Cold trail, p.21
Cold Trail, page 21
“Missing? Missing where?”
“Out at the Mescalero,” Crystal explained. “They went out on Duke’s Polaris looking for some horses earlier and haven’t been seen since.”
“And you’re worried something happened?”
“We don’t know at this point.” Crystal teared up a little. “Vicky said Lacey rode out looking for them. But Ray and Bo are unreachable. Garrett too. They’re off dealing with all that explosion stuff.” She looked a little sheepish. “Guess I was hoping that maybe we could get up in your helicopter and try to find them ourselves.”
“Crystal, I’d do it without a second thought, but my bird is still down for repairs. Thanks to the aforementioned gentlemen, I’m still plugging up bullet holes from my last favor to Garrett.”
Crystal looked disappointed. “That’s okay. They’re probably already back at the barn anyhow.” She looked at her phone again, as if expecting to get an update at any moment. “Just better safe than sorry, you know.”
“Never apologize for being a worried mama. Happy to help if I can.”
Crystal got up from the desk chair. “I should probably get back out there. We can discuss the other thing some other time.”
“Nonsense.” Ike waved her off. “My bird might be winged, but I still got Black Betty.”
Ike was fiercely proud of his new Ford Raptor. Well, it was new to him anyhow. He’d won the agate black metallic finish pickup with twin-turbo 450-horsepower engine in a high-stakes poker game from a drugstore cowboy in Spearman. The losing party had inherited all the money and pomposity of his granddad, but not a lick of the old man’s business sense.
“Think the kids might be lost out in the sandhills?” Ike asked.
Crystal nodded. “Vicky said Duke’s UTV tracks were headed that direction.”
“Then time’s a-wasting.” Ike jumped off the safe and waved her on. “I’m sure everything’s fine but it won’t hurt to go out on patrol.” He winked at Crystal. “Just leave your car here and ride with me. It’ll give us a chance to catch up.”
They’d made it about halfway over to the Mescalero Ranch in his Ford Raptor when Ike inquired about Duke. He wouldn’t have pried into the past if he didn’t think it was important. But after they’d discussed the latest theories on the pipeline explosions and made a little small talk, it seemed an appropriate time to ask. After all, she was the one who’d first brought it up.
Ike turned to Crystal, noticing that she seemed nervous. And he suspected it wasn’t just about the kids. “So, how’s the Duke situation working out? Rumor has it he’s back living with Vicky.”
“He’s back, all right. Just never thought I’d ever see him again.”
“How do you feel about it?”
“Weird as hell.” Crystal pinched the bridge of her nose. “There are so many things I want to say to him but can’t. And even if I could, I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“Why can’t you talk to him? I mean . . . who’s stopping you?”
Crystal looked at Ike like he was crazy. “Really think Duke would want to know the truth?”
In all Ike’s years he’d concluded that the truth was way overrated. But he also lived with a come as you are mentality. It wasn’t in his nature to be someone he wasn’t, which sometimes meant that his philosophies contradicted. Of course, that’s when life was the most interesting. And it’s probably why a lawbreaker like himself had buddied up with a law-and-order DEA cowboy. With Garrett Kohl, the only thing you could expect was the unexpected.
Crystal looked forward and sighed. “I can’t tell Duke anything because of the contract. I agreed to it. I signed it. And I took the money. Nothing more needs to be said than that.”
“The hell it doesn’t! Deals with crooks are made to be broken. And Preston and his old man are two of the biggest criminals I’ve ever met. And that’s saying a lot!”
“I know, Ike. I know. But I gave my word. And when you grow up dirt poor, you got nothing else in this world but your honor. I made a pact and I aim to keep it.”
Ike calmed himself. “If anybody knows that you’re a woman of your word, I do.” He gave her a playful nudge from across the console. “How many times did I try to get you to leave Ray when he was in prison and saddle up with me? But you never strayed once. Loyal to a fault.”
Crystal grinned back. “Maybe . . . you’re just not as good a catch as you think you are. And it wasn’t because I was loyal to Ray. I just had higher standards.”
Ike laughed. “You’ve always been about ten rungs above me, Crystal. No doubt about it.”
“Well, when it comes to Duke, there’s a cold hard reality that I don’t like to think about.”
Ike had never asked about her love affair with Preston Kaiser and didn’t want to know. But Crystal had confided that she’d been in high school when it took place. Not only would it have caused a major scandal because she was a minor, but it would’ve landed that son of a bitch in jail. For the sake of protecting the Kaiser name, his father had covered it up with a bribe.
After accepting a cash payment of $25,000 and signing an airtight nondisclosure, the seventeen-year-old Crystal went away to have a child that she was never supposed to see or talk about ever again. Duke went on to live with an aunt, who he thought was his mother, and he was not to return to Canadian. But the High Plains is like a vortex that sucks back its kin.
Ike decided to cut the jokes, as she seemed to get more serious. “What cold hard reality are you talking about?”
She folded her hands and looked down at her lap. “People like the Kaisers don’t really want anything to do with people like me. At least out in public.”
“Crystal, he’s not just some random Kaiser. He’s your son. That changes things.”
“Does it though?” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “What does it really change? All of a sudden, he realizes that his real father is dead and his mother is some trailer trash waitress.”
“Don’t you say that. God broke the mold when he made you. I mean it, now.”
“But it’s true, Ike. I’m not like the Kaisers. You know where I’m from. Where I’ve been.”
“Well, here’s some more truth. For all my joking, I would’ve married you in a heartbeat. Hell, you know I love Ray, but I’d have brained him with my billy club and buried him out behind the bar if I thought you’d run away with me.” Ike nudged her arm with his knuckles. “I’d even let you visit him on holidays just to show what a good sport I am.”
Crystal cleared the tears from her face and laughed. “Thanks, I guess.” She turned and smiled. “Sounds . . . romantic?”
“I’m creative if nothing else.” Ike gave her a solid nod. “My ex-wives will tell you that.”
Crystal laughed. “They’ve told me that and a whole lot more.”
“Look, Crystal, your secret’s safe with me until the end of time. All I’m saying is that whatever you do, do it for the right reasons. It might be a shock to Duke at first, but he’d be lucky to know you as his mom. Won’t take him long to figure that out.”
Crystal smiled and looked ahead. “You’re sweet to say that, Ike. But there’s something else. Something that only I know. Now that Preston and his father are dead.”
When it came to the Kaisers, there were some deep, dark secrets that could get you killed. Ike shuddered to think what this could be about. “If it has anything to do with Jimmy Hoffa or the Lindbergh baby, I don’t want to know.”
Crystal shook her head. “It’s worse.”
“How could it be worse?”
“Before I signed the contract with Preston’s father, I wanted to make sure that my child would be taken care of. Mr. Kaiser, on the spot, took out some papers from a desk drawer and showed me where he’d amended his own will and testament to include Duke as an heir.”
“Amended how?”
“Mr. Kaiser told me he wanted to keep the Mescalero Ranch with a male successor. Said it was built by a man and should be run by a man.” Crystal rolled her eyes. “You might remember how old-school he was.”
“Arrogant asshole is more like it. But sounds like him. Think this document was legit?”
Crystal shrugged. “I’m not a lawyer or anything, but it looked pretty official. Plus, he had no reason to lie about it to me. He seemed pretty proud of himself. Like he was getting away with something that had nothing to do with my situation. It was like he wanted to show it off.”
Ike smiled with the realization of knowing why Vicky and her goofy sister Miriam hadn’t been seen until after Preston died. They’d probably been given sizable trust funds to live off of, but the real Kaiser fortune was in the land and the businesses associated with energy exploration, which the girls had been cut out of until Preston’s untimely death.
“What about the oil and gas?” Ike asked.
“All of the mineral assets too. According to that will, Duke is the rightful heir.”
Ike couldn’t believe his ears. “Does Vicky know about any of this?”
“I have no idea what she knows. I’m pretty sure she’s aware that Duke is Preston’s son. But I doubt that she knows about the will. And my guess is that if she does, she’s not talking.”
“Does she know that you’re Duke’s mother?”
“No, thank God.” Crystal chuckled. “We get along okay as long as she’s bossing me around at the ranch. But if she actually had the full story, I’d probably end up in a hole somewhere.”
Suddenly, Ike thought back to his joke about Jimmy Hoffa and realized that he might’ve been closer to the truth than he ever imagined. He didn’t think that Vicky was as bad as her father or brother, and he really didn’t know that much about her at all. But if there was anything he’d learned over the years running a dive bar and serving multiple generations of patrons, it’s that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. Kaisers were cruel to the bone.
“Whatever you do, Crystal, don’t tell anyone else what you just told me. Big money makes for big crazy. Even a rumor of something like that is enough to get you killed.”
“Believe me, I know.” Crystal turned to him looking a little fearful. “See why I’ve kept all this to myself? Not even Ray knows any of this. Other than you, it’s a deal that died with all the Kaiser men.” As an afterthought, she added, “Except for Duke, I guess.”
Ike reached up, massaged his bristly beard, and thought about what was at stake. It didn’t take long to come back to his tried-and-true old philosophy. The truth was way overrated.
42
Garrett studied the video footage on the computer monitor in the Washita Game Ranch headquarters office, wondering if he and Kai were wasting their time. Other than the impressive trophy bucks, a whole lot of mesquite on the high ground, and a thick grove of oak trees down in the river bottom, the game and security cameras had captured nothing of value for their cause.
Sheriff Crowley’s trace on Simon Cloutier had yielded no results, which was odd. Of course, there was no law against giving a phony name to his cohorts, but at this point there was no innocent reason as to why. If they could get some biometrics like fingerprints, a facial scan, or voice recording then they could run it through the databases with his friends at the CIA.
Garrett was about to go back through the video footage again when his brother called. “What you got for me, Bridger?”
“Couldn’t find anything on Cloutier, but I got an earful on Ressource Absolue from my buddy in Houston. Couldn’t get into specifics. Attorney-client privilege and all. But he told me that it’s pretty well known that Absolue talks a good game on environmental issues but they’re ruthless as hell. Operate like any of the other majors when it comes down to business.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Garrett replied. “What else is new?”
“What’s new is that Absolue is a direct competitor with Texas on LNG. In bed with the Qatari government to fill the order for the contract. Which they can. They’re working behind the scenes to lobby the European Union to go with their suppliers over ours.”
Again, that wasn’t surprising. A deal of this magnitude would bring out everyone’s cutthroat side. But the French were America’s allies. Were it Russia, China, or Iran, Garrett wouldn’t put it past them to engage in some kind of subterfuge. That said, unlike most Western intelligence services, France was fairly open about using its resources to engage in corporate espionage.
Is Simon Cloutier their spy?
Garrett continued. “Your friend think Absolue would get involved in something over here?”
“According to him,” Bridger answered, “they wouldn’t touch this kind of thing with a ten-foot pole. Too much backlash if something went wrong. But he told me about a consulting group based out of Lyon, France, called Solutions Globales. He said they’re associated with Absolue and just might take things to the next level if the stakes were high enough.”
“Global Solutions,” Garrett repeated in English to himself. “Could they be any more vague?”
“Apparently, that’s the way they like it. They’re registered on Dun & Bradstreet, but that’s about all I could find. No website. No articles on the company or interviews with executives. Just confirmation from my friend that they come highly recommended.”
“Recommended for doing what?” Garrett asked.
“When I asked my friend, he got kind of uncomfortable. Said he didn’t know exactly what they do. But they had access to high-level players. Focused on regulatory issues, corporate strategy, influence campaigns, and risk mitigation.”
“You think your old law school friend might be covering for them?” Garrett asked.
“Nah, I don’t think so. You know the old expression, ‘If you have to ask how much something costs, you probably can’t afford it.’ I got the same impression with Solutions Globales. If you have to ask who they are, then you’re not part of the club. My friend runs with a prominent crowd, but there’s a whole other level of exclusive out there. And it has a lot to do with having the word billionaire by your name.”
Over the years, Garrett had found that there were two sets of rules. It wasn’t just the haves and have-nots anymore. Those at the very tip top of the food chain were playing an entirely different game on a whole separate field. For some reason, Jeffrey Epstein and his private island came to mind. That was an extreme example of corruption off the rails, but shadow systems and alternate rules for the world’s most rich and powerful did exist.
Companies like Solutions Globales catered to individuals who operated in that realm. It was a world that Garrett didn’t know. While there was nothing that particularly helped him right that moment, he couldn’t help but think he was on the right track.
Garrett turned to Kai, who was still going through the video feed. “See anything yet?”
Kai looked up from the monitor and grinned. “You’re not going to believe this, but I think we’ve got Cloutier. Looks like his Jeep, anyhow.”
“How long ago?” Garrett pressed.
“He’s here right now. West side of the ranch.” Kai focused on the monitor. “This is the live feed from a perimeter security camera.”
“What’s he doing?”
“Just got out with a set of bolt cutters and walked up to the fence. Looks like he’s about to cut the chain.”
Garrett held the phone closer to Kai. “Bridger, did you hear that?”
“Yeah, I heard. That’s the closest entrance to the Washita Compressor Station. Bet that’s right where he’s headed.”
“Okay, we’re going to stop this guy before he gets there. In the meantime, keep working on the link between Absolue, Solutions Globales, and the LNG deal with the EU. We’ve got nothing more than a conspiracy theory at this point. But we’re connecting the dots.”
Bridger asked, “Let’s say we connect them, then what?”
Garrett spoke on the move. “The good news is once I have something to go on, I can take this up to Conner Murray at the NSC. Can’t mount much of a fight here at our end, but there’s an American mission in Brussels. If we have evidence that a French competitor company is involved in corporate espionage and a potential sabotage operation, then the EU needs to know.”
As Garrett drove toward the compressor station where they’d seen Simon Cloutier heading, he scanned the darkness on the periphery of his headlights but found no signs of life beyond the biggest mule deer buck he’d ever seen and a couple of fast-moving doe. If the Frenchman was still out there, then he had either gone the opposite way or was hiding down in the river bottom.
Garrett pulled up Conner Murray’s contact info and pressed his number to make the call. Expecting to leave a message, he was shocked when the guy actually answered his office phone.
“Conner, this is Garrett Kohl. Sorry for calling so early, but it’s important. Can we talk?”
Murray sounded groggy, like he’d pulled an all-nighter. “Yeah, what’s going on?”
“Don’t really have a long time to explain but wanted to give you a heads-up on a few things.”
There was a pause on Murray’s end before he asked, “You get a call from Mario?”
Garrett could detect a hint of worry in his voice. “No. Was I supposed to?”
“No, no. Sorry. Had something else on my mind. What’s going on, Garrett?”
Garrett could tell there was a subject he needed to revisit, but given the urgency of the sabotage issue, he kept focused on the topic at hand. “Not really sure. We’ve got a pipeline deal going on down here in my part of the world and we’ve had a couple of explosions.”
“Saw that in a situation report here.” Murray had a tinge of sorrow in his voice. “Sorry to hear about the accident. Your family safe?”
“Yeah, we’re all okay, thank God. But I’m not so sure it was an accident.”
“The report said that—”
“Yeah, I know what the report probably said, but we think there might be something else going on. In fact, I’m chasing down someone right now who might be involved.”
Murray’s voice went from worried to eager. “What can I do to help?”
