Hidden Threats

By Ray Derby

Hidden Threats is a mystery/thriller involving a terrorist plot that places the United States in the gravest of danger. As visitors go missing in our national parks, a dog named Queenie causes the discovery of a plot while helping in the search attempt to find her family. The search team finds a vast hidden underground facility filled with bicycles and motorcycles...hundreds and hundreds of them.

An investigation of these occurrences takes on an urgency when many hidden underground facilities are discovered across the country in our national parks. It is also discovered that a large group of individuals has infiltrated U.S. law enforcement agencies at all levels, political positions, and federal services, shielding their identities until they can initiate their destructive plan.

The enormity of these findings is elevated to the White House. The president orders Sheriff David Wilson, Deputy Kay Jackson and the sheriff's brother, Bob, the director of an anti-terrorist program out of Washington, D.C. to form a group for the investigation. Because of her unique background, Kay takes the lead to find the terrorist and to develop plans to destroy them. She is now aware of the biological agent they plan to use and that the country is ill-prepared to counter such an attack.

The investigation spreads outside the U.S. in the chase to catch the culprits before they can initiate their attack. The battles that ensue are bloody and deadly and Kay's only hope is to destroy the organization before they release the biological agent on U.S. soil.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ray Derby
• Release date: Nov 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463343753

Ray Derby

I was born in Sioux City, Iowa. After graduating from school, I joined the U.S. Navy. That started my career of traveling all over the world. Just before my enlistment was up, I flew around the world in seven days. On returning to Sioux City, I married, raised four children and began a career in emergency management. I started as a volunteer emergency civil defense worker, then a full-time civil defense director, and a civilian disaster preparedness officer for the U.S. Air Force. For 26 years before my retirement, I was a federal emergency coordinator for several federal agencies. Over the years, many people have asked why I chose this profession, and I always give the same answer. If I could save one life, all of it would be worth it. What I did not say was that I was out to save thousands of lives if a major disaster should occur. I have never regretted the path I chose. It was a remarkable career that led me right to the steps of the White House. My first novel, THE SHADOW GOVERNMENT, was written in 1999, two years before the 9-11 attacks and the actual activation of the shadow government program. It's a story of fiction that has in many ways become reality. Even so, it's a story that needed to be told. I now live in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia with my wife and man's best friend...Sassy Lady. I continue to write and find myself busier now than when I had a nine-to-five job. On second thought, I never really had that type of job because I was always on stand-by for what might happen. I find deep satisfaction in writing and hope you enjoy my books.

Book preview

HIDDEN THREATS

by Ray Derby

Hidden Threats

Copyright 2019 Ray Derby

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Disclaimer

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Other novels by Ray Derby

The Shadow Government

Bradley’s Ghost

Clouds of Deception

Cold Wind

Boundaries of Allegiance

Table of Contents

Section 1 - Chapters 1-10

Section 2 - Chapters 11-20

Section 3 - Chapters 21-30

Section 4 - Chapters 31-40

Section 5 - Chapters 41-50

Section 6 - Chapters 51-60

Section 7 - Chapters 61-70

Section 8 - Chapters 71-80

Section 9 - Chapters 81-90

Section 10 - Chapters 91-95 and Ending

Section 1

Chapter 1

Don and Allan, Jr. could hardly contain their excitement. The Roger Family, Allan, Sr. and Sue, along with their two young sons, and Queenie, their golden Labrador, entered the Bob Marshall Wilderness on Tuesday, June 4, 2019. They had advised the park rangers they intended to set up camp near Twin Peaks at an elevation of 8,744 feet and planned to return on Friday, June 14th. The rangers were familiar with the Roger Family since they had made several visits to that area over the past several years and were expert campers.

On June 10th, Allan left the large tent, started a fire, and placed a coffee pot over the flames. A few minutes later Sue placed a pan on the fire and started breakfast. Not long after, as they sat around the fire, they all died. None of them heard the gunshots or felt the bullets that entered their brains. Only Queenie yelped and then took off into the woods.

Within several minutes, men in camouflage clothing along with pack mules entered the area. They systematically removed all traces of the Roger family and their camping equipment, then swept the ground clean, leaving no trace they had ever been there.

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Chapter 2

On June 17th, when David Wilson, the Sheriff of Cascade County in Great Falls, Montana, came out of the courthouse, a young boy approached him.

Sir, a man gave me five dollars to give you this note. The boy gave him the note, turned around, and ran off.

David stood for a moment looking to see if he could spot the man who had sent the note but could not see anyone in the area, and only then opened the folded piece of paper. He was surprised because the first thing he noticed was the signature at the bottom of the paper. Allan Cooper was an old friend and the Sheriff of Lincoln County, Montana. At first, he thought this might be a joke, but as he read the note, he realized something was terribly wrong. The note was short and simply stated: David, we need to talk. Meet me at the fish hatchery below Black Eagle Dam at 3 PM. Do not use your official car, do not tell anyone where you're going. Wear civilian clothing, and find a pickup to drive there. And David, make sure you are not followed.

That was it! But David could feel the tension rise within him and knew his friend was in some kind of danger. He looked at his watch and saw it was already 1:10 PM. He slowly surveyed his surroundings and then left the area.

At exactly 3 PM, David drove an old Chevy pickup he had borrowed from a friend into the trout fishery parking lot at Giant Springs and made sure he parked a few yards from the nearest vehicle. Then he got out of the truck and walked down the path to the fish hatchery. He almost did not recognize Sheriff Cooper. The man was dressed in jeans and a pullover shirt. A billed hat covered most of his face, and his back was turned to the few people in the area as he sat feeding the young trout. As David approached, the man turned and stared at him with a fearful look in his eyes.

His friend then stated, "David, just listen to what I am going to say, and then if you think I am crazy, you can have me locked up. As you know, I have been the Sheriff of Lincoln County for over twenty years and I have seen some crazy things transpire during that time, but what has been happening in the past several years is different, and I don't have any explanation.

"For me, it started three years ago when I was told by one of the forest rangers that he thought he saw a drug dealer entering the Bob Marshall Wilderness Park near Lincoln. I sent two of my deputies to check it out. Deputy Wells was one of my senior officers, and Deputy Jones was only on the force for a few weeks. They were never heard or seen again. I sent search parties into the area for over a month, but no trace of them was ever found. It's as if they vanished into thin air.

"About twenty months ago, another family disappeared shortly after entering the park. This time I had not only the sheriff's department and the forest rangers, but several hundred military personnel as well, searching the area. Again, no trace of them was ever found. Four months ago, another camping family also disappeared. By now the word has been circulated that the southern part of the park is a death zone, and most people will not enter that area.

"A month ago, I found out that the park rangers are no longer going into the area, and the government is even finding it difficult to transfer people here. As I am sure you know, the Roger family went into the park almost a month ago, and they disappeared as well.

The local population is scared to death about what has been transpiring, and I cannot blame them. Up until now, I have had no clue to work with. At least until the last few days. First, do you remember the bank robbery we had in Lincoln a year ago?

Of course, David replied. Hell, you lost 80 percent of your deputies in the firefight when you cornered them in the bank, and the rest of your deputies, including yourself, were wounded before it was over. The bank robbers escaped and were never caught. If I remember correctly, they killed almost everyone in the bank, the employees and several customers. And only one person survived, and she might as well not have since she's been in a coma ever since.

"Well, you are correct, except for one thing. Mrs. Nelson woke up three days ago. The medical staff said it was a miracle, and to top it off, she was able to remember what had transpired during the bank robbery. When the doctor called me, I immediately drove over to the hospital along with one of my deputies, and with him standing guard outside the door, I went in to see her. I might add I was the first person to talk to her since she awoke.

"When I questioned her about the robbery, I was stunned by what she had to say. She stated there were ten of them, and they all had masks over their faces when they walked in. Without saying a word, they started shooting everyone in sight, but there were no sounds as they fired their weapons.

"She knew she was badly wounded and blood was seeping over her face, so she played dead, but she could hear their conversation. She could not understand at first why. She heard a man yell at another to leave the goddamn money alone, only to hear the other man reply that if they wanted to make this look like a real bank robbery, they better damn well take some money. Then she heard another man state that he was correct. ‘You two collect whatever money you can find, and the rest of us will set up the ambush for the cops.’ The last thing she heard as she started to lose consciousness was someone saying, ‘turn on the bank alarm and just remember, don't kill the sheriff. Just wound him.’

"David, the whole thing was a setup, and its main purpose was to eliminate as many of my law-enforcement personnel as they could. The big question is why? And I think I know the answer to that question. For whatever the reason, they want their own people, whoever they are, controlling the law in this area. Hell, I have had to hire some twenty-two officers in the past three years, and right now, I am not sure how many I can trust.

"When I left her room, the deputy I had guarding the door asked if she was able to answer any questions and I told him no, but hoped she could later as she recovered. I then told him to guard the room until I sent a replacement. I had not even arrived back at the office before I was notified that Mrs. Nelson was dead, and the deputy guarding her door was missing. The doctor stated that Mrs. Nelson's throat had been slit. As of today, no one has been able to find my deputy.

"Then yesterday morning, a rancher who lives up near the Flathead Range was checking on his cattle when he found a golden Labrador that fit the description of the dog belonging to the Roger Family. It was not in very good shape and appeared to have a gunshot wound across its neck. The rancher stated the dog did not seem scared, but he was not able to capture it until he offered food. I had used this rancher as a guide when I went elk hunting, and he had called me on my private cell number.

A friend of mine who is a helicopter pilot flew up there last night and picked up the dog. I have her in a cage in the back of the pickup with a camper shell that's parked out in the parking lot. The dog needs medical attention, but I don't feel safe taking her to a veterinarian in my area. I am hoping you will do it up here, discreetly. She is the only clue I have on what the hell is going on, and I don't want to lose her. Will you do it for me?

Of course, David replied, but now what are you going to do?

I'm not sure, David. I'm heading back to Lincoln as soon as we transfer the dog. I don't want to leave a trail anyone can track to you. If anything happens to me, at least you will have some insight to what's going on in Lincoln.

****

When David arrived home, he contacted a local vet and had him come to his cabin to treat the dog. He had an apartment in Great Falls which he used on a daily basis, and the cabin was his secondary residence. He used the cabin for hunting and fishing or just to get away from the stress of his job. He had lost his wife to cancer several years ago, and now his job was his life.

The vet came in a short time later and after examining the dog, he told David that he was not sure she would survive but would do what he could. He gave her several shots and cleaned and sewed up the open wound on her neck. He left orders to feed her as much food and water as she would take and then hope for the best. David picked up the dog and placed her at the bottom of his bed, and within minutes, she was sound asleep.

David's cell phone woke him at 4:15 AM. The duty officer at the sheriff's office said, Chief, I thought you might want to know that we had a report of a vehicle accident on Highway 15 near Holiter Dam earlier last evening. When our deputy arrived, he found there was one fatality. I am sorry to tell you that it was a friend of yours, Sheriff Allan Cooper.

****

Later that morning as he sat at his desk reading the accident report involving Sheriff Cooper, he hit the intercom button and asked, Who responded to that accident last night?

Deputy Ranson was the officer who was dispatched to the scene, Sir.

Where is he now?

Sir, as it turns out, he is pulling a second shift for one of our deputies who called in sick this morning and is in the building.

Very well. Ask him to come to my office.

Yes, Sir, will do.

As he waited, he thought about Deputy Ranson. He was new to the department, clean-cut and very professional in his duties. If he remembered right, the man had served in the army and had extensive law-enforcement experience. That is why he had been hired just less than six months ago.

When Deputy Ranson came into the office, David asked if he noticed anything unusual when he arrived at the accident scene the previous night, and he replied, No. He went on to say that if he was to guess, it looked like the sheriff may have fallen asleep and veered into the path of an oncoming semi. David thanked him.

As the deputy turned to leave, he stopped. I understand he was a close friend of yours. If there is anything I can do, you just have to ask.

Alarm bells suddenly rang in David's head. Well, you're wrong. Sheriff Cooper was not a close friend. Like most of the sheriffs in this area, we met two or three times a year, and that's normally all the involvement we had with each other. This is no more than a formality for a fallen comrade. He would have done the same for me.

I understand, Sir. And the deputy left.

Sheriff Wilson went looking for Captain Barrett, one of his senior staff who had been with him for many years. An hour later, Captain Barrett walked into his office and laid a folder on his desk.

Well, Boss, as you directed, I made a copy of Deputy Ranson's personnel file. Now, do you want to tell me what's going on?

No. Did anyone see you copy the file?

Of course not. If I remember right, you said to make sure that did not happen. Now, I will ask again, do you want to let me know what's going on?

Not at this time, Mack. Just keep this between you and me.

You're the boss, and he left the room.

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Chapter 3

Later that afternoon, Sheriff Dave Wilson arrived at the accident scene near Holter Dam and although the wreckage had been removed, he could see where the two vehicles had collided. The tire marks showed where the vehicles met, and what he saw did not match what the accident report stated had happened. Sheriff Cooper's vehicle was in his own lane when the two vehicles collided. It was the tractor-trailer who had crossed the middle line and clipped the sheriff's vehicle. As he stood looking at the scene, a man approached and asked him if they had found the tractor-trailer yet.

What do you mean? David asked.

Well, I told the deputy sheriff that I was on the way home last night, I live just down the road from here, and I saw that tractor-trailer veer over into the other lane and clip that pickup. And then he just kept barreling down the road. He never did stop.

And you reported that to the deputy who arrived on the scene?

Yes, I did, and a number of people who had stopped heard me tell him.

Could you tell what type of truck it was or by any chance see its tag number?

No, Sir. It was pretty dark and it went by me pretty fast, but the impact took out one of its headlights, and the front fender was pretty banged up.

David wrote down the man's name and contact information and then thanked him. He told the man that they were looking for the truck but so far had not found it.

The man replied, Well, I hope you find the driver because I think the bastard did it on purpose.

Sheriff Wilson now knew his friend had been murdered, and his deputy had lied on the report he had submitted. He felt anger rise as he reached for the radio. When the dispatcher answered, he asked if there had been any reports of a damaged semi-trailer in the past few hours in the vicinity of Holder Dam.

Hold one minute, Sir, and I will check our log.

A few minutes later he came back on the radio. Sir, we had a report several hours ago that a semi-trailer had crashed into the Missouri River near Marysville, not far from Helena. The local police are investigating the incident, but the driver has not been found.

Very well. Contact the sheriff's office in Helena and have them pull the semi out of the river and impound it. If they should give you any problems, tell them we believe that vehicle was the one involved in the death of Sheriff Cooper. I will be back at the office shortly.

****

As he walked into his office, the dispatcher handed him a brown envelope and told him that it had arrived by courier. It was addressed to him 'for his eyes only.' He knew it was from an old military friend who now worked in the Pentagon Records Division. David opened it and was not surprised at what he read.

David, I checked out that individual you are interested in, but I am sorry to tell you Sergeant Ranson, U.S. Army, was killed in an accident a little over a year ago. There was no next of kin to notify. Hope this helps. Signed, Nick.

He turned to the dispatcher, "Where is Deputy Ranson?

He is off duty, Sir. He is scheduled to report in at 7 AM tomorrow morning.

Very well. Find Captain Barrett for me, and I don't care where he is. Have him report to my office ASAP.

****

Captain Barrett walked into the sheriff's office some thirty minutes later and jokingly said, Boss, you need to stop causing me to miss a great dinner.

Sit down, Mack. I need your help. And David handed him the dispatch he had received.

After reading it, the captain placed it back on the desk and asked, What's going on, David?

"The less you know, the less of a target you may become, and I do not want to put you in any more danger than I have to. For now, I am going to keep you in the dark on what is going on as much as possible.

You are one of the oldest employees on my force, I don't mean in age, and the one individual I trust the most. I need your help.

You know you do not have to ask. I will support you any way I can.

Very well, here is what I want you to do. First, pull the records of everyone on the staff and sort them by the date of employment. Starting with the first one hired who still works for us up to the last one hired. Mack, I don't want anyone to know what you are doing. As soon as that is accomplished, bring the list to me.

That should not take too long. I will bring it up on my computer in my office, and you should have it within fifteen minutes or so.

True to his word, David had it on his desk shortly thereafter. He looked down at the list of names, all sixty-five of them, and then drew two lines on the lower bottom of the page.

He handed it back to Mack. Those individuals above that first line have been here for fifteen years or more, and that is going to be our core group...some twenty-two individuals that I will trust with my life. Of the forty-three who are left, twenty have been with us for seven years or more who may or may not be trusted. It is the last thirteen who have been hired only in the last five years or less that are the most suspect, and they must be left out of anything that is going on in this office. We are going to have to pick our personnel very carefully on any actions we take in the near future.

Christ, Boss, you are starting to scare me. Is whatever you think is happening really that bad?

I believe it is, and if we are not prepared, we could all die. That is not going to happen if I can help it.

So, what is our next step? Mack asked.

I want a new SWAT team formed in the next hour, ten individuals that can be broken down into two teams if need be. And, Mack, I want them to come from the list of people who have been here the longest. I realize the majority of our people who are now SWAT team members are the younger staff, which is logical, but the majority of them have been with us for less than five years. For now, all of those individuals are not to be involved in anything we do.

Very well, but I have one suggestion. Lieutenant Kay Jackson is in that second-tier group, and she has been, as you well know, on the force for seven years. She is also, in my opinion, the most qualified of our staff to be the team chief for the SWAT team.

David knew the man was right, but still, he hesitated for a moment before he stated, It's your call, Mack, and he let it go at that.

I assume we are going after Deputy Ranson, Mack stated.

Yes, we are. It's now almost 9 PM, and by 2 AM, I want him alive if at all possible and in our custody.

****

At exactly 2 AM, the SWAT team entered the house on Second Avenue, North, and slowly started checking the rooms. There was no sign of Deputy Ranson. The first thing Lieutenant Jackson noticed as she led her team through the house was how clean it was. In fact, it looked like no one had lived there.

She suddenly stopped, then yelled into her radio, Everyone stop! Do not move. David started to say something when he heard her say, The house is rigged with explosives. Get out now!

The team had no more than reached the street when the house exploded in a ball of fire, sending most of them flying through the air in all directions.

****

Thirty minutes later, the team members were all accounted for and sitting in the city courtroom, a block from the sheriff's office. None had been seriously hurt in the blast, but all were wondering what the hell had just happened.

David looked at the group. For the present time this team is a covert operation, and if any of you wish to leave, now is the time to do it.

No one moved.

Very well. I want this team so secretive only you, the team members, are to be aware of it. I mean no one else, is that clear? Go back to your regular duties, but be ready to respond at a moment’s notice. So, with that said, you're dismissed.

As they started to leave, David stopped Lieutenant Jackson, How did you know the house was rigged with explosives?

I saw what I thought was a clock until I realized it was a timer, which showed it down to three minutes. At first, I did not understand why a timer was on in what appeared to be a vacant house, and then I realized any time a timer reaches zero, something goes off. I figured then it was time to get out of there.

You were right. You saved all of our lives, and I cannot thank you enough for that.

Sir, I just did my job like the rest of you did, and no thanks are required.

A few minutes after everyone had left, David reached for his cell phone and pressed a number he very seldom used. It was then that he remembered the dog he had left in his cabin and wondered if it was still alive.

****

When he arrived at the cabin and opened the door, the dog was sitting there in front of it, looking at him as if to say, Well, it took you long enough, and then promptly walked out the door and performed her duties. When she finished, she turned and walked back into the cabin as if she belonged there. David checked the cabin and did not find any dog mistakes so he knew she was housebroken, but she had waited a very long time and he felt guilty. He checked the food and water bowls...both were empty. When he refilled them, she walked