Page 14 of Chasing Justice
Maya marched toward her car, glancing over her shoulder once to see Josh and her grandfather watching her. The clouds had cleared out and stars shimmered—the only light in the darkness. In Afghanistan Maya would sit and watch the stars, wondering if her grandparents would be sitting out on their porch doing the same thing. The stars connected her to home.
Maya opened the car door, got in the front seat, and sank into the cushion. She pulled down the visor and looked in the mirror. Her face had small cuts and was smeared with dirt. Her hair was snarled. Nothing a good shower and couple beers wouldn’t fix.
She slammed the steering wheel with her palm. Despite her grandfather’s warning about being careful, she would catch who did this and get justice for Doug.
Chapter Eight
Carson paced around the barn that had been remodeled into a bunker. The only sound came from his boots thudding on the wooden floor. From the second round of business profits, he had redone the outbuildings to better fit his new vision—a gathering place for those like him. Those the government had screwed over. Those who had lost their jobs because of federal regulations and cuts.
The first round of business profits he’d used to pay off his wife’s medical bills after her death. He thought doing that would bring him peace and a sense of pride.
It hadn’t.
Carson then decided what would bring him pride was the power of being in charge. He was tired of being run over and treated like dirt. It was time to prove his worth and that he was a legitimate leader. He wanted the men he commanded to know they didn’t need the government. They could do whatever they wanted because this was a free country. Screw federal regulations.
Men from all walks of life filled the room. Most of them had been ranchers. Many of them had worked at the logging operation with Carson. Some sat, some stood, some chewed tobacco and spit into old Styrofoam coffee cups, waiting for Carson to tell them what was going on. Behind Carson was a large room full of rifles, handguns, and ammunition in case anyone threatened their way of life or their new business.
Carson had everyone’s attention. He needed to start with a punch. Something to make sure these men stayed on his side and continued doing what he wanted.
“This is war,” Carson said, continuing to march back and forth. “We need to know who destroyed this drug lab and why. Who took these profits from us?”
“My money is on the feds,” said a man named Roger. He had also been a rancher, dependent on his cattle grazing on federal land. Then someone had spotted a rare bird and his cattle were no longer allowed on the land. Was it an owl? Grouse? Carson couldn’t remember and he didn’t care. All he cared about was that Roger was angry enough at the feds to do what Carson needed. When Roger had to sell his cattle and lost the income, it was easy to get him to realize they had a way to make money. They just had to work together.
“I agree, could be the feds. They’ve always had it out for us,” Carson said. “They certainly need to be on our list. We should also look at the cartel. Even our Russian friend Lana who thinks we’re working for her. Whatever the reason, whoever it is, we cannot allow someone to come in and take over our business. There needs to be revenge. Now.”
Some of the men agreed and nodded, a murmur of voices throughout the room. Carson had them wrapped around his little finger. While he still had no idea who blew up the lab or why, at least having the men on his side would help him get what he wanted—getting drugs back into production and making money.
“How are we going to find out who did this?” asked Roger.
“Good question. Get out there and question everyone. When you’re out riding fence, keep your eyes open. Keep an eye out for more feds. The FBI. ATF. Even our local sheriff. Whoever is investigating the explosion could potentially lead us to the answer. Then we can take matters into our own hands. Solve this problem our own way.”
Carson banged his fist on a coffee table that sat in the center of the room. “We trust no one, not even the person we have on the inside giving us information.” He stared around the room at all the men nodding in agreement. “Keep reporting back to me.”
Carson’s girlfriend, Bobbi, strutted over and started to rub his back. “Stay calm, babe,” she whispered in his ear.
Carson saw Jenna staring at them, a flash of anger on her face. He knew Jenna didn’t like or trust Bobbi. He didn’t care. What right did she have to judge? So what if he had met someone who made him happy again? Sure, it was only a few months after his wife had passed, but everyone needed to move on. Bobbi had helped him, and he was grateful.
Roger spoke up again. “I think we should look at the feds and the sheriff. I think they all blew up the drug lab.”
“Why would they do that?” Jenna asked, rolling her eyes.
“I think it’s something we should consider,” said Carson, stepping in before any of the men could answer and his daughter started a riot.
“I saw that Forest Service fed, what’s his name—Doug—and the sheriff having a heated conversation last week,” Roger continued. “I saw them when I was at the sheriff’s office to pay off a ticket. Damn bastards. I should be able to go whatever speed I want when I drive on these back roads. If they couldn’t prove the lab was ours, I could see our crazy sheriff deciding to blow it up to get rid of it. I bet that fed discovered the lab and told the sheriff about it.”
Several men around the room chimed in agreement. Carson needed to keep the meeting on track. “I think then we should look into the sheriff and see what we can find out and what he knows. I believe he’s been investigating our business.”
“How would the feds or sheriff benefit from the lab blowing up?” Jenna spoke up again. “I mean, seriously. Think about it.”
“You know something we don’t, Jenna?”
Jenna sat down on a tattered couch and crossed her legs. She studied a fingernail and glared back at Carson. “No, Dad. I don’t.”
“Then all of you keep your ears and eyes open. You see anything suspicious, like what Roger saw at the sheriff’s station, report back to me. Until then, Jenna will work on production and we’ll meet again next week to figure out distribution.”
Carson watched the men file out of the room one by one. He had eyes and ears where he needed them. The tip about Doug and the sheriff fighting was good information. As far as he knew, Doug and the sheriff were all buddy-buddy. In fact, when Carson recently struck up a conversation with Doug, he told Carson he was the only officer around for miles and he had mentioned how busy he was with summertime activities like checking up on campers and making sure campfires were properly put out.
So then, if it was the fed, Doug, being taken away by chopper, why had he been at the cabin, far away from any campsites, with the other officer? The sheriff’s granddaughter no less. Carson needed to find out.
