Made sense. And if that was the case, Parker hoped like hell that if anyone down there was paying attention to aircraft in the area, they’d missed Zoe earlier.
Staring at the map now, Parker shook his head. What the hell was going on? He had some ideas and didn’t like any of them. One was a niggling suspicion that he’d had for some time now, that a deal had been struck with Carver for his freedom. Pulling out his phone, Parker called Mick.
His informant answered with a gruff “What the hell do you want?”
“Answers,” Parker said.
There was a pause. “I already gave you a shit-ton more than I should have.”
“Which wasn’t all that much.”
“I gave you all I had.”
“Now see,” Parker said. “I doubt that.”
“Ah, man, come on,” Mick whined. “You know I can’t talk to you no more if I want to keep breathing.”
“Tell me enough to catch the Butcher and you have nothing to fear,” Parker countered.
“Jesus, you’re killing me. Did you go to the Rocky Falls area? Cat’s Paw?”
“Yes,” Parker said. “And why Cat’s Paw? Only locals know about that place.”
“Carver grew up there. He’s still got connections.”
“There’s nothing there,” Parker said. “Except a possible militia hideout.”
“Yeah, his brother’s militia,” Mick said. “And that asshole’s as mean as Carver.”
Parker felt his temper stir. “And you left all this out before because . . .?”
“Because you didn’t ask.”
“Or because you were trying to fuck up the investigation,” Parker said. “A federal crime, by the way.”
“No, I wasn’t trying to fuck you up, I swear!”
“Or maybe you were trying to get me killed.”
“No! Man, you’re touchy. It’s nothing like that,” Mick rushed to assure him.
“Then why don’t you tell me what it is like.”
“You asked and I told you, he’s there in Idaho. It got too hot with you guys, specifically you, so he went home to hide out until things cooled off. He knows that entire area inside and out. And it’s a great place to lay low because it’s tough to get to and nearly impossible to sneak up on him. Plus, having grown up on that mountain, he’s got friends and relatives who’ll protect him to the end.”
“By friends and relatives, you mean the people he’s now using as a screen for protection?” Parker asked.
“Well, it’s not like they’re innocents,” Mick said. “His family tree belongs on the walls of post offices and cop shops across the country, if you know what I’m saying.”
“What else am I missing?” Parker asked.
“Nothing! Now do me a favor and lose my number.”
Parker disconnected. Then he called his only other contact in the area besides Wyatt. Kel was a local sheriff and a good one. If anyone knew anything about this, it would be Kel.
“Been a long time,” the sheriff said when he answered. “You’ve been busy, I hear.”
Law enforcement, all divisions and agencies, were like the quad at any high school. Filled with gossip. “Little bit,” Parker said. “And you?”
“I’m thinking you didn’t call to chitchat.”
Directness. Parker appreciated it. “I need to know what’s going on up at Rocky Falls.”
“Why?”
Fair enough question. “A few years ago we arrested what we thought was a small onetime-operation kind of guy for endangered species poaching. He worked the Pacific Northwest, selling skins and other illegal items to a bigger organization. Small fries, but we wanted the bigger cartel so we cut him loose under certain terms.”
“Certain terms,” Kel repeated. “You recruited him as an informant.”
“To help us catch his former boss, Tripp Carver, also known as the Butcher.”
“The guy who killed one of your agents,” Kel said.
“Yeah, and now we’ve got rumors of four point five million dollars in skins and ivory being readied for sale.”
“And you think this Carver is in Rocky Falls with the goods?”
“Specifically at Cat’s Paw.”