Treasure of the Anasazi Read online

  “What are we going to do now?” asked Donny.

  “We’ll follow them. If they don’t go straight back to the motel, we may still have a chance.”

  “I hope Daryl’s okay.”

  “Me too, Donny.”

  They followed from as far back as possible, still being able to see the pickup ahead. Before reaching the gate, the pickup took a dirt trail off to the east. Billy pulled over to the side of the road. He didn’t understand what they were up to. Why had they left Daryl alone while they ran around? And why were they headed out into the east area of the park? Maybe they had discovered some information about the spring on their own and were on their way to look for it. Billy wouldn’t have expected them to look for it in broad daylight though. He wasn’t going to concern himself about it right now. This was their chance. Daryl should be at the motel, unguarded.

  “Let’s go get your brother, Donny.”

  “He’s your brother, too.”

  Billy smiled. “That’s right. He’s my brother, too.” Maybe things were going their way for a change, and they were way overdue.

  * * *

  When we finished talking with Benny, Rudy and I headed straight to the park office to let Sam know what we had found out.

  “Hey, Julie, is Sam around?” I asked.

  “No, she went back out to that place you were at last night to look around.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. She had agreed to wait until we had talked to Benny, but then I shouldn’t have been surprised. I knew why she hadn’t waited. She felt she had something to prove, that she was capable of handling the job and being able to take over if Emitt didn’t come back.

  “She said she was going to wait for us. Did she go alone?” I asked.

  Julie nodded.

  “Of course she did. All by herself.”

  “It would have been nice if someone could have gone with her,” Julie said pointedly.

  “Wait a second. We offered,” I said. “She was supposed to wait for us.”

  “There may be a problem,” said Julie.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “There were two fellows in here a little while ago. The two from last night…”

  “Smith and Jones?”

  “Yeah, that’s right. They came by to pay their fines. They asked where Ranger Baker was, and I let it slip out that she had gone back to the place from last night…alone. I regretted it as soon as it came out of my mouth. I didn’t like the way they looked at each other. Now I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen.”

  “How long ago did she leave?”

  “About an hour ago.”

  “I don’t like it,” I told Rudy. “Julie, can you raise Sam on the radio?”

  “I’ve been trying but haven’t been able to get her to answer. I’ll try again right now.”

  Julie went over to the radio set, grabbed the handset and keyed the mike.

  “Base to Ranger Baker, base to Ranger Baker, come in Samantha.”

  She released the key on the mike and paused to allow for a response. There was no reply. She tried again. Still nothing.

  “Maybe she has her radio turned off,” said Julie.

  “Why would she do that?” I asked.

  Julie shrugged. I knew Julie was looking for any logical excuse, but I wasn’t buying it. There was no reason for Sam to turn off her radio. Then it occurred to me there might be one good reason. She might not want to be discovered, the squawking from the radio possibly giving her position away. That could mean she was either observing someone or something and wanted to remain concealed, or she felt she was in danger and wanted to stay hidden for safety’s sake. Either way I was worried.

  “Let’s go,” said Rudy. “We need to get out there, now.”

  “I’m right behind you. Julie, keep trying. If you can raise her, let her know that Smith and Jones may be coming her way.”

  “Rudy, is your rifle still in the jeep?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good, I think you’re going to need it.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Billy pulled back onto the road and drove straight for the motel. His lips formed a slight smirk. Smith and Jones had been reckless and stupid to leave Daryl alone and unguarded. He was going to make sure they paid for their mistake. If Daryl was still at the motel, Billy and Donny would get him before Smith and Jones knew what was happening. The short drive took only a few minutes. Billy pulled up at the edge of the motel where they could watch for a moment. They needed to be sure there wasn’t someone else at the motel watching Daryl. They hadn’t seen a third person hanging out with Smith and Jones, but they couldn’t take any chances, Daryl’s safety was at stake. There were no vehicles in front of the strip of rooms. The only vehicle they observed was parked at the front office, probably the clerk’s. Billy pulled under the limbs of the tree row along the west edge of the motel property.

  “Donny, you stay here while I check it out.”

  Donny started to argue but decided to hold his tongue. Billy ran to the corner of the motel, continuing to watch for trouble as he went. He slipped around the corner and edged his way toward the room. He tried to peak through the window, but the blinds were closed. He tried the doorknob. It was locked.

  In a low whisper, “Daryl, you in there?”

  There was no answer. He could persuade the clerk to give him the key, but that would take too long and there was no way of knowing when Smith and Jones would be back. There was only one thing to do. He stepped back and kicked the door. The old wooden door was sturdier than it had looked. He stepped back and tried again, this time kicking as hard as he could. The door gave way with splinters flying.

  “Daryl!” yelled Billy as he entered the room. An empty chair sat in the middle of the room. He checked the bathroom. Daryl was nowhere in the room. Perhaps he had underestimated Smith and Jones. As he left the room, the motel clerk crossed the parking lot, coming toward him.

  “What are you doing? Look at this door. It’s ruined. You’re going to have to pay to replace it.”

  Billy ignored the clerk’s ranting, grabbed him by the shirt with both hands and threw him against the wall. The clerk wasn’t any match for Billy, even on his best day. Billy held him there with his full weight leaning against him.

  “My brother was supposed to be in this room. Do you know where he is now?”

  “This room is occupied by a Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones. I don’t know anything about your brother.” His voice quivered. He swallowed hard. He squirmed with a half effort, to get away.

  “I didn’t see anyone else,” he continued. “Now let go of me.”

  Donny ran up, “Billy, where’s Daryl?”

  “This fella was just about to tell me.”

  “I’m telling you I don’t know anything.”

  Billy released his grip. They were running out of time. He decided to try another approach. With a touch of desperation he pleaded to the clerk, “Please. We need your help.”

  “It would have been nice if you had asked me like that in the first place,” said the clerk, with a touch of cockiness slipping in. Billy restrained himself, deciding to overlook it for the moment.

  “Sorry about that. Our brother was being held here by Smith and Jones against his will. We have to find him before they get back. Did you see anything that could help?”

  Billy towered over the clerk. There was still an element of intimidation in the air, even without trying. He pressed in closer.

  “They left about an hour ago. I didn’t see anyone else with them.” He paused as though he had thought of something. “I don’t know if it will help, but they did rent a second room, down there at the end,” as he pointed.

  “Why did they rent a second room?”

  “I don’t know. That’s none of my business.” That cocky tone was returning.

  “Show me.”

  He walked them to the front of the room.

  “Open it.”

  “I can’t do that. They…�
��

  “Daryl, are you in there?” asked Billy loudly. There was no response.

  “Either open it right now, or I’ll turn that door into toothpicks too.”

  The clerk grabbed the master key hanging from his belt. He placed it into the lock and turned it with the doorknob. Billy forced his way past the clerk, pushing the door all the way open. The blinds had been closed and the light turned off, but there was enough sunlight coming past them through the doorway to see everything in the room. Billy spotted Daryl sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. He was bound and gagged, drenched in sweat, his chin resting on his chest. They hadn’t had the decency to turn on the A/C or even open a window for him. At 100 degrees plus outside, the room was like an oven.

  Donny peeked past the clerk. “Daryl!” he yelled with excitement. Billy had already rushed over, first removing the gag, then began to work on the bindings. Daryl looked terrible. He lifted his head, forcing a weak smile.

  “What took you guys so long?” asked Daryl with a raspy voice barely above a whisper.

  “Sorry, I didn’t know we were on the clock.” Billy turned away long enough to wipe his eyes with his sleeve. “I told you that you’d be okay.”

  Billy helped him to his feet.

  Donny gave Daryl a big hug. “You okay?” Daryl nodded.

  Donny smiled ear to ear. “We’ve got you now.”

  “Okay, we can have a reunion later,” said Billy. “Right now we need to get out of here.”

  Billy and Donny each grabbed an arm and helped Daryl out the door into the bright sunlight. The clerk stepped off to the side at a loss for words.

  “I didn’t have any idea they were keeping your brother in there. I swear.”

  They all ignored him.

  “Donny, you stay here with Daryl. I’ll go get the truck and be right back.”

  When Billy came back Donny helped him into the truck. They hadn’t hurt Daryl, but he was stiff, unsteady and dehydrated. His legs had fallen to sleep, a result of the ropes cutting off the blood circulation in his legs. Now that he was free and moving around the blood was returning and with it the pain of countless pins pricking his legs.

  The clerk asked, “What do I tell Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones when they come back?”

  “I don’t care what you tell them.”

  “They’re going to want to know what happened to their door and where your brother has gone.”

  “I don’t think you need to worry about that. I think they’ll know.”

  “What about me?” asked the clerk.

  “What about you? If you’re afraid, you can call the cops,” said Billy.

  “Thanks for nothing.”

  “Thanks for helping us get our brother back,” said Donny, extending his hand.

  The clerk hesitated, then took it and shook it. “Sure, no problem.”

  * * *

  Billy drove straight for their house after leaving the motel. They rode in silence until they arrived.

  Nervously Daryl spoke up, “Maybe we should go somewhere else for a while. Ya know, I wouldn’t mind a vacation right now.”

  “Why would we do that?” asked Billy.

  “Because of Smith and Jones,” said Daryl. “What if they find out where we live? I don’t want anything to do with those two ever again.”

  “Me either,” agreed Donny. “They won’t come after us, will they Billy?”

  Billy sat quietly as he thought it over.

  “There is only one way to make sure that they don’t.”

  “What’s that?” asked Daryl.

  “If we find them first.”

  Daryl and Donny looked at each other. It wasn’t what either one of them had in mind, and it showed on their faces.

  “Why can’t we just go away for awhile?” asked Daryl.

  “Do you want to keep looking over your shoulder wondering when they’re going to show up?”

  “No,” said Daryl sheepishly. Donny shook his head no.

  “Then that’s what we need to do. Both of you stay out here. I’m going inside to grab my rifle. I’ll be right back.”

  They watched as Billy ran to the house and leapt onto the front porch. He swung open the screen door and disappeared inside.

  “Daryl, I don’t want to hurt anyone,” said Donny.

  “You’re not going to. If anyone gets hurt it will be by either me or Billy.”

  “I’d rather just leave.”

  “They’re bad men, Donny. Billy’s probably right. They’ll probably never leave us alone.”

  “I wish Billy had never talked to those men.”

  “I’m sure he’d agree with you, but I don’t think I’d mention it. Here he comes. Just keep quiet. You know how Billy gets when he’s mad.”

  * * *

  We were nearing the site where we had ambushed Smith and Jones the night before. I wasn’t really surprised at not seeing a trace of Sam or the others before arriving at the site. We were at least thirty minutes behind them. When we pulled up, Sam’s jeep was there, partially hidden by a small cluster of mesquite. There were no other vehicles. Perhaps Julie had misread the intentions of Smith and Jones. We could only hope. I pulled up behind Sam’s jeep and stopped. As we got out Rudy grabbed the rifle and a box of shells. We approached her jeep cautiously, looking all around as we went. Suddenly the hairs rose on the back of my neck.

  There, off to our right, was Smith and Jones’ pickup. They were here. My adrenaline kicked in as I realized that Sam was in real danger. Julie’s instincts were right on the money. If anything happened to Sam I’d never forgive myself, but I would get even. Right now it was up to Rudy and me to make sure nothing did happen. I silently pointed it out to Rudy. He had seen it the same time I did. I held my forefinger to my lips. We split up and slowly crept in a direct line toward their pickup. It was empty. Rudy motioned to the tracks in the sand leading straight toward Sam’s jeep. I nodded an acknowledgment. We ran to Sam’s jeep, also empty. There had been a lot of foot traffic around here over the last couple of days. It was almost impossible to tell whose footprints belonged to whom. Sam’s was the exception with a much smaller boot print. We ran to the fence and crossed over, looking all around and listening for a few seconds before continuing. Rudy began to pull ahead. He was in better shape than I was. He looked over his shoulder and saw I was falling behind. He slowed for me to catch up.

  I waved him on, “Go ahead. Don’t wait for me.” Rudy hesitated.

  “Sam needs our help,” I said, panting. “Now go. I’ll be right behind you.”

  A few seconds later and Rudy was nowhere to be seen. I kept running, but I wasn’t sure it was in the right direction. There were no tracks to follow. I must have made a wrong turn somewhere. I stopped and listened. Nothing. Not the sound of an animal, insect, or even the wind.

  Against my better judgment I called out, “Rudy!” There was no response. I kept going in the same general direction, hoping I would eventually run into someone. Then it dawned on me that I was out here alone now without any protection. Rudy had the rifle. If I was to run into Smith or Jones, I could find myself in a real predicament. I pushed on. Sam’s safety was all that mattered. I wasn’t worried about Rudy. I knew he could take care of himself in any situation.

  I ran a little further. It was strange that I hadn’t run into anyone yet, or heard anyone. It wasn’t that I was lost. I had a good sense of direction, and I knew where I was. I just didn’t know where they were. Then there was a flash of clothing through the brush up ahead. I stopped and called out, “Rudy!” As I got closer, I was surprised to see a crouched figure turn his head to look in my direction. It was Smith, undoubtedly up to no good. I quickly looked around. Wherever Smith was, Jones wouldn’t be far away. There was no sign of him. So, where was his partner in crime? I made a quick observation that if they had done their deed, they wouldn’t still be hanging around. That meant Sam was probably still all right. Smith, seeing me, knew he had been discovered, jumped up and spun around to face me. �
�You?!” he blurted.

  I saw that he had a handgun in his right hand. Unarmed, I started to backpedal. Then to my surprise he placed the pistol in his waistband. Perhaps he didn’t want to fire the pistol, giving away his position, which would also warn Sam or Rudy of the impending danger. He came running straight at me, teeth clenched and face red with rage. He probably had fifty or more pounds on me, but I was confident that I could handle the big lug one on one. Two steps from reaching me, I grabbed a mesquite branch, pulled it back and let fly. It struck Smith square in the face before he had a chance to duck. There was a loud grunt as Smith was knocked off his feet, hitting the ground hard. I stood motionless, waiting to see if he got back up. The thorns of the mesquite branch had left deep welts across the bridge of his nose and his left cheek. Two seconds later he moaned, lifted his head and shook it, realizing what had happened and jumped to his feet. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, leaving a streak of deep red. Getting his bearing, he looked directly at me.

  “I’m going to kill you!” he screamed. If I thought he was mad before, it didn’t compare to the rage in his eyes now. I could be in real trouble, but for him to do anything he’d have to get hold of me first. I had no intention of letting that happen.

  Hoping he was still a little dazed, I made my move and stepped forward striking him hard squarely on the nose. He took a small step backward, cupping both hands over his nose. He seemed to just get angrier. He came at me again, both hands reaching out. I had already discovered that he was slow, at least much slower than me. If I was reckless and he did get his hands on me, it wouldn’t end well for me. From the looks of him he was probably as strong as a greyback gorilla. I jabbed twice more, square on the nose again. Blood was flowing freely now. He staggered. I didn’t feel like I was doing much real damage, but I could tell he was becoming more frustrated, which was to my advantage. Smith reached for the pistol in his waistband. I should have expected that. The advantage had turned quickly. He held a Colt .45 in his hand. The only thing I could do now was to make a run for it. Maybe he was still stunned and the tears in his eyes would prevent him from seeing and aiming clearly. I took a step backwards as I turned to run. I heard a dull ‘thump’ and turned back to see Smith drop the gun as a strange expression came over his face. His eyes glazed over and he slowly fell face-forward onto the ground like a large cut timber. As he hit the ground I saw Rudy standing behind him with the rifle muzzle gripped in his hands.