Strengthen What Remains (Book 2): A Time to Endure (23 page)

Hollister
stood and walked to the door. Then he stopped and looked back at Zach. “I
dislike you, but I love my daughter. On the possibility that you might have
useful information about DeLynn, I will listen. For once, try to impress me.”

Maria
stacked firewood in the shed while Trevor split the logs just outside. When
Nikki barked, she poked her head out to see why. Trevor pointed to a red sedan
driving along Hops Road. It was just a curiosity, until it turned up the long
driveway.

Trevor
jogged toward the front of the house.

Maria
went in the backdoor, grabbed a shotgun and stood just inside with it out of
view.

A
man with silver and black hair stepped from the car. Maria would have said he
was in his mid-forties, but his shoulders slumped, his eyes looked tired, and
his clothes hung loosely.
Maybe that’s
the way we all will look soon.

“Can
I help you?” Trevor asked, as the man approached.

Although
still a pup, Nikki did her best to growl at the intruder.

“My
name is Kent Hollister. Perhaps you know my daughter, DeLynn?”

Trevor
shook his head.

Maria
thought Caden had mentioned the name.

Well,
I represent Zach Brennon. He was arrested yesterday for the murder of Robert
Hendricks and….”

“What?”
Maria stepped onto the porch.

Trevor
invited Kent into the house.

Nikki
followed everyone in and lay down next to a jabbering Adam.

Sarah
brought their guest a cup of tea and then headed back toward the kitchen door,
but stopped as he continued to explain the predicament.

“According
to Zach, for my daughter DeLynn to have any chance of getting out alive, he
must meet with MS-13 no later than Sunday morning and deliver a substantial
number of weapons.

“The
sheriff sent a couple of deputies to check out the ranger station. There were
some beer cans and other trash that appeared recent, but little else.”

“The
sergeant at the armory….” Kent shook his head. “The guy looks young enough to
be my kid. Anyway, he said there is nothing he can do.”

“The
problem is there is no way to verify Zach’s story. While the sheriff doesn’t
have anyone who saw him shoot Mr. Hendricks, the circumstantial case against
Zach is strong. I think they could get a conviction.”

“You
sound like the prosecution, not his lawyer.” Maria said.

“I’m
just being realistic. When I discussed the facts with him this morning, Zach
stated that your family might be of help to him and DeLynn.”

Trevor
rubbed his chin.

Maria
thought, searched for her phone, and then dialed Caden. As it rang, she paced.
It went to voice mail. “Caden, Zach has been arrested and DeLynn is missing and
in danger. Call me.” Then she called Lisa at the hospital. “Is David awake? Can
he talk?”

“No.
Why?” After Maria explained she said, “I’ll ask if he knows how to contact
Caden as soon as I can.”

After
she hung up, Maria continued to pace. “We’ve got to do something. We can’t just
let DeLynn be killed.”

“What
can we do? We don’t know where Caden and the soldiers are or when they’ll be
back,” Trevor said.

Sarah
sat beside her husband. “The governor knows Caden.”

All
heads turned to Sarah at once.

“It
was just an idea,” she said.

Trevor
hugged his wife.

*
              
*
              
*

Standing
on the top of the professional building, Caden saw that the fire in the distant
apartment tower was out. Observing the nearby streets he wondered if it had burned
out or been put out. Military and police were on patrol. People walked along
the roads. Two fire engines were parked in the lot next to the building. South
from the base, life was returning to the city.

“You’re
a hard man to find.”

At
the sound of the general’s voice, Caden turned and saluted. “Just trying to
stay out of trouble, sir.” He smiled.

“Well,
trouble may have found you.”

Caden
cocked an eyebrow.

“I
got a call from the governor this morning….”

“The
phones work?”

 
“Surprised me, too, when I felt something move
in my pocket.” Harwich pointed to a tower in the distance. “That one came on
line this morning. Anyway, the governor ordered your men back to Hansen
immediately and says to phone home.”

He
thanked the General and began a search of his pockets before he remembered
leaving the phone by his cot. He ran to his room, turned the device on, but had
no service. He ran to the roof.
One bar, two, one.
He noticed a message from Maria and, as
he listened, his alarm grew. Zach arrested?
DeLynn in danger?
He fumbled as he phoned.
It’s not
ringing.
He dialed again. On the third attempt he heard Maria’s voice.

“Caden!
We’ve been trying to get in touch with you since yesterday. I’ve got so much to
tell you. David was shot at the hospital and….”

The
call dropped.

Dialing
again, he wondered if Brooks was alive.
Did
Zach shoot him? Is that why he was arrested? What danger is DeLynn in? Zach
wouldn’t hurt her.
Caden needed to find Fletcher and get the men ready to
leave, but if he left the roof he’d lose the cell signal and he wanted to know
more about the situation.

Busy?
He sighed in
frustration.
She’s calling me.
He
waited a few seconds, tried again, and she answered.

“If
this call fails I’ll call you when we get closer to Hansen. We’re coming home.”

“Great,
we really need—”

“Wait.
Is David okay?”

“He’s
out of intensive care. They think he’ll be fine.”

“Who
shot him?”

“One
of the MS-13 gang when they moved Cruz.”

Caden
shook his head recalling the concerns about the girl that visited Cruz and the
upcoming move. Now he wished he had acted upon those concerns. “Did Cruz
escape?”

“Yes.”

He
gritted his teeth. “What was Zach arrested for?”

“Murdering
Bo. But I don’t think he did it.”

“I
hope not.”
But it’s certainly within the
realm of possibility.

“There
is more we need to talk about. We need to help DeLynn. Zach says….”

Again,
the call dropped.

It
was frustrating, but except for the DeLynn predicament, Caden felt he had a grasp
of the situation and would soon be home and know the full story. He found
Fletcher and told him what he knew.

“Sounds
like while we’ve been making Renton and SeaTac safe, home fell apart.”

Caden
nodded. “Let’s head back before things get worse.”
 

As
the Hansen convoy pulled away from Camp Victory, Caden stared at his phone
screen.
No bars.

Later
as the trucks rumbled south, his phone rang.

“Caden,
this is David Weston. Hold for the Governor.”

He
sat up in the seat.

“Caden?”
The governor’s voice came through the phone. “Are you on the way to Hansen?”

“Yes,
sir.” The capitol dome stood in the distance. “We’re passing through Olympia
right now.”

“Great.
I wanted to make sure there were no problems detaching your people from the
operation and getting you home.”

“It
went well. We should be there in an hour. Thank you, Governor.”

“You
should thank Maria. She’s a very persistent woman. Yesterday afternoon she
pushed through the Byzantine phone tree we have and reached David. After he
explained the situation with MS-13 and the young girl…well, I knew you should
be home.”

“Young
girl? DeLynn? What happened? I haven’t heard.”

“Oh.”
For several moments there was only silence. “I’ve been told that a teenage girl
was kidnapped and is being held ransom by MS-13. If you need assistance let me
know.”

When
Caden hung up with the governor, he turned to the driver. “Hurry.”

*
              
*
              
*

The
convoy was just outside of Hansen when Caden ordered it to stop yards from the
turn for Hops Road and his family’s farm. There was no curb or siding to allow
the trucks to pull out of the lane but, since there was no traffic, they just
stopped.
 

Caden
walked back to talk with Fletcher. “I’ve learned more on the way down here.” He
held up his phone. “Take the men on to the armory and get them ready for…I
don’t know what, but get them prepared. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“They’ll
be ready.” Fletcher saluted and returned to his vehicle.

While
the convoy proceeded toward town, Caden, in his SUV, turned down the side road
toward home. His father waited on the front porch as he drove up.

Still
in ACUs, and with his helmet on, Caden stepped from the car.

“Hello
son. It’s good to see you home.”

Nikki
danced at his feet.

“Hi,
Dad.” He removed the helmet and tossed it on the passenger seat. His mother
burst from the house and embraced him alongside the car.
 

After
hugs and welcomes they moved toward the porch.

Caden
asked, “Where’s Maria?”

“At
the hospital,” his father said.

“With
Brooks? How is he?”

His
father’s face darkened. “Cruz shot him in the back. Dr. Scott says he’ll
recover—but it will take time.”

Caden
took a slow deep breath and resolved to destroy MS-13 and rescue DeLynn.

His
mother wrapped her arm around Caden. “But, Maria is probably with Sue.”

“Sue?
She’s in the hospital? What happened to…did she have the baby?”

She
smiled. “You have a nephew. She named him Peter. You’re Uncle Caden now.”

He
smiled and then recalled the note in his pocket and the body that would soon be
at the armory. “I also have news. I got to Peter and Sue’s home and I found
Peter.” He let that hang in the air for a moment.

His
mother’s face aged and she clasped her hands as if in prayer.

His
father rubbed his chin. “Peter’s body?”

“Yes.”

His
father’s face slumped into an older, sadder, version of itself.

Tears
rolled down his mother’s cheeks.

Caden
handed the plastic bag to them.

With
his father’s arm resting on his mother’s shoulder they read the last words of
their first born son.

“It’s
some comfort to know.” His father handed the open note back to Caden, but
continued to look at the envelope. “I can’t imagine what I would say in such a
letter.”

Several
times, before particularly hazardous combat missions, Caden had written a note
to his parents. He had seen many soldiers writing similar messages for loved
ones. He could imagine what it said, but didn’t want to.

He
retrieved the bag from his father. “I’ll see Sue today. I’m certain she will
ask if I got to her house. I’ll give her the letter then.” He turned to go, but
stopped with a sigh. He had just delivered the worst news a parent could
receive and now he had to rush off.

“Where
is Peter?” his mother asked.

“The
convoy took his…he’s at the armory.” He hugged her. “There is a lot that needs
doing and I’ve got to see a bunch of people.”

Near
tears once again she held him. “Come back.”

“I
promise.”

Caden
drove towards town. The hospital and sheriff’s office were about equal distance
from where he was. Despite the assurances that he was recovering, he wanted to
see Brooks. Also, despite the tears he was certain would follow, he wanted to
deliver the letter to Sue and see the new baby. However, the information he needed
to destroy MS-13 and save DeLynn was in the other direction.

Next stop, the
sheriff’s office.
   

“It’s
good to see you,” the guard said at the entrance to the building. “I suppose
you heard about the troubles this week.” He buzzed open the door.

 
“I’m learning,” Caden said with a grimace and
walked through to the office.

The
sheriff looked up from the papers on his desk and blinked. “I really need the
deputies to warn me when you come.”

“We
need to talk and I’d like to see Zach.”

“Sure.
Good to see you back here in one piece. Have you heard…well, about everything?
It’s been a busy week.”

“Busy
for us both.” Caden sat down. “Tell me about Bo’s murder and why you think Zach
is involved.”

The
sheriff outlined the case against the boy, concluding with, “He marched in here
with a stolen rifle.”

“Really?”