Chapter Twenty-Five
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Sheriff Cooper was deep in thought as he drove down the two lane country road towards the Moonshine campgrounds. He paid no attention to the BMW SUV that passed him traveling in the opposite direction. His mind was on the information Karen Harper had given him. It was deeply troubling.
After going through Gino Stallone’s website the sheriff believed the trainer would opt for one of the campground’s luxury cabins, not the hotel in town. As he neared the turnoff he prayed the famous trainer would be there and agree to come to the station without any fuss. But his phone chimed, snatching his attention, and a quick glance at the screen told him it was his friend in Dallas, Detective George Hawthorne.
“George, thanks for gettin’ back to me so soon,” the sheriff exclaimed. “I’ve got a helluva story for you.”
“I figured from the tone in your voice. What’s going on? Not another biker gang, I hope.”
“No, thank the Lord. But just as bad. Have you ever heard of Gino Stallone? He’s a race horse trainer.”
“I sure have. There are a few rumors floating around. He sounds like a shady character. What about him? Is he in your neck of the woods?”
“He sure is,” the sheriff declared as he drove slowly down the winding gravel road to the campgrounds main building. “What I’m about to tell you is pretty shockin’ so prepare yourself. To cut a long story short, I have a young woman who claims the guy is fixin’ races and runnin’ a gamblin’ operation.”
“That’s a serious accusation. How did she find out?”
“She overheard a conversation she wasn’t supposed to, and now she’s here hidin’ from him, but it looks like he’s tracked her down.”
“Damn. Why would he risk his business for a few dollars?”
“You know how greedy people can be. No matter how much they have it’s never enough.”
“We’ve both seen that plenty of times,” the detective muttered with a sigh.
“I’m confident I’ll find him,” the sheriff continued, “but this young woman says he has important friends and she’s scared to death. She has reason to be. He sent two thugs over to her condo before she left. She got away by the skin of her teeth.”
“Ah, understood. So I should take over the investigation and bring him back under arrest before he can fix things with one of his buddies.”
“That’s what I’m thinkin’.”
“I can probably leave in a couple of hours, but I have to ask…does this girl have enough for me to charge him?”
“She’ll swear to it all, and her father has horses with Gino, so she’s not just someone who was wandering around the stables. She’s solid.”
“Okay, so you have to find him.”
“I’m at the Moonshine Campgrounds to bring him in. I just hope he’s here. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Sounds good, and I’ll leave as soon as I can.”
As the call ended the sheriff climbed from his car and strode quickly into the office. The receptionist, Rebecca smiled up at him.
“Hello, Sheriff Cooper. What brings you here? ”
“Do you have a guest by the name of Gino Stallone?”
“Yes, but you just missed him. He left about ten minutes ago.”
“When you say left—”
“Sorry, checked out.”
“I see,” the sheriff muttered. “What kind of car was he driving?”
“A black BMW SUV. Do you want the details?”
“Yes, please, and I need to have a look in his cabin.”
“Of course, it’s cabin #3,” she exclaimed, handing him the key, “and here’s a print out of his car’s plate number and his driver’s license.”
“Thanks, Rebecca,” he said as he accepted the piece of paper, then hurried to his car.
As he continued into the campgrounds, he sent the information to his office with an order to alert his deputies to stop the vehicle if it was seen, and to hold the driver until he arrived. But as he stopped at the cabin he abruptly remembered passing a BMW SUV on the road.
“Dammit,” he grunted, and hastily sent out a second message that the SUV in question had been traveling north on Old Lake Road five minutes earlier.
Even though he’d missed Gino by a hair’s breath he remained optimistic. The vehicle would be easy to spot. But fifteen minutes later, after searching the room and finding nothing of interest, he still hadn’t heard anything. Returning to his car he checked in and the bad news was confirmed. There had been no sightings of a black BMW SUV anywhere.
“He couldn’t just vanish,” the sheriff grunted as he left the campground. “He has to be somewhere, and I’ll damn well find him.”
* * *
Parked directly in front of the forest above the road, Gino’s vehicle was shrouded in the shadows of the towering trees. As he walked away and looked back, even though he knew it was there it was difficult to see.
Satisfied, he buttoned up his oilskin coat and continued on, but as he approached the edge of the bank he stopped short. A deputy was parked on the side of the road. Assuming the officer had business with the cowboy, Gino decided to stay back and wait it out. But after a few minutes passed and the deputy still hadn’t left his car, it occurred to Gino the man was probably waiting for speeders coming around the sharp bend.
Though he wanted to move closer Gino couldn’t risk being seen. Stretching out where he was, he raised his small but powerful binoculars just in time to see Cade and Karen lead two horses from the barn and mount up. Two dogs were with them running alongside, and he noticed the cowboy was ponying Karen heading towards Smoky Hill.
It was a gift!
The forest was shrouded in mist, and there would be no-one around.
With his handgun tucked in his shoulder holster, and a knife given to him by Paddy safely sheathed in one of the pockets, he rose to his feet.
All he needed was to enter the property unseen by the deputy.