Seeking Safety (14 page)

"I guess we better go let the others know the
danger is clear. Why don't you call Jacob and Jason?" asks Scoot as
they walk toward Barry's house.

Bob answers, "They saw it all since they were
just out of sight over in the trees. I'm sure they'll be right
behind us."

******

Bud, the ranch hands, the women and Eric are
all sitting quietly in the basement weight room. Their nerves are
strained and it is so quiet you can actually hear the people
breathing. What seems like hours pass with no word then Bud's cell
phone rings causing everyone to jump startled at the sudden
noise,

"All clear," says Scoot. "I'll be in soon to
give you an update."

When Bud tells the group in the weight room
the news a collective sigh of relief flows through the group and
they go back to the great room to wait for the men to return. They
can see Bob's bullet riddled truck out the windows at the back of
the house. They can see Jacob and Jason's horses tied up by the
barn but they don't see any of the men anywhere. Virginia is beside
herself with worry and is pacing around the room. I am trying to
reassure her.

"Virginia, Scoot and the others are very
capable. I'm sure Bob is fine."

Virginia replies, "Oh Beth, I pray that you
are right. I am just so afraid."

Laughing, I say, "Believe me, I
understand."

After about another hour Scoot, Barry, Goose,
and Pinky enter the house to give an update. They are accompanied
by Bob Kenner and Jacob and Jason Murray.

Virginia jumps up from the sofa and runs to
Bob throwing her arms around his waist, "Oh Bob, I was so worried.
Are you all right? They didn't hurt you did they?"

Bob is thoroughly enjoying her attention. He
grins and says, "Virginia, I'm just fine." He encloses her in his
arms and lays his head on top of hers.

Scoot smiles at their show of affection and
says, "If everyone will sit down I will tell you everything we
know." He waits while the group takes seats around the room then he
begins his explanation.

"First of all, Stump notified me that Bob had
been taken hostage by four members of the militia at gun point. His
early notification gave us the extra time we needed to be prepared.
He should be back soon. I think he must be on foot walking back
from where they stopped you on the road Bob."

He glances at Bob then continues, "A man
known to Bob from the feed store in Cody tricked him into stopping
on his way back to the Rocking J from town by parking his truck on
the side of the road and raising the hood. When Bob stopped his
truck to offer his assistance, he was surrounded by the two members
of the militia that were seen earlier today in Cody and Peter
Williams, the guy that has been hanging around at the gate all
summer. All three men had their weapons drawn. Bob very wisely did
as the four men requested and brought them through the back gate
between the two ranches to Barry's house.

"About a half mile from the house, two of the
members exited the truck and were making their way toward opposite
sides of the house on foot. The security force stopped and arrested
both of them as soon as the truck was out of sight.

As Bob and the other two men were driving
across the pasture, a herd of cattle was following the truck
expecting dinner. Just before Bob managed to exit the truck to move
the cattle away the man in charge told him to call Barry and have
him send out the boy and his mother.

"The cattle's doing what cattle do was a
lucky break for us. It gave Bob the excuse he needed to get out of
the truck and made it safer for us to neutralize the two men in the
truck without exposing Bob to the danger of getting shot. Once we
had verified the two in the truck were deceased and that Bob was
unharmed, we notified Bud of the all clear."

He once again glances over at Bob and then
continues, "When I called the FBI following the end of our
operation to notify them of the trouble here, they informed me of
another operation they were involved in. I'm sure you are going to
be pleased to hear about this one, Beth.

"At the same time all this was going down
here, the FBI and ATF were raiding the compound in Idaho. The
militia group was having a big convention and training session at
the compound and all of the members were in attendance. Michael,
well, Eric was supposed to be the guest of honor. A man I think you
may remember, Billy Newman, furnished the ATF with the information
they needed to raid the convention. Newman was the man that was
with Calloway and James Bragg when they tried to get to Beth and
Michael here back in January. He has been working undercover for
the ATF since that day. Beth, the information that you and Michael
furnished about the layout of the compound and their regular
routines was essential to the success of the operation." He pauses
and glances from Beth to Michael then continues,

"The four men here were supposed to deliver
Michael to Idaho for the official signing of the deed. We believe
they were planning to kill you, Beth, to make Michael an orphan and
eligible to be adopted by someone in the group thus giving them
ownership of the compound and access to the money. Anyway, every
known current member of the group is now either dead or in federal
custody. Beth, your nightmare is finally over."

I ask doubtfully, "How can you be sure you
have them all?" My heart is pounding heavily with hope.

Scoot answers, "The ATF and FBI have been
monitoring this particular group for over five years. They have
documented every email, every phone call, every gathering. They had
two men on the inside. I'm sure you would know them if I showed you
their pictures but I can't. The word on the street will be that
they escaped. This will make them perfect for further undercover
work in another group.

The compound was completely destroyed and all
of the women and children are in protective custody right now. Once
all of the details are known they will either be charged or
released. Beth, you may be called on to help weed out the good from
the bad."

Barry looks down at Beth smiling, "Any more
questions?"

I smile at Barry and answer, "No, I just can
believe it is really over. It just seems too good to be true."

Scoot reassures her, "It's really over, Beth.
You are free to live your life anywhere, any way you want to."

"Do you mean I can even let my hair grow back
out and can be Melanie Brentwood again?" I ask unbelievingly.

Scoot grins and answers, "You can be the same
blonde and beautiful Melanie with a son named Eric that we met last
winter."

"Thank you so much," Tears are rolling down
my face.

Barry puts his arm around me and pulls me and
Eric close to his side. A wave of relief washes over Barry. They
are finally safe! Now he is free to pursue his attraction to
Melanie. His heart pounds with excitement.

Later that night after Eric is asleep, Barry
and I are sitting in our favorite place on the wooden swing out on
the patio. Barry has his arm along the back of the swing when he
addresses me,

"Melanie, wow, it sounds really strange
calling you that after all these weeks. I have another surprise for
you." He reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out a small manila
envelope and hands it to me.

My heart immediately speeds up and I shake my
head. "I'm not sure I can handle any more surprises today." I take
the envelope from him and glance at the return address. The
envelope is from Los Angeles from someone named Tom Christensen.
"What is it?"

"Open it and see. I haven't read it." He
pauses but when I look at him questioningly he continues, "It is
the answers you wanted about your parents."

"Oh Barry, I'm so nervous!" I hand the
envelope back to him. "You read it, please?" I request, my heart
pounding with apprehension.

Barry opens the envelope and pulls out a
single sheet of paper. He begins to read, "Mark and Patricia
Brentwood live at 314 Sycamore Street in Seattle, Washington
..."

"You're kidding! That is the same place we
lived when I ran away. I can't believe they are still living in the
same house!"

Barry smiles and says, "That is what it says.
Mark Brentwood is an executive for Microsoft Corporation. Patricia
Brentwood is a housewife. They have one child, Melanie Brentwood,
disappeared in 1999. Her whereabouts are still unknown but she is
thought to be a runaway. It lists a phone number, would you like to
call them?"

"I don't know ... what if they don't want to
hear from me? I know I hurt them terribly when I left."

"Would you like for me to call?" he asks. "Or
I could have Tom, the private investigator, contact them first.
That way they would be free to refuse contact if they choose."

"Yes, do that. I think that would be best.
Please have Tom contact them and then if they want to see me, Eric
and I can go to Seattle." My heart is pounding.
Oh God, what will I do if they don't want to see me? What
will I do if they do?

"All right, I'll call him tomorrow," he
hesitates then asks, "Melanie, what are you planning to do now?"
His heart is pounding with apprehension.

I smile nervously, "I honestly don't know, I
am still having trouble believing my nightmare is really over."

Barry smiles back, "I really would like for
you and Eric to stay here at the ranch. I love having you here." He
is thinking that the very last of his concerns about a relationship
with Melanie have been resolved. She is now free to venture out in
public with him. Of course, that doesn't mean she would like
dealing with the Paparazzi any better than his mother does, but at
least she is no longer in danger if she does.

I look down at my hands, hesitate then say,
"I don't know Barry. Eric loves it here, I do too but ..."

"Melanie, please at least think about
staying. I want us to spend more time together now that the danger
to you and Eric is over. I think what we have is special and I want
to see where it might lead." Barry pleads. His heart is pounding
with dread.

"Oh Barry, I know that I feel something
special for you too, but I am so afraid you will wake up one day
and hate having me here underfoot. I'm not sophisticated enough to
be able to walk away if I let myself care for you." I respond
honestly.

"Don't make any decisions tonight. Let's wait
and see what Tom finds out from your parents. You might like to
spend some time in Seattle with them, all right?" he says feeling
panicky.
Oh God, what is he going to do if she
leaves and never comes back?

"That makes sense." I rise out of the chair
and when Barry starts to rise too I say, "No, I'll be fine."

He nods and I walk away. Barry has the worst
sinking feeling in his stomach. Melanie is definitely trying to put
distance between them. He doesn't want to lose her, at least not
yet, but he doesn't know what to do. He can't make her stay so
he'll just have to be patient and pray everything will work out in
the end.

******

Tom Christensen pulls his dark four door
sedan to a stop in front of a modest one story ranch style home in
one of Seattle's older neighborhoods just after five o'clock on the
next Saturday afternoon. He notices the house appears to have a
fresh coat of paint and the yard is well kept. The flower beds are
all in full bloom. It is obvious the Brentwoods take pride in their
home.

As he approaches the front door of the house
he takes a deep breath and a happy smile slides across his face. He
knows he is about to change these folks lives forever. He loves
delivering good news for a change. More often than not, he is
forced to deliver sad news. He puts his sunglasses in his sport
coat pocket and rings the doorbell.

A tall man in his early fifties with graying
hair and sad green eyes opens the door and asks, "May I help
you?"

Smiling warmly, Tom asks, "Hello, are you
Mark Brentwood?"

The man answers, "Yes I am. What can I do for
you?"

Tom takes a deep breath, clears his throat
then continues, "My name is Tom Christensen. I am a private
investigator from Los Angeles. I would like to speak to you and
your wife about your daughter, Melanie."

Mark Brentwood's face loses all its color and
he leans heavily against the door frame. Tom is afraid the man may
faint and is relieved when he finally stands back up straight. Mark
Brentwood, his heart pounding with apprehension and his stomach
twisted in knots, takes a deep breath and says, "Of course, won't
you come in?"

Tom Christensen steps inside the house and
closes the door. On his right he sees a formal dining room with a
large table polished to a high sheen. On his left he sees a formal
living room with comfortable looking furniture and one wall of
built in bookshelves loaded with books and several pictures of a
young girl. The pictures must be of Melanie, he thinks. He follows
Mark Brentwood down a long hall to the back of the house to a
bright cheerful room best called a den where he sees an attractive
older woman with graying blonde hair sitting in a comfortable
recliner reading.

As they approach the woman looks up,
curiosity plainly showing on her face. Mark crosses the room to her
chair, kneels at her side and grasps her hand in his. He says
nervously, "Patricia, this is Tom Christensen. He's a private
investigator from Los Angeles and wants to speak to us about
Melanie." His voice cracks as he speaks his daughter's name.

Patricia Brentwood's face loses all its color
and she glances up at Tom Christensen. He is curious how she can be
so pale and at the same time have a look of hopeful anticipation
glowing from her eyes.

"Please, sit down, Mr. Christensen. You have
information about our Melanie?" she asks her heart pounding with
both hope and fear. Her hands are shaking and she clasps them
tightly together around Mark's hand in her lap.