Back in Shoshoni, Jimmy parked the pickup truck in the parking lot of the Sheriff’s station and went in. The duty officer looked up from his magazine. “Jimmy. You’re back. What happened?”
”I had to take someone somewhere. I will be in the squad-room, using the phone.”
The duty officer shrugged, making a note on the logsheet, then returned to his magazine. Jimmy went into the squad-room and sat down in front of the visiphone. First, he called Chattanooga information, but found no listing for the Defenders. Then he called FORCE.
”Hello, this is FORCE. How may we help you?” the woman said, looking out of the screen at him.
”My name is Jimmy Rainbird. I am a deputy with the Shoshoni Sheriff’s Department in Shoshoni, Wyoming. I need to get in touch with the Defenders, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.”
”We can take that message for you and deliver it.”
”No. I need to talk to them.”
”Can you tell me what this is about?”
”I need to talk to the Defenders on a private matter.”
”Well, I’m sorry,” the FORCE operator said, “but I can’t give you their number for personal business.”
”I did not say it was personal, I said it was private. I need to give a message from one Defender to another. And you do not need to give me their number, just give me a connection.”
”I will have to speak to my supervisor. One moment, please.”
After a few moments, a heavyset man with a deep voice came on the line. “May I help you?”
Jimmy identified himself and repeated his request.
”If you give us the message, I will see that it is delivered promptly.”
”I’m sorry, sir. I promised to deliver it personally.”
”Very well, sir. One minute, please, while I connect you.”
Jimmy waited. At last, a young man appeared on the screen. He said, “Defenders. Can we help you?”
”My name is Jimmy Rainbird, with the Shoshoni Sheriff Department. I have a message from Antointte.”
”Go ahead, sir.”
”First of all, what is her last name?”
There was a momentary pause. The man’s eyes flicked away from the visiphone camera, then he said, “Duval.”
”And what kind of bird does she change into?”
”A hawk.”
”Wrong,” Jimmy said. “If you do not connect me with the Defenders immediately, I will file charges of telephone fraud against you, and I will tell the newspapers about this.”
There was a long pause, then the heavyset man reappeared. “All right, Deputy Rainbird, you win.”
After several moments, the screen lit up with the face of a young man. “Hello, this is the Defenders. May we help you?”
”My name is Deputy Rainbird, with the Shoshoni Sheriff’s Department. I have a message from Antoinette.”
The man sat foreward suddenly. “From Miss Duval? Please wait while I get Magnum on the line.” He turned, speaking urgently into a hush-phone.
A moment later, an older man appeared in the screen. “Hello, my name is Magnum, Director of the Defenders. You have a message from Miss Duval?”
”First,” Jimmy said, “what kind of bird does she change into?”
Magnum looked at him quizzically. “She doesn’t change into a bird of any kind, she changes into a tiger.”
Jimmy nodded. “And what is her relationship with Tracker?”
”They’re close friends. Very close. Or were. May I ask you why you are asking me these questions?”
”To be sure that you are who you say you are. FORCE has been acting oddly, insisting that I give them your message, pretending to be the Defenders. But Antoinette asked that I give it to you personally. FORCE finally gave me a connection to you, but I would assume that they are monitoring it. Shall I continue?”
”Yes, please.”
”Very well. I met her in rough country about twenty kilometers southeast of Shoshoni. She gave me her name, said that Tracker was in trouble and that she was following him, and asked that I tell you where I met her and that she was going northwest. I took her about two hundred miles west on US Route 26, dropping her off at the junction with State Route 191 in the Grand Tetons National Park.”
”Thank you very much, Deputy. We have a search team in the area. If they need to talk to you, can they contact you?”
”Certainly. I’ll be here at the Sheriff’s office for the next hour, they can contact me here.” He gave Magnum the number.
”Thank you again, Deputy. Defenders out.”
* * * * *
The airbus continued northwest, cruising in a lazy-S pattern and scanning for any signs of the tiger. It was after midnight when the radio beeped. After a moment, Captain Jones said, “Team Leader, Base is calling.”
Scott nodded to him. “Thanks.” He flipped a switch. “Base? Scott here.”
”Scott. Magnum here. We have just received a call from a Sheriff’s Deputy Jimmy Rainbird, in Shoshoni, Wyoming. He apparently picked up Antoinette and drove her another two hundred miles further on, letting her off, around twenty-three hundred hours, in the Grand Tetons National Park. Antoinette pointed out her heading to the deputy as northwest. If you want to contact him, call the Sheriff’s station in Shoshoni and ask for him.”
”Roger. We’ll go see him. Perhaps we can pick up a few more details on her plans or condition.” Scott said.
”Fine,” Magnum said. “But Scott, FORCE is apparently acting very oddly on this. They tried to force the Deputy to give them the message to relay to us, even to the point of pretending to be us.”
”Yes,” Scott cut in. “Antoinette apparently asked the Nebraska Patrol to call FORCE and have them get in touch with us. Did you get that call from FORCE?”
”Nope,” Magnum said. “I’m going to start calling some of the FORCE higher-ups that I know and see what is going on. In the meantime, be wary with FORCE.”
”Will do, sir. Scott out.”
”Three signal flares, Team Leader, as promised.”
The airbus settled gently to the ground. Scott and Marsha stepped out and walked over to the two men in the shadows. “Deputy Rainbird?”
One of the men stepped forward. “I am Jimmy Rainbird.”
Scott smiled. “I’m Scott Nolan and this is Marsha Jones. Is this the woman you picked up?” Marsha held out a picture of Antoinette copied from the base records.
Jimmy took the picture and looked at it. “Yes.” Then he glanced at the second image and his eyes widened. “Is this the one she calls Tracker?”
Marsha nodded. Jimmy said something in his own tongue and held out the photos to the other man. He looked, then made a brief gesture.
Jimmy handed the photos back, after another long look. Marsha put it back into her pouch. “How did Antoinette seem to be?”
”She was very tired and hungry, but otherwise appeared to be in good health.”
”Come into the airbus and show me on the map where you let her off,” Scott said.
They followed the Defenders inside. Their eyes locked onto Sasha, lying curled up on a rug beside Louis, grooming her forearm. Her tail twitched as she noted their intent gaze. Scott led them forward to the cockpit and sat down at the observer’s station. Flicking on the monitor in the console, he brought up a map of the Grand Tetons. “Now, Deputy, please show me where you let her off.” After studying the map for a few moments, the deputy made a small, careful circle with the stylus Scott handed him.
He hit ‘Save’, then stood. “Thank you, Deputy. Did she say anything about where she was going or what she was doing?”
”Only that someone had stolen the one called Tracker, and that she went to get him back.”
Scott nodded. “Thank you. You’ve helped a lot.”
”Yes,” Marsha said. “Thank you for helping my friend, Antoinette.”
”It was my privilege. When you find her, would you give her this, from the Shoshoni?” He handed her a small package neatly wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string.
”Yes, I will,” Marsha said, taking the package and putting it in a drawer by her leg. “And again, thank you.” He nodded silently, shook Scott’s hand and turned to leave.
