Nightwatch

Chapter 32

“I know this place,” said Ranger Glickman as the trail they had been following led into a small clearing.

“A family of poachers named Stoddard have been living here without Forest Service authorization. Our law enforcement officer thought they had moved on.”

“Well, obviously someone’s been living here,” said Ted Callahan, in reference to the wash that still hung from a clothesline, and the checkerboard that lay on the porch of the crude, one room cabin.

“Do the Stoddards have any militia ties?” Thomas questioned.

“Or could they be part of a local movement against a Federal presence in these parts?”

“I can’t answer the first question. Special Agent Kellogg,” said Glickman.

“Though I believe that the family patriarch, Amos Stoddard, could very well harbor a legitimate resentment against the Federal government. If I remember correctly, his father owned quite a bit of riverfront property near Greer Springs. That land was absorbed by the Forest Service against the family’s wishes. Like many others who lost their property at that time, they griped that the price paid was substantially below the fair market value.”

Behind them, the Sappers and the MPs were busy sweeping the campsite for any clues. Captain Christian’s men reported the discovery of several fresh deer carcasses in a nearby cave. An assortment of beaver, opossum, and mink pelts were also found there, along with several barrels of what appeared to be moonshine.

Sergeant Reed’s Sappers were responsible for uncovering the most promising evidence — a set of fresh footprints, headed to the southeast. Ranger Glickman pulled out a detailed topographic map of the area, highlighted their current location, and drew an imaginary line to the southeast.

“It appears that they’re most likely headed into the Irish Wilderness,” she said.

“Could they have another campsite in there?” Ted Callahan queried.

“The entire wilderness is set aside as a minimal-use area,” she answered.

“There are no roads or habitations of any sort. In fact, the only real facility remaining down there is a long-abandoned underground shelter, originally designed by the Strategic Air Command to offer survivable command and control in the event of a nuclear war.”

This unexpected revelation caught Thomas by complete surprise, and he pointed toward the map and asked, “And where is this shelter located?”

Glickman turned the map so Thomas could see her point to the Irish Wilderness; then, when her finger reached the feature labeled Freeman Hollow, she said, “Buried beneath one of the most inaccessible spots of the entire wilderness.”