Chapter 20
Twenty
As Raven slid behind the wheel of his truck and glanced at the dogs in the back seat, he smiled.
Although Ben was always on his best behavior, he noticed Carter’s Doberman, Zorro, sat bolt upright in the back seat, his head averted from the other dog as if he couldn’t stand the smell.
He had witnessed Zorro’s interaction with Duke and they’d got along together really well, so he assumed it would take a little bit longer for Zorro to relax when close to Ben.
He glanced at Carter as he climbed into the passenger seat.
“Does your dog have a problem with other dogs?”
“A problem? Nah.” Carter looked at him and grinned.
“He just believes he is superior, is all. He doesn’t turn off and relax.
It’s in his wiring. He’s on duty twenty-four/seven unless I give him a specific order.
Right now, when we’re heading to speak to potential suspects, is not the time to give him that order.
” He cleared his throat. “You know, I’m glad we have this time to get to know each other better.
It makes for a better working relationship, don’t you agree? ”
Emily had told Raven many stories about Carter and he believed he’d gotten to know him well enough, but it seemed he needed to get something off his chest, so he glanced at him. “Yeah, I do. You first.”
“I was a SEAL before I joined the FBI. I’ve never been in a serious relationship because of that.
I figured it would be too hard on the woman I left behind during tours, but since then I haven’t found anyone to tolerate me.
” He chuckled. “So, what’s your story? You seem like a loner—well, maybe not so much now you’re dating Emily, but apart from that, I figure we’re much the same. ”
Raven shrugged. “Maybe not. My story is complicated.”
“Maybe, maybe not. I’m not ashamed of suffering PTSD for a time.
” Carter took a toothpick from his top pocket and waved it around as he spoke.
“I joined the FBI but only served for about six months before there was an incident where children were murdered right in front of me and I couldn’t do a thing to help them.
I needed to get away for a time and spent two years off the grid in the forest out of Snakeskin Gully.
Jo had been sent to work at the Snakeskin Gully field office after her divorce, along with Bobby Kalo, and was ordered to get me back to work.
She asked the local cop to locate me and he brought her to my place.
It’s a small cabin in the forest miles from anywhere, just the way I like it.
She pulled my sorry ass out of there and made me get back to work.
” He smiled. “She has a persuasive way about her, you know? I believe it’s because she is a behavioral analyst and knew exactly how to deal with me.
I didn’t want to go back to work. I just wanted to sit there on my porch with my dog doing nothing.
I can tell you, that woman has the patience of a saint because I was very difficult to work with.
I had no filter—probably still don’t—but she kept pushing me along until everything fell back into place. ”
Raven raised both eyebrows. Carter’s story was much like his own.
“She saved you from an inevitable downward slide. You see, no one gets better when they’re living off the grid.
That’s what I discovered, mainly by reading books about my situation.
” He backed out onto Main and headed out of town.
“As you know, I’m a medical doctor, thanks to the military, and I flew medevac choppers during our deployments overseas.
The last one, I had one person and his K-9 to retrieve.
He was an injured Navy SEAL. We took fire and went down. ”
“Go on.” Carter’s eyes hadn’t left him, and his face held an unreadable expression.
As it wasn’t giving away any secrets, Raven sighed.
He hated reliving the day his life changed forever.
“I’d received minor head injuries but grabbed a medical kit and threw it out of the door.
I went back for the SEAL, but he’d taken a direct hit and there was nothing left of him.
I crawled out along with the dog before we were hit again.
Everything went up in a ball of flames. The dog had an injury but he grabbed my arm and hauled me away from the fire.
We made it to cover before the militants arrived.
The next thing, friendly fire came from above me in the mountains.
Head wounds, one after the other. The militants scrambled and took off but the sniper took down seven of them.
I sat down and patched up the dog. At the time, I didn’t know I’d lost so much blood from a head wound.
” He glanced at Carter. “I tried to carry the dog higher into the mountain, hoping to find the friendly and get help, but after about one hundred yards I fell flat on my face in the sand. The sniper, whoever he was, was nowhere in sight. I passed out and next thing I remember is being carried over the shoulder of the sniper. He was one of our guys.”
“He must have been a big guy to carry you.” Carter tossed a toothpick in his mouth. “Lucky you.”
“Yeah, well he put me down in the shade, gave me water. We talked some and then walked until he arranged an extraction point. I was hospitalized for a time, and when I got out, I couldn’t function.
The dog was the same. I found him in a K-9 training facility.
I’d been sent there to get my act together.
He remembered me and we got along. He was okay with me but refused to behave with anyone else.
This is unusual for the breed. I figure he was grieving his owner.
” He sighed. “Long story, I left and took Ben with me. I figure he saved me and decided to dedicate my life to saving rescue dogs and rehousing them, and then I met Jenna and Kane.”
“What about the sniper who saved you?” Carter raised one eyebrow. “Did you hunt him down and thank him?”
Raven shook his head slowly. “I tried and was stonewalled for a time and then an FBI agent told me he’d been killed in a car bombing along with his wife and unborn son.”
“That’s tragic.” Carter shook his head slowly. “Life is tough. Seems we both escaped our own personal hell to join the fight against crime. Maybe that’s why we were saved? This is our mission in life.”
Raven nodded toward the sign advertising the Halloween attraction. “I guess so. The Old Mitcham Ranch is just up ahead.”
“Yeah, I’ve been there before.” Carter turned to look ahead.
“I don’t believe in ghosts, but this place can change your opinion real fast. The suicides and homicides go back decades, but some are recent and bloody, mass murders too—and yet the high school kids still want to spend the night here. Go figure.”
The main attraction appeared to be a very old, dilapidated ranch house and a barn.
Workers moved around, setting up handmade sets including plywood coffins, scarecrows, straw bales, and jack-o’-lanterns.
Grinning skeletons hung in and out of windows and leaned against the barn door.
Motor homes sat in a line alongside the fence not far from a firepit, where Raven assumed the workers gathered at night as a place to sit to gossip or tell stories.
A few sheds had been erected for storage.
As they drove deeper into the complex, he noticed counters with tools and extension cords.
A man walked out to meet them, standing hands on hips.
He looked to be in his fifties and wore a cowboy hat, dusty blue Levi’s, and a plaid shirt.
Raven stopped the truck beside him and buzzed down his window.
“Good afternoon, I’m Deputy Raven from the Black Rock Falls Sheriff’s Department and this is FBI Special Agent Carter. We’d like to have a word with you.”
“In regard to what?” The man removed his hat and slapped it against his thigh. “Is this about permits again? I have every permit known to man.”
Raven kept his voice low and calm. “No, it’s about a couple of incidents that occurred in Stanton Forest over the last few days.
We’re looking for anyone who might know how to set a projector in the forest in an attempt to lure people into potential danger.
I’m afraid at this time of the year some of the Halloween pranks get out of hand.
May I speak to anyone who has this type of knowledge? ”
“We honestly haven’t got time to play games in the forest.” The man stared at him and lifted his chin in defiance. “Setting up this place in time for Halloween takes all of our time.”
Beside him, Carter had slid out of the truck and opened the back door to allow the dogs to jump down. He pulled on his FBI vest and walked around the front of the truck. Raven climbed out of his truck and indicated to Ben to come to his side. “May I have your name please, sir?”
He looked at the man expectantly and took out his pen and notebook.
Carter was staring at the man, his toothpick protruding out the corner of his mouth and his thumbs pushed into the belt of his Wranglers.
Beside him, Zorro stood stiffly and lifted his lips, displaying white canines as a low rumble issued from deep in his chest.
“What’s going on, Cal?” A woman stepped out of one of the mobile homes, followed by a thickset man in his thirties and a teenager. She stopped walking and stared at Zorro. “Does he bite?”
“Oh, yeah.” Carter tipped back his Stetson and smiled at her. “But I have him under control.” He held out his hand. “Special Agent Ty Carter and this is Deputy Raven. We need to ask you all a few questions. It won’t take up too much of your valuable time.”
“Lacey Giles, I’m the Halloween coordinator.” She indicated to the first man they had spoken to. “This is the exhibition manager, Cal Woodman, and our special effects guy, Jonah Pike.” She nodded toward a scared-looking teenager. “This is one of our volunteers, Marty Flynn.”