Choices
Chapter 14
…
The hurt and surprise in Alison's eyes after finding out Molly had discovered her most closely held secret, was painful to witness. The fact that Sheffield Kemp was not Molly's father had stunned Deeks, and he couldn't get it out of his mind. Alison was a proud woman who now seemed diminished, clearly wounded by the coldness of her daughter's accusation. The conversation between them that followed was held entirely in hushed French. Deeks could only read their body language, but it wasn't difficult to see how catastrophic the revelation had been to their relationship. Watching Molly express her anger, made him wonder how long she had known. Maybe her interest in Soldier was part of her response, a way to act out against her parents. Soldier had told him early on that she was afraid of her father, which made him wonder if he knew she wasn't his.
He looked over at Kensi, hoping she would share what she'd overheard, but she shook her head and walked away.
"Kens?" He hurried after her, surprised by her reaction.
"I'm not going to share what they said, Deeks," she whispered, clearly irritated with him.
"Why not?"
"Because it was a private conversation," she replied. "And it's none of our business, and has nothing to do with what's been going on."
"You sure about that?" He said. "You sure Molly wasn't just using Soldier as a way to piss off her parents?"
"You don't know that."
"She dragged him into the middle of their family drama, Kens. She knows Sheffield Kemp hates Indians…so maybe she decided to parade Soldier right under her father's nose because she's angry that her whole life has been a lie."
Her expression changed as she thought about what he'd said, then pulled him further down the hall and began speaking softly to him.
"I don't think Kemp knows. Alison told Molly that Sheffield loves her, and pleaded with her not to tell him."
"So If Alison didn't tell her husband or her, how'd Molly find out?"
"She refused to say," Kensi replied. "But she didn't find out on her own. Somebody told her."
"One of her brothers, maybe?" Deeks said. "Something is going on in that family that's not good, and we're all caught in the middle of it."
"It sounds like you want to get into the middle of it," she said.
"I already am, Kens. All of us are. One of the Kemps is involved with Dever, a man who just sent a man to kill Soldier. Aren't you the least bit curious to find out what this is all about?"
"Of course I am, but we can't prove Dever sent Ben Big Horse here. At least not until we catch him," she replied. "Dever's the link in all of this. He's the only one who can give us the other players, including which Kemp is involved."
"So let's go to Elan's and catch the sonofabitch," Deeks said. "By then, maybe Alison will remember how she knew Dever's name."
They spent the next hour giving statements to the sheriff, and trying to calm down George and Jim Littleshield, who had returned from dinner out, only to walk into a crime scene. Once they were allowed into the area, George hovered close by as Deeks gave a detailed account to Sheriff Sogard on how he'd handled the situation. He could tell the old rancher was deeply unsettled by the fact that another attempt had been made on Soldier's life. His face had hardened into resolve, and his eyes had shifted toward cold anger. Deeks had a good idea that neither he nor Jim would be leaving Soldier alone until Dever was caught. Elan and Jim were with the boy now, and would be until they could take him home.
"That man didn't hurt you, did he, son?" George asked, when the sheriff stepped away to make a phone call.
"I'm good, George," he replied as the man looked him over, his hand squeezing Deeks' shoulder. "Kensi was in more danger than I was."
"You both saved Soldier's life," he said, his voice fading at the end. "I don't know what to say…"
"You don't have to say anything. We love that kid, and did what we were trained to do," Deeks said gently.
"It was more than that, son," George said, shaking his head. "You were both willing to die for that boy…for family. I know I shouldn't be surprised by that after what you did for Joe, but I want you to know that the way you fought to protect Soldier tonight means a lot to me. I thank God for you, son. For both of you."
George's hugs had always been the wordless expression of his deepest feelings. And those hugs were almost as powerful as his love. From the very first time till now, Deeks always became emotional whenever George hugged him, and now was no different. The strong old rancher wiped at his eyes when he stepped back, patting Deeks softly on the cheek before turning to walk into the ICU to be with Soldier. It took Deeks a moment to collect himself, once again feeling that deep bond he cherished as if it were life itself.
"Had a disturbing conversation with Elan Hand after I took his statement," Sogard said, interrupting his reverie. "He wasn't too pleased that Benjamin Big Horse got by my deputy and into Soldier's room."
"Are you?" Deeks asked.
"Dammit! Of course I'm not," Sogard spit out. "But Big Horse was in hospital scrubs. And even after being stabbed, my deputy still managed to get a shot off."
"Just wished he'd hit him," Deeks replied, recalling his fear when he saw Kensi trying to take down a man almost twice her size.
"You're wife is scary," Sogard said, as if he knew what he'd been thinking. "Soldier was lucky she was here. What she did was damn impressive."
"She's a ninja warrior, brother."
"Speaking of warriors…Elan wants to arm himself," Sogard said. "He's determined to stay in Soldier's room until we catch these bastards."
"Can you blame him?"
"No, but he's a civilian, Deeks," the sheriff said.
"Not if you deputize him," he replied, smiling at the surprised look on Sogard's face. "You're down two deputies. And Elan's not some loose cannon. He's an ex-Army Ranger, and he's worked Federal cases with NCIS before. Admit it. You could use him."
"Sounds like the Old West," Sogard said, shaking his head. "But hell, if I can legally do it, I will. Already going off book anyway. Called Pete Hartman over in Saratoga. Asked him to help out. The smart ass told me he was bringing body armor for him and the two cops he's loaning me."
"Can't really fault him for that," Deeks said, smiling in spite of the reason behind the police chief's snark. "Did you meet Callen?"
"Now there's a man I wouldn't want to tangle with," Sogard replied. "What's his story?"
"Too long to tell and too private to share even if I wanted to," Deeks said.
"Well he wasted no time in telling me he considers this a Federal case because of what happened to you," Sogard said, obviously not pleased. "Claims he doesn't want to take over the whole case. Just wants to get the men responsible for trying to kill you and that boy. Sounded personal."
"We're brothers," Deeks said. "And he has a special connection to Soldier."
"Claimed he'd share any intel your team found," Sogard said. "That true? Cause I've never found that to be the case when I worked with Feds in the past."
"You can trust him. If he said he'll share, he will," Deeks assured him.
"You both work for that Hetty woman?"
"That 'Hetty woman', as you call her, would eat you for lunch," Deeks laughed. "Keep her on your side or duck, because the fallout will take your head off."
"Are you threatening an officer of the law, Agent Deeks?" Sogard asked, but with a slight smile.
"I like you Sheriff. It's good advice, believe me," Deeks said.
"I'm not interested in pissing off any Fed. I got enough on my plate to worry about," Sogard said. "You still setting up a stake-out up at Elan's place?"
"Yeah…we are," Deeks replied. "Kensi went on ahead to pick up additional weapons at the ranch."
"Hope the bastard shows up," Sogard said. "I'm gonna go see how my deputy's doing, but let me know how things turn out. This is more than a Federal case to me. My deputy was killed, and another is fighting for his life right now. I want these guys more than you or Callen."
"Copy that."
…
"Sheriff Sogard didn't seem too pleased to have another Federal agent poking around," Callen said as he bounced over the final rise to Elan's place.
"Maybe it's just you," Deeks snarked. "He thinks I'm awesome."
"Of course he does," Callen said with a smirk. "But it looks like it didn't stop him from sending us some local backup."
"Seriously?"
"Who?" Kensi asked, as their headlights lit up a green pickup parked in front of the cabin.
"Game Warden Henry Tarver," Deeks said.
"A game warden?" Callen said, sounding a little insulted.
"He's a friend of Joe's from high school," Deeks said. "Ex-Marine. Did a tour in Iraq. Don't let the title fool you. He's a good guy and a good cop."
Henry was leaning against the door of his pickup, but pushed away and walked over when they pulled up beside him.
"Go ahead and park behind the cabin. I'll follow you," Tarver ordered, turning without another word.
"Well, he doesn't lack confidence," Callen said, not exactly pleased, but started the engine anyway and complied.
Once the vehicles were safely out of sight, Tarver introduced himself to Callen, and handed him a flashlight.
"I know what you and Deeks did for Joe in Louisiana," Henry said as they walked back around to the front of the cabin. "Took him awhile to tell me, and I'm pretty sure he didn't shared everything either. What I am sure of…is that he wouldn't have made it out of there without you two. That still bothers him, but that new baby girl should pull him out of what's left of the shit he's still dealing with."
"Do you have children?" Kensi asked as they climbed the three steps up to the porch.
"Me? No. Divorced," he replied quickly. "With this job, marriage and kids just didn't work out. Gone too much…and this life was too dangerous for my wife to take. She left after a poacher shot my horse out from under me. Took me three days to hike down out of the mountains. By the time I got within cell range to call her, she said she was done. Couldn't blame her. Probably a good thing we never had kids."
Kensi looked over at Deeks, but he turned away. Now was not the time to revisit those past conversations. It would just muddle his mind when he needed to concentrate on the coming stake-out. Kensi had made a commitment to him, and he had made one in return. As disturbing as it was to hear that Tarver's wife had left him because she couldn't handle the dangers of his job, he knew Kensi would never do that, and he looked over and smiled at her. She loved her job, and that's what made their discussions about children so contentious. Soldier had caused some of her stubbornness on the subject to shift. He had been a hurt little boy when they first met, and the motherly instincts she denied having had come to light. It's one of the things she didn't like to talk about.
"Let it go, Deeks," he whispered to himself. "Focus."
A half moon had risen, and it provided a subtle glimpse of the corral and the fence that surrounded the pasture where the blue roan wandered through Elan's herd. The animal was restless, and walked in a slow circle around the enclosure with its head down. The stand of lodgepole pines just beyond, presented a dark backdrop like an impenetrable wall, but it offered the closest cover for anyone approaching the corral.
"He'll probably come from the trees," Tarver said, confirming what Deeks was thinking.
"Not much cover for us without the barn," Callen said.
"There is if you don't mind getting dirty," Tarver said. "The bottom logs at the back of the barn survived the fire. They're pretty charred, but should make a good blind."
"I can set up inside the cabin," Kensi said. "The side window has a perfect line of sight to that corral. I'll be able to cover all of you once I know exactly where you are."
"Gear up. It's late," Callen said, pulling his weapon and checking it, while the others checked theirs.
"So just to clarify…we're assuming he's going to ride the blue roan out of here?" Deeks asked. "What's to stop him from driving up here with a horse trailer?"
"It's possible," Tarver considered. "Be a damn bold move though."
"It'd be noisy, too," Callen said. "He'd have to assume no one was here."
"Maybe that's why Ben Big Horse made an attempt on Soldier tonight," Tarver reasoned. "That would draw all of your family out of here."
"Well, If he does drive up here, I'll take out his tires," Kensi said. "He won't get far after that."
"Just remember, Kens, we want this guy alive," Deeks said. "There are a lot of questions we need answers to."
"Button up, Deeks. It's cold out there," Callen said, smiling and slapping him on the back as he picked up the flashlight and tramped down the steps. "Let's go get dirty."
"Wish we had comms," Deeks said.
Callen stopped and turned to face him. "We can use our phones for that."
"You been taking lessons from the Wonder Twins again?" Deeks laughed.
"Like Hetty says…you're never too old to learn a new skill," Callen replied with a smirk.
"I'm tech illiterate," Henry Tarver said, handing Callen his cell phone. "Just tell me what button to push."
They tested the set up with all the phones on vibrate. Whoever saw something could alert the others without giving away their position. Deeks found his spot behind the water trough in the small corral beside the remains of the barn. It still made him sad to see that weathered old structure reduced to a pile of rubble. It was part of the Atwood's history. Callen waved before he dropped down behind the blackened logs of what was left of the barn's back corner. Tarver trotted out to a low outcropping of granite on the far side of the road by the aspen grove. The trap was set. Now all they could do was wait in the cold, hoping Dever really did love that blue roan.
…
Deeks had no idea how long he'd been lying prone on the ground, but he was wet from melting snow and couldn't feel his fingers or his toes when the horses began to snort and mill around. Their heads were up and their ears pricked forward as they crowded against the fence. All of them faced in the direction just the opposite of where they thought Dever would come from. Deeks felt his phone vibrate and quickly moved to position himself so he could see out across the meadow.
A single horseman rode out of the aspens. It was difficult to make him out in the dim light of the half moon. He had come from the direction of the ranch, and that made Deeks anxious. He searched the sky for any sign of smoke, afraid the ranch might have suffered the same fate as Elan's barn. His mare Sheila was in the barn, along with all of their horses and a couple of mares with new foals. Jim Littleshield had asked a couple of his Arapaho friends to watch over the place, but that wasn't exactly reassuring after everything that had happened.
The horseman waited a long time before urging his horse forward. He moved cautiously, doing recon as he crossed the meadow. When he pulled up halfway to the corral, Deeks got a clear view of the man. He had a rifle in his arms, and long dark hair fell to his shoulders from beneath a beat up cowboy hat. He had no beard. Whoever this man was, it wasn't Wayne Dever. The rider passed between him and where Henry Tarver was hiding. He was focused on the horses lining the fence of the corral, and didn't see the game warden when he rose and walked out across the road with his rifle in a firing position. When the intruder dismounted, Deeks got up, and Callen did the same.
"Drop that rifle or I'll shoot you where you stand," Tarver shouted.
The man froze, but he didn't let go of the rifle.
"There are four guns aimed at you, mister," Callen warned. "Three of us are Federal Agents, and one is the local game warden. We're all cold and wet and a little grumpy, so unless you want to get shot, I suggest you drop your weapon."
The man tossed the rifle aside and in the same motion leaped onto the back of his horse. Kensi shot him out of the saddle. He was screaming curses when Deeks reached him.
"Ain't payback a bitch?" Deeks said as he stood over the writhing figure of Tyler Yellowsky.
"Should have killed you when I had the chance," he groaned.
"What are you doing here, Yellowsky?" Henry Tarver asked. "Dever send you?"
"Fuck you, Tarver," Yellowsky spit out, gripping the wound in his arm. "You just shot an unarmed man."
"That would be me," Kensi said, jogging up to join them. "You're lucky they wanted you alive."
"Who the hell are you, bitch?" Yellowsky growled.
Deeks kicked him. "That's my wife, douchebag, so watch your mouth."
Tarver shooed the man's horse away while Callen and Deeks yanked him to his feet, and shoved him up against the fence.
"You came from the direction of the Atwood Ranch. You get an itch to burn something else down?" Deeks yelled, just inches from the man's face.
"I ain't telling you nothin' till I see a doctor," he spit out.
"What would you say if I told you we weren't in the mood to grant that wish?" Callen said.
"That ain't fair," the man whimpered. "I didn't do nothin' to the Atwood place."
"Good to know. We'd be more than willing to help you if you answer our questions," Deeks said, feeling relieved. "What do you think, Callen? If he were to cooperate, would we be more inclined to stop him from bleeding out?"
"I don't know that he deserves that kind of consideration, Agent Deeks,". Callen replied easily. "He did try and kill you. And since you attempted to kill a Federal agent, Mr. Yellowsky, you'll be charged with a Federal crime."
"I didn't know that…nobody told us there was gonna be a Fed here," the man babbled.
"And who might that 'nobody' be?" Deeks asked.
"I'm hurtin' here, Tarver," Yellowsky pleaded. "Come on, man. Help me."
"And why would I do that?" Tarver said. "Your buddy Ben Big Horse just tried to kill a thirteen year old boy in the hospital, and stabbed a deputy sheriff in the process. If you're a part of that, or know who ordered it, you better tell us, or it's gonna be a real long night and an even longer prison sentence."
The man looked stunned. "Those stupid bastards didn't tell me that was part of the plan."
"Which stupid bastards are we talking about?" Deeks asked.
"Wayne Dever and his boss," Yellowsky said.
"Who's his boss?" Callen asked.
"Sonofabitch named Jonas Beck," he replied. "Now can I go to the hospital?"
"I think we're going to need a few more details," Callen said.
Deeks opened his mouth to ask about Kemp, but Callen must have read his mind, subtly shaking his head no.
"But first, Kensi here will read you your rights," Callen said. "Then we'll take you inside and look at that wound. When we get the bleeding stopped you're going to tell us everything you know. Deal?"
"Yeah…okay. Deal." Yellowsky said.
"I'm calling Sheriff Sogard," Tarver said. "He'll want to question him about the killings up at Kemp's hunting lodge."
"Hey, Henry…I didn't have nothin' to do with that, man," Tyler Yellowsky said, sounding scared. "That was Dever and Beck's deal. It was a screw up for sure, but I didn't have no part in it."
"Do you know what Harley and Bryce we're doing up there?" Deeks asked. "What were they after?"
"I can't talk about that," he replied. "That's deep down the rabbit hole shit."
"You're pretty far down the rabbit hole yourself, Tyler," Tarver said, showing visible anger for the first time. "Three men and sheriff's deputy were killed, and we need to know why. Was it drug related? Was one of the Kemps using that lodge as a drop?"
"If I tell you about any of that shit…I'm dead," he said weakly.
"I thought we had a deal, Mr. Yellowsky," Callen said. "You were going to tell us everything. Did you lie to a Federal agent?"
"More charges. Longer sentence," Kensi told him.
"Better than being dead," he said.
"Were they after Molly Kemp?" Deeks asked.
"All I did was burn down a fuckin' barn," Yellowsky whispered, groaning as his knees buckled.
"And who hired you to do that?" Deeks asked as he held him up.
Tyler Yellowsky's head dropped to his chest, and Callen shot a look at Deeks that told him to back off.
"Tarver? Help Deeks get him inside," Callen said. "I'm going to run a check on this Jonas Beck character."
"Sogard's on his way," Henry replied.
"How's the deputy?" Kensi asked.
"Out of surgery and expected to recover," Henry Tarver said with a flickering smile as he took Yellowsky's arm from Callen. "Guess we better not let this dickhead bleed out before the sheriff gets here. Old Tommy isn't in the best of moods right now."
"Why's that?" Deeks asked, grunting at the weight of the barely conscious Arapaho.
"Sheffield Kemp called him. Verbally kicked his ass for detaining his wife," Henry replied. "Asked him when she would be released."
"Is Sogard still questioning her?" Kensi asked as she followed them to the cabin.
"Nope. Alison Kemp told Tommy she was taking Molly some place where they could talk privately," he said. "When he relayed that information to Sheffield, Tom said the man lost his shit and started swearing. Demanded to know exactly where they were. When he told him he had no idea, Kemp called him a few unkind names, and threatened to make sure he lost his badge in the next election."
"How'd the sheriff take that?" Deeks asked as they dragged Tyler Yellowsky up onto the porch.
"Tommy asked him if he wanted the money back that he'd already donated to his campaign," Henry said with a smart-ass grin. "Kemp likes to hedge his bets. Donates to both sides so whoever wins owes him. But Tommy doesn't play well with others when it comes to shit like that."
"And honest sheriff then," Deeks said as he pushed open the door and helped haul Tyler Yellowsky over to the couch.
"And a good one," Tarver said, as he started getting the wounded man out of his coat. "Got a first aid kit around?"
Kensi handed him one. "Had it ready in case things went bad tonight."
Tarver made quick work of tying up the wound in Yellowsky's arm. The man remained quiet throughout, cursing only once when the game warden tied off the bandage.
"Why'd Dever send you here instead of coming himself?" Deeks asked from the kitchen, where he'd started making coffee.
"Had other plans," Yellowsky replied.
"Like what?" Tarver asked.
"Sheriff just drove in," Callen said from the doorway. "He's driving like Sam during a pursuit, and there's another car right behind him."
"That can't be good," Kensi said.
Car doors slammed and heavy footsteps pounded on the stairs and porch. Callen stepped aside as the sheriff yanked open the screen door, but it was Dalton and Purty Kemp that pushed through ahead of him. Their faces were hard and when they spotted Deeks in the kitchen, they charged him. They manhandled him back in a rush and he hit the counter hard, almost going down as the men shouted at him.
"I should kill you, you hippy fuck," Dalton screamed in his face and raised his fist.
Callen pulled Dalton off him before he could land a punch and shoved him into Henry Tarver's arms. Everyone was shouting, but Deeks could make no sense of any of it as he tried to defend himself. When he checked on Kensi, she was putting Purty Kemp in a chokehold. It was chaos until the sheriff waded into the middle of it all.
"Let him go!" Sogard shouted at Kensi, and she reluctantly pushed Purty away. "Now everybody just calm the fuck down."
"What the hell is this about, Sheriff?" Callen said, his hand on Deeks' chest, keeping him from retaliating.
"This fuck attacked Alison at our hunting lodge," Dalton said, fuming as he pointed at Deeks.
"She might not make it," Purty coughed out, his hand on his throat.
Deeks was stunned by the accusation even though he had done nothing wrong. His mind was racing as he searched for a reason someone would attack Alison, and who that person might be.
"You're wrong," Henry Tarver said. "He's been here all night."
"We came here straight from the hospital," Kensi added.
"But Alison said your name when we found her," Purty said.
"It wasn't Deeks. Now tell us what happened." Callen demanded.
"Alison managed to call home and got these two," Sogard said.
"She told us where she was," Purty interrupted. "But we couldn't understand much else."
"When we got to the lodge, we found her beat to hell," Dalton spit out, and stepped close to Deeks. "We asked her who did it, but she could barely speak. The only name we could understand was yours."
"What about Molly?" Deeks asked. "Where is she?"
"Dever took her," Tyler Yellowsky said from the couch. "Just like they planned all along."
…
…