06 Uncovering Hidden Treasure by Karen Ward Page B

at the construction
site? Couldn't we go there and check out the tire tread on all of
the dark extended cab trucks and see if we can match the one we
found at the cave this morning? It is not all that common. Then we
could get a plate number off the truck and maybe even follow them
back to where they have Sam."
    Scoot says, "Now that is a worthwhile
suggestion. You and Pinky head to the construction site and check
the trucks. I'm going to ask Leaf Leblanc to do some research about
this legend and see if he can get any details about where the cave
might be located. I want Goose to go to the hospital in Cody and
get checked for any signs of a concussion. Then Bear and I are
going back up to where we got the hit last night on the infrared
camera and see if we missed anything."
    ******
    When Pinky and Stump reach the construction
site they start by pinpointing the trucks they want to examine, a
total of four. They have to be very careful to not been seen. The
parking area is a short distance down a path from the actual
construction area so Stump makes his way through the woods to the
site where he can watch for anyone that might be headed toward the
parking area. Pinky examines the trucks. Three of the four vehicles
he examines are an exact match of the tire tread. He radios Stump
to return and they leave the area with the license numbers, makes,
models and exact colors of the vehicles.
    ******
    Once they are away from the area, Stump calls
Barry Farrady at the ranch and gives him the information. Barry
runs the license plates through their government databases and gets
the owner's information on each of the three vehicles. Because
Drake Security does a lot of work for the government and has the
highest security clearance they have access to all of the
government's databases. He calls Stump with the information he
retrieves.
    "Stump, this is Barry. One of the trucks, the
black one, came back registered to a Jack Dempsey. His background
shows he is working as a construction superintendent at
Yellowstone. What's interesting is his previous job was as a museum
curator for the state of Wyoming at the Wyoming State Museum in
Cheyenne. He left after he was put under suspicion for theft of
artifacts from the museum. No charges were ever filed because they
haven't been able to recover any of the missing items."
    Stump says, "Well, that falls right in with
our theory then. What about the other two trucks?"
    Barry continues, "The dark blue truck is
registered to Zeke Marshall. He is a transient that works mainly
construction. He has a rap sheet a mile long, mostly misdemeanors.
He does have one felony assault charge out of Michigan."
    Stumps heart begins pounding. Damn! He
asks,"What about the third one?"
    Barry says, "The dark green truck is
registered to Jeffrey Whitmore, head ranger at Yellowstone National
Park."
    Stump says, "That's interesting. I didn't see
Jeffrey around the site when we were checking the trucks. Thanks
Barry."
    Pinky suggests, "Maybe his kid has a summer
job working at the construction site or something."
    Stump adds, "That's possible. I remember
seeing a skinny black kid helping the masonry guys. That must be
it. We probably should get Scoot to ask him though."
    When Pinky and Stump arrive back at the
ranch, the others are still gone. Stump pleads, "Pinky, let's make
a pass over the park and see if we can see anything, please. I
really would like to find her before those guys leave work."
    Pinky says, "I don't guess it can't hurt
anything. Let's go. A severe storm front is forecast to move
through later today."
    Stump calls Scoot to let him know where they
are headed.
    ******
    Samantha is awakened early the morning after
her abduction by the older of the two men untying her feet. He
leads her to the bathroom, unties her hands, and leaves her alone.
She checks for her derringer and discovers it and the holster are
gone. Damn! After she completes her business, he leads her back to
the bed and attaches her to the