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Owen sighed. This was turning into a he said—he said situation, and in this convoluted mess, the truth would never be found. He was becoming more and more sure that the truth was, in fact, waiting behind that tall wooden fence.
"If you've got nothing to hide, then why would you mind us looking inside your premises?" May asked. "Because that's what is going to happen. Unfortunately, you are in the middle of the area we need to search. So, because of the urgency of the situation, we're going to have to go and get a warrant and then come back again. And we will come back. We’ll get it done urgently, and you can expect us back in less than two hours."
Owen glanced at May, surprised. It would surely take more time to do that. Would it not be a waste of time for them to do it? Or was May embarking on some kind of a clever psychological bluff? Now that Owen thought about it, he thought she was bluffing. There was a reason why she was saying this, and there was something she hoped to achieve by doing it.
So yet again, he nodded supportively.
It was clear that the mention of the warrant had struck a nerve. Gary's fists were clenched. He was glaring at May with his shoulders tensed.
"You won't find anything," he growled.
"So, you won't mind if we come back with the warrant, then?" Owen asked, jutting his chin, making sure to act the part of a bullying cop and play into their hands. He wasn't sure what direction May was taking with this, but he could now see that she had a plan in mind. And if she'd wanted to defuse the situation, she would have handled it in a different way. She didn't want to defuse it. She wanted this guy angry. Owen could see that, and he was ready to help.
"This is unacceptable!" Gary roared. "You police are scum. Bullying scum. And I’m done talking to you. Get out. Close the gate,” he snapped to his son.
Owen saw May draw herself upright.
"Right, Mr. Cousins. I'm warning you. I'm going to get a search warrant because that's what's needed. We're going to come back with a team. And you," she said, fixing him with an icy stare, "are not going to stop me."
She turned around and marched to the car.
Owen hurried after her and climbed in, with his mind racing. A blend of frustration and curiosity filled him as May drove off slowly. There was no other choice but to go slow, along this damaged and uneven track.
"We're not really going to get a search warrant, right?" he asked. "That was a bluff?"
May nodded. "Yes. We could get a warrant, but it would take too much time. Realistically, it would take another few hours at the earliest."
"And by then, he could easily have moved or hidden anything that was there?" Owen asked. Now, he thought he saw what May was doing.
"Correct. So, if he has anything to move or hide, anything illegal that will get them in serious trouble during a search, he’ll do it immediately. That’s why I gave him the two-hour time limit. So that he knows he has to hustle. We're going to double back, and watch the place, and see if we can see any signs of activity. Of something being hidden, or people being moved."
Owen felt amped. That was a great idea. May's bluff would encourage these men to make a quick move, knowing the police would be back. And then all they had to do was watch.
"Why not park there?" he suggested, seeing a place where the trail veered sharply to the left, creating an overgrown screen of cover.
"Good idea," May said.
Owen climbed out, because the gap in the bushes was so narrow that once the car was in, there would be no way to open the passenger door.
May eased the car inside until it was hidden from view. Then she climbed out and squeezed herself out of the small space.
"By now, they should be working out how much time they have," she said. "They know how long until we get back. So, I think they'll be making their move—if they're going to do so—right now. It will be panic stations. They’ll want to have things in order before there's any chance of us coming back. Assuming, of course, that they have the women.”
"We need a vantage point to watch them from," Owen said.
Up ahead, he could hear the sounds of the men at work. There was a heavy diesel engine starting up, and that noise alerted all his instincts. May must have been right. She usually was. They must be planning to move something.
They crept closer, circling around to the south of the militia's wooden buildings, keeping in the cover of the trees. Owen knew this was a precarious situation. If they were going to do thissuccessfully, they had to keep out of sight, because if the men knew they were there, they would just lock down.
Owen felt as if all his nerves were tingling as he crept through the trees. How could they get close enough to see? Were there any gaps in this fence? Was there a side entrance, or a place where the wooden walls were lower?
There was something threatening about these squat wooden buildings, so solid and heavy and dark. Without a doubt, he thought, they had something to hide. But what? Was it the abducted women? Was there a bunker in there somewhere where captives were being brutally held?
Now he could hear activity, taking place in a clearing near the buildings.
"Let's head further round," May breathed to him.
They crept along, easing their way forward through the cold, damp woods, trying to get a view of what the militia was doing behind the walls.
