“I thought you’d never ask.”
She brought two green Dos Equis longnecks back from the kitchen and gave Raymond one as she sipped the other. “We need to go back over there and check this out.”
“When do you want to go?”
“Tomorrow. I’ll call Art, tell him what we’re doing, and have him tell Buck Ward we’re coming down to go across off his place on the river.”
“I haven’t met him yet. Or Art.”
“You will. You’ll like Buck. He reminds me a little of Sam Kinney.”
“What do we take with us?”
She told him.
~*~
Buck Ward’s gate was open and they drove through it and down the dusty road to the ranch house, arriving mid-morning with the day already heating up over ninety.
Buck stood under the covered porch holding a bolt-action Remington, one booted foot cocked forward. As Raymond and Hunter exited her pickup, Buck said, “Had some aerial visitors recently.”
He shook Raymond’s hand as Hunter introduced them, and Hunter said, “When?”
“Couple times yesterday, and again this morning when I was down at the river. It crossed from Mexico and buzzed at my head a couple times, coming too close. I shot at it, but missed. Thing could move like a hummingbird.” He half-smiled at Hunter, “I heard you shot one out of the air with your pistol, at night while standing on the side of a mountain.”
“Art talks too much. Besides, it was your pistol, the .357 you loaned me when Art and I crossed.”
“You always that good?”
Hunter blushed, “Nah, it was a lucky shot.”
Raymond said, “Don’t believe her.”
Buck said, “I don’t. You all come inside, I’ve got some equipment for you.”
Inside, on the kitchen table were several cardboard boxes. Buck said, “These are from Lincoln Jones. I didn’t open them.”
“Did Ashton Dean bring them?”
“Uh-huh. I asked him why he always came in person and he said he wanted you all to succeed in this endeavor. That was his word, ‘endeavor’.”
Raymond said, “Let’s take a look.” Two sets of stabilized binoculars, 10x50 Swarovsky models with built-in digital cameras, were in the first box. A satellite phone, complete with the small fan antenna was in the second, and two adjustable flashlights the size of lipstick tubes were in the third.
Raymond said, “I feel like a real spy with this stuff.”
Buck said, “If you get caught over there, you make sure you hide these or toss them away.”
Hunter said, “Roger that.”
Buck asked, “What’s your plan this trip?”
Hunter told him, and showed the photos to him on her laptop.
Buck pointed at one of the photos that showed part of the cave. “I think you’ve got the wingtip of a good-sized drone showing here, either that or a small plane maybe.”
Hunter looked at the image, “Are you sure?”
“Increase the pixel density and change contrasts on it and I think it’ll show better.”