Chapter 7 – Damned Farm

I finally found a bit of time to continue…

Kelly observed Máiréad, who inspected shelter aside of road. He also observed two men, one of them in probably of even younger age, than Kelly's or triplets, second was about twenty, Kelly guessed.

Both men were in farmer's dungarees, older had axe. Kelly decided not to do any noise, to avoid Máiréad being killed by panicked attackers.

Whole 'quatrefoil' was unarmed, they had only short pocket knives. So, the only weapon Kelly had, was his own self-assurance. He pulled a pair of examination gloves from his back pocket and kept it hidden in clenched fist.

"Pedro, well-done," Kelly heard. "Seems, this Aseveración will be much better, than usual."

XXXXXXX

Máiréad observed woged Coyotl, after that woged back.

Attacker with knife was surprised and moved his hand with 'lethal weapon' a bit aside. Máiréad quickly used that, she slammed his instep with her heel, leaning all her weight and force into it, fraction of second later she moved her head vigorously backward, breaking attacker's nose. She loosen herself from clench and banded her knees, preparing for fight.

"A Luison?" asked older attacker with surprise in his voice.

Máiréad decided not to lose time and breathing for explanation, that she is FuchsBlut. In that very moment Kelly managed to appear, with a wit smile on his face.

"Coyotles," said Kelly in conversational tone. "How interesting. So, easy way or hard way?" asked, ostensibly wearing purple nitrile gloves on his hands.

"A Grimm!" screamed older attacker and grasped the axe.

"Hard way," nodded Kelly. "OK."

Young Grimm observed both attackers, seemingly bigger attention focused on man with axe. By peripheral vision he also observed younger guy with knife and in moment, when boy tried to stab his back, Kelly grabbed Coyotl's hand with knife and lengthened that motion, so the knife ended in older attacker's rib cage. Subsequently Kelly grabbed right hand of older attacker and slashed younger attacker forehead with it. Whole action was finished in less, than two seconds.

Kelly jumped aside to let both dead bodies fall down.

"Seems to me, you approved your Grimmy," said Frederick, who just came. "Will we call for police?"

"Better no," answered Kelly.

He bended down and checked both bodies. As first he removed several Máiréad's hairs from younger attacker's face. Kelly placed it into small plastic bag and hid it in his pocket.

"They have no phones and no ID," continues Kelly. "Our phones will be later checked and our being here will be confirmed. But coroner cannot determine the time of death with perfect precision, so we could keep saying, we never met with anybody here and nobody was here in time we had a debate here."

"And what did we debated?" asked Felix, who came with Frederick simultaneously. "We came here in different times."

"We debated my … errm… dating with Máiréad," answered Kelly and became red in face.

Máiréad laughed.

"So, now are we… errm… dating?" girl perfectly imitated sound of Kelly's embarrassment.

"Big objections?" asked Kelly, what made Máiréad to laugh even more loudly.

Both her brothers laughed too.

"She got you," nodded Felix. "You hunted two, what were they, by the way? And she hunted for you and succeeded."

"Coyotles," answered Máiréad. "Case is not closed, there is somewhere young Coyotl girl, probably handcuffed or incarcerated. This dickhead spoke about Aseveración," she spotted on body of older attacker.

"He looks a bit similar to Jeffrey Esselt's photo on Sheriff 's web site," commented Kelly. "Probably his bloodline, son or nephew."

"We should first move to forest, find some water and clean the blood from you both," frowned Frederick. "If you want us to keep speaking 'we never saw these nuts', we should better remove our traces as best, as it is possible and blow away."

"What story does this scene say to you, if you don't know the truth?" asked Kelly.

Felix closed his eyes, shook his head and opened eyes again:

"These two idiots killed each other in an duel of kind," smiled on everybody. "We just need to remove some traces connecting us to them. Later we can deny to authorities, that we ever saw them. And switch your phones to silent mode."

"Wouldn't be better to switch it off?" asked Frederick.

"Nope," shook Kelly his head. "Switching off would be recorded by phone net, silent mode would remain unnoticed. If we found that girl and liberate her, we should disable our phones and remove batteries to avoid distant switching it on, what could use Deputy Sheriff as official authority staffer."

Everybody agreed, so the hit the track and hurried to forest.

XXXXXXX

At forest creek they removed blood from Kelly's hands and clothes. It was surprisingly small amount he was polluted with, in Máiréad's case it was just few drops of blood in her hair.

"So, what next?" asked Felix. "Will we carefully check the farm?"

"'Don't think so," answered Kelly. "They have security cameras on farm, almost for sure. So we should act, like if we do not know anything suspect about this farm, we just decided to buy some apples or other fruits on farm closed to forest and we found handcuffed girl there," he continued in fabulation. "From that moment anything we would say or do would be accepted, I believe. Not by remaining members of Coyotl Pack, off course. By the way, till we'll left the farm with or without that girl, do not name any of us. Use words like 'dude' or so."

"Sure," nodded Máiréad. "So, let's go!"

They came to Cledments's Farm with laughing and nudging each other, looking like a group of totally idiotic trippers.

"Anybody here?!" whooped Kelly. "We'd like to buy some apples or something!"

On his discreet silent gesture his friends fell quiet.

"This way!" ordered Kelly, indicating to barn. "There is somebody moaning!"

At the barn gate Frederick turned himself to take position of back warden and Felix returned few yards to cover driveway. Kelly tried to open that gate, using small piece of wire and he finally successfully unlocked it.

The scene in barn looked like a scene they all knew from Grimm books.

"Seems, these jackasses are totally incapable to come with any new idea," frowned Kelly.

He looked around and tried to find, whether is there anybody else. He heard nobody, so he decided to start conversation with fettered girl. The conversation was blocked by fact, she had gag in her mouth. Coyotl Pack probably decided to let her stay in uncomfortable position to make her fatigue and obedient, in sense sexually available…

"Hi, excuse me, are you Laura Cledments?"

Girl looked on him like if he was totally mad. But a second later she nodded for agree.

"Do you want to stay here or flee with us," continued Kelly.

"Darling," turned Máiréad to him. "You must now ask just yes-or-no questions only."

Máiréad turned to poor girl.

"Do you want to stay here?"

Girl shook her head.

"Do you want to run away with us?"

Girl nodded.

"Great, sweet heart," nodded Kelly to Máiréad. "We must make some pictures for to show to authorities to explain, why we were here and what we'll have to do. Please make that gag unfasten, so it would look on picture like she did it herself and she screamed for help, so we came here."

"Are you sure?" turned Máiréad to him.

"I don't think, she's going to scream to beckon her own rapists," answered Kelly.

Girl several times nodded.

"OK," smiled Máiréad. "Is it because of Aseveración?" asked and woged.

Girl woged back into Coyotl form and immediately looked scared like hell.

"Yea, he's a Grimm," smiled Máiréad even wider and shortly snuggled to Kelly. "My Grimm, by the way, to avoid any misunderstanding."

Laura Cledments wandered by her eyes around, but finally she kept woged and looked into Kelly's eyes firmly. She closed her eyes for a moment and after that she nodded again.

Máiréad came to her and partially removed gag from her mouth.

"How did you know?" asked.

"Later," cut Kelly conversation. "Darling, do not untie these ropes, we'll make pictures and we'll cut it. We must left here as less scent traces, as it's possible."

"I'm not stupid," answered Máiréad, but any way she made several pictures with her phone, as well, as Kelly did.

"Enough!" decided Kelly. "Time to piss off."

Máiréad cut ropes with her pocket knife.

"How is it possible?" asked Laura. "Grimm and Luizon?"

"Later!" answered together Kelly and Máiréad.

"It's a farm here, here should be some shotgun or something to pest hunting," speculated Kelly. "Is Deputy Jeffrey Esselt involved into this?"

"That way!" showed Laura. "And yes, Jeffrey Esselt is head of this Coyotl pack."

Felix silently ran into barn with Frederick on his heels.

"They are here!" however he stayed calm, it was evident, time waits for no man. "Two in Sheriff forms."

XXXXXXX

Sheriff Jeremy Recks felt bad. He observed CSI team, normally working for Portland PD, in their white suits they looked like strange ET-astronauts. He was alerted few minutes ago by bystander, who found two dead bodies in shelter near Cledments's Farm. When he came there, he recognized Bill Esselt, son of his Deputy and Pedro Ramirez, son of his Deputy's cousin. Scene looked, like both boys killed each other in an strange duel of kind.

Now he fixed his Deputy in hands, blocking him from contaminating crime scene.

"I'm really so badly sorry Jeff, but I must suspend you from this investigation," explained Sheriff to his Deputy.

"That's my son!" cried Jeffrey Esselt.

"That's why you're not allowed to investigate it, you're involved as victim family member," continued Sheriff Recks. "I know, it's cruel for you right now, but is there any reason, why Pedro would wish to kill him?"

Sheriff did not ask, whether there was a reason for Bill Esselt to kill Pedro Ramirez, as Pedro was stinker, whom almost everybody would wish to finish…

He bended for his second Deputy, Judith Lehmann to come to them.

"Judy, crime scene is all yours now, I'll better see Jeff home."

Deputy Lehmann nodded and returned to CSI team to speed them up a bit.

XXXXXXX

"If CSI wouldn't find anything unexpected, I'm going to close it as two-way manslaughter," said Sheriff during walk to his Deputy, who remained silent. "By the way, is Laura home, could it be possible, she killed them both?"

"No, she's on weekend at her aunt's place," lied Deputy Esselt. "They wanted girl weekend with her cousin sister."

Aunt Margaret Batoulis was Jeffrey's sister in law, Coyotl like any of them. But she divorced with his brother Brandon and she also decided to use her maiden name again. During divorce trial she, with big help of her lawyer, also succeeded to arrange active protection order against both Brandon and Jeffrey Esselts. Her daughter Lilly was year and half younger, than Laura, and both brothers made plans for her kidnap, once she is near to seventeen…

"So you'll explain her everything later," nodded Sheriff Recks. "Could you also inform Txema?"

Txema Ramirez was Pedro's father and he was 'helping' with Farm, however he mostly used to spend his time drinking or sleeping out drunk.

"Sure," frowned Jeffrey. "Once I find his newest tuck hole. I'll better call Brandon."

He dialed his brother's phone number. His brother as construction worker was in Portland, but he could be back home in two or three hours, as soon as he would learn about Bill's and Pedro's death and Laura's disappearance, what most probably correlated…

"Hi Jeff, what's up?" he heard from phone.

"Bill is dead, killed, probably by Pedro, come home immediately," answered Deputy Esselt. "We should find Txema's last hungover hiding hole."

"Don't kill him!" said Sheriff. "I need his statement and I want it signed on my own eyes."

"Don't worry," answered Jeffrey. "He'd also lost his son, so he's punished enough."

Jeffrey in fact thought about making 'surrogate-replacing' descendants with Laura…

They walked together into object of Farm.

"Txema, where are you?!" screamed Jeffrey.

When Sheriff Recks opened barn gate, Deputy Esselt get prepared to kill him. But Sheriff surprised his Deputy by question:

"Aren't they too old to play red Indians?"

XXXXXXX

"This way!" said Laura and indicated by pointing finger on ladder to hay stock on upstairs. "There is an widow on opposite side, where it's possible to jump down and move away."

"Good," nodded Kelly. "Lead us!"

All five of them quickly climbed the ladder, thankfully stable enough to let two of them be on it.

Kelly was surprised, as Laura laid herself close to him from opposite side, as Máiréad did so.

"It's Sheriff Recks," she whispered into his ear. "He's Kehrsaite and totally unhelpful for us now."

"Aren't they too old to play red Indians?" asked Sheriff somebody on his back.

Kelly guessed, second man must be Deputy Jeffrey Esselt. That confirmed itself to him few second later, seeing face known from Sheriff website.

Both men observed scene. At least Jeffrey Esselt perfectly knew, there is something, or rather somebody, missing. But occurrence of Sheriff Recks blocked him from full woge and sniffing in order to find female fugitive.

Jeffrey did not answer and sent to Sheriff painful wounded look.

"I know, you just lost your son," Jeremy Recks looked with great sympathy. "Try to find Txema and drive him to office, he must write and sign statement. Hopefully CSI wouldn't find anything strange and we could return you both bodies for funeral soon."

It was Frederick, who in time closed Laura's mouth by his own hand, to prevent her shriek. Girl was almost ready to bite him, but thankful she did not it.

When both men left barn, Laura asked her question:

"So did you kill Bill an Pedro?"

"Later!" repeated Kelly, but Máiréad decided to answer:

"They tried to kidnap me and attacked Grimm, it was a suicide of kind from their side."

"That's not funny!" said Laura a bit angrily. "You really have guts! You just killed two of my relatives and now you ask me to believe you, telling me not even a single word about that!"

"I guess," said Kelly level-headedly. "As an Grimm I simply need to have guts to do my business. We would explain you everything later. Now you have to choose."

"You can either flee with us, or stay here and make some agreement with your pack," nodded Frederick. "No other chance."

"It's not correct," said Kelly. "She could try to flee on her own."

"That's so small chance, that it should not be named as chance," protested Felix. "It's obvious, your mother IS lawyer."

"So your choices?" asked Kelly Coyotl girl again.

"I even do not know your names," protested Laura.

"For case you'd decide to stay here, we'd say it to you only if you decide to come with us," answered Kelly. "In another case you'd better not mention about us to any wesen."

"OK," nodded Laura. "I'll go with you. Will you want to use car?"

"No, Deputy Esselt has access to face recognition system in surveillance footages, so he would found us quickly," shook Kelly his head. "It will be much harder, we must walk to our place on foot."

He pointed to each other, deciding order of leaving place.

XXXXXXX

Brandon Esselt was nearing Cledments's Farm, when he got second phone call from his brother:

"She escaped!" Jeffrey did not need explain, who is 'she'. "Find Txema and try to find her. Anybody, who would be with her, you better kill! I'll try to find her by FRS*, she probably hitchhiked somebody. I must make that demand from my office, but Reck still investigates Bill's and Pedro's death, so nobody should know."

(*FRS – Face Recognition System)

"OK, Jeff," nodded shortly Brandon, who was used to obey his older brother. "I think, Txema loves the last hayloft, I found there several bottles of Tequila."

"Take both shotguns, I hope he's not drunk to shot himself."

"Yup!" agreed Brandon and switched phone off.

XXXXXXX

When leaving Farm, Kelly asked Máiréad to call her mother:

"Call your mum and ask her to organize everything. I'll try to organize some covering fire."

Kelly used his satellite phone to call lieutenant Wu.

"Hi Kelly, what's up?" questioned Wu. "What about your survival test?"

"We just 'interrupted' Aseveración," Kelly lowered his voice. "And head of this Coyotl pack is Deputy Sheriff Jeffrey Esselt. Could you block him somehow from using tracking or cameras?"

"I'll do my best, but later we'll have to explain, why we blocked another law-enforcing worker," Wu became serious. "And he would recognize, somebody is after him."

"That's exactly, what doctor prescribed to him," explained Kelly. "He must know, bridges are burned and his only chance is surrender."

"I don't think, he would want to surrender," Wu was a bit more unsure.

"For sure not," agreed Kelly. "Tell my father to meet me at our trailer, we are switching off phones and go there on foot."

"Good luck," wished him Wu. "I just succeed to got access into Sheriff office. Jeffrey Esselt right now withdrew from safe in their office a sniper rifle and hand-held phone-tracking detector, able to track even your fancy satellite phone."

"Good to know," frowned Kelly. "My kingdom for Barrett 107*!"

(* sniper rifle caliber 50 BMG)

"He has just M40*," answered Wu. "I do not know, how good is he in shooting, but my advice is to find really dense forest."

(* sniper rifle caliber 308 winchester)

"OK, ending transmitting," decided Kelly. "Everybody remove batteries from phones. Pursuer has phone-tracking detector and sniper rifle."

TO BE CONTINUED…