The Hunt for Billy Jack

Brian Oeffner

Description

A retired elite army combat team travels into Canada to search for a former member after he goes missing during a fishing trip.

Jim is an army veteran who has only been retired for six months when he receives a shocking call from Samuel Littlebear, the father of one of his former combat team members. Samuel’s son, Billy, is two weeks late returning from a Canadian fishing trip and he asks Jim’s help in finding him. Without the name of the camp ground or the lake where Billy might be fishing, Jim contacts seven former team members to assist with the monumental task of tracking down Billy somewhere within Canada’s thousands of miles of vast wilderness.

Customs shows that Billy entered Canada, but never returned back into the United States. After Canadian officials fail to locate Billy or his vehicle, Jim and his team gather as much information as they can and leave for Canada. With instructions from Billy’s father to bring him home dead or alive, the men know their mission will be difficult. As they head north and pledge not to leave Canada until they find their military brother, none of the men have any idea they are about to uncover a dark plot that will change everything.

In this gripping mystery, a retired elite army combat team travels into Canada to search for a former team member after he goes missing during a fishing trip.

Sujets

• Detective
• Mystery
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: LifeRich Publishing
• Date de parution: 12 juillet 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781489711267
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Hunt for BILLY JACK
 
 
 
BRIAN OEFFNER
 
 
 
 
 
 
Copyright © 2017 Brian Oeffner.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
 
 
LifeRich Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.liferichpublishing.com
844-686-9607
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
ISBN: 978-1-4897-1127-4 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-1128-1 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-1126-7 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017909719
 
 
LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 07/11/2023
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THE MEM ORY OF RON “LEGBONE” H AGGE.
Chapt er 1
It was a beautiful June day in central Iowa. The flowers were in full bloom and the grass was as green as the frogs Jim used to catch as a young boy. The air was fresh and clean and the aroma from his cup of coffee was a smell he had missed many mornings during his 24 years in the military. Jim had been home for about six months now since retiring from the Army and life was good. He was thinking about knocking a couple of items off of his ‘Honey Do’ list when his cell phone rang.
“Hello, this is Jim.”
There was a slight pause before the voice on the other end said, “Hi, Jim. This is Samuel Littlebear, Billy’s dad.”
“Well, hello, sir. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing well, thank you, but I have a problem and want to know if you can help me?”
“I’ll sure try,” Jim replied. “What is it, Mr. Littlebear?”
There was another pause before he answered, “Jim, Billy is missing. He went up to Canada fishing three weeks ago, and never returned. He was only going to be gone for a week, and I’m sure he would have called if he decided to stay longer. His mother and I are worried, and we don’t know what to do. I was hoping that maybe you could give us some guidance on how to proceed.”
Jim was instantly worried. He knew Billy was not the type of person to say he would be home in a week and then not come home or call. Billy truly loved his parents and would never put them through something like this. Jim didn’t want to show his concern and get Billy’s family even more worked up, so he tried to downplay the whole thing.
“Well, sir, my first thought is that Billy found a great fishing hole and decided to extend his stay. Maybe his cell phone doesn’t work up there—or maybe it’s lost or broken and he can’t call you. Maybe he thought his cell phone was working and thinks he left you a voicemail message. We both know he can handle himself in any situation that comes his way, and his military survival training will kick in if needed. Maybe he got into a fight in a bar, was thrown in jail, and is too embarrassed to call home. I guess there are all kinds of possibilities as to why he hasn’t returned home, so I hate to jump the gun and think the worst. Have you filed a missing person’s report or contacted the authorities?”
“No. I wanted to contact you and see if you’d heard from him and could give me some advice on what to do next.”
“Well, here are my thoughts,” Jim replied. “You contact the local authorities and file a missing person’s report. Make sure they contact customs at the Canadian border, and see if he did cross into Canada and when. Then, check to see if he re-entered the United States. At least then we will know what country he is in now. Do you know if he went with anyone or was going to meet someone up there?”
“He said he was going alone but he might look up an Indian guide on one of the lakes. I’m sorry, but I don’t know the name of the guide or the lake,” Mr. Littlebear replied.
“Well, sir, would anyone else know which lake he was going to or the lake the guide was on? Maybe one of his buddies or his new girlfriend?”
“How did you know about her?”
“I keep in touch with the team as best I can,” Jim replied. “Billy called me a couple of weeks ago, and asked if I wanted to go to Canada fishing with him. I told him I couldn’t get away right now and would have to take a rain check. Anyway, Billy mentioned that he had met someone. He wouldn’t say much about her, but I could tell by his voice that he really liked her. Do you think that maybe they had an argument or something and broke up? Maybe Billy just wanted to get away for a while.”
“I don’t think so, Jim. She calls the house every day and asks if we have heard from him. I asked her if they had a falling out and she said absolutely not. She said Billy gave her a beautiful necklace before he left and told her he loved her. She said she loves him very much and has never felt this way about anyone before. She was crying on the phone, and I believe in my heart that she was telling the truth. Billy told her that he would call her as soon as he crossed the border and was back in the U.S. That was three weeks ago, and no one has heard from him since. Jim…… I’m really worried.”
“Well, sir, you make some phone calls and see what you can find out. I will call the team and see how many of them can take off on such short notice and go to Canada with me. I would like for all of us to meet at your ranch and come up with a game plan before we head out. I’m thinking we could meet at your ranch on Friday and go over our game plan before we leave for Canada. Maybe Billy will show up while we are at your ranch. If that happens, we can just have a party and return home. How does that sound to you?”
“Jim, that sounds great,” Mr. Littlebear replied. “I will pay you what I can.”
“No, sir,” Jim replied. “Don’t worry about that. You just concentrate on talking to customs and to his buddies and girlfriend and find out if anyone knows the name of the lake or the town where he was planning to go. You may have to contact the sheriff’s office and get them to verify that he is missing before you can get any information from his credit card or cell phone companies. When we get there, we can pitch some tents behind your house or get some cheap motel rooms in town, so don’t worry about any lodging or food on our behalf.”
“You don’t know how much I appreciate what you are doing,” Mr. Littlebear said.
“Not a problem, sir. Billy is like a brother to all of us, and I’m sure he would do the same if one of us were missing. You just find out all the information you can, and we’ll see you in a few days. I’m sure we can find him.”
“Okay. Thank you so much.”
“Okay, Mr. Littlebear. Call me if you hear from Billy, or if anything changes. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye, now.”
“Goodbye, Jim,” Mr. Littlebear replied.
After hanging up the phone, Jim sat quietly for several minutes and tried to process the information he had just received. He knew that Canada was a big country with thousands of miles of wilderness, and finding a missing person up there could be a real challenge. He was hoping Billy would show up in the next few hours, and he would get a phone call from Mr. Littlebear telling him to cancel the mission. Something inside told him to prepare for the worst.
Jim Donelson, known to his team as ‘Tunes’, was the team leader. He’d grown up in a small town in Iowa and joined the army right out of high school. His father and grandfather had both been in the army, and Jim always loved listening to their stories. Jim’s grandfather had served with the Thirty-Fourth Infantry Division in the Iowa Army National Guard when the unit was activated for WWII in February of 1941. The Thirty-Fourth Infantry Division saw a lot of combat and was later recognized for amassing 517 days of front-line combat—more than any other U.S. division. His grandfather served proudly and was awarded two purple hearts for injuries sustained in combat, along with numerous other medals.
Jim had been a great athlete in high school and loved playing football. He wasn’t big enough for college ball, so he stuck with his original plan to join the army. His military schools included Basic Combat Training, Infantry, Airborne, Pathfinder, and Ranger. He’d attained the rank of sergeant before his enlistment was up. He’d thought about making a career of the military, but after much consideration, decided to leave the army for a few years, get a college education, and become a commissioned officer if and when he decided to return to the army.
He attended Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and really enjoyed college life. He had met a girl in high school who had stolen his heart. She was a freshman his senior year, and he never got up the courage to