Chapter 26

Responding quickly to Lee’s revelation Juan eased back on the throttle, reducing both their speed and altitude. At the same time Jason handed Lee the camera, and said, “Take as many pictures as you can of where the draws should be. I don’t know how much film is left, but try to get at least six pictures while you can.” Lee followed what Jason was saying and quickly took the pictures before the plane was out of range.

“Got ‘em! Let’s get out of here!” he excitedly announced.

Juan immediately responded by pushing the throttle forward and gently pulling back on the yoke. When they were out of site of the disputed area Juan set the nose of the aircraft toward the airport, still rapidly increasing the airplane’s speed and altitude. While Juan called the tower Jason called Sam on his new cell phone, letting him know they were on their way.

Less than ten minutes later the plane was on the ground, and Jason was moving his equipment back to the van. With the wind already whipping across the airport Juan made very sure the plane was tied down securely. Jason was already seated in the van when Juan arrived, and Lee pulled out of the airport before Juan could even get buckled up.

As he approached the main highway Lee asked, “Do we head to Visalia?”

Jason responded, “I say ‘yes, ‘ unless one of you has something else to do.”

Sam interjected, “Son, just head toward Visalia. I picked us up some food while you three were gallivanting around in that airplane.”

Sam handed out some huge hamburgers, fries and soft drinks. “Thanks Sam,” Jason replied, and Lee and Juan followed suit.

A few minutes later Jason asked, “Sam did you call that place Lee mentioned?”

“Yep. They’re open until nine tonight, and from ten until seven tomorrow. When I talked to whoever was manning the service desk they sounded like they should have everything we might need.”

Jason replied, “That sounds good, Sam. Thanks for the effort. What happened about the ammunition?”

“Of the few people I talked to who even carry that cartridge no one had anything more than the most standard Remington.”

“That’s OK Sam. I probably have enough, anyway, but when things change like this I like to try to be prepared for the unexpected. I’ve found I live longer that way.”

Sam replied, “Living longer is good. Especially when you reach my age.”

In a surprisingly short time they reached the town of Visalia. Driving through the downtown area Jason saw a camera store. He quickly asked Lee to find a place to park. After they parked Jason removed the film from the camera and went inside. A young clerk was standing at the counter, and Jason asked, “Is the owner or manager here?”

“Yes, Sir. My dad’s the owner. He’s in the back. Do you want me to get him?”

“Yes, please.”

In a few moments a short balding man in his mid to late forties came out of the back, and asked, “Can I help you?”

“I hope so. Do you process your own film here?”

“Sure,” he answered. “I still have my darkroom, though most of our developing today is done by the automated machine over in the corner.”

“Well, I’ve got an extended roll of sixty-five eleven film I need developed in a rush.”

“It’s been many a year since I’ve seen any of that film. Sure, I could get it done by Monday afternoon.”

Jason replied, “I need it by tonight. We’re looking at some property, these are aerial photos I need to show my potential partners in a meeting tonight. I’ll pay an extra hundred for a rush job, and an extra twenty for any that we need to be enlarged. Also, I’ll pay an extra hundred for each hour you have to stay past normal closing.”

“Cash?”

“Most definitely. Your wife won’t complain too much if you take her out to a good meal.”

“This cash she won’t know about. I’ll do it. Can you give me a number where I can reach you in case there’s complications?”

Jason handed him a card from his wallet, and said, “Sure, call me at this number. Oh, by the way, go ahead and enlarge the last six frames as much as possible, and still maintain detail.”

“From my experience twenty by thirty inches is the optimum enlargement size for thirty-five millimeter. I can also store the images on a CD. That would give you the ability to digitally crop certain areas and get good detail on an even greater enlargement.”

“Go ahead and do that,” Jason replied, “but I still might need to get you to crop and enlarge a couple of areas. Your idea sounds good, but I’m not that computer literate.”

“I’ll see you shortly,” the owner said. Then he grinned, and added, “And don’t hurry back. For a hundred bucks an hour, I’ll stay here all night.”

Jason returned to the truck, and a few minutes later Lee pulled the van into the Sports Chalet’s parking lot. When they went inside they found a very will stocked store. Jason picked out some camouflage clothing that was more fitting for the area than what he had with him. He also purchased a matching fanny pack. He started to get some new boots, but after spending fifteen minutes looking at their selection he decided to keep the custom made knee-high moccasin-boots he was used to. He especially liked the soles of his old boots weren’t crossed with patterns that made footprints easily identified. Even better, his current boots were almost as easy to run in as running shoes. He did discover something he hadn’t seen before: snake resistant leggings called Snake Guardz. They were made out of a mixture of Kevlar and other materials, making them very strong and still lightweight. They had the same coloring and mossy oak pattern as the clothes he’d bought. He immediately added them to his pile, figuring that in the country he’d be moving through they’d be the perfect complement to his buckskin boots.

In the electronics area Jason and Lee chose two Midland Nautico1 handheld VHF marine radios for Lee and himself, and a Midland Regatta-2 as a base unit for the van. Headphones, spare batteries, and a Shakespeare eight-foot antenna completed their gear. Once the decision was made Jason slipped away to let Lee pay for the radios with the cash Jason had handed him in the van. While Lee was carrying the radios to the van Jason looked at the night vision equipment. Not having kept up with the market he was rather surprised at what was commercially available. It was far better than what he’d used in his last ‘sanctioned’ mission. The N-Vision unit he finally chose wasn’t cheap, but it was hands free, and included its own, built-in infrared illuminator. He’d still carry his dual-beam Noc-Lite, but it’d no longer be his primary source of infrared light. Following the plan they’d worked out on the way to Visalia, Juan was also in the electronics area. He was looking for a large display GPS unit with software maps. He spent a good while looking at different options and discussing their different features with the salesman. Finally he chose the one he felt would give them the most detail and best fit their needs, including the ability to attach an auxiliary antenna.

Sam’s responsibility was a crossbow and supplies, as well as a combat knife. For the crossbow he selected the Barnett Revelation XS. To this he added a case of forty-eight carbon fiber bolts (crossbow arrows). These come without tips, which are screwed on, enabling the same bolt to be used with different tips. Therefore, Sam also purchased twenty-four target tips and twenty-four of the most commonly used ‘razor broad-heads.’ In the knife area Sam fell in love with the Gerber Sheridan, so he purchased one for each of the four men. The knife was Teflon coated stainless steel with a Tanto point and a tactical sheath. It was wicked, yet practical.

The ammunition was in the same area as the knives, but Sam and Jason had already decided to purchase the ammunition at another store. Sam thought the decision made sense. With the large total of their purchases it would be too easy for a clerk to remember them.

A few minutes later the four men met back at the van, and headed for Fresno. At a convenience store at the edge of town Lee checked the yellow pages and wrote the phone numbers and addresses for several gun shops on a pad, as well as the military surplus store. While he was there he also purchased a map, as no one wanted to take a chance on learning the new GPS system before it was time for the stores to close. It turned out one of the gun shops was right next door to the surplus store, so they headed there first.

It was decided Jason and Lee would go in the surplus store first, where Lee would make the actual purchase. When they finished, Sam and Jason would go to the gun shop for the ammunition, with Sam being the buyer.

Jason could have let one of the others go into the surplus store for camo makeup, but at the last minute he decided he wanted a camo ‘boonie hat.’ Unfortunately, that was one item he’d have to personally fit. It turned out that he was glad he did, as in looking at the hats he found a hooded cape that was set up like a ghillie suit with small strips and strands of burlap dyed in camo colors and attached to the body of the cape. It was long enough to come within six inches of the ground when Jason was standing at full height. He probably wouldn’t need it for this situation, but he could imagine it might be very useful in the future. He was also pleased at how tightly it could be compacted in packing. Lee purchased the makeup and the cape while Jason purchased the hat.

Returning to the van it was now Sam’s turn to go with Jason. It turned out that the gun shop carried almost every option of the .308 round Jason preferred, so they went with Federal, as the shop owner said it was his biggest seller. Being a commonly purchased round would make it harder to tie any spent rounds back to them. While Sam was paying for the shells a display of custom-made western style holsters caught Jason’s eye.

Jason asked, “Do you have one of these holsters that would work with a black powder army Colt?”

“I should,” the owner answered, “but it would be best to fit the pistol to the holster to make sure.”

“Then let me get it. I’ll be right back.”

Jason and Sam returned to the van. Sam climbed into the van while Jason got the Colt from the big aluminum case Sam had moved to the rear and covered with an old blanket. Jason returned to the store and handed the gun to the owner. “This shouldn’t be a problem. If you don’t mind me asking, where did you get this replica? It’s the best I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s not a replica. It was found in an old abandoned mine a while back, but I’ve never had a chance to do anything with it. I was planning to go riding while I was here and wanted to carry it as a piece of nostalgia.”

“Do you mind if I strip it down?”

“No, go right ahead. You can even show me how, as I know nothing about this kind of weapon.”

The owner disassembled the weapon, shaking his head as he did. When he took a tool and cleared the cylinders his face couldn’t contain his excitement. “I can’t believe this. It’s even got the original caps and paper cartridges. Do you have any more?”

“No more paper cartridges, as the paper rotted, but I’ve got a couple of dozen of the old shells, a powder dispenser and a tin of the percussion caps.”

“Can I see?”

“I don’t see why not!” Jason returned to the van and brought in the remaining stuff for the pistol. Since the guy was so interested he almost brought in the Henry too, but he decided not to. He returned to the shop, where he found the owner carefully cleaning each piece, and comparing the serial numbers. Jason laid the balance of the Colt stuff on the counter.

The man looked at the new stuff carefully, and asked, “Where did you say this was found?”

“In an old mine at the edge of my property in Arizona.”

“Would you take six thousand dollars for it?”

“I don’t know. Let me check with my son-in-law and see what he says. He might have his heart set on getting it someday.”

Jason stepped outside and called Hawk. Due to the front they ran from earlier the wind and rain had picked up, making it downright chilly. So much for sunny California! He called Hawk’s cell phone, and it was answered on the second ring. “This is Hawk.”

“Hawk, Jason. Do you have any sentimental value concerning that old Colt you used in saving Maria?”

“No, why?”

“I just got offered six thousand dollars for it. That would about cover what I’ve spent so far.”

“Hold on a minute. I’m outside with the women talking to the horses. Let me check on-line to see how fair that price is. While I’m heading that way, how are things going there?”

“My weekend meetings got preempted, as it turns out our Monday problem bleeds over into family problems on the reservation. I’m doing a recon tonight.”

“Do you need anything?”

“No, I think we’ve got it covered, but some general knowledge about me will have been spread to others in the extended family. I don’t see any complications from it.”

“Good. I just checked out some sites on-line. I’d say from what I can see, that’s a pretty fair price. As for as sentimental value, as I think about it, I’d be happy if that item was on the other side of the ocean. If Robert ever shows back up I don’t want it found anywhere near me.”

“Let me see what kind of horse trading I can do.”

Jason returned inside, and said, “He doesn’t have a problem with it, but I’m not sure I want to sell it. I kinda liked the idea of carrying around an old pistol when I went riding.”

“How about if I throw in an Eighteen seventy-three Colt Peacemaker. It’s my own pistol, so I know it’s been well taken care of. There are just a lot more of those models around than one like this. Especially in this condition. It’d be almost as old, but you’d not have to worry with loading powder, shot and cap.

“That might work, but I was really curious as to what that would be like. I’ve carried modern weapons for most of my life, but I’ve never even fired a cap and ball weapon.”

“So the idea of the black powder as an experience is more important than this particular pistol?”

“That’s probably true.”

“How about this? I’ll give you my Colt, a new holster, a case of long-Colt forty-five ammo, a new reproduction of a Civil War Remington forty-four, complete with powder kit, two extra cylinders, a holster designed for a black powder pistol, a case of powder, a box of caps and a box of round ball shot?”

“Throw in one of those Stetsons, and it’s a deal.”

Fifteen minutes later everything was concluded. Finished in Fresno, Lee drove straight to the camera store in Visalia. He was able to park right in front, and Jason went inside. The owner was waiting for him at the counter. “How did they turn out?” Jason asked.

“Very well. I’d forgotten just how good that old film was. If you don’t mind me asking, where did you get it?”

“It’s really nothing but thirty-five millimeter movie film, but it takes a different developing process.”

“That’s good to know. I did have a scare for a moment, though. There were about eight undeveloped pictures at the end of the roll. I forgot that the Canon unrolls the film and reloads it into the spool as you shoot, so the first pictures of the roll are the last ones taken. I was afraid the entire roll was bad.”

“Sorry about that, but we had to leave before we were finished in order to beat this front.”

“No problem, but I was amazed at the lack of glare. You must have used a polarized lens.”

“I did. Now, can I see the prints?”

“No problem, but just between us, I know this has nothing to do with buying a piece of land. Can you tell me what it’s about?”

Quickly recovering from the owner’s statement, Jason answered, “I’m doing some investigating for an attorney. How, did you know?”

“You got my curiosity up about enlarging those last few pictures. I could have accepted your story if the enlargements had been of the house area, but not a bunch of trees and shrubs. Therefore, after I enlarged them I used a special magnifying piece to look at them. It’s similar to those used to analyze aerial reconnaissance photos. That’s when I found two areas that weren’t right.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re covered by some form of camouflage netting.”

“Excellent,” Jason replied. “You just earned yourself a bonus. Show me where you’re talking about.”

“Not only have I got them marked, I’ve already cropped the areas and made additional enlargements of those areas.”

The owner spread three large photographs on the counter. The first was the enlargement of one of the original pictures. There were two areas circled by a marking pen. The two others were enlargements of the circled areas. Jason could see that something looked different about an area in each of the two secondary enlargements, but he wasn’t sure what it was. Jason looked up at the other man, and said, “I can see something different, but I’m not sure what it is? It still looks like a bunch of trees and bushes.”

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The Hawk and the Chipmunk

Mike Lowe aka The Scot

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