Chapter 11
Sam spent the next two weeks out tagging moose with his brothers, while Julie stayed home and healed. She quickly discovered that healing was boring business and was forced to devise things to keep her occupied. The lab helped for a few hours, but only having one hand made it impossible to get much work done and she still couldn’t drive a four-wheeler on her own so she had to have a ride which she hated so she stopped going.
Instead she decided to explore the forest around the cabins, walking the animal paths for hours, cataloging the wildlife she saw. When she was in the cabin, she tracked the moose in the canyon on her laptop, excited when new red dots appeared on the screen. Sam called her every morning and night when he was out on the trail, but it was always a nice surprise when a new blip appeared.
As bored as Julie was, she missed Sam more than anything, found herself thinking about him constantly. When he wasn’t in bed with her, she slept badly and had started sleeping in his tee-shirts just so she could smell his scent. He’d been gone longer than usual this time having decided that after this trip they’d stop for the winter, even this early in the season there had been frost on the ground in the morning. Everyone was thrilled with the results so far, they’d tagged over twenty moose and knew that there were more out there. It would take years to evaluate all the data they’d already collected, but that was good news to Julie, she loved the canyon and could be happy here for a long time.
She was staring out the window thinking about winter, when her phone rang, thinking it was Sam she picked it up and answered, “I miss you.”
There was a female laugh on the other end. “I miss you too,” Faith Montgomery said.
“Oh sorry, I thought you were Sam, he’s out in the field but I expect him home today,” Julie said, laughing.
“Julie, I called for a couple of reasons.” Faith got right to the point. “The rabies culture came back negative so we’re in the clear on that one, but there was a problem when the test was sent in.”
Julie’s heart began to beat a little faster. “What kind of problem?”
“Well, um…” Julie didn’t like the way Faith paused. “I’m embarrassed to admit this but there was a mix up. I always do a pregnancy test on all my female patients, especially when I’m putting them on medication. The thing is yours got swept into the bag with the culture sample and went to the state lab.”
“Oh, well that’s okay. I mean I’m fine and everything,” Julie said, wondering why Faith was making such a big deal about a lost pregnancy test.
“The thing is, once I found out, I ran the test with samples left over here at the clinic. Julie, I hate to tell you this over the phone, but it can’t wait, the thing is you’re pregnant,” Faith finally managed to get the words out.
Julie sat down on the couch so hard, it jarred her arm and pain shot through her. “Are you sure? I mean.” Julie suddenly realized that she hadn’t had her period in almost six weeks. “But I feel fine, I mean I’m not sick or anything.”
“Not all women have morning sickness. If you want to come in I’ll do the test again, but I had your blood tested as well and I don’t think we’ll get a different result.” Faith’s tone of voice told Julie that there was no question but that she was pregnant, not a false alarm, a baby.
“Oh, I... I don’t know what to say.” Julie’s mind was spinning with the possibilities. Would Sam be happy or would it be a repeat of eight years ago, him scared and lashing out at her seemed like a distant possibility but she couldn’t quite push the worry away.
“Take a few days and get used to the idea, then come in, I’ll find time to see you no matter when you come,” Faith said, clearly upset that she’d made the situation even worse.
“Okay. Thanks,” Julie said and hung up before Faith even responded.
By the time Sam walked through the door later that afternoon, Julie had become accustomed to the idea that she was pregnant, she hadn’t figured out how she was going to tell him but she’d adjusted to the idea. When he came through the door and pulled her into his arms they both let out a big sigh, then laughed.
“You have no idea how much I missed you,” Sam said, “All I could think about was you.”
“I missed you too, Sam. I don’t like it when we’re not together,” Julie said, relief sweeping through her, she didn’t know how but she felt deep inside her that Sam would be there with her always.
He pulled her over to the couch and cradled her in his arms. They sat in contented silence for a long time but then Sam turned to her and said, “I’ve made a decision about my brothers, I’m going to tell them. I think Jake’s already figured it out. He cornered me on the way home today and asked me a bunch of questions about my father and how I got my money,” Sam said, shaking his head, he seemed more curious than mad or anything.
“So, it sounds like Jake may have already figured it out?”
“I think he’s suspicious, but I don’t think he actually knows. But I think I’m going to tell them, they’re good men, Julie, I think they’ll understand or at least try to. I don’t think I can live the rest of my life knowing who they are and not tell them. Maybe it’s selfish of me but I want to know my family,” Sam said, jumping back up from the couch to pace around the room.
“Sam, sit back down here, I know this is hard but I think you’re doing the right thing,” Julie said, then took his hand when he did. “The canyon isn’t the only place we could work you know, there’s lots of other places where there’s work to be done.”
“I know you’re right and knowing that I’ll have you with me no matter where I go, makes the decision easier,” Sam said, stroking her cheek. “Now enough of this serious talk, I’m starving, let’s go into town and have dinner out.” Julie knew that now was not the time to tell Sam about the baby, she’d have to wait, let things with his brothers work themselves out before she turned his world upside down even more.
A little more time wouldn’t change her mind, and she was sure enough of the love that they shared to know that Sam wouldn’t try to control the situation as he had in the past. “That sounds like a great idea and I’m starving.” Oddly enough, the thought of food had made her stomach start growling.
Frank looked at the new camp critically, it wasn’t as nice as the other had been, but it was far enough away that they’d be safe from detection by the men who patrolled the woods. For a while he’d thought that his plans were going to go up in smoke, once the camp had been found, there was suddenly security everywhere he turned. But after a lot of searching, he’d found this camp and known it would work perfectly.
He’d had to change his plans for the hunt, knowing that a group of the size he’d have couldn’t slip around the forest undetected, he came up with an elaborate plan to distract the residents while they openly went after the bull moose. If they happened to come across a female or two in their pursuit of the bull, that only meant that he’d have more money coming at the end of the hunt.
As insurance, he’d paid his hacker to send a virus to the lab computers, making them useless. While everyone was scrambling to fix the problem, his men would travel around the canyon creating a distraction, while he fulfilled his part of the plan. If everything went smoothly, in less than a week, he’d be a rich man living on the beach in Mexico, his old life nothing but a memory.
Everything was in place, the hacker only a phone call away and the hunters already converging on the little town he’d chosen as their rendezvous point. Tomorrow they’d all be here and the hunt would be on, a test of wills he knew he would win, after all he had the most at stake. If he was caught hunting on canyon land, the penalties would be stiff, the canyon having been granted Federal protection the year before, but that was not going to happen. Two days from now, if all went well, he’d be a much richer man, a man who could walk away from his old life and start a new one.
Julie woke to a banging on the door, but Sam was the one who stumbled out of bed to answer it. She could hear a hurried conversation in the living room and immediately knew that something was wrong. When she stepped into the room Sam was saying, “All of them. Every single computer?”
“Yes, we can’t figure out where the virus is and until we do there’s nothing we can do,” Jason, their computer tech answered.
“What’s going on?” Julie asked, instantly awake.
“All the computers in the lab have a virus, none of the trackers are working. We’re losing important data,” Sam said, then added, “I need to get to the lab.”
“I’m going too,” Julie said, heading back to the bedroom to get dressed.
Sam followed her. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You know what Faith said about your arm.”
“Sam, my arm is much better, it’s been two weeks the swelling and busing are gone,” Julie said, showing him her arm. “Do you really think I’d stay here? Somethings going on, we’ve got the best security programs on the market, someone planted that virus on purpose.”
Sam sighed, Julie was just as smart as he was, injured arm or not, he wasn’t going to convince her to stay at the cabin. “I think you’re probably right. That virus was put there on purpose and I’ve got a pretty good idea where it came from.”
When they got to the lab, Jason was there furiously tapping away at his computer, the rest of the team was standing behind him looking over his shoulder occasionally making suggestions. Sam took one look at the situation and said, “All right, everybody, give him some space.”
Jason threw a grateful look over his shoulder and went back to work, the rest of the staff gathered around Sam and Julie. “Jason got me up to speed, and for now we need to let him deal with the problem, that’s what he’s here for. I think the rest of us should work on pinpointing where all the moose were when we lost contact,” Sam said, taking control.
“Why?” one of the graduate students asked.
Sam opened his mouth to reply, but just then his brothers came through the door interrupting him. “Jake, what are you doing here?” he asked instead, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
“Scott called and evidently a group of hunters just checked out of a little motel out on the highway, the desk clerk heard them say they were headed here. He wants us all to stay here until he gets here and we can come up with a plan, he’s sure these are the poachers he’s been chasing for the last couple of years,” Jake said.
Sam cussed, then said, “The poachers are responsible for this virus, I’m sure of it now.”
“What are we going to do? The moose are out there unprotected, we can’t cover the whole canyon.” Julie was fighting panic. Then she remembered her laptop. “Wait a second, didn’t Jason say that the virus came in on the server?”
“Yes, so what?” Sam asked, feeling like they were back tracking.
“Sam, when I was tracking the moose from the cabin I logged on through the university server, not ours. We can use my laptop, it won’t have the virus,” Julie said, digging though her saddle bag for her computer.
By the time Scott arrived, they’d hooked her computer up to one of the big screens and pulled up the tracking map. “Okay, I’ve got men waiting for instructions all over the canyon, we can’t cover the whole thing, but if we get lucky we’ll spot them,” he said, turning to Sam and Julie, clearly giving them the lead.
Sam took a second to think, then said, “If the poachers are headed for the canyon then they’re after the moose so we should concentrate on the places where the moose are. They think we’re offline so that gives us and advantage.”
“They’re going to go after the bull,” Julie said. “Someone’s gone to a lot of trouble and expense to get in here and he’s the biggest prize.”
“She’s right,” Jake said. “They’re going to go for the bull.”
“Then we’ll find the bull and be there waiting for them,” Sam said, looking to his brothers.
Scott had been listening and approved of Sam’s plan. “They’re going to have to come in from the top of the canyon, it’s the only way. Find the moose and then watch for them to come down the mountain,” he said, going to the computer map and showing them the most likely place they’d come down. “Unless the moose covered a lot of ground, that’s your best bet. That canyon is an easy ride on horseback, that’s how they’ll come down I’m sure of it.”
“I thought you would come too,” Sam said, to Scott.
“No, I think I’ll stay down here and make sure the other moose are safe, can’t leave the back door open,” he said, getting on the radio and beginning the process of moving men into strategic locations around the park.
“We’ll get our gear and meet you at the ranch, we can leave from there,” Owen said, stepping up to the map and tracing a path from the ranch to the bull moose who was in a valley higher in the mountains.
“I know a few shortcuts up there, we can beat them by several hours if they’re coming the way Scott says,” Flynn said, tracing a different route on the map.
Sam nodded his head. “Perfect, I’ll meet you at the ranch.”
Julie hadn’t said a word during the entire exchange, the plan made sense to her but she had no intention of being left behind. “I’m going too,” she said to the room, looking at each of the men when they turned to stare at her.
Sam was the first one to object. “It’s going to be dangerous. These men are armed and I don’t want you to get hurt again,” he said, crossing the room to stand in front of her.
Julie looked up at him the determination clear on her face. “There’s no way I’m letting you go up there without me. I can shoot a gun just as well as you can, and I’ve already proven myself. I’m going,” she said, jutting her chin out just daring Sam to disagree.
Sam had never seen this side of Julie, but couldn’t help but respect her determination and bravery. “I wouldn’t dream of leaving you behind,” he said, and kissed her right in front of everyone.
“If you too are finished, maybe we could get this show on the road,” Flynn said, but he was smiling just like everyone else, the love between Sam and Julie so clear no one could miss it.
Frank wanted to pat himself on the back, everything was going according to plan. His men were out in the canyon ready to provide a distraction, the hunters were eagerly awaiting his signal to head out, and the bull moose was within easy reach just down a canyon to the north. He’d been lucky again and for that he was thankful, especially since at one point he’d thought that he’d have to abandon the hunt.
But now they were on their way to find the biggest trophy moose that anyone had seen in a long time, not only that but there were a few cows within easy range as well. He’d be getting a couple of nice bonus payments on this job after all. Who knew, they might even be able to track down a few more before morning, the trackers made it all that much easier to find them. The only thing spoiling the fun was the weather, thanks to an unexpected front that had come sweeping in with grey clouds full of moisture.
The forecast called for rain all night long, with the possibility of snow in the higher elevations. He shivered thinking of how cold it might get before morning, but then he thought of the beach in Mexico that would soon be his home and zipped his jacket up a little higher, shrugging off the cold. A night of being uncomfortable was worth a lifetime of comfort and the money he made tonight would assure him all the comfort he wanted.
Giving the signal, they moved into the forest a silent group of men focused on only one thing, the biggest trophy any of them had ever had. The intrigue of hunting in the canyon only fueling their fire all that much more, for many this was the biggest adventure they’d ever been on and worth every penny they’d spent. Each hoped that they’d be the one to bag the big moose, but the prospect of a cow wasn’t abhorrent to them either, after all what a great story they’d have to tell.
Wanting to push everything but the hunt from his mind, Frank made one last call to the men in the canyon then put his phone away. There was nothing that he liked better than a night hunt, the added challenge always welcome and tonight would be even more difficult with the rain, but Frank considered himself one of the most skilled hunters around and he was confident that he’d be victorious at the end of the hunt, anything less was impossible to believe.
As the long line of men disappeared into the forest, each as silent as the first, a series of gunshots could be heard echoing though the canyon and Frank smiled. The last phase of his plan had begun, a few hours from now there would be another volley of shots, a few miles from the first. It would drive the people in the canyon crazy running from one to the next, all the while right above them their precious moose would become trophies for some very privileged men.