Chapter 10
10
U pon seeing Zion’s alert on his sister’s scent, Doug wrenched the screen door the rest of the way open and pushed his way inside. Craig was wearing a stained sweatshirt and drawstring pants. There was no sign of a weapon.
“Hey,” Craig protested as Doug shouldered past him. “You can’t barge in here!”
“Where is she?” He scanned the room. The woman who’d opened the door and who he assumed was Craig’s wife, Doreen, stood off to the side holding a baby. “Where’s Emily?”
“Who?” Craig’s confusion seemed real, but Doug wasn’t buying his innocent act, especially as it pertained to the stolen Silverado.
“Sit down. You too, ma’am,” he said to Doreen. “I’m searching for a kidnapped woman named Emily Sanders, and the K9 alerted on her scent.”
Craig’s jaw dropped. “That’s impossible! I don’t know anything about a kidnapped woman.”
“I assure you it’s not impossible at all,” Maya said calmly from the door. She’d entered the house, too, with Zion at her side. The dog sniffed the air with interest. She met Doug’s gaze. When he nodded, she leaned forward. “Search! Search for Emily.”
Zion lowered her nose to the floor and moved eagerly through the room. She sniffed all around even going down the hallway and checking each doorway, before returning to the main living space. The K9 then veered abruptly toward where Craig stood off to the side of the kitchen. She sniffed his feet and his hands, then sat and turned toward Maya with an expectant look.
“You were with Emily,” Doug accused, crossing the room toward him. “And you’re going to tell me where she is.”
“I d-don’t know what you’re talking about,” Craig stammered. “That dog is crazy. I don’t know anything about a missing woman.”
“Craig?” Doreen glared at him. “If you’re lying...”
“I’m not,” Craig protested hotly. “I didn’t take anyone.”
“I never said you kidnapped her, just that you were with her,” Doug pointed out. Then he reached out, grabbed Craig’s arm, and roughly spun him toward the wall. “Fine. You want to do this the hard way? I’m done playing around. Craig Olsen, you’re under arrest for obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting a kidnapping.” He ruthlessly wrenched both of Craig’s wrists behind his back. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
“What did you do, Craig?” Doreen demanded as the baby in her arms began to wail. “What did you do?”
“Wait! Stop! I didn’t do anything,” Craig protested.
“Zion says you know more than you’re telling,” Maya said, giving Doug an exasperated look, likely annoyed with his heavy-handed approach to the situation. Too bad. He needed answers. “If you cooperate with us, I’m sure Agent Bridges will let you go.”
Doug gritted his teeth for a moment, wrestling his anger under control. “That’s right. Cooperation is your only way out of this. Where is she? I want to know who has Emily and where they’re holding her.”
Craig’s gaze darted between his wife and Maya, then landed on Zion who was staring at him intently. Sensing the gig was up, he reluctantly nodded. “Okay. Okay, I was in the truck with a woman, but that’s all. They dropped me at the bar and took off. I swear that’s all I know!”
“Who?” Doug demanded, tightening his grip on Olsen’s wrists. “Who took her?”
“Ow, you’re hurting me!” When Doug didn’t loosen his grip, Craig added, “I only know one of the guys who had her, Steve Beldon. He offered me five hundred bucks to give him the keys to the Silverado and to wait to report it stolen.”
“You idiot!” Doreen screamed. “You told me you got a new job!”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t,” Craig shot back. “Get off my back, woman. I gave you half the money, didn’t I?”
“And what did you do with the other half?” Doreen demanded. “Drank it at the Crooked Wheel, didn’t you?”
Her mentioning the bar where the shooting took place was interesting. He loosened his grip just enough to convince Craig to keep talking. “Okay, you mentioned Steve Beldon. Who else was involved?”
“I, uh, just the Mexican dude, along with the woman.” Craig glanced at him. “She wasn’t hurt or anything. But the Mexican pretty much pushed me by force out of the truck when we reached the bar. He said something about needing to hurry because some guy was hurt.”
That surprised him. “What do you mean hurt?”
“How should I know?” Craig’s tone was whiny. “I didn’t ask questions. I took the cash and got out of the truck. They took off down Main Street.”
“Which way down Main Street?” Doug pressed. “East or west?”
“West,” Craig answered without hesitation. “I watched for a moment before going into the Crooked Wheel. I think they were going to Wild Bill’s, but I can’t say for sure.” He darted another anxious look toward his wife, who was glaring at him with such ferocity Doug almost felt sorry for the guy.
Almost.
He turned to glance at Maya, ignoring the angry interchange between Doreen and Craig Olsen. “Do you think it’s possible the injured guy at the motel had been Emily’s patient? That they kidnapped her to help take care of his injuries?”
Maya slowly nodded. “Could be that his wounds opened and bled all over the place. That would explain why they took the bed linens and towels. They wouldn’t want anyone to believe a crime had taken place there. And they wouldn’t want the DNA tested either.”
Doug wasn’t sure if he was going down this path because it was more palatable than thinking about the possibility of Emily being used for sex trafficking or if they were onto to something. He released Craig’s wrists and spun the man back toward him. “Where can I find Steve Beldon?”
“He has a place on the north side of town.” Craig rubbed his wrists. “I swear I don’t know anything more. I didn’t think they were gonna hurt her or anything.”
Doug grabbed Olsen’s sweatshirt and pushed him back against the wall. “You witnessed a kidnapping and didn’t call the authorities. That makes you an accomplice. So help me, if Emily is hurt in any way, I’ll be back. I will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. Do you understand?”
Doreen began to sob. “No, please. You can’t arrest him! What am I gonna do if you arrest him?” The baby in her arms wailed louder now as if picking up on the stress vibrating through the room.
He didn’t bother to look at her, his gaze fixated on Olsen. “Do you have contact information for Beldon? A phone number? What car does he drive?”
“Yeah, I have a number.” Craig dug in the pocket of his drawstring pants and retrieved his cell. He swiped the screen one-handed, then scrolled with his thumb. “Here. He drives an old blue Ford pickup truck, but it’s not reliable and doesn’t have an extended cab back seat. That’s why they wanted the Silverado.”
“What sort of criminal activity is Beldon involved in?” He quickly memorized the number on Olsen’s screen. When Craig didn’t answer right away, he narrowed his gaze. “I know he’s involved with something. Drugs, most likely. Am I right?”
Olsen darted a look toward his wife, then shrugged. “Yeah, he buys and sells drugs. But I’m not into that scene. I just needed the cash, that’s all.”
He wasn’t sure he believed him about not being involved in drug trafficking, but that didn’t matter. He didn’t have time to arrest Olsen. Taking a step back, he glanced again toward Maya. “Anything else you can think of?”
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “No, I think you’ve covered it.”
“Thanks for your cooperation,” Doug finally said. “But if I learn you called ahead to warn Beldon, I’ll be back to toss your sorry butt in jail. Understand?”
Olsen swallowed hard. “Yeah, I got it.” He glanced at his wife, then added, “I won’t call him.”
“Good.” Doug turned toward Maya, then he had an idea. “Wait, on second thought, you should call Beldon. Right now.”
“I should?” Craig looked uncertain.
“Call him, then hand me the phone.” Doug stepped closer. “Hurry!”
With shaking fingers, Craig placed the call. “He didn’t answer. The call went to voice mail.”
He hesitated, then took Craig’s phone. “Does your wife have a phone?”
“Yeah, why?” Olsen asked.
“Because I’m going to borrow yours. You’ll get it back by the end of the day.” Doug pocketed the device. “Thanks again for your cooperation.”
“Wait, you can’t do that,” Olsen protested.
“By the end of the day,” he rashly promised. “Let’s go, Maya.”
Maya didn’t look happy as she opened the door, letting Zion out first, then stepping out into the cold. Doug followed her back to the SUV. She tossed Zion the bunny. “Good girl, Zion! Good girl!”
“I can’t believe she was able to pick up Emily’s scent from him,” he said in admiration while texting Ian for Beldon’s address. Ten seconds later, Ian texted him back. “Got the address.”
Maya nodded and turned toward Zion. “Hand.”
Zion trotted over to give the bunny back. Maya tucked it away and opened the hatch. “Probably because Olsen hadn’t showered. Otherwise, we may not have been successful.”
He nodded in understanding. Maybe God was helping them. Moments later, they were back on the road, heading north to Beldon’s place.
“I wonder if Beldon has other properties,” Doug muttered as he brought the laptop computer to life. “Maybe a hunting cabin?”
Maya shrugged. “I doubt a low-level drug dealer is interested in hunting and fishing.” She gave him the stink eye. “You don’t really have the right to steal his phone.”
“I need it to keep tabs on Beldon.” He couldn’t bring himself to feel bad about what he’d done. “They have a phone at the house, and he’s not working. They’ll be fine for a few hours. Besides, this Beldon may not be a low-level drug dealer. He may be more connected with the cartels than we realize.”
“Maybe.” Maya’s tone was noncommittal. As if she were still upset with him.
Squashing the flash of guilt, he brought up the property listing Ian had sent earlier to make sure he hadn’t missed a second property for the guy.
He hadn’t.
“The name Steve Beldon sounds familiar,” Maya said while navigating the city streets. “I wonder if I arrested him at some point.”
He closed the laptop and glanced at her. “Do you think he’s your assailant?”
“Not sure.” She stopped at the next intersection, then turned right. “It’s interesting that he’s here in Cody if I did arrest him back when I was a cop in Cheyenne. I’ll dig into his arrest records soon.”
The drug connection nagged at him too. The hospital was small enough that he knew the kidnappers may have taken Emily only because she was a nurse and not his half sister. Yet he still had two men who had a list of guys who had been released from prison one of whom could be seeking the opportunity to settle a score.
“It’s that second house from the end of the street,” Maya said. “Doesn’t look as if anyone is home.”
He swallowed hard and found himself praying Beldon was home. They could issue a BOLO for his vehicle, but he wanted to find Emily now. Before things could take a turn for the worse.
Maya pulled into the driveway but kept the engine running. He reached for his door handle. “I’ll go first and check things out. Stay inside where it’s warm.”
She shot him another exasperated look and pushed out of her side without killing the engine. “I’ll back you up. These guys are armed and dangerous.”
Clearly, she wasn’t going to sit back and let him take all the risks. Torn between annoyance and admiration, he gave her a curt nod. The house appeared empty, but he intended to make sure. “Take the left side, I’ll go right.”
“Meet you around back,” she agreed, then turned to slink along the edge of the house. He took the right side, peering into the first window that wasn’t covered by blinds or drapes.
Nothing. He moved to the next, and the next. Most of the windows were covered, making it difficult to see inside, but those windows that weren’t revealed no sign of life. Beldon could be sleeping, but a quick look in the garage revealed it was empty too.
He and Maya met around back. “I didn’t see anyone,” she said.
“Yeah, I didn’t either, but some windows were covered.” He considered their options. “Can you see if Zion alerts on Emily’s scent?”
“Sure.” They hurried around to the front of the house.
Doug continued peering through windows and checking doors as Maya and Zion searched. He wasn’t surprised when they didn’t find any evidence of Emily having been there.
Both doors were locked, but the one in the back was flimsy. He used a credit card, wiggling it between the doorjamb and lock, working the handle to push the latch out of the way.
He got it open. Sweeping a quick glance around the backyard to make sure no one was watching, he went inside.
The house reeked of garbage, as if Beldon hadn’t taken it out for a while. He poked his head into each of the bedrooms, only to verify they were empty.
He went back outside to join Maya and Zion. “I managed to get inside, but the place is empty.”
She arched a brow at that, but simply said, “Sorry to say Emily hasn’t been here.”
“I figured.” He sighed, frustrated with knowing they’d reached another dead end.
And Emily had been gone for twenty-five hours and counting.
* * *
Maya was surprised at how Doug had crossed the line, first with pushing his way into Olsen’s house, then breaking in here at Steve Beldon’s. Obviously, he was desperate to find Emily, but she’d have pegged him for being a rule follower.
The way she’d been while on the job. Being involved in search and rescue operations gave her more leeway.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Doug said, once they were back inside the SUV. “I know I’m operating outside the legal boundaries of the law, but we’re running out of time. Emily has been gone for twenty-five hours.” The clock on her dash read eight thirty in the morning. “I don’t have time to work the system.”
“Your actions could result in the bad guys getting off,” she said. “That’s all I care about.”
“I know, and I’ll figure that out when the time comes.” He stared off into the distance. “I need those search warrants. And I want to add Beldon’s phone too.” He held up Olsen’s device. “I’ll keep trying, maybe Beldon will return Olsen’s call.”
“Maybe. We’ll probably have better luck with the search warrants.” He was so upset at finding nothing at Beldon’s home that it was difficult to blame him for cutting corners. “I think we should head back to the hotel.”
“Okay.” He sounded resigned, and she was surprised at how much she wanted to offer him some comfort.
“Hey, we know the last time Emily was seen, she wasn’t hurt,” she said. “And it appears they took her to help their injured perp. That’s good information, Doug.”
“I really want to believe they haven’t hurt Emily,” he admitted. “And while the information is helpful, we need more.”
“I understand.” She grimaced, and added, “It would be good to find Beldon’s current location. It stands to reason Emily will still be with him and the other two men.”
Doug glanced at her, then began working his phone. “Maybe Ian can ping his phone.”
She headed back to the Great Frontier Hotel as he made the calls. He finished just as she pulled into the parking lot. “Okay, the search warrant for Cartega’s phone and credit card records has come through. Ian is trying to ping Beldon’s phone.” He sighed. “It’s a start.”
“We’re going to find her,” she said reassuringly. “We’re on the right track.”
“I hope so.” He offered a lopsided smile, then pushed out of the SUV. She killed the engine and released the back hatch. Zion bounded out as if anxious to be on the move.
“Get busy,” she said, taking advantage of the time outside. “Get busy, Zion.”
Her dog whirled and trotted to the side of the hotel. After Maya cleaned up the mess, she turned to Doug who had waited, despite the cold. She glanced up at the swirling dark clouds and knew more snow was on the way.
If they had to go on another search, they’d likely need snowshoes. They had several sets back at the ranch, but she decided to wait to see if they got another lead.
Knowing Doug, he’d rather buy them than waste time driving back and forth to the ranch. Maybe he had more money in his bank accounts than she did.
Nah, that wasn’t likely. But he didn’t appear to be hurting for cash either.
He held the door open for her and Zion. “Those clouds look ominous.”
“I agree.” She glanced at him, noting he’d brought his laptop inside. “Let’s hope we get something off the search warrant info.”
“I scanned it briefly but didn’t see anything that appears to indicate Cartega is here in the Wyoming area.” He scowled. “He could be using cash, though, too. I need you to make sure I’m not missing something. Hopefully, they’ll fast-track the warrant for Beldon’s records.”
She nodded and waited for him to unlock the room. Since she’d already fed Zion, she decided not to head back out for the dog’s duffle bag.
“Here, see what you think.” Doug set the computer on the table, made sure the document was up on the screen, then stepped back. “The area code is 307, correct?”
“Yes, that covers the entire state, so that won’t help narrow the call down to Cody or Greybull.” She shrugged out of her coat and took the seat. There were dozens upon dozens of phone calls. She frowned and glanced at him. “Cartega worked for the cartel?”
“Yeah. And his girlfriend died of a drug overdose.” He shook his head. “Seeing the volume of calls makes me think he’s right back in the game.”
“I agree.” She kept scrolling until she found what she was looking for. “Doug? Here’s a number with 307 as the area code.”
He leaned over her shoulder to see the screen. “Really? That call was placed two days ago. And there are several more calls after that.” He turned to look at her. “He’s here. Manuel Cartega is in Wyoming.”
“Looks that way to me.” She could feel his excitement. “What’s Beldon’s phone number?” When he read off the digits, she entered them into the search bar.
No match.
“Maybe they’re using disposable phones,” Doug said. “Any of those purchased here would have the same area code, right?”
“Most likely.” She scanned the Wyoming numbers but didn’t recognize any of them. She brought up a search engine and typed in the Crooked Wheel. Their website and phone number came up on the screen. When she put that number in the search bar, there was a match.
“Doug, look.” She gestured to the screen. “Cartega called the Crooked Wheel two days ago too.”
He nodded. “We can go over and ask around about Cartega and Beldon. But even if they were there at some point, that doesn’t help us find them now. The place didn’t look big enough to house extra rooms where someone could hide. Besides, I don’t think they’d have stayed in a place open to the public.”
“I agree, the bar was likely an initial meeting spot. Maybe if we can find something more recent, we’ll have somewhere to look.” She went back to the list, trying to ignore the way Doug continued reading over her shoulder. He was too close for comfort.
Oddly, Zion didn’t seem to mind. Her previous K9 partner Ranger had barely tolerated her ex-husband, Blaine. He hadn’t growled or snapped his teeth, but more often than not, Ranger would put himself between the two of them.
She missed Ranger. He’d been in his last year of service when he’d been killed. After wrestling her grief, she’d pulled herself together. Having already decided to move on from the police department, she adopted Zion as a puppy, moved back to the ranch, and began training her. She was pleased with how well Zion had adapted to her new role as a search and rescue K9.
Maya was confident Zion could find Emily, if they could narrow their search field to a reasonable location.
“Hold on,” Doug said, when she was about to move onto the next screen. “That number there belongs to the Wild Bill Motel.”
“And that call was also made two days ago.” She glanced over at him. “Maybe they went straight from the hospital to Wild Bill’s.”
“When did the injury happen?” Doug asked. “I’m trying to put a timeline together in my mind. It appears as if Cartega met someone, maybe Beldon, at the Crooked Wheel. Maybe from there, they did some drug business. Is that when the mystery guy was injured? But if he was knifed or shot at, the police would have been notified by the ED doc, right? Those are automatic reports to law enforcement.”
“They are, yes.” She could see the scenario he described in her mind. “Maybe they did go to the hospital, but then left. They may have holed up at Wild Bill’s, then went back to grab Emily.”
“Yeah.” He looked thoughtful. “I wonder what made them move from Wild Bill’s.”
“The gunman fired at us from the Crooked Wheel,” she reminded him. “He may have heard about a federal agent asking about his sister. That would be a big deal around here since we so rarely interact with the feds.”
He straightened and began to pace. “We’re close, but I still can’t figure out where to start searching for Emily.”
She glanced toward the window. The dark clouds were heavy with moisture. She had a bad feeling that they weren’t looking at a minor two-inch snowfall this time. The wind picked up, and she could imagine a full-blown blizzard letting loose.
They needed something to go on, and soon. Before they were stuck inside.
Her thoughts returned to Beldon. Why was his name familiar? She quickly checked his criminal record, but nothing popped. She hadn’t arrested him.
Remembering her theory that her assailant was somehow connected to this, she went to Blaine’s social media page. It didn’t appear as if he’d posted anything for the past two years, which was odd. The good news was that he hadn’t bothered to block her on the site. Probably because he knew she didn’t post anything about her personal life there. Most cops didn’t broadcast their homelife for every criminal to see.
She went to his list of friends and scrolled through the names until she found it.
Steve Beldon.
Beldon was here in Cody and a friend of her ex-husband. She sat back in her chair, stunned. Was Beldon her attacker? Had he struck her over the head because she was helping Doug Bridges find his sister?
The timeline didn’t make sense for that, as she’d first noticed him popping up behind her two weeks ago.
No, the more she thought about it, the more likely it was that Blaine had sent him after her to even the score.