Page 65 of Operation: Unify

He nodded his agreement and headed back over to the team. Trent, the Special Agent in Charge was splitting men up and giving them quadrants to look. When he mentioned the cabins, Connor had to step forward and speak up.

“I don’t mind if you look through them, but don’t leave a hint of your presence. These guests have had every privacy violatedand I refuse to let them feel like their private homes have been violated again. I understand the need to search, but please be mindful of the people whose homes you are searching.” He held up his hand to defer back to Trent.

“Understood, thank you. My men will be careful and cognizant.” He continued splitting men and issuing orders.

Connor again wished he’d taken the time to charge his phone. A rookie mistake. If he had that one thing, he could check where Lacy’s phone was and know if she was okay or not. He’d know where she was hidden. That might even tell them where to look for the last two men if they had her, and he hoped they didn’t.

“It’s been quiet on the ranch for the last twenty-five minutes.” Trent raised his voice. “Four of the six men have been captured and no one has returned to the cars they abandoned at the road. Edwyn tells me he is in contact with the security team, and no one has crossed the perimeter of the grounds, at least, not where there are cameras. I have been told there are no cameras in some areas though, so I’ll send teams to those next.”

Since the Homestead was so new, they hadn’t put up cameras there yet. Nadine had been flying her drone over the area at random times, but that didn’t make a consistent net like the cameras did. In most cases, the reason they didn’t have cameras was because there were no trees nearby. Without cover, most predators—animal or human—avoided those spots.

He’d add cameras over there after this. That way, he’d know in an instant that all those living over there were fine. He stood back as Junior and Sam were sent on ATV to check two sections of fence, one being the area connected to the Homestead.

“Check the homes last. If anyone was there who shouldn’t be, someone would’ve called security by now,” Trent said as he waved them off.

That left Connor, Ross, and Trent still standing there. “Connor, you know this place better than anyone. I want you to think about places you would specifically hide if you wanted to evade being seen.”

The pastures were too wide-open. While there were random groups of trees and some areas that had lots of trees outside the pasture, within them, the trees were sparce providing almost no cover. The buildings were populated, that posed a threat to anyone looking to hide. Though, he had to admit being behind closed doors was a draw. Wyoming in winter wasn’t a hospitable climate to spend great amounts of time outside. The dog kennels would provide shelter, but the dogs themselves were a bigger risk than the humans.

“If I wanted to hide on Wayside land and I didn’t want to be found, plus have some protection from the elements, I’d hide in the little chapel.” It was rarely used, except on Sundays. The door was always unlocked. The only drawback was the windows were dark yellow stained glass to keep the building private. If anyone was inside, there was no way to see them without risking injury because anyone inside could see out.

“Are there cameras that are close to it?” Trent asked.

He never thought the chapel needed to be secured. It wasn’t near any of the homes or barns and it was small. The only other shed out there was filled with hats where new guests could go to pick out their very own cowboy hat. That building was kept locked though. It was one of the few buildings onsite that was always secured because the wares were owned by a man in town, not Connor.

“No. The closest is the barn and if someone kept close to the barn, they could easily get around the cameras. Assuming they know where the cameras are.” And most people didn’t know they were there.

“Do you think Viceroy would know about them?” Trent crossed his arms and waited for an answer.

Enough of Viceroy’s men had been on Wayside land when they’d broken in before that it was likely they knew of the cameras, if not where they were. Since they informed guests that the cameras were there and generally where they were, there was a chance that when Dee was captured, she could’ve told Viceroy’s wife where the cameras were. She was drugged and there was no way to know what she said.

“It’s possible, though not likely.” Dee had no reason to know the location of every single camera.

“Humor me. If I was a high-level criminal looking to avoid prison, I’d assume there were cameras everywhere. What you’re telling me is that it is possible the two missing men could be in that church. Right?”

“It seems the most plausible place. Though, I doubt they would’ve known to go there. They probably found it by accident. We leave it unlocked. There are candles and lighters inside for those who need that, and the temperature inside is kept at 65 degrees. Very comfortable as opposed to outside.”

“Agreed. While the others are looking on foot, let’s head there and see what we find. If there are candles lit that we can see from outside, we’ll know someone has been in there recently. They may be using them to warm the building up more.”

“Yeah, I purposely don’t leave a thermostat visible in there. If you warm it any more than that and more than a handful of people are in there, it gets too hot. We leave the temperature where it is for that reason. There are no pipes to freeze since there’s no plumbing to that building.”

Which meant they couldn’t stay there long if that’s where they’d chosen to hide. “What is the goal here? That chapel isn’t near an escape. I can’t imagine what they’re planning.” And he hoped it didn’t involve murdering anyone who opened the doors.

“If we find them inside, we’ll try to make contact with them first. The best and easiest way for this to shake out is for both of them to give themselves up. That doesn’t always happen, but it’s what we aim for. No one wants a shootout.”

Connor agreed but knowing what Viceroy was capable of doing and what he’d face in prison, he doubted this would be an easy thing to accomplish. “Do you have someone with you who is good at negotiating?” If not, he could try to find Ali, Eric’s wife. She’d been a military lawyer at one time and was good at negotiating.

“I do. We’ll try to get this situation neutralized quickly. I know all your people want to get home. Is there a way to control the temperature in there from anywhere else?” Trent looked optimistic.

“Yes, from my office. Why?”

“Let’s assume they are there. Since we know there are no pipes to freeze, turn off the heat to the chapel. They won’t freeze, but they’ll get mighty uncomfortable in there.”

“Like I said, there’s no water out there. If they light a fire to keep warm, all they have is the little fire extinguisher in the corner. That would have to be used almost immediately or the whole building will go up in flames.”

Dad had built that chapel for him from nothing. He’d laid the foundation and done all the work himself. That chapel had been the place where many of his guests had found Jesus. He didn’t want to see it destroyed by Viceroy.

“We should be able to see even small flames inside, even those from candles. If they light a fire any bigger than a candle, we’ll bust inside.”

---