Chapter Twelve
“No concussion, sir,” the paramedic said. “If you experience any severe headaches, dizziness, light sensitivity, blurred vision—”
“I’m familiar with the symptoms,” Eli said. He’d gotten a concussion once on a deployment and had been around buddies that had suffered them as well.
The paramedic put a bandage over the cut on Eli’s head. “Well, if you do, go to the hospital to be further examined.”
“Okay, thanks.” Eli climbed down from the back of the ambulance, where Trujillo was waiting for him.
“You and Lane haven’t given me much to go on,” Trujillo said. “You claim you were on your way to your truck when it exploded. Then a black SUV with tinted windows sped off.”
“Yep.”
Trujillo glanced at their luggage that was set off to the side. “Then what prompted you two to pack up and leave the motel in the middle of the night?”
To protect Trujillo and avoid endangering others, Eli agreed to withhold information about the note card from all law enforcement.
But that didn’t include Ironside Protection Services. He called them before the ambulance arrived at the scene. Explained the essentials. They were going to come and would get back to him with specifics.
“There was a weird smell in the room. Somebody must’ve cooked something nearby. It bothered Olivia. Made her nauseous.”
Trujillo nodded, but his expression was skeptical. “Pregnancy can heighten and affect the sense of smell. No fish or coffee in the house when my wife is expecting. It’s a real hassle swinging by a coffee shop every day for nine months.”
“I can imagine.” There was something Eli needed to discuss with the FBI agent and it was best not to do it while Olivia was around.
Besides, he needed to give her more time to finish searching the room for any surveillance gear.
“Have you looked into the claims made by the NDR? That the eminent domain never should’ve been approved because there was an endangered species on the land. ”
“No.” Trujillo shook his head. “There hasn’t been any time. Besides, the EPA would’ve investigated. I think those fanatics were just looking for an excuse to torch a ritzy resort,” he said.
“The EPA didn’t investigate. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks did.
If the eminent domain was approved based on a fraudulent report by FWP, that would be a big deal, the kind of case that could make the right agent’s career.
I bet there’s much more to this story. If so, don’t you want to know what it is? ”
Narrowing his eyes, Trujillo sipped coffee from a takeaway cup. “Speaking of stories, any idea where Lane disappeared to?” he asked, glancing around.
Eli caught sight of her leaving the motel room. She gave a subtle nod, indicating that she’d found something in the room, and it made Eli’s blood boil. Not only had Shepherd been in their room, but he’d left some kind of surveillance device and planted a bomb in his truck.
He just paid off that Ram, too.
“There she is,” Eli said as Olivia came down the stairs.
Trujillo stepped toward her. “I’m surprised you went back up inside the room.”
Her gaze bounced from the FBI agent to Eli.
Standing behind Trujillo, Eli patted his stomach. “Because of the lingering smell.”
“It was hard to be in there,” Olivia said, “but I left something behind. A family heirloom. Worth dealing with a little nausea to get it.”
“May I see it?” Trujillo asked. “The heirloom.”
“Sure,” Olivia said, not missing a beat. She unzipped the back pocket of her handbag and pulled out diamond stud earrings. Holding them in her palm, she said, “Classic and timeless. Not to mention the sentimental value.”
Giving a slow nod, Trujillo stuffed one of his hands in his pocket. “Are you sure you two can’t think of anything else? I get the feeling I’m missing something. Would either of you care to shed any light on what that might be?”
“Actually, I was thinking about how Shepherd may have found us,” Olivia said.
“The only thing I can think of is Audrey Carter spoke to him before she was arrested, and he knew precisely who to look for. Or perhaps Maben is involved somehow. I think we need to speak to them as soon as possible.” She flicked a glance at Eli.
It was as good a way as any to handle the situation.
“That’s going to be hard to do,” Trujillo said. “They’re both dead. I got the call about them on my way over here.” The agent looked between them. “Neither of you seem surprised by the news. Why is that?”
“Shock,” Eli offered as an explanation. “From the explosion.”
“Must be.” Olivia gave a slight nod. “How did they die?”
“Maben, hit-and-run as he was walking to work. Carter hung herself in the county jail. Supposedly. Two minutes are missing from the security cameras. A glitch,” Trujillo said. “I can’t deny it’s been a tough day. Now, an attempt on your lives.”
They hoped the agent wouldn’t be next and agreed to keep him out of the loop for his protection.
“We’re exhausted,” Eli said.
Trujillo studied them one at a time, wariness in his eyes.
“I’ve got to finish up here. I’ll check the security cameras, but I’m not hopeful.
There’s no coverage of the lot where you said the perp was parked.
” He pointed to the area. “And you parked your truck under a lamppost, which was good, but once again, no coverage by the cameras. You two should find a new hotel, get some rest, and be sure to give me a heads-up on where you’re staying.
In fact, since you don’t have a ride, I can get one of the uniforms to drop you somewhere. ” He gestured to the deputies.
“No, thanks,” Eli said, stopping him. “We’ll get a rideshare.
” Shepherd was capable of many things, but Eli doubted being in several different places at once was one of them.
That meant Audrey had been right about another thing—Shepherd had loyal followers everywhere.
Who knew how many or where, possibly some entrenched in law enforcement.
He certainly couldn’t have gotten to Audrey without help, if he was even the one to kill her.
Or Maben. What if Shepherd had help from someone on the inside with the bombs at the pipeline, too?
“Hey, I was thinking about something Mr. Johnson, the plant manager, told us. How no one could’ve meddled with the economizer without someone inside the plant seeing it.
What if one of the workers there placed the device in the economizer during a check or maintenance? ”
“Their MO is to use insiders,” Olivia said.
“I planned to have everyone there questioned tomorrow. Starting with the three guys who were there last,” Trujillo said. “Do either of you have any leads on where Shepherd might strike next?”
Olivia shook her head. “Aegis is researching next possible targets.”
“Oh, one more thing,” Trujillo said. “My other agents, Finch and Chen, checked out the address Audrey gave us for the dairy farm. It was burned to the ground along with any evidence that might’ve been inside.”
“Shepherd is good at covering his tracks,” Olivia said. “We need to take your advice and get some rest.”
Nodding, Trujillo strode off toward the wreckage that was surrounded by firefighters.
Eli turned to Olivia once the agent was out of earshot. “Let’s not share where we’re staying with anyone beyond IPS this time.”
“Why?”
“If Shepherd has the tech, sure he could’ve found us by following the digital trail I left. But Trujillo also knew we were staying here. You told him, remember?”
“Think we can’t trust him?”
He shrugged. The only ones he was willing to trust with their lives were Ironside. “What did you find in the room?”
She unzipped the main part of her handbag and showed him equipment in a resealable bag. “Two cameras hidden in the vents. Probably had audio as well.”
Shepherd had watched and listened to their reaction to the note he’d left them. Eli shuddered to think about what else the terrorist might have witnessed, a private moment between him and Olivia. At least they hadn’t gotten to the point where they’d taken off their clothes.
His phone chimed. He took it out and looked at the text.
“Is that IPS getting back to you?” Olivia asked.
“Yes.” He finished reading the text. “They’ll be here no later than 0500.
Autumn, Takoda, and Bo. Chance, who has decided to come too, doesn’t want us to stay in another hotel.
He rented a place in the area large enough for the team.
” A five-bedroom farmhouse. “I’ve got the address.
Someone will be waiting outside to let us in, show us around, and hand over the keys.
I also passed Takoda the coordinates from the note card so they could research the meeting site, but I still have no idea where it’s located. ”
“A state park, about a thirty-minute drive from here. I googled it,” she said. “That’s where Shepherd wants to meet me.”
Eli doubted it was to have a simple discussion. He’d given Takoda a brief rundown on what they were dealing with. The IPS team would arrive in a few hours, and they’d get ready for any possibility.
Early morning light broke through the clouds as they approached the Breaks Edge State Park.
The entire Ironside Protection Services team arrived a couple of hours ago. Chance, Bo, Autumn, and Takoda had dropped everything else to back them up. They brought all kinds of equipment, even checked their belongings to ensure Shepherd hadn’t left a tracker in their stuff.
They mapped out the state park. Identified the trails leading in and out.
Everyone would be positioned at different points around the periphery, each covering a section of the park, except for Eli, who was staying with her.
The team would operate four drones, equipped with thermal imaging, that would fly beneath the dense canopy of forest, offering a bird’s-eye view and increasing their coverage.
Also, they’d given her a necklace with a GPS tracker with a built-in listening device to wear as an extra precaution.