Operation: Unknown Angel

by Margaret Kay

  “Okay, see you soon.”

  They got breakfast at a diner near the train station. The hour-long trip into the city went by quickly as the two new friends got to know each other better. The Shedd Aquarium was crowded with elementary school groups on science fieldtrips. As Annaka and Brielle walked around, viewing the many exhibits, Annaka kept careful watch of the time. At ten minutes till one, she made her way back to the main entrance, where she would meet the president of the facility.

  “It’s very nice to meet you. Thank you for the invitation to come talk with you,” Annaka said, shaking Kathy’s hand. Kathleen Beer, who casually went by Kathy, was a confident woman with chin-length brown hair and matching brown eyes. She was in her late forties and had an air of authority about her. She was dressed in black dockers and a beige sweater which gave off a casual vibe, but Annaka didn’t let her guard down. This was an interview and her end goal was to be offered a staff position at this institution.

  “Thank you for coming in,” Kathy replied. “Your reputation proceeds you. You are a well-respected member of the research community, and expert on beluga whales. When I reached out about you, I found only fans.”

  “Thank you for saying that. I have loved my time studying the belugas in the wild and I have been very fortunate that I’ve been able to share what I’ve learned across the marine biology community. But now, I’d also like to share that knowledge with the public in a setting such as this. I couldn’t help but notice the number of school groups at the aquarium today. I can think of nothing better than to help foster a love of our marine animals in our youth and perhaps inspire some of them to pursue marine biology as a career. My years of research have been thrilling, but I’m excited at the prospect of teaching in this next phase of my life.”

  Kathy motioned her into a side door off the lobby that read ‘Employees only’. “I thought I’d show you some of our backroom and staff areas of the exhibits first, the Whale Exhibit and our Penguin Exhibit, two of our most popular. Then we can sit down and talk more about the possible opportunities for you here at the Shedd.”

  “Sounds wonderful,” Annaka replied. “I was surprised to learn that you have eight belugas here at the aquarium, including an infant born here in July of twenty-nineteen,” Annaka said.

  Kathy Beer nodded. “You did your homework. We are very proud of our beluga exhibit.”

  “As well you should. This is one of the best exhibits of belugas in both the numbers in the community and how closely your exhibit space replicates the wild. And your penguins, too. I read that you have two species of them, the Rockhopper and Magellanics. I had some experience with penguins early on in my graduate studies, though I never worked specifically with them in my post-grad life. I, like most marine biologists that wanted to study marine animals, focused on dolphins early on. I read that you have the Pacific white-sided dolphin species onsite. I studied the bottle-nosed dolphins during my grad and post-grad years in the waters around Florida before I fell in love with beluga whales,” Annaka said.

  “So, you would have some interest in working with the dolphins as well as the penguins?”

  “I think I have a fair amount of knowledge regarding both species, enough that I’d feel comfortable in leading discussions on them in addition to the belugas,” Annaka said as they entered the backroom area of the beluga habitat, where her focused gaze took everything in.

  She met several of the trainers who worked with the whales and maintained their habitat. They seemed like a nice group of people she would enjoy working with. Their love for the animals at the Shedd was evident in how they talked about their work. This feeling was reinforced talking with the caretakers of the penguins and those responsible for the dolphins and sharks within their exhibits.

  After a lengthy tour, Kathy brought Annaka to her office. The two of them sat at a small conference table. “You obviously have a lot to offer us, Dr. Sanchez, but what can we offer you in the way of professional development and growth?” She asked. “We’ve learned the hard way that if our staff isn’t challenged to grow, they don’t remain with us for very long.”

  “Hey, how did it go?” Mother answered Annaka’s call on the second ring.

  Annaka beamed a smile at Brielle. “Good. Very good, as a matter of fact.” They were sitting in the bar area of a restaurant next to the Metra Train Station. Brielle insisted on buying her a celebratory glass of wine. Brielle was drinking soda. They also had two appetizers in front of them that they were sharing. They had not made it to the Willis Tower. “They don’t have a full-time position available in their funding, but they did offer me a part-time paid position as a guest researcher conducting presentations on the exhibit floor and providing behind-the-scenes recommendations to the senior staff. It could grow into a full-time position.”

  “You sound excited.”

  “I am. I’m going to try to keep my research funding for the tracking of the whales in Alaska, might have to travel up there every few months, but if I can do both positions part-time, that would be the best of both worlds for me. The more I thought about my position up north, the more I think I can make a case for doing it mostly from here. There is no reason I need to be in Alaska full time.”

  “Sounds like you’ve given it a lot of thought. They’d be fools to let you go.”

  “I’m going to call them after I get home and make my pitch. Wish me luck.”

  Mother smiled into the phone. “You know I do.”

  “I’m going to get to work with not only the belugas but the dolphins, penguins, and the sharks too. I really liked Kathy, the president of the Shedd. She was actually concerned about giving me sufficient professional growth opportunities and working with other species than just the belugas will definitely challenge me. This is the perfect position for me right now.”

  “I’m glad,” Mother said. Glad, no, he was relieved. Having a professional opportunity in Chicago solidified that she would remain with him. He would have supported her, and they would have made it work if Florida had been her destination, but he would miss her. She’d only been at his place for five days, but he had gotten used to her being there and he loved that she was. He looked forward to the life that they would build together. He glanced across the room to where the rest of the team and the local DEA was, waiting for him. “Congrats, I’m proud of you and happy for you, but I have to go. I’m sorry.”

  “No apology needed,” Annaka said. “Call me later when you can. I love you, Danny.”

  “Love you too, cariño,” Mother said. Then he disconnected the call and turned back to the others.

  After arriving home, Annaka called Remi to check on the cleanup efforts first, before she’d call and plead her case to keep a portion of her grant funding while she worked remotely.

  “The funding for the entire Anchor Point Station is on the line,” Remi said.

  “What?” Annaka demanded. “That station needs to be open now more than ever.”

  “There’s a hearing Thursday afternoon in Anchorage. We need you there, Annaka. And you can fight for your funding while working remotely then too.”

  A sick feeling settled in Annaka’s stomach. Return to Alaska already? “I’ll think about it and let you know, Remi.”

  “There’s no thinking about it. Annaka, you have to come back. We need you.”

  “Are there still tremors?” Annaka asked, though she knew the seismic activity wasn’t what weighed on her with the thought of returning.

  “Very minor. If it weren’t for the equipment, half the time we wouldn’t even know there’d been a quake. The hearing is in Anchorage. You won’t need to come back to the peninsula.”

  “It’s not that,” Annaka said. “Okay, I’ll be there. Send me a text with the time and place for the hearing.”

  After Annaka disconnected the call, she opened her laptop and searched for flights. The cost to fly to Anchorage booking only one day before was insane. She could fly out tomorrow at noon. With a one-hour layover in Seattle and with t
he time change, she would arrive at six p.m. local time. Then she could fly out on Thursday evening. There was a flight that left at six-thirty. Certainly, she could make that flight. The hearing should be over by three at the latest. She’d arrive back in Chicago at six Friday morning. She couldn’t believe she was going to spend over a thousand dollars for twenty-four hours in Anchorage.

  She completed the transaction, paying for it with her credit card. Then she reserved herself a room at a hotel near the airport that included a free breakfast. She hoped she’d get the insurance check soon. She was building a healthy balance on her credit card. She sighed aloud as she closed the lid to her laptop. It was done. She lifted her phone from the table and tapped out a text message to Danny telling him of her travel plans.

  Then she made a call to the Dean of the Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography College at Alaska Pacific University. She had notified him after she arrived in Illinois of her location and request for continued funding while residing offsite. The last message she’d received back was that it was under review. She was surprised when Dr. Nathan Williams answered. She’d expected to leave another voicemail.

  “Hi Nate,” she greeted. “This is Annaka Sanchez.”

  “Hi Annaka. I was going to call you later. There’s been some developments here.”

  “Yes. I just spoke with Remington Ipsen. She told me about the hearing on Thursday. Now, of all times, how can the funding for the Anchor Point Research Station be in jeopardy?”

  “The safety of our people is important, Annaka. The events of the past month are very troubling. I don’t blame you for wanting to be out of the area for a while.”

  “Keeping the office open and funded has nothing to do with me not currently residing on the Kenai Peninsula. And it is exactly because of the events over the last month that I’d argue that research station needs to remain open.”

  “There’s a hearing at the University regarding it Thursday. I know that is short notice,” he began.

  She interrupted him. “I’ll be there. I just booked my flight.”

  “I will admit, I’m surprised. I look forward to seeing you on Thursday. Please let me know if I can help you with any arrangements.”

  “No, I’ve got it covered, thanks Nate. I’ll want to talk more about my status. I have a plan I want to pitch in addition to speaking about the future of the Anchor Point Station.”

  Nate Laughed. “I’m sure you have a lot to say, Annaka. I look forward to it.”

  “What the hell!” Mother exclaimed after reading Annaka’s text. He glanced up and saw Lambchop’s questioning gaze. “Annaka’s flying back to Anchorage tomorrow. There’s some meeting she needs to attend on Thursday.”

  “Is she coming back?” Lambchop asked.

  “Yes, she flies back on the redeye Thursday night.”

  Lambchop was glad to hear that. His gaze shifted to Cooper. All of Delta Team plus Cooper and Jackson were onsite. They were in Seattle, more specifically the Rainer Beach neighborhood. Their target was a smoke shop in a small strip mall that the DEA and Seattle PD were sure was the distribution point for a major drug ring. The problem was, they had no proof, yet. That was where the Shepherd Security Team came in.

  The DEA had initiated surveillance on the storefront two weeks earlier. They were set up across the street from the store in a vacant house. They entered it only through the back door so no one would be seen. As far as anyone who may be watching the house from the store, it still appeared vacant. They took pictures of everyone who came and went. They ran their license plates. No one flagged as anyone with a criminal history.

  “Make sure she stays in contact with Garcia,” Cooper said. “He’ll be available to her twenty-four-by-seven. You can’t be, Mother. We need your focus here.”

  Cooper’s statement pissed Mother off for a half a second. Rational thought kicked in and tempered his outrage. “I know. I’ll make sure she does.” He tapped out a reply, reminding her that Garcia would help her anyway she needed. “She’s only going to be on the ground up there for twenty-four hours. I wish she wasn’t going, but I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

  Lambchop clasped him on the shoulder. “She will.”

  Mother’s gaze shifted to Linda Vale, the lead DEA Agent. “Why aren’t there eyes on the back door of that smoke shop?”

  Linda’s hazel eyes focused on him and her lips pulled into a scowl. “Because there is nothing to mount a camera to. There’s the alley that runs behind it, a field, a creek and then another field. The nearest building, pole, or fence is nearly two hundred yards away.

  “We need to try to get a camera planted inside then,” Cooper said. “We’ll send Jackson and Sloan in to recon the place. Make a purchase, talk up the salesclerk, the usual.”

  “We don’t have a warrant for the camera,” Vale said.

  “We don’t need one,” Cooper said. “That’s why we’re here.”

  Vale shook her head, her short black curls bouncing. “I don’t like that your actions may make it hard for our case to stick.”

  “You have no case,” Cooper argued. “Or we wouldn’t be here.”

  “We’ve run this play many times. Trust us,” Lambchop said.

  The flight to Anchorage was turbulent. Annaka hoped this wasn’t a foretelling of the entire trip. It had been a long travel day. She was keenly aware that even though it was only six-thirty in Anchorage, it was three hours later in Chicago, the time zone she was already acclimated to.

  She called the hotel to order the free airport shuttle. It was already en route to the airport to pick up other guests, expected arrival time ten minutes which was enough time for her to make it out front to the pickup location. The desk clerk assured her he’d phone the driver and add her name to the pickup list. She was thankful for that.

  She rushed through the terminal and made it outside just as the shuttle bus pulled away from the designated pickup area along the curb. “Shit,” she cursed under her breath as she watched it disappear from sight. She called the hotel back.

  A half hour later, she settled into her seat for the fifteen-minute ride to the hotel. After she checked in, she went to the little restaurant inside the hotel. She ordered a glass of wine and the fresh fish special.

  The text message tone was muffled from inside her purse. She pulled her phone out, and a smile curved her lips when she saw the notification that she had a message from Danny. She tapped out her reply that she had made it to the hotel as the server brought her wine to the table.

  His next text displayed…I wish I had time for a call. I don’t. I’ll try to call in the morning. I hope you sleep well.

  Annaka replied…I love you and miss you. I hope you sleep well too. She hit send and waited.

  His reply came a few seconds later…I love you too.

  That was it. Nothing more followed. She tried not to worry. Her mind though, went to his admission that during the previous mission, he’d been undercover as a drug buyer when shooting started and Sherman was shot. She really hoped that wasn’t what he was doing again. She knew she couldn’t allow her mind to do this to her. It would play in an endless loop if she let it. She had to figure out a way to turn it off.

  Annaka stepped off the elevator, the smells of the complimentary breakfast guiding her back to the small restaurant area off the hotel lobby. Her phone, which was in her back pocket, chimed and vibrated. She answered the call as soon as she saw the caller was Danny. “Good morning,” she said, passing the entry into the restaurant and continuing down the hallway towards the conference facilities. It was quiet down at that end of the hall.

  “Good morning. Are you ready for the hearing?”

  “I just got to the lobby. I’m going to grab a big, late breakfast. The hearing starts at one,” she said, readjusting her purse on her shoulder. She’d left her coat and backpack in the room. She’d brush her teeth after breakfast and then check out of the hotel.

  “Knock them dead,” he said with a chuckle. “Just remember, you’r
e right. You and Remi are the experts. They have to listen to you.”

  “Well, I hope they will. We’ll see.”

  “Let me know how it goes,” Mother said. “I may not be able to answer when you call but leave me a message. I’ll try to call before your flight leaves.”

  “I love you, Danny. Thanks for calling.” She paced into the corner, near the door that led to the side parking lot, that she could see through the glass was vacant. Not a single car was parked at this entrance. “Be safe today.”

  “You too,” he replied. “I’ve got to go. I love you.” Then he disconnected.

  She sat in one of the comfortable seats that lined the wall. She set her purse to the floor beside her. Then clicked open her text messages. She typed out a message to Remi asking if she was already in Anchorage.

  “Dr. Sanchez, if I may have a word,” a familiar male voice said, startling her.