Jennifer rode Sunbeam back to the stables, and stuck her back in her stall.
She started to walk back to the house and decided to check out the storm shelter.
Upon closer examination of the lock, she realized that it wasn't a real lock. It just snapped open and closed.
She got the door to the storm shelter open, and was about to climb down in there when she decided it might be best if Jonathan was with her.
She closed the storm shelter, and then headed back to the house.
Jack and Bill had just arrived and were sitting in the living room with Jonathan.
"Darling?"
"In here".
"Hey little lady".
"Hey Jennifer".
"Hi Bill. Hi Jack".
She hugged both of them and then went to sit with Jonathan.
"How was your ride?"
"Nice. Interesting".
"Interesting how?"
"Interesting in that I saw some things I want you two to check out".
"What things?"
"Well, for starters, I rode all up the way up to the northern edge of the ranch and there were some people that I could see through the trees, who were messing with the river. And I also looked in the storm shelter, but I think you should be the one to climb down there".
"What were they doing in the river?"
"Building a dam to stop the water from flowing".
"What?! They can't do that! That's our river too".
"I know. I think we need to call the police".
Just then, the phone rang. Jonathan got up and got it.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Hart, it's Stanley. I've been working on that special assignment that you gave me, and I believe I found something".
Jonathan listened for a few moments.
"Ok, see if you can find any evidence to that effect, Stanley. I appreciate it".
"Will do".
He hung up.
"Darling, I really think we should call the police".
"No, we can't. At least not yet. This time, we might need to handle this ourselves".
***Later that Night***
They all 4 had a nice dinner, and Jonathan and Jennifer filled Jack and Bill in on everything that had taken place.
They sat around formulating a plan while Jennifer did the dishes.
"Ok, let's go take a look at the storm shelter".
They gathered flash lights and headed out there. Jennifer showed Jonathan how to take the lock off and he opened the door.
She held the light while he climbed down into the storm shelter. Bill went next, and then Jennifer followed. Jack stayed next to the entrance to be the lookout, and then quickly climbed down the ladder after putting the lock in his pocket.
They were walking around the storm shelter, which was basically the size of a small room.
"Darling, there's not much to see in here. Can we climb back up yet?"
"I guess. Maybe we should have someone come check this out".
"Check it out for what?"
"You know-someone who installs these, to make sure it's structurally sound. I also want them to wire it for electricity, so we can put a fan down here, maybe a fridge for water and food supplies".
"Not a bad idea".
Jonathan leaned against the wall as he tried to adjust the light. All of a sudden, the wall gave way and began to spin around.
"Darling, stay here with Jack. Bill and I are going to go check it out".
The tunnel didn't lead much further and didn't reveal much of anything.
They came back a few minutes later.
"From what we've figured out, this is connected to the well, but the well has been plugged for a while and isn't operable. This place may have been used to store something".
Jack was looking around while Jonathan and Jennifer and Bill were talking.
"Jonathan, can I show you something?"
"Yeah".
"Put your hand on that wall there. Tell me what you feel".
"It's room temperature and slightly chilly".
"Yes. Now come feel this one".
Jonathan put his hand on the wall in the part that led to the well.
"That's not a real wall".
He punched a hole in it, with little to no effort.
Jack and Bill and Jonathan began tearing the wall back, and found an astonishing sight.
"Darling, come look at this".
Stacked up in piles against the wall were AK-47's, boxes of hand grenades, boxes of pistols, boxes of magazines, and more bullets than any of them had ever seen in one location in their whole life.
"Oh my gosh".
"Ok, time for a new plan. We are going to have to weigh when to tell the authorities about all this. Did either of you bring a sturdy lock with you?"
"Yes, I did".
"Perfect. Let's put it on the door when we leave here and when the time is right, we'll tell the authorities".
They headed back to the house and made sure the storm shelter was locked appropriately.
After Bill came back from locking the storm shelter, Jonathan set up a card table.
"Darling, do we really want to play cards right now?"
"We aren't. We have a project that we are going to work on".
They spread the map out and began to look at it.
"Ok, so in the morning, you two can drive up the street and take a look at the river. See what you can find out about what Jennifer saw. There are bridges where you can overlook the river here, and here. And you can also take the horses and walk them up the street and then back down this trail and cross over to our property".
"Got it".
The phone rang, so Jennifer ran and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Mrs. Hart, it's Stanley. May I please speak to Mr. Hart?"
"Certainly. Darling, the phone is for you. It's Stanley".
Jonathan came and took the phone from her and talked to Stanley for a few moments.
"Ok, Stanley, that sounds good. I tell you what, take the file to my house, give it to Max and I'll have him bring it to me. Thank you".
He hung up and called Max.
"Max, it's me. Stanley Friesen from the office is coming to the house with a file to give you. Once he does that, can you fly up to the airport near here and bring it to me? We'll meet you at the airport".
"Sure thing, Mr. H."
"Thanks, Max".
He hung up and returned to the table.
"Ok, we should have some intel in the next couple of hours or so".
They gathered up the maps and put them away.
Jonathan turned to Jennifer.
"Ok, darling. Lock up behind us and we will be back as soon as we meet Max".
"Jonathan! I want to talk to you, for just a moment".
"I'll meet you in the car, guys".
Jonathan and Jennifer went to the bedroom.
"What is it?"
"Have you thought this through? You are asking Bill and Jack to come up here and leave their lives, now you want Max to fly up and meet you on a moment's notice and then what? Is he coming back here, is he going back home? Is he bringing Freeway? I would have liked to see Max and Freeway too. I would like to be involved in the decisions too. I have a stake in this, too".
"Ok, that's a good point. You can come with us. And if Max wants us to get him a hotel, we will. Same goes for Bill and Jack".
"Thank you".
All of them headed to the airport to meet Max.
They had an easy drive, and arrived just as Max's plane was landing.
"Darling, is he flying commercial?"
"No. I had Stanley give him access to the other Hart Industries plane."
As soon as they parked, the doors to the plane opened.
Max appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Hi Mr. and Mrs. H."
"Hey Max".
"Someone else made the journey to see you guys too".
Just then, Freeway came running down the steps.
"Hey baby…Momma missed you! Yes, she did".
Freeway jumped into Jennifer's arms and licked her face.
Jennifer picked him up and climbed into the backseat of the Jeep with him, while Jonathan talked to Max.
"Max, do you want to fly back home tonight? If not, we can get you a hotel room, or you can come to the ranch with us, but you'll have to bunk in the loft above the garage with Jack and Bill".
"I'll fly back home, Mr. H. I have a poker tournament I was going to go to in a few days".
"Wonderful. Well, Freeway can stay with us for a bit. I think Jennifer has really missed him. And here, play a few hands on me".
Jonathan handed him several hundred-dollar bills.
"Thanks, Mr. H. Freeway's food is with the luggage, and so is his favorite dog bed and a suitcase with a few of his favorite toys and supplies".
"Thanks, Max".
Jack and Bill loaded the car for them, and then they all took off, back to the ranch.
***Ranch House***
They pulled into the garage and Jack and Bill helped carry in Freeway's stuff.
"Thanks, guys".
Jennifer put him on a leash and immediately took him outside.
Jonathan handed them the air mattresses and then showed them how to get to the loft.
"We'll see you two in the morning. Make yourself at home, if you need anything let us know. Sheets and towels are in the bathroom closet and blankets and pillows are in the bedroom closet".
"Got it. Night".
"Night".
Jonathan turned out all the lights and locked all the doors except for the one Jennifer would use to come back inside.
He had just finished getting changed for bed when she and Freeway came in.
"Darling, maybe we should put up a fence just behind the house for Freeway so we don't have to put him on a leash each time".
"Not a bad idea".
They climbed into bed and snuggled up and watched the news, with Freeway right between them.
As soon as the news was over, Freeway hopped down and got comfy in his bed over in the corner.
Jonathan stroked Jennifer's hair and rubbed her back while he held her.
"Darling, remember the first time we went camping together? We were so broke we couldn't even afford a sleeping bag".
"Yeah, I do. We had no money at all, and made our own tent out of plastic table cloths and fishing poles".
She was laughing.
"It was the strangest camping experience I ever had, but it was so incredibly romantic".
"I know I said the other night we should just sell, but now, I really don't want to. I mean, we earned the right as owners to make happy memories here."
"You're right. We do. And it shouldn't have ever gotten this far. They made the offer, you rejected it, and that should have been the end of it".
"Exactly".
They chatted till she fell asleep on his chest.
He softly kissed her forehead.
"Goodnight, I love you".
***The Next Morning***
Jennifer got up and made everyone bacon and eggs for breakfast, and homemade biscuits.
After they ate, she stayed back at the house to look at the file from Stanley, while Jonathan took a horse and rode up to the area where Jennifer said she saw them working on the river.
They were all back at the house around two hours later.
"Hi darling, I'm glad you're here. I think I figured something out".
"I did too. There's a hidden trail that connects our property to the one behind us. So, if we build the brick wall along that back property line, we will be blocking our horses from the river and water access".
"So we just do nothing, and we just let people come onto our ranch?"
"Other than posting a few No Trespassing signs, I don't know what else we can do, unless we want to cut ourselves off from water access".
Just then, Jack and Bill came back in.
"Ok, so they are definitely on a revenge seeking mission with the two of you. They nailed boards across the base of the bridge and used cement to block the water flow from the river. On the south side of the bridge, there is zero water flow. On the north side, you could kayak the rapids."
"What? They can't do that!"
"They did."
"So, what do we do?"
"We blow their bridge to smithereens".
Jonathan turned to Bill.
"Let's make some Saturday Night Specials, shall we?"
"We shall. I brought the stuff, just in case".
Bill went and got a large suitcase out of the car and brought it to the table. He opened it and revealed a large cache of all kinds of things. Jars of different powders, hand grenades, pre-made explosives, and several cases of ammunition.
Before Jennifer could process what was happening, Jack, Bill, and Jonathan were sitting around the table pouring ingredients into large pipe tubes.
She walked over and watched them for a few minutes.
"What are these, exactly?"
"Just a few household chemicals in the proper proportions".
After a few hours, they had about 75 small bombs made.
"Ok, so we need to formulate a plan. At the very least, we need to quietly go and place all of these against the bridge."
"If we can climb into the river on your end, we can walk right up, place them, and then run a fuse line right into the middle of it, through the river and back on to your property, and push the plunger from your property".
"Good call".
"What about cameras?"
"Well, I want to put a camera in the tree up as high as I can, to capture this. So, let me do that first, and when I give you the signal, then you two can start on your part".
"Got it".
"And we might need to make sure we have extra supplies on us just in case they decide to ambush us".
"Great idea".
Jonathan went and got some weapons and ammo out of the safe and they all three put a gun in their belt.
Jennifer went and started on dinner and tried to not think the horrible things she was imagining.
They decided to do it just before sunset.
"Ok darling, hold supper for us. We're going to go do this, and then we'll come right back".
She wouldn't look at him.
"Nothing's going to happen, Jennifer, I promise".
"I don't like it".
"Nothing's going to happen. We are just reclaiming what is rightfully ours".
"If any of the horses get hurt…"
"They won't, I promise".
She nodded and kissed him.
As they headed out, she couldn't help but feel that this was going to make things worse instead of making them better.