In the Blink of An Eye

by Jerry Baggett

  “Duly noted,” Dick said. “However, I don’t think we should get too involved in all this death and destruction around the drug trade. The people dealing in illegal drugs are indiscriminate killers. Your life could be in danger, purely by association.”

  “We should see what he has to say. I checked the patient records at the clinic. Mira Langham, from San Diego, came in requesting a prescription for heroin or some strong medication for spinal pain late last year. She even mentioned the fentanyl patch. I have to call Hunt back and let him know about her visit. I wasn’t aware of that. Angel, the other nurse here, must have handled it with Doctor Peyton.”

  Chapter 16

  Dick leveled off at forty thousand feet. She’s rated for fifty-one thousand feet of altitude, no point pushing it. He looked at the air speed. Mach 0.900 and increasing. He eased back on the throttles, circled wide out over the Pacific, losing speed and altitude, twelve miles out from the Golden Gate Bridge. The Gulfstream G650ER is a hell of an airplane, he thought. I’m going to enjoy this. He’d been pleased with the performance and smooth handling capabilities. His ouch-less touch and goes had been a real pleasure. He called San Francisco air traffic control and reported an end to acrobatic maneuvering tests and requested clearance for landing at San Francisco International Airport.

  Chief pilot, Mark Wynn, spoke from the right seat. “I’m impressed, Dick. You stress-tested every critical aspect of this bird without pushing it beyond the boundaries of safety. I would be pleased to fly with you any time. I can tell your flight crew to relax. They’ll be in safe hands.”

  “Thank you, Mark. I might say, I was equally impressed with the maintenance record on the aircraft. You’ve done a great job of record-keeping, as well as keeping up the airplane. I look forward to flying with your crew. I’ll take good care of them.” The two men bumped fists.

  Mark tapped Dick on the knee. “After today’s lunch with that bunch, I believe you’ll be impressed. They’ll respect you and continue to serve the company well. As one navy man to another, you have my word on that.”

  “I’m surprised that you have two highly experienced pilots, besides yourself, with only one airplane. Also, two cabin attendants. And, Miss Peggy Weaver, another licensed pilot, handles all scheduling and planning for the aircraft. She goes wherever the aircraft goes.”

  “I can’t say enough about Peggy. She’s an overachiever with grown children. I wouldn’t care to lose her. The company executives love her, and she loves her job. I’m sure you know that you’ll be making at least two trips each year to Japan, and one or two trips to London. Doctor McGowin and your brother carry a lot of weight on the board of directors for United Equity Investments of Tokyo. Doctor McGowin’s staff keeps us in the air more than she or your brother. They’re considering the purchase of another airplane.”

  A week in San Francisco had been enough. He was pleased and called Samantha. “Hear me out, please. I understand. I expect to arrive tonight, late evening. Would you prefer that I stay at the hotel? I’ve already booked a room there on the island.”

  She hesitated before answering. “That won’t be necessary. Come straight to my place. Tomorrow is Sunday. What are your plans for the day?”

  “We’ll talk about that when I arrive. I’ll check into my room and go straight to your cottage.”

  Today’s Saturday. Steven would likely be checking on Samantha’s activities. As a precaution, he’d booked a room for two nights at a touristy harbor-front inn, hoping Sam would agree to accompanying him back there for the rest of the night.

  He finished signing in and walked to her cottage. He entered the unlocked door on the beach side where she’d left the light on. He walked through the well-lit kitchen, expected Sam to be there, waiting up for him. He opened her bedroom door and spoke softly. “Sam! Are you asleep? It’s me.”

  He moved into the dark room, close enough to see the bed was empty, then headed straight to the larger casual room where large windows opened toward the beach, flooding the area with moonlight. He stopped in the doorway. Every muscle tensed up. Samantha sat upright on the sofa, with moonlight reflecting off a white pillow case over her head. She appeared stiff, obviously restrained.

  Responding to a sound, from behind, Dick spun quickly, with elbow out. He felt solid contact with a man’s head, then his long arm struck the wrist of someone raising a club over his head. A baseball bat flew across the room. He moved toward the man he’d made contact with, slammed a foot into his mid-section, spun around again, saw no one behind him. He turned back to Samantha. A second man attacked from her bathroom. Light reflected off a knife. Dick grabbed a throw pillow and rushed the shorter man, letting the pillow absorb the knife thrust. He slammed a straight, hard jab into the man’s nose, felt cartilage crunch. The assailant crashed against the wall, landing on the floor.

  Dick stomped down on the man’s wrist, forced the knife from his hand, before looking up at Samantha. She appeared to be OK. He turned to see one man run through the kitchen, knocking the screen door off its hinge.

  He scanned the poorly-lit room in a hurry and screamed at Samantha. “Are you OK?” She nodded her hooded head. He yelled again. “Was there more than two who attacked you?” She shook her head from side to side. He flipped on the light, removed the cloth sack from her head, brushing his lips across her forehead.

  “Stay where you are!” he yelled at the man on the floor, wiping blood away from his face. He obviously has a problem seeing out of swollen, blood-soaked eyes.

  Dick removed the adhesive tape holding a wadded wash cloth inside Samantha’s mouth. He kissed her eagerly on the lips, and released her bound hands. “The bastards used adhesive tape from your medical kit to bind you up.”

  Samantha relaxed her death grip on his arm and inhaled several deep breaths. “Thank you.” She pressed her face into Dick’s chest. “Keep your eye on that man with the knife. He tried to choke me at first, then tied me up. Call the sheriff’s department. Hurry, Dick, they know me. The number’s there in my cell phone.” She strained to speak. “Why were they after me? I’ve never been bothered by anyone before.”

  Dick saw bruise marks on her throat. Her voice sounded like that of a habitual smoker. “Let’s see what the sheriff has to say. Those men would have caused you tremendous harm.”

  Chapter 17

  Sheriff’s Deputy Bennett held up the plastic bag with the knife. “You’re lucky, Commander. This is a damn wicked weapon, sharp enough to shave your face. You could have been a victim as well.”

  “I’m not completely helpless, Sheriff, having spent two years as a combat marine officer before qualifying for navy flight training. Quick thinking and luck have everything to do with surviving an attack of this nature.”

  “You need to wait for Special Agent Hunt, with DEA. He’s under way as we speak, about ten minutes out. Paramedics are working on the man who attacked you. He appears to be badly injured. Severe swelling has closed both eyes.”

  “We’re not going anywhere, Jonathan. My injuries are not serious,” Samantha said.

  Hunt went directly to Samantha. “Now what have you got yourself into, Samantha? I may need to rethink having you involved in what we’re doing here. These people will go after anyone and everyone without mercy, but, why you?”

  She looked at Dick before answering. “The first thing that came to mind was the man who murdered my mother. I’ve been on edge since he was released from prison.”

  Dick held her gaze, wondering if he should speak up and involve the good doctor and a jealousy motive. Hunt looked from one to the other. “Are you sure there couldn’t be other possibilities?”

  Her eyes teared up. “I feel terrible about bringing this up, but, Doctor Peyton and I are in the process of breaking off a romantic relationship. We made no commitments to one another, but were close, romantically, until I met Dick. Please don’t jump to conclusions about our relationship because, at this point, Dick and I are just respectful friends with a mutual interest. I reall
y don’t believe Doctor Peyton is the kind of man to harm me or anyone.”

  Hunt continued to look at Dick and Samantha. “I would say, Samantha, that’s about as mature an explanation for a ticklish situation as I’ve ever heard.” He smiled warmly.

  Dick thought, this man is a shrewd professional with a level head. But don’t try to put one over on him.

  Hunt said, “We’ll identify the two men who attacked you and, no doubt, gain a bit more information. One small thread sometimes leads to a basket full of new and important leads to investigate. There could be many reasons for this attack on you. First, we have to find out exactly what’s going on. I suspect there’s more to this than either you or we, as investigators, know. As far as the man who killed your mother, that’s another story. We can’t rule out the possibility of some kind of connection.” He had her attention. “Would you like to know exactly what we know and think about the killing of your mother, so many years ago?”

  Samantha jumped to her feet. “Do you mean you have information you’re willing to share with me?”

  “I participated in the initial investigation. I must tell you, before we go any farther, I have always had my doubts about the guilt of the man convicted of killing your mother.”

  She looked as if she would faint. Dick reached for her arm and eased her down on the chair again. “This can’t possibly be happening,” she said. “I’ve spent my entire life wanting to know everything about my mother. I know very little, have no memories at all, and wonder why. Please give me everything about her life that you can share, good, bad, or otherwise. I would be so grateful.”

  Dick squeezed her hand. “Relax and breathe normally for a few minutes, Sam. This could be the blessing you’ve longed for.”

  Hunt tilted his chair back with his hands clasped behind his head. “I know a few things about you, young lady, and I promise I’ll know more when this investigation is over. Because of my early involvement, I’ve followed your life from a distance as well as I could, and the life of the accused murderer, even closer. I ask that you be patient while we finish our investigation. Familiarity with your childhood is one of the reasons I brought you along on this case.”

  Samantha leaned forward, green eyes full of suspicion. “Do you know something, Agent Hunt? I don’t even know my real name, my father’s name. My aunt discouraged my curiosity, afraid of my disappointment. Well, I will never be displeased about anything I learn about the woman who gave birth to me and, I might add, the man who made my life possible. I’m tired of hiding behind a cloak of blindness. I beg you to give me what you can and I’ll try to be patient for the rest of the story. Frankly, I’ve never had the courage to start peeling back the onion.”

  “My investigation led me to believe you had been kept in the dark. I found that hard to believe, until now. Are you sure you’re ready for this?” He sat down across from Samantha. “Your mother was a very attractive young woman, a successful anchorwoman for KFX News in San Francisco. She lived life to the fullest measure, often running with the wrong crowd throughout her high school years. As a young adult from a good family, she used her beauty and the contacts in a world growing up too fast, for personal gain. Many in her crowd were without scruples. She continued to live fast, on the edge of society, one foot in each world. Her friends, a group of people only interested in getting ahead at any cost. Much like what we’re dealing with today. Because of her contacts, and desire for popularity, she became a secret investigative reporter for the news station. Your mother became too good at uncovering stories, where a few highly placed men felt threatened. San Francisco’s underworld of drugs and prostitution was under attack from law enforcement and the news media alike at the time of her death.”

  Hunt stood and moved around some before stopping in front of Samantha. “During the sensational murder trial, the very same news media where your mother was so popular, turned on her and destroyed her reputation by digging up and exploiting every dark contact she had made in her short, fast life. Her wide range of so-called friends all swallowed the bait, and turned their heads whenever her name came up. Your mother’s name was Stephanie Brooks, the much younger sister of your aunt Clara, the last of a generation from the once well thought of Brooks family of San Francisco.”

  Samantha covered her face with her hands and leaned forward toward her knees. No one spoke. Hunt cleared his raspy throat and continued. “We believe your father was J. A. Davis, a successful young businessman. He was known as Joe to his wide range of friends. I’ll give you more after we complete this investigation. Now, I expect you understand why I decided to bring you, and the commander, here, into our investigation. I started looking into your personal life more closely after your discovery of that young woman’s body on a Catalina beach.”

  Dick pulled her to her feet and wrapped her in his arms. Hunt glanced back at Dick before continuing. “My policeman’s gut feeling leads me to believe this attack on Samantha is directly related to the murder of her mother. She needs your help, Dick. You can’t overestimate the danger she’s in. He turned back to Samantha. “I’m glad you have the commander to look after you. We’re not able to be of much help to you at this time.”

  She stared at Hunt. “You’re saying that my mother’s death has my life in jeopardy, Agent Hunt. That’s hard for me to understand. Why would two men with a knife accost me in my home twenty-five years after she died?”

  Chapter 18

  Grant checked into Rocky Point Inn, the most convenient location for both he and Maria. He had followed the protocol exactly as she asked, and found himself looking forward to the midnight rendezvous. He had been single, all his life. As a young man, he’d focused his energy on building a prosperous business. He had the normal interest in girls, but he wasn’t driven by the overpowering sexual mindset of his friends. He often wondered why. Twenty-five years in prison, however, convinced him that he definitely was not gay.

  Since meeting Maria, he found himself with heightened sensations and a growing desire to follow up on this opportunity. He’d once had a month-long relationship with an aggressive woman in his office. That had led to problems there and he’d been forced to end the stressful affair. He decided he could have sex when available, or leave it, and not dwell on it. He’d never felt pressured to have a family.

  Maria was an hour later than expected. He wondered if she’d spent that time upstairs. He decided it didn’t really make much difference. He would benefit either way, enjoy life as it came, and not deviate from his goal. He looked through the peephole. She looked entirely different. For an instant, he thought it might be another woman. Her eyes, not as much mascara, still Maria. “Hi, you’re beautiful. Is everything alright?”

  Her smile covered her entire face. “Perfect, did you have any problem making the appointment?”

  “I don’t think so. I called the number on the card, gave the girl answering the phone my room number and name of the hotel. Oh, and the credit card information.” He reached for her hand and pulled her inside, closing the door. “I’ve been looking forward to your visit. How much time do we have together? It’s after one a.m.”

  “We have until I need to go home and get my little boy ready for school. OK?”

  He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. “Please stay until then. Would you like to go for a stroll on the beach?”

  She cocked her head, “Don’t you want to go to bed with me?”

  He knew he was being naive, and hadn’t expected that. “More than you might know. I’m an older man and I haven’t slept with very many women, especially recently. Will you take me as I am?”

  She looked puzzled. “I doubt there’s anything to worry about. I like you the way you are. I think you’re a special person.”

  Maria looked around the room, then opened the drape to bright moonlight reflecting off the water. She stood there for a moment before moving back to turn down the cover on the bed. He watched her kick off her slippers, then remove her pink blouse. She reached behind her bac
k and released her bra, exposing full, round breasts. He felt himself become aroused, fascinated with her trim young body. She reached out and hooked her fingers in his belt and pulled him against her. Then he realized she was pulling his shirt over his head.

  When he turned back around, she was standing there in bikini underpants, looking him in the eyes. He didn’t wait for more help removing the rest of his clothing. She stood back while he pried off his shoes, bent down and removed his socks, then his pants. He started to remove his underwear until she shook her head from side to side. Maria said, “It’s more fun to finish undressing each other while we’re in bed.”

  They stood close. Her eyes reflected a childlike hopelessness that pierced his heart. All his life he’d qualified people and placed them in small boxes and set them aside. He gathered her in beneath him and pressed into her. He already knew she would no longer be just someone to be used.

  Grant returned to the bed with a bottle of red wine, poured two glasses and leaned back in bed next to Maria. “The things you just told me about the Happy Huntsman gives me concern for your safety. What would happen if you decided to leave?”