CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
A half hour later
Saturday early-morning
March 29 – 12:07 A.M. CDT
Rio Grande River
Alex looked out across the water. Mexico and the Santa Elena Canyon Protected Area stretched to her right. They passed small dwellings tucked among the reeds and bushes along the bank of the Rio Grande. On her left, Bend National Park hillside rose in a sage and cactus encrusted hillside.
They crept along the Rio Grande in six canoes. Each canoe held three people: a Texas Ranger, one of her men and either a guide, a United States Border Patrol officer or a Mexican Grupa Beta. Trece sat behind the guide in the first canoe. White Boy rode in the last canoe.
They put in at Castolon Visitor’s Center. Using small outboard motors, they made great time along the Rio Grande. Shortly after passing Woodsons Campground, they shut off the motors to paddle.
Alex wouldn’t begin the mission until every man could recite each boy’s name, his mother’s name, his age, and approximately what he looked like. White Boy and Trece carried backpacks full of supplies. They were prepared for seven missing boys.
Their silenced weapons were prepared for the captors.
They would complete this mission in silence. No one spoke since entering the water. They had complete radio blackout. To avoid temptation, no one brought a radio or walkie talkie. They left Vince’s cell phone with Max at the Visitor’s Center. Even Alex’s pocket computer was off.
They inched their way along the river. The only sound was the soft slap of the paddles in the Rio Grande.
Raising his arm, the guide indicated they were nearing Tally Campground. They would leave the Border Patrol, and guides, at Tally Campground and move forward with the Texas Rangers. Alex and the men would enter the mine while the Texas Rangers subdued the men in the trailer.
At least that was the plan.
Standing at the Tally Campground landing, Alex looked up at the ten mile hike in front of her. Less than two days ago, she’d fought with the Boy Scout and lost her Simon. Her pain ranged from the deep loss in her heart to the dull ache of her broken left arm. She dreaded the hike.
Yet, when Colin and Trece took off jogging up the hill, she fell in place behind them. Raz jogged beside her. Troy and White Boy closed rank. The Texas Rangers followed the soldiers. They ran straight up the hill until they were in sight of the mine complex. They slowed to a quiet walk.
The soldiers crept toward the entrance of the mine. The mine was sealed by a plywood barrier with a padlocked wooden door near the center. Taking a pair of bolt cutters from his pack, Trece watched for Alex’s signal to cut the lock. With weapons drawn, the Texas Rangers moved to cover the trailer’s door and windows.
On her right hand, Alex counted down: Five – Four – Three – Two – One.
On one, Trece clipped the padlock and White Boy bashed the wood at the entrance of the mine.
The soldiers ran into the mine.
Flipping on their headlamps, the men moved at a rapid but silent pace through the tunnel. A half mile into the mine, Trece and White Boy fell back to make sure no one entered or exited the behind them. Alex and Raz took the lead.
The sound of the Texas Rangers gunfire reached them and Alex started running. Troy – a faster more accomplished runner – passed Alex and Raz. Colin ran a foot behind Troy until he turned to investigate a side tunnel.
Alex reached the side tunnel when Colin gave a low whistle.
He’d found a child.
White Boy gave two low whistles indicating he would assist Colin.
With Troy ahead, and Raz at her side, Alex continued forward. Reaching the mine office, Troy skid to a stop and spun in place. Tipping his head to the side, he listened.
The mineshaft was silent. Only the drip from a distant water leak broke the tomb-like stillness. When Alex and Raz reached the mine office, Troy held his fingers to his lips. He shook his head then pointed to his ears.
No sound.
Alex pointed to Raz and Troy. The men moved forward with bright flashlights. Searching in every dark corner outside of the mine office, they shook their heads.
Nothing.
Uneasy, the men retreated to her side. They had expected to meet the captors here.
So far, they saw only dust and silence. Alex crept to the mine office. Pressing herself against the wall, she counted down.
Three – Two – One.
Troy kicked open the office door. The door swung back and forth on its hinges.
Squeak. The door swung into the office.
Squawk. The door swung toward them.
Nothing.
Hearing movement inside the office, Troy and Raz dropped to their stomachs.
Nothing.
Alex pulled her handguns to firing position. In one quick movement, she caught the door with her knee. Troy flipped to standing and drew his weapon to stand behind her. Raz belly crawled forward to cover them from the behind. She waited until the men were in place before stepping into the doorway.
Sensing movement to her right, she turned to fire.
Two-year-old Cory Joiner ran straight toward them. Alex stepped to the side. Troy caught the toddler before he ran into the mine. Alex swept to her left.
Nothing.
Where were the captors?
The child in Troy’s arms screeched in terror. Too young for real words, he flailed at Troy. As if he had done it every day of his life, Troy holstered his weapons, found a Snicker’s bar in his back pocket, unwrapped the candy and held it out all while holding the writhing child. Still screaming, the boy grabbed the candy with both hands.
Raz flicked on the office lights.
They were standing in a makeshift bedroom. Three boys were tucked into fouled blankets toward the edges of the room. Raz bent to the child closest to him then shook his head.
Five-year-old Marvin Joiner was dead.
Kneeling next to a boy, whose face was pressed into the wall, Alex pressed her fingers into his neck. The boy was alive! When she rolled him onto his back, he groaned.
Tristan Joiner’s eyes fluttered. Slits of blue showed through purple, swollen eyes. Dropping to her knees, Alex held her water bottle near his mouth. His broken and bruised lips opened and she poured a tiny amount of water in his mouth.
“I knew you’d come,” Tristan whispered.
He slipped back into unconsciousness.
With care, Alex set his head back onto the ground. Looking up, she saw Raz pull a filthy blanket over ten-year-old Daniel Joiner’s face. They found four boys. Two dead. Two alive.
No captors.
Alex looked up at the sound of a low whistle. Colin and White Boy were close. When White Boy appeared in the door, Alex pointed to Cory. White Boy took Cory from Troy and ran from the mine.
“What did you find?” Using American Sign Language, Alex asked to Colin.
“David Joiner.” Colin signed back. His face was lined with sorrow. “He’s been dead for at least a week, maybe two.”
Alex held up two fingers. They were missing two boys: Kyle and Cody. Colin and Troy nodded.
Raz stood with his hands on his hips in front of what looked like a solid wall. Raz shook his head. He pointed toward the wall. Troy pressed his head against the wall. They had expected a small room there. But there was no sign of a door.
There were quick footfalls moving toward them in the mine. Nudging the door closed, Colin switched off the overhead light. They shut off their headlamps and drew their weapons.
Crouching in the dark of the putrid office, Alex vowed to find the men responsible for this horror. Her rage for Cee Cee Joiner burned in her belly.
The footsteps slowed to walking. The men braced to respond.
The door creaked open.
A flapping white cowboy hat appeared in the doorway. The Texas Rangers moved into the office. Their bright faces broadcast their success. The men in the trailer were neutralized.
Alex pointed to Tristan. The leader of the Rangers nodded his head and pointed his directions to his men. The four men, two on each side, thread their forearms under Tristan. With gentle care, they lifted the boy from the ground and carried him from the office.
While the Rangers worked, Raz ran his hands over the wood panel until he found the edges of a door. Stepping to the side, Raz signaled for Alex, Troy and Colin to move away from the door. He gave swift press and the latch of the door opened. The door swung about half open. Troy, Colin and Alex held their positions.
Nothing.
Alex pointing Troy and Raz to the wall. With Colin at her back, she pulled the door open.
Shock registering on her body. She stopped moving. Colin gasped.
Unconscious, but alive, Cody and Kyle Joiner were duct taped to wooden chairs. The undercarriage of each chair was filled with Tovex 800 explosives. The Tovex sausages were wired and set for explosion. The wires from the explosives went toward a computer, hooked on the opposite wall, for remote detonation. There was enough Tovex to bury them forever in this mine.
Alex held Colin back. She pointed to a corner where a webcam broadcast the children to the Internet. Colin moved again to rescue the children. Alex leaned into him to keep him in one place. She let go of the door and it swung shut.
Alex signaled for Troy, Raz and the two remaining Texas Rangers to follow her into the mine. Once there, she closed the door to the office. She held up one finger for them to wait. Turning on her pocket computer, she weighed her options in her mind.
There was no way to know when they would detonate. Keeping everyone underground was a terrible risk. They would definitely detonate if they thought Alex or her men were inside the room.
“The boys are alive, Alexandra,” Jesse said in Spanish. “The computer is counting down.”
“How long?” she signed to Jesse.
“Eleven minutes. Give or take.”
“Do you know where they are?” Alex set her watch to mark down eleven minutes.
“I’ve been with you,” Jesse said. “If you shut the power it will go off immediately. If you remove the boys, you have two minutes before it blows. There’s also a battery charge… I can’t tell what it will do.”
“More bombs,” Alex signed to Jesse.
Colin pressed passed Troy and Raz. Signing to Alex he asked, “Who the fuck are you talking to?”
Alex made Jesse’s angel sign.
“Oh, you can talk,” Jesse said.
“What about cell phones?” Alex asked out loud in Spanish.
“Ma’am, you will have to go to the surface for a signal,” the leader of the Texas Rangers said.
“What he said,” Jesse said. “I’m going back to the kids. Get going lazy butt.”
“Ok, we have a little less than nine minutes before this blows,” Alex said. “The children are alive. If we cut the power, the bombs will blow. If we move the boys, it blows.”
While her eyes watched the men react, the wheels in her head kept moving.
“Colin, Raz and you guys,” she pointed to the Rangers. “I need you to go to the door – just to the door. Wait for my signal.”
The men started to move.
“Before you go, you should know there’s a risk of explosion.”
“There’s a risk now,” Colin said. “Plus, you’ll get us out of here.”
Alex wished she had his confidence. Nodding to Colin, she looked down at her pocket computer.
“Troy, I need you to get this pocket computer to the top. When there, click the icon marked ‘pulse’ twice. That’s an electromagnetic pulse so be sure to put the cover back on the computer.” Looking at her watch, she said, “You have seven and a half minutes to get there and get to Trece. He’ll know what to do.”
Troy took her pocket computer and sprinted the half mile to the mine entrance. Letting out a breath, Alex entered the mine office.
“We can speak but softly. We aren’t sure what the webcam will pick up,” she said. “We are going to pulse the area. The pulse will disable all electronic equipment including anything you have on your person.”
“We didn’t bring any,” Raz said.
“Good,” she said. “The boys are hooked to the Internet. My guess is they planned to blow them with Joiner watching. I have a lead shielded electromagnetic pulse safe satellite blocker. Raz, you will have to disconnect the children from the battery in the computer.”
“Got it.”
“Colin, grab the boys.”
“Sure,” Colin said.
“Sirs,” Alex addressed the Texas Rangers. “I need you to get in the room. Fast and dirty then help Colin get the children out of the room.”
“Consider it done,” the Rangers gave her a two finger salute.
“This is the order of things, electromagnetic pulse, disable satellite, grab the boys, and hope for the best. I will wait in the tunnel for the signal.”
Alex stood facing the entrance of the mine. The eerie silence and damp wind sent shivers up her spine. The dark seemed to surround her.
“Don’t go there,” Jesse said. He appeared at her side. “You’re not in the room.”
“I’m in a mine in Texas. My name is Alexandra Hargreaves.” She began the technique she used to keep herself from going into PTSD flashbacks. “I’m a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army.”
A loud catcall echoed through the tunnel. Trece’s signal. She flicked the satellite blocker and ran into the office.
“GO!”
The Rangers smashed the door. Raz ran to the computer and Colin rushed to the boys. Dropping to her knees, Alex grabbed the wires which connected the boys to the computer and cut through them with her Leatherman Freestyle knife. By the time she had cut the last wire, Colin and the men were lifting the boys from the chairs. The Texas Ranger’s carried the boys out of the mine. Colin helped Alex to her feet.
“Got it,” Raz said.
“Let’s get out of here,” Alex said. “We have three minutes until original detonation. I don’t want to risk it blowing.”
They raced through the mine. With Colin ahead, and Raz in the middle, Alex followed as fast as her grinding hip would allow. They were almost to the second mine shaft when Raz turned, as if to catch a football, to look for her.
A large explosion rocked the mine shaft.
F
Learning to Stand is the second novel in the Alex the Fey thriller series
written by Claudia Hall Christian.
The novel is available in paperback at Amazon, our store, your local library and bookstore.
Entire chapters are be published at
StoriesbyClaudia.com and AlextheFey.com.
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