Dead Shot by Jack Patterson (adventure books to read .TXT) 📕

had not yet reached the security gate entrance to Cloverdale Industries when Walker rolled to a stop in front of the access arm.

He rolled down his window. Zack McDonald, the night shift guard, stood just outside his hut and hunched down to start an unwelcome conversation.

“Hi, Buddy,” came McDonald’s cordial greeting. “I heard you went home sick earlier today. You make a sudden recovery?”

Walker shifted in his seat, fingering the gun just out of sight from McDonald’s view. He never knew McDonald to be rude, but he wasn’t someone that could be easily fooled either. Shooting him would definitely gain him immediate access to the facility, but a mounting body count wouldn’t help his already shaky cause. He took a deep breath and decided to keep lying.

“I’ll be honest with you, McDonald, too much of Ray-Ray’s barbecue isn’t always a good thing, if you know what I mean. I feel OK now. Got no sick time either. If I don’t get paid, I can’t take care of my sick mother this month.”

McDonald bought every lie. He raised the arm for Walker.

“Well, I hope you get to feeling a hundred percent soon. And the way you care for your mother, Walker … You’re an inspiration to us all.”

Walker nodded and smiled. He let off the brake and eased on the gas. He heard Mercer snicker from the back seat, hidden beneath a blanket on the floorboard, just like Cal and Kelly had been a few hours earlier. Walker made it seem like that idea was hatched on the fly. But it was a protocol he had developed for Mercer when he needed to gain access to the facility.

Being in deep cover for five years in Statenville had taken its toll on Walker. He was itching to get out and get on with his life. Pretending to be a basketball coach and a part-time janitor was getting old, even if it meant bringing down what was long suspected to be one of the biggest drug cartels in the Pacific Northwest.

Before Walker had established enough evidence to put away the ringleaders for a long time, he needed to find out just how far the Cloverdale cartel extended. Who were the key players? How big of a sweep needed to be in place to bring down a supplier that seemed to proliferate the region? The lingering questions gnawed at Walker.

It was his impatience that caused his latest misstep, one that might cost him his job, especially if he didn’t eliminate all the evidence. And in a town that was desperate to keep its dark secret hidden, its residents just might do the dirty work for him.

He parked his car near the back entrance to the plant and grabbed his backpack. In an effort to be cautious, Walker always parked in the only three parking spaces that weren’t covered by security cameras. After a quick glance around the parking lot to make sure no one saw him, he tapped on the window and Mercer crawled out, still dressed in his deputy uniform.

Due to the earlier commotion at the plant, Walker missed his opportunity to set up his final domino before setting into motion a plan that would connect all the pieces of the twisted puzzle known as Cloverdale Industries and Statenville. But there was always another shipment going out. Always.

Chapter 49

As dusk faded into night, the warm air turned cool and crisp. Riding two hours on a motorcycle through the Idaho and Utah mountains would be much more enjoyable during the day, but Cal didn’t mind. Riding tandem with Kelly would make up for being unable to see most of the spectacular scenery.

It should have been a two-hour ride, but Cal trimmed 20 minutes off the trip by holding his speed steady at 10 miles an hour above the speed limit. The bright, burgeoning moon lit up the valley floor and illuminated the craggy mountain peaks. Making the trip in a convertible would’ve been better, Cal thought. At least he would’ve been able to talk with Kelly, maybe about something other than the most exciting day of their lives that was far from over. But then again, she probably wouldn’t have hugged him for over an hour and a half straight.

Cal pulled into the empty parking lot and waited. Guy’s instructions were to wait on a park bench on the backside of the pond at Sugar House Park. They were to make the drop by leaving the chemical samples they found with a flash drive of Kelly’s pictures of the chemical equations in a paper bag. Cal found a couple of rocks by the water’s edge and put them in the bag, weighing it down.

They sat on the bench and waited for their contact.

Kelly broke the silence.

“You know what’s strange about this whole story?”

“What isn’t strange about it?” Cal countered.

“No, there’s definitely one thing that stands out to me as strange.”

“What is it?”

“Well, I’ve lived in Statenville my whole life, and it is a tight-knit community. But when these kids died, it’s like nobody cared. I just don’t understand that.”

“Maybe it’s because it’s part of Statenville’s dirty little secret. Everybody seems to be hiding something.”

“That’s small town America, Cal. Everybody has their secrets, even the big city folks. But it’s just more evident when you live in a small area and know everyone.”

“Maybe. But this goes beyond something like the mayor having an affair with his secretary. This is something that somebody is willing to kill us over—and it feels like everybody. I just think—”

Cal abruptly ended his thought. A man wearing sweatpants and a windbreaker was approaching the bench.

They both got up so they wouldn’t arouse suspicion, vacating the bench.

Cal and Kelly headed for the path that circled the lake. Cal looked back casually to see if the man was still there. He wasn’t. Neither was the bag. The drop had been successful.

They walked back toward the parking lot and climbed on Guy’s bike. The night was still young.