Page 26 of Canyon of Deceit
Blane’s deep-throated laugh tickled the soles of my feet. I hadn’tmet a man in a long time who tugged at my emotions like Blane Gardner.
“Another tidbit is the FBI is giving us twenty-four hours to locate Alina. Or they’re sending in their own sniper and rescue team.”
“No surprise there. But we have a head start.”
“Sergio said most info about Edik Baranov was above my pay grade, a matter the FBI’s handling. But one thing he could tell me.” He paused. “Ready for this, partner? Rurik Ivanov and Edik Baranov are first cousins.”
I startled. “Rurik acted like Edik was a stranger.”
“Might have been intentional.”
THIRTEEN
BLANE
Even when approaching danger, I always admired a sunrise streaking across the horizon. The sun had begun its ascent in blended, chalklike pastels of yellow, orange, and light purple—a landscape that paled in every art galley’s replication. I let the beauty relax me when my phone rang. Sergio’s name lit up the screen, breaking the silence of the long drive toward the looming Guadalupe Mountains.
“Yes, sir.” I mouthedMajor Montoyain Therese’s direction. “Is it okay if Therese listens to this?” He agreed, and I laid the phone on the console. I pressed the speaker button.
“Thank you,” she said to Sergio.
“No problem. Our buddy Rurik gets deeper and deeper into this mess. Were you aware of his relationship to Baranov?”
“No clue,” Therese said. “His secrets are... frustrating. Since he and Baranov are cousins, is the prime minister also related to Rurik?”
“Rurik’s on the other side of the family. We’ve confirmed Tom Chandler and one other man are somewhere in the Dog Canyon region. Yesterday evening, Chandler drove into Dog Canyon in a white Dodge pickup, extended cab. The security cam videoed enough of his face for the FBI to run facial recognition. One other unidentified person was with him. Could be Jurg Falin. And if Alina sat inthe rear seat, the camera didn’t pick her up. The truck belongs to a man from Carlsbad who reported it stolen two days ago. The owner’s clean.”
“Has Rurik wired funds to anyone?” Therese said.
“Yes, from his Houston bank account. The FBI is running down his overseas accounts. Another thing, Rusty. The FBI has prepared a SAR team and will soon be en route, expediting their earlier estimated arrival.”
I licked my lips. “Can you buy us any time?”
“No. Already went that route. Other things are brewing. Things I can’t relay to you, but it’s deeper than you and I discussed.”
Compassion washed over me for Therese. “A part of me says we can use all the manpower available. But if Chandler sees a team of heavy guns, he’ll kill Alina. He or another man will make good on Rurik never seeing Alina again.”
“You are hours ahead of the FBI to negotiate with the kidnappers, and you have the best guide out there. You two have your own big guns.”
“We’ll do our best.” I glanced at Therese, but she kept her attention on the road.
“Keep me posted. This is critical,” Sergio said.
I slipped my phone back into my jeans pocket. Reservations about seeing this through successfully bit into my ego.
“Do we approach this any differently?” she said.
“Hold on to your thought. First, I need to find everything out there about Chandler. Figure out how his reasoning affects his actions.”
“Good idea. I won’t speak until you’re ready to talk.”
I tossed her a smile, and the one she gave me lifted my spirits higher than the mountains ahead of us. I logged into a secured site and typed in my authorization creds.
Chandler’s background history met my scrutiny, and I read every word. His life experiences shaped the man who had victimized so many people.
“Chandler didn’t have much of a chance from the moment hewas born. Genetically, his father, now deceased, was a psychopath. His drug-addicted mother abandoned him at the age of three, and his maternal grandmother took him in. She was the only positive influence in his life. According to an interview the grandmother gave Social Services, his mother beat him, leaving horrible scars. She also neglected to feed him. At age four he started speaking, but the signs of abuse were there. He wet the bed late into childhood, started fires for fun, truant in school, and cruel to animals. She encouraged him to study and urged him to play sports, but he refused to do the schoolwork or comply with the rules. We’re looking at a means to understand him. Put our feet into his shoes and find his weaknesses.”
Therese squeezed the steering wheel. “His past is horrendous, but none of it justifies his horrific choices.”
