Chapter eleven

"Damn it!" Simon cursed at his mobile phone as its strident ring woke him up. He turned on his bedside lamp and felt around for his glasses. Blearily he looked at the time on the phone and cursed again: 4:38. Sliding it open, he barked into the offending machine, "Yes, what is it?" The tinny voice at the other end blew the last cobwebs from his tired brain as what was being said sunk in. "Yeah, okay. Thanks for that. Keep me informed." He closed the phone and for a few seconds leant his head back against the wall. Maybe he was getting too old for this.

Five minutes later he was out in the corridor hastily dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Standing up from tying his trainers he saw a door further down the corridor open and a dishevelled Patton step out. They walked towards each other similar expressions on their faces.

"Smith called you, too?" Simon didn't bother keeping his voice down; everyone needed to get up now anyway.

"Patel actually, but yeah, I got the news. Explains a few things doesn't it?"

Simon didn't bother answering taking it for the rhetorical question it was. Patton started banging on doors. "Okay, everyone. Wakey, wakey! Time to get up. I want you down in the conference room in five minutes."

Simon turned to the rooms containing his colleagues. It was gong to be a very looooong day. He needed coffee, and fast.

Taggart closed the door behind him and sat in the chair next to the dresser. A rumpled looking Megan handed him a mug and he sipped the hot liquid gratefully. It wasn't brilliant as coffees go, but it was full of caffeine. He looked at his watch. Had it only been five hours since they'd left this same room to get some much needed sleep? Mentally shaking himself he concentrated on what Simon was saying.

"… called Patton and I with some disturbing news. Apparently, Berger's started an all out turf war back in Cascade. Funnily enough, his first target was Escobar's headquarters."

"But, I thought they were allies?" Rafe sounded perplexed.

"All a ruse. As were the threats against us."

"He wanted us out the way," said Megan with growing comprehension. "We're the ones who know his organisation the best, so with us gone he had a better chance of implementing his plan undetected and unopposed."

"What about casualties?" asked H who was making himself another cup of coffee from the supplies placed in each room.

"Information's still a bit sketchy, but there are reports of dozens of dead all over the city. This is going to have major repercussions in the crime world." Simon was satisfied that so many criminals were now out of the picture especially as they'd done it to themselves. However, he also knew that probably amongst them were innocents who'd been caught up in the crossfire. "Okay, Patton's called a meeting. We should go join him."

"What about Blair?" The voice was quiet, but nevertheless, everyone in the room heard it.

"Nothing changes, Jim," answered Banks. "We're still going to find him."

"Don't worry. Sandy'll be back with us by this evening."

The others murmured their agreement with this statement.

"Okay," Ellison nodded. He doubted that it was going to be easy, but he appreciated the sentiment. He followed the captain out the door.

The conference room was a shadow of how it had been the night before after the kidnappers had phoned Jim. Sleepy agents were nursing cups of coffee sitting round the large table, but instead of the lively discussions that they'd engaged in then, there seemed now, to be an expectant hush. Patton was on the telephone talking, or rather arguing, with someone on the other end. Jim listened in for a moment to both sides of the conversation, but dismissed it as nothing to do with the case. Heading straight for the coffee the cascade detectives served themselves and then joined the FBI agents at the table.

Just at that moment Park Rangers Bristows and Pascal followed by another two Rangers entered. Seeing Patton somewhat occupied Bristows spotted Banks and made a beeline for him. "Captain Banks, morning. Is everyone ready?"

Simon stood. "Rangers Bristows, Pascal. Good morning. There's been a bit of delay as we've had some important news from Cascade."

"Oh. Good or bad?"

"A bit of both really. Why don't you all get some coffee? I don't know how long we'll be."

"Not to worry." She beckoned the Rangers to follow her and they went off to raid the coffee machine and the boxes of plastic-wrapped pastries that someone had rustled up from somewhere.

"Sir," Megan watched the Rangers for a moment and then turned towards the captain, "we don't all need to be here do we? As we're up anyway we could head off."

Simon was about to reply when he noticed that Patton had finished. "Hold that thought."

"Sir, sir," Agent Goodson hung up the phone he'd been quietly speaking into and jumped up from the table unknowingly cutting Banks off just as he was about to speak to the SAC.

Patton glanced up from where he was looking at some papers and raised an eyebrow at the man.

"That was Sheridan general. Blood tests on the man who had the heart attack have come back positive for Dofetilide. It's a heart medicine that can cause shortness of breath, a pounding heart and chest pain."

"Symptoms of a heart attack," he mused. "And I take it that the gentleman in question hasn't been prescribed it for any reason?"

"Got it in one, boss."

"So how did he manage to get it in his system?" Someone in the group asked.

"Well," Goodson looked down at his notes, "it can come in powder form that dissolves really quickly in water. Apparently, the victim, a Mr. Hilton, had a sandwich and a coffee at the bar. His wife says that the place was crowded and people were brushing past them all the time."

"Interesting," Taggart murmured.

"Good," continued the SAC, "get down to the airport and see if you can find anyone who saw anything." Goodson nodded and headed for the door. "Garcia, go with him."

Banks looked over at Jim and noticed the clenched jaw and the stiff hands lying on the table. He could understand; all this was interesting, but it wasn't getting them any closer to finding Sandburg. Just at that moment his phone rang. "Banks," he barked. "Chief Parks, good morning. What can I do for you?" He winced as the strident voice of Cascade's Chief of Police blasted into his ear. "Um, yeah. No, it's not…" he looked over at the others who were showing an obvious interest in the conversation. Nodding at his officers he beat a hasty retreat out of the conference room. They all followed him.

"I beg to differ, sir," he continued. "Blair Sandburg was a detective with us and also a personal friend…" He sighed as he listened further. "May I make a suggestion, sir? No, I realise that the situation in Cascade is critical, but… Yes, sir. No, sir. My suggestion, sir?" He rolled his eyes and took a large gulp from his coffee. He had the sinking feeling that he was going to need all the fortification he could get. "I'll send Taggart and Brown back on the next flight. No, I don't think Ellison would be willing to come back with them."

He looked at Jim who was emphatically shaking his head.

"With all due respect, sir… Okay, I'll send Rafe as well, but I don't think forcing Ellison to come back is the right way to go…. Yes, sir. Um, Connor's taking a week of leave and I'm requesting a week as well…. I know she's a cop as well, but ultimately she's not under our authority." Everyone could hear the shouting and Banks held the phone away from his ear.

Jim grabbed it from Simon and started talking over the Chief, "Sorry for interrupting, sir, but if I don't get my week's leave my resignation will be on your desk tomorrow."

"And mine."

"Mine, too."

He looked around in surprise as the others spoke loudly enough to be heard by the irate man on the other end. He smiled at them gratefully. "Yes, sir. Thank you. I'll, um, hand you back to the Captain."

Simon listened for a moment. "Thank you, sir. I'll keep you informed of our progress and I assure you we'll be back in Cascade as soon as we've found him." He let out a long breath as he hung up. "That is one pissed off Chief of Police." Pointing his telephone at Jim he glared at him. "You're lucky you've been Cop of the Year so many times and he thinks the sun shines out of every orifice. When we get back you'd better keep out of his way for a while."

Jim shrugged. Whatever.

"Okay. You all heard what's going on. Sorry, Joel, Brown, Rafe. I couldn't persuade him to let you stay. Also, it seems that the situation back in Cascade's a bit volatile."

"Not to worry, Simon," Taggart put his hand on his shoulder. "I have every confidence that you'll find Blair. And then you'll bring him home, won't you, Jim?"

"I'll do my damned best."

"Shove him in your suitcase if necessary. Come on you two, let's get packed and on our way."

H and Rafe both slapped Jim on the back and laid a hand on Megan's arm.

"Good luck."

"Tell Hairboy to get his skinny butt back to Cascade. The PD ain't the same without him."

They disappeared into the lifts.

"Right." Simon rubbed a hand over his head. "I'll let Patton know we're leaving and give the Rangers a head's up. You two go and get ready. Meet back down here in fifteen minutes."

The sun was beating down as they climbed into the two off-road vehicles parked in front of the hotel. Simon sat in the passenger seat of Bristows' car clutching a backpack holding water, cereal bars and a waterproof jacket. Megan allowed Jim and his longer legs the front seat of the vehicle where Pascal was waiting for them and climbed into the back. Without further ado they set off to the farm where the Rangers kept their horses.

It took a while to get everyone fixed up with the right horse and Jim found himself getting irritable with the delay. He knew it was necessary, but the itch between his shoulder blades was getting stronger. What's more, he was getting glimpses of something black out of the corner of his eye. No matter how quickly he turned to look he could never get more than a fleeting glimpse. The others, sensing his increasing frustration, gave him a wide berth. Simon seemed to be the only one brave enough to get more than monosyllabic replies to his comments.

Eventually, the horses were ready and the trailers were hitched to the vehicles. The small convoy set off for the Tongue River Ranger Station high up in the hills. They slowly climbed up into the park through meadows full of flowers, rocky escarpments and dramatic scenery. The river itself tumbled down through gorges and forested plateaus and was perfect for fishing. Simon idly wondered whether, once they'd found Blair, they'd have the opportunity to try out its fish. Jim gave it a cursory glance his mind obviously elsewhere.

They arrived at the Ranger Station mid-morning. It was small, but had impressive views overlooking the Tongue River Gorge. The two rangers carefully parked the cars and trailers and led the horses out and tied them to the hitching posts in front. They loaded them with saddlebags of food and water, a first aid kit and emergency equipment

"Gather round everyone, please," Bristows called out. Once they were standing before her she held up three radios. "Presumably you know how to use these. They're on the right frequency, so you won't need to fiddle with them. We're sticking together so you shouldn't need to use them either, but in case of emergencies they'll work where phones won't." She looked at them sternly. "And we ARE sticking together. We'll be going into some quite wild country where really only very experienced hikers or riders go. Apart from the obvious problems of snakes, bears and wolves there are hidden cliffs and mine shafts. If you don't know where you're going you could find them in the worst possible way. Okay?"

Simon, Jim and Megan nodded. Simon was beginning to doubt the wisdom of him being part of this expedition. His lack of riding experience could be a severer disadvantage. No, he owed to Sandburg and Ellison was a good friend. Looking at the man's face he vowed to not be the one that held them back.

"Right. One last saddle and equipment check and then we're out of here. We'll ride in the following order: I'll lead followed by Ellison, Connor and Banks. Bob will be bringing up the rear. Let's get to it."

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The mouse crept out of the tiny hole and sniffed the air its snout twitching. The large beast that had been making strange noises had finally quieted and stopped moving. Cautiously, the little animal scuttled closer and inspected the slumbering behemoth. It reeked; an acrid odour of sickness, blood and urine that made the mouse wrinkle its nose. A susurration of air from the beast's snout caused it to freeze and it waited until its heart had stopped racing. Edging forward again it sniffed at an outlying paw; salt! Eagerly it licked at the little grains and snuffled round looking for more.

A small puddle lying in an indentation in the rocky floor gave it some welcome water and after drinking it spent a moment washing its whiskers. Suddenly, it spotted the beast's pelt. Edging closer to the head it buried its nose into the matted mass. The brown strands smelt of sweat and dirt, which didn't worry the little animal, as it was also soft and warm. It was perfect for lining its nest. Carefully, with its sharp little teeth it grabbed and pulled; nothing. No reaction from the beast. Encouraged, it pulled again and with a mouthful of soft fur it ran back to its nest.

On its third run, just as it was approaching the beast's head again, the behemoth moved. The mouse froze. Was it waking up? Fearfully, the tiny animal ran back to its hole and observed what was going on. Strangely, the beast didn't rise, but lay on the ground making strange, jerking movements and little grunts. The movements got faster and more violent until the beast's back was arching off the floor and its paws were beating out a tattoo on the rock. After several minutes the convulsions lessened and then stopped. All that could be heard was the beast's harsh breathing.

The mouse decided that it was too dangerous to risk taking any more of the fur. Turning, it scurried back into the hole leaving the beast alone in its lair.

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Simon eased himself in the saddle again. He was pretty certain that he was going to be suffering for days and that soft cushions were going to be playing a very important part in his immediate future. Fortunately, the riding hadn't been too difficult up 'til now and if he'd not been worried about Sandburg he could almost imagine he was on holiday. Jim's silence also contributed to his concerns. Generally, not a talkative person he was not initiating any conversation and was responding to questions with only one-word answers or grunts.

They'd reached the first mine after riding for about two hours. Jim hadn't even wanted to get off his horse saying that Blair wasn't there. Bristows and Pascal had looked at him strangely and Bristows had started to argue. Simon had shaken his head at her and then suggested that they stop for some lunch. Bristows had shrugged and had pulled off one of the packs from her horse. Jim had tried to protest saying that they didn't have the time to waste. That Blair didn't have the time. They'd all pointed out to him that becoming exhausted and pushing themselves beyond their limits was risking the search more. He'd begrudgingly eaten a few sandwiches and drunk some water before urging them back on their horses.

They were now on their way to the second mine and they were all watching Jim with growing worry. The two Rangers were beginning to think that the Cascade detective had something seriously wrong with him and couldn't understand why especially the captain, was taking heed of what he said. Simon and Megan could only assume that Jim was using his senses. However, the way he kept looking around them and then whip his head round with a calculating glance wasn't how he usually acted.

Connor turned in her saddle once more and raised an eyebrow at Simon after Jim had almost fallen off his horse staring at a point amongst the trees lining the trail.

Simon nodded in reply and spoke up, "Uh, could we take a short breather? I need a bathroom break. Drank a bit too much at lunch. Sorry."

Bristows twisted round and after a searching look at Ellison held up her hand to stop the convoy. The two Rangers swung off their horses as limber as when they'd started out that morning. Megan got off and thrust her arms above her head with a groan and stretched out her back. Simon gratefully put feet to ground and mostly managed to stifle the moan that escaped his lips. 'I really am getting too old for this shit,' he thought to himself.

"Come on, Jim. Let's find a nice bush to piss against."

"I don't need to…"

"Have someone hold your hand. I know. But we can keep an eye out for snakes together."

"But…"

"Humour me," Banks whispered.

Jim sighed and tying his horse to a tree on the side of the trail followed his boss into the brush. When they were far enough away from the group Simon stopped and put a hand on his arm. "Jim, what's up? Apart from worrying about Sandburg."

"What d'you mean?" His face was turned away, his look distant.

"Don't give me that. You've been distracted and jumpy as hell since we started out. Even before. Tell me."

"Simon," Jim blew out a frustrated breath and then looked straight into Simon's eyes, "I keep seeing… something." He stopped.

"What?" What are you seeing?"

"Nothing."

"Ellison!"

"A panther! A black panther."

"Black panther. But there aren't any…"

"Of course not! It's my… my spirit animal."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Jim replied bitterly, "remember all that?"

"I've never understood all that. What does it mean?"

"I think it's leading me to Sandburg."

"How?"

"At that mine. I kept seeing it walking away from there. And now it seems to be urging me to go faster. Simon… I think we're running out of time."

"Sandburg?"

"Yeah. I don't know what to tell you. I can… just… feel it."

Silence reigned for a few seconds.

"Okay. Then let's hurry."