Chapter 14

14

I n the staff lounge at the sheriff's office, Dan poured everyone cups of coffee. Then he got a call. "Yeah, Hal?" He put it on speakerphone.

"The two men must have driven off in their SUV. None of us can find any sign of them. Do you want us to leave some men to watch the building in case the kidnappers attempt to retrieve their backpacks?" Hal asked.

"Yes." A phone rang in Dan's pocket, and he pulled it out. "That's the phone we took off Royce Farmington, the younger kidnapper. The call is from an Oscar Farmington."

"Oscar was the other name Royce was thinking of with regard to his fellow cohorts in the crimes," Bridget said.

"He must have shifted, gotten to his phone, and is trying to locate where Royce is." Kira eyed the phone, wishing they could answer it.

"Absolutely. But maybe we can locate Oscar and his co-conspirator," Dan said, leaving the staff lounge and heading into his office.

They all followed him in there.

"We have a state-of-the-art system here for tracking cell numbers. And car GPS systems," Dan said. "I just need to look up Oscar Farmington from the Colorado area, get his driver's license and learn what vehicle he owns, where he lives and do the same with Royce's information."

"We will recognize him if his driver's license picture is the same as one of the kidnappers involved in the crimes," Fisher said.

Chase Buchanan came into the office then. "I heard you have one of the suspects. Oh, you got a couple of names finally." Chase sat down at another computer and Dan gave him Royce's name.

"We're working on getting confirmation that Oscar Farmington is one of the kidnappers. He's from Denver and owns a white Chevrolet van," Dan said.

"Royce Farmington is also from Denver, and he owns a blue Chevrolet Traverse," Chase said.

Kira was looking over Chase's shoulder, then glanced at Dan's computer. "They have different addresses."

As soon as they saw Oscar's driver's license photo, both Kira and Fisher said, "That's the other kidnapper."

"Yeah, we need to learn if they have other family in the Denver area," Dan said.

Just then, Leyton walked into the office. "I'll get a hold of Jack. He, Chet, Travis, and I can go to Denver and check it out. I know Bridget is needed here to learn if your suspect is telling the truth or not."

"Good show," Dan said.

"Can you learn what they're thinking then, even if they're not talking, Bridget?" Kira thought that was a remarkable ability.

"Yes. I'll probably grab a chair and sit outside of Royce's cell and pretend to be guarding him. Maybe I'll take a book with me and ‘listen' in on his thoughts," Bridget said.

"That is the coolest gift. Are you sure you don't want to work with our agency?" Kira asked.

Travis smiled and shook his head. "She's invaluable to me, to us. You'll have to find your own agent to work with who has special talents." Travis carried a chair to the cell for Bridget while she grabbed a book and headed back there with him.

When Travis returned to the office, he and Leyton told them good luck and headed out.

"Leyton is mated to Kate, the doctor who checked you out, Fisher," Dan said.

"You have a really tightknit community here." Fisher sounded impressed. "We've been buying land and trying to spread out our pack a bit, but what we wouldn't give to have a setup like this."

"Yeah, we know of a wolf pack that runs Silver Town," Kira said, "and they have a similar situation. But they have wolf pack leaders and subleaders running the pack."

"We are set up differently, since we don't operate as a pack," Dan said.

"It's interesting that the cougars are self-sufficient and so is the wolf pack run town, but Demetria and I were working a case in Houston where a snow leopard shifter was trying to rescue his buddy incarcerated in the zoo. William Wright was the snow leopard and he told me later he was from White Bear, Alaska, where the polar bear shifters have their own council, but also many other kinds of shifters are friends there and they work together. Wolves, snow leopards, brown bears, polar bears, even Arctic foxes," Everett said.

"We would welcome other shifters into our pack territory, as long as they followed our rules," Fisher said.

"We would feel the same way," Dan said. "We've made some shifter friends—some bears and caracals that came into the area, and we do actually have a snow leopard living among us."

"Now, I've never seen a snow leopard shifter before. I would love to see him or her sometime," Kira said.

"That was what we thought too," Demetria said, "when we met up with William Wright."

"You know what? I'm going to join Bridget for a moment." Kira had to ask Royce if Oscar was his brother or a cousin. Oscar was middle-aged, but too young to be his dad.

Dan opened the door to the cells and Kira headed down the long hall to the only cell that was occupied. Bridget was sitting near the cell and smiled at her.

"Okay, Royce, so we know Oscar Farmington is one of your accomplices," Kira said, looking into the cell at Royce sitting on the bed, chewing on his lip, appearing glum.

"That's not true," Royce said, sounding a little panicked.

Bridget nodded. "You're right. Oscar is an older cousin."

"I never said that." Then his eyes widened. "You caught him?"

Kira smiled as if they had. She sure wished they had! Then she patted Bridget's shoulder. "Thanks for all your help with this." She walked back to the locked door to the cells and Dan let her out.

"Oscar is his older cousin," she said.

Then Royce's phone rang again in Dan's pocket. "It's Oscar calling again."

Kira thought Oscar was probably worried about what had happened to Royce. Had Oscar reunited with Reggie? Or was he on his own, trying to find a way back to civilization? Still, how did he get his phone if he hadn't had one possibly in their vehicle? She wondered if they had more bags in their car and therefore clothes to wear. Probably.

It would take Leyton Hill and his team three hours to get to Denver. She hoped they would get some good intel from there. She realized that though they were from different organizations that dealt with shifter issues, in the future, they could now work together when it was mutually beneficial. No longer was the USF organization alone in their efforts to right shifter wrongs.

Fisher was checking his phone and looked up at them. "We have a full moon phase right now."

Everyone waited to learn why he had even mentioned it. The cougars probably never paid any attention to it. Royal wolves who had been shifters for generations might not think about it, but more newly turned wolf shifters couldn't shift during the new moon and had to shift during the full moon. Was that why the three men had been running as wolves? It made more sense that way.

"They're more newly turned," Kira said.

"Yeah, that's just what I was thinking," Fisher said.

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that." Demetria finished the rest of her coffee. "And that makes it even worse. I mean, if they went to a human prison for kidnapping, they wouldn't be able to stop from shifting during the height of the full moon phase."

"Asses," Fisher said. "They make it more dangerous for all of us."

"I agree," Demetria said. "I'm just glad jaguars don't have that issue, but even so, if they got picked up and imprisoned, and someone tried to beat on them or shank them, they most likely would strip off their clothes and shift. Self-preservation in a case like that would be all that would come to mind. Forget about how it would affect the rest of our kind. Though I would probably feel the same way if that happened to me."

Kira nodded. She was certain all shifters would feel that way as a defensive mechanism, just like when she had bitten the guy who had tried to kidnap her when she was a young girl. If she could have turned wolf, she would have. She was certain Fisher had wanted to tear into the guy who had shot him, if he could have. Since the kidnapper was also a wolf, Fisher could have lawfully done it, according to the wolf shifters' rules of engagement. But since the kidnapper had been holding a gun on him, Fisher would never have reached him in time.

Then Kira and Fisher sat down to look at the one computer and see what they could learn about Royce.

Dan set the phone down on the desk.

"Can I look at it?"

Dan said, "Sure."

Kira picked up the phone and started looking at the text messages. "Reggie was giving the time and place information of when they were going to go hunting. He didn't say anything about kidnapping children."

"So if anyone saw the messages, they wouldn't be privy as to what they were really up to," Demetria said.

"Exactly. It's all in kind of a code. But he texted Royce a number of times about this. And looking back in his messages, Royce and Oscar were also talking about hunting. They don't mention grabbing anyone or being successful at it. But they do mention the time and place for meetups," Kira said. "I'll make a list of the times and places."

"I'll begin investigating those for possible kidnappings in those areas," Demetria said.

"I'll help you with it," Everett said.

Kira began making a list, and Demetria took the first time and location to investigate. Everett took the second one.

Demetria said, "I found a case. A little boy was taken when he got off the school bus and he was left at a clinic two days later. He'd been fed, but he was still traumatized."

"Of course." Kira handed her another possible case.

Everett said, "Okay, in this situation, a boy was grabbed who was skateboarding later at night, no one else around, so in that case, it took a while for anyone to realize he had been picked up. Then the parents paid the ransom, and the boy was left at a library."

"This is the case that was near where I was at when I heard about the kidnapping of a boy—Billy Forsythe. He had been walking home from his friend's house. The guys pulled up in a big black FBI agent car, is how some described it. But that's when I smelled the wolf who had grabbed him and secured him in the Suburban. And that's how I got the case," Kira said.

"That's a good thing too," Fisher said, "or these guys would still be out there doing this. I suspect with one of their co-conspirators caught, they're not going to be out kidnapping for a while." Fisher scrolled through a screen on the monitor. "A ton of black Chevrolet Suburbans are registered to Denver homeowners."

"We have five cougar citizens who have black Suburbans in Yuma Town also, which adds to the confusion," Dan said.

Then a distinguished-looking, dark-haired man wearing an expensive dark gray suit and a burnt orange tie featuring a cougar walked into the sheriff's office and introduced himself to the jaguars and wolves. "I'm Larry Pierce. It's an honor to meet all of you." Introductions were made all around, then Larry said to Dan, "I'm ready to see the suspect…uh, client."

Kira immediately wondered if Royce would realize that since the lawyer was a cougar, he might not truly be on the kidnapper's side. Then Royce might not reveal anything about his involvement in the kidnappings or his partners in crime.

"Bridget let us know that Royce Farmington is the name of the guy we're holding in the kidnapping cases. And Oscar Farmington is his older cousin who was another member of the team. I'll go get Royce from his cell and take him to the interrogation room," Dan said.

Kira was dying to know how their office handled a situation like this. Fisher glanced at her, and she reached over and squeezed his hand, assuming he was thinking the same thing.

Dan escorted Royce to the interrogation room and Larry went in there to speak with him.

Once Larry closed the door, Kira asked Dan, "So can we listen in?"

"It's all being recorded. We need to find all three of the men and take them into custody no matter what," Dan said. "But we can watch in the viewing room also."

Kira and Fisher headed that way, and Demetria and Everett quickly joined them. Dan entered the room right after them. Bridget hurried to join them too. Kira was glad Bridget would be listening in also.

Then they watched from behind the one-way mirror and listened to the dialogue between Larry and Royce.

"Okay, so first, if I'm going to represent you—" Larry said.

"I don't want a cougar lawyer. From Yuma Town? No way in hell," Royce said.

"Let me tell you how this goes. You're a wolf. A shifter. You're not a human. We don't abide by human laws. Tell me, why were you running as a wolf on private property?"

"I told the sheriff we didn't know it was private property and we just wanted to run."

"It's the phase of the full moon. How many generations back do you have wolf roots?" Larry asked.

Royce shook his head. Fisher wanted to shake the truth out of Royce. The guy was just not going to cooperate with them—he believed—about anything. Which made him wonder if he and Oscar had been turned at the same time, like recently. That they didn't have a few generations of wolf roots even in their DNA.

"And your name?"

Royce folded his arms over his chest.

"How about Royce Farmington? I understand you're related to Oscar Farmington, an older cousin, and he is involved."

Royce frowned. "You're supposed to be my lawyer. Yet you sound more like a police officer interrogating me."

"I need to know how to represent you. When they catch the others, I need to know how they're related to you and the role you played in the kidnappings."

"Wait, I never said that I was involved in any kidnappings. I thought this was about running as a wolf on private property."

"I need to know how to defend you. If you haven't been in charge of the kidnappings, I can use that in your defense. But if you were all in on the kidnappings, you're equally guilty, right?"

"How are you getting me off? Wait, you work for them. You're a cougar. You're not on my side. You believe I'm guilty without any proof at all."

"Two eyewitnesses? Not to mention shooting at other shifters? And shooting a wolf shifter."

"I didn't know he was a wolf shifter. I thought he was a wolf."

"It's illegal to kill a wolf."

"I was trying to protect the boy."

Larry shook his head. "So they have you one way or another. Now you can either help me with your defense, or you can just go with the USF, and they'll have their jaguars deal with you."

Royce's jaw dropped.

What did he think? That they were just going to release him to rejoin his buddies in the kidnapping business?

Larry rose from his seat. Royce was still staring at him, slack jawed.

"Good luck with your defense. I'm sure you'll get a great jaguar lawyer to represent you next. If you think you'll be judged in a human court of law, think again." Larry started to walk out of the interrogation room.

"Wait!"

Larry glanced back at him.

"Alright. I'll talk."

Larry sat back down. "Talk then."

"I didn't plan any of these."

"How many kidnappings were you involved in?"

"I didn't plan them."

"If you were with the other two men who planned them and you took part in them, you are partially responsible," Larry said.

Royce let out his breath and ran his hands through his hair. "Okay, I was only with them on this last case, and I didn't grab the kid, plan any of it, or anything. I was just supposed to drive and hell, I didn't know that they were going to do it."

Bridget shook her head. "Twelve kidnappings occurred and though he didn't actually plan them—Oscar and Reggie did that—Royce was there and an active participant in all of them."

Kira shook her head. "He's good at lying, that's for sure. And here I had believed he was telling the truth."

"Yeah, I agree," Fisher said.

"So what kind of a deal can I get, if I tell all?" Royce asked.

Larry leaned back in his chair. "You'll tell me where Reggie and Oscar are? You'll testify against them?"

"What will I get for it?"

"No promises."

"But you said you would represent me."

"I'll talk to Dan to see what he has to say." Larry got up from his chair. "I'll be right back." Then he left the interrogation room, and everyone went with Larry to the office to discuss the matter.

"Okay, so you heard what was discussed," Larry said. "I told him I would talk to Dan, but I know this is something the USF agents will decide."

Everett sat down on one of the chairs. "The way we do this is that whoever is involved the most in the crime gets a longer sentence. But they'll all go down for the roles they played. We don't make deals. If he wants to give us details, it might help him some, but we can't guarantee he won't be punished for his crimes. He's a more newly turned shifter. He's a danger to our kind if he's released out in the public with his willingness to commit crimes against others."

"I agree," Fisher said.

Bridget said, "He's not trustworthy. I don't believe anything he says. He was involved in everything but the planning, from what I could tell from what he was thinking."

Smiling, Larry shook his head. "I wish I had your gift, Bridget. Criminals are such con-artists and it's hard to see through their BS. Does anyone else have anything more to say before I go back in and talk to my client?"

"Who doesn't want you as a lawyer," Kira said.

"Right, but he'll get a jaguar then and he or she won't treat him any better," Demetria said. "All I've got to say is he'll have an easier time of it if he tells us what he knows. We'll get the truth out of these guys, one way or another."

"Yeah, but if we, or Larry, talks to him about certain things—we'll learn the truth because Bridget can ‘listen' in on his thoughts, right?" Kira asked.

"Right," Larry said. "So give me some details and I'll go ask him some more questions. Whether he wants to answer me or not, Bridget might get some more information."

Dan printed out some sheets of information about where he and Oscar lived in Denver, about his relatives, and details about the other kidnappings in Denver and Boulder that had the same signature as the crimes they were sure they were connected with.

Larry took the pages and shook them at everyone. "Now this is what I'm talking about." Then he left the office and returned to the interrogation room while the others headed back into the viewing room to watch more of the interview with the suspect.

"Okay, the deal is"—Larry laid the papers out on the table—"it depends on how involved you are. Here's the information they have on you. So if you believe they don't know anything about you, you can forget that."

"You already know that Oscar is my cousin. The rest of my relatives don't figure into this," Royce said, which Kira thought showed a bit of empathy for his family.

"Yeah. But we need to know the details of the crimes," Larry said.

Royce didn't say anything.

"Where are your co-conspirators?"

"I don't know. We were to meet back at the broken-down building, but I figure you know that since the sheriff found all our backpacks in there."

"Where did you leave the vehicle?" Larry asked.

"About two miles on an old dirt road from the old building. The guys would have gone to it if they thought someone was after us and they would have left. I'm sure they would have tried to call me and when I never answered them, they would have left the area and not gone back for the backpacks. You have men there, right?"

"I'm not with law enforcement, but it's a good bet that they would go there. So what's the deal about the Suburban?" Larry asked.

He sounded calm, but Fisher wanted to put the fear of God into Royce. He glanced at Bridget. She whispered, "The vehicle for sure belongs to Reggie Olson of Denver. It's not stolen. He's Oscar's best friend."

"Man, are you handy to have around," Fisher said.

Dan said, "I'm on it. I'll get a BOLO out for the vehicle, just with our office." He left the viewing room to get on his computer to verify information about Reggie.

"Hey, don't prisoners get lunch around here?" Royce asked.

Larry said, "I'll see what I can do."

Deputy Sheriff Ricky Jones walked into the interview room. "I'll escort you to your cell and we'll get you something to eat."

Bridget got off her phone in the viewing room. "Several families are providing meals for all of you for lunch. Tanner, Shawn, Brock, and Aaron are going to Hal and Tracey's horse ranch because they're in that area right now. Chase and Shannon Buchanan want Kira and Fisher to go out to their house at the cabin and lodge resort. Demetria and Everett will have lunch at Dan and Addie's place."

"What about Royce?" Fisher asked.

"Normally, we would feed the prisoner what they wanted, but since he has been so uncooperative, he'll get standard prisoner food," Dan said.

"Good," Fisher said.

Then Dan gave Kira and Fisher directions to Chase and Shannon's place.

"We'll see you both in a bit," Demetria said to them.

"See you," Kira said, then she and Fisher got into her vehicle, and they headed out to the Buchanan's resort.

"What do you think of the case?" Fisher asked.

"Either the other two men left the area to get as far away as possible from all of us who are searching for them, or they're still in the area, trying to find Royce," Kira said. "It probably depends on whether they're loyal to him, or they're afraid he isn't trustworthy and will tell us everything about the kidnappings."

They finally reached a beautiful two-story, log ranch-style house and eight cabins situated in the woods situated on a pristine lake. Also a lodge that appeared to have five units upstairs and down, based on the location of the windows, was near the home.

They parked the car in front of the house that had a big deck out front. They knocked on the front door. A beautiful, dark-haired woman answered the door, wearing a pumpkin sweater and orange jeans, all smiles. "Hi, I'm Shannon, and you must be Kira and Fisher, our wolf guests."

"Yes, thanks so much for having us over for lunch," Kira said.

"Yeah. We really love Yuma Town. Everyone's so friendly," Fisher said.

"We love being here and enjoy the company of other shifters coming through the area, as long as they're the good guys." Shannon ushered them inside and closed the door.

Two little girls came out to see the guests. They were adorable, wearing pigtails and were dressed in orange jeans and pumpkin sweaters, matching their momma. They hugged their mother, ducking behind her a little. "This is Sadie and Zoey." Shannon patted their heads. A black Newfoundland bounded in, and she said, "That's Muddy. And the two ginger and white cats sitting in the window are Sassy, she has more gold fur, and Shadow. So you've met the rest of the family. Chase will be here in a?—"

They heard a car pull up.

"Now," Shannon said.