Poverty Hill
Copyright© 2026 by Asa Strong
Chapter 14
Lisa joined us in the room and then we all sat down at the small conference table.
Steve looked at me, and then said, “Amos, where do we go from here?”
I was about to answer, when his boss spoke up, “Steve, you’re assigned to this case. No matter what Amos wants, I can’t let him run around like a loose cannon.”
I was startin’ to get my dander up when Mike looked at me and said, “Amos, you don’t have to like it. Either you work with Steve or not, but he is going to be part of this case.”
“I’ll be damned if I will! You assholes tend to get people like me killed!”
Mike was adamant, Steve was going to be hound-doggin’ me whether I wanted it or not.”
I was ‘bout ready to walk out a the room, when Lisa spoke, “Amos, settle down. You once told me two sets of eyes were better than one. That must mean three are even better.”
“Watcha mean?”
“Look Amos,” she continued, “this doesn’t have to be the way you’re making it out.”
She then turned to Mike and asked, “If Steve must be a part of this, will you have Mike do as Amos asks?”
I could see Mike thinkin’, and then he answered, “Yes, on two conditions. One, he can’t break the law and two, he has to keep me informed of what is going on.”
Lisa turned to me, with a smile on her face and said, “See Amos, you don’t have to act like a bull in a china shop. If you wouldn’t get so damn angry all the time, you might work a few things out with people.”
Steve turned to Mike and said, “Well, guess I’d better go pack for a trip.”
I thought for a moment, looks like I was stuck with a babysitter, like it or not! But there were no way you could take Steve for anythin’ but a lawman. Hell, he oozed FBI outta his skin pores.”
“Hold on a minute, Steve, just how you gonna appear in Hahn’s Peak without everyone a knowin’ you’re the law?”
Steve looked perplexed, then said, “I’ll be in plain clothes, no one will know I’m an agent.”
I looked at Lisa and then I busted out laughin’. She tried to hold it in, but couldn’t help but start laughin’ too.”
I got myself under control and said, “Steve, you wouldn’t be there five minutes til the whole town new about yah. Sorry to say this Steve, but there ain’t no way to dress you up to fit in up there.”
Mike asked, “You sure Amos?”
I nodded my head and said, “Yah, I’m sure.”
Mike sure wasn’t buyin’ it.
“Amos, he’s in this. I don’t care if he has FBI tattooed on his forehead.”
I thought about it, maybe there was a way.
“Mike, supposin’ that we don’t try to hide it? We put it right out there in front of everyone’s nose. That way we don’t have to try and make Steve somethin’ he ain’t.”
Mike looked puzzled, then asked, “I’m not getting what you’re saying Amos. Can you explain?”
I grinned, and then said, “Look, have Steve come into town big as life. We are gonna use him as a shill. We know the bad guys are gonna make a try at me. We need to let them think the FBI has taken over the investigation, and I’ve been removed from the case. That should make ‘em think that they got an easy shot at me. Cept, here’s the kicker, we know they’ll be a commin’, and I’ll be ready.”
We sat and talked the plan to death for the next hour. Steve was gonna come into Steamboat Springs tomorrow with an FBI team and take over the investigation from the Sheriff’s Office. I would be there, and raise holy hell, and tromp out. Hopefully, this would give the bad guys the idea that I was unprotected and alone.
The only fallacy in the plan was that in order for it to work, I’d have to be exactly that, alone or at least appear to be alone.
Lisa and I grabbed a quick lunch at a deli down the street from the FBI building, and were on our way back to Steamboat by one in the afternoon.
We were just a passin’ through Grand Lake when Lisa turned to me and said, “Amos, I’m going to be a part of this. Now, tell me what you got working in that head of yours?”
I kept a drivin’, thinkin’ of what to tell her. Hell, she’d been upfront with me, so I tole her the truth.
“The way I figure it, if’n I stay close to my place they’re gonna have to come to me. I’ll just wait for ‘em, and when they show up, I’ll be ready for ‘em. If’n things go right, maybe I’ll get to talk to one of ‘em before the police get to ‘em.”
Lisa’s face was white; she gathered her breath and then said, “You going to torture them, aren’t you?”
I looked at her, “Lisa, these guys don’t play by the rules. The only way I know how to get one of ‘em to talk is to make him think he’s better off talkin’ to me than face the consequences of what I’ll do otherwise.”
“Amos, I don’t think I can do that.”
I pulled over to the shoulder of the road and looked at her. “Lisa, you ain’t gonna have to. They ain’t gonna come lookin’ for me if’n they think I’m bein’ covered by the police.
She got that stubborn look on her face. Damn! I was seein’ that a lot here lately.
“Amos, don’t you think you’re runnin’ out on me. I told you I’m a part of this, so put it into that pea brain you stuff into that cowboy hat, will you!”
“Lisa, they see you around, they’re gonna be a thinkin’ that you’re providin’ protection.”
She paused for a moment, her face showed that she was thinkin’ hard.
Then, with a smirk on her face, she said, “Amos, you just got yourself a live in girlfriend.”
You could’a knocked me over with a feather when she said that. I managed to sputter out, “Lisa, you can’t do that!”
“Why not?”
“Cause it ain’t right,” I answered.
“Nope, it’s OK. We just let everyone see when we get back to town that we’ve become a couple.”
I tried to argue with her for the next fifteen minutes, no dice. This woman had a head harder than granite when her mind were made up.
There weren’t no use fightin’ it, so I pulled back onto the road and continued on towards Steamboat.
We finally had a plan in place by the time we crossed over Rabbit Ears Pass. We reached Steamboat Springs just before four in the afternoon.
When we reached the east side of town, I could see that the ski slopes were a doin’ a landslide business. It would be packed with skiers in town for sure.
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