Crown's Law (46 page)

“We’ll talk about that when we’re safe. Let’s
have a slug of water, fill our canteen in that stream, and get to
our pickup point,” replied Sam.

“Someone’s picking us up?” she queried,
eyebrow raised.

“Let’s hope so.”

Bo put out her cigarette, field-stripped it,
and got rid of the evidence. They filled their canteen and Sam
followed Bo again, enjoying the view of her firm butt and her
strong, long legs.

From the edge of the clearing, Sam could see
the area where hunters had landed airplanes before. The glade was
about a mile long and a half mile wide, big enough for small
propeller-driven planes to get in and out. They heard the plane
before they saw it. Sam looked at his watch. It was 1:02 P.M.

Sam said, “The time is right. I hope that’s
our ride and not the bad guys again. At least, it’s not a chopper.
We don’t have to lie to this guy, but we don’t need to offer a lot
of info either. Unless it comes up specifically for some reason,
let’s not mention that you are an FBI agent. It might spook
him.”

“Why? Who is he?” asked Bo.

“I don’t know. All I know is he will get us
out of here. There’s the plane. He’s making a pass over the field.
It looks like a Piper Saratoga. Let’s go out and be seen. He’s
looking for a man and a woman, so look female.”

“What should I do? Flash my boobs?” laughed
Bo.

“Just open your jacket and thrust ’em out. No
need for you to strip,” chuckled Sam.

The two of them walked out into the open, Sam
carrying the duffel bag, Bo the Winchester.

“Keep a sharp lookout. This could still be a
trap,” warned Sam. “And that chopper could still be nearby.”

They stopped and waved their arms on the
plane’s next pass. The pilot waggled his wings and circled around
into the wind and dropped his gear and flaps. It was a
single-engine Piper Saratoga II and was painted blue on the bottom
and white on top. It touched down like a feather, made a 180 degree
turn, and taxied back towards them so the pilot would be facing
into the wind for takeoff. Bo and Sam trotted over to it. The
right-side door opened and they looked up into the barrel of a .45
Colt automatic. Bo nearly fainted.

A trap!
she
thought.

“Excalibur!
”
Sam blurted out, hoping this was really their ride.

“Good,” grunted the pilot. “Get in quick. I
want to get out of here!”

Bo exhaled, but her heart was still
thumping.

They climbed in, stowed their gear, and
buckled up in two seats in the cabin behind the pilot. He was
rolling before they could catch their breaths. He was off the
ground after a takeoff roll of 1200 feet and cleared the trees
easily as he banked toward the south. There were headphones with
boom mikes at their seats, and the pilot motioned for them to put
them on, which they did.

“We’ll be able to communicate a little better
this way, folks. Now, this is your pilot speaking. Thank you for
flying Ziggy Airlines today. You’ll find refreshments in the
console on the right. You’ll have to serve yourself—my stewardess
didn’t make the flight today,” chuckled the pilot. “Please keep
your seat belts fastened in case we get into a pickle.”

The pilot laughed again, then continued, “Now
that we got through the bullshit, let’s get down to business. My
name is Ziggy Zancroft. I was told to take you two wherever you are
going.”

“Hi, Ziggy,” said Sam. “I’m Sam and this is
Bo. Just head south for now while I brief you on some things. Keep
your eyes peeled for a big, black chopper. They’ve been hunting us
and are probably armed and dangerous. Also, I’m pretty sure they
can home in on radio transmissions, so stay off the radio as long
as you can.”

“What kind of chopper?” asked Ziggy.

“A Bell 430,” answered Sam.

“Well, that feller could outrun us. This baby
can only do 175 knots. I’m leveled off at 8,000 feet now. Where are
we going, Sam?”

“Wherever we go, I don’t want to leave a
trail with the FAA guys. Do you have to file flight plans, or shit
like that?”

“I’m on a VFR flight plan out of Albuquerque
heading for Phoenix. I don’t have to report in to anybody en route.
Also, my transponder is off so radar will have a tough time finding
me. I’m going to head west for awhile while you decide what to do.
By the way, the guy who hired me wants you to call in as soon as
we’re safely airborne.”

As Sam and Ziggy chatted, Bo checked Ziggy
out. She had been scared shitless when he met them with that big
gun. Sam hadn’t told her that there was a password! She would have
a word with him about that later! She looked Ziggy over. He had
thin, long white hair pulled back into a pony tail in a rubber band
and a white walrus mustache. She figured him to be around 5' 10"
and 180 pounds—mostly muscle from what she could see of his massive
arms. He wore dark aviator glasses, so she couldn’t see his eyes.
Bo opened the console door and took out a Sprite. Sam pointed to a
Tecate beer, so she handed one to him. She changed her mind and
exchanged her soda for a beer. What the hell! Her nerves were
shattered!

Sam replied to Ziggy, “It’s too dangerous to
call right now.”

“Not on this baby,” said Ziggy. He handed Sam
a black, folded phone. “It’s a highly encrypted satellite phone.
Can’t be detected because it uses burst technology—changes
frequency on each burst. You can talk safely on that little bugger!
I was told to give it to you so you could stay in touch. Punch
speed dial number one to reach Raven.”

Sam opened the phone and thought for a
moment.

I’m not sure who this guy Ziggy is—some hired
hand, or someone who really knows who Raven is? And I can’t let Bo
know for now. How to handle this call? Hmm. I have to keep my end
of the conversation cryptic.

He turned on the phone and selected speed
dial one. The phone was answered on the first ring.

“Raven here.”

“Sam here. We’re airborne. Thanks for the
ride,” said Sam.

“I assume you’ll have a good explanation for
me later,” replied Raven. “I also assume Bo is listening. Don’t let
her know who I am. At least, not for now. Where are you heading
now?”

“Right about the first question. As for the
second, I don’t know. How long do we have Ziggy for?”

“As long as you need him—within reason. You
can trust him by the way. He goes way back. Do you have your backup
credit cards?”

“Luckily, I have one with me. I’ll need it to
rent some wheels. I want to lie low for a couple of days while you
do some checking for me. If you check your sources, you’ll find out
about a chopper crash south of Durango yesterday. Those guys were
after either me or my companion. I can’t think of any reason they
would be after me. Nobody knew I was even there,” explained
Sam.

Raven replied, “You think maybe it revolves
around Bo and whatever she’s working on?”

“Yes. A second chopper was dogging us this
morning, and it had some high tech monitoring equipment.”

“Hmm. Government? FBI? CIA? NSA? Alphabet
agencies have those kind of gizmos. Also, a few other agencies you
don’t want to know about. I’ll nose around. I’ll check out Agent Bo
and see what she’s up to.”

Sam glanced at Bo, who was watching him as
she sipped her beer, and said, “Good. I just thought of a place to
stay for a couple of days. How about the lodge?”

The lodge was a cabin in Big Bear Lake owned
by Sam’s mother. She had inherited it from a sister and had never
gotten around to changing the deed, so it was recorded in the name
of her sister’s married name. Not even a furious search by the FBI
would ever find a Sam Crown staying in a cabin owned by a Mrs.
Lucinda Lowenstein.

“Good choice. Call me when you’re settled.
Maybe I’ll have something by then. We’ve moved to a safe spot.
Becky’s fine. I have some people watching our backs. Be careful,
Sam. Something is screwy here!”

The line went dead. Sam folded the phone and
stuffed it into his jacket pocket.

Sam asked Ziggy, “How far can you fly in this
crate?”

Ziggy said, “Where do you need to go?”

“Big Bear Lake, California.”

Ziggy checked his fuel gauge, fiddled with
some navigation gear, then answered, “That’s some 650 miles. I
could make it, but I suggest we put down in Phoenix and refuel.
Then I’ll file a new VFR flight plan to some place like San
Bernardino, or San Diego. I’ll drop you off in Big Bear on the way
and no one will be the wiser.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Sam. “How far to
Phoenix? I’m starved. How about you, Bo?”

“Famished!” she smiled.

“About 315 miles or so. Say an hour
forty-five. But if you’re hungry, there’s some ham and cheese
sandwiches in the console cooler. My wife made them this morning.
Help yourself.”

“Thanks, Ziggy,” said Sam. “I think I
will.”

As they sipped beer and ate sandwiches, Bo’s
mind was churning.

What in hell is going on here? Who is this
Ziggy? This plane is outfitted in leather everything, built-in
fridge. Looks like a dope runner’s rig! And who is Raven? What is
Sam up to? Who is Sam really? This is spooking me! I need to find
out some things, but can I really talk in front of Ziggy? Crap!
What to do?

She smiled at Sam and asked, “So we’re going
to Big Bear Lake? Why there? Why not Capo Beach?”

“I want us to completely disappear for a
couple of days while we figure out what’s happening. No one will be
officially looking for us for a few more days. We’re on vacation,
remember? If some super-alphabet agency is looking for us, they’d
find us right away in Capo Beach. They’ll never find us where I’m
taking you.”

“My parents will be looking for us! Remember
our empty tent! They will be really worried—stir things up with law
enforcement people.”

“You’re right. Why don’t you use this safe
phone to call them. Tell them you’re safe and on an FBI thing and
can’t give them any details. No one knows that was our tent except
your folks. Make sure they don’t tell anybody that they have heard
from you. You know the drill. By the way, I put the raft in the
water, so everyone will be looking downstream.”

Bo said, “I didn’t know that. At least
they’ll think we’re alive. Possibly.”

Sam handed her the phone and she called her
dad and calmed him down, assuring him that all was well. She told
him that she would call him later and explain things. She hung up
and gave the phone back to Sam.

“They were really going out of their minds.
Thanks for letting me do that.”

Sam smiled and patted her knee.

Bo began to wonder about the man she was
falling in love with. Who was the mysterious Raven? Who was Ziggy?
Was Sam somehow involved with powerful criminals? The Mafia?
Something even more sinister? She didn’t know that private
detectives could do what Sam had done with one phone call. And a
safe house?

She knew she should call her superiors and
get an FBI team on this, but Sam would never let her do that. She
would have to wait for the right opportunity. Maybe in Phoenix.

Bo said, “Sam, when we’re alone, we need to
talk. I have a zillion questions!”

“You’re right. So do I.”

***

Bo never got a chance to make a call in
Phoenix. Sam never left her side except when they used the
restrooms while Ziggy got the Piper refueled. They were airborne
again a few minutes before 4 o’clock. Ziggy touched down at the
airport in Big Bear City at 5:55 P.M. He taxied to a spot where Bo
and Sam could safely exit the aircraft, and they did so while the
engine still idled. They took their duffel and the Winchester and
walked toward the building where they could rent a car. Ziggy got
clearance from the tower and disappeared into the evening sky. They
were on their own again.

Saturday, July 7, 2001

Big Bear Lake, CA

Using a credit card with the name Samuel
Hammer, and a driver’s license with the same name, Sam rented a
4-wheel drive Tahoe and they drove through Big Bear City and into
Big Bear Lake.

Sam said, “I’m starved—and could use a stiff
drink! How about you, Bo?”

“Good suggestion! Do you know this place
well?” she replied with enthusiasm.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve been coming here since
I was a kid—off and on. The best food in town is at the
Teddy Bear Restaurant
, but you can’t
get hard booze there. Just up ahead there’s
La
Montaña
if you want
Mexican or the
Captain’s Anchorage
if you want prime rib or a steak. They have seafood, too.
Both restaurants have full bars.”

“I could eat a cow! Let’s go for the prime
rib! And a baked potato with all the fixin’s!” laughed Bo. “To hell
with my diet!”

“You and your damned diet! You never gain
weight! A few pounds on you wouldn’t hurt.”

“You mean up top, don’t you?” laughed Bo.

“I love your top just the way it is! Each a
perfect mouthful!”

“Come on, now! They’re bigger than that!”

“You always tell me that I have a big
mouth!”

***

The hostess at the
Captain’s Anchorage
seated them in a comfortable
booth near the fireplace, and Sam ordered a double Cutty and water
and Bo opted for a double vodka on the rocks with several olives.
Bo had smoked a cigarette on the way from the airport, but she
wished she had one now. She felt that she needed to lean on Sam
about what was happening, but it made her nervous. She didn’t want
to alienate him and possibly lose any chance she had with him in
the future.

I really love you and want
you, Sam, but I don’t know who you are right now!
she
thought.
Nothing like this was in your
background check
.