Part 4...

"I understand that this creature is your father. I know the reason why you want to save him. But you have to understand that he, whether directly or indirectly killed my wife and daughters. He took away from me everything in this world that was precious and good to me. He took away... My whole world."
"Mark, if you will just listen to me for a moment. I need to tell you what my father told me."
Mark stared at her through squinted eyes. He wanted to listen and hear what she had to say. He needed to know if she had anything more to tell of that horrible event. He also feared what she might open up for him. He had all the bad memories he needed for now. He would listen until it became to much for him.
"O.k., talk. But I will cut you off if it sounds like you are trying to make your father out to be a hero."
"Fair enough. I saw my father a week ago. He was distraught, more so than normal, given where he is. He told me there was something he had to tell me. A secret that he had kept for fear of his life. He did not tell anyone because he didn't know if they would believe him. The two other men in the vehicle that were at your car had visited him at the prison. They told him that before he could ever get out, they would have him killed if he talked. One of them is my Uncle on my dads side."
"Jeeze, is your whole family killers!?"
Kellie sighed aloud. "Please let me finish this. My father told me that he was left for dead because he refused to go along with all that happened that day. He heard them say on the mountain that it was lucky he was dead or they would have had to kill him. He knew then that he wouldn't dare say anything to anyone. He told me that my Uncle and his friend had not toppled the vehicle with your wife and daughters over the cliff. He said thy took them out of the vehicle and then pushed it over."
Mark grabbed her by her arms. He pulled her close and stared into her eyes. His body shook as he began to speak. "Are you telling me that they are still alive!? Is that what you are saying to me!?" Mark could feel his whole body quivering and his heart racing very fast.
He told me that he saw them load them into their vehicle and drive away. He was so afraid for his life and never figured he would be convicted and especially not be given the death penalty. He thought that maybe he could get out and find them. He wanted to tell people but after they visited him another prisoner approached him. He cut my father and told him that he would die if he tried to tell anyone the truth."
"Why then is he telling you this now? What made him decide to become human!? Damn you and your father! A year has passed without my family! Ive mourned them and cried more than you could ever even imagine. I have lost everything and almost took my own life several times! What gave him the right to Not tell someone!!!!???"
"I know it is terrible but I am telling you now. I need your help if we are to get them out alive. My father told me that he knew where they would take them too. He said they had place here, in Laredo, that the came too to hide pelts of animals they had poached until they could find a seller. He figured it was the only place they could have taken them if they didn't kill them."
"So you don't really know if they are alive or not. You are just assuming they did not kill my family when they felt it was safe. Why didn't you go to the police with what you know? They could have gone and checked it out themselves."
"And have my father end up dead!? You don't get it, do you? I am trying to save my fathers life and help your family at the same time! Why is that so hard for you to understand!?"
"Where is this place that they might or might not be? We need to get there and check it out."
"Mark, we have to do this in a way that no one knows until it is over. Somehow we have to get my father safe also. If we can't do that the we wait until we can. I will not risk my fathers life for a maybe. Will you help me?"
"I have a friend that works in the prison system. He has a lot of authority. Maybe he can help us."
"No maybes Mark! It is either quiet or not done. My Uncle is a horrible man and he means what he says. He will have my father killed and if your family IS a live, he will kill them too. There has to be a way to do this."
"Can you get to your father?"
"What do you mean?"
"Can you call him and talk to him?"
"Yes. He is on death row and only a few more days and so he can have phone calls from family most anytime. Why do you ask me that?"
"Call him Kellie. Tell him to raise hell so that there is a guard near him at all times. Fake a suicide attempt or whatever it takes. Once he has a guard there full time, we can get my family out."
Kellie placed the call. She told her father what she was doing. He was glad sh had taken the initiative to do that. She heard him making a racket in the cell. He had left the phone open for her to listen. The last thing she heard was a guard telling him he was now His business and he would no longer have private time. The phone slammed down hard in her ear. She began to cry.
"It's done. Lets go find your family." She started the car and drove to the far East side of town.
"You seem to know exactly where you are going."
"I remember coming to the place my father is talking about. We went there in the fall but I never really knew why. I guess I do now."
They sat in silence until Kellie turned off onto a gravel road.It was in the middle of the Industrial area of Laredo. Old Trains and warehouses sat empty and Idle. The air smelled of old oil and and rotting lumber. The trains were rusted and looked as if they had not been moved in a very long time. Kellie drove past it all until she saw the warehouse. It was not very big and the dock ramp was covered in orange. Rust from not being used had nearly eaten through the steel. She parked the car behind the warehouse. She and Mark got out of the car, careful not to slam the doors.
"Remember Mark, even if they are here, we do nothing until we know the coast is clear."
"I understand, Kellie. Trust me, I don't want any mishaps either."
They walked around the backside of the building until they found a window. Mark slowly raised his head to look inside. He saw boxes stacked to the ceiling, boxes marked only fragile on the sides. He could see a truck parked inside, near the door. There was a wood stove in the middle of the warehouse. It wasn't rusted in any way. Mark thought that was a good thing. I might have meant that someone was using it. He ducked down as he heard a voice. He pressed himself against the cold steel so he could listen. What he heard both froze his heart and made it beat faster. It pounded at his chest so hard he was afraid it could be heard. He held Kellie down so she wouldn't look in the window.
"It really is time, Frank. Roger will be dead in a few days and we won't need to keep these ladies around. Let's get rid of them and be done with this whole matter. Why we kept them for so long is beyond me anyways."
"They were leverage you idiot! If that dumb-ass talked, they would be our only way out of here! With Roger dead, we can dispose of them and forget it ever happened. Lets finish wrapping these pelts. We can put their bodies under the pelts until we find a place to dump them."
Mark felt his heart jump in his chest. They were here! His family was alive and he had to find a way to save them. He waited until he could hear the men moving things around. He looked in through the window again. At the far end of the warehouse he saw it. A cage, about the size of a refrigerator box. Inside the cage he saw them. His eyes welled up with tears so that he could not see clearly but he had seen them. As he stared into the window he was suddenly over taken by fear and dread. His eyes cleared and he was staring into the face of the man Kellie called "Uncle." The man just smiled and took out his gun.