Broken Silence — Betty Sullivan La Pierre

Hawkman takes Jennifer into the hills on the back of the Polaris 4-wheeler to show her the Bald Eagle nests. On their way, Jennifer spots a Golden Labrador in the field. The dog signals them to follow. They jump off the Polaris and the dog leads them to a fourteen year old girl who has been injured. She didn't speak, but could hear and make gestures. When Hawkman suggested they take her home, she refused. Knowing a doctor needed to check the girl's swollen ankle they took her to Hawkman's place, then to a retired doctor who lived at Copco Lake. Through a series of notes and sketches Hawkman and Jennifer discovered the girl's name was Babs Smith and her dog was Lucy. Her home had been invaded by a couple of criminals and she'd fled but was worried about her Mother and Father. Hawkman called Detective Chandler and they soon discovered Babs mother had been taken as a hostage by two bank robbers. When Babs returned home to stay with her crippled father, Luke, she decided she and Lucy would go find her mother, Annie. They struck out early one morning before her father knew they were gone. They had no phone or electricity and the crooks had stolen her father's pickup, so he had no way of getting help. Hawkman had entered the picture along with the police and they found Luke's abandoned truck. Babs had been raised in these hills, however, the sprained ankle and using only one crutch hindered her. The crooks, Howy and Glen, soon discovered Babs and took her as a hostage too. Many adventures took place as the four people and a dog traipsed through the forest, and dirt roads. They stole a pickup from an old local fellow, leaving him stranded. At a campsite in Happy Camp, Glen made a violent attempt to rape Annie. Babs screamed, her voice unexpectedly returned, as she stabbed him in the shoulder with her pocket knife. The wound became terribly infected and he ran high fevers causing him to become delirious. One night, Howy had fallen into a deep exhausted sleep after knocking Glen out because of his fever madness. Annie, Babs and Lucy managed to escape and started hiking back toward Happy Camp where they hoped to find help. Babs fell again and really broke her ankle. Annie reluctantly went for help alone, leaving Babs in the hills. She got a ride with a newly wed couple and they decided to go see of they could reach Babs in their car. Little did they know Howy and Glen were following in a Cadillac behind them. Hawkman's friend, Harmon, who owned a helicopter, searched the area and spotted Annie and the young couple and also saw Glen and Howy trailing them. They landed close as possible and the trauma soon came to an end.