about her life, or the fact Dirk could kill people around her, or Chase himself. Those last two thoughts seared her heart.
“Agent North has requested a large, military drone, an unarmed one, which will come from the nearest air force military base, and we can begin to have eyes on the group, plus videotape them, as well as single photos.”
“So,” Cari demanded, “does that mean Dirk is still up in the woods with that group?”
“As far as we can tell,” Dan said. “We have the license number of the vehicle they drove back into the logging road. I’ve had a deputy hidden on the other side of that road, where she can’t be seen, and so far, nothing has come out except logging trucks.”
“He’s still with them,” Chase concluded.
“My best guess is yes,” Dan said. He took a map at the end of the table and spread it out, turning it around so Cari and Chase could look at it. “You can see there are seven dirt roads that have been cut into that mountainside by the logging companies.” He placed his thumb on the map. “This is the road they turned in on yesterday. Below that logging area? It’s fenced ranchland and belongs to about four different families. There are no roads from the trees above, down to their ranchland. There’s only one exit/entrance for the logging companies and Hauptman, and it’s this one.” He tapped it with his index finger.
“How soon can we get eyes on that area?” Chase asked, buttonholing North.
“Maybe tomorrow. I’m in touch with the base commander on our request. It takes some time,” North said.
Dan sat down. “Until we can get a drone circling at ten thousand feet above the area, I’m keeping a deputy watching that road for in-and-out traffic. I don’t want to have Bannock give us the slip. And, Chase, we’ll let you know the details once the drone is taking off.”
“Thank you. It’s a good plan,” Chase congratulated Dan.
“What’s to say Dirk couldn’t leave on foot? Hitch a ride?” Cari wondered.
“Well, we’ve thought of that, too, Cari. My deputy has a set of binoculars. My deputies are pulling eight-hour shifts out there, and they check out who’s in the cab of every logging truck that goes out, or comes in. We want to make sure there’s no one other than the driver in it. And if there is? It will be radioed in to us here at headquarters, and we’ll send out a cruiser to check it out.”
Some relief flowed through Cari. “Dan, I’m so glad you’re here helping us.”
The ex-SEAL gave her a slight smile. “We want Bannock, too. He’s a murderer and we know he’ll shoot first and ask questions later. I have our SWAT team on alert, too, because if we have to pull that logging-truck driver over, and Bannock is there? He’ll try to shoot his way out, is my opinion.”
Cari rubbed her face, forcing back tears. “Dirk is heartless. He’ll kill without thinking. I’m glad to hear you have a SWAT team.”
Dan nodded, grim.
“Agent North,” Chase said, “what do you see happening with this issue?”
Cari turned to Chase, hearing challenge in his low tone, the utter seriousness of his expression. She felt his protection.
“Well, this isn’t a straightforward plan to grab Bannock. It would turn into a war of attrition, and we’d have to have military with the FBI, a small army, to go wade into Hauptman’s gang to find him. That means a lot of potential loss of our people’s lives, a lot of wounded, and we do not want to take that step. Yet. Perhaps if Bannock was in a city and not out on the slopes of this mountain range with thirty other domestic terrorists all proclaiming they are white supremacists, I would have a better plan than we do, currently. Until, and if, we can separate Bannock from this domestic terrorism group, we’re going to have to do surveillance from the sky and on the ground, in order to see what our options really are.”
“That’s good to hear,” Chase said. “Are you in touch with Cari’s family in California? Do they know Bannock is out here in Wyoming?”
“Yes, we are working closely with the sheriff of their county, and her parents have not only been notified, but an FBI agent has been assigned to their case and they will be kept up on what is going on.”
“Do they have protection?” Cari demanded, urgency in her tone, her gaze riveted on North.
“We’ve