possible. He looked through the doorway into the main part of the shop and saw a woman sitting alone at a table next to the front window. She seemed to be nervous.

"Who is that?" Ryan asked Sally. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know, Sheriff," she said. "Never saw her before. Came in about 10 minutes ago and ordered some coffee. All she's done is sit there and look out the window. Is everything okay?"

"It'll be fine, Sally," he said. He walked into the shop and saw the dust on her boots and her jeans. He stepped up to her table and took a seat directly across from her. He was somewhat shocked when he realized who it was.

"Mercedes Garcia? Is that really you?" he asked. She turned to face him and he saw a tear trickle down her cheek.

"Ryan," she said softly. "It's been what? 10, maybe 11 years?"

"Something like that," he said. "It's good to see you again. You're just as pretty as I remember."

"It's good to see you too," she said with a smile.

"So, what are you doing in town?" he asked.

"Just... passing through," she said softly, looking down at her coffee.

"Passing through," Ryan said. "In a Jeep rented at the airport? That was you up there on Asher Hill, wasn't it?"

"Yes," she said after a few awkward moments. Ryan saw a camera on the seat next to her. She picked it up and handed it to him. "I was getting some pictures for a travel magazine. The view up there is quite spectacular."

"Yes, I agree," he said, looking through the pictures. "Especially the view of the courthouse. I wasn't aware a travel magazine would have any interest in a one-eyed sheriff, though," he added, showing her the picture she had taken of him.

"That... that was for me," she said with a smile. He nodded his head. He looked her over and saw a strange oblong mole on the side of her neck, at nearly the same place where a poison capsule had been implanted in Trudy and Ginger. He had a sinking feeling about this. Setting the camera back down on the table, he had an idea and steeled himself.

"Well, Mercedes," he said. "Your services are no longer required." Her right hand flew up to strike her neck, but Ryan was ready. He caught her hand before she struck herself and held it tight. She struggled, but to no avail. He felt her trembling as he held her wrist. Damn, she's strong, he thought. Her eyes grew wide as she tried in vain to break free.

"Sally, call my office. Tell Sgt. Bledsoe to send deputies here NOW! Also tell her to send a medical team from the jail," he called.

"Right away, Sheriff," she said, picking up her phone. He looked her in the eye.

"I'm not letting go of you, and I'll be damned if you're going to die in my town, Mercedes," he said. "I didn't save your life all those years ago to have you die on me here." Her eyes changed and she saw a tear falling down her face as she shook uncontrollably.

"Please, Ryan," she begged. "Let me go. You have no idea."

"I know more than you realize," he said. "I've got deputies coming. A medical team is going to get that poison thing out of your neck. And then, we're going to have a little talk."

"Ryan, they'll kill us all. You have to let me go," she said.

"Remember what happened in Colombia?" he asked. She nodded her head. "Let them come. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Trust me on that." Just then, three deputies entered the shop along with a doctor and two medics. Ryan looked up at Deputy Sanders.

"Cuff her, Deputy, but don't let go of her hands. If she slaps her neck, she's dead," Ryan said. Sanders got her hands behind her back, but it wasn't easy. He put the cuffs on her, but not too tight. The doctor looked at her neck and saw the mole.

"I think that's where it's at," Ryan said.

"I think you're right. It looks like it's raised a bit as well. Okay," the doctor said. "Relax, ma'am. You have something under your skin. We're going to take it out, but we need you to hold still. I'm going to give you something to help you relax, then I'm going to numb that part of your neck. Understand?" Mercedes nodded her head.

One of the medics gave her a shot and she finally settled down. Then the doctor gave her another shot and waited a couple minutes for the drug to take effect. Then the doctor made a tiny cut and slowly worked the capsule out of her neck. One of the medics caught it with a napkin, placed it inside a plastic evidence bag and put it on the table. The doctor cleaned the cut and covered it with a band-aid.

Mercedes was groggy but she still knew what was going on around her. She was lucid enough to know the man who saved her in Colombia had done so yet again. She also knew that by saving her life, he was risking his own. And she knew she wouldn't be able to repay him the way she did the last time.

"I think we need to have a little talk, Mercedes," he told her. She smiled and nodded her head. Ryan looked up at Deputy Sanders.

"She's not under arrest, but I do want her taken back to the office. I'm going to interview her and Agent Jackson might want to as well," he said.

"Will do, Sheriff," Sanders said. "By the way, what was that in her neck?"

"A poison capsule," Ryan said. "Take it back but be very, very careful. Turn it over to the forensics lab." One of the medics grabbed the bag as they left. Ryan waited for them all to leave before sending a message to Ray and Thomas.

...

The arraignment went forward as Marvin predicted. All of the charges were read, both attorneys made their statements and the defendants all pleaded not guilty.

"I see you've entered a motion to have the defendants treated as domestic extremists under the Enhanced Patriot Act," the judge said.

"That's correct, your honor. We believe these three are closely connected to the same extremists who attempted to assassinate the president," Marvin said.

"Your honor, this is outrageous," Jake said. "The District Attorney is grasping at straws."

"Maybe, maybe not, counselor," the judge said. "I'll let the motion stand for now. When can you be ready to proceed, Mr. Olmstead?"

"We are ready to proceed any time, Your Honor," Marvin said. "We can start now, if you wish." The judge laughed at that.

"I'm sure you are, Mr. Olmstead," the judge said. "What about you, counselor?" he asked Jake.

"Your Honor, my office just got a truckload of evidence from the District Attorney late Friday afternoon. Fifteen minutes before the close of business, as a matter of fact. We haven't had time to go through it all yet. It'll take us weeks to dig through all that."

"Weeks, huh?" the judge asked. "Alright, counselor. We'll schedule the trial to begin three weeks from today," he added, looking at his calendar. "That would be... October 18. We'll start voir dire then. Defendants are to remain in custody until that time. Court is adjourned." Bailiffs took the three defendants away as Jake and Marvin packed their briefcases.

"Did you get that message from Sheriff Caldwell?" Thomas asked Ray.

"Yeah, I did. Guess we'd better head over and see what's going on," Ray told him. They got to the Sheriff's Department and met Ryan outside Interview Room 1.

"What's going on?" Ray asked.

"Someone was watching the courthouse from the top of Asher Hill this morning. I was able to track her down. She had one of those poison capsules in her neck," Ryan said.

"Crap," Ray said. Thomas echoed his sentiments.

"Listen, I know this woman, but I haven't spoken to her in over 10 years. Let me handle this, okay?" Ryan asked.

"Sure," Ray said. They went into the room where Mercedes sat at the table. Ryan sat across from her. Detective Sanders handed something to Ryan. He looked and saw it was the CIB he had given Mercedes over ten years ago.

"She had this in her pocket," he said. Ryan nodded his head.

"Mercedes, this is Detective Ray Hale and Special Agent Thomas Jackson. He's with the federal government. Can you please tell us the real reason you were on Asher Hill this morning?" Ryan asked. Mercedes thought for a few moments before responding.

"I was contracted to follow up on this morning's arraignment," she said. "Nothing more."

"Are you working for this MMAS or some other group?" Ryan asked.

"MMAS doesn't exist anymore," she said. "They haven't existed for some time."

"So, who are you working for, then?" Ryan asked. "This is extremely important to us, Mercedes."

"I don't know the name of the group. I was contacted by the person who handled your defendants. I was asked to come here and put eyes on the situation. That's all," she said.

"Are you talking about this 'AG' person?" Ryan asked.

"That may be how she refers to herself," Mercedes said. "Sheriff... Ryan. Listen. You saved my life -- twice. I'm going to save yours now. I cannot tell you anything more than I already have. If I do, your life, and mine, are forfeit."

"I see you still have this," he said, putting the CIB on the table.

"Yes," she said. "It gives me strength. The strength of the man who gave it to me." Ryan nodded his head.

"I don't understand," Thomas said. "Aren't you going to arrest her, Sheriff?"

"For what?" Ryan asked. "She hasn't violated any laws that I know of. There's no wants or warrants against her. It's not against the law to take pictures from the top of Asher Hill. It's been done lots of times. And I have no evidence that she's violated any other laws."

"But she was sent here by this 'AG' person to see what's going on," Thomas exclaimed.

"Perhaps," Ryan said.

"Then let me take her back to El Paso. As far as I'm concerned, she's a material witness," he said. Ryan turned back to Mercedes and considered his options. Thomas made a good point and he knew it.

"Mercedes, if I let Agent Jackson take you to El Paso, would you be willing to cooperate with him? For old times' sake?" She smiled as she considered his question.

"Can I take my badge with me?" she asked. He looked at Thomas who shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head.

"Of course," Ryan said. "I think Agent Jackson will be in town for a day or two, though. Perhaps it would be best if you stayed here. For your own protection. We'll get your things for you from wherever you're staying. I would like to talk with you before you leave, maybe catch up on things. Would that be alright?"

"Yes, Ryan," she said with a smile. "I'd like that."

"Good. We'll talk later," Ryan said. He motioned for everyone to join him in the hallway.

"What the hell," Thomas began before Ryan cut him off.

"In the observation room," Ryan said. When they got there, Ryan turned to Deputy Sanders.

"Deputy, I want you to put her in a holding room. She's not under arrest. Consider it protective custody," he said. "Keep an eye on her. We'll need to find out where she's staying and get a couple deputies to get her things. And no publicity. I don't want anything showing up on the blotter or the activity report. At least for now."

"Got it, Sheriff," he said before leaving. Ryan then turned to Ray and Thomas.

"I met Ms. Garcia a bit more than 10 years ago," he said. "She needs to earn your trust. She already trusts me. I think we can learn a lot from her, but we have to do it right."

"What's with that badge?" Thomas asked.

"I gave it to her. Over ten years ago," Ryan said.

"What? You've got some explaining to do, Sheriff," Thomas said. Ryan nodded his head.

"Tell you what. Why don't the two of you join Beverly and me at my house. I'll tell all three of you a nice bedtime story. Deal?" Ryan asked. Thomas and Ray looked at each other, confused, before turning back to Ryan.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," Thomas said.

"Good," Ryan said. "I'll meet you there." He pulled out his phone and called his wife.

"Hey sweetie," Beverly said. "A call in the middle of the day? This is a surprise. What's going on?"

"Ray Hale and Agent Jackson are coming over this afternoon," Ryan said. "I have a little story to tell you guys. Might want to start up a fresh pot of coffee."

...

Up next: Conclusion: Trial, consequences and aftermath. Stay tuned...