The Bonner Incident: Joshua's War (8 page)

“I understand that clearly sir,” Wagner said nodding making notes.

“You done?” Griffey asked Moore and he nodded. “Okay Wagner, what do you have?”

“Sir,” he said handing a folder to Griffey and passing one over the table to Moore. “We’ve received hits on both state troopers’ credit cards,” he said as Moore read the report.

“This correct? The first usage was two days after IRS Agent Durrell was shot?” Moore asked.

“Yes,” Wagner said. “Trooper Duncan’s card was used again that same day in Seattle, but Trooper Lance’s wasn’t used for a day and it showed up in Salt Lake. All of these were fuel purchases and we have no video from the stores at the pumps. They purposely found stores that we couldn’t get video from,” he said smiling.

“Wagner,” Moore looked up unimpressed. “They’re cops. They know we can track credit cards. Why risk it?”

“They wanted to try it, to see if we are looking for them.”

Reading the report Moore was holding over his shoulder, Winters scoffed. “Humph, they know we are looking for them. You can get on any computer and see APBs.”

“Of course, but look at it from a fugitive’s perspective,” Wagner said digging in his papers.

“I usually do,” Winters said, reading over Moore’s shoulder.

Wagner looked up, “They would think we are putting most of our resources into catching Mr. Anderson and their hunt is a small sideshow.”

“Very thin,” Moore said reading. “What’s your theory? Why did they returned to command and killed Agent Kellogg?”

Looking down at a piece of paper, “Agent Kellogg’s research area was of possible local sympathizers, and we have found several connections to both Duncan and Lance among them.”

“Yeah,” Moore sang out looking up. “We got the information for almost a hundred people dumped on us and some were deputies around here, and state troopers are cops and will know other cops.”

“We’ve also identified three civilians,” Wagner snapped.

Reaching over Moore’s shoulder and pointing at the report, Winters laughed reading. “Your civilians were criminals that Duncan and Lance had arrested, and that three of the deputies arrested.”

“It’s a connection,” Wagner growled.

Griffey looked up, laying down the report. “So far, I’m not impressed, Wagner.”

“Sir, if you’ll look on page three, item number four, Lane’s card was used in Reno two days ago. We have video but didn’t get his face and the clerk saw the driver’s license, confirming it was the man in the video. You can see the man handing over the license, but he knew where the camera was and made sure his face wasn’t caught.”

Snatching up the report, Griffey flipped to page three. “Well, this is something.”

“Sir, as cops, they would know how to avoid cameras. But I think their actions were spur of the moment because they thought they were being linked to local sympathizers. Both men served in the military and are on our watch list. Searching Kellogg’s notes, they didn’t find their names or took the folders of who could really connect them to this hot bed area. As Agent Moore pointed out, much information was destroyed and until we can go through it, we won’t know.”

“Still thin, but not transparent,” Moore said laying down the folder and Winters picked it up and continued to read. Seeing Wagner was about to say something, “Don’t, I’m not in the mood,” he warned.

“Okay Wagner. Put another dozen agents on this, but keep me updated,” Griffey said nodding and laying the folder down.

“Yes sir,” he beamed.

Griffey looked over at Moore, “Moore, I asked your opinion on putting some of our search teams on ATVs and you still haven’t given me your reply.”

“Griffey,” Moore sighed. “If we put them on ATVs, we are going to have a lot of accidents. Like a horse, you have to know how to ride the damn thing. Those that don’t, will stay on the few roads and won’t find shit. The few who do go off-road, will end up rolling down a mountain.”

“So you advise against it?”

“No, if you have people here that can ride them, I would throw their ass on one, like that game warden from Oregon. But just throw anyone on them, and the six choppers we got last night will be doing nothing but picking up broken bodies from ATV wrecks.”

“Wagner, find that game warden from Oregon and have him find fifty men that he thinks can handle ATVs in this terrain. Have him go into town and requisition what he needs and the owners can file for payment with the requisitions,” Griffey said making a note.

“Yes sir,” Wagner said. “Sir, if I may suggest, why don’t we get the game warden to teach more men to ride?”

“No, I think Moore is right about the men not searching, but if we have men moving around on ATVs, Mr. Anderson will notice and will have to slow his movements and when he slows his movements enough, we will catch him.”

“Very good sir,” Wagner nodded.

“Wagner, why aren’t my drones up?”

“Well, sir, that was my next item. The four drones we have are down for parts,” Wagner said as Griffey looked up.

“The military doesn’t have this problem, why do I?”

“We are under contract with the companies for them to provide maintenance staff, but they are shorthanded.”

“Have the problem corrected or get someone to correct it.”

“Griffey, we can’t threaten them. They aren’t some small business; they are major defense contractors.”

“Call the director or chairman and have them deal with it then,” Griffey said looking up. “Anything else?” When nobody spoke, Griffey got up and walked out, looking at the trap on the table before leaving.

When Wagner had left, Winters looked up from her reading. “The only thing I’m buying in Wagner’s report is that the troopers’ actions were spur of the moment.”

Moored nodded, “Yes, but I still can’t see a reason.”

“Sir, it may be the same reason why everyone around here is against us. We’re feds going after a local boy.”

Feeling his phone vibrate, Moore dug it out and tapped the screen. “Oh,” he said looking at the message.

“Sir?” Winters asked as he put the phone away.

“Someone I didn’t think would ever contact me,” he said getting up. “Want to go for a ride?”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Stopping the SUV, Moore climbed out, looking at the small diner in Sandpoint. “Who are we meeting?” Winters asked getting out.

“The sheriff,” Moore said closing the door and noticed several people staring at them with hostile expressions.

The door to the diner flew open, “I asked for them to come here,” Buck bellowed out, looking around at the people staring at Moore and Winters. The group nodded but still looked at Moore and Winters with icy stares. “Come inside Moore,” Buck said holding the door open and noticed Winters. “If she’s with you, she needs to come in as well.”

Hitting the alarm on the SUV, Moore walked toward the door. “Sheriff, this is Agent Winters, she’s been on my team since she graduated the Academy, except for the year she joined HRT,” Moore said then jerked his head toward some of the onlookers. “Why in the hell are these people so hostile? Those men over by that truck almost look ready to open fire on us.”

“You have to ask?” Buck snorted as they walked in and he led them to a back corner table. “It seems they know you’ve been listening in on all cellphones in the area, and other things.”

Buck slid into a chair putting his back to the wall and looked over at his deputy, Cory. “Cory, go make sure their ride isn’t tampered with,” Buck said pointing to two chairs. They both sat down as Cory headed for the door.

“So, what is so important?” Moore said as a waitress came over, setting down drinks. She smiled at Buck, but dropped the smile when looking at Moore and Winters.

Waiting till the waitress left, Buck leaned over the table. “Moore, like I told you before, I have friends in Washington and I just got a message to protect my wife.”

“From what sheriff?” Winters asked sniffing her glass of water.

Chuckling, Buck smiled at Winters. “Dottie wouldn’t tamper with your water or food,” he said and turned to Moore. “I was told to protect my wife from you.”

“Me? What the hell for?” Moore asked in a low voice. “I would never threaten your wife, and I would run from your mother-in-law.”

“Not you personally, but your people,” Buck said pulling out an envelope. Opening it up, he handed over some pictures. “You know these two men?”

Taking the pictures, Moore looked at them and saw two men dressed in faded jeans, work boots and t-shirts at the front of Buck’s house by the front door. Flipping to another picture, he saw one man messing with the doorknob and in the next, the men were walking inside. “Someone broke into your house and you think it’s us?” Moore asked looking up. 

As Moore looked at the photos, Buck stared at his face, studying it intently. When Moore looked up, Buck leaned back in his chair. “So, you have no knowledge of this?”

“Of what? Two men breaking into your house? I’m an FBI agent, not local law enforcement. Hell, you should know them more than I would,” Moore said laying the photos down and Winters picked them up.

“Well, Moore, they came from your new command area, so why in the hell should I know them?”

“Did what?” Moore shouted then cringed as he glanced around and noticed that except for the waitress, the diner was empty. Turning back to Buck, “Are you saying those two men came from our command center?”

Pulling more photos out, Buck handed them over. “I’m not saying,” Buck said as Moore took the photos and Winters leaned over to look at them with him. “I have proof.”

Not looking up, Moore saw the same two men driving up to the gate at the command center. Other pictures showed them getting out of the car and heading to one of the buildings. “What’s that building?” he asked looking up at Winters.

Giving a shrug, “It’s a building loaded with supplies for the search teams,” she said studying the faces. “I don’t know them, but we have almost twenty-seven hundred federal agents on site now with more arriving every day.”

Turning to Buck, Moore shook his head, “You don’t think I had something to do with this, do you?”

“I don’t know, that’s why you’re here,” Buck said as Winters looked up from the pictures.

“Sheriff,” she said turning a picture around to show the two men leaving his house. “What did they do? They didn’t leave with anything.”

“Oh yes, they did,” Buck said pulling out a plastic bag from his pocket with ‘Evidence’ stamped on it. Inside was a pill bottle. “They took my wife’s blood pressure medication and left these. Would you like to take one?” he asked cutting his eyes at Moore. “I sent one off to be analyzed but I can tell you, my gut thinks they’re deadly.”

“You have proof?” Moore asked looking at the bottle.

“Oh, yeah, I have video,” Buck said putting the bag away.

Holding a picture out in front of Moore, “They were wearing surgical gloves,” Winters said, showing him the photo of the two men leaving Buck’s house.

“Yep,” Buck said pulling out more bags. Each one held a single surgical glove. “They tossed them out down the road and one of my deputies collected them. I’ve ran the fingerprints but wouldn’t you know it, these two men don’t exist. What really pisses me off is fifteen minutes after we ran the prints, Homeland calls me, wanting to know where I got those prints.”

“Sheriff, I swear to you, I never heard anything about this and wouldn’t condone it,” Moore said leaning back. “I’m here to catch a man wanted for the murder of federal agents.”

“So you’ve said,” Buck huffed putting the bags away. “No, I called you here to deliver a warning from me.”

“Sheriff, I’m not a messenger,” Moore said.

“Oh, you are now,” Buck said putting his elbows on the table as he leaned over it. “You tell those cocksuckers what I have and I have way more than one copy of this. If my wife or any member of my family or the families of any of my deputies so much as stubs their big toe and gets an infection, you are going to fight this entire county. I’ve already written out my will with a taped message calling for everyone to grab a gun and head for your command area. The line has been crossed.”

Winters let out a gasp sliding her chair back. “Sheriff, that’s inciting insurrection against the government. You’re an elected official and just for that threat, you could be arrested.”

“Damn it sheriff,” Moore said in a hushed voice. “They will rendition your ass out of the country for talking like that.”

“They will try,” Buck said with a somber face. “What really irritates me now, Moore, is you don’t even care that they were going to kill my wife to get my mind elsewhere. You’re just worried about me blabbing that I caught two government assassins in photos, on video, and have physical evidence.”

“Of course I care,” Moore snapped in a harsh whisper. “But you don’t know what you’re going up against, I do. The men in those photos will never be charged and on that, I can give you a guarantee. Just help me catch Joshua and we’ll be out of here. Then you won’t have to worry anymore.”