David Dun - At The Edge

"Suppose he did get a sample of the effluent. How long do we have before they've analyzed it?"

"Three or four days. But what's it going to tell them?" Groiter said.

"It's going to tell them that we're doing something with wood distillates and that it has nothing to do with yew trees."

"It'll tell them that somebody spilled a wood alcohol byproduct in the mine."

"Even that tells them too much. But you can't explain that effluent without understanding the catalyst. So that tells them a lot. Way too much,'' Kenji said.' "Those two fucking lawyers did something the police could never have done without a warrant. Up until now they had no way or reason to get one."

"Once we snatch Fischer, everyone will be distracted."

"I need time," Kenji said. "Sixty days to get this lab wrapped up and moved. We can't hang onto it any longer. We've lost all the effluent and it will be tough to continue working on bulk conversion. Until I get out of the country, I want those two lawyers dead or distracted."

Corey was not averse to all of the wishes of the German. This morning she had to take care of a major detail in what had become their plan to take down Maria Fischer.

In her kitchen after her second cup of green tea, she went to the drawer and removed a razor-sharp fillet knife from the knife rack, then picked up a day pack that she had already loaded. On the way through the garage, she picked up a torch and the TV/VCR player. She climbed into the front seat and turned the key, sending the van rumbling to life.

It took about sixty minutes to drive from her house to the grower's place deep in the mountains at the end of an isolated back road. Jack Morgan was a pot farmer who grew most of his crop on property Corey had acquired with a tiny portion of her father's money. For $10,000 every six months, paid in small-denomination bills, Jack had the use of 160 forested acres with good access to water. Located miles away from any residence, the property was almost surrounded by Forest Service land.

Jack Morgan lived in a two-story yellow farmhouse with gables and a steep-pitched roof. When Corey arrived at the front door, the bearded, balding grower greeted her but didn't invite her in. A short, rail-thin man, Jack Morgan glanced around nervously, obviously not wanting anyone to see him with Corey Schneider.

''Hang loose,'' said Corey. ''You got a tick up your dick? You think there's guys hidin' in the bushes?"

"Let's go out back." Jack led Corey around the back of the house and into a large barn. There he seemed to relax. Reeking of hay and livestock, the place felt like a real farm. Jack stopped just inside the door, near a stack of gray fifty-five-gallon drums marked diesel. They looked military. "I've got workers coming and going-I don't want them spreading rumors I talk to you. There should be no connection between you, me, and that property."

"Fine by me."

"So why did you come?"

"Well, it's like this. You owe me thirty thousand including interest and haven't paid me back. Furthermore, you have ten thousand in rent coming due."

"Two of my places got raided. It's only a couple of months till the crop comes in. I borrowed the money for planting. You know that."

"You're late, Jack."

"I don't have it. Spent it on lawyers after the raid. They got the pot and my lawyers got what money I had."

"Fortunately for you, I have a way you can work your way out of this. Somebody will pay you the forty grand you need to pay me."

Jack eyed her suspiciously. ''I can pay you the forty grand after the harvest. I thought you understood that."

"I need the money now. I have a plan I'm working on, and you're going to help me. One Maria Fischer has gone over to the other side, and you are going to help me detain her and ask her a few questions."

''I don't know, Corey. I gotta keep a kinda low profile out here, you know? I don't know that I wanna get involved."

"Way I see it, Jack, you don't have much choice. Cops could find out about this place in a hurry, for sure."

"But I'm on your land too."

"They don't have to find out about that. And even if, for whatever reason, you are dumb enough to tell them about my place over by the South Fork, I never go there. So I rent you some property. I'm not responsible for anything illegal you have going on, am I?"

"They could take your land."

"Oh sure, after they take your farm and put you and your family behind bars."

"You'd do that?"

"Damn right, Jack."

Jack looked torn.

"I saw Otran's mouthpiece go into Maria Fischer's room at the Palmer Inn. I know the right-thinking people in this movement might care if their all-star, troublemakin' bitch is in heat for the Otran guy."

Jack grinned despite himself. "Hard to imagine two lawyers who don't want to screw each other, though."

"And the rest of us too," Corey added. "Anyway, here's how I have it figured. Why don't we get her out here, and use a little persuasion to get her to tell her story on tape? I know she's been taking big money from the timber industry."

"No lie?"

"Believe me, I know it."

"The law will try to do something, but there won't be a lot of heat. If we're careful, they won't catch us."

"Are you nuts, man? We'll go to jail, and they'll throw away the key," Jack retorted.

"They won't know who did it."

"Leave me out of this one. This is way over my head."

"I need your help," Corey said.

"I don't know, Corey. This just isn't for me."

"You can skip two ten-thousand payments when we pull this off. That's not insignificant. On top of that, you get five extra acres of good ground, with water, for the same money you pay now."

Jack frowned and shook his head. "No, I just don't think so."

Slowly he looked into Corey's eyes. She knew that what he saw there scared the hell out of him, causing him to back away tentatively. With her right hand Corey drew her army. 45 from the back of her pants and moved with him, step for step, the gun inches from Jack's chest. With her left she pulled a Taser stun gun. "I know you pretty well, Jack. I figured that would be your reaction."

"Take it easy, Corey. You and I both know you aren't going to shoot me."

Corey made it a point to smile her crazy smile.

There was a snapping sound and Jack grabbed his chest as he fell backward.

Effortlessly Corey rolled him over and put plastic tie-wraps on his wrists, pinning his hands behind his back. From her pocket she removed a black hood, then sat on the floor holding Jack's head in her lap. In a moment he became coherent.

"What are you gonna do?"

She put the hood over his face.

"Don't hurt me."

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"I'll do whatever you say."

"You don't sound convincing, Jack." She shoved a can of pepper spray under the hood and released a two-second squirt.

Jack convulsed and gasped with a convincing death rattle. She removed the hood.

"Now don't fight me, Jack. We're just going to have a little talk."

Corey scanned the barn. She grabbed a line hanging from the rafters, probably for hanging deer or a slaughtered cow. Quickly she fashioned a noose, then put it over Jack's head and pulled until he was lifted up on his knees. The noose was tight, but not choking him completely. Next she located two concrete blocks and had Jack stand with one foot on each. Adjusting the rope so that Jack would hang himself if he moved from the blocks, Corey stood back.

"We need to have a discussion. It's tough for a woman to convince a man that she's the big dog. I could fix that by making you not a man, Jack."

"I'll do anything you want," said Jack.

"Oh no, Jack, it's not going to be that easy. You'll tell me whatever I want to hear, then welsh later-maybe shoot me in the back. No, I want real sincerity."