Dead Aim(80)
13
Plummock Falls . . .
Runne stared thoughtfully at the CNN shot of the mine. Betworth had done well. He hadn't heard one murmur of suspicion on any of the news channels. They appeared convinced it was caused by a buildup of gas in the mine. There was a bit of ranting and raving by environmental groups and union representatives, but they clearly didn't have a clue. All they could determine was that—
The dogs!
He sat up straight with excitement as the television camera caught a shot of the rescue workers and canine teams on the edge of the mine. That's what he'd been waiting for. Throughout most of her adult life, Graham had worked side by side with search-and-rescue workers. Even if she only suspected that Plummock Falls was Z-2, he doubted she could resist coming to help.
Besides, he'd made sure there was an added lure that would bring Alex Graham to the disaster site.
“What do you mean you're at Plummock Falls?” Logan said. “For God's sake, Sarah, you're in no shape to work. Why the hell didn't you call me before you took off?”
“I'm calling you now,” Sarah said. “And you have no room to complain about lack of communication. You still haven't told me where Alex is.”
“She's safe.”
“The devil she is. Look, I didn't call to argue with you. I have a job to do and it looks nasty. They won't let us near the mine shaft yet. There's too much debris and too many walls to be shored up.”
“Then you shouldn't be near it. Your team shouldn't have asked you to come.”
“Hey, I'm not the star here. The local Emergency Rescue Unit made a special request to headquarters to have Monty brought here.”
“What?”
“You know Monty's nose gets more press than any dog's in the search-and-rescue field.”
“Yes.” But he didn't like any special requests being made. Not right now. “Look, Sarah, stay at the site. Don't be alone. Even for a minute.”
There was a silence. “What are you saying?”
“I'm saying I don't like either you or Monty being singled out.” He paused. “And if you get a call from Alex, don't go to meet her. She's already told me she won't be contacting you.”
“And what if she changes her mind?”
“Don't go to meet her.”
“What's happening, John?”
“I wish you'd just go home, dammit.” But she wouldn't leave and she had to be warned. “We're not sure that Plummock Falls was an accident.”
He heard the sharp intake of her breath. “Another Arapahoe Junction?”
“Possibly. At any rate we have to be very cautious.”
“Those bastards.”
“Yes. Will you go home?”
“No.”
“Then will you be careful?”
“As careful as Monty will let me. We have to get those miners out.” She didn't speak for a moment. “Why? This has to end, John.”
“I'm working on it. And so is your friend Alex. You just concentrate on your job. I'll call you tomorrow. I love you.”
“I love you too.” She hung up.
Logan sat staring into space after he hung up the phone. Christ, it was too damn convenient that someone had called and made a special request for Monty. Where Monty went, there went Sarah. If it was a trap, then it had been baited by one clever son of a bitch.
He reached for the phone again to dial Alex Graham at the mobile home that Galen had found for her near Huntington.
“Sarah and Monty are at the site,” Alex told Galen after she'd hung up the phone with Logan. “Logan's calling the local Emergency Rescue Unit to see if anyone there actually requested them to come here. He thinks they may have been brought here to be staked out.”
“Could be. Betworth and his men can't be sure how much you know, but they're aware Morgan saw Morales's plans. This disaster is in the same category as Arapahoe Junction.” He paused. “Are you sure you don't want to come home with me? What can you do here? You can't go digging like you did at the dam.”
“I don't know. But I'm here, where the action is. I wouldn't be able to accomplish anything sitting and holding your wife's hand.”
Galen chuckled. “You don't know how funny that is.” He stood up. “But I have orders from Elena to stay near if you refused to come home. And I never disobey the lady. Anything I can do for you?”
She shook her head. “Tonight I'm going to hit the computer.”
“And do what? Research?”
“No, I'm going to go over Powers's last words. God knows, I'm tired of looking at them. But there might be something I'm missing.” Her lips tightened. “I'm going to try to see if I can figure out why, when, or where.”
The computer screen was becoming a gray blur.