The Yellowstone Brief

by Larry LaVoie

  He got on his computer and searched for tear gas canisters. He remembered a nightly newscast where tear gas canisters were being thrown at demonstrators in Syria. Sure enough they looked very similar to what he had seen at the site. He then looked up Green Keepers. Then for no apparent reason, he closed his laptop and went to the suitcase he had brought back from Mexico. Inside one of the pockets, he pulled out the cell phone he had retrieved from the tunneling site. He looked the item over and placed it on his charging station. If I can find out who owned it, I can return it to the family. It was probably dropped by one of the soldiers who died on the mountain in Mexico.

  That evening he was kicked back in his leather recliner watching Fox News when the doorbell rang. He opened the door. “Trick! What the hell, Buddy. I wasn’t expecting you for another week.” Trick and David had been friends since grade school. Throughout their years in high school and later at the University of Utah, they were inseparable. When David was getting his doctorate, Trick had married Elizabeth and taken a job with USGS. Through the years they had kept in touch with each other, but they hadn’t seen each other in over two years. Even though they both worked for USGS, it was a giant organization and they seemed to be getting assignments on separate sides of the world.

  He opened the storm door for him. Trick gave David a bear hug. “Couldn’t stand it any longer. I went AWOL a week early.” He pulled Tanya from the shadows and watched as David’s draw dropped. “This is Tanya. You wouldn’t have an extra room for us, would you?”

  Tanya was stunning. Her coal black hair glistened in the porch light. her smile showed a row of perfect white teeth. She was nearly as tall as Trick. David smiled at her. “If you want the real lowdown on this guy, buy me a beer when he’s not around. I’ll let you in on all his secrets. You caught by surprise, I forgot my manners. Come in. We can get your luggage later.”

  They settled in the living room, David and Trick each with a double Scotch on the rocks and a glass of Tualatin Vineyards white Riesling, for Tanya.

  Trick lifted his drink. “Tanya and I were married in Seattle, between flights.” He looked over and grinned at David. “This is our honeymoon.”

  “Congratulations, you two,” David said. “How long have you known each other, a day or is it two?”

  “It was love at first site,” Trick said, ignoring David’s attempt at humor. “I couldn’t get her out of my mind from the moment we met.” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

  “If you don’t mind, I could use the little girl’s room,” Tanya said, getting up. She made eye contact with David. “This way?”

  “Right down the hall,” David said, pointing. When Tanya was out of earshot, he leaned toward Trick. “She’s gorgeous, but a little young, don’t you think?”

  “What’s age got to do with it? We’re in love, and no, I don’t think I’m too young for her.”

  David laughed, shaking his head. “I don’t know if the long nights got to you, or to her. I wish you the best, and if it doesn’t work out, I’m sure you’ll have lots of memories to keep you going in your old age.”

  “That’s good enough for me. Now, tell me how you got your leg in a cast. I was a little foggy when you woke me in the middle of the night.”

  The next day Tanya went into town, leaving David and Trick on the back deck having a beer and catching up on their latest adventures.

  David got up from the lawn chair. “Hey, I think I have something that will interest you. Grab us a couple more beers and I’ll be right back.”

  He returned in a minute with a cell phone. “You think you can help me find out whose cell phone this is? I found it in Mexico. My Spanish is a bit rusty, but I would like to return it to the owner.”

  “Rusty! If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be trying to pass midterm in Old Lady Cramer’s Spanish class.”

  “I don’t remember it exactly that way, but if you still remember any of it, we can give it a go. I’m not sure it works.” David turned it on. “It seems to be all right.” He handed it to Trick.

  “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Trick asked, flipping his finger across the screen.

  “What the hell. Has there always got to be bad news?”

  “The good news is, whoever owned this phone did not speak Spanish,” Trick said, casually taking a long drink of beer.

  “What’s the bad news?”

  Trick showed him the screen. “Does that look like a war movie to you?”

  David looked at the tiny screen. “That’s the tunneling site. Someone must have filmed what was going on. This is big. I’ve got to call the FBI. This looks like the massacre they were talking about.” David started searching through a kitchen cabinet for Agent Martin’s card. “I can’t believe I didn’t tell them about this,” David said, nervously. He found the card and held it up. “Got it.” His hand was shaking. “I never considered it would contain evidence of the massacre. Oh is she going to be pissed.”

  Trick took the phone from him. “Shouldn’t we review this before we call them?”

  “We’ll have plenty of time to review it while they’re on their way,” David said taking the phone back.

  While they waited for the FBI to arrive from Portland, David and Trick went through the rest of the information on the phone.

  “This is some sick bastard’s idea of a good time,” Trick said. “I hope they catch this guy and hang him by the balls.” He pointed to a smiling man on the tiny screen. He opened the refrigerator and got another beer. “What do you suppose was going on that they attacked like that?”

  David thought for a moment. “Colonel Frost told me the site was top secret, but I thought it was classified because of the equipment being used, not that they were involved in a top secret operation.” David sat down at the kitchen table. “When I first reviewed the site, there were Mexican troops on the ground. As far as I know, they were just making sure the site was secure. I did see a few demonstrators being arrested. I thought they looked like terrorists; you know, suicide bombers, but this doesn’t look like suicide bombers. This looks like an all-out attack from the air.”

  Trick set his beer down and leaned into David, showing him the tiny screen. “The Mexican Army doesn’t look like it’s doing a very good job, these guys are running backwards faster than I can run forward. They’re scattering like they’re trying to get away from something.”

  “You got that right. Look here. This is one of the canisters, I told the FBI about. What kind of writing is that on there? By the looks of things, they are in the middle of a full-fledged chemical attack. They are trying to escape to the tunnel. You’d think they were in Afghanistan, or Syria.”

  Trick shrugged. “Chemical weapons? I’d say it meets the criteria of terrorists. No wonder the FBI is involved. Can you imagine what panic these guys would cause if they got across the border with that stuff?”

  David held the card Agent Martin had given him and smiled. “Trick, this is one of the prettiest women I have ever met.”

  “You are looking at a woman?”

  “Until now I never thought I’d look at another, but when you see Heather, Agent Martin, you’ll see what I’m talking about.”

  “You’re thinking about getting back into the dating game?” Trick asked, raising his beer. “Good for you.”

  “I’m not getting back into dating. I just said she was pretty.”

  Trick gave him a smug look. “Better let me be the judge of that. You’ve been out of the game too long.”

  “Give me a break. You get a divorce, run away to Alaska and come back married.”

  “My point exactly. I was barely out of the dating game. That makes me the expert. I’ll be the judge.”

  Two hours later there was a rap on the door. “Must be Tanya,” David said.

  “Are you kidding, how long has it been since you were shopping with a woman?” Trick set his beer down and got up from the lounge chair on the back deck. “You don’t think the FBI could get here this
fast?”

  “Last time they flew to Eugene and took a helicopter here. I suppose they could make it in two hours. Only one way to find out.” David went to the door. This time he saw only one agent, the manly looking Agent Nichols. She was dressed in blue jeans and a gray sweatshirt with FBI across the front.

  “That didn’t take long,” David greeted, opening the storm door. “Agent Nichols, isn’t it?”

  David looked around her to see if Heather was with her. He really was hoping she would answer his call in person. “What happened to your partner?”

  “Special Agent Martin? She had to return to Washington. You said you found something important. A video?”

  David turned to Trick. “This is my friend Trick...I mean Richard Magic.”

  Trick stuck out his hand and shook Nichols’ hand. “Pleased to meet you,...ma’am.”

  The hesitation didn’t go unnoticed by David, who jabbed Trick with his elbow. “The phone is in the kitchen.” He led the way, grabbing the phone from the kitchen counter and handed it Nichols.

  Trick gave David a weird look and mouthed the words, “she’s really a knockout.” He grinned and slugged David on the shoulder.

  “Too bad Heather couldn’t have joined you. I think she’d find the video interesting.”

  Nichols turned on the device and flipped through the screens, stopping periodically. She watched the video without uttering a sound. She pulled out her smart phone and paired it with the phone David had handed her. “I’m sending this information to Washington. Mr. Wayne, you know withholding evidence from an investigation is a felony.”

  David raised both hands in front of him. “Whoa! Hold on a minute. I didn’t have any idea there was evidence on that phone. I even forgot I had it until yesterday. The battery was dead and I had to charge it to find out what was on it. As soon as I realized what I had, I called you.”

  “Nevertheless, you’ll have to accompany me to Portland for your statement.”

  “I’m under arrest?” David asked, incredulously.

  “See ya later,” Trick said, smiling. “You want me to bail you out?”

  Nichols turned to Trick. “Mr. Magic, you’ll have to come also.”

  “What about Tanya?” Trick asked. “We’re on our honeymoon.”

  “I’ll give you time to call her.”

  Trick leaned back against the kitchen counter in a casual manner, his elbow resting on the ceramic surface. “I’m on my honeymoon. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  Agent Nichols brushed David aside, spun Trick around, and had a ziplock tie on him in what seemed like the blink of an eye. She looked over at David. “Do I have to cuff you, too?”

  David got Tanya on Trick’s cell and held it up for him to talk. “Hey, Honey, I need you to come home right away.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Something’s come up. David and I have to go to Portland.”

  “What’s in Portland? I haven’t finished shopping. I’ll be back in another hour.”

  “We’re under arrest. The FBI is escorting us to Portland.” There was a long silence. “Tanya? Did you hear me?”

  “I’ll be right there.” She hung up.

  “That was awkward,” Trick said, looking at his phone. “She’ll be right here.”

  “How long?” Nichols asked.

  “In this town, can’t be more than five minutes,” David said. “Six, if she hits a traffic light.”

  Chapter 19

  August 19th, Hoover Building, Washington D.C.

  Matt Renfro called Heather to his office, a risky move, but necessary as the information on the video was being kept under strict control, and was not being let out into the field. “Agent Martin, we have the evidence we need on Green Keepers’ involvement in the murders in Mexico. I wanted you to see this first hand.” Renfro used a remote control to start the video on a wall mounted flat screen monitor. When it was finished he turned to Heather. “This corroborates everything Stone said on tape. He’s either a very good liar or in way over his head.”

  “I don’t understand,” Heather said. “Did you find the video in his safe? He told me he dropped it from the helicopter in Mexico.”

  “You’re gonna love this,” Renfro said, fast forwarding the video to the very last frames. “He dropped it right here.” He showed the phone spinning around. He froze the last frame. It showed a man in a gas mask frantically reaching for something. “I wish we could see the expression of his face. An Oh, Shit moment if I ever saw one.” He clicked off the monitor. “As far as your assignment, this changes everything. Like it or not, you’re now in the middle of a terrorist cell.”

  “If it’s any help, I think Stone is scared to death of Abdul Rahmani,” Heather said. “That could be in our favor, if we want to turn him.”

  “We aren’t going to turn him, not yet, anyway,” Renfro said. He gave Heather a concerned look. “We need for you to stay close to them. We’ve got to get Homeland Security involved and they’ll probably bring in the CIA. I’m sure there’s more that they can share about Andy Rhane. How the hell does he slip in and out of the country and run chemical warfare attacks next door without anyone seeing him?”

  “I’ve got to catch a flight to Portland. They’re interrogating the guy who came up with this video.”

  “You said someone found the video?” Heather asked.

  “A stroke of luck,” Renfro said. “The volcanologist you interrogated, Dr. Wayne. He says he found it on the ground just before the eruption.”

  Heather shook her head in disbelief. “Why didn’t he give that to me when I questioned him?”

  “Says it was on a cell phone he found and didn’t know about the video at the time. He forgot all about it until yesterday,” Renfro said. “This would have been a hell of a recruiting tool for Al Qaida, if they put it on the net. A lucky break your man Stone dropped the ball, so to speak.” Renfro gave Heather the same concerned look again. The kind a father would give his daughter just before handing her over to a man he didn’t like at the altar. “I’m sorry this has gotten a little messier than we first thought. Are you good for seeing this through?”

  “What can go wrong?” Heather said. “I’m sitting in an office with a murdering terrorist and his inept chief cinematographer. I think you should bring them both in, before they do some real damage in this country.”

  “Soon enough,” Renfro said. “It’s paramount that we find out where the chemical weapons are stored and how they are moving them.”

  “They were in Mexico,” Heather said. “What makes you think they are headed our way?”

  “Because they always are. Mexico was a test. Get us some proof on where the merchandise is and we can end this fiasco for good.”

  August 22nd, Washington, D.C.

  Joshua walked into Heather’s office at Green Keepers headquarters. “Get your things,” Joshua said. He was holding a rolled up piece of paper. I’ve got the latest financials to go over with you.”

  Heather closed her laptop and stood up. “Where are we going?”

  “I’m taking you to lunch and we can discuss what to do with this.” He tapped the paper tube on his hand.

  They walked down the street to a deli that specialized in gourmet coffee and super sized sandwiches with hand carved meats.

  “Seems a little over the top in this politically correct city,” Heather said, looking at the giant sandwich on her tray.

  “This place was picketed by a group last year, if you can believe that,” Joshua said.

  “Picketed? What for?”

  “Vegans United for the Abolition of Animal Cruelty,” Joshua said. “I didn’t even know about this place until I saw it on the news. Best advertisement they could have gotten. A bunch of skinny bitches trying to block the doors. They were driven off by another bunch with signs that read, Stop killing vegetables. Eat meat.”

  “You expect me to believe that?” Heather said, giving him an incredulous glance.

  “True story. The
owner hired Green Keepers to run the op. I made the mistake of letting Andy handle it.”

  “Andy seems a little strange,” Heather said placing her deli tray on the table across from Joshua.

  “He’s spent the better part of his life outside the United States,” Joshua said. “Different customs where he comes from.”

  Heather didn’t want to seem like she was prying and almost left it at that when Joshua added more information. “We met last year after a rally. He said he had some contacts with a lot of money. Of course, that got my attention.”

  “Where I come from money always has strings attached,” Heather said.

  Joshua looked up at her. “You’d be right. You see, he’s sitting in the office next to me.”

  “What’s his problem with women?”

  Josh let out a snicker. “I think it has something to do with his upbringing. Some kind of religious fanatic. I don’t pretend to understand his religion, but it is certainly dark ages as near as I can tell.”

  “He’s a Muslim, isn’t he?”

  “That would be my guess, but I’ve known other Muslims who didn’t have the problem with women he seems to. It’s almost as if he has to wash his hands if a woman touches him.” Josh gave out a laugh. “You should have seen him the time Lucile Higgins gave him a bear hug and a kiss on the cheek. He backed off and you would have thought he was swatting flies. Poor girl. It was her last day on the job.”

  “You fired her?”

  “Didn’t have a chance. She didn’t show up the next day. Was hit by a car and died in the hospital. This city is notorious for hit-and-run accidents. They never found the person who hit her.”

  “That’s terrible,” Heather said.

  “Anyway, keep your distance from Andy. I don’t know how sensitive he is, but it beats anything I’ve ever seen. Kind of a phobia.”

  “You don’t think he had anything to do with Lucile’s death?”

  Joshua shrugged.

  She decided not to push the subject of Andy any further. “You said you had some financials to discuss?”