Bonner Incident (14 page)

“Yes, it’s his mother’s,” Buck said looking up. “How did they get this?”

“I talked to the bank and nobody has served a warrant and until yesterday, that box hasn’t been opened in over a year. They knew what Joshua was worth down to the penny, granted he’s in debt up to his ass, but he had very valuable assets. Buck, they started this for money, it’s plain and simple. Now it’s a quest to show others what happens when you stand against them.”

“And you got this off that laptop?” Buck asked and Duane nodded. “Our guys cracked it that fast. I would’ve thought it would take them longer to crack a government computer.”

“Ah, well, they said it was going to take a while, so I um, called my daughter,” Duane said in a low voice. “She broke in just under fifteen minutes.”

“Tell Scarlet thank you and I’ll write her a note,” Buck said looking at the printouts. “Is this other people they’ve gone after?”

“Ah yeah, sixty-two and all had small businesses. There’s another file that I haven’t printed that has sixteen larger businesses,” Duane said staring at Buck. “They’ve already taken down all of these and those businesses. All totaled, it’s just over a quarter of a billion dollars, not including the land they’ve seized. When you factor that in, I’m putting it closer to a billion. Buck, in those reports, there are nine other teams like this one, taking down businesses.”

“Oh shit,” Buck said feeling weak and falling back to the wall, Duane jumped to catch him.

“Yeah, busted my head when I fell back in my chair after I realized they are taking people’s money that can’t really fight. They are targeting smaller businesses that can’t call governors or congressmen.”

Buck handed Duane the papers. “I want you to make seven copies of that computer. Give one copy to Stanley. You take three and I’ll take three. I want you to give two copies to two separate people and don’t tell anyone who, not even me, understand?”

“Buck, this is shit like you see at the movies.”

“I wish,” Buck said looking at his watch. “You do that now. I have a press conference.”

Watching Buck leave his office, Duane started questioning his decision to go into law enforcement, then moved over to his desk to start making backups. When Buck walked into the press room, he froze on seeing the small room packed with reporters. “Sheriff, are you starting the report at five?” one shouted and he just nodded. “Thank you sir, because we’re going live.”

Stanley walked up behind him and whispered. “Yeah, I walked in and saw this and had to find a cigarette, and I haven’t smoked in eight years.”

Buck swallowed hard and moved to the front of the room as one of his deputies handed him his notes. Clearing his throat, “Good afternoon, for those that don’t know me, I’m Joey Harper, sheriff of Bonner County. Yesterday afternoon, a state patrol officer and two federal agents were shot southwest of the small community of Lamb Creek,” he said and a reporter shouted.

“Do you have a suspect?”

“We have a person of interest, but multiple eyewitnesses state the suspect fired in self-defense,” Buck said and the room became deathly quiet as shock set in. “Until we interview the person of interest, the county isn’t going forward with prosecution, but I’m told that Homeland has issued a warrant for our person of interest.”

Buck looked up from his notes to a sea of gaping mouths and for some mysterious reason, that was the last live broadcast of Sheriff Joey “Buck” Harper.

Chapter Seven

Hearing a knock on the door, Buck cracked his eyes open. “Yeah,” he groaned sitting up on the couch he had in his office. He had been up most of the night talking to people.

Duane walked in, “Hey Buck, I have those copies you wanted,” he said handing over three thumb drives.

Buck looked at the three thumb drives and then up at Duane. “That laptop fit on these little things?”

“Ah, yeah,” Duane said yawning.

Buck got off the couch, heading to his desk. “Then tell me, why in the hell the laptop has to be so big if it can fit on just one of these damn things?”

Taking a deep breath, Duane started going over in his mind just how to explain it. “Well, Buck, it has to have other stuff to run the monitor, power, sound and other stuff,” he said hoping that was enough.

“Shit, I remember when a computer took up half a room,” Buck said looking out his window seeing it was dawn and looked at his watch. “I said I wanted to be up at five, why was I still asleep at seven?”

Walking over and sitting down in a chair in front of the desk, Duane grinned. “Three people woke you up Buck, and I was one of them.”

Hitting the intercom on his desk, “Can I get some coffee?” Buck said and then released the button turning to Duane. “Well, what’s happened since I passed out last night?”

“I’m told the governor didn’t like your press conference,” Duane said pulling out a small notepad. “We’ve had like six calls from the feds demanding that you change your statement.”

“Shit on that,” Buck said dropping in his chair as a young woman brought in a large cup of coffee.

She sat the coffee mug on the desk. “You want some breakfast sheriff?” she asked stepping back.

“Please,” Buck sighed picking up the mug. “I really don’t give a rat’s ass what it is, as long as it’s eatable.”

When the woman left, Duane looked at Buck, “You’re going to have visitors again today Buck,” he said in a low voice. “Seems the feds don’t like the fact we gave them ‘copies’ of the evidence. They want everything we have.”

Seeing Duane glance around as he talked, Buck grinned. “I had some of the boys sweep the office and they didn’t find anything.”

“You may want to make that a daily routine,” Duane said looking down at his notes. “They are demanding to question all of the eyewitnesses, along with Sonya and William. I told them to contact their lawyers to set up times.”

“Bet that chapped their asses,” Buck chuckled as he blew on his coffee and Duane looked up with a grave face.

“Buck, they told me to give them the locations of the witnesses and they would pick them up,” Duane said shaking his head. “The homeland agent that called, point blank told me they weren’t being interrogated of a crime, so legal representation wasn’t required. In matters of national security, federal agents don’t have to allow for due process.”

Choking as he sipped his coffee, Buck pulled the hot liquid away from his lips. “You better be shitting me when you say that,” he said wiping his mouth.

Slowly shaking his head, Duane jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “They faxed over the executive orders, unclassified national security directives, and sections of the Patriot Act that clearly covers them. I have it on my desk.”

Jumping out of his chair, Buck shouted. “My God. Man! That’s KGB and Gestapo shit you’re talking about!”

Nodding as he raised his eyebrows, “Said almost the same thing and the fucker hung up on me,” Duane mumbled. “Then I questioned his manhood, saying he had a little dick. Don’t know if he heard that before he hung up.”

Mad as hell, Buck still had to grin at that. “Please tell me you called Stanley and told him.”

“Yes, and he will be here in a little bit.”

“Did you give them the locations of the crew and Sonya?” Buck said sitting back down.

“Ah, no, sorry,” Duane said looking at his notes. “I told them, to get information out of this office, they would have to clear it through you.”

“Well, what else?”

“You’ve had over a dozen calls from the owners of resorts and the hotel in Nordman about having to cancel all summer reservations because the feds took over their buildings. Seems the feds got the judge to say that they only had to pay off-season rates and no other compensation.”

Closing his eyes, Buck wanted to crawl under his desk. “Unfortunately, that is only the beginning.”

“Your wife called and said Mrs. Ethel died after surgery. She developed a blood clot that went to her lungs,” Duane said looking up with a hard face. “Stanley refused to present it to the grand jury, only leaving the charges pending on the homeland agent that pushed her down. He said it would be dismissed under the Supremacy Clause. A state can’t prosecute a federal agent for any reason if the agent is performing his appointed duty without malice. And Stanley said there is no way we would ever prove malice for pushing an old woman down. Oh, and that covers civil suits as well.”

“Motherfucker,” Buck mumbled looking away.

Flipping a page on his notepad, “Lt. Conner called three times last night, saying the feds went to Sonya’s house and demanded to be let in. They kept waving that warrant with Joshua’s name that lists him as primary owner. Conner called Stanley at ten last night and Stanley said they could be let in, but had to be escorted by a deputy, since that property isn’t on federal land and the sheriff’s department designated it a crime scene first. He spit out some legal mumbo jumbo to back it up,” Duane said looking up. “The feds refused to be led around by the hand and left.”

Picking up his coffee mug and taking a sip, “Bet that’s going to bite me in the ass,” Buck mumbled.

“Just to warn you, the IRS will be here when the feds come. They are pissed that the shop was empty and they can’t locate the equipment,” Duane said looking up from his notes. “They also want Sonya to turn over everything that she took out of the bank.”

“Hold that thought,” Buck said picking up the phone to call home. “Hey, sweetie,” he said when his wife answered. “Will you bring Sonya and William down here around ten?” Listening to her response, Buck cringed. “Babe, I’m not turning them over, but they want to talk to them and I’m going to let them. But only here in my office.”

Duane grinned as he listened to Buck. When Buck hung up, Duane shook his head, “Buck, we’ve had over two hundred phone calls since five this morning from people in the county demanding the feds leave. The operators told me it was averaging thirty calls an hour. Seems the entire county knows about Mrs. Ethel, along with what happened to Joshua.”

Setting down his mug, Buck sighed. “Sometimes, I wish I would’ve lost re-election.”

“Well Buck, you still have three years in office,” Duane said flipping a page on his notepad. “Sheriff Delgado from Kootenai County said he would be able to meet with you and Sheriff Figueroa from Boundary County this evening. Sheriff Delgado said you wouldn’t believe how many cargo planes are landing, offloading federal agents and supplies.”

A tap sounded at the door and the young woman came in carrying a tray of food and set it on the desk. “No Duane, I would believe it,” Buck said grabbing a fork and digging in. “You eat?”

“Yes sir,” Duane said shaking his head. “Buck, the feds have rented every car from here to Spokane and they have bought every van in the area from dealerships. They didn’t pay sticker price, of course, they signed them out at government purchase price. Luckily, we don’t have that many dealerships in Bonner County, but Sheriff Delgado is beyond pissed. Seems he’s had like a hundred calls from car lots in his county, claiming it was highway robbery.”

Shoving food in his mouth, Buck nodded. “I’ll talk to him when he gets here. Have the feds started to actually start searching for Joshua?”

“Not really,” Duane shrugged. “They are waiting on…” he paused looking at his notes. “FBI Senior Special Agent Albert Moore.”

A clang sounded as Buck dropped his fork on his plate. “You’re sure that’s the name?” he said sucking in a breath. Duane looked at his notes and nodded. “Shit, I thought he retired.”

“You know him?”

“Not personally, but I’ve read about him. He used to be a profiler for the behavior science unit, then moved to special crimes task force. He’s bagged more serial killers and terrorists than any other agent I’ve heard. Hell, I’m surprised he’s still in the field.”

“Well, he wasn’t,” Duane said laying his notepad in his lap. “He was teaching at the academy till they pulled him out here.”

“They really want Joshua,” Buck said pushing away from the food on his desk, not hungry anymore. “He’s a nobody, why all the trouble? Shit, I watched the national news last night and they made Joshua sound like a home grown terrorist that hates America.”

Picking up his notepad, Duane nodded. “Yeah, if I didn’t know Joshua, I would just say shoot him after what they said on the news last night. You listen to the radio stations here and they are painting another story on this.”

“This is getting way out of hand,” Buck said getting up.

Duane jumped up, “You’re not going to help them get Joshua, are you?”

Glancing over his shoulder, Buck shook his head. “No, if I give up one innocent man, I have to give up everyone in the county. That’s not the job I took. I swore to defend the Constitution and uphold the laws of Idaho, not these communist laws that have been passed in the last few decades. Or these executive orders that aren’t law. Only congress can pass law. The Constitution states that very clearly.”