The Ninth Day Read online

  “A mutated strain of leprosy,” Emma said.

  Sumner’s eyebrows flew up, but he kept walking toward her. “You sure no one else is in here?”

  Emma nodded. She took three steps back. “Sumner, I told you, I have it. It’s contagious and may not be curable. Don’t come any closer.”

  Sumner kept coming on, still holding the weapon high.

  She danced back farther. He kept walking forward.

  “Damn it, Sumner, stop.”

  Her back hit the side of the ambulance. Before she could get out of his way he was in front of her. He lowered the gun and pulled her to him with his free hand. He bent his head down and brushed her lips with his.

  Emma closed her eyes, wanting to weep. “You’re an idiot,” she said. He pulled away a fraction.

  “We have a problem,” he said.

  She took a shaky breath. “We do now.”

  He shook his head. “Not the leprosy. The gangs. This barn is surrounded by La Valle’s men. I managed to slip in before they formed up, but now we’ve got to decide how to get out of here.”

  Chapter 42

  Banner rode in a chartered helicopter over dark Kansas fields. The hired pilot yawned, which was not surprising as it was three o’clock in the morning and Banner had hauled the man out of a warm bed. The pilot pointed below.

  “That cluster of cabins is your motel. The police tell me I can put down over there.” The pilot pointed to an empty lot nearby.

  When they were down, Banner jumped out and jogged to the cluster of police, FBI, and ATF personnel that milled around the front of the last cabin in the row. When Banner got closer, he saw the outline of a body in yellow tape on the deck in front of a door nearly blown apart from multiple bullet holes. He looked around for Kroger, but couldn’t see anyone that fit his description.

  A slender man with salt-and-pepper hair wearing blue pants and a navy tee shirt emblazoned with the letters FBI strolled over.

  “You Banner?” He held out his hand. “I’m Agent Roland. Thanks for the Kroger lead, but near as we can tell he never checked in.”

  “He around here?”

  Roland scratched his cheek, where a five-o’clock shadow was heading into its second day. “Nope. Hotel owner said only people who checked in was some slick guy named Wilson Vanderlock and his wife.”

  Banner couldn’t think of a more apt description of Vanderlock than slick. “Hotel owner spoke to him, did she?”

  Roland nodded. “Want to see her?”

  “Lead the way.”

  Banner followed Roland into the hotel office. FBI agents filled the small space. Roland shoved through the crowd and stepped up to a woman sitting on a chair, her hand on the back of a cat that sat in her lap. The woman looked him up and down.

  “This is Mr. Banner. He’s going to ask you some questions about the slick guy and his wife,” Roland said. The woman just nodded.

  “They check in alone? Was there no one else with them?”

  The woman shook her head. “Was just them. He signed for two rooms. Said his wife didn’t like him smoking in hers. I knew they weren’t married, though.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “He was too slick and sure of himself. Good-looking and knew it. A real cowboy. And she just stood next to him and let him do all the talking. A wife woulda’ said something. Put her two cents in.”

  Banner was amused at the woman’s observation of married life. “You think?”

  “I know. You’re not married, or you’d know, too.”

  “You’re right. I’m not married. Guess I’ll find out.”

  The woman cackled. “Yes, you will.”

  Banner asked her to describe the woman. She gave an accurate description of Emma Caldridge.

  He headed back out, not sure what to do next, which, he thought, was probably for the best since he lacked the jurisdiction to make any real decisions. Banner’s cell phone started to vibrate. He pulled it from his pocket and saw “Sumner” displayed on the screen. He punched the button and glanced up while he put the phone to his ear.

  “I need backup. I’m in a barn in Kansas that’s surrounded by La Valle and his cartel buddies.”

  “Give me coordinates. You alone?”

  “No. Caldridge is here, and the cartel pilot. He might be on our side. Caldridge vouched for him.”

  “His name is Wilson Vanderlock, and I’ve never known him to work for the cartels. I’d take Caldridge’s word on that.”

  “I already have.” Sumner rattled off the coordinates.

  “Stay put. I’ll be in touch.”

  Banner waved Agent Roland to him. “I got a guy who says he’s in a barn that’s surrounded by La Valle’s cartel. Seems to be pretty close to here.” He gave Roland the location.

  “That’s ten minutes east. Tip was just called in as well. Says they’re in a parking lot on the far side of town. You coming?”

  “Sumner said they were surrounding a barn he was in, not a parking lot. I wouldn’t assume the tip is correct,” Banner said.

  Roland considered that. “Who’s in this barn?”

  “My guy’s in the barn, along with Emma Caldridge and a pilot.”

  Roland looked disgusted. “Far as I’m concerned Caldridge is one of them. She’s been running with them the whole way.”

  Banner shook his head. “Never. I know this woman. She’s one of ours.”

  “Who are the other two?”

  “One’s the pilot of the cartel plane the ATD impounded, but I think he was coerced too.”

  Roland gave Banner an incredulous look “My heart isn’t exactly bleeding for either of them. And the third? He a good guy gone bad, too?”

  Banner hesitated. Sumner’s actions since intercepting Vanderlock could give rise to questions about his loyalties. He dodged the question.

  “Listen, I think you need to consider both angles. Maybe split up the teams?”

  Roland shook his head. “Not necessary, and possibly dangerous. We’ll come in from the west and pass the barn first. Give it a quick check, then head to the parking lot. You coming?”

  Banner nodded, even though he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of driving straight to the barn. He climbed into the passenger side of a black Mercury Marquis sedan with Roland and two other agents. The tension in the car ran high. Agent Roland kept a running discussion with another officer while he drove, detailing the plan. He took the curving country lane at sixty miles per hour.

  Drives like a native, Banner thought.

  A state patrol officer led the procession, his siren quiet. The other cars remained silent as well. Three more FBI vehicles, two SUVs and one more sedan followed, backed up by three police cars. More patrol cars approached from the opposite end.

  Banner’s phone vibrated again and he looked up as he put it to his ear.

  He saw the ambush too late.

  Several men stepped from the trees, the guns in their hands silhouetted by the headlights. They opened fire on the procession.

  Roland jerked the wheel left, which only caused the car to turn in to one of the gunmen in the semicircle. He fired, pelting the car. Banner saw the muzzle flashes and heard the reports. Bullets punched through the windshield.

  “Back up!” one of the agents in the rear yelled. Roland slammed on the brakes and threw the car into reverse. Banner braced his hands on the dash while they shot backward. His phone flipped out of his hand, dropping somewhere at his feet. The Marquis nicked the corner bumper of a following SUV, but only tilted with the hit and then kept going. The lead patrol car barreled past the circle of shooters. It drove a block and a second set of assailants appeared. They hammered the sides with shot. The car drove off the road and smashed into a tree. The assailants turned, heading toward the disabled vehicle.

  Roland slammed to a stop. All three agents flew out of the car. Banner, too, was out and used the door as cover. The agents began firing, scattering the gunmen. Banner’s own weapon was back in his home in Washington. He kept lo
w, and reached over to the glove compartment. It refused to open. Locked. Now Banner was sure Roland kept a gun in there. The firing stopped and the sudden silence seemed eerie.

  “You looking for a weapon?” Roland said, his voice low. He stayed in his position crouched behind the driver’s-side door.

  “You have an extra?”

  Roland tossed Banner a keychain. “In the glove box.”

  Banner located the proper key and opened the compartment. A gun case nestled inside. It, too, was locked, but the keychain contained the answer and Banner removed a Glock from the case. He checked and found it fully loaded. He tossed the keys back across the car.

  “You see anything?” Banner whispered.

  “Nothing.” Banner didn’t either. He reached up and turned off the interior light.

  “No sense putting a spotlight on us,” he said.

  Roland punched off the headlights. The resulting dark interspersed with moonlight made the smashed car recede into shadow. Banner stayed still, straining to hear the sound of a twig snapping or foot crunching on stone. His phone vibrated and lit the car’s foot well area when the screen sprang to life with a text message. It was from Sumner and said, “Heard shots, you OK?” Banner stared at the message. He retrieved the phone from the floor and hit the call button. Sumner picked up on the first ring.

  “I’m outside that barn. They just ambushed your backup. An FBI convoy.”

  “I heard the shots. Anyone left besides you?”

  “About ten, maybe eleven. Any idea how many we’re facing?”

  Roland looked over, a question in his eyes.

  “It’s my man inside the barn,” Banner explained.

  “I saw at least ten when I came in. I killed two in here, but La Valle got away. And Caldridge says the leaves in the barn have leprosy. She says to be sure not to do anything that might ignite it.”

  He looked over at Roland, who was whispering into his own phone. When he was done he turned a grim look on Banner.

  “Three more squads are hidden on the far side of the barn. We’re going to drive them forward, toward the barn. Get them contained and demand surrender.”

  “These guys will never surrender. They’ll hole up inside that barn.”

  “Fine. It’ll be their choice. Either they surrender or we take them out.”

  “Caldridge says the leaves in the barn are contaminated with a fast-growing form of leprosy. Whatever you do, don’t burn the barn down. The smoke will sicken everyone in the immediate area.”

  Roland looked aggravated. “Again, I ask you, do we believe her?”

  Banner put his hands out. “They were here and not at the parking lot, weren’t they? So the information given by my people was correct. Can you run this plan without burning the barn down?”

  Roland shrugged, irritation clear on his face. “We’ll do our best. Maybe we just blow it sky high. Burn it fast and quick.”

  “Give me twenty minutes. Buy me some time to get them out before you do this.”

  Roland shook his head. “You see that car?” He pointed to the smashed SUV. “I’ve got two men in there. We’ve got to get them out and to a hospital. That means we do this now.”

  “Ten minutes, then.”

  Roland hesitated.

  “If it was one of yours in there, would you wait ten minutes if it meant saving his life?”

  Roland rubbed his face with his hand. “Fine. You’ve got ten. After that we drive them toward that barn and either they surrender or we blow their asses to kingdom come.”

  Chapter 43

  Emma finished tying up Carlos and frisked him, looking for spare ammunition. She found one cartridge, which she pocketed, and a switchblade. She grabbed his gun, a serviceable weapon with a filed-off serial number, and shoved it into her waistband after setting the safety. She strode to Vanderlock, flicked open the knife, and cut his bindings.

  “That Sumner?” Vanderlock indicated Sumner, who was talking on his phone.

  Emma nodded. “Yes.” Vanderlock rubbed at his wrists with his healthy hand while he looked at Raoul’s body. It lay face up, and the eyes remained open. A line of blood ran from the hole in the forehead.

  “He’s a hell of a shot.”

  Emma picked her way over to Raoul, bent down next to the hand that still clutched the gun. She pried the fingers off the handle.

  “You with him?” Vanderlock said. Emma checked the gun’s clip while she thought about how to answer. Vanderlock’s question was understandable in light of the kiss he’d just witnessed, but she had no time to devote to considering why Sumner acted the way he did.

  “I’m with myself,” she said. She handed Vanderlock Raoul’s weapon. He took it without further comment. “Wish we had more.”

  Vanderlock nodded his agreement. “You hear those shots?”

  Emma had. “Sumner says we’re surrounded.” While they talked, she watched Sumner lock the barn’s side door. He cut across the room and did the same to the large double doors at the barn’s middle, sliding a bar into place.

  Sumner strode over to them. “Banner’s outside.”

  Emma felt her spirits rise. “Thank God,“ she said.

  Sumner grimaced. “The cartel ambushed an FBI convoy. Near as I can tell, we’re in the center of two concentric circles. First are the cartel members I saw, second the authorities.”

  Sumner’s cell rang. He answered, and listened. Emma and Vanderlock watched him, and though his expression didn’t change, Emma knew him well enough to tell that whatever he was being told was not good news. He hung up.

  “FBI’s running a pinch. They’re going to drive the cartel guys in this direction, then order a surrender.”

  “La Valle would rather die than surrender,” Vanderlock said.

  “They don’t surrender, the FBI is going to take them out.”

  “Take them out how?” Vanderlock said.

  “I imagine they’ll line up some sharpshooters.”

  Emma paced back and forth, wishing she could run instead. She sorted through her mind the possible outcomes of the FBI’s pinch maneuver, and none left her, Sumner, and Vanderlock any room to get out of the barn and past the cartel. A worse possible outcome came to mind.

  “These cartel guys get close, they’re going to want to hole up in here.”

  Sumner gave her a serious glance. “The thought had occurred to me,” he said. “And the FBI is not quite buying the leprosy story.”

  Now Emma was angry beyond her already extreme agitation. “Can I borrow your phone?” she said to Sumner, who handed it to her. She used it to access the Internet and typed in two words on a search engine. The results came back and she showed the screen to Sumner. “You tell Banner to show the FBI this.”

  Sumner read from the screen. “Armadillos?”

  “They’re natural leprosy carriers. Some carry massive bacterial loads in their system. It doesn’t hurt them and most people in contact with the animal don’t get the disease either, which is why I didn’t put it together right away.” Emma rubbed her forehead, where a headache was forming. “La Valle keeps a barn full of them, feeds them to his crew for strength, grinds their carapace into dust and uses it to line the compound. Said it acted as a magical barrier. He probably sprinkled it in the fields as well. I think the herbicide dumped by the DOD mingled with the ashes and triggered a virulent form of the disease.”

  “I already told them not to burn the leaves, because I’ve seen what that does firsthand, but I don’t think telling them about the armadillos will stop the maneuver.”

  “How much time do we have?” Vanderlock said.

  “Ten minutes.”

  “Generous of them.” Vanderlock sounded disgusted. “You got a plane nearby?” he said to Sumner, who nodded.

  “About a mile north. On an improvised runway. A runway set up by a guy La Valle controls, actually, who’s currently sitting in jail on a parole violation.”

  “We have two vehicles. The ambulance and the motorcycle inside. What i
f we just drive the thing right through the doors and out?” Emma said.

  Sumner walked over to the ambulance, looking at the walls. “Some rounds might pierce this.”

  “Let’s line them with the bales. Might add another layer.” Emma strode to one of the bales of marijuana and lifted it. Vanderlock reached her side and helped toss it into the back of the ambulance. With Sumner’s help they tossed in three more, placing them in two stacks and leaving a center section open.

  “I’ll drive it,” Sumner said.

  Emma shook her head. “No you won’t. I will.”

  “Not a chance. Whoever drives is at the most risk. Once they figure out what we’re up to, they’re going to open fire.”

  “I’m not as good a shot as you are. And I’m pretty sure Vanderlock is better than I am, too.”

  “Thanks for the overwhelming vote of confidence,” Vanderlock said in a dry tone. Sumner looked down while a smile played around his lips.

  “You guys will have to be prepared to cover me when they disable the ambulance. I’ll run it on the rims if I have to, but when it stops it’s done,” Emma said. Sumner opened his mouth to argue. “I’ll sit below window height and maneuver it that way. Will give me some measure of protection.”

  The last seemed to mollify Sumner a bit. “Okay. But I’ll ride along, shoot from the passenger window. You cover the rear?” Sumner said the last to Vanderlock, who nodded.

  “And if they do manage to kill the ambulance, I’m going to drive that motorcycle right out the back.”

  “That should be a last resort. At least the walls of the ambulance give you some protection. Once you’re on that cycle you’re completely exposed,” Emma said.

  “Agreed. Only as a last resort.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  Emma ran to the table and grabbed a heavy hammer that she could use as a weapon and headed to the discarded tote. She fished out the bottle of the investigational antibiotic pills and emptied it into her hand. She shoved the handful into her pocket. On her way back to the ambulance she passed Sumner, and overheard him talking to Banner.