THE BLUE STALKER (32 page)

             
“What’s wrong Juan?”  Ella knew immediately something was bothering Juan.

             
“I didn’t want to say anything to Maria about the green van but as we were driving out of town I saw the green van.

             
“Which way was it going?”  Ella questioned.

             
“I followed it.” 

             
“You, what! Juan you shouldn’t put your family in jeopardy.”  Ella said as she put her arms around Juan.

             
“I stayed far enough back they didn’t see me.” Juan quietly told Ella.

             
“Where did they go?” Ella asked as curiosity marked her face.

             
“They drove north for five miles and turned on a gravel road going east.”  He said.

             
“Can you remember the road they turned on?”  Ella asked.

             
“Yes, Ms. Ella I marked it with a stake and a red ribbon I found in the back of the truck.”

             
“How smart of you Juan.  Wasn’t Maria curious?”

             
“No, she was tending to Jose when I stopped.  When they stopped I could see the van from the highway.  They were off the road for about fifteen minutes.  I drove on past the road and waited.  When they came out they headed back to

town.”

             
Juan gave Ella the information, now what was Ella suppose to do with it? 

             
Ella changed the load in the washer to the dryer and made her way to the bedroom. She put on walking boots and jeans.  She sat down at her dresser and wrote a note.  It read, Juan. I am going to where you put the marker.  Ella.

             
Maria was in the kitchen when Ella walked through. 

             
“I’m starting dinner will you be home for dinner Ms. Ella?  Maria asked.

             
“Yes, I will be back in time for dinner.”  Ella told Maria as she thought; if I’m not back Juan will know where I’m at and will look for me.

             
Ella drove north on the highway leading out of town.  After about four miles she started looking for the wood stake with the red ribbon. 

             
“There it is.”  She said aloud.  The brakes screeched as she came to a jolting stop.  She turned down the gravel road driving ever so slow.  It was so near sundown she could barely see the road.  She didn’t want to turn her lights on for fear of someone seeing her. Ella thought I will never find anything in the dark.  She noticed tire tracks on the side of the road where a vehicle turned around.  She made the turn and almost ran over someone lying on the side of the road.  She stopped the car.
             
             
             
             
             
             
“Oh my god it’s the Mexican man, the man in the room. 

             
“Are you okay?”  She screamed.  Of course, he’s not okay.”  She spoke to the wind.  No one could hear her cries; she was alone in the desert. 

             
“He’s beat to a pulp.”  She said.  The man was lifeless.  Ella laid her head on his bloody naked body and listened for a heart beat. His pulse was slow but he was alive.  Ella got a knife from the glove compartment and cut the ropes that were buried in his wrists.  She tried to pull him to her station wagon. She used every ounce of strength she could muster up. The man moaned.

             
“I’m here to help you. I don’t have much strength, you have to help me.  Just try to move when I pull you.  I know it hurts but I have to get you in my station wagon.”   

             
“Dear God, please have mercy on this poor soul.”  Ella cried out. 

             
She put her arms around his body and dragged him until she got him to the back of the station wagon.

             
Ella rested for a while.  Her strength was all but gone.  She took a bottle crate from the wagon and placed it at the end of the station wagon.  She pulled and tugged on the man until she got his butt on the crate with his back to the wagon.  Then she got in the back of the wagon.  Standing on her knees she wrapped her arms under his arms and around his chest and tried to pull him back.  She couldn’t get his lifeless body to budge. 

             
“You’ve got to help me. I’m here to help you but you must help me.” Ella cried. “Do you want to live? After all you’ve gone through I know you want to live.  So, help me. Please help me.” 

             
Again, Ella pulled with all her strength and yelled “Dear God in heaven give me strength.”  Suddenly a burst of adrenalin ran through her body and the man practically flew into the wagon. Leaving Ella flat on her back with a man lying on top of her. She pushed him to the side. The man opened his swollen eyes, his lips almost curved into a smile and again he collapsed.  Ella got out of the back of wagon and jumped in the driver’s seat and drove like hell out of what would have been the Mexican man’s grave.
             
             
             
“Thank you dear God.  I couldn’t have done it without you.” She whispered a prayer.

             
When she reached the highway she drove the speed limit not wanting to be stopped by the Sheriff for speeding.  Where should I take him?  Ella thought as she drove toward Coopersville.  To my house, we can keep him alive and call the FBI.  If I take him to the hospital they will call the Sheriff and that would not be good.

             
When Ella stopped the car under the breezeway Juan came out to meet her.  Ella’s clothes were torn and bloody.

             
“What happened to you Ms. Ella?  Are you alright? Where have you been? I worried you might go into the desert.”

             
“I did and the Mexican man was lying on the side of the road. I got him in my car. He’s been severely beaten.  We can’t take him to the hospital we have to care for him here.” 

             
I don’t know if there are more men in the desert.  I didn’t have the strength to look very close as my daylight was vanishing behind the mountain.”  Ella said.

             
“We will ask him when he regains consciousness.”  Juan said.

             
Juan brought a glass of water and opened the back of the wagon.  There laid a helpless man. Groaning and weeping like a baby would cry for its mother.

             
“Amigo, we are here to help you. Don’t be afraid an angel brought you here.”
             

             
The Mexican man moaned to let Juan know he heard him.

             
“Here take a sip of water.”  Juan said as he put the glass to the man’s parched lips. He began regaining consciousness.  Eventually he was able to walk to the house with Juan and Ella’s help.

             
“Juan there’s a roll away bed in the garage.  We can bring it in the house and he can sleep in the living room.  I will call Frank and ask him what we should do.”  Ella told Juan as he followed her to the garage to get the bed.

Maria heard the commotion and came downstairs to see what was going on.  Juan explained to Maria that Ella found the man on the side of the road and he had been beaten by the ‘coyotes‘.

             
“Just like we would have been beaten if they would have found us.”  Maria said wringing her hands.

             
Maria immediately put clean sheets on the bed. Juan and Ella took him to the bathroom and Juan ran him a bath.

“We will get the dried blood and filth off him and then we can put medicine on his wounds.”  Juan told them.

             
Juan dressed the Mexican man in Juan’s pajamas and he and Ella helped him to the bed.
             

             
“I will open a can of chicken soup. He needs some nourishment.”  Maria said as she ran to the kitchen. She opened a can of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup and put it in a pan to heat.

             
Eventually, the man came around and began to ask where he was.  Juan told him they were going to help him. Juan spoon fed him some soup. After a while the man fell asleep.

             
Ella called Frank and told him all the happened.

             
“You worry me Ella, you are to brave. But you are a good person to do all you do.”  Frank told Ella on the phone.

             
“I will take tomorrow off work. Tomorrow you and I will drive to Baker and we will talk with the FBI there.  It seems Agent Parker did not do anything about my report. Good night honey, I’ll see you in the morning around nine o‘clock..”  Frank said.

             
“I’ll be ready to leave for Baker when you get here.”  Ella said.

             
Juan checked on the Mexican man several times during the night helping him to the bathroom. It looked like with a few days of rest and he would be better.

             
Juan stayed home and worked around the house. Maria would not feel safe alone in the house with the Mexican man since they didn’t know him.

             
Frank picked Ella up at nine sharp.  She loved the drive down the mountain through the canyon in Frank’s sports car.  The car took the curves as if it were part of the highway.

             
“I’ve got to get me one of these some days.”  Ella told Frank.

             
Frank, I have a crazy idea. How about after we talk with the FBI you take me to the Chevy dealer and I will buy a new sports car.” Ella said with a mischievous grin.

             
“You’re kidding me, right?” Frank said as he tromped on the accelerator as they were coming on to a long straight stretch of highway.

             
“Nope, I’m not kidding.”  She said as the thrust of the engine pushed her back in the seat.

             
“Whatever you say, ma’am.”  Frank said with a smile on his face.

             
Frank and Ella entered the FBI building. They checked in with the receptionist. She gave them directions to Special Agent Ben Peterson’s office. They entered the office and his receptionist asked why they were there.  Frank told her to make a report on ‘coyote’ activity in the Coopersville area.  She looked puzzled and said, “Sir you will need to speak with the Animal Control about coyote’s.” 

             
“I’m sorry ma’am that’s a term for a body smuggling gang.” Frank said.

             
She told Special Agent Peterson on the intercom someone was there to see him about coyotes.

             
“Send them in.” Peterson said.

             
Special Agent Ben Peterson sat behind a big desk. He stood when Ella and Frank walked through the door holding his hand out as he circled his desk.

             
“I’m Agent Peterson.”  He said as he shook first Ella’s hand and then over to Frank.

             
Frank said, “This is Ella Smith and I’m Frank Smith.”

             
“Husband and wife?” Agent Peterson asked.

             
“No, we are good friends.”  Frank told him as he looked over at Ella.

             
“Please sit down.  What do you want to tell me?”

             
Frank began, “Ella lives in Coopersville and knows of two drop-houses. The first drop-house was reported to Agent Parker. The local FBI supposedly had it staked out but somehow the coyote’s got away during the night with their captives.  We recently learned of another drop-house.  We are afraid to talk with anyone in Coopersville about it because of the first drop-house.”  Frank said.  “This is interesting, go on, Mr. Smith.” Agent Peterson said.

             
“We didn’t know who to go to.  There are two people missing from Coopersville and from all we know it was reported to Sheriff Brady and he didn’t file a missing person report.”  Frank continued on.

             
“What is the name of the missing people?”  He inquired.

“Paul and Nellie Mills, they had the secondhand store.  Everyone said they disappeared in the middle of the night.  Ella rented the store where they had the secondhand store.”  Frank told him.

             
Special Agent Peterson switched on the intercom and asked Miss Gray to run a missing person check on Paul and Nellie Mills.

             
“I’ll get right on it sir.”  She said.

             
“We should the information back in a few minutes.  Miss Gray is very efficient.  Even though she doesn’t know much about ‘coyote’s. Agent Peterson said with a smile.