And the morning you left? Who’s to say they weren’t keeping eyes in the sky on you and as a matter of course, followed your truck out. Some of those drones have infrared capability, and can see through the darkness. If that’s so, it’s possible they tailed you at a distance. And once they knew you were going to be in one of the desolate, isolated desert areas we have in the US, it would be easy for Bannock to fly out there, get picked up by one of his men and brought out to where you were on that last day, heading for that raptor facility.”
Shivering, Cari moved her hands slowly up and down her upper arms. “God, this is creepy!”
“That’s how druggies work,” Dan said. “They have the money to buy the latest, most expensive gear and weaponry that they want. Whether Bannock comes clean and tells us how he found and tailed you, is another story. But from my experience with drug runners and cartels, which are active in our state as never before, I think I’m pretty close to what actually happened.”
“It makes logical sense to me,” Chase growled. “So, we’ll be called to Bannock’s trial to testify for the prosecution against him, right?”
“At some point, yes. Right now the attorney general for the state of California is still gathering evidence. They won’t go to trial until they have what they need to convict Bannock. And I’m sure they will.”
“Will they put him away for good this time, Dan? Do you know?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m hoping so. The fact that he tried to murder both of you will probably put him in the slammer for the rest of his life.”
“Without chance of parole,” Chase growled.
“I’m sure the prosecutors will want that as part of the deal.”
“If he ever gets out,” Cari whispered, “he’ll come after me and my mom again.”
“When the prosecutors call you and ask you to come, and they question you at length, you can tell them exactly that. The fact that Bannock broke out of prison is really the nail in his coffin, as far as I’m concerned. I believe they’re going to put him inside for the rest of his sorry-ass life, where his type belongs.”
“Do you think he’ll run his gangs from prison?” Chase asked.
“Possible, but instead of control belonging to Bannock, although he does have a strong cartel in Southern California, it will most likely pass to the next strong leader who isn’t in prison. Eventually, Bannock will lose his clout, his ability to hold that cartel together.”
“And if that’s so,” Cari said, hope in her tone, “that means he can’t send a hit squad after me or my mother?”
“Right. Because a drug cartel doesn’t like going off in directions that don’t make them money. They really don’t want law enforcement snooping around. They want to be underground and sell their drugs. They don’t gain anything by sending a hit team after you or your mother. It just opens them up instantly to more scrutiny by the FBI and law enforcement. It’s the last thing they want to happen.”
“Good to know,” Cari breathed, giving Chase a look. He reached out, squeezing her hand, giving her a reassuring smile.
“Well, from the looks of it,” Dan teased, smiling a little, “it seems, Cari, that you are going to be around for a long, long time with this cowpuncher here. He’s the meanest dude in the county. You just don’t mess with a military-trained sniper. You just don’t, and Bannock found that out the hard way. You’ll always be safe here with us, in Silver Creek. So? Go home with your cowboy, Cari, and take the time to decompress together over what’s just happened to the two of you. Okay? If anything else comes up, I’ll call you.”
October 25
Cari was at the first of her four Flow Hive platforms, making a weekly check on all of them. The last of the season’s honey had been collected weeks earlier. The warmth of the sun drove away the chill on her shoulders as she carefully inspected each hive.
There was white frost on the grass around the hill, some of the grass already having turned yellow from the freezing nights. Chase had told her snow would start falling in late November, and then in earnest, in December. She wore a dark green nylon jacket that dropped to her hips, and it kept her warm. Her hair, now back to its natural black color,