In for the Kill [Hawkman Series Book 9] (25 page)

Looking back at the house, Ray rubbed his hands together and licked his lips.

Jack raised a brow. “What've you got in mind?"

"We'll wait until it's good and dark. You stay here and guard our stuff while I go down and ransack Casey's place for shells. You know he's probably got plenty."

"I don't like the idea. You'll have to get on the bridge and your limp will give you away."

"The minute I get across the river, I'll get off the road and go in next to the blackberry bushes. No one will ever see me."

Jack ran a hand across his forehead. “We could use more ammo, that's for sure. Maybe we should both go."

"If someone spotted us together, it'd be a dead giveaway who we are. They may not pay too much attention to just one guy walking along. I'll walk close to the railing on the bridge and if a car comes by, I'll just stop and look out over the water as if I'm out for my nightly stroll. Also, I've been in the house, so I know the layout."

"It might work,” Jack said, settling back down under the tree.

Peggy greeted Hawkman, Jennifer and Miss Marple at the door, showed them to their room, then invited them to come back into the living room with the kitten, so she and Ken could introduce Du to their house guests.

Nervously, Jennifer handed Miss Marple to Peggy. “Do you think your dog will hurt her?"

"Not at all. Once Ken has given Du instructions, she'll protect the cat."

Hawkman and Jennifer stood back as Ken took Miss Marple. He held her in his lap as he spoke to Du.

"That cat is so weird. She doesn't even hiss,” Hawkman said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I've never seen anything like it."

"She's never encountered a dog before,” Jennifer said. “She doesn't even realize the animal is an enemy."

The big lab sat on her haunches at Ken's knee, then suddenly placed a big slobbery kiss on Miss Marple's face. The cat immediately ran both paws over her wet fur and everyone laughed. Ken instructed Du to lay down, then placed Miss Marple on the floor in front of her. The cat stared at the big black lab, and Du tilted her head back and forth observing the kitten, as if expecting her to do something. Soon Miss Marple extended her head toward the big animal and they touched noses. When Du kissed her again, the feline jumped back. The dog dropped her head onto her paws, gave a little whine and watched the kitten.

Ken stood, gave his dog some final commands, then motioned for Hawkman to join him in the kitchen where they could discuss plans for the next morning.

Jennifer, still edgy over the two animals, slid into a chair nearest Miss Marple. She prepared to grab her precious pet in case the dog made an advance. But it turned out Miss Marple made the overtures and the dog handled the situation, either by not paying attention to her, or giving her a nudge with her big black nose. Before bedtime, the two animals were lying side by side on the floor.

When everyone retired to their rooms, Jennifer put Miss Marple's bed on the floor next to her side and tucked the cat in with her favorite stuffed bunny. Just as she got comfortable, hugging Hawkman's back, she felt the furry little ball wedging herself between them.

"Miss Marple, get back in your bed,” Jennifer said sternly.

She could feel Hawkman's body shake as he chuckled. “Sometimes that cat is a real comic, but other times she's a real pain."

Jennifer rose up on her elbow. “So what are your plans for tomorrow?"

Hawkman rolled over and faced her. “We're meeting in front of the fire station at five-thirty in the morning. Ken's even got some K-9 units coming in to help in the search, along with a helicopter."

"Do you have any notion where you'll begin looking?"

"No. But we've got a couple of plans, and we'll act on them first. If they fail, then the team will regroup and brainstorm.” He ran a hand down her arm. “Promise me you'll be careful.

"I will. Peggy said she'd take me over to the house to meet the contractors and stay with me until you guys return. But I'm sure she'd like to be with Ken. Maybe she'd be happy if I got Amelia from the store to come down."

"I don't care how you work it, as long as you're not alone. We could be gone all day and even then we might not find them. Hard to say where they've hidden in these hills. It's a big territory and two men won't be easy to find. And they could backtrack and end up at our house, the farthest place from where we'd be looking."

"We better get some sleep. You have a long day ahead of you."

They'd no more than closed their eyes when a furry little critter pounced upon the foot of the bed, crawled between them and curled into a ball.

Jack and Ray waited for darkness and as soon as the sun dropped over the hills, a cool breeze blew across the area.

"Glad I brought this jacket, the wind's mighty nippy,” Jack said, shrugging on the coat as he stood.

"It won't be long before I head down to the house. Keep watching in case I run into any trouble."

Jack leaned on the large boulder and waved a hand toward the lake. “People in this community close their shutters as soon as it gets dark. Just hustle across that bridge as fast as you can. That's where you'll run into a problem, if any at all.” He pointed toward the west. “Cars coming down the road from town will more than likely turn, so keep your eyes open."

Ray moved around Jack. “Will do. Think I'll start my journey now."

"Be careful. This is rugged country, especially navigating it at night."

Choosing his footing carefully, Ray made his way down the steep incline. He slipped a couple of times and grabbed a tree trunk to keep from falling down the hillside onto the road. Finally, he approached the area directly across from the bridge. He checked both directions. Seeing no headlights, he quickly hobbled across the road to the span over the river. Staying close to the railing, he turned his gaze westward. When he spotted a car approaching, he grasped the balustrade, and heaved himself forward at a faster pace.

By the time the vehicle reached the turnoff, Ray had made it almost to the end. He swung over the last bit of railing and hurled to the ground. He lost his footing, tumbled down the embankment, but quickly scrambled to his feet and flattened himself against the concrete abutment. The pickup passed without slowing. Ray exhaled in relief.

He leaned against the cool surface for several seconds and observed the distance between himself and the house. It appeared about a half block away, and he'd have the blackberry bushes to use as cover the whole distance. Ray pushed away from the wall, and climbed up the slight incline. He sidled close to the brambles, and could hear the rustling of the nocturnal animals as they scurried around inside the depth of the tightly woven twigs. He always wondered how the critters avoided getting poked in the eyes by the thorns.

When he approached the back of the house, he spotted a piece of loose plywood on one corner. If he could tug it off, he'd be able to easily crawl inside. He fixed his gaze on the board, then stepped forward, not realizing he'd cornered a skunk. The animal raised his tail and let go with a powerful spray, soaking Ray's pant's leg. He jumped back and had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming at the horrible stench. “Damn you!” he hissed, hurrying back toward the bushes. The critter ambled away in the opposite direction, his tail held high.

Ray's eyes watered, but he couldn't do much but suffer the consequences. He'd hurry and collect what ammunition he could carry, and suffer with the stench until they got back to the campsite where he could change into some different pants. Then he snickered. Or better yet, I'll borrow a pair of Casey's and leave these as my calling card.

He yanked on the piece of plywood and it suddenly gave way, falling to the ground with a clatter. Ducking behind a part of the barrier, he waited several minutes to make sure no one heard the loud noise. When no porch lights popped on or people rushed outside to investigate, he crawled inside the dark house.

Searching his pockets for the small penlight, he could feel the wetness of the skunk's spray on his trousers and the putrid smell made his nose sting. He finally found the small light and flipped it on. Keeping the beam below the windows, he maneuvered his way back to the master bedroom. He checked in both closets and discovered a pair of camouflage pants that would suit his needs. Quickly emptying his pockets onto the bed, he stripped off the stinking pants and let them drop to the floor. “That should add flavor to the nice smoky smell,” he snickered.

Once he had on the trousers, he discovered he'd have to roll up the legs, as Casey had much longer limbs than he. Shining the light over the closet shelves, he found several boxes of ammunition and crammed them into his pockets. He kicked a few pairs of shoes out of the way, knocked over a lamp, and left open all the searched drawers. He ventured into Casey's office. While gathering more boxes of bullets, he scattered papers and knocked desk supplies onto the floor. When he'd collected all he could carry, he headed out the back, but before continuing his journey, made sure the skunk had disappeared.

He hurried across the bridge without incident and started the climb back up the hill to the lookout point where he'd left his dad. Panting, he finally reaching the big boulder, and leaned heavily against it.

Jack sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. “Oh, man, you must have disturbed a skunk. I can sure smell him."

Ray laughed. “It's not up here. The damn thing sprayed me outside Casey's place. If you think this is bad, you should smell the pants I left in his bedroom."

"I hope the odor fades by the time we get back to the campsite, I don't cherish the thought of sleeping in an enclosed area with you."

"You'll get used to it.” He unloaded some of the ammunition from his pockets and handed them to his dad. “Take some of these boxes and as soon as I catch my breath, we'll hit the trail."

Jack led the way, and the two men disappeared over the knoll.

The next morning, Hawkman scooted Miss Marple away from his leg, then quietly rolled out of bed. After dressing, he opened the door, and the smell of coffee drifted into the bedroom.

Jennifer raised her head off the pillow. “Be careful, hon."

He crossed to her side and planted a kiss on her lips. “I will. Promise you'll be very observant."

"Don't worry, I'll be here when you return."

He hastened out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Good morning,” Peggy said, pouring him a cup of coffee. “Breakfast is on the run.” She shoved a box of donuts toward him. “Take your pick. Ken has already left, but will meet you in front of the fire station in about thirty minutes."

"Good, I'll have time to run over and check the house.” He grabbed a pastry, took a gulp of coffee, then scooted out the door.

Jennifer soon padded into the room. “Peggy, I know you want to be included in this search. I'm going to give Amelia a call at the store. If she can stay with me, you'll be able to join the men in this hunt."

Peggy raised a brow. “I don't think that's a good idea. I'd really rather stay with you, as we have no idea where these men have hidden. They could backtrack behind the search team and end up taking you as a hostage.” She patted Jennifer on the shoulder. “Thanks for the consideration, but my job is to protect you."

Jennifer slumped into a chair. “I hate this whole mess. It's turned into a horrible nightmare. And I'm sure you'll find hanging out with me is not going to be nearly as exciting as being in the field."

Peggy grinned. “Who knows, it might be more thrilling."

Hawkman barreled into the house, his mouth set in a grim expression and his uncovered eye flaring with anger. “You won't be able to stay at our place, Jennifer."

She jumped up and looked at him in shock. “Why?"

"Someone broke in last night. They must have come in contact with a skunk, took a pair of my pants, ransacked the house and stole a ton of ammunition.” He pointed a finger in the air. “But he left the putrid scented trousers in the middle of our bedroom floor. The whole house reeks."

Jennifer covered her face and plopped back down in the chair. “What more can they do?"

Hawkman paced back and forth. “I don't know, but you'll have to go over long enough to talk to the contractors. They're going to love working in our smelly house."

"Were you able to get the pants out of there?” Jennifer asked.

"Yes, I threw them into the side yard. The sun and air should help. Then we'll bundle them up and throw them away."

"Don't fret,” Peggy said, giving Hawkman a pat on the back. “We'll manage. You just find those guys and bring them in.” She smiled. “If they're the ones who broke into your house, you might have an easier time following the trail than you thought."

Jennifer couldn't help but laugh. “She's right, just follow the stink."

Hawkman jerked his head around. “You know, you might have a point. I'll fetch those pants, put them into a plastic bag and let the dogs get a good whiff. It will definitely give them a strong aroma to follow."

As they waited in front of the fire station for the rest of the team, Hawkman told Ken about what had happened at his house and held up a plastic bag.

"I don't know if you have any hounds in this group of K-9s, but if you do, I have the scent."

Ken scratched his head and grimaced. “No blood hounds in this group, however, the problem with the skunk smell, is we have lots of those critters around the area. Especially up in the hills. It might throw off the dogs, and instead of finding the men we're looking for we might end up chasing varmints."

Hawkman glanced at the parcel. “Guess this isn't such a good idea after all."

"If Ray or Jack got sprayed somewhere along the way and then broke into your house, I think we'll get a whiff without having to depend on the dogs. You don't wash off that scent easily."

"You've got a point.” Hawkman walked over to the side of the building and dropped the stinky package on the ground. “We might need the pants for evidence, but I don't think we want to carry them around."