CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Monty and Zane Miller were born in Pleasanton, California a year apart. They are now twenty-six and twenty-seven, respectively. Their parents were both teachers at a private Christian school but retired early, saying that teaching was taking a toll on them.
“They moved to Nebraska about the same time as Saylor’s family, all their assets were sold and liquidated.
It appears that Mrs. Miller came from an affluent family and never really needed to work.
She took all the money they had and made sure their home was much larger than the others to accommodate the boys. ”
“What about the abuse?” asked Remington. “Whipping kids with a belt out in the open so others see, that’s not okay in my book.”
“It’s not okay to any of us,” said Ham. “Shep? Why would she do that?”
“To show that she was in control and she was the one with the power. She wanted other children to see what could happen to them if they disobeyed and she was most likely using her own children to send the message.”
“That’s fucking cold,” said Gator.
“It is and it happens too often. Parents wanting to prove that they aren’t raising children who are out of control or have no discipline. This woman obviously took it too far, way too far. Do we know where the boys are now?”
“Men. They’re grown men,” said Hiro. “Miller is a very common surname so we’re still searching for them. We know that they purchased a used Ford F150 pick-up truck outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. They possessed no credit cards but might very well have had cash.”
“Considering what we know about the mother, that’s possible,” nodded Gator.
“Hey, I’ve found Zane Miller. His name appeared on a lease agreement in Santa Fe six months ago,” said AJ.
“No brother?” asked Remington.
“Not on the lease. I have a phone number for him. Do you want me to connect?” asked AJ.
“Do it,” said Ham. They waited as AJ dialed the number. It rang nine times before someone finally answered.
“H-hello?”
“Is this Zane Miller?” asked Remington.
“Wh-who is this?” he stuttered.
“Mr. Miller, I mean no harm to you. My name is Remington. I’m married to Saylor Carver. The former Saylor Carver.”
“Are you in the compound?” he asked.
“No. I assure you we are not. Is your brother with you?” he asked.
“You know about my brother?”
“Saylor told me that you had a brother and the two of you left the compound. She’s safe, Zane. Are you safe?”
“As long as you don’t give this number to them, I’m safe,” he said.
“Do they have access to a computer?” asked AJ knowing how easily they might find him.
“Yes but they’re not very good with it. They believe everyone is watching them and they’re right. Everyone should be watching them.”
“Zane, can you tell us what happened with your brother?” asked Remington.
“We left the compound together, promising to come back after, after we made the sale.”
“The sale?” asked Ham.
“Y-yes. It was the sale from the hunt. Except we got there and they wanted to hunt us. I was left in a shed, chained to a pole, and they took Monty, stripped him and told him they’d give him a five-minute head start.
It wasn’t fair. There were dozens of them.
We were just supposed to drop the merchandise but they were pissed because there was nothing to hunt. ”
“Back up, son,” said Ham. “What were you selling them?”
“Hides. Animal hides. Bears, cougars, beaver, wolverine, horses, we even had a few zebras and an elephant.”
“Where on earth would you have gotten those skins?” asked Remington.
“God,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “I forget that Saylor would have never seen it. They own more land than the compound. It’s north, at the border of South and North Dakota. They buy up animals from zoos and wildlife places and then offer them up for the hunt.
“Monty and me were supposed to sell the hides to this man, except he didn’t want the hides, he wanted to hunt.”
“How did you get away?” asked Remington.
“The pole was attached to the floor with bolts but it was loose at the top. I shimmied up and swung my hands over the top of the pole. Then I took off, running as fast as I could. I didn’t stop.
Not for two days or two nights. When I got to a phone, I called home.
I was crying, begging them to send someone for me. ”
“What did they say, son?” asked Ham.
“They said I was on my own. That I’d broken the deal. A deal? My brother was dead because of them.”
“So, they’re not gathering weapons for a war or for some survivalist theory?” asked Remington.
“God, no,” he laughed. “No. They lend the weapons to the hunters, sometimes sell them.”
“One of them said that Saylor was the chosen one,” said Gator. “What does that mean?”
“Th-they got a new idea for the girls, the daughters on the property. They were going to offer them up to the hunters. For entertainment. If they got pregnant, they would keep the babies. If they didn’t, the hunters were allowed to hunt them.
I’m ashamed of myself. I’m ashamed I didn’t call the police sooner or go back and try to save my brothers. Are they alive?”
“We don’t know, son, but we’re going to find out for you. Are you safe where you are?” they asked.
“Yes, sir. I work on the reservation. No one gets on the property without them knowing about it. Like I said, the people at the compound are not very good with a computer and they don’t want the kids to be good at it either. Is, is Saylor okay? Was she hurt?” he asked.
“She’s perfect. We’re happily married and have a family of our own now,” said Remington filling with pride.
“Don’t let them get to her. She was worth a lot of money to the hunters. They usually come in groups of three or four. They use one of the daughters, or a girl that they kidnap from a nearby town. The compound wants the babies, the hunters want to chase the girls.”
“How fucked up is this?” muttered Gator.
“Pretty fucked up, sir. Will you tell Saylor I’m glad she’s okay and to stay away from them? They’re all crazy, certifiably crazy.”
“I’ll tell her,” said Remington. “Our man is going to give you some contact information if you ever need help from us, let us know.” Gator stepped forward and leaned toward the phone, clearing his throat.
“One more thing Zane. Where are the animals kept?”