Into Winter

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sandra pulled her Jeep in front of the office at the Police compound and got out. A couple of men had the hood up on what appeared to be the car Beka left on the runway at the Airport. Conrad came out and met her halfway to the door. “I was just on my way out to the Farm.”

“You get the mess cleaned up at the Airport?” she asked.

Conrad gave her a two-finger salute. “Yes, just as you ordered. And we brought the car over here. We need a new car. You okay with that?”

“Whatever!”

Sandra turned with a miffed look on her face and wiggled a hook finger over her shoulder. “Now, come over here.”

Sandra walked back to her Jeep and spread the map she got yesterday on the hood.

“I want you to send some men out to locate Peaceful Valley,” Sandra said. “You were with Richard when they first picked up Robbie and Sean.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“So you know where they entered Corpus. Look at this map. They came in on this road,” she said, pointing. “Follow the road about a hundred miles. There is a river here and here. Peaceful Valley has to be somewhere along one of those rivers. This one is closest to the highway. Check that one out first.”

Conrad stood back scratching his head. “What do you want us to do when we find it?”

“Nothing; and don’t let anyone see you. If they spot you, they’ll know I’m looking for them and that’ll ruin the surprise attack. Just locate them and report back here. Then I’ll decide what to do.”

“Yes, ma’am. Anything else?”

“Find a few of your best men and send them out as soon as you can. I want to find Peaceful Valley before the end of next week.”

That’s not enough time, but I can’t tell Sandra that. I’ll end up like Mathew.

“I have some men in mind, but it’ll take some time to round them up. I’ll have them on their way in a few days.”

“You do have another one of these?” she asked, pointing to the map.

Conrad nodded and Sandra folded up the map and stuck it in her pocket. She crawled into the Jeep, drove to the Airport, and made a quick inspection. Everything was just as Conrad had told her. She smiled and headed for the Bayfront.

Sandra stopped by Marcia and Sonny’s house first. Lola was playing on the swing set in the front yard. “Where’s your mama?” she asked.

Lola looked up and pulled her dark curly locks out of her face. “Inside,” she replied, timidly.

Sandra walked to the side door and knocked. Marcia appeared with a wooden spoon in her hand.

She pushed the screen door open. “Come on in.”

Marcia handed the spoon to Sandra. “I know you like chocolate,” she said. “I’ll send some fudge along with you. I just finished up a fresh platter.”

“Sonny and Sean around?”

“They’re down on the boat. They’re taking care of some maintenance and sewing on their nets. They don’t want to have any problems when they’re out in the bay.” Marcia couldn’t help noticing the fresh scar on Sandra’s face. “What happened to you?”

“It’s a long story. Don’t plan on having Sean around for the rest of the fall shrimp season.”

Marcia gave her a quizzical look.

“Robbie flew the coop last month just before the storm blew in.”

Marcia turned the fire down on her pot of stew and gave Sandra her undivided attention.

“Robbie took one of the planes and left with Florence and Beka. I’m sending some men out to find Peaceful Valley.”

“And your face?”

“It’s nothing,” Sandra said, lightly touching her cheek.

“What are you going to do with Sean?”

“Feed him to the crabs.”

Marcia stared at Sandra but had nothing to say. She got a knife, cut the fudge, and wrapped up a small package for Sandra.

“I’m going to the harbor,” she said getting up. “Thanks for the fudge.”

Sandra pulled up to the stall where Sonny parked his boat, but the slip was empty. She got out and looked around, but the boat was nowhere to be seen. Sandra heard a whistle and turned her head down the line of boats. A man was standing on the stern of a boat staring at her. She walked over.

“You looking for Sonny?” he asked.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.”

“He left about an hour ago. Had a couple of pretty ladies with him too.”

“What!?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what he’d be doing going out this time of day, but that’s what he did all right. He didn’t say a word to anyone. Just left and headed out across the bay,” he said, motioning with his arm. “None of my business.”

“s**t! Who were the girls?”

“Never seen them before,” he replied. “Right pretty though.”

Sandra walked back over to her Jeep and looked across the bay. She couldn’t see the boat.

What the hell is he doing?

Sandra paced back and forth trying to come up with a reason for Sonny to leave. She was clueless.

She walked over to one of the other boats where there were men working, commandeered the captain, and took him over to the man who whistled at her.

“I want you two to take your boats and see if you can find out where Sonny went. He wouldn’t go out in the Gulf without Marcia, so he has to be somewhere across the bay or up and down the Intracoastal Waterway. I want you to find him and bring him back.”

Sandra crossed her arms across her chest and the two captains just stood staring at each other. “Well!”

“Now?” one asked.

“Yes, right now. I want Sonny back in port. Don’t give him a choice. I’ll send someone down here to take Sonny, Sean and whomever into custody when you get back this evening.”

The men got on their boats and started them up. Sandra watched until they exited the jetty. She got in her Jeep and headed to the Police compound.

What the hell is going on? And who were those girls? Could Sean be trying to escape? Sonny can’t be a party to that. He wouldn’t leave Marcia and Lola. I’ll have his hide if he did.

Sandra filled Conrad in on what was happening at the Bayfront and that Sonny and the rest were to be arrested and held when the two boats brought them back that evening. “I’ll be back in the morning to interrogate Sonny.”

When Sandra finished her business with Conrad, she drove back to the Farm. It was getting late and she was hungry. She walked into the kitchen expecting to see Kim and Brenda hard at work on dinner. Instead, she found a sink full of dirty dishes and an empty house. “God dammit!” She checked in their rooms and they were empty as well. “s**t!”

Sandra stormed to the kitchen and stared at the empty room. Deflated, she sat down at the table. She grabbed the last piece of fudge from the platter and pounded her fist on the table. The reality of what was happening was finally sinking in. Then she remembered the fudge Marcia had given her and got up to retrieve it from the Jeep. Chocolate was the only thing which could help soothe her pain.