RUNAWAY TWINS and RUNAWAY TWINS IN ALASKA: BOXED SET (32 page)

The twins stayed with him. They were hospitalized for a few days to make sure the narcotics used on them hadn't done any permanent damage, and after that, they bunked in a spare room down the hall from Justin.

Aunt Ruby came from Juneau with her husband Carl, and they both listened with amazement at the tales the young people shared. Carl, who was a novelist of some reputation, said that if he'd written about such adventures his publisher would have asked him for major revisions.

Ruby's brother Rex and his wife Martha flew in from Fairbanks to renew their rejoicing at the interns' survival. "We tried this reconciliation once before," said Rex, "when they found you on the Yuktapah—but you kids couldn't stay out of trouble. Can we make this one permanent?"

"We'll try," said Justin.

They then discussed the future and the bear-management program.

"It'll go on," said Martha. "Not at the south end of Glacier Lake, but somewhere, and we'll be a part of it."

"All of us?" asked Janie.

"You bet," said Rex.

Justin was quiet for a moment and then asked, "What about our sows and their spring cubs?"

"Martha and I will go in and have a look while you're recovering," said Rex. "Maybe we can do some reuniting."

"Two of our sows are dead," said Justin, "but maybe Big Bertha and Umbriago are out there foraging. Little Bertha could join them."

"We'll see," said Martha.

The Mounties were in and out of Justin's hospital room for the next two weeks for two different reasons. First to check on the boy who had become the mascot of the marine division, and second to gather information for the court cases of those in Canada who were responsible for his plight.

The Mounties also spent a great deal of time interviewing the girls regarding their ordeal at the hands of Canadian citizens.

The five-hundred-pound gorilla in the room was, of course, the United States connection—Alaska and Montana. And the Mounties tried their best to coordinate with U.S. authorities; but there were roadblocks springing up.

Idaho Joe continued to deny everything, claiming the teenagers were sincere in their accusations, but deluded by the trauma they'd undergone in the wilderness.

And to add to the difficulties, the Whitehorse Temple members were confessing, but refusing to implicate the Prophet. They claimed to have acted entirely on their own without any imput at all from Deer Lodge, Montana. It was ludicrous, but hard to disprove. And it was beginning to look as if J.J. Flack might rise above the consequences of his actions.

Justin had indeed suffered a major concussion, and his doctors told him that though he was young and strong and had healed well, it was likely there was some degree of permanent damage. They couldn't tell him how this damage would manifest itself or if it ever would, but they felt it necessary to forewarn him concerning future episodes he would not otherwise understand.

He nodded gravely and asked the doctors in the presence of Rachel and Janie, "Will I be able to play the caribou head drums?"

"Well, sure."

"Oh, good—I've never been able to play them before."

35
The Search for Justice

Even though Rachel and Janie
gave a fairly good description of Bo and Charlie Bradshaw (confirmed by the cargo pilots), the weasel-like kidnappers disappeared into the Missoula underworld. Their names were not on any database, and on reflection the pilots had no reason to believe that Bo and Charlie had given their real names.

The Yukon pharmacists confessed to their own deeds and to the deeds of the Bradshaw brothers; but Paul and Timothy steadfastly refused to mention the Prophet—and that refusal extended to Idaho Joe. If they admitted any knowledge of the fat criminal, they'd have to explain how they came by that knowledge. Their crimes, they contended, were entirely self-directed and motivated by overzealousness on their part toward a wrongly imprisoned man of God.

The investigators eventually gave up the search for Bo and Charlie, figuring it wouldn't be long before such men came to a poor end of their own accord.

The Temple elders at Deer Lodge (including Seth Lemon) were close-mouthed, even after their recent separation from their leader, and it was becoming apparent to the authorities they could expect no help from that quarter.

J.J. Flack was reinvigorated. He had engineered (through his attorney) the continued reluctance of Idaho Joe to admit to a conspiracy. The promised bonus had been tripled and the fee to Joe's Fairbanks attorney doubled. All Joe had to do was keep his mouth shut.

It amused J.J. Flack that his adversaries felt so victorious about confiscating three of his hidden bank accounts. He had plenty more—squirreled away in Switzerland, the Caymans, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and even in Singapore and Austria. His father and grandfather had been hiding money for three quarters of a century and it had all come to him. Money was not a problem and never would be.

Idaho Joe was a problem. If he should talk he could foul up everything, tie Flack to the original conspiracy, give the Montana Attorney General the victory he presumptuously thought he'd already won. Joe must remain silent, must be convinced his best chance lay in denying everything. He was on the right track so far, but if he changed direction, all would be lost.

The Air Canada Boeing 767
left Erik Nielsen in Whitehorse at 8:30 a.m. on a cloudless day heading for Fairbanks International. The teenagers were returning for a hearing called by the judge concerning Idaho Joe's upcoming trial. Joe's attorney had filed a motion for dismissal based on a lack of evidence, and Justin and the girls were scheduled to testify.

Justin's doctors believed his departure from Whitehorse General Hospital was somewhat early, but they gave their okay provided he promised to restrict his physical activity and engage in no head-butting contests with Bighorn sheep.

Since their previous trip in the Hawker Siddeley cargo hold hadn't lent itself to sightseeing, they made it a point to enjoy the view this time around. As the jet headed northwest they moved from one side of the aircraft to the other to take in all they could. To the south loomed Mount Logan, Canada's tallest peak; to the southwest Alaska's Wrangell Mountains; and to the north the upper Yuktapah River near its source where it began to build up power for its flow to its confluence with the Yukon.

"Our river," said Janie.

"Not quite yet," Rachel said. "We never got up this far."

"Scary memories down there," said Justin. "Remember the rapids?"

"Not scary if you know a guy who can build a raft," said Rachel. "Well, maybe a little bit scary."

The three Alaska State Troopers
who led the rescue that found Joe and the interns at the bend in the Yuktapah testified first. But their account of what had transpired before their arrival was second-hand and was based on what they were told by the young people; so the judge commented that the troopers' testimony was basically irrelevant to the request for dismissal.

Justin and the twins were scheduled to be called the next day, and Idaho Joe glared at them menacingly as they left the courtroom.

Rachel laughed in his face. "Are you trying to scare us? That's amusing. Remind me to tell you the story of an angry grizzly boar named Bruno, and then see if you think we might be frightened by a fat coward like you."

Justin started to say something, but realized Rachel had covered it all. "Ditto," he said.

Janie scurried ahead without speaking.

In the morning Rex and
Martha Carlson told the story of their helicopter being forced down and of discovering Joe, the kids, and the rescue team occupying the Bilboa and Barnes camp on the river. They told of spending the night on the Yuktapah and their hiking out the next day with the others; but there was really nothing new they could add except to tell the court what their interns had said about the criminal fishermen. The judge thanked them and made a few short notes.

Rex took his seat next to Justin and said softly, "We're flying out in the Bell today with Little Bertha. See if we can find Big Bertha and some of the other sows. We'll leave four of the cubs in Denali for now—till we see how this goes."

"The helicopter's okay now? asked Justin.

"Good as new."

"Wish I could go with you."

Rex put his hand on Justin's. "Wish you could, too."

The trooper corporal who supervised the search dogs and their handlers was called to testify he informed the court that no bodies were found. The three missing fishermen and five hunters seemed to have vanished into the wilderness after the explosion of Mount Yuktapah and the earthquakes. It was odd, the corporal said, that the dogs couldn't sniff out a trace. Cadavers were their specialty, but no luck. It was likely that hungry predators had gotten to the remains first.

Idaho Joe smiled.

His smiled diminished when the interns took the stand—one at a time. Each recounted the events from his or her point of view, and the cumulative effect was chilling. Rachel, of course, was drugged during Big Bertha's destruction of Ernie, but the rest of her story coincided perfectly with Justin's and Janie's. The judge listened stern-faced, turning to Joe periodically with angry glances.

Rachel tried to determine what was going on in the judge's mind. She knew he believed that she, Justin, and Janie were telling the truth, but she couldn't calculate how that belief would convert into a decision regarding the petition to dismiss. What a travesty it would be if the fat reprobate Idaho Joe was released on the public. If that happened she supposed he would disappear as the Bradshaw brothers had disappeared into the Northwest underworld. She wondered how many other innocent people he would harm before he was stopped. She also wondered how the outcome of this hearing would affect the Reverend J.J. Flack. Surely he was worried about Joe turning on him and implicating him in kidnapping and murder.

The judge dismissed the court and said he would render his decision in a few days.

36
Big Bertha Redux

The radio collars on the
remaining bear-management sows were working perfectly and Rex and Martha had no difficulty locating four of them (including Big Bertha) at various locations in the wilderness highlands.

Rex said, "Now I wish we'd brought the other cubs. May not find the right matches, but these gals make pretty good adoptive moms."

"We can make other trips," said Martha. "Right now, let's concentrate on Bertha, Umbriago, and Little Bertha."

In the screened-in section of the helicopter, Little Bertha squealed as if she knew she was being talked about.

Martha reached for the dart rifle.

Rex swooped down on the running form of Big Bertha until Martha felt she could reach out and touch the old girl's rump. The gigantic sow was quite a well-traveled lady—relocated three times within the Katmai Park because of her propensity for people food and then exiled to the Yuktapah. Few bears had such mileage.

"You know what we're going to have to do one day, don't you, Rex?"

He nodded. "Justin will hate it."

"She's tasted human blood."

Rex inhaled slowly. "Fortunately you and I don't have to make that decision. The superintendent is the arbiter of life and death. And remember he's given her a reprieve before—when he sent her up here rather than destroying her in Katmai."

"Different circumstances."

"I know, but let's concentrate on today's mission. And there's something else on my mind that might weigh in her favor when we present her case to the boss."

She held the rifle steady, but turned to her husband with a puzzled expression.

"Better shoot her, I'll explain later."

When Bertha lay spread-eagled on the grass, Rex found a place to put down. He had outlined his plan to Martha and she reacted in astonishment. "You might be right," she said. "It would be a miracle—and entirely fitting. I can't wait to find out."

"Let's not tell anyone until we see for ourselves. Why raise false hopes."

"Right."

They exited the helicopter and headed for Bertha's inert form; but before they reached her, they were cut off by a tiny gray and brown ball of fur—an angry ball of fur.

"Umbriago," cried Martha. "Settle down, young man. We're on your side. Wait until you see who we've brought to see you." She reached down and scooped up the fidgety little bear; and he responded positively, perhaps remembering his previous encounters with these strange-looking, two-legged creatures.

Martha said, "Rex, could you go fetch her?"

He jogged to the rear door of the helicopter cabin, reached in and took Little Bertha in his arms. She tilted her head toward his face as if expecting something good to eat. He shook his head. "No, dear, not this time—this time we've got something better for you."

Martha was still holding Umbriago, and as Rex approached holding his sister, both spring cubs began to wail. Later when reliving the moment, the bear-management rangers said it reminded them of a TV reunion of long-lost siblings.

After placing the excited cubs next to each other on the grass and watching them immediately begin to roll and tumble, Rex and Martha turned to Big Bertha. They examined both of her collars, removed one, and set out for the return trip to Fairbanks.

"What's this all about?" asked
Idaho Joe's attorney. "What new evidence, your honor? We thought you were ready to give your ruling on our dismissal petition."

"No, afraid not," said the judge. "The prosecution has some video information they wish to add to the testimony of the three young people. I'm assured it will be definitive. Let's see, shall we?"

A large monitor had been set up on the window side of the courtroom, and the bailiff stood ready to press the power button on his remote control.

"Not yet, Frank," said the judge. "A word or two first. I'm told this video comes from a camera worn around the neck of the grizzly sow we've been told about. It was part of a long-range program to gather clips to produce a film from a bear's-eye point of view. I'm told one of the clips shows some things that confirm the claims made in this courtroom."