This is episode thirty-two of the fifth book in the Trace Troy Adventures in Paradise series. The Title is A Cult in Paradise
. It will be featured in episodes over the next few months. It will eventually be published in full on Amazon. All of the Trace Troy books, as well as my other novels, can be purchased on Amazon by clicking the Bookstore tab above. I hope you enjoy. And thanks for stopping by.
Secret Weapon
Coyote broke into a restless snoring pattern. Sage breathed heavily. Sleep finally came to Trace.
Trace woke to a hint of sunlight piercing through Coyote’s cell window. He mentally speculated what might be next. Would there be some sort of interrogation, a trial, punishment, or worse? One thing was certain, in his mind, he had to be near the pickup point when Adam and Pete would be there in a rubber boat. He had a plan, but some things had to fall into place. And he read enough about Demeter, or Me’Achad, that he was certain of the successful completion of his plane. Unknowns could not be accounted for, other than they might occur. What shape they take, who knew? And they will have to be dealt with then. ‘Plan for what is known,’ he thought.
The door opened and a guard walked in holding a tray. On the tray were three bowls, three spoons, and three cups.
The guard slid the bowls, the spoons, and the cups on the floor through the bars. “Oatmeal and tea,” he said.
Trace, Sage, and Coyote ate and made disparaging remarks about the quality of food. They spoke quietly. They were afraid that complaining about the food would leave them unfed.
Soon after they finished, the guard returned for the bowls, spoons, and cups. They thanked the guard and he said nothing in return.
“Have either of you ever been in jail?” Trace asked.
“Nah,” Sage said.
“A couple of times,” Coyote said, “two days someplace in the Oklahoma panhandle. They charged me with speeding in Oklahoma while being from Texas. I didn’t have the money on me to pay the fine. It was a mayor’s court. The mayor let me go for my belt buckle. Then there was the mistaken identity, It was Adam they was lookin’ for.”
“What about you, Trace?” Sage said.
“A few months back, I was held in a shack,” Trace said. “Remember, I told you about the coup.”
“That’s right,” Sage said.
“This is the most secure,” Coyote said. “The other places they didn’t even bother to close the cell doors. It was almost like they was hopin’ I’d leave. It would just save them the cost of keepin’ me and the paperwork. Those small towns, they really don’t like to keep anybody overnight. They have to pay overtime to watch you.”
“What do you think will happen next?” Sage asked.
“I think we’ll be seeing Demeter before long,” Trace said. “This is a serious intrusion. He won’t trust anybody but himself to question us. I don’t think he’ll ask a lot of questions. Especially if there are others there. You see, the more questions he might ask, the more we talk. And he doesn’t want anybody to hear us and possibly relate to us. Whoever talks, controls the floor; Demeter can’t allow that to happen. He can’t give up the floor. In everything I read about him, the conversations were always one-sided with no rebuttal, no challenges. It’s as if his words are the words of god.”
They lowered their voices.
“Why did you allow yourself the get captured?” Sage asked Trace.
“I figured it was the only way I could get close to you two,” Trace said.
“What good is that going to do?” Coyote said.
“Don’t worry,” Trace said, “I have a plan.”
“What is it?” Sage said.
“I surrendered so willingly, they didn’t bother to pat me down,” Trace said. “I have a pistol tucked behind me. As soon as the opportunity comes along, I’ll use it to get us out of here.”
“One pistol against all of them,” Coyote said bewildered. “I hope ya have a good plan. What is it?”
Trace paused, then said, “It’s a work in process. It’s very complicated in its simplicity.”
“That means, you ain’t got no plan,” Coyote said.
“But he has a gun,” Sage said. “And guns go bang.”
“Well, at least, that gives us options,” Coyote said.
“Indeed,” Trace said, “Sometime tonight, we get the guard to come in here with the keys. We pull the gun on him, take the keys.”
“And?” Sage said.
“And I have weapons, hidden, not far from here,” Trace said, “And then we make it to where you hid the rubber boat. Adam and Pete are coming for us. They’ll be there.”
“What if we become separated?” Sage asked.
“If somehow we become separated,” Trace said, “at the northeast edge of the compound there is a path encircling it. There is a palm tree so close the the path that the path goes around it. Five steps straight in from the path is a heap of underbrush. It hides a cache of a couple of weapons, rations, and maybe even a grenade.”
“You know,” Coyote said, “if I get back home, I ain’t gonna say a thing about this or that other escapade we went on. Folks have a hard enough time believin’ me as it is. This stuff will ruin what little credibility I have.”
“You said, ‘if’ you get back home,’” Trace said. “It’s ‘when.’ We’re going to succeed.”
No comments:
Post a Comment